Rejected And Reborn As The Alpha King's Luna

Chapter 69:The Underground Rebellion

POV: Xavier

Pain woke me. Sharp, throbbing pain in my temples that felt like someone was drilling into my skull. I groaned, trying to lift my hand to my head, but my arm wouldn't move. My eyes snapped open to harsh fluorescent lighting and the cold realization that I was restrained to a metal chair.

The collar around my neck hummed with a frequency that made my teeth ache. I tested the restraints once, twice. Solid steel, bolted to the floor. The room was smaller than I expected, maybe ten by ten feet, with concrete walls painted sterile white. A single camera mounted in the corner tracked my every movement.

"Subject Alpha-Seven is conscious," a mechanical voice announced from a hidden speaker.

Alpha-Seven. Not Xavier. Not even a name. Just a number. Rage built in my chest, hot and fierce. I pulled against the restraints hard enough that the metal groaned, but the collar immediately sent a shock through my system that left me gasping. Every nerve in my body screamed.

"I wouldn't recommend that," a voice said from behind me.

I twisted as much as the restraints allowed. A man stepped into view, maybe forty years old with dark hair going gray at the temples. He wore the same collar I did, but his restraints were chains rather than steel bands. His eyes held a wildness that made my instincts scream danger.

"Kieran," he introduced himself, his voice rough. "True Alpha. Cascades pack. Or I was, fifteen years ago. Now I'm just another lab rat."

Fifteen years. The number hit me like a punch to the gut.

"Xavier. Silver Moon pack. I've been here," I paused, trying to remember, "hours, maybe? I don't know."

"You'll lose track of time fast." Kieran settled into a crouch, his chains clinking. "Days blend together down here. But you're fresh meat, which means they'll be really interested in you. True Alphas are rare. How'd you transform?"

I opened my mouth to answer, then stopped. How did I transform? The memory was foggy, covered in a haze I couldn't quite pierce. I remembered danger, remembered someone I needed to protect. A woman with golden eyes and a fierce spirit.

Why couldn't I remember her face clearly?

"Protecting someone," I said finally. "Someone important."

"Your mate?"

The word sent a jolt through me, like touching a live wire. Yes. My mate. The woman I couldn't quite remember but knew I loved with every fiber of my being.

"Yes," I whispered. "My mate."

Kieran's expression shifted, something almost like pity crossing his features. "They'll use that against you. They always do. Love makes us weak down here."

Before I could respond, a door I hadn't noticed opened. Dr. Vex entered, flanked by two guards in tactical gear. She carried a tablet, her expression clinical and detached.

"Xavier Shadowfang," she said, reading from the screen. "Age 24. Recently awakened True Alpha. Fascinating case. Your transformation occurred in less than thirty seconds from initial trigger to complete manifestation. The average True Alpha awakening takes between six months and three years."

She approached me, studying my face like I was a puzzle to solve.

"What made you different? What accelerated your transformation?" She tapped something on her tablet. "Our readings suggest an external catalyst. A supernatural connection that amplified your protective instincts beyond normal parameters."

"I don't know what you're talking about," I growled.

"Don't you?" Vex pulled up an image on her tablet, turning it so I could see. It showed two figures in an arena, backs pressed together, surrounded by enemies. Even though the image was grainy, I recognized myself immediately.

The woman fighting beside me had dark hair and golden eyes that seemed to glow even in the photograph.

My heart clenched painfully.

"Who is she?" I demanded.

"You don't remember?" Vex looked genuinely surprised. "Thelma Reed. Your mate. The Alpha twin we captured alongside you. She's three floors above us right now."

Thelma. The name echoed in my mind like a bell, reverberating through every empty space where memories should be.

"What did you do to my memories?"

"Nothing. We don't have that technology yet." Vex studied me with renewed interest. "Your memory loss is supernatural in origin. Which makes this even more fascinating. You became a True Alpha for someone you don't even remember."

She gestured to the guards. "Prep him for neural mapping. I want to see what's blocking those memories."

The guards moved forward with a device that looked like a crown made of wires and sensors. I thrashed against the restraints, the collar sending waves of pain through me, but they forced the device onto my head anyway.

"This will be uncomfortable," Vex said, almost apologetically. "We're going to stimulate various neural pathways to see which ones trigger your True Alpha response."

She wasn't lying about the discomfort. The device activated, and suddenly my mind was on fire. Images flashed before my eyes, too quick to grasp. A woman laughing. Moonlight on dark hair. Soft lips against mine. A voice whispering, "I love you."

Then pain. Betrayal. A cell. Chains. The same woman, but her eyes were empty, emotionless. My heart breaking as I watched her walk away.

No, not walk away. She was being taken from me. Someone tore us apart.

"Interesting," Vex murmured, watching readouts on her tablet. "Your neural activity spikes whenever we stimulate the temporal lobe. There's significant trauma associated with your mate bond. And something else. A blockage. Like someone deliberately locked away certain memories."

The device pushed deeper, and suddenly I was drowning in sensation. Her scent, like wildflowers and rain. Her touch, gentle and fierce at once. Her voice, telling me she believed in me when no one else did.

"Thelma," I gasped, her name tearing from my throat.

The device shut off abruptly, leaving me shaking and breathless.

"Fascinating," Vex repeated. "The memories are there, just inaccessible. And your True Alpha power is directly tied to your mate bond." She made notes on her tablet. "This opens up entire new research possibilities. If we can replicate the emotional catalyst that triggered your transformation, we could artificially create True Alphas."

"You're insane," I spat.

"I'm pragmatic." She nodded to the guards. "Take him to the Alpha wing. Let him socialize with the others. I want to observe how True Alphas interact in captivity."

The guards unlocked my restraints from the chair but kept my hands cuffed in front of me. They hauled me to my feet and dragged me out of the examination room.