Page 4 of Owned By the Hvrok

She tried to ask: “Where am I? What is this place? What do you want from me?”But her mouth stayed shut. Her throat felt raw. Useless.

They marched her back to the cell.

The green one returned, stood in the doorway, and clicked something at her in its grating language. Then it pointed to the collar again.

Obey.

She didn’t respond.

The creature stared for another long moment, then turned and left.

When the wall sealed shut, a panel hissed open and a tray emerged.

Grey paste. A cup of water.

She didn’t move toward it.

Not yet.

She slumped against the far wall and pulled her knees to her chest. The outfit clung to her, a second skin she couldn’t shed. The cell was quiet, save for the steady, low hum of the systems around her.

Everything inside her was screaming.

Sylvia had always thought of herself as strong. Stubborn, even. The kind of girl who didn’t back down, didn’t run from fights.

But now she felt impossibly small.

And whatever this place was—whatever was coming—it wasn’t a fight she knew how to win.

Not yet.

But she would.

She had to.

CHAPTER 3

She woke to light. Bright, artificial, too white to be natural.

And glass. Or something like it. Clear walls on all sides. She was enclosed.Exposed.

Sylvia bolted upright with a gasp.

The container she was in was rectangular, sleek, and seamless. Transparent but glowing faintly around the edges, its material pulsing with faint circuitry. There were no seams, no doors. Just containment. She could move, yes, but not far. A few steps in any direction met invisible resistance. Her breath fogged the surface in front of her as she reached out…

And recoiled.

She was on display.

Like a product.

Her pulse pounded in her ears. Her mouth went dry.

No. No. No.

She spun, taking in the market around her. Other beings—aliens, creatures of all shapes and sizes—milled about a cavernous space beneath a domed ceiling that stretched far above. Strange symbols flickered across suspended panels.Drones hovered overhead. The air buzzed with voices—clicks, growls, melodic tones—none of it human.

None of it comprehensible.

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