3. RUN!

"Aren't you going to explain?" Devon turned to Olivia, his voice gruff.

Olivia only shook her head, her eyes shimmering with unshed tears.

"So it's true? You're mute?" Exasperation bled into his tone.

"She is, Alpha. She's been mute since birth," one of the wolves confirmed.

Something inside Devon cracked. A mate was supposed to be strong, capable—a Luna who could stand beside him, not a liability.

"You knew you were cursed, yet you hugged me?" His voice, once laced with warmth, turned cold, rejection sharp as a blade.

Olivia's breath hitched. Her chest tightened in despair.

"Instead of being my mate, you're going to become my prisoner." His words were final, a death sentence. Her stomach dropped.

Tears welled in Olivia's eyes. How could he do this? She had spent her life being judged, condemned for her muteness, but never had it hurt like this. Never had it mattered so much.

For the briefest moment, hesitation flickered in Devon's gaze, something softer beneath the anger. But then it was gone, replaced by steel.

"Get her out of my sight. Lock her up!" he ordered, turning away.

Desperation surged through Olivia. She lunged forward, grabbing his hand, silent pleas written all over her tear-streaked face.

Devon whipped around, patience snapping. He pressed her against the cold stone wall of the Mating Hall, his grip firm on her throat—not tight enough to harm, but enough to command obedience. Olivia gasped, trembling.

"Say something! Anything!" he roared, frustration mounting.

Her lips parted, but no sound came. Only desperate gasps and choking sobs. Her voice, the one thing she needed most, failed her.

Devon stared at her, jaw clenched. Then, with an exasperated growl, he released her. Olivia collapsed, coughing, clutching her throat as sobs broke the heavy silence.

The Beta wolves moved to seize her, but Devon stopped them with a sharp motion of his hand. Without a word, he grabbed Olivia's wrist, yanking her to her feet, dragging her out of the hall.

Fear gripped her chest. The dungeons? Was he truly imprisoning her?

But instead, they arrived at the pack hospital. The sterile scent and bright lights offered no comfort. Devon pushed her inside a ward where two women stood waiting—one in a pristine white lab coat, unreadable; the other, in casual clothing, radiating beauty and authority, her flirtatious gaze locked onto Devon.

"She's a Stealer Wolf. Administer the injection," Devon commanded, his voice devoid of emotion.

Olivia's blood turned to ice.

What injection?

"Alpha, we're not done with the experiment. If we inject her with this, she will never be able to shift or use her wolf abilities again." The doctor hesitated, wary.

"I don't care. Do it."

Her heart slammed against her ribs. Panic clawed at her throat. No, no, no. She thrashed wildly, instincts screaming at her to run. But hands, strong and unyielding, held her down.

"Stay put. It's the Alpha's orders!" The doctor's voice held a tinge of sympathy, but it did nothing to quell Olivia's terror.

She screamed—silent, desperate. Kicked, fought, but she was outmatched. Straps cinched around her wrists, pinning her to the hospital bed.

"Just know that it's going to sting... a lot." Candice, the flirtatious one, smirked, making Olivia gasp in apprehension.

"Come on, Candice. You don't have to scare her," Dr. Susan interjected, folding her arms.

"I'm not scaring her, Susan. Just stating the facts. Suppressants can be quite painful. Besides, she's the first test subject—we don't even know the aftereffects." Candice chuckled, mischief curling in her tone.

Olivia shot a desperate look at Dr. Susan, begging the nicer woman to save her.

"Don't be frightened, okay? This is for your safety. As a Stealer Wolf, it's dangerous for you to be out there, especially with unmated and widowed wolves potentially after you. These suppressants will mask your scent and keep you safe. Do you understand?" Dr. Susan's voice was gentle, reassuring.

Unable to speak, Olivia nodded, her mind reeling with fear and confusion.

"Can't she talk, or is she just terrified?" Candice taunted, earning a reproachful glare from Dr. Susan.

"She's mute," Dr. Susan replied firmly, taking the syringe from the tray.

"What!" Candice burst into laughter, only to be silenced by Susan's sharp glare.

Ignoring Candice's mockery, Dr. Susan approached Olivia with a warm smile. "It's going to sting a bit, okay?"

As the needle pierced her skin, Olivia gasped, her fingers clenching the stiff hospital sheets. A searing pain tore through her body, unlike anything she had ever felt before. It wasn't just pain—it was as if every bone inside her was shattering and mending in an endless, agonizing cycle. Her flesh burned, twisted, and then ripped apart, only to fuse back together in a way that felt unnatural.

A raw, guttural scream ripped from her throat, echoing through the sterile walls of the hospital. The fluorescent lights above flickered as if they, too, were rattled by her suffering.

Dr. Susan, wide-eyed and shaking, fumbled with the syringe in her hands. Sweat beaded at her temple as she hastily injected Olivia with a dangerously high dose of tranquilizers. It took nearly an hour, but finally, Olivia's body gave in. Her ragged breathing slowed, and the pain dulled into a distant hum beneath the haze of sedation.

When she awoke, the room was eerily silent. The steady beeping of the heart monitor was the only sound cutting through the stillness. Shadows stretched across the walls, and the faint scent of antiseptic filled her nose.

Then, she sensed it.

A presence.

Her pulse quickened as she turned her head, and there, standing at the foot of her bed, was Candice. The other woman's lips curled into a smirk, her dark eyes gleaming with something dangerous—something victorious.

She took a step closer, her heels clicking against the floor.

"The Alpha is mine," Candice murmured, her voice like velvet laced with poison. She leaned in, so close that Olivia could feel her mint breath ghosting over her cheek.

"Run away," she whispered, her smile widening. "And don't ever come back."