“Human,” you heard an unfamiliar voice say as you were pulled out of your slumber.


    Your brows furrowed as your blurred vision gradually cleared. You could feel the exhaustion that resulted from a restless night, causing heaviness in your eyes. Brown irises came into view as a male with short brown curls hovered above you.


    You kept the groan of annoyance that was threatening to escape your throat silent as you steadily sat up, scooting backward on the bedding. You eyed the attire the man had acquired—a similar style to the hunters who had caught you. However, there was no camouflage design, just a black jacket, black pants, and boots.


    He had a hoop earring pierced into his earlobe, and you could see that the back of his head was shaven to a buzz.


    “Name’s Caine. I’m an enforcer of law, and you’re comin’ with me,” he said before tossing you a uniform to change into. His tone was firm, and his expression was one of indifference.


    You paused as he walked out of the empty basement, studying the fabric he gave you.


    Once you had changed out of the nightgown and into the white shirt and pants, you followed Caine through the mansion. You observed the maids scrubbing the floors and dusting the window sills. You were surprised to see none of the noblemen who lived here.


    Back on Earth, you would’ve never imagined a life like this for yourself. Now, you had no knowledge of what was next for you. Would you be treated as an alpha because of your sex and become a maid, servant, or worse? Would you be treated as an anomaly and forced into a position that had not yet been created on this planet?


    What exactly was in store for you? As a matter of fact, where was he taking you now?


    The door to the passenger seat slammed shut, dragging you out of your thoughts as Caine rounded the front of the car and climbed into the driver’s seat.


    Your fingers pinched the fabric of your pants as you peered out the window of the vehicle while the engine roared.


    Once the car departed from the land that the mansion was built on, the city you entered rolled past in a blur of soft lights and clean streets. Sleek glass towers and charming ancient buildings structured the lush, green landscape. Well-dressed males strolled in small groups, some holding the hands of their children. Cozy boutiques and smaller establishments lined the roads. There was a large park that you passed, with trimmed trees and shrubs, along with an elegant fountain that centered the city landscape. From a distance, you could see well-built residential areas.


    The beauty was feminine and colorful—a deep contrast to the distant village ahead as you rounded the outskirts of this particular city. You figured that at some point, you would live amongst the women of the dull-colored society that caught your eye for a moment as the car made a left turn away from the area. In between the regions, a large, towering white building came into view as Caine drove toward the structure.


    Inside, the floors were white tiles, and the walls a soft cream color, reminiscent of an Earthly hospital—though the stark absence of chairs made it feel sterile, cold. You followed Caine down a hall lined with light brown wooden doors. He stood aside and knocked on one with the back of his hand.


    The door swung open to reveal a tall, lanky man. His lab coat, stopping just below his knees, complimented his sleek black pants and plain black shirt beneath. A dangling earring caught the light, and his mid-length hair was slicked to one side in a loose ponytail, streaked with blonde and orange. His purple irises studied you carefully as he adjusted his glasses.


    “This the mystery guest?” he questioned, an undertone of mischief present in his voice despite his gaze remaining stoic.


    “Yeah,” Caine responded, his hand firmly set on your shoulder before slightly pushing you forward to the male. “Tell Kiro to be careful. Mur doesn’t want any permanent scarring on her skin,” he informed the purple-eyed male.


    “Uh-huh,” he responded, irises shifting over your form to study you.


    The brown-haired man’s eyes narrowed. “I’m serious, Fox,” Caine warned him before leaving you with the male he had just named.


    “Well, this should be entertaining, yeah?” Fox said, mostly to himself, as he grabbed your bicep, pulling you into the room before shutting the door.


    The room around you resembled a doctor’s office, though the unsettling sight of human skulls displayed in glass cases along the shelves made the atmosphere feel unnervingly morbid. In the center, a padded rubber bed awaited, a thin sheet of paper covering its surface. Nearby, metal instruments glinted in the harsh light of the overhead lamp, sending a cold chill through your spine.


    “Strip,” Fox commanded, his tone casual as he crossed his arms.


    Your expression contorted to shock as you looked at him. Your brows furrowed in disapproval as you rubbed the palms of your hands against the fabric covering your hips.


    “Is that really necessary?” You couldn’t hold back this time. There was no way you would strip completely naked in front of this random man, alien or not. You felt your heart skip a beat when a smirk curled onto his face.


    “Strip willingly, or I’ll do it myself,” he began, licking his lips. “Your choice.”


    You paused in contemplation, catching the bottom of your lip with your teeth as you crossed your arms. When he took a step forward, you immediately held your hand out in surrender, causing him to pause.


    “J—just wait a damn minute, alright? I’ll do it, just give me a second, please?” You cleared the lump of discomfort in your throat as you tried to reason with him.


    He huffed, rolling his eyes as he shrugged. “Hurry up.”


    You hesitated. “Can you turn around, at least?”


    You already felt the heat of embarrassment rushing throughout your body. You felt exposed under his gaze as you desperately tried to ease the tension.


    “So high maintenance for a human woman,” he chuckled, stuffing his hands in his pockets as he leaned on one foot. “M’ not budgin’, so get it over with. Gonna see you anyway, so you might as well get used to it, yeah?”


    You exhaled sharply. “Okay,” you said with defeat.


    You could scream in humiliation as you stripped your clothes. The crisp air kissed your skin as goosebumps formed down your arms with every piece of clothing you removed. You currently have an arm covering one of your breasts while the hand attached covers your other. Your stray hand conceals your private area.


    You are surprised that you haven’t drawn any blood from your lip as you stood in the eyesight of Fox. He seemed to be enjoying your discomfort, considering the smirk that is planted on his face. He gestured for the bed, telling you to, “Hop on.”


    You hesitate before walking to the surface, sitting down first before slightly scooting onto the rest of the platform, careful not to tear the sheet that’s spread over the rubber. Tears pricked your eyes as he forcefully removed your hands, securing the leather straps over your arms, torso, and ankles, your knees propped and raised.


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    He grabbed tools from a cabinet, sanitizing the equipment before setting it on the tray. He slides the metal closer to your lower half as he sets everything in the correct place for the head man to come and work. You notice the needle, vial, and worst of all, a speculum.


    What the hell are they gonna do with that? Give me a pap smear?!


    You’ve never been a fan of that uncomfortable experience. As soon as you hit twenty-one, you were absolutely dreading your first examination. You cry every single time that you attend an appointment. Your vagina already has a hard time opening during normal intercourse or even when you would try to pleasure yourself.


    You feel two cold fingers pressed against the familiar spot on your neck. This time, Fox shifted to his thumb as he massaged the area.


    “Feel anything?” he questioned skeptically, eyes shifting to your expression to search for a reaction of some sort.


    “Nothing but pressure,” you say quietly, ready for this session to be over.


    “Do alphas and omegas exist on your planet?” he asked while his fingers moved to the opposite side of your neck to test the skin again.


    “No. We had nothing like that,” you respond, exhaling a breath you had been holding.


    Fox hummed in response before releasing you, the cold air replacing where his thumbs had warmed you up.


    The click of the door you had entered caught your attention before you turned your head in the direction of where the newcomer had walked in.


    He was shorter than the first man, but his presence was far more imposing. He wore the same uniform as Fox, but his black hair was neatly combed back, and his glasses added an air of sharpness. Even before he spoke, you could feel the weight of his eyes on you.


    “So this is the human,” Kiro’s voice was smooth, his tone calm but laced with curiosity. He stepped closer, his eyes flicking briefly over the man who stood on the other side of the platform before settling on you. “Interesting,” he murmured to himself.


    Your heart raced, the pressure of his gaze making you feel more vulnerable than ever. Fox kept his eyes on Kiro, though his expression was unreadable.


    “I want every detail noted,” Kiro ordered, the tension in the room thickening as he gestured for Fox to step aside. “We need to understand what she is.”


    Moments later, your tears finally fall as you feel the intrusion of the cold metal inside of you, stretching your vagina’s entrance as Kiro uses a mini flashlight to inspect your inner walls.


    Your nails dig into the rubber of the bed as you sob from not only the discomfort of the speculum but the embarrassment of having it done by alien specimens who weren’t your usual certified gynecologist. Your toes curl as you feel the swab tickle the cervix inside of you. Kiro and Fox were far too detached to apply the accommodations she would do for you.


    After a moment, you release a cry of relief as Kiro closes the speculum and gradually pulls it out of you. He hands Fox the swab and tells him to run a test on it, to which the taller man complies and walks away.


    Your knees meet as you make an attempt to close yourself after feeling the air hitting your hole. You bite the bottom of your lip to restrain from releasing any more sobs. Kiro grabs the needle from the table, prepping your arm to stick your vein while connecting the vial.


    You flinch once you feel the sharpness of the pinch as he draws your blood. The process is slow but eventually comes to an end as he uses a cotton swab to press against the opening and wraps a bandage over the area before pulling the needle out. He hands Fox the vial and grabs a plastic meter to set on the sides of your neck.


    Each time, the device only beeps once before going blank as the male tries to get a read, only to receive nothing in return.


    “Nothing. Not an alpha or an omega,” he muttered before setting it down and sitting in the rolly chair next to your quivering form.


    “No secondary gender markers,” Kiro wrote something down, his voice unwavering. “No alpha aggression. No omega hormonal shifts. No scent glands. No pheromones, either.”


    Fox hummed as he pulled the printed document out of the machine that tested the swab of your DNA and your blood sample. “Guess that means there’s only one option left,” he said as he handed Kiro the reading.


    Kiro hummed in agreement.


    “A beta, huh?” Murali mused as he leaned against his fist, elbow propped against the throne’s arm.


    A man with lavender eyes and short black hair that’s dyed green at the tips had just finished reading aloud the document Kiro had prescribed. He wore a deep gray, high-collared coat that flared past his knees. Underneath, a form-fitting black shirt concealed his torso. His pants were black and sleek, hovering over his black boots. His earring was a silver cross.


    Dimitri stood next to your kneeling form in the same placement as the night before. His expression was stoic and stern as he focused on Murali’s form. Brontes leaned against the wall behind you on one side of the doorway connected to the grand entrance. Geo stood in the same position on the opposite side of the entry. Caine stood a few feet away from your bowing form on the opposite side of Dimitri.


    The twins stood next to each other in an open space, a distance away from the thrones that sat in the front area of the room.


    Silas stood next to Murali’s throne as he looked ahead with a heavy-lidded gaze. “How fucking boring,” he released a dry chuckle as the conversation continued.


    Geo clicked his tongue in disapproval. “What else did you expect?” His eyes flicked to Silas with a bored expression. “She’s not from Vireos.”


    Brontes scoffed, crossing his arms over his chest. “Ain’t no point in sittin’ around and talkin’ about the obvious,” he began, eyes shifting to Murali. “The real question is, what are we gonna do with it?”


    You disparage the fact that they conversed about your fate as if you weren’t present. It was expected but still lacked fairness. Despite feeling antsy from the examination you had undergone earlier, you inhaled slowly to retain the irritation that peeked over this entire situation.


    “We can’t make a decision until Ezra and the rest of them get back,” Caine said in response.


    Brontes’s brows furrowed. “Why do we need their approval when we can just get it over with now?”


    Murali hummed. “What do you think, Zakai? Since you’re the diplomat.”


    The lavender-eyed male turned his attention toward the king, his expression unreadable as he blinked. “We wait until the others get back. Until then, we can make her useful,” he suggested while holding the file at his side.


    The peach-haired man snorted in response. “Why drag this out? Let’s decide right now. The Labyrinth. Toss her in—if she makes it out alive, she can stay as a maid.”


    “Heh, why not? Let’s see if she’s got what it takes,” Ajax advocated with a wide smile, his tone light but with an underlying tinge of unsettlement that added to your discomfort.


    Caine walked forward, his lips curving into a frown. “The Labyrinth? No human has ever survived that. She wouldn’t even stand a chance,” the brown-haired man responded, his tone evincing disbelief.


    “Caine’s right,” Geo concurred with a dismissive tone. “She wouldn’t last a second. What’s the point of even trying?”


    “If that’s the case, you might as well eat her now and get it over with,” Dimitri added while crossing his arms, his voice monotone.


    Alex’s eyes flicked briskly over your form before shifting toward Murali. “There’s no point in a trial. It’d just be a waste of time.”


    You bit your bottom lip, concern evident in your expression as your eyes looked upward. You wondered what this meant for you. What exactly was the Labyrinth, and why would your success rate be so low? Would it be as bad as the abandoned city—or worse?


    You felt a spike in your heart rate as you remembered the experience of running from that wolf-like creature. Were there more monsters like that on the planet, or were they a different species?


    “Let’s just do it. Worst case?” Brontes’s tone was laced with impatience and aloofness as he continued, eyes shifting to you. “The beta dies, and we don’t have to deal with it anymore.”


    “Exactly,” Silas confirmed with a smirk. “She’s gotta prove she’s even worth existing on our planet.”


    Murali hummed. “Let’s hear it then. Who’s all in favor of the Labyrinth?” he asked, eyes flicking over the noblemen.


    “I’m in! It’ll be fun to see what she can do,” Ajax beamed, crossing his arms.


    “Us too,” Brontes said, nodding over to Geo, leaving him no room to deny.


    “Whatever,” the silver-eyed male shrugged, his expression contorting to boredom.


    “Of course, my King,” Silas mused, excitement apparent on his visage.


    The rest of the noblemen remained silent in protest as they deemed the declaration pointless, considering your status.


    You only felt confused, with apprehension for the future. What would you have to survive? Why were you having to prove your worth just to become a maid? Why wouldn’t they just kill you if the Labyrinth was unavoidably hard to escape death?


    Suddenly, Murali’s dark orbs settled on yours, and for a moment, the room felt as though it was spinning. Your chest constricted as you felt the realization slicing through your mind.


    This…


    This declaration was purely for their merriment. Playing with your life as if you were nothing but a pawn was conclusively a way to divert boredom into pleasure. When you rule an entire planet…what else is there to do?


    A ruler with too much leisure is dangerous, as they become interested in more perverse forms of amusement, turning the lives of others into mere pieces on a board for their own entertainment.


    The corners of Murali’s lips curved upwards as he looked down at you. “Let’s see what you can do, beta.”


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