Page 28 of Alpha's Forbidden Fate

Panic floods through me as I scramble to come up with a response. “Uh, it’s actually spiked with alcohol,” I blurt out, praying she’ll drop it.

Annie shrugs, unfazed. “Ah, gotcha. Well, I’m gonna go lie down for a bit. We can catch up later, okay?”

I breathe a sigh of relief as she heads to her room, giving her a wave goodbye.

As soon as she’s out of sight, I quickly rummage through her bag, searching for her nurse’s ID. Finding it, I slip it into my pocket and sigh with relief.

I’ve got exactly four hours to sneak into the hospital, grab some blood bags, and get back without anyone noticing. It’s risky, but I’m desperate. What choice do I have?

Still sipping from my cup, I pull into the hospital parking lot with my heart pounding in my chest. I park a safe distance from the entrance and glance around, making sure no one is watching. I dump the empty cup in the backseat and grab my backpack, slinging it over my shoulder.

Lowering my head to avoid the security cameras, I walk briskly towards the entrance, slipping Annie’s nurse’s ID from my pocket and flashing it at the security guard as I enter. With Annie’s scrubs on, and an ID, he barely even looks at me.

Inside, I walk confidently, as though I belong there, but discreetly follow the signs toward an elevator. If I want to avoid running out of blood too soon, I have to find the hospital’s blood bank. It should be near pathology. So, as I hit the elevator button, I review the hospital's directory. There it is! Third floor.

As I exit the elevator on the third floor, I put the next step of my plan in place. I need to “borrow” someone else’s badge. Annie must be safe from suspicion, so using her badge is out of the question.

I keep my head down as I lurk in the corridors, waiting for an opportunity. Finally, a doctor approaches coming down the corridor. He seems distracted, so I accidentally bump into him and lift his badge. He barely looks at me, saying, “Sorry about that,” and keeps moving. That was almost too easy.

Then I wait and watch for the perfect moment.

Finally, when I’m sure no one is around, I make my move. Using super speed (which I couldn’t have attained on animal blood), I slip into the blood bank and close the door.

The exhilaration of knowing I’m inches away from hundreds of pints of human blood is like a rush of adrenaline coursing through my veins. There’s something about the sight of all those blood bags lined up neatly on the shelves that sets my senses on fire. I feel like a kid in a candy store, except the candy is liquid life itself.

I stuff as many bags as I can into my backpack, trying to ignore the nagging voice in the back of my mind telling me to hurry. But just as I’m about to grab another bag, I hear it—a commotion somewhere in the hospital.

Cursing under my breath, I quickly hide behind a stack of boxes, straining to listen for any voices or footsteps. My heart pounds in my chest as I wait, praying that whoever it is will just go away.

But then I hear it. Footsteps, getting closer. And then a voice, calling my name.

“You in here, Selene?”

My blood runs cold as I recognize the voice.

It’s Katya.

What the hell is she doing in here?

I step out of hiding, trying to keep my cool as she approaches.

“What are you doing here?” I demand, my voice coming out sharper than I intended.

Katya just shrugs, her expression unreadable. “I’ve been looking for you, Selene. It is not safe. We need to go. Now.”

I feel a surge of panic grip me as she grabs my arm, leading me toward a back elevator. “But why?” I protest, trying to keep up with her super speed. And I thought I was fast!

“The hospital is rigged,” Katya explains, her voice urgent. “We’ll be caught if we stick around. Trust me, we need to get out of here.”

I’m afraid and full of questions, but I know she’s right. I can’t afford to get caught—not now.

As we reach the parking lot, I tell Katya about my car, but she shakes her head. “We can’t risk it. I know a safe house we can stay at for the night. Come on, let’s go.”

With a sinking feeling in my chest, I follow her lead, knowing that my life just got a whole lot more complicated.

But for now, all I can do is trust Katya and hope that she knows what she’s doing.

Katya leads me through the darkened streets to an abandoned warehouse. I immediately feel uneasy, wondering what exactly I’ve gotten myself into.

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