The closer we got to our destination the worse my headache got and the more anxious I felt. I was starting to feel out of my depth and fearful that I would not be able to talk my brothers into letting me go to lead the life I was destined for.

“This is our last chance to back out,” Amy murmured as we slowed down.

A large driveway with large intimidating walls only a few meters away.

The little girl in me wanted to run and hide but I’d been doing that my whole life. It was time for me to stand my ground.

“I can’t,” I sighed, wishing I was home with Maverick. But there was no backing out now.

I was only a few minutes away from meeting my family.

“You don’t have to come with me. I’ll handle it from here.” I opened the car door and closed.

“I’m not letting you go in alone.” She got out of the car.

I stopped to face her. “There will be nothing you can do if this thing goes side ways. You know that?”

“Yeah I know.”

“Whatever,” I muttered, hating that I felt responsible for getting her into this mess with me.

But there was no going back now. Besides, without her help I would not have made it off the compound. She had given me the chance I had now to save Maverick.

“It looks like a fortress,” she whispered beside me.

It was intimidating to say the least, and did nothing to build any confidence that I had made the right choice.

I pressed the button at the intercom at the gate and waited. As much as I tried to be confident I felt anxious.

There was a crackle.

“What do you want?” a stern voice asked.

“I’m here to see my family,” I stated boldly.

“Name?” the man questioned.

“Alexandria Mason.”

There was a pause. I bet the guy was trying to figure out if this was real or some sort of prank.

“She is dead. Get lost.”

“My family will not be pleased if they find out you turned me away.”

I folded my arms as I stare at the intercom, waiting for a response.

There was length of silence.

I wasn’t sure what I was expecting when the gates began to open.

“It’s your last chance to run for the hills,” I whispered as I took a moment to take in the path bordered by tall trees.

I wasn’t sure what I had been expecting but it was beautiful. The type of scene that could take your breath away.

“I’m not running.” Amy began to walk the path as I followed behind her.

The gates closed behind us. We were walking right into the lion’s den and I had no plan other than to wing it. This was not well thought out at all but it was too late to back out now. I would have to figure it out as I went along, like I had everything in life.

It was a foreign place. Where I had come from.

It was beautiful, even stunning. Green grass and tall trees. The large house at the end of the driveway caught my attention. It was large and picture perfect.

As we drew nearer I saw a man standing outside the door. He stood tall, almost authoritative.

Then another man joined him.

“Alexandria?” the taller one questioned.

I nodded as I came to a stop to study the man who had just spoken. He was a little taller than me, dark hair with crystal blue eyes.

“I’m Marshall.”

My brother. I scanned his features seeing none of my features.

“I’m Dominic,” The guy beside him announced.

They looked like brothers, unlike me.

There were my family, these strangers.

“Who is your friend?” Dominic asked.

I refused to answer. Amy frowned at them.

There is something off. She mind linked to me.

Yeah. I answered, not able to exactly pin point what was bugging me.

“We have been searching for you,” Marshall said as he moved closer, like he was trying not to make any sudden movement that could spook me.

His voice was void of any emotion, it set off alarm bells. I had not expected this to be a typical family reunion.

“Yeah, the bounty hunter who found me was such a nice guy.” Sarcasm dripped from my words.

Marshall looked back to Dominic before he faced me again. “All that matters is you are here now.”

“About that.” I paused. “I’m not here to stay.”

Marshall stared at me, there was no visible reaction to my words.

“Then why are you here?” Marshall asked.

“I want you guys to stop looking for me and leave me alone.”

“We can’t let you go,” Dominic said.

Not quite the response I had been hoping for.

We are being surrounded. Amy said.

I didn’t pull my attention from my brothers. I would not show them fear or any kind of hesitation.

Marshall moved forward. “Let’s discuss this Alexandria.”

I studied my brother. “There is nothing to discuss. I want to be left alone so I can lead the life I want to.”

“We mourned you Alexandria.” The female voice took me by surprise. I turned to face the older woman who I recognized from the photos on the internet. My mother.

“Mother,” I stated without emotion. She was a stranger, a stranger who had birthed me. I crossed my arms.

“Alexandria.” She paused for a few moments. “You are beautiful.”

I felt nothing at her awe in her words.

“You are very important to us,” Marshall said, taking me by surprise as I swirled around to face my brother.

He took hold of my arms. “You are not going anywhere.” His hands dug into my skin.

“Let me go.” I tired to pull out of his painful hold.

“I can’t do that.”

I struggled but to no avail, he was stronger.

“Let her go,” Amy demanded from beside me.

“Lock her up,” Dominic commanded in Amy’s direction as he came up beside Marshall. “We will deal with her later.”

I could do nothing when one of their men grabbed Amy from behind by the waist and lifted her off her feet as she struggled.

Amy. I whispered through our mind link as I watched them take her away and there was nothing I could do to stop it.

“No,” I yelled as someone from behind grabbed me and lifted me off my feet. I squirmed but I could not get free.

I was carried into the house screaming. Once inside the study the guy released me and I backed away from him by moving to the opposite side of the room. My chest rising and falling with each angry breath.

My brothers stood on the opposite end of the room watching me when my mother entered the room.

“Alexandria,” she started. I glared at her.

“You are far too important to the existence of our pack for us to simply let you go.”

“What are you going to do with me?” I questioned, needing to know what they had in store for me.

“You are going to fulfill your original obligation. You are going to mate with Colt Richards.”

I was already shaking my head. “I would rather die.”

“You don’t have a choice,” Marshall told me, angrily.

“I’m already mated,” I announced, hoping that will be enough to ruin their plans.

“It is by no means ideal but you will still be mated to Colt Richards. You were promised to him.”

“You can’t make me.” I raised my chin defiantly.

“You will do as you are told Alexandria,” my mother said. “There are ways of making you more compliant.”

I backed up against the wall. “No, I won’t be forced into this.”

“You have no choice,” Dominic announced. “Your mate is already on his way.”

I frowned. My mate.

My mother laughed hauntingly. “Not the one you reek of.”

Maverick. The mate I had left. I swallowed. I was out of my depth and with no real way to escape I was in real trouble. I was in the clutches of my power hungry family and I had led Amy straight into this mess with me.

“How long before Colt gets here?” Dominic asked our mother.

“He will be here soon.”

“I can’t be mated to someone when I belong to someone else,” I stated. They couldn’t make me, I refused to believe they could that to me.

“You will do as you’re told,” Marshall said with an evil smile, like he was enjoying every moment of my distress.