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"Let me go," I demand, hating how my voice shakes.

He ignores me and continues his predatory circle.

"An Omega," he muses, like he's talking to himself.

"All this time searching, experimenting, trying to create the perfect biological weapon, and here you were, existing in the wild." He stops in front of me, bending slightly to meet my eyes.

"If I'd known you existed, I might have abandoned my virus project altogether."

"Sorry to disappoint you," I spit. "But I'm not interested in being your lab rat."

"Your interest isn't required, Dr. Baldwin." He reaches out and I flinch as his fingers brush a curl from my face. "You're quite beautiful, aren't you? Even in this... disheveled state."

"Don't touch me." I jerk my head away from his touch.

"And spirited too." He straightens, resuming his circle. "I appreciate that. The strong ones always produce better results."

"I won't be here long enough for you to find out," I say, trying to sound more confident than I feel. "They'll find me."

"They?" Hammond raises an eyebrow. "You mean your little collection of Alpha males? How many is it now? Four?" He chuckles. "That's quite greedy of you, Doctor."

My blood runs cold.

"You seem surprised that I know about your... arrangement." He smirks. "I make it my business to know everything, especially about assets as valuable as you."

"I'm not an asset," I growl. "I'm a person."

"You're much more than a person." Hammond stops behind me, placing his hands on my shoulders. I stiffen at his touch. "You're a miracle. You're the key to everything I've been working toward."

"And what exactly is that?" I ask, trying to keep him talking while I subtly test my restraints again.

He moves back into my field of vision. "Progress, Dr. Baldwin. Evolution. The next stage of human and shifter development." His eyes gleam with fanatical light. "Your Omega biology is the missing piece. With you, I can create a breeding program for super-soldiers. Imagine Alphas with enhanced abilities, paired with Omegas who can stabilize their transformations. And more Omegas, of course. We'll need many more like you."

Bile rises in my throat. "You're insane if you think I'll help you with that."

"Your cooperation isn't necessary." He shrugs. "Your body will do what it's designed to do, regardless of your opinion on the matter."

"Evan will find me," I say, clinging to the one hope I have. "He won't let you get away with this."

Hammond's face splits into a wide grin. "Evan? Oh, my dear, you don't know, do you?" He leans closer, his breath hot against my ear.

"Who do you think delivered you to me?"

"You're lying," I shake my head. "Evan wouldn't…"

"Wouldn't he?" Hammond straightens. "There's so much you don't know about your precious billionaire."

"What are you talking about?"

"Evan Blackthorn helped me create the first test that turned into the Crimson Plague," Hammond says, watching my face carefully.

"Did he tell you that part? Or did he conveniently leave it out when he was fucking you?"

I keep my expression neutral, not wanting to give him the satisfaction of knowing Evan had already confessed this to me. "You're trying to turn me against him. It won't work."

"I don't need to turn you against him," Hammond says. "I just need you to understand your situation. Evan has always been weak, and conflicted. He couldn't commit to our original vision, but he'll come around. Especially now that I have you."

"He'll kill you," I say with conviction. "They all will."