Chapter 2 ALPHA ROBERTO

ANITA POV: Joana had hurried out of sight, closing the door softly behind her to avoid drawing attention to anyone. I had spent hours attempting to figure out what Joana had meant, which had left me awake for the rest of the night. Seeing how the scientists treated me, I could understand why she didn't feel very at ease, but she was a human, and humans didn't like werewolves. I was doubtful of her genuine motives; therefore, I couldn't help but not trust her. Who may be coming to put a stop to this whole thing? Was my suffering about to end? Was someone finally coming to kill me and save me from my misery? The lights flickered above me, indicating that another exam day had begun, and I squinted. I watched with dispassionate eyes through the heavy metal door as James and Lucia, looking unduly happy, walked into the room. James sighed and yanked open the door to my chamber, bringing my plate of food to me and hurrying out. "Breakfast," he said. The sight of the big dish of food in front of me made my stomach rumble. Usually, I was fed just in the middle of the day to keep me weak, and I was always in need of additional nourishment. Not wanting to push myself too far, I gingerly picked at the food in front of me when James took a couple of handcuffs out of his pocket. I instantly stopped chewing, and my brown eyes widened. He laughed, "Relax, they're only silver," as a wave of sickness hit me and I almost puked up all the food I had just eaten. "Today we are going to test how your body reacts to constant contact with silver, and if the painful side effects eventually subside," Lucia said, causing tears to drop from my eyes, knowing that I was about to endure immense pain. James walked up the steps, pulled open the door, and stalked towards me. "You'll be chained up with these, and we will check back on you every hour to see how you are holding up," he said. "Please, don't!" I cried. He lifted me off the ground and locked the silver handcuffs around my wrists while I sobbed. With a hard thump, I hit the ground again after he dropped me. I groaned in pain, clamping my teeth to keep from screaming. I shook as I felt the silver slice open my skin, a burning pain spreading across my wrists. "This is wrong!" I turned my head in the direction of the voice and saw Lucia and James rolling their eyes at Joana, who was looking quite angry. "You're abusing a young girl! Joana hissed, "Do you have no guilt?" I cocked my head and furrowed my brows in response. I was still trying to figure out why she was trying to help me. Lucia turned to face Joana, her face as red as a tomato and her fists clenched. "Go now; if you don't like the work we're doing here, we're doing our jobs! You can't assist us at all!" "I hope he kills the both of you slowly and painfully," Joana said, her voice so low I could hardly hear anything. She hurriedly left the room, giving me one more pathetic glance before slamming the door behind her. I stared at the door, wondering why this new intern was so against my torture and why she had taken the position in the first place. James turned to face Lucia as they turned to leave the room, but they stopped short. "We will return in an hour," Greg said. A loud blast shook the entire room, making them both gasp and the floor tremble. They squinted their eyes. Squeezing my eyes shut, I covered my ears from the overwhelming roar and watched as the lab wall collapsed, sending bricks and debris hurtling through the air. They crashed into my strong glass chamber, breaking it and nearly puncturing me with the glass. I screamed in terror as I cowered down in the corner and watched in dread as several men broke through the debris. Lucia and James ran out of the room in a panic, screaming so loudly that it echoed off the walls. They disappeared around the corner, a few men running after them as they stumbled over appliances and bricks. One of the men shouted, "There's one in here!" and pointed toward me. "Check out the other rooms! I'll take this one!" The sound of the man's booming voice, powerful and assertive in tone, made me pull back. He came over to me and gave me a pitying look before lifting me up in his big, strong arms, making me writhe. When Joana claimed "he" was coming, was this what she meant? I felt a sense of success when I turned to face my ruined chamber, which now resembled me and was merely a pile of broken pieces on the ground. I glared at it with hatred. As I was being brought from the lab room, I observed that other wolves were being hauled out of their broken chambers as well, seeming wounded and beaten. When they realized they were no longer trapped behind glass, expressions of relief were all over their faces. "Andiamo sbrigati! Move it!" A loud voice filled the corridor, and I felt tingles run down my body. My heart accelerated at the sound. Anxiety shot through me as I looked around, trying to figure out where the deep voice was coming from. I twisted my head from side to side, my heart hammering against my runs as it was laced with a faint Italian accent. The man who was holding me turned abruptly, and I was startled as I saw a very tall and strong man standing a few steps away from us. His brows wrinkled as he peered around, his hard hazel eyes softening slightly as they fell on me. He growled, "Drop her," at the man carrying me, his chest thumping up and down as he struggled to breathe, and strode toward us. The tall man in front of us glanced angrily at the handcuffs that were securely fastened around my wrists, leaving my skin bloody and scorched beneath. I looked up at him. "Yes, Alpha Roberto," the man answered, immediately putting me down gently and taking a few steps back in confusion. I stared up in wonder, my heart palpating. It felt like my world had come to an end, and everything around me had blurred. Even though I didn't know him, I was pulled to him and felt more comfortable than I had ever been. The man in front of me maintained eye contact and, with a clinched jaw, wrenched the handcuffs off of me, tossing them to the ground while observing my face for any sign of pain. When he saw me wince, he shook his head and muttered a curse. With a swift motion, the godlike guy lifted me up, and I wrapped my arms around his neck to keep me from slipping as he stormed out of the lab building. He crouched down in front of me and gently placed me on the grass. His hands trembled beneath mine as he pulled my wrists toward him, giving them a sharp look that told me he wasn't feeling happy. "Cosa ti hanno fatto, amore mio?" He asked, and I frowned, raising my eyebrows. "I will kill whoever did this to you." I shook my head and cradled my pulsing wrists back into my chest. The man who had found me ran over to us, looking at me oddly as he peered between Roberto and me. "Alpha, all the lab workers are dead, and everyone has been rescued," he said. With his hands running through his dark hair and his jaw still tense, Roberto nodded and slid his fingers down his face until they landed on his beard. "Start heading back, and get them all to the pack hospital immediately." "Do you need help with this one, sir?" Waving the man away, Roberto shook his head slightly but didn't take his burning eyes off of me. "No, I've got her." I observed as the man assisted in gathering up the beaten and injured wolves, some of which were dragged off in the direction of big black cars, all of which vanished in an instant. "We have to go now, amore mio," Roberto said, reaching out an arm to me. I gave him a suspicious look, my face masked with fear. The other wolves—where had those men taken them? Were they merely sent to a different lab to undergo more testing? Was this all I had left to run? "Don't even think it," Roberto said, raising one eyebrow and speaking in a low, sultry tone. "I-I don't-" Feeling overwhelmed, I muttered as I hurriedly searched around for some kind of escape route. With a sigh, Roberto's eyes softened, and he closed them for a brief while before pulling me into his arms and making me take a deep breath. "I will not harm you. I'll make sure nothing bad happens to you. I swear." —--- Translations: Andiamo sbrigati- Come on, hurry up Cosa ti hanno fatto, amore mio?- What have they done to you, my love? Amore mio- My love