Chapter 003

Chapter 003

"Jaime! There you are!”

It was Layla, His best. and maybe only friend. Small, wiry, with unruly brown curls.

An Omega, born into the lowest rank, but with more heart than all of them combined.

Jaime had gone to the breakers to spend the rest of his days. He had managed to pick himself up from the hallway with the help of the new teacher. 

But he didn’t see the essence of attending class again. So he had sneaked here,where he hoped no one would find him.

But not for Layla. She stopped short when she saw his face.

“Whoa. You look like death. Is it because of Damon, I swear he is a jerk…” 

“No, I have already accepted my fate,” Jaime replied.

“Did... did your dad punish you again?”

Jaime shook his head quickly. “No. Not this time.”

Liana didn’t look convinced. She walked closer, peering into his face like she could read the bruises under his skin.

“Are you sure? You’re all pale. I swear, if he…”

“It’s not him,” Jaime snapped at her, cutting her off.

He glanced around. The hallways were mostly deserted now.

He slumped down onto the floor, ignoring the grime, and hugged his knees to his chest.

Liana sat beside him without asking.

For a few moments, they just sat there in silence, the faint hum of the school’s lights buzzing overhead.

:Sorry for snapping at you” Jaime apologized 

“It's totally fine, Jaime, I pushed you too hard. I might not know the feeling but I…”

“I keep... feeling something,” he said.

“Like something’s pulling me.”

Liana frowned. “Pulling you where?”

Jaime didn’t answer right away. His eyes flickered to the windows at the far end of the hall.

Toward the east wing.

Toward the place no one ever talked about unless they were whispering rumors.

“The containment sector,” he said quietly.

Liana sucked in a breath. “You’re kidding, right?”

Jaime shook his head.

“I keep dreaming about it. It’s like... I don’t know. Like something’s calling me.”

Liana's brows drew together in worry. “That’s bad, Jaime. Real bad. Nothing good comes out of there.”

“I know,” he said.

“But that's the problem. I have to know. I have to.”

The words came out before he could stop them, raw and aching.

Liana touched his hand gently.

“I’ll go with you. If you’re serious.”

He looked at her in shock.

“noo, it's too dangerous for you… but i know a secret tunnel i could use.”

He tried to convince her but if anything, Layla became even more skeptical about the plan.

“But still…”

Before she could say anything more, the bell rang, signaling the end of the school day.

After bidding her goodbye, Jaime headed home.

Across the city, preparations were already underway.

Banners strung across the streets.

Families gathering in groups.

Tonight was important.

The night of the turning. 

“Omg, I can't wait for this year's turning event” two pack members passed Jaime, whispering among themselves.

“I heard that the alphas cousin would be turning this night also” the other one, shrieked like a die hard fan.

Jaime rolled his eyes.

So that's why there are a lot of preparations. He said to himself, 

Damon’s younger cousin, would officially turn during the Ceremony.

The whole important dignitaries of the sector would be there.

Jaime was expected to… but he had other plans.

his thoughts kept drifting elsewhere.

To the east.

To the labs.

To the truth clawing at the edges of his mind.

He didn’t know why he was drawn to it. Why did his dreams always take him there? Why the silence in his chest didn’t feel quite so empty when he starred in that direction.

Maybe because deep down, something else was calling.

Something far older than any wolf.

Something not of this world.

And he plans on finding that truth tonight.

*************************

The bonfire flames danced higher, casting flickering gold on the forest as the sounds of ceremonial drums began.

Jaime crouched behind the tall hedges bordering the pack square, and the outskirt of the pack. watching the glowing lanterns sway gently in the breeze. With a tight gaze. He could probably see happiness and excitement hovering In the air.

Families gathered in small groups, their laughter echoing into the night. Wolves with their mates stood arm in arm, some already mated, others newly bound. He could see the adornment and love in their eyes. Their bondlines shimmered faintly under the moonlight, threads of light no one else could see except one person.

Jaimes.

It was a secret he chose to keep to himself. Not even telling his father, although he knows that it might soften his father's heart, as it could only mean one thing. 

Abilities.

But again, as much he dearly wants his father to recognise him, he fears disappointment the most. When it will turn out to just be a stupid illusion or his brain playing tricks on him. 

He stood there for a moment, lost in the beautiful phenomenon. He sees them, like a thread that connects the mated ones together. It was one of the most beautiful things and he could stay all night just to watch it. 

But it hurts.

He told himself never to think about it, mates. The idea was a myth for someone like him. A luxury. A dream. But now, seeing them up close, so tangible, so real… something inside him ached.

What would it feel like?

To be chosen. Wanted. Loved.

He shook his head, hard.

No. That wasn't his story. Not in this lifetime. Not when he was born without a wolf.

Turning away from the light, he slipped into the shadows, weaving through giant trees and shrubs. He had chosen to walk around the whole facility to avoid stations and guard posts he knew were everywhere.

After successfully passing all the stations, he stopped in front of a wooden board that was embedded into the ground. It was covered by vines and dirt. Like it has not been opened in years.

But he was ready for it. Dropping down his bags, he brought out the tools he had carefully packed for the occasion.

After 3 mins, he pried it open and stepped into darkness.

The tunnel smelled like damp stone and old metal. His footsteps echoed faintly as he descended the tunnel, going deeper into the facility. He had seen the layout of the facility when he was a child, well when everybody still considered him as the strongest warrior in the Greencreek pack. Every turn was etched in his memory, he knew this path better than anyone. After all, he was the son of the chief scientist. The son of the man who designed half the lower sectors of the facility.

He moved faster now, the Tunnel descending even lower. The temperature had dropped by a few degrees but he was prepared for that, as he had come with a fur skin sweater to help combat the cold.

It was obvious from the cobwebs and thick layers of dust that this tunnel hadn’t been used in years. Jaime’s boots crunched against the dirt as he moved deeper, the stale air brushing his skin like forgotten whispers.

After what felt like forever, the narrow path opened up into a wider tunnel, more structured, like a walkway. The walls gleamed faintly with old, flickering lights.

He had finally reached it.

The forbidden zone of the facility.

But something felt… wrong.

Jaime paused.

His hand rose instinctively to his chest.

The pull. The strange, magnetic gravity that had haunted him for weeks… it was gone.

There was nothing.

No hum in the air. No invisible tug.

Just silence. Cold and depressingly hollow.

His breath caught in his throat.

Had he imagined it?

Was it all in his head?

Or worse, had something happened at the other end?

Alarm flared in his chest, but he pressed forward, more cautious now, every sound amplified in the eerie quiet.

Then he stopped, his chest heaving.

Voices.

Not one. Not two.

Three.

They echoed faintly through the tunnel, distorted but close.

“I can’t believe you let this happen on your watch. How did he suddenly disappear?”

The harsh voice was unmistakable…Alpha Derrek.

Jaime’s spine stiffened.

He pressed himself against the rough wall, eyes darting.

Quickly, he used the uneven stones to climb up and wedge himself against the tunnel’s ceiling beams. His fingers ached from gripping, but he stayed silent.

Below, footsteps approached.

Alpha Derrek led the group, flanked by two guards. Damon walked beside him, his face unreadable.

“We lost the sample. He’s gone.”

“He was never a sample,” Damon muttered. “He was a weapon.”

“Regardless,” his father said coldly, “he disappeared under your watch. Incompetent fools. Everything was built around her.” 

His aura filled the whole tunnel. Sharp and pricking like a needle were pressed on everyone's neck.

“No breakout signs,” My father murmured, his eyes filled with unrecognized light. “It’s like she vanished into thin air.”

“He didn’t vanish,” Alpha Derek snapped. “Someone helped Him.”

Jaime’s heart thundered in his chest.

They were speaking in codes, yes, but the truth was clear:

They were talking about someone.

They were hiding something.

And they suspected an inside job.

He inched back, too fast.

Their voices faded in the distance. After making sure that they had gone far, he came down and burst out in a sprint deeper into the tunnel. His lungs burned, but something pushed him forward.

Something he could not still decipher.

He slowed down, entering a colder and creepy room and froze.

He suddenly felt like vomiting.

Rusted Chains hung from the ceiling, Strange metal chairs with restraints and Scorch marks of whips and bloody marks painted the walls. 

But as if that was not all, sharp surgical tools and torture equipments lined up a table. 

Jaime’s stomach twisted.

He had never seen anything like it.

This wasn’t just a lab.

This was a prison. A twisted sick prison.

And yet… something in him stirred. The strange calmness returned, whispering to him through the stillness. It was like he was here and at the same time not here.

It was weird and creepy.

But that silence shattered in an instant

A sudden, piercing alarm blared through the facility.

The pack alarm!

Jaime’s heart jumped to his throat.

Had they found out.

Panicked, he turned and ran out. Disappearing into the night.