"o you didn't run away?" I clarified.

Stella and I had been talking ever since I got here. They took Lia somewhere I couldn't reach but fortunately, someone I knew was in the cell next to mine. She'd be happy her best friend was alive and her happy made me happy.

"To be honest, I was thinking about it. But I decided not to."

"Why did you want to in the first place?" Every kid has thought about running away but almost none had the balls to run away. I knew I didn't.

"Well for starters, my parents are divorcing- they didn't even ask what I thought, they just hit me with it. And my ex wants to get back together but I like someone I can't have. Oh, and my best friend just switched schools without even telling me."

I didn't know what to say so I just gave her a short, "Sorry."

"Mhmm."

"Why were you even kidnapped again?" Dr. Vonn was collecting werewolves and humans with the wolf gene, not humans.

"Jesse's parents own this place, which they call the sanctum. Anyway, I found out about one of Dr. Vonn's evil plans on Jesse's computer and tried to download it on a flashdrive but I got caught. So here I am." She stretched her legs out and yawned. I felt the need to tell her what happened while she was gone.

"We looked everywhere. Lia looked the most, so don't be angry that she switched schools. She didn't tell me, either." Maybe if I hadn't gone behind her back, she would've stayed.

"The more I think about it, the more I start to realize that it's not her fault."

"She did it to get away from me."

Stella scoffed, "But why? She's totally in love with you." I smiled at the thought of her loving me. Though, I doubt she loves me more than I love her.

"I didn't tell her I was training to be a hunter and she took it as me wanting to kill werewolves for a living. But all I wanted to do was protect her." And myself.

"We're humans in a supernatural world, that's not a bad idea."

"Laurel's been training me. Actually, I asked Lia to train me but we just ended up kissing." I shrugged and Stella looked over at me. She had a big smile plastered on her face.

"I'm not surprised."

I moved so that I was lying on my back and staring at the ceiling.

"Hey, what day is it today?"

"The eighth, why?"

"It's my birthday."

Stella actually laughed, "Wow, what a shitty birthday. Sorry."

"You know what would be the best birthday present?" I asked seriously.

"What?"

"If I could see Lia." Just to see her with my own eyes, just to make sure she was okay. I pictured her in my mind. Her beautiful hazel eyes, her infectious smile, her warm pink lips.

Stella smiled forlornly, "You and me both."

.•*•.

Dr. Vonn paid us a visit again. She was like a vulture, hanging around to watch us rot.

She was taking down notes, like always, but then she did something she'd never done before; she entered the code to unlock my cell.

"Take a walk with me," Dr. Vonn said, hand on her hip.

I glared at her but obeyed. If it weren't for the fact that this place was heavily guarded and password-protected doors, I decided not to try anything funny.

"Why do you need me?" I asked as we passed by many empty cells.

"We have a special experiment for you."

We walked down another hallway and typed in a code to enter another door. She let me go first and I entered a small, empty room with a chair and box of medical stuff.

I sat down and glared at her.

She reached into the box to reveal a huge ass needle the length of my hand. I wasn't afraid of needles, I was afraid of what they were injecting me with. It could be poison, no one could stop them.

"I hear that you and Lia are quite the pair."

"I don't see how that's any of your business."

Before she injected me with the needle, she paused.

"I'm going to tell you a little secret, Roan," I met her eyes impatiently, "Mystic High was designed to dispose of werewolves. All of the teachers and staff were hired to work under me. We already knew of their existence long before it was made aware to the public."

"But there were humans at the school, what did you do with them?"

"We studied them, too. We studied the way they interacted." Because that's not creepy at all.

"We were ready to move on with the next phase but unfortunately, there was an accident at the school." Dr. Vonn frowned. That's when Mystic High had to mix with Rivier Prep.

"And why are you telling me this?" I asked and that's when she injected the needle into my arm. I didn't flinch.

"Because we don't need you."

"Are you going to kill me, then?" My arm started to feel numb.

"No." It's not like I believed her.

"What are you trying to do anyway, make a silver bullet?"

I couldn't figure out why they were doing it this way. If they wanted to study werewolves, they didn't have to kidnap them and kill them.

She finally took the damn needle out but I didn't feel any different.

"No, our plan is much more. . . intricate. But you don't need to worry about that now."

.•*•.

Dr. Vonn pulled me out more than any other person around me. Stella was never pulled out.

"What are you doing?" I asked sharply, watching as she injected a needle into the inside of my elbow and drew out my blood into a bag. "You already took my blood."

They did that on the first day. I remembered because I almost fainted after.

But Dr. Vonn just stood there infront of me, arms crossed over her clipboard.

"Roan, do you know who your biological family is?" That was a random question.

"No."

"I have your DNA, along with millions of others of individuals. It would only take one-"

"No."

"Don't you want to learn more about the circumstances of your birth?"

"No." I was born, I was abandoned, I was adopted. End of story.

"Not even a little?" She was just trying to bait me but I wouldn't fall for it.

I was grateful for the life I lived, I didn't want to know what could have been.

"I don't have anything to say to the people who rejected me." They had their reasons, it didn't mean anything.

"That's too bad," She tapped her pen on her clipboard.

After thirty minutes minute, she took out the needle in my arm and put my blood in a cabinet full of other blood bags.

.•*•.

"Do you think we'll ever get out of here?" I asked, wondering if it was daytime or nighttime. I was losing my sense of time.

"Your parents are probably looking for you." There was something about that that made me frown.

"And your parents aren't?"

"My parents are too busy hating each other to remember they have a daughter." Stella said indifferently.

"When you went missing, your parents were going crazy. They did everything they were supposed to do." Any parent would.

I changed the subject, the question being on my mind for a while.

"So. . . your English teacher. . ." I trailed off, "What's that all about?"

"The same thing between you and Lia." She didn't sound mad about it, more like she'd given up.

"Touché."

"I know what you're thinking but it's not like that. He gets me and I'm happy with him."

"No, I get it." Well, not the student-teacher thing, that really wasn't my thing, but I understood. Sort of.

Stella sighed, "God, I really want a hot fudge sundae. Or oreo stuffed chocolate chip cookies."

My stomach grumbled loudly, "You're making me hungry."

The second thing I'd do when we got out was stuff my face with junk food.

The first thing I'd do was kiss Lia.

.•*•.

"It's your lucky day, Roan." I didn't give her the satisfaction of replying as she entered the code to unlock my cell. Her minions grabbed me and dragged me down the hall.

I looked back at Stella, fear written on her face.

They pushed me so I was forced to face forward. I didn't say anything as they took me somewhere deeper. Passed more cells, through more doors.

I entered my new cell without resistance and looked over at the cell diagonal from me.

Relief and happiness washed over me when my eyes connected with Lia's. It was dark but even with the dim lighting, I could still tell it was her.

"Lia? Are you okay? Are you hurt?" I asked rapidly.

"I'm fine. What about you?" She breathed out weakly and I knew she was lying.

My eyes ran over her body and stopped when I saw the purple bruises on her wrists.

"What did they do to you?" It looked like they'd chained her up, those assholes.

"You don't want to know." Another voice muttered and I looked in the cell next to Lia's. It belonged to Asher.

"Tell me." I demanded and Lia finally stood up. That's when I saw the blood in her hair and all over her clothes.

"They tortured me, used wolfsbane on me, took tons of blood." I got angry just thinking about it.

"All they did was stick a needle in my arm." I said and both of them looked surprised.

"That's it?"

"That's it."

Dr. Vonn finally stopped writing things down on her clipboard.

"Take her." She gestured for her minions to take Lia out of her cell. But she was already too exhausted to be taken away again.

"Let's go," They said as she punched in the code.

I jumped up and punched the glass.

"No!" I yelled, wishing I could destroy the glass and fight them.

Neither of them paid any attention to me. They took Lia down the hall and I couldn't help but imagine what they were doing to her.

"Lia can take care of herself," Asher mumbled.

"That's not what I'm afraid of."

I was afraid they'd do something so bad to her that she wouldn't come back out. And that I couldn't do anything about it.

I tried to stay awake until she got back but I was too fatigued. I had to close my eyes.

A few hours later, I was jolted awake by the sound of a cell door opening and closing.

My eyes snapped open and I saw Drake, Dr. Vonn and her minions.

When Lia came back, she looked even worse. Her skin was sickly pale like the others and her eyes were empty. She could barely stand, let alone walk.

She fell as soon as they let go of her.

Dr. Vonn and her minions stalked away to torture more werewolves but for some reason, Drake didn't leave with them.

That asshole. I hated him so much I thought I'd explode if I didn't kill him.

"We could've lived like normal mates. But instead you chose this human over me." Drake inhaled sharply and I wanted to kick him in the balls.

Lia seethed.

"Werewolf or not, Roan is a million times better than you." I felt a swell of pride and adoration as she said that.

He smirked, "But do you know what he's been hiding from you?"

Lia didn't say anything.

Drake glanced at me, challengingly, "Do you want to tell her? Or should I?"

"Tell me what?" Lia questioned and stared at me, "Roan?" Her voice was a mix of confusion and exhaustion.

"Nothing. He's just messing with you."

"Nothing. . . So being the daughter of a runaway Alpha is nothing?" He drew out the words slowly, making sure she understood.

My heart skipped a beat and I knew both of them could hear it.

She started to focus more on his words, "What is he talking about?"

"Nothing-"

"He didn't tell you? Then I bet he also didn't tell you that he was sent by his pack to track you down and bring you back. The only reason why you're such great friends."

Shit. Oh shit.