I stare at him, and suddenly things start clicking into place.
"Fuck. So what, you think he is behind all this? He fucks the betas and kick-starts their heats?"
Eliano shrugs. "It is one hypothesis."
"So he has a ton of kids running around? That is messed up. What if someone runs genetic tests?"
"I do not believe the children are his."
"What?!"
"I am certain they belong to the alphas the betas are paired with."
"How can you be so sure? I saw what I saw. There was no condom."
"That is irrelevant. This is a government program. Too large, too visible. It has been running for two years. Blood type testing alone would expose it quickly. The BA would collapse."
I think it over, then nod slowly. "Yeah. You’re right. Too risky. Maybe he had a vasectomy, or uses some other kind of protection."
Eliano nods. "He likely provides only pheromonal stimulation. Their contracted partners have sex with them afterward. Fertilization follows. He… just kind of prepares the way. It is speculation, true, but it fits. Also, it doesn’t have to be a real, intense heat. They may experience so-called hidden heats. With the amount of sex encouraged here, conception becomes a matter of time."
I rub my temples. Eliano is onto something. The pieces line up disturbingly well.
"So the program is… kind of a scam. They don’t really get results through legal or scientific, reproducible methods. Their secret weapon is Drax."
"That’s my guess. Unless we’re missing something. But seriously, his scent… it almost made me dizzy. I don’t think Drax could live a normal life in society. He’s a purple alpha, looking like a monster, with a strange mutation, and he uses it to hisadvantage here, since everyone on the island staff is beta anyway and can’t scent him, and he never shows up in the sectors. I asked Evan about him yesterday, just out of curiosity, and he had no idea who I meant. Seeing him was pure luck."
"I wonder if the alphas in the program know that their betas are being fucked by another guy… Wait!" I raise my finger. "I discovered something else. At the back of our unit, right by the bathtub, there are secret doors. You cannot see them with the naked eye."
Eliano snaps his head up and stares at me in surprise.
"Yes, yes. Shane used them to get back inside, not the main entrance. And even better, your card does not open them. Only mine."
"Seriously?"
"Yes. I was pretty shocked. Secret doors for betas? So they can slip out of the unit while their husbands think they are in the bathroom, and meanwhile they are having quickies with a purple alpha right behind the wall. Then they just wash, and ta-da!"
Eliano blinks and rubs his cheeks, clearly shaken.
"It really looks like it was all done by design. A fucking scam, not a scientific method."
Silence falls between us.
Suddenly our wristbands beep simultaneously.
"Oh. Massage class. They are calling us."
We both stand up.
But then I realize something, pausing, unsure if I should even say this, especially with my escape plan still hanging over me. Still, if something goes wrong and things get delayed, I need Eliano to know what I don’t want, so he can back me up if it comes to that.
"I don’t… I don’t want to be stimulated like this, Eliano."
Our eyes meet. He nods, his expression serious.
"I doubt it would ever come to that. Maybe after two years here, but I don’t think we’ll still be here by then."
I swallow. Whatever he means by that, I would rather not ask. I already suspect he has guessed my plan to escape, so it feels safer not to pursue the topic any further.
