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Digging into the system, I begin to pull up their protocols for different mental health issues, my brows knitting as I find they’re torturing their patients. Electroshock theory, sleep deprivation through controlled rhetoric, extreme degradation and shame for omegas who crave an alpha’s acceptance, and age regression. The age regression is meant to change memories so that the adult will feel differently about themselves and the things they want to do.

Every “treatment” is centered around changing the patient so they are rehabilitated into a “better” version of themselves. There are patient records that I find as I dig deeper, but I can’t find anything on Nina as I look. However, as I glance through their “glowing” cases that have shown true change, I can see all of the treatments that it’s taken for them to get there.

Along with the “behavior” treatment that isn’t just what I stated, there are others and some include medication.

Swallowing hard, I glance at Ethan. Reaching out to squeeze his hand, I meet green eyes.

“It’s not pretty,” I say thickly. “She’s in a shit situation, and this institution is meant to change people at a fundamental level. They’ll try to change her memories, control her by not allowing her to sleep, and torture her. I have to wait until tomorrow to meet with one of my advisors who I believe will be able to get me entrance into Weeping Willow. Dr. Lipnis is very vocal about behavior modification through psychiatry intervention.”

“That sounds as if he condones what’s happening to Nina,” Ethan says, his eyes becoming shiny. “Who thinks of this shit?”

“People who want to control those that they esteem to be inferior to alphas,” I reply. “It’s very rare for me to hear that an alpha is in this position. Omegas have an untenable position in our society, between what we hear about auctions selling them and people who want to use them.”

“It’s fucking disgusting,” Ethan whispers.

“Do you want to crash here and take a nap while I tap into the clinical side of myself and craft my pitch to Dr. Lipnis?” I ask. He’s never slept over, never had a reason to. “You look like shit, Ethan. Little Rainbow Brite is going to need you to fight for her. I have a feeling your chest hurts because you’re sensitive to what she may be going through. Good alphas want the best for their omegas, and the world is not giving her that right now.”

“Sleep here?” he asks, his lids heavy with exhaustion.

“Yes,” I confirm, reaching over to grab him a blanket. “I promise to wake you up if I find anything important. Most of it will be continuing to deep dive into their records, and figuring out what their agenda is. If I can pull who their backers are for your dad’s lawyer to look into, I will.”

“None of this is public record, huh?” he asks as he attempts to get comfortable next to me.

“Do you think I care about legalities?” I ask, smirking. “Theonly thing I worry about is pulling as much information as possible without going to prison. You know I’m a menace behind a computer screen. It’s why I went into medicine to begin with.”

“I’m dragging you back into bad habits,” he mumbles, sleep dragging him down.

“I am a bad habit,” I mutter, pushing his dirty blonde hair back as he falls asleep. “I didn’t realize how much I wanted to keep you until now.”

Knowing he can’t hear me, I turn back to work on my new project. I need to extract as much information as possible, and see if there’s anything I can slip to the lawyer working on the little omega’s case. I only know her from what Ethan’s told me about, but I’m willing to fight for her.

If she’s important to him, then I’ll do my best to pull her from the fire and help put her back together. These doctors aren’t fucking around, and she may be a very different person than she once was.

Eleven

Nina

I’m groggy when I wake up, even going as far as forgetting where I am until I see all of the blinding white around me. It’s disorienting, and my mind struggles to process what I’m seeing at first. Pushing down a whimper, I lift my head to find that I’m tied down to the bed. Things are coming back the more I look around, and fear fills my lungs. It tastes metallic and cold, a reminder I’m all alone here.

The IV is no longer dripping, which probably means that my heat is over and why I woke up. The banana bag is nowhere to be found, though I can still feel the port they put in at some point in my hand. I don’t understand why they’d leave it, though my anxiety whispers terrible possibilities.

While my skin feels too tight and wrong, my body has a layer of sweat that makes me feel gross. I really want a shower and to scrub off the unknown from the last few days.

Dropping my head back on the bed, I frown. Something is wrong. Why does my head feel…lighter?

Rocking my head back and forth, I wait to feelthe weight of my hair. Except it never comes. It’s not brushing along my skin, nor is it in my face or touching my cheeks.

Where is my hair?I had my hair highlighted with pink just before my eighteenth birthday. My mom was pissed. I had already been accepted into the University of Lyons, and knew I was going to have to make a run for it.

I thought I understood the ramifications of my decision, but I was wrong. This wasn’t a simple case of rebellion for Mom. She believes I’m an extension of herself, so she should be able to use me. If I “ruin” my hair or choose to fill my mind with “frivolous” nonsense at school, then I’m less valuable to her.

I didn’t think she’d go this far though.

Pain fills my mind, but it’s a phantom pain, reminding me of the loss of two alphas who I believe belong to me. I still don’t understand what that means, or why it feels as if I’m losing pieces of myself. Hair, my first heat, my freedom.

How much more do I have to lose?

The door to the room opens, and I crane my neck to see who it is. A doctor with bushy brown hair and beady eyes walks in, closing the door behind him. A part of me wishes he’d left the door open. Too many bad things can happen and no one would know.