Page 13 of Monster. Me.

Too many alphas in one place, and they start trying to prove who’s on top. Their testosterone would rise, and here they don’t need it. Here they are saturating them with mutant hormones…

A sudden surge of hope hits me.

Maybe this actually makes sense?

Dr. Lee apparently has no interest in spending any more time standing around in the elevator with me, because the second the doors open wider, he steps out and starts making little hurry-up gestures.

We find ourselves in a long, wide, brightly lit corridor.

A giant SECTOR AA sign looms on the wall directly ahead.

Several pairs of alphas are walking through the hall. Quite a few of them glance my way with open curiosity.

Dr. Lee, however, seems to spot someone else.

"Oh, Caspian, there you are. I've been looking for you."

A short beta with curly brown hair and large light-brown eyes heads toward us.

"Dr. Lee, always a pleasure to see you!"

He smiles genuinely before giving me a small wave.

"This is Marlow Nolan, our newest participant," Dr. Lee says. "I'm taking him to his room, and I could use your help."

I notice several pairs turning to look at the three of us. Maybe they're listening in, their gaze full of interest.

The corridor widens into something that almost resembles a promenade. There are benches along the walls, and clusters of plants have been placed everywhere, probably to make people forget we're living underground and to create some illusion of a natural environment.

"Nice to meet you!" the beta says brightly. "I'm one of the activity coordinators. Basically, we keep you guys entertained, because life in a facility like this can get boring as hell."

He pulls a face that I think is supposed to be funny and follows it up with a wink.

I answer with my polite-fake smile.

"Uh… hey."

"I'd be happy to show you around. Since we’re here anyway…" Caspian points down the promenade. "At the far end you'll find the main cafeteria—"

"Let's allow Marlow to put his suitcases down first, and then you can give him the tour."

Dr. Lee cuts in, his lips tightening slightly.

"Oh, right. Sure, sure. I'll walk with you guys. Hey, do you want me to take one of those suitcases? You're carrying half your life over there."

"Thanks, but I'm good," I say automatically, because I'm still regarded as an alpha. People expect us to be the strong ones, and I’ve spent enough years playing the role to understand what’s imposed on me, even if something inside me felt off, I kept going along with it just for the sake of peace, so they wouldn’t look at me like some weirdo who buys colorful nesting pillows just to cheer himself up.

In fact, I have twenty small pillows packed tightly in those suitcases…

"Let's keep moving," Dr. Lee says, sounding like there are about a hundred places he'd rather be right now than escorting me around the facility. It’s obvious he stays with us only out of politeness.

We head deeper into the residential section, passing groups of men along the way. Every single one of them stares at me. With only fifty participants in the entire program, I guess any newcomer is automatically a major event.

"Oh, hey Juan!" Caspian cheerfully waves at one person and then another. "Hey, Pedro!" he calls out, along with greetings to several others as we pass. Everyone responds with friendly smiles. Apparently, he’s well liked around here.

Eventually we reach a branching section of corridors and turn into a long hallway lined with pairs of doors.

As we walk, I notice more hallways splitting off in different directions. They twist left and right like some giant maze stretching beneath the facility.