Since I’d left high school with a 4.0 GPA, I’d dreamt of working in a place like this, under a man like Simon Axell, and here I was.

The only thing that could have made today any better was if this did in fact turn out to be a secret government department for intergalactic diplomacy.

“Female test subjects?” I asked, turning from Dr. Urwin to my mentor. “Am I to understand that the research is in human trials, at this stage?”

“Very observant, Lillian.” Dr. Axell smiled as he handed me my coffee. “That will do you well here. And yes, indeed it does. Are you keen to learn about the project?”

So no aliens, then. I nodded nevertheless. “Very.”

“Well, since it looks like our support staff are working through lunch today, why don’t I take you down to my department and I’ll give you an introduction to the project as a whole and what I’m working with right now? Bring a cup of coffee—there are no biohazards.” Another smile as he nodded toward the coffee machine in the corner of the room. “I know you come from disease control.”

I grimaced at the thought of what bringing a cup of coffee into the lab could have done at my previous job and quickly poured myself a mug. As much as I’d loved my former field, being able to keep caffeinated while working would be a nice and unexpected bonus.

Dr. Axell poured himself a cup as well, and then led me out the door with a nod to the beta doctor by the table.

“We’ve been working on developing a way for our most specialized troops to gain an edge in combat,” Dr. Axell explained as we walked further down the corridor. When he came to a thick door, he swiped it with his card and pressed in a code before it opened with a heavy clonk. On the other side, a spiral staircase led underground.

“It’s undeniable that our very best troops are alphas, which has given us a unique angle from which to approach the problem of improvement. My team and I are working on using the biological imperative that separates alpha males from the rest of society to enhance our subjects’ combat skills. Bluntly put, we found a way to purify the alpha instincts within the males. The results have been very promising so far, but not without their drawbacks.”

I frowned as I followed the doctor down the stairs and through another set of password protected doors. I’d been quite shielded in my academic cocoon—most alphas who advanced in academia had learned to control their more animalistic impulses early on, to be able to excel within a dynamic that cherished mind over physique.

That didn’t mean I hadn’t seen the other side of them. No woman could live in ignorance of the latent aggression within the part of the male species we knew as alphas. These large men, whose biology had marked them as the leaders of society, the warriors and protectors, were known for their dominance and ruthless aggression toward anyone who didn’t bend to their will. It was a predicament largely ignored by polite society—something no one spoke of, but quietly accepted. We craved their leadership at an instinctive level, but many alphas abused their superior strength and the benefits it got them.

I may have been shielded from the worst of them—the ones who terrorized the city streets at night and took whatever and whoever they pleased—but that certainly didn’t mean the idea of enhancing their alpha instincts didn’t fill me with dread.

“Forgive me—what do you mean by purifying their instincts?” I asked as I stepped through the final door after Dr. Axell. I was going to elaborate, but just as the door slid closed behind me with an audible click, my eyes adjusted to the bright light in the room spread out below us and I stopped cold.

“It was a quite simple process, once we perfected the formula,” Dr. Axell said, that easy smile still on his face as he turned to look at me. “In its essence, we’ve created a serum that will turn any alpha injected with enough of it feral.”

I stared mutely into the room below. We were up a few steps from the main room, which gave me a perfect view of the lab and every person in it.

Two young men in white lab coats were walking from one subject to another, noting down numbers on charts.

And all along both walls and curved around a big, glass-paned room in the center, was cage after cage of imprisoned alphas.

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2

“They’re… they’re all in cages?” I asked, not quite believing my own eyes.

“Well, cells. Trust me, things would go south rather quickly if they weren’t safely detained. Have you ever seen a feral alpha?”

I shook my head, mutely watching the nearest caged and buck naked man pace restlessly behind the bars of his prison, his muscles flexing as he stared at the nearby lab-coated staff member scribbling notes on his chart. He looked like a wild animal searching for a way to get at his captor.

“And they agreed to this… this arrangement?”

Dr. Axell glanced at me, for a moment appearing startled. Then his trademark smile spread across his face once more. “Oh, of course. Forgive me, I didn’t consider how this would look to a newcomer. These test subjects were all imprisoned on death row—their lives were forfeit. Instead of getting the needle, they come here and help the society they turned their backs on learn how to better defend our borders. I’m sure you agree that this is far the better option for these wretched souls?”

Hesitantly, I nodded. If the only other option for these men was death, there wasn’t much of a choice.

“Come, I want to show you our most promising subject.” Dr. Axell walked down the few steps to the concrete floor below, leaving me to follow. “He was a Navy SEAL before he came here, and his physical tests are off the charts. They all become superior fighters once they’re feral, but Subject 351 is something else entirely. We’ve shown his results to the Minister of Defense, and they are very hopeful he will be the key to improving the armed forces.”

We walked to the far end of the large room, past cell after cell of naked and pacing alphas. Each and every one of them snarled when Dr. Axell passed, the sound and overwhelming scent of them making every hair on my body stand on end as I fought back my own primal instincts to show my throat in submission.

It was a ridiculous urge, of course, a leftover defense from before civilization made us all rein in our animal instincts and substitute them with rules and manners. I’d felt the brush of those instincts before—of course I had. Every man, woman, and child who’d ever been around an alpha had, but I’d never experienced anything as strong as this. The sheer density of testosterone in the air made my heart pick up speed, preparing my body to flee.

“It’s a bit overwhelming in the beginning,” Dr. Axell said, undoubtedly when he picked up on my scent of fear. “Every beta male on the team has been through it. It gets easier. Just remember they’re behind bars—there’s nothing they can do to you. You’re the one in charge.”

I gave him a grateful, but fleeting smile in acknowledgement, yet didn’t manage to keep my eyes off the predators we passed. That’s what they were, I realized. Predators. No longer fully human.

“What have you done to them to… to turn them feral?” I asked, aware my voice was squeaky with pent-up anxiety. Dr. Axell was polite enough to ignore it.

“Once a day, we give them a serum we’ve developed specifically for this purpose. It increases the activity in the medulla oblongata, forcing their primal instincts to the forefront. It doesn’t fully erase their humanity—they’re still capable of using tools, and to some degree, solving puzzles and performing simple tasks like showering and opening doors. We’ve yet to have anyone speak while the serum is still strong in their veins, but toward nighttime when it begins to wear off, most are capable of expressing basic needs and wants using some language.” He stopped in front of the last cell on the left side of the room, smiling broadly at its occupant. “Ah, and here he is. Our most prized specimen. Miss Dorne, this is Subject 351. He’s twenty-six, and a former Navy SEAL at six foot ten and two-hundred ninety-one pounds.”