Chapter 9 Chapter 9
"I can handle this," I said, not sure if I was lying or not.
I washed my hands, reapplied lipstick I didn't need and walked back into the suite with a smile
that felt like broken glass.
Mr. Xiang had moved to the windows, looking out at the city. "Do you ever think about what
separates us from them?" he asked, gesturing at the lights below. "All those ordinary people,
living ordinary lives. What makes someone extraordinary?"
"I don't know," I honestly replied— "Maybe nothing. Maybe everyone's extraordinary in ways we
can't measure."
He turned to look at me, and something in his expression changed. "Victor said you were
different. That you had an interesting perspective. He was right."
"Different how?" I asked, suddenly afraid he knew. That somehow, impossibly, he could see
what I was beneath the makeup and the dress and the lies.
"Most girls Victor sends to me, just want the money”,he said.”They don't think ,They don't question. But you…”
He stepped closer.
"You're thinking right now. I can see it in your eyes. You're wondering
what kind of man pays company…What kind of research requires this level of secrecy. What I
really want from you."
"What do you want from me?" I asked, my voice barely above a whisper.
He reached out and touched my face, his fingers cold against my skin.
"The same thing I want from all my research subjects, he said softly .”To understand what makes you unique."
Time stopped.
Research subjects.
He knew. Somehow, he knew exactly what I was.
"I don't know what you mean," I said, but my voice betrayed me—it was shaking..
"Your heart rate just spiked," he replied calmly. "Your pupils dilated. Your breathing changed.
He stepped closer,the air around him turning coder.
You're afraid, Mia. Or should I say..." he paused, smile wider—too wide.
"Should I use your real name?”
In the earpiece,Alex screamed— "Get out! Mia, get out now! We're coming—"
Mr. Xiang pulled a phone from his pocket and pressed a button. Immediately, the soft music
stopped. The lights brightened. And I heard footsteps in the hallway outside.
"You planted a very sophisticated listening device," he said conversationally. "But my security
sweeps detected it approximately forty-seven seconds ago. I've been waiting to see what you'd
do. Whether you'd run or commit to the performance. I have to say, I'm impressed."
The door opened. Three men in suits walked in, and they moved like predators. Like people
who'd done terrible things and would do them again without hesitation.
"Victor will be disappointed," Mr. Xiang continued. "He assured me you were trustworthy. But
corporate espionage is a serious crime. Lucky for you, I have use for people with your
particular... talents."
One of the security guards grabbed my arm. His grip was crushing, professional, designed to
control without leaving marks. I could have fought. Should have fought. My Primal strength was
there, bubbling beneath my skin, ready to explode.
But using it meant exposing what I was. And exposing what I was meant confirming everything Mr. Xiang suspected.
"Let me go," I said instead, my voice steady despite the terror coursing through me.
"Or what?" Mr. Xiang asked. "You'll call for help? Alert the authorities? Tell them what, exactly?
That you came to a hotel room willingly, planted surveillance equipment, and are now upset
about the consequences?"
He was right. I had no legal ground to stand on. Alex was coming, but he was three blocks
away in city traffic. By the time he arrived, I'd be gone.
"The syringe in your briefcase," I said, desperate to buy time. "What's in it?"
Mr. Xiang's expression shifted to something almost like respect. "You found that? Observant. It's
a sedative, actually. Designed specifically for subjects with enhanced metabolism. It won't harm
you. Just make the transition to our research facility more... comfortable."
"I'm not going anywhere with you," I said, and this time I let the growl enter my voice. Let him
hear the wolf beneath the woman.
His smile widened. "There it is. The confirmation I needed. You're not just observant and
intelligent. You're actually one of them. A supernatural. Which specific type, I wonder? Werewolf
seems most likely, given the vocal quality.
But you're in a hotel room, fully human, no visible transformation.
That suggests exceptional control or..." His eyes lit up with scientific curiosity.
"Or you're broken. Unable to shift properly. A genetic anomaly."
"Mia!" Alex's voice in my earpiece was desperate now. "Hold on. Two minutes. Just hold
on."
"Two minutes might as well be two hours," Mr. Xiang said, and I realized with horror that he
could hear Alex too.
He'd been listening to our communication the entire time.
"Your friend is currently blocked by a traffic accident on Fifth Street.Very unfortunate timing. My people are quite efficient."
The security guard holding my arm pulled out a syringe identical to the one I'd seen in the
briefcase. The liquid inside was clear, innocuous—looking. Deadly.
"This doesn't have to be traumatic," Mr. Xiang said gently, like he was talking to a scared child.
"The facility is actually quite comfortable. You'll be treated well, fed, housed, and in exchange,
you'll help us understand genetic anomalies like yourself.
Think of all the people we could help with your DNA. All the medical advances we could make."
"Think of all the people you'll hurt," I spat back. "All the supernatural beings you'll kidnap and
experiment on. You're not a doctor. You're a monster."
"Monster," he repeated thoughtfully. "That's what they called the first surgeons who cut open
human bodies to understand anatomy. That's what they called the scientists who developed vaccines.
Progress requires sacrifice, Mia. The question is whether you'll sacrifice willingly or
whether we'll have to force you."
The guard with the syringe moved closer. I could smell the chemical scent, sharp and wrong. My
body tensed, preparing to fight. But Mr. Xiang pulled out a tablet and turned it towards me. On the screen was a live video feed of Alex's van— Alex inside, frantically giving orders to his team
"If you resist," Mr. Xiang said quietly, "I make one phone call. The explosive device under his
vehicle detonates.
He dies. His team dies. And you still come with me, just significantly more
traumatized. Or you cooperate now, and he lives. Your choice."
I looked at the screen. At Alex's face… twisted with worry , rage and fear. At Dave beside
him, at the other team members I'd come to know over the past weeks. At the people who'd
protected me when I had nowhere else to go.
"One minute," Mr. Xiang said. "Decide."
In the earpiece, Alex was still shouting. "Don't do it! Whatever he's offering, don't—Mia,
we'll find another way—"
But there was no other way. Not one that didn't end with him dead.
I looked at Mr. Xiang. At the security guards. At the syringe in the guard's hand.
"If I go with you sir," I said slowly, "you let him live. You let all of them live. No explosions. No
retaliation."
"You have my word," Mr. Xiang said.
"Your word means nothing," I replied. "But I don't have a choice.
Do I?