Rejected by the Beta, Claimed by the Alpha

Chapter 161: "Run, Fool, Run"

Lucas POV

I woke up early.

Not like I’d really slept.

Even in my dreams, they were there—laughing, watching, touching. I couldn’t breathe right even when unconscious.

Who would’ve thought the monsters wore such beautiful faces?

Hot people. Models. Walking gods. That’s what they looked like. But behind those glowing eyes and sharp smiles, something rotted. Something old. Inhuman.

They didn’t even have to hide it well. We—humans—are too stupid, too desperate to be seen, to be touched, to matter, to even notice the danger.

I looked like a goddamn zombie by the time morning came up. Hollow-eyed. Grey. Shaky. My face was pale, eyes sunken, limbs heavy.

But I didn’t care.

I knew one thing: I would only be able to breathe again the moment I got out of this godforsaken hellhole of a place.

I’d made up my mind.

I was leaving.

No matter what.

I was halfway through stuffing the last of my things into my bag—zipper straining from how fast I was packing—when my roommate stirred.

Clark sat up, blinking through the sleep, his hair sticking up in every direction.

"Hey," he croaked. "What’re you doing?"

"Leaving," I muttered without looking at him.

He rubbed his face. "What? Why?"

"I’m going home."

Clark blinked a few times, then sat all the way up.

"You didn’t just pass the entrance exams and get accepted into Memoville to run off before orientation, man," he said. "Come on."

His tone was casual—like I’d just been through a bad breakup or lost a wallet.

He thought I was bullied.

Bullied.

What happened to me... that wasn’t bullying.

That was something else.

Something no human should ever experience.

Something no one would believe even if I tried to explain it.

And that’s exactly why they get away with it. Why there’s always fresh meat.

I crouched to grab my hoodie and stuffed it into my duffel, trying not to scream.

"You won’t believe me anyway," I said. "Nobody ever does. That’s why they always get fresh meat. That’s what we are to them."

Clark was more awake now. More alert. He watched me closely.

"...What are you talking about?" he asked.

I looked at him, finally.

"You saw it, didn’t you?" I asked. "The ones that walk like they’ve never tripped in their lives? The ones that talk like they’re in a Shakespeare play and never blink at the right time?"

silence wasn’t just confusion—it was

cold? The eyes? The paleness? The way the damn wind moves when they pass

Clark stared at me.

me.

But he didn’t laugh.

was enough to give me

on, Lucas..." he

cut

what’s funny?" I said, swallowing the bitterness rising in my throat. "I knew something was off the moment that woman at registration smelled my ID. Not scanned it. Smelled it. Like it

He froze.

did that to me too," he said

us—shared unease, maybe. Or the start of

he still sat

Still hesitated.

still here?" I asked him, sharper than I meant

He didn’t answer.

silence told me

I’d tried.

I really had.

until one of them lured him away with a

him find out

hoisted my bag onto my shoulder. "Especially the ones who smile too

That’s the thing, right?

Their smiles.

Wide. Bright. Charming.

Hiding teeth.

Hiding cruelty.

thinking: Hey, a hot guy noticed me. A pretty girl wants to show me around. Lucky

Fucking pathetic.

No more.

I was done.

last

place burn before I ever set foot back here.

*********

too early—so early the whole place was dead silent. Not a soul in sight. Just long, dark halls and an oppressive stillness that made every step echo

walked fast. As fast as I could. I didn’t want to

felt abandoned. Deserted. And

walked fast—faster than I probably should have—my duffel bouncing against my back with every step. I kept my head down, heart pounding, eyes locked on the

stay in this place one

But the halls...

God, the halls.

against your ears like cotton. The kind you only hear

The occasional flickering light bulb that seemed to sputter only when I walked under it. Thick air, flickering lights, and shadows that seemed to stretch longer than they should. Just walking through those halls

I went. Heavy. Thick. Like the building

stopped

place itself seemed to

it had a mind of its own and wasn’t ready to let me go. I kept turning corner after corner, passing hallways I swore I’d seen before. The exits didn’t exist—just endless

without signs. Just doors. Hallways. A repeating maze. I swear I passed the same painting twice—a portrait of a pale man with too many teeth and too sharp

Was the building shifting?

stopped. My breathing

"No. You’re

my pocket, unfolded it, and focused. Just follow the map. Don’t look up. Don’t

I walked blindly, one foot in front of the

I stood in didn’t

it was pulling me

the university. Deeper into the belly of

around. I didn’t let myself think about it. I kept following the lines on

And then—

Exit.

faintly above a pair of wide

I froze.

this time, but from a flicker of hope so strong it nearly

off. I didn’t see