ZEPHYRA'S POV
"We're going to the clinic."
He drives and I watch the place that has been my home for years fade out of view.
Just loud breathing and horn blaring between us.
Minutes later, we arrive at a bright, big hospital.
Two female doctors help me in. I watch them attend to my wound while setting up energy zip.
'Is this what new bought slaves go through?"
I ponder. It feels nice, refreshing
"Set Astrid's family factory on fire... PRONTO."
His voice cuts through the thin curtain—harsh, commanding.
I keep my face neutral, body still as the doctor cleans another wound. The solution stings, burns like fire against my infected skin, but I don't flinch.
I learned long ago that showing pain only invites more.
"This is a new wound." The doctor points to a purple bruise on my ankle.
I say nothing.
She holds up a tincture. "Clean it daily with this."
I stare at the small bottle, not reaching for it. Where would I even keep it? Slaves don't have belongings.
Through the curtain, I hear him pocket his phone. Footsteps coming closer.
"I'll treat her." He takes it from her.
My heart stops.
I clutch the doctor's wrist, my other hand pushing back against the bed frame. My body shakes.
Not again.
He's coming closer. I can feel him at the edge of the bed.
"Zeph." His voice is soft.
But they all start soft.
I close my eyes, bracing myself for the pain that always comes. The touch that always hurts.
"Zephyra, it's me, Evander. I won't hurt you."
His voice breaks, but I know better. I clutch the cloth wrapped around my chest tighter, refusing to let go of the Doctor's wrist—the only barrier between him and me.
"Please leave, Alpha." Doctor Joy's voice is firm.
He moves closer.
"Zeph," he calls again. "Please tell her I won't hurt her."
He's clutching the Doctor's wrist now—the one I'm holding.
"You need to stay away from her, Alpha. You'll only hurt her like this."
Then—
BANG.
His fist slams into the wall beside my bed. Bricks clatter to the floor.
My body locks up. Frozen.
He's angry. He'll hurt me now.
"DOCTOR!" The assistant screams.
Doctor Joy pushes him away, her body shielding mine.
"Leave!" Her voice is sharp, protective. "Alpha, please stay away from her."
The curtain closes.
Silence.
Then Doctor Joy's arms wrap around me. She pulls my head to her shoulder, patting it gently.
"He's a good man, Zeph. The only man you should trust."
A sob escapes me—small, broken.
"He'll touch me... Like he touched me."
The memory of Lord Zade's hands, his breath, his body crushing mine floods back.
"He won't," Doctor Joy says, rubbing my back. "Not like that."
I shake my head against her shoulder.
"I don't want... Please don't send me to him."
"You have a sweet scent and a powerful body, Zeph." Doctor Joy's words don't make sense. I smell like sweat and blood. My body is broken, scarred, worthless.
The assistant finishes wrapping my wounds while the doctor continues.
"Wounds that should have scarred badly healed clean. Your bones are firm like they were never broken."
I lift my head slightly, confused.
"You're strong enough to withstand pain most can't survive. And I still smell something sweet from you, despite everything."
Doctor Joy sits facing me now, taking my palm in hers.
"Your scent smells like willingness to live. You're free to live now. Alpha Van won't hurt you."
Free?
I try to pull my hand away but she pulls me closer instead.
"Alpha Van owns Leens Orphanage Home and runs a charity for abused human women. He helped me too."
For the first time since he bought me, something flutters in my chest.
Hope?
"Let him help you, Zephyra. You can heal, fly, be free again."
I raise my head, hope blooming despite myself. I wipe my face with shaking hands.
Heal. Fly. Be free.
My eyes search the room for him.
The curtain shifts slightly.
Our eyes meet.
He's watching me with an intensity that should terrify me, but... doesn't. Not entirely.
Before I can understand why, he breaks eye contact, looking away first.
Doctor Joy takes something from her pocket—a card with numbers on it—and presses it into my palm.
"This is my number. Steal a phone and call me if Alpha Van ever hurts you."
The flutter in my chest grows stronger.
She's giving me an escape.
I look back toward where he was, but the curtain is closed now. I feel his presence on the other side, though.
Waiting.
I relax slightly against the bed, my body still trembling but no longer locked in pure terror.
Doctor Joy helps me to my feet. The assistant guides me to a car.
A car. I've never been in one before.
My head stays bowed. Submission. The Astrid family trained it into me well.
The assistant helps me into the back seat, and I immediately fold my legs underneath me, making myself smaller.
I shouldn't take up space.
"You can sit normally. You're allowed to be comfortable."
Doctor Joy appears at the door, patting my head gently. "You'll be okay, Zephyra."
I give her a small smile.
She smiles back sadly, like she can see right through it.
Then she walks away, and I'm alone in the back of this car, waiting for Alpha Van.
Waiting to see if Doctor Joy was right about him.
Or if he's just another monster wearing a kind face.