C4 4

Eileen POV

The air inside the sterile corridor felt like it had been sucked out, replaced by a cold, metallic tension that prickled my skin. I was terrified to hear the sirens sounding inside the center, their high-pitched wails echoing off the reinforced glass walls like a funeral dirge. I realized with a sinking heart that they must have discovered Doctor Roman’s unconscious body, or perhaps the breach in the security system had signaled that Case One Hundred and Nine had escaped his cage. Beside me, Alexei stood like a statue carved from granite, his fists clenched so tightly that his knuckles turned white. His chest was heaving with a raw, primal anger that I could almost feel vibrating in the air between us.

I could not understand what was racing through his mind. Was he planning to fight his way out? Or was he waiting for the perfect moment to tear down anyone who stood in his way? He turned his gaze toward the heavy double doors at the end of the hall, his jaw set in a lethal line. They were surely about to arrive at any moment, and the thought of him being recaptured—or worse, killed on sight—sent a wave of nausea through me.

"Alexei, please... you must go now!" I begged him, my voice trembling so hard I could barely form the words. I looked into his dark green eyes, searching for a glimmer of understanding. "They will kill you if they find you here. Run, while there is still a chance!"

My desperate plea was cut short. Before he could respond, the sound of heavy boots thundering against the floor reached us. I did not even have time to scream before someone surprised me from behind. A pair of strong hands gripped my arms, pulling me back with such brute force that my feet left the ground. I stumbled, my balance failing me, and I turned to see a wall of black uniforms. The guards had arrived, their faces obscured by tactical masks, looking more like machines than men. I looked back for Alexei, but the chaos of the moment swallowed my vision as I was dragged away.

They did not take me to a holding cell; they took me directly to my father’s office, the sanctum where he played god with lives he deemed inferior. My mind was a whirlwind of panic, frantically trying to construct a lie or a justification for what I had done. How could I explain stabbing a senior doctor? How could I justify releasing a subject he considered his most valuable asset? I had no idea how he would react, but I knew his temper was a sleeping dragon.

When the heavy oak doors swung open, the silence inside the office was more deafening than the sirens outside. I saw my father standing at the far end of the room by the massive floor-to-ceiling window. He was a silhouette against the gray Moscow sky, watching the flashing lights of the emergency vehicles below. He did not turn around when I was brought in.

"Leave us," he said, his voice a low, dangerous rumble. He gestured dismissively toward the guards without so much as a glance in my direction.

The guards obeyed instantly, but not before forcing me to the floor. I found myself handcuffed, the cold steel biting into my wrists, a physical reminder of my new status as a criminal in my own father's house. I could not get up, and a sharp, throbbing pain radiated from my head where one of the guards had struck me during the struggle. I was paralyzed, not just by the pain, but by the sheer shock of his cruelty. This was the first time my father had ever allowed—or perhaps ordered—someone to lay a hand on me.

"Do you have any idea how massive of a mistake you just made, Eileen?" he asked, finally turning around. His face was a mask of cold fury, his eyes lacking even a trace of paternal warmth. "You allowed the fiercest and most dangerous creature in this facility to flee into the world. You have not just ruined years of research; you have unleashed a monster who will undoubtedly seek revenge on every single person in this building. Including you."

I remained lying on the hard floor, my cheek pressed against the cold tiles, yet I refused to let him see me break. A spark of defiance flared in my chest. "What mistake? I do not know what you are talking about. I was simply trying to manage Case One Hundred and Nine after he attacked Doctor Roman. I was doing my job."

He laughed, but it was a dry, hollow sound that made my blood run cold. He walked over to his desk and tapped a few keys on his laptop. "Do not lie to me, Eileen. It is insulting. I watched the footage. I saw you grab that syringe. I saw you drive it into Roman’s neck with the intent to paralyze him. And I saw you take the keys and unlock those chains."

I closed my eyes, a wave of cold shame washing over me. I cursed my own staggering stupidity. I had been so consumed by the need to save Alexei that I had completely forgotten that every single inch of this center was being monitored by high-definition cameras. There was no hiding the truth. Silence became my only sanctuary. I could not find a response that would not make things worse, so I surrendered to my fate, waiting for the judgment he would surely pass.

He began to pace around me, his leather shoes clicking rhythmically against the floor, a sound that felt like a countdown. "Tell me the truth, Eileen. Are you the one who reported our activities to the authorities? Is that why they are at our gates right now?"

"No, I did not," I replied, my voice gaining strength. I looked up at him, seeing the monster he truly was. The admiration I had once held for his brilliance was gone, replaced by a deep, visceral loathing. "I did not need to report you. Your own cruelty was bound to catch up with you. I hate you... you are not my father. You are just a butcher in a white coat."

He did not flinch. Instead, he walked toward the door and summoned the guards. "Untie her and take her home immediately. I do not want to see her face in this building again. She is no longer part of this staff."

The guards roughly helped me up and removed the handcuffs. My wrists were red and bruised, but I did not complain. As I prepared to leave, I turned toward him one last time, hoping for some sign of regret, but he had already turned back to the window, dismissing my existence entirely. The guards led me out, through the chaos of the hallways where staff were frantically shredding documents and moving crates. I knew in my soul that this was the last time I would ever step foot in this fortress of steel and lies.

They drove me home in a heavy silence. When I finally walked through my front door, the warmth of the house felt alien to me. Caroline was in the living room, and she jumped up, startled by my early and disheveled return. Her eyes scanned me, and she immediately gasped, her eyebrows furrowing in deep concern.

"What is that bruise on your face, Eileen? And your wrists... what on earth happened?" she cried out, her voice rising with a maternal fear that made me want to collapse.

I placed my hand on my aching cheek, and the tears I had been holding back finally began to well up and spill over. Caroline did not wait for an answer; she pulled me into a fierce hug and guided me to the sofa. She hurried to the kitchen and returned with a cold glass of water and a damp cloth.

"Tell me who did this to you. Who is the bastard responsible? Wait until I call the police and report this assault!" she said, her anger flaring on my behalf.

I shook my head, taking a shaky sip of the water. "You cannot call the police, Caroline. It was our father. He did not hit me himself, but he let his guards do it. Today... I did something I never thought I was capable of. I assaulted the lead doctor to save a life, and I helped the subject flee the center. Now, our father is convinced that I am the one who betrayed him to the authorities."

Caroline’s eyes widened until they looked like they might pop out. She sank into the armchair opposite me, her hand going to her head as if to hold it together. "You did all of this? Eileen, I am terrified for you. You are deeply involved now. You should have quit the very moment you realized what he was doing downstairs. Why did you stay?"

I stood up, pacing the small living room, my nerves completely frayed. "I could not just leave, Caroline! I could not walk away and live my life in New Jersey knowing he was down there, chained to a wall, being tortured in the name of science. He is a living, breathing soul, not a case number!"

"Who are you talking about so passionately?" she asked, her voice quiet and cautious.

I stopped pacing and looked at her, my heart racing. "I am talking about Alexei. The one they call Case One Hundred and Nine. He is a werewolf, Caroline. A real, living werewolf, and my father treated him like a piece of meat."

Before she could respond, the front door was thrown open with such violence that it hit the wall. It was my father. He entered the house like a whirlwind, his face contorted with a frantic energy I had never seen before. He did not even look at us as he stormed toward his private study, shouting orders into his phone about moving assets and clearing out the last of the laboratory.

The sight of him made the throbbing in my head intensify into a full-blown migraine. I could not stay in the same room as him. I could not breathe the same air.

"I am going to my room, Caroline. I cannot do this right now," I whispered, needing to escape before I lost my mind.

"Go, sweetheart," she said softly. "We will talk about the arrangements for New Jersey later. I need to run a few errands and buy some supplies. I might be a little late getting back, so please try to rest."

I nodded numbly and climbed the stairs to my room. The house felt strangely quiet despite my father’s presence downstairs. It was evening now, the shadows stretching long and dark across the floor. I took a long, warm bath, trying to scrub the scent of the laboratory and the feeling of the handcuffs from my skin. I changed into a wide, soft shirt and lay on the bed, staring up at the dark ceiling.

My thoughts were a chaotic mess. I wondered if there were others like Alexei in that building—others who had been killed and disposed of before the raid. But mostly, my thoughts kept drifting back to him. Where was he? Had he made it to the safety of the woods, or was he wandering the streets of Moscow, a target for every hunter?

My eyes finally began to grow drowsy, the exhaustion of the day finally overmastering my anxiety. But just as I was slipping into a fitful sleep, I was jolted awake by a distinct sound. It was the sound of something heavy scraping against the stone of my balcony, followed by the unmistakable click of the latch being pushed.

I threw off the covers, my heart hammering against my ribs like a trapped bird. I thought it might be a thief or perhaps one of my father’s guards coming to finish what they started. I crept toward the stairs and searched the hallway table with trembling hands until I found a pair of heavy sewing scissors. It was a pathetic weapon, but it was all I had.

Gathering every ounce of courage, I made my way back to the balcony door. I pulled the heavy curtain aside just an inch and peered out into the darkness. The moon was obscured by clouds, making it almost impossible to see. I squinted, my breath hitching in my throat, and then my heart nearly stopped.

A figure emerged from the shadows, stepping into the faint light from my room. He was tall, his clothes torn, and his eyes glowing with a faint, otherworldly green light.

Alexei was standing there, right on my balcony, watching me through the glass.