Defy The Alpha(s) novel Chapter 659

Chapter 659: Behavioral Reconditioning Center

Zara woke with a groan.

Pain radiated through her body in little stabs, as if she had been run over by a truck, then dragged through a subterranean pit. Her head itself throbbed while her limbs felt like wet sandbags. It was horrible.

For a moment Zara could not remember anything, but her throat hurt badly hinting she must have been screaming or something. Hence she forced herself upright, her feet trembling violently.

Regardless, Zara pushed to her feet, teeth grit, because she refused to be caught looking weak. The word swayed as soon as she stood, the memories choosing that moment to return.

Akim. He captured her upon Caspian’s orders and brought her here. Except what was this place?

Instead of the holding cells Zara expected they would put her in, she stood in a room so white and stark it felt sterile.

What the hell?

The walls, ceiling, and the floor were all white, gleaming with that unpleasant brightness that belonged to a hospital or an asylum. It was almost the same concept with the holding cells, except she would recognize it. This was not her holding cells.

A chill crawled across her arms.

Her now fearful blue eyes scanned the space.

There was the small bed she had woken from. A plain desk with a chair and a lamb on it. While against the wall was a tiny shelf, barely wide, holding a handful of books arranged neatly. A miniature library. That was it. She lived surrounded by nothing but the barest essentials.

There was no vanity. No mirror. And no clothes rack. Nothing personal at all in this room. There was no window either, only a single iron door that sat flush against the wall, bolted from the outside. The narrow vault-like grate above allowed fresh air to flow inside, keeping her alive.

But what froze her blood was not the lack of freedom, rather the camera mounted high above the door watching her.

Zara felt sick to the stomach. The white walls felt closer than before, like a mouth ready to swallow her whole. Where had Caspian brought her to? She didn’t like this place one bit. She wanted to get out of here.

They must have been watching her because the iron door clicked right at that moment, making the hairs at the back of her neck rise. Zara straightened instinctively, refusing to be caught scared. Her pulse hammered in her throat as the door swung open and someone stepped inside.

To be honest, Zara had been expecting a burly looking guard or something, but instead, a woman came in.

Zara’s gaze raked over her from head to toe.

The woman wore a modest and breezy flowery dress, you know, the kind of thing worn by women who baked cookies and smiled at neighbors over garden fences. Her red hair was swept up in a perfect chignon, not a single rebellious strand slipping free, while her lips were painted a matte red.

And then there were her eyes. A stunning Green. Eyes that lured you in and made you want to trust her.

Except Zara didn’t trust anything that perfect.

The woman closed the door gently behind her with a graceful move, then smiled at her. "You’re finally awake, Luna Zara."

Zara frowned. "You know who I am?"

It wasn’t until the last second Zara realized that was a dumb question. Of course, they brought her here. They knew her.

A headache began to brew, and Zara lifted a hand to rub her temple. She forced the storm of emotions back down and asked through gritted teeth, "Who the hell are you, and what am I doing here?"

"Of course, how silly of me," The woman stepped closer, unbothered. She stopped just short of Zara’s reach as if she had calculated the exact distance down to the inch.

"My name is Marie," she answered. "I’m your chaperone throughout your recovery, and I’ll be overseeing your adjustment here in this facility."

Her voice was a melody. It was sweet and controlled as if she had spent years practicing how not to raise it.

"What the fuck are you talking about? What recovery? Where the hell am I right now?!"

"This is a Behavioral Reconditioning Center. You probably haven’t heard of it, we operate under the radar. God forbid the humans find out there’s a facility that reconditions werewolves. Especially high-ranking ones." She chuckled, as if this were funny and not Zara’s reality collapsing around her.

Zara gestured wildly, words tumbling over each other in her frustration. None of it felt coherent. She stepped right up to Mari, invading her space, and Marie didn’t flinch, as if she wasn’t remotely afraid of being hurt.

She screamed in her face, "What the fuck am I doing here? I demand to be let out this instant!"

But Marie continued, undeterred in her polite voice, "As I said, we specialize in restoring behavioral balance for those who’ve lost their way."

Zara barked a humorless laugh. "For people who lost their way? Are you shitting me right now?"

Her eyes darkened. Without thinking, Zara’s hand shot out and wrapped around Marie’s throat, squeezing hard.

"I was dragged here against my will," she hissed. "I command you to move me out of here. Right. Now."

But Marie didn’t panic.

"Go on," she said, voice steady despite the pressure around her airway.

"What?"

"Kill me." Marie’s voice remained maddeningly calm. "Even if I die, it won’t change anything. I’ll be replaced, and another chaperone will be assigned to you. This isn’t the North Pack, Zara. No title protects you here."

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