I saw the outcomes immediately, the finished forms clearin my mind before I touched a single piece. There was no trial and error, no testing or guessing. She timed each task, monitored my vitals on her screen, and occasionally made notes.
When I finished the last one, she spoke again.
“Very good, Lena,” she said evenly. “You completed these far more quickly than anticipated.” She glanced at the monitor. “We have extra time, so I’d like to ask you a few questions before we remove the sensors and conclude today’s appointment.”
I nodded.
“Good,” she said. “Let’s begin.”
Her voice remained calm and neutral.
“You killed the informant your handlers were interrogating. Why?”
My head swivelled, panicked eyes darting to Knox, then to Silas. Dr. Hampton’s questions were usually relatively harmless and restrained, always phrased so I could answer with a nod or a shake of my head.
Thiswasn’tone of those questions.
Her inquiry caught me completely off guard, reaching for something I had buried deep. My mind recoiled, shutting down as the memory slipped away before it could fully form. It was a survival reflex I knew well, one built from years of buryingtraumatic memories in the furthest corners of my mind and avoiding them at all costs.
Of course I knew that I had killed someone.
But thewhy… the how…
Those pieces stayed just out of reach. My reaction happened too fast to follow, too sudden to understand. One second I was standing next to Knox, the next lunging at Jacob, screwdriver in hand. Something had possessed me, and then, just as quickly, it was gone.
Now, faced with her question, I was forced to considerwhy.
The monitor emitted a soft alert as my heart rate spiked.
“This question is causing distress,” Dr. Hampton observed. “Can you tell me why?”
I said nothing, as my mind raced, searching for answers.
Why did I kill Jacob?
Another alert.
“Is it because Jacob mentioned your heat?” Knox asked, leaning forward and resting his forearms on his knees.
Silas leaned forward too, his attention sharpening at the mention of my heat.
That's right…
Jacob's last words...
Everyone can hear her screaming and begging all the way from upstairs.
Jacob was just about to tell them about what Marco did to me during my heats. How he would tie me up, naked and helpless, leaving me to writhe in pain on the floor. He would have told them all about how I would beg Luca, Jacob, Marco, or any other alpha near me, for a knot.
I didn't wantthemto know. I hadn't wanted to kill Jacob, but I couldn't let him say the words aloud. I didn't want the truth to leave his lips.
Dr. Hampton and my handlers sat, waiting for my answer, giving me time to consider.
Keep quiet. Say nothing,I told myself.
Then a different voice rose inside me, quieter than fear, but more persistent.
They can help you.
