The truth was I hadn’t really needed Tristan’s help. Everything I needed was available online. A few searches gave me all the information I required.

I had the address of where my family were. Everything I needed was within my grasp.

Maverick was so focussed on his task that he didn’t notice how withdrawn I became as I searched everything about my family. Reading as much that was available online. I was preparing myself as much as I could, not sure if anything that I uncovered would actually make any difference.

Obviously there was no information on the fact there were werewolves but it gave me an insight to a family I had never met.

The photos of my parents made me sit back and study them to find what I may have inherited from them. I had the same shape face as my mother and her eyes. My coloring came from my father.

They were strangers to me. No matter how long and hard I stared at the pictures that never changed. Even the pictures of my brothers, did little to illicit any emotion. I could have passed them on the street and never even known.

It was difficult not to feel some sort of anger and betrayal at the people who were supposed to love me and didn’t. I wasn’t alone, there were plenty people in the world who had a crappy family. Besides, self pity was a wasted emotion that wouldn’t help me get out this very precarious situation I was in.

One wrong move, could destroy everything. I was very aware I knew very little of the world I now belong to and there was still a lot I didn’t know but I didn’t have the luxury of time.

I was still on the laptop trying to figure the best way of approaching my plan when I heard a commotion from outside.

My anxiety spiked and moved the laptop off my lap to pad over to the window. Outside I could see people headed into the forest.

There was something going.

I didn’t even hesitate. I was already out of the room and headed down the stairs, trying to hurry without breaking out in a run. I was breathless as I entered the forest following pack members until I could see what all the fuss was about.

Kane stood, with his pack behind him. What the hell was he doing here, on our territory?

Maverick faced him. “This is an act of war Kane.” He was tense.

This was the last thing we needed right now. We had more important things going on then a dispute between packs.

I moved to stand closer to my mate.

“Nice to see you Victoria,” Kane said, with a smirk.

He was trying to get a rise out of Maverick and it was worked. Maverick moved to cut Kane’s view of me.

“Why the fuck are you here?” I could see Maverick’s muscles bunch beneath his shirt. He was posed to react in a split second.

“Or is it Mary?” Kane added with a knowing smile.

How did he know that? Dread filled me.

“Or how about Alexandria?” He studied me, waiting for a response but I refused to give him. I would not give him the satisfaction.

The eyes of the pack members were on me. I could feel their stares.

“Tell me what you want Kane?” Maverick said.

He gave a dismissive shrug. “I don’t want any part of what you’re about to get tangled up in.”

I still had no idea how he know the things he did. Did we have mole in our pack? Someone who was feeding him information?

“Then why the fuck are you here?”

“I’m here for only one thing,” he stated, serious for the first time.

“What?” Maverick, on the verge of losing his temper. I could feel his anger, it was plumbable.

Kane’s eyes moved from us to past us to stare at a point in the pack behind us.

“Lark.”

I turned to see where his eyes were fixed and there stood Lark glaring at him.

“You’re making a scene for nothing,” Lark stormed forward. I had never see her so angry. “Go home and we’ll forget this ever happened.”

Kane shook his head. “I’m not going anywhere without you.” The slight teasing to his voice gone now, he was all business now.

“What’s going on?” Maverick asked his sister, who was too intent of glaring at Kane who did not seem to be bothered by the scene he was making.

“Do you want to tell him, or should I?” Kane asked Lark, with a raised eyebrow.

Her hands tightened into fists as she continued to glare at him like she wanted to physically lash out.

“Tell me what?” Maverick asked softly.

I was pretty sure I knew where this was headed but I remained silent, watching it play out with as much anticipation of the rest of the pack.

Maverick looked to his sister but she refused to answer him.

“Lark is mine,” Kane stated possessively. “She is my mate.”

It wasn’t a surprise to me, I had already suspected as much. But I could hear the gasps of shock vibrate through the pack. How they had grown up living next door to each other and kept it under wraps?

Maverick was still staring at his sister who still hadn’t acknowledged what Kane had said.

“Mate?”

She closed her eyes briefly before nodding slowly. Her shoulders slumped in defeat.

There were an array of emotions on Maverick’s expression. It was then I noticed Sebastian who stood on his other side mirror the same.

If I had noticed surely they had suspected it. Or maybe it was something they hoped that if they ignored it would go away.

“I’m not just going to hand my sister over to you-”

“You have no choice,” Kane ground out angrily. “I’m not leaving without her.”

Maverick frowned, still studying his sister.

Lark was still staring at Kane but she refused to move.

“I won’t force her,” Maverick stated.

Kane took a menacing step forward and Sebastian growled.

“She is mine.” Kane reminded them, his eyes dark and stormy.

He would fight them for her. Whether Maverick or anyone else didn’t like it, Lark was Kane’s mate.

“Enough with the testosterone,” I moved past Maverick to face Kane.

“Alexandria,” Maverick protested.

I shook my head. “Let’s just all calm down. This doesn’t need to be a fight.”

“You’re interfering in business you have no place in,” Kane argued dismissively.

“My business is making sure Lark doesn’t get pressured into something she doesn’t want to do.”

This was about her choice. Her decision. She got to make it. I would not allow outside pressure to force her hand.

“There is no choice. She is mine.” His voice hard and unwavering.

He was an intimidating character but I had been up against far worse.

“If she was so important than why has it take you so long to claim her?” I questioned, hating that this was playing out in front of everyone to see.

“While she was safe there was no need.”

Safe.

Could I blame him for feeling that way? No, I couldn’t. If there was a way for me to keep Maverick safe, I would do it. No questions asked. No hesitation.

“Lark?” Maverick prompted.

This was her choice.

“I’m not leaving without you Lark.” Kane’s were eyes hard, unwavering. It was the first time Kane spoke directly to her. He would wreck havoc to get his way.

He was making it clear she only had one option. She gave him a long measured look, I bet she was weighing up how this would unfold.

Then her gaze moved from Kane.

“I don’t want to cause any trouble, I’ll go with Kane.”

My heart fell, I saw the defeat in her. Kane would not back down. She was doing it to avoid bloodshed.

This wasn’t how I wanted it to play out.

Lark took a few steps toward Kane but Maverick moved to stop her. He turned to face her. He took her by the arms.

“I won’t hand you over if you don’t want to go. Just say the word.” His words earnest. “Tell me you don’t want to go and I’ll do whatever I need to do to protect you.”

“You’ve always been there for me.” The love she had for her brother was evident in her eyes. “But you can’t protect me from this.”

I had always believes mates to be something that was wanted but but there was nothing joyful about any of this.

Lark hugged her brother before pulling away to walk over to Kane whose gaze stayed on her until she was beside him. Only then did he give one last glare at Maverick before they began to walk away.

Maverick watched. His expression tore at my heart. And there was nothing I could do to help.

Kane walked beside Lark long after his pack shifted into their wolves.

He had taken claim of her to ensure her safety, those weren’t the action of a selfish sadistic person. All I could do was hope that I was right.