Chapter 6:

From that day on, I always tried to avoid Elmer; there wouldn't be me wherever he was. Elmer doesn't pay any attention to me either; he sees me as air, which doesn't affect him.

I don't hate Elmer; on the contrary, I long to see him. But at the same time, I was scared; I didn't know how to face Elmer.

'Don't sigh anymore; your face droves like an old woman's. Look at yourself in the mirror. Are you 18 years old or 81 years old?' Erina started complaining, and she was always upset because that day, I suddenly left without discussing it with her first.

Not only me but Erina was also extremely eagerly waiting for the moment she would meet her mate, but because of my thoughtless words, I even took away her wishes. Facing Erina, I could only smile shyly.

It's been a while since I looked in the mirror, and I'm about to forget what my face looks like. Thinking so, I walked a few steps forward; the long mirror in front of me reflected my actual image. I was a little startled and backed away until my calf touched the edge of the bed before I stopped. I raised my hand to touch my cheek; suddenly, a burning sensation in my eyes made me tremble. What shape have I turned into? I don't recognize myself anymore. I was still a girl full of life a few weeks ago, but now I'm like a zombie.

My eyes were dark, my eye sockets were sunken deep inward, my cheekbones were frighteningly high, and my lips were white and chapped. My body was fragile, and I even saw my joints protruding from my skin.

'More and more blood is drawn out; what have they been researching, but it's been two weeks, and there are still no results. The blood withdrawal schedule is getting more and more crowded. Is there a chance we will die before the drug is researched?' Erina raised her voice, the last few words; her sound was somewhat muffled.

I swallowed my saliva, licked my dry lips, and smiled. 'I don't die that easily; my vitality is stronger than a cockroach's...'

After that sentence, Eirna and I were both silent. My mood also dropped; more than anyone else, I understood what was happening beyond my control, and I was constantly worried to the point of losing sleep every night. At first, I wanted to borrow Elmer as a shield to keep me safe, and then I would find a chance to escape. But I discovered I was too naive, not to mention running away from the Pack; I couldn't even step out of this house without Elmer's orders. Day by day, I felt that hiding was more difficult than going to heaven, and what was more worrying was that my life was also in danger.

I'm like a bird locked in a cage; the one playing with me is Elmer. I don't need to live if I'm no longer helpful one day. What I understand, Elmer must have soon understood, too. If they can research that particular medicine from me, others can do it if they have me in their hands. Elmer is intelligent; if he wants to ensure the monopoly of that rare medicine, I must die as soon as the medication is successfully created.

This thought made my body tremble; a feeling of pain crept into every cell, making it difficult for me to breathe.

While I was lost in my thoughts, a familiar sound came from downstairs.

"Alina, it's time for the blood draw," Elias spoke hoarsely and impatiently.

I sighed, stood up, grabbed my coat, and wrapped it around my shoulders to cover my skinny shoulders, then quickly walked downstairs. After a few weeks of contact, I understood Elias's personality. He is a person who is indifferent to everything, and only his eyes light up with his scientific research. He won't join in with people who bully or look down on me, but at the same time, he'll get mad if I delay his precious research time. In Elias's eyes, I'm not a werewolf like him; I'm just a lowly animal that appears here to help with his excellent research project.

"Why are you so slow? I said I would come every day at 11 o'clock, so you have to stand here and wait for me." Elias frowned displeased.

I smoothed my hair that was tangled by the wind and spoke without showing any emotion. "I'll pay attention next time."

Elias didn't want to waste too many words with me. He raised his chin to signal me to get in the car, then quickly stepped on the gas and drove towards the researcher.

From afar, I suddenly saw a tall white building in the middle of the forest. Even though I've seen it many times, every time my back feels cold, every hair on my body stands up.

'I'm afraid of that place, Alina, it's hell.' Erina moaned softly.

My heart sank to my stomach, and I sighed without saying anything. Yes, it is hell, but if I choose to turn my back on it, what I face is scarier than hell.

After a few minutes, the car stopped. Elias told me not very patiently. "Get car the car quickly!"

I slowly did as he said; my arms and legs were frozen, but my face remained calm. I followed behind Elias; his steps were so long that I almost had to run to keep up with him.

Recently, my health has not been guaranteed. Just after walking a few steps, my eyes darkened, my body staggered, and my mind became hazy.

I wanted to call Elias, but he was walking too fast; I couldn't call him, so I stood against the wall, breathing heavily. Sweat drenched my temples even though this place was air-conditioned all the time.

Suddenly, a familiar figure appeared in my sight. Elmer had his back to me, standing in the research room examining some model. Camelia was beside him; she saw me, but Elmer couldn't.

Camelia glared at me, her mouth raised as if threatening me. Ask me to disappear from her eyes quickly. But my feet were still frozen in one place, and my eyes were glued to Elmer's broad back; an emotion that was hard to put into words arose in my heart. This was the first time I had seen him since that night; he was still the same as before, even more charming.

"I was thinking why my tail suddenly disappeared, and it turns out you were just standing here lazily." The harsh voice carrying evident anger hit me on the head.

I looked up, startled, and immediately saw Elias' fiery eyes. He crossed his arms and stared at me.

Without letting me say another word, Elias ordered two burly werewolves to pull me forward. My feet barely touched the ground, and my weight was so light that the man could easily lift me with just one hand.

I looked regretfully at Elmer again, then lowered my eyes and let them drag me away.

As usual, I was taken into a private room with blood drawn. When Elias was about to do that, the door was suddenly pulled open, revealing her long, slender legs. Right after that, I could see the person who had just entered. Camelia gracefully walked before me, holding a thick stack of documents. People at the research facility often wear comfortable clothes that are easy to move around in, and they usually don't pay attention to their appearance, but Camelia is different; she likes to wear dresses that hug her body to show off her sexy curves.

"I don't like being bothered while I'm working; you know this well, right, honorable Camelia?" Elias's lips lifted into a friendly smile, but his eyes flashed impatiently.

Camelia didn't care about Elias's sarcasm; she smirked at me. "Alpha wants to see you, Elias; he's waiting for you in his office because he has something to discuss."

Elias frowned, looking at Camelia with half suspicion. After a moment of consideration, Elias also put down the tools in his hand and glanced at Camelia in warning. "If you lie to me, I will use these scissors to cut your mouth open."

Camelia smiled seductively, then caressed her hair. "I don't have time to do those boring things." She glanced at me and then raised her eyebrows. "Leave her to me, and I'll help you get the blood."

I immediately frowned. I didn't know Camelia's intentions, but I guessed she probably didn't have good intentions. My intuition told me to resist, but before I could open my mouth, Elias left the room, and the words froze in my throat.

Facing Camelia, I had a bad feeling. I wanted to step back to avoid her, but my body was fixed on the chair.

Camelia grinned, her beautiful lips curled up. "What were you looking at so intently just now? Your eyes are so lewd, it looks disgusting."

I'm not stupid. As soon as I heard it, I knew Camelia was referring to how I looked at Elmer earlier. I suddenly realized that Camelia didn't run here for no reason; maybe she wanted to show off her power before me.

Suddenly, a tight pain came from my arm. I immediately looked down and saw that the needle had penetrated deep into my skin, and the damaged vein was also bleeding. Through the transparent tube, my blood is being transmitted. I couldn't help but hiss. "You did it on purpose, right?"

Camelia blinked, pretending to ask innocently. "What on purpose? I just did my job."

I knew she was lying, but at this point, I was in so much pain that I no longer had the strength to resist. I don't know why it hurts so much today, and I feel like my entire arm is numb. I frowned as I saw my blood continuously drawn out, filling one tube after another.

Elias is conscientious; every day, he only draws about three tubes of blood from me, equivalent to 400ml. But this time, I just glanced sideways and saw more than five full tubes of blood neatly placed on the table.

I can't stay still and wait to die, letting her drain all the blood from my body. I used all my strength to sit up straight, struggling with my numb arms; my lips trying to open were so painful that they were torn. "Stop, you have drawn more than the allowed amount of blood!"

Camelia still looked at me calmly and smiled. "So what?"

I panicked inside; I was like a fish just caught out of the water and was now lying on the ground, struggling. My arm just raised, causing the blood draw to be interrupted, which made Camelia unhappy. Immediately, she grabbed my wrist and pressed it down hard.

"I won't let you die, don't worry; I just want to take a little more to make the research easier." Camelia grinned; her smile looked like a witch in a fairy tale, making my hair stand on end.

I don't know if Camelia's words are true or false, but I don't believe her; I don't bet my life on it. However, the strength of someone like me, whose blood is drawn every day, compared to someone full of power like Camelia, is very different. I used all my strength to struggle, but she quickly controlled me with one hand.

After a while of frantically fighting back, I was exhausted. My mind became increasingly chaotic, like a bunch of cotton candy stuck together. My arms and legs no longer had any strength; completely helpless and motionless.

My eyes gradually darkened; this time was different from the previous times; I felt death approaching. Before my eyes closed, I still saw my blood being drawn. Perhaps my current behavior was beyond Camelia's control. She didn't expect me to be so weak. Seeing me about to faint, she also panicked.

As I closed my eyes, I felt a hand tap my cheek with a rush of breath, and in a daze, I heard Camelia's panicked voice.

"I didn't mean it, Alpha; it was unintentional."

Alpha? Is it Elmer? Has he come?

I wanted to open my eyes to look at him again; even if I died, I tried to look at my mate one last time, but my eyelids were heavy, and I couldn't control them. And then, gradually, my remaining reason also disappeared, and I fell into a coma.