The beta slumps to the ground, curling in on himself, his back against the wall.
Immediately, I stop recording, feeling sick to my stomach, and slip the phone back into my pocket.
The beta lowers his head, shoulders hunched. I hesitate, unsure whether to leave quietly through the bushes, when a soft, sobbing sound reaches my ears. Only now do I recognize this guy. This is Fred, Bashir’s husband! His hands are pressed to his face, and he is quietly whimpering.
On a stupid impulse, I step out from behind the bushes and walk toward him.
"What happened?" I ask softly, even though I already know.
He drops his hands from his face and jumps to his feet, nervously adjusting his pants.
"Nothing happened! What are you even doing here?" he blurts out, quickly wiping his cheeks to hide the tears.
I let out a short scoff. "I know what’s going on here, Fred. It’s Drax. He fucks betas to stimulate their fertility."
The beta stares at me for a moment with his wide, light-brown eyes. He is young, maybe twenty, which means he musthave entered the program at eighteen. He does not say a word, just stares, his body trembling slightly.
"I only have one question for you," I say slowly, quietly. "Are they forcing you to do this? Did they come one day and say: you’ve been here almost two years and there’s no pregnancy, so you either agree or you go back to prison?"
He swallows hard. His lips tremble, he sniffles, then slowly nods. "Yes. And I would be locked up for a looong time," he whispers. "Drunk, coming back from a stupid party, I hit a group of people with my car."
"Did it end with them—?" I gesture with my finger across my throat.
He nods grimly.
Oh, hell. Drunk driving and mowing down a group of people sounds like something he wouldn’t wriggle out of with less than a fifteen-year sentence… and that’s with a miracle-working lawyer.
So, he’s stuck here; it’s his only chance to have a semblance of real life. No wonder he’s desperate.
I sigh. "Do the alphas know about this? Are they informed that their betas are, in practice, being raped by Drax?"
Fred shakes his head. "No. The alphas would not agree. They are encouraged to be more possessive here, so this… would be crushing." He lifts his hands to his face again, wiping away another tear.
"Those bastards," I growl darkly. "I guess this is BA’s way of padding the stats."
Silence settles between us. I shake my head slightly. "I’m sorry you’re in this situation, Fred."
"Yes, it was my own stupidity that started it all, so I have to endure it. Please, don’t tell anyone. I don’t want people to know," Fred blurts out through tears.
I breathe out slowly. "But you understand that this shouldn’t be happening? This is a government program, and this facility has clearly found its own ‘creative’ method to stay ahead in the rankings. I seriously doubt this is approved by the main oversight committee."
Fred is quiet for a moment.
"But what happens if Drax isn’t here anymore? They’ll be left with the standard methods, and those don’t work nearly as well! Will they shut the place down? Sidorov hinted at this."
"Sidorov wanted you to believe it, fear it, but I doubt it."
He presses his hands to his temples, trembling. "I don’t wanna be separated from Bashir! I want a kid with him… If I don’t get pregnant, they can…"
"Calm down, Fred. There are other facilities with lower stats that are still operating. What they’re doing here is illegal, and the blackmail they’re using is morally wrong."
"But what can be done? Someone would have to call the police, but it’s risky."
"It doesn’t have to be a participant. Someone from the outside, a journalist, might have ways to uncover what’s going on here."
Tears keep streaming down Fred’s face, so I add quietly, "I’ll think about what can be done, I promise. This can’t be left as it is."
His lips shake as he speaks. "It hurt so much. It was horrible."
