"Alpha Lucas?" I whisper meekly. 

He smiles at me, a bitter and broken look. 

"I wouldn't exactly say Alpha anymore," he responds grimly. 

"What the fuck happened? Does Sage know you're stuck down here?"

"Who do you think put me down here?" He scoffs. 

"I don't understand, I thought you two were working together."

My head is spinning. Everything that's transpired in just a few hours has left me confused and admittedly, a little overwhelmed. It's not a feeling I'd ever let myself get used to before, and yet, it seems like I've been feeling it almost constantly since I came to Killian's pack. 

"We were working together. Until he started experimenting on my own pack. He's so far gone, so lost in his vision." 

Lucas' expression became even darker. There was a haunted look in his eyes I didn't expect. 

"What were you guys doing, Lucas?"

I kept my voice as steady and calm as possible, despite the way my whole body shook at the idea of what they were doing behind closed doors. Even though Killian told me the gist of what had happened, I need to hear it from Lucas himself. 

"It started out innocent enough. General Sage wanted to use willing test subjects in a study to find a way to create stronger Warriors. We selected from different gene pools to measure the effects of the mutations. We took regular wolves, some weaker pack members, Alphas, and even a couple of humans..." He trails off. 

He looks everywhere but at me. I notice the way his breathing quickens. His breaths become audibly more shallow and I notice the way his chest is heaving rapidly under his tattered shirt. 

"Where did things go wrong?" I encourage. 

I need to get it out of him before he has a complete breakdown.

"Alphas demanded we halt our project when they realized how dangerous it was. They banned pack members from volunteering and they held the council accountable for ensuring that it was stopped. So General Sage started kidnapping people. It started off small, just rogues or members of smaller packs that no one would question their absence. He'd wait months in between each one, too," he stops for a moment, his breath hitching on a sob. 

"But then he just... snapped. He'd start taking people more frequently and of more notoriety. Soon enough he was picking off Alphas of bigger packs and their families, too."

"Killian's mother."

My heart breaks all over again thinking about Killian losing his parents so young and so violently. Lucas finally looks up at me, his eyes pleading and desperate. 

"I never thought it would go that far, I swear. I tried to put a stop to it. I respected Alpha Killian's parents a great deal, but General Sage forced my hand. When Alpha Colin discovered what had happened to his wife, he started digging. He threatened to uncover the whole operation, and promised to get other Alphas involved. General Sage demanded I take him out or he'd come after my mate. He paid off the council to sweep it all under the rug and Killian was too young at the time to really be able to press matters further."

I was so close. I almost had everything I needed, but I need him to keep going. If I had to guess, Sage would be visiting me soon, probably just to taunt me and boast about catching me a second time. 

"And your mate?" I urge. "Why hasn't she come to rescue you? Why hasn't any of your pack come to get you? And why can't I mindlink Killian down here?"

"I knew there was something different about you, Warrior. You've finally mated," a ghost of a smile plays on his lips.

"Focus."

"He killed her. I was making plans to help Killian and end this once and for all, but he found out and he fucking killed her. As for my pack, I'm sure they're all facing similar fates as us. My pack is on complete lockdown, the whole property is overrun with Warriors. But you won't be able to reach Killian down here. We're too far underground, surrounded by steel and concrete, too removed from society down here."

"Fuck," I cry frustratedly. 

I try for what feels like hours to break my chains, loosen them, anything I could think of to get myself out of this, but to no avail. 

Lucas just continues to stare up at the ceiling, occasionally sighing deeply. 

"It's no use," he mutters eventually. 

"So what's your plan then?" I snap back. "How the fuck are we going to get out of this?"

"You mean, if we don't die first?"

I raise my eyebrows at him, waiting for him to continue. 

"We fight," he grins.