“You would have done anything to protect your mate, right? Broken any rule to keep her safe?”

“Yes. They killed her without provocation. I did nothing to anger them.”

“Those Mercile employees were mean ass**les.” She took a deep breath and glanced at the females by the door before speaking softly to them. “How does it look?”

The one with streaked red hair glanced away. “We’re still clear.”

Breeze met his gaze. “We’re not supposed to be here but sometimes we are bad at following orders. I had an officer who owed me a favor turn off the cameras.” She pointed to the corner. “They are there for your protection and to make sure you are in no danger but are currently off.”

He became alarmed. “Is there a threat to my life?”

“Not from us.” She cocked her head. “Do you know who is in danger?”

“Who?” He quickly became confused.

One of the women by the door revealed her hand, which had rested behind her back. It held a clear bag with material inside, which pulled it out and tossed to him. It was a shirt. The sweet scent he inhaled was familiar and a soft growl tore from his throat before he could stifle it.

“Her name is Alli.” Breeze hesitated. “Dr. Allison Baker. She’s human but never worked for Mercile. She risked her ass to save yours. I like her.” She jerked her head toward the other two women. “They like her too. Do you want to know why? Alli is a good human. She’s sweet and our friend.”

He fisted the female’s shirt in his hands but said nothing. He wasn’t sure what they expected from him. Part of him worried they were trying to spot a reaction that would betray his emotions. He tensed, alert, and schooled his features not to reveal anything. He wanted to know more about Alli but refused to admit as much. He shouldn’t care. She was human but he was curious.

“You were unconscious and wouldn’t wake after you were rescued. The truth is that we all thought you would die. No one here knows you and you were kept separated in the Mercile facilities from all our females. None of us have ever shared sex with you. Mercile used to take us to males for breeding experiments, attempting to make more of us. We know nothing about you and feared you were going to be insane. It’s what we call feral. It means your mind was so broken by the abuse you suffered that you couldn’t be saved.

“Alli refused to give up on you though and stole you from this place to take you somewhere where she could do what none of us would. She put her life in danger by trying to wake you with her female scent. You males are horny creatures who are driven by your dicks. Maybe she thought you’d want to mount her enough to wake.” Breeze shrugged. “Knowing her as I do though, she probably didn’t consider you might want to share sex but instead just thought having a female near you would bring you back. She’s naïve that way. All the males she’s met are pretty protective toward us and they don’t approach her for sex.”

He wasn’t sure how to digest that information. Part of him was glad to know no other males approached Alli for sex. Anger stirred at the memory of the masked humans touching her when he’d stumbled outside. He’d wanted to kill them for making her scream in terror. Breeze’s voice drew him from his musings.

“It worked. You smelled her and woke when she was in trouble. Maybe you wanted to mount her or perhaps you mistook her for your mate. I don’t know. Do you?”

He debated answering.

“880? Did you hear me?”

He decided to be direct. “I knew she wasn’t my mate. I remembered 46’s murder. I thought at first she might be a technician. I heard the words she spoke to me but I couldn’t move my body. I had finally decided she was another female brought to replace the mate they took. They needed her to control me.”

“Shit,” one of the females by the door sighed. “It’s as we thought. They gave him a female to make him compliant. She was just a tool to them.”

A snarl of rage tore from 880. “She was my mate!”

Breeze motioned the other female to silence as she continued to warily watch him. “We know that and meant no insult. Did Alli harm you? Did she hurt you?”

“No.”

“She stole you to save your life. I want you to understand that. She cared for you and stayed by your side. She put her life at risk to save yours. Do you know what happened to her?”

“No.”

“They locked her up. She’s a prisoner inside her home. She isn’t allowed to be a doctor anymore and is no longer trusted.” Anger deepened her voice. “We don’t agree with that but the males won’t listen to us. They are butt hurt over her being able to steal you as easily as she did. A mere little human smuggled you past all their security measures.”

“Butt hurt? Did she give them injections to make them unconscious?”

“No. Their pride is injured and they are being stupid,” one of the women by the door softly growled. “You’ve got to help her after all she did for you. It is the right thing to do.”

Anger gripped him at being given orders. “Humans are my enemy.”

Breeze growled back at him as the color of her eyes darkened. “She isn’t your enemy. She’s our friend and she woke you from a coma.”

He threw the shirt at her. “She is not my concern.” He hated the way his voice lacked sincerity. He didn’t enjoy owing anyone but if the human female had saved his life then he would feel honor bound to repay her some way.