Chapter 15 The Rules of Survival
KAEL'S POV
I woke up in a cell with Aria screaming.
Not nearby—somewhere through the walls. Her voice raw with terror, calling Asher's name over and over. The mate bond between us felt like barbed wire wrapped around my heart, tightening with every scream.
I slammed my fists against the metal door until my knuckles bled. "Let me out! She needs help!"
No one answered. They'd locked us in separate cells after Kane pressed that button and Asher collapsed. I didn't know what the remote did to him. Didn't know if he was alive or dead. Didn't know if Aria was hurt or—
The screaming stopped.
That was worse. So much worse.
"Aria!" I roared. The enhanced strength from the serum made my voice shake the walls. "Answer me!"
Silence.
Then footsteps. A door opening down the hall. Aria's voice, weak but alive: "Kael?"
"I'm here!" Relief nearly knocked me over. "Are you hurt?"
"They—" Her voice cracked. "They took Asher somewhere. Dr. Kane said the remote triggers pain receptors in his brain. They use it to punish him when he disobeys programming. She pressed it for thirty seconds while I watched. He was—God, Kael, the sounds he made—"
My hands clenched into fists. "We're getting out of here. Both of us. And we're taking Asher with us."
"How?" Aria asked. "We're locked up. They have guards everywhere. And even if we escape, where do we go? Cross controls everything at the Academy. He'll just hunt us down."
She was right. But I couldn't—wouldn't—accept that.
"Then we play their game," I said slowly, an idea forming. "Until we're strong enough to win."
"What are you talking about?"
"Listen carefully. They think I'm going to turn into an obedient weapon like Asher in seventy-two hours. They think you're helpless. We use that. We pretend to cooperate. Learn everything we can about this place. Find Asher. Get evidence of what they're doing. Then we blow this whole operation wide open."
"You want us to pretend we're brainwashed?" Aria's voice rose with panic. "Kael, if they actually erase our memories—"
"They won't get the chance." I pressed my palm against the cold metal door, wishing I could touch her. Comfort her. "The serum they gave me—I can feel it working. Making me stronger. But it hasn't touched my mind yet. Maybe it won't. Maybe I'm resistant. And even if I'm not, we have time. Time to plan."
Footsteps approached. Multiple sets of boots on concrete.
"Get ready," I whispered. "Whatever happens next, trust me."
Dr. Kane appeared at my cell door with four guards. Her smile was poison. "Good news, Kael. We've decided to accelerate your training. You and A-1 will become partners. He'll teach you to embrace your new nature."
"What about Aria?" I demanded.
"Subject O-Prime will begin her preparation separately. Don't worry—you'll see her again. Once you're both properly adjusted, we'll initiate the bonding protocol. Enhanced Alphas need compatible Omega mates, after all." Kane's eyes gleamed with sick excitement. "Your children will be magnificent specimens."
Every word made me want to tear her apart. But I forced my face blank. Emotionless. Like Asher's.
"I understand," I said flatly. "When do we begin?"
Kane's eyebrows rose with surprise and delight. "My, my. The serum works fast on some subjects. Excellent. Come along."
The guards led me through sterile hallways. We passed Aria's cell. She stood at the small window in her door, face pale with fear. Our eyes met for just a second.
I blinked twice—our signal from the old days when Asher and I needed to communicate silently during combat exercises. Trust me.
She blinked back once. I trust you.
They took me to a training room where Asher waited. He looked terrible—skin gray, eyes hollow, a thin line of blood dried beneath his nose. Whatever that remote had done to him, it had hurt badly.
"A-1," Dr. Kane said. "This is your new training partner. Teach him the basics of combat enhancement. If he resists, you're authorized to use force."
"Understood." Asher's voice was dead again. Like the moment of recognition with Aria had never happened.
Kane left. The door sealed shut. Two cameras watched from opposite corners.
Asher and I stood facing each other.
"We're supposed to fight," Asher said. "They want to see if the serum made you aggressive enough."
"I know," I replied carefully. "But first, I need to ask you something. Do you remember what happened with Aria?"
Asher's jaw tightened. "No. I don't have those memories anymore."
"Liar." I kept my voice low, barely a whisper. "Your eyes changed when she said your name. You remembered. For just a second, you were you again."
"That's not—" Asher stopped. His hands shook. "It doesn't matter. Even if fragments remain, the programming is stronger. I can't fight it. Neither can you. In three days, you'll be just like me."
"Wrong." I stepped closer. "Because I'm going to fight it. And you're going to help me. And together, we're going to save your sister and destroy everyone who did this to us."
"They'll kill us."
"Maybe. But we'll die as ourselves. Not as their weapons." I held out my hand. "What do you say, roommate? One last mission? For old times' sake?"
Asher stared at my hand. Something flickered behind his dead eyes—a spark of the friend I remembered.
"They're watching," he whispered.
"Then make it look good."
Asher's fist crashed into my jaw hard enough to knock me sideways. I tasted blood. But when I looked up, I saw it—the tiniest hint of a smile on his face. The real Asher, buried but not gone.
We fought. Fast and brutal. Every hit looked real because they were real. But between the violence, we talked in whispers too quiet for the cameras to pick up.
"Where do they keep Aria at night?" I asked, blocking a kick.
"Cell block C. Third door on the right." Asher swept my legs. "Four guards. Rotating shift change at midnight."
"Where's the evidence?" I rolled away from a punch. "Proof of what they're doing here?"
"Cross's office. Second floor. Biometric lock." Asher grabbed my throat, squeezed gently—just enough to look convincing. "But there's something you should know."
"What?"
"This facility isn't the only one." Asher's dead eyes met mine. "There are six others. All across the country. Hundreds of subjects like me. If we destroy just this place, the others continue."
My blood went cold. "How do we stop all of them?"
"We can't. Not alone." Asher released my throat. "But Cross keeps the master list in his safe. Location of every facility. Names of everyone involved. That's what Asher—what I was looking for before they caught me."
"Then that's what we steal."
We kept fighting. Kept planning. With every punch and kick, we built our escape. Our rebellion. Our revenge.
Finally, exhausted and bruised, we stopped. Asher stood over me, fist raised like he was about to deliver a final blow.
"Cooperate," he said loudly for the cameras. "Accept what you're becoming. It's easier."
Then he leaned down, so close his lips nearly touched my ear, and whispered: "Cell block C. Midnight. I'll create a distraction. Get Aria out. There's a tunnel system beneath the facility. Third basement level. Old maintenance access. It leads to the forest."
Before I could respond, the door opened.
Professor Cross walked in, clapping slowly. "Excellent work, A-1. I see you've successfully begun Kael's conditioning."
My heart stopped.
How long had Cross been watching? How much had he heard?
Cross smiled at me. "Kael, I have wonderful news. We've moved up your memory modification. It begins in one hour instead of three days."
"No—"
"And Aria's breeding protocol starts at the same time. Simultaneous procedures. So romantic." Cross's smile turned sharp. "Unless, of course, you'd like to confess something? Perhaps explain why you and A-1 seemed to be having such an intense conversation during your 'training'?"
Asher's face remained blank. Mine must have shown everything because Cross laughed.
"I thought so. Guards! Take Kael to Prep Room One. And bring Subject O-Prime to the breeding chamber. Let's see how well this mate bond holds up when we start erasing the people who created it."