MICAELA

A man’s voice, probably the doctor’s, answered quietly, “Everything looks compatible. We’ll know more after the next test.”

Compatible. The word made my skin crawl. Compatible for what?

Their voices faded, and I leaned against the door, trying to breathe quietly. None of this made sense. Why would an Alpha like Barrett buy me? Why tests? Why secrecy?

I lay down, staring at the ceiling until exhaustion pulled me under.

*

A knock woke me hours later.

I froze. “Who is it?”

No answer.

The door handle turned slightly, then stopped.

I sat up, pulse racing. The room was dark, but I could feel someone standing on the other side.

Then, slowly, the door opened just enough for someone to slip in, the shape of a man.

Barrett.

He didn’t speak. His gaze moved across the room, stopping on me. For a long moment, he just stood there, expression unreadable.

The silence pressed on my chest. I wanted to ask what he wanted, but something in his eyes made me stay quiet.

Finally, he said one thing, voice low. “Don’t leave this room at night.”

And then he was gone.

*

The next morning came too fast. I barely slept after the way Barrett stood at my door. Every time I closed my eyes, I saw that look again, cold, unreadable, like he was deciding something about me.

Breakfast arrived before sunrise. A maid pushed a cart in, kept her eyes down, and left without a word. No one here looked at me. It was as if speaking to me would get them killed.

The food was untouched long after it went cold. I couldn’t eat. I just sat by the window, staring at the courtyard below. Guards patrolled in steady lines.

By the third day I’d learned the rhythm of the mansion. Three meals, no questions. Doctor visits twice a day. Barrett’s office door stayed shut. When he walked through the halls, everywhere goes quiet, tense and expectant. People bowed; no one breathed too loud.

He never looked at me again, and somehow that was worse than the first night.

On the fourth morning, two maids came in with crisp voices.

“The doctor wants you downstairs.”

I followed them through long corridors lined with portraits of old Alphas. Their painted eyes followed me until we stopped at a steel door.

Inside smelled of disinfectant. Machines beeped softly. A man in his forties looked up from a clipboard. “Sit,” he said.

I obeyed. Needles, samples, light checks, he didn’t explain a thing. When I tried to ask, he gave me the same answer everyone did. “The Alpha will tell you.”

An hour later he dismissed me. My arms ached where he’d drawn blood. As I stepped out, I heard voices from the adjoining room, his and Barrett’s. I froze.

“…gene strength is exceptional,” the doctor said.

“She’s compatible?” Barrett’s voice was calm, deeper than before.

“Highly. We’ll confirm once the scent test passes, though your immunity still interferes.”

“I don’t care. Proceed. I want results.”

My stomach dropped. Gene strength. Compatibility. Scent immunity.

Another voice, Andrew’s, the Beta. “So she’s the subject then? For breeding?”

My breath caught.

The doctor lowered his tone. “Yes. She might finally carry his heir.”

I felt sick. My hand trembled against the doorframe. They weren’t testing my health. They were testing if I could give him a child.

Before I could move, the air behind me went cold.

“You like listening to things that don’t concern you?”

Barrett’s voice came from right behind me.

I turned slowly. He stood close, tall enough that the light from the lab hit only half his face. His expression didn’t change, but his eyes were colder now.

“I wasn’t…”

“You were,” he cut in. “Next time you want to know something, ask. Or don’t. Curiosity here doesn’t end well.”

“I just wanted to understand why I’m here,” I said, forcing the words out.

His gaze didn’t soften. “Because I decided you would be.”

“That’s not an answer.”

“It’s the only one you need.”

For a moment we just stared at each other.

He looked away first. “Go back to your room.”

“You bought me like nothing. At least tell me what for.”

He turned back sharply. “Do you really want to know?”

I nodded even though my throat was tight.

He stepped closer, his voice lower now. “You’ll find out soon enough. Until then, stay quiet, do what you’re told, and you’ll keep breathing.”

He left me standing there, shaking.

*

The days after that blurred together. More tests, more silence. I tried to talk to the maids, but they acted deaf. Even the doctor avoided my eyes.

I began counting footsteps outside my door to guess the time. Sometimes I heard Barrett’s. He never stopped, never hesitated near my room again.

I should have hated him, and I did. But hate mixed with something I didn’t understand, an attraction that made my chest tighten when I heard his voice from across the hall.

One afternoon I caught sight of him in the courtyard, training with his guards. He moved with precision, every strike calculated. The sun caught the scar running along his jaw. When his shirt clung to his chest, I looked away too fast, annoyed at myself.

That night I told myself not to care. He was a monster. A man who saw women as tools. Nothing more.

But when I closed my eyes, all I could see were his.

And something roared in my head.

Mate.

No, that can't be.

*

The next morning, Andrew came to my door. “The Alpha wants to see you.”

My heart jumped. “Why?”

He didn’t answer. “Follow me.”

My wolf stirred, restless.

Andrew stopped at a tall black door. “Go in. Speak only when spoken to.”