Page 45 of Her Cruel Alpha

“I won’t.”

I dropped my hands. “Alright then. We should go to the lab.”

Henrik drove us, but we stopped for coffee first. I clutched my cup tightly, inhaling the scent. I felt my shoulders relax, and my mind started to focus a little better. Exhaustion was seeping in, but I was trying to push it away.

We arrived at the lab, and I stared at the building for a moment. It had been a while since I went down to the basement. I had been so focused on helping the women that it landed on the back burner.

“You ready?”

I nodded as we got out of the car. We headed inside, and as Henrik headed for the elevator, I grabbed his arm. “That’s the wrong direction.”

He looked at me, confused. “Your lab is upstairs.”

I nodded. “Yeah, my second lab is.”

“Second lab?”

I nodded, turning him to the basement stairs. But you had to swipe a card to gain access. I swiped my card and pushed the door open. “I have two.”

“Why?”

We started down the stairs. “Because this one isn’t public. It’s top secret.”

“Who else comes down here?”

I glanced at him as I pushed another door open, and we stepped into a huge open space. “Top secret agents and soldiers. There are only a few other scientists who are allowed down here.”

Henrik stared at me like I had grown a third arm as I stopped in front of a door. “I’m not sure how the Council will feel about me showing you, but that’s a problem for another day.”

I swiped my card and pushed the door open. The lights flicked on as we stepped inside. This lab was white, just like the one upstairs, but there were no pictures. There was a large glass panel that blocked a small room off from the rest of us. The room was black.

Henrik instantly stared at the blackness and bared his teeth. I watched the hair on his neck rise as he swung his arm back, grabbing me. “What is that!” he hissed.

“We are safe; that is completely locked away.”

Henrik didn’t soften his hold on me. He pulled me tighter and scowled. “How is that even possible?

“That is a sealed room.” I pointed to the glasses' corners. “It can’t get out. We built this lab to handle it.”

Henrik looked at me like I was crazy. “What do you…how?”

I pulled myself free. “It’s hard to explain, but we’re safe. It doesn’t really react to anything besides when I walk in front of it. Do you want to see?”

“No, no, I don’t,” he snapped.

I reached out, placing my hands on his chest. “Henrik, I promise. We are safe. It can’t get free.”

Henrik swallowed and walked a little closer. I watched as his eyes scanned it. The mass of blackness hardly moved. Henrik's shoulders dropped slightly before he turned back to me. “You swear.”

I nodded. “It’s been down here for a few months already.”

Henrik took a deep breath and ran his hand through his hair. “Why didn’t you tell me about this?”

“Because I couldn’t tell anyone,” I reached up, cupping his face. “But I’m glad you know now.”

He sighed and looked at the black mass. “So what are you even doing down here with it?”

“We’re testing to see how it reacts to things. So far, there is nothing besides when I’m near it. It sort of freaks out.” I pointed towards my computer and moved over, turning it on.

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