Lana's POV

The first thing I felt was a heavy ache behind my eyes. It wasn't a sharp pain, but it felt like my head was paining me. I tried to move my hand to touch my face, but my arm felt weak and slow.

I opened my eyes. The light in the room was soft, but it still made me blink. I wasn't in my car or my backyard,.I was lying in a bed.

I sat up slowly. The room tilted for a second, but I ignored it. Then, the memory of the black van and the men in masks hit me.

"Lucas? Mathew? Jacob? Jasper?" I called out. My voice sounded thin and shaky.

No one answered. I moved my legs over the side of the bed. I was still in my work clothes, but my shoes were gone. I looked around. The room was large and very clean. There were medical machines in the corner and a small sink near the door. It looked like a private hospital room, but the windows were very high up.

I stood up and held onto the bed until I felt steady. I had to find my boys. I took a deep breath and walked to the door, I turned the handle, but it didn't move.

It was locked.

"Hey!" I shouted, hitting the door with my hand. "Is anyone there? Open up!"

I heard footsteps outside, a lock clicked, and the door opened. Two tall men in dark suits stood there, with no emotions on their face.

"Where are my children?" I demanded. I tried to push past them, but a hand landed on my shoulder.

"Please stay back, Dr. Montgomery," one of them said. His voice was deep and calm.

"How do you know my name?" I asked. My heart was racing. "Who are you? If you want money, my fiancé will pay. Just give me my sons."

"We don't want money," the man said. "Follow us. Someone wants to talk to you."

"I'm not going anywhere without my boys," I snapped. I felt my wolf waking up inside me. She was angry and ready to fight.

The guard didn't move. "Your children are eating. They are safe. If you come with us, you can see them soon. If you fight us, we will have to put you back to sleep."

I bit my lip. I couldn't help my kids if I was knocked out. I nodded. "Fine. Lead the way."

They walked me down a long hall, we stopped at two large doors. A guard knocked and then opened them.

"The doctor is here," he said.

I walked into a big office. An older man sat behind a desk, he had gray hair and deep lines on his face. He looked like he hadn't slept in weeks. When he looked at me, I almost stopped breathing.

It was my father.

He didn't say my name. He just looked at me like I was a lifeline. To him, I was just Dr. Kara Montgomery.

"Thank you for coming, Doctor," he said. His voice was shaky. "I am sorry for how we brought you here. We have an emergency."

I gripped a chair so he wouldn't see my hands shaking. "You kidnapped me and my kids. You don't get to be sorry."

He sighed and rubbed his face. "I know. But we sent letters, we offered money. You didn't answer. Our people are dying. The reports say you are the only one who can help."

"I don't care about your people," I said. "I want my sons. Now."

"They are in the next room," he said, pointing to a side door. "They think they are on a surprise vacation. Sit down, please."

I didn't sit. I went to the side door, but the guards blocked me.

"Not yet," my father said. "I am the Beta of this pack. My name is Silas. A sickness is killing us. It started with the old people and is now hitting the children. Our doctors can't find a cure. They say you know things about wolves and humans that no one else knows."

I looked at the man who had let my stepmother hurt me for years. He looked small now.

"Why should I help you?" I asked.

"Because if you don't, I won't let you leave," he said. It wasn't a threat; it was just a fact. "But if you help, I will give you a lot of money. You and your boys can go back home and never see us again."

I laughed, and it sounded mean. "You think I want your money? I want my life back."

"Then do your job," Silas said. "The lab is ready. Once you find a cure, you can take your kids and go."

"I want to see them first," I said.

Silas nodded. The guards moved. I ran to the door and pushed it open.

It was a playroom with toys and a TV. My three boys were on a rug playing a game.

"Mummy!" Jacob cried, running to me. The other two followed.

I dropped to the floor and hugged them tight. I checked their faces and arms. They were okay.

"Are you guys alright?" I whispered.

"Yeah, the men gave us pancakes," Mathew said. "They said you were working. Are we at a hotel?"

"Sort of," I said, trying to smile. "Stay here and play, okay? Don't leave this room. I have to work, but I'll be back soon."

"Is Uncle Jasper coming?" Lucas asked.

My heart hurt. Jasper. He would be going crazy looking for us. "I'm not sure yet. Just stay together."

I went back into the office. I made my face look like stone. "I will help. But I stay with my kids. We sleep in the same room. And I want all the medical files right now."

Silas looked relieved. "Anything you need."

He led me down another hall. We passed a woman in a fancy dress. It was Amelia. She stopped and looked at me with a mean face. She didn't know who I was.

"Is this the doctor?" she asked. "She looks too young. Silas, are you sure?"

"She is the best, Amelia. Move," my father said.

Amelia rolled her eyes. "Whatever. Just fix it. The Alpha is in a bad mood, and I'm tired of hearing about sick people." She walked away.

"Ignore her," Silas said. "Here is the lab."

It was a huge medical room with the best tech I had ever seen.

"I will leave you to work," Silas said. "A guard is outside. Just ask if you need something." He left and shut the door.

I was alone. I opened the first file on the desk. The symptoms were weird. High fevers and black veins, it was like something was eating their wolves from the inside.

I worked for hours, I lost track of time. I moved to the window and saw the sun setting over the trees. This was my old home, but I felt like a stranger.

I had to be fast, if the Alpha came back and saw me, it would be over. I went back to my microscope. I was so busy I didn't hear the door open.

Then, the smell hit me. It was like rain and pine trees. My heart skipped a beat.

I knew that scent, I had smelled it in my dreams for eight years.

I didn't turn around. I couldn't move.

"I heard we had a guest," a voice said. It was deep and cold.

I slowly turned.

A man stood in the doorway. He was tall with broad shoulders and black hair. His blue eyes looked like ice. It was Asher.

He wasn't looking at me like a doctor. He looked like he had seen a ghost.

"Lana?" he whispered.

I stepped back, knocking over a tray of tools. The noise was loud in the quiet room.

"You're dead," he said. "We found the blood. We found your clothes."

I forced my voice to be hard. "I am Dr. Montgomery. I am here to work. That's all."

Asher walked toward me until he was right there. He reached out and touched my hair, I pulled away, but he didn't stop.

"I would know you anywhere," he growled. He looked at me with so many questions in his eyes. "You've come home, Lana."

"This isn't my home," I snapped. "This is a prison."

He stared at me for a long time. Then his eyes moved to the door where my boys were.

"And who," he asked, his voice getting very low, "are the three boys in my playroom?"

Lana's POV

My heart was beating so hard it felt like it would break my ribs. I stood my ground, even though every part of me wanted to run. Asher was standing so close that I could see the tiny flecks of silver in his blue eyes. He looked older and more tired, but he still had that same power that made everyone in the room hold their breath.

"I asked you a question, Lana," he said. His voice was quiet but heavy. "Whose children are those?"

I took a slow breath, trying to keep my face calm. I had spent years preparing for this. "They are my sons, Asher. That is all you need to know."

Asher let out a short, dry laugh. He turned away and started to pace the small room. He looked like a caged animal. "Your sons. You disappear for eight years. Everyone tells me you were killed, I saw the torn clothes, I saw the blood on the ground. And now you show up here with three boys who look just like me."

"They don't look like you," I lied. It was a lie. Lucas had his jawline. Mathew had his eyes. Jacob had his exact smile.

Asher stopped pacing and looked at me. His eyes were dark. "Don't play with me. I am the Alpha now. I know everything that happens in this pack."

"You didn't know I was alive," I pointed out. "So you don't know everything."

He winced. It was a tiny crack in his mask. "I looked for you, Lana. For months, I went into those woods. I almost lost my mind trying to find you."

"You banished me," I reminded him. My voice is steady now. "You stood in your room with my sister and told me to leave or you would kill me. You didn't look for me. You threw me away."

Asher stepped closer again. He looked like he wanted to touch me, but he kept his hands at his sides. "Things were hard back then. My father was pushing me, Amelia was lying. I thought I was protecting you by sending you away."

"Protecting me?" I felt a surge of anger. "I was eighteen. I had no wolf. I had no money. You sent me into a forest full of killers."

Asher's eyes narrowed. "I was a fool, Lana. I know that now."

The door to the lab opened suddenly. A guard looked in. "Alpha, the Beta needs you. Another child has fallen sick."

Asher didn't even look at him. "Tell them to wait."

"But sir, they say it's urgent."

Asher closed his eyes and rubbed his face. He looked back at me, and for a moment, the cold Alpha was gone. He just looked like a man who was drowning.

"I have to go," he said. "But we are not done. You stay in this wing. If you try to leave, the guards will stop you."

"I have work to do," I said, turning back to my microscope. "If you want your people to live, let me do it."

I heard the door shut. I sank into my chair. My legs were shaking, my wolf was howling inside my head. She was scared, but she also felt a strange pull toward him that I hated.

I worked for hours, I looked at blood samples until my eyes hurt, the sickness was moving fast. Around midnight, a nurse brought me food. She was a young girl, maybe nineteen.

"Are you really the famous Dr. Montgomery?" she asked.

"I'm just a doctor," I said. "How many new cases?"

"Four," she said, her lip trembling. "One is my brother. They say once the wolf dies, the human dies too."

"I'm doing my best," I promised.

After she left, I couldn't focus, I needed to see my boys. I walked over to the side door and opened it quietly. The room was dim. My three sons were piled together on the bed, they looked so peaceful.

I sat on the edge of the bed and touched Mathew's hair.

"Mummy?" a small voice whispered. It was Jacob.

"Go back to sleep, baby," I whispered.

"Where's Jasper?" he asked. "I want to show him my toys."

"He'll be back soon," I said. My heart ached. Jasper was the only father they knew.

I went back into the lab. An hour later, there was a knock, I thought it was a guard, but it was Amelia. She was in a fancy robe, and her face was full of makeup. She pushed past me into the room.

"It smells bad in here," she said.

"What do you want, Amelia?" I asked. I didn't use a fake name. I was too tired.

Amelia froze. She turned around slowly. Her face went white. "Lana? No. You're dead. He told us you died."

I stepped toward her. "Stay away from my husband," Amelia hissed, trying to look brave. "I don't care if you're a doctor. You're still just a maid to me. You won't take my place."

"I don't want your place," I said. "I just want to save these people and leave. You can keep Asher. He's not the man I thought he was anyway."

Amelia tried to slap me, but I caught her wrist. I squeezed it until she winced. "I am not that weak girl anymore. I have a wolf now. If you touch me or my kids, I will hurt you."

I pushed her toward the door. She ran out, looking terrified.

I went to the hall to get some air. I found Asher sitting on a bench with his head in his hands. He looked broken.

"The elders want to give up," Asher said without looking up. "They think it's a curse."

"It's not a curse," I said. "Someone is poisoning your pack, Asher. I found traces of it in the blood."

He looked up. His eyes were red. "Who would do that?"

"I don't know yet. But I need to see the first person who got sick."

Asher stood up. He walked over to me. "Why didn't you tell me you were alive? Why didn't you send a message?"

"Because you didn't want me," I said.

"I was a kid," he whispered. "I was scared of my father. I thought you would be safer far away from here."

"I was safe," I said. "Until today."

Asher looked at me for a long time. "I saw them, Lana. I went into the room while you were busy."

My heart stopped.

"They have my eyes," he said. A tear fell down his face. "And they have the Alpha mark on their shoulders. I saw it."

I couldn't speak.

"They are mine," he said. "Those three boys... they are my sons."

I looked at the floor. I couldn't lie anymore.

Asher let out a shaky breath. "Eight years. I missed everything."

"You didn't just miss time," I said. "They don't even know who you are. They call Jasper 'Uncle'."

Asher's face changed. The sadness turned into something hard and strong. He stood tall like an Alpha.

"That ends today," he said. "I don't care about Jasper. Those are my heirs. I am not letting you take them away again."

"You can't keep us here!" I cried."Just reject me, you have a wife, I don't want anything to do with you."

"Watch me," he said. He leaned in, his voice a low growl. "You are the mother of my children. You are safe here, I will only grant your wishes once you help my pack."

He turned and walked away, leaving me alone in the dark. I looked at him walking away, I will be damned if I let someone control my life again.

Lana's Pov

I woke up slowly. For a few seconds, I actually thought I was back in my own bed. I expected to hear the birds outside my window and smell the coffee Jasper always made in the morning. I reached out my hand, expecting to feel the soft sheets of my home.

Then, I felt the rough texture of the blanket. I smelled that old, heavy scent of the pack house. My eyes snapped open. I rubbed my eyes hard, hoping it was just a bad dream, but the white walls of the lab suite didn't go away.

I wasn't home. I was in a cage.

Damn you, Asher, I thought. I hate you so much. I cursed him in my head, calling him every name I could think of. He was a thief. He had stolen my peace just because he felt like he owned the world.

I sat up and realized the side door was open. I heard voices. Happy voices.

I got out of bed and walked to the doorway. My heart sank. There was a small table set up in the playroom. My three boys were sitting there, eating a big breakfast of eggs, bacon, and fruit. And sitting right there with them, looking way too comfortable, was Asher.

I stood there and gulped. My throat felt dry, just how long does he plan to insert himself in places he is not even needed.

Asher looked up. He didn't have his suit jacket on, and his sleeves were rolled up. He looked like a normal dad, which made my stomach turn into knots.

But for a reason watching him like this made me feel some kind way, I want to blame it on my wolf.

"Good morning, Lana," he said. His voice was calm, almost kind.

The boys turned around. "Mummy! Look! The Alpha brought us real honey for the pancakes!" Jacob shouted, his face sticky with syrup.

"Good morning, babies," I said. I tried to make my voice sound normal for them.

Asher pulled out the empty chair next to him. "Sit down. You need to eat if you're going to work all day."

I looked at the chair, I didn't want to sit near him. I wanted to grab my kids and run until my legs gave out. But then I looked at my boys, they were smiling, they weren't scared. They were enjoying the food and the attention. If I made a scene, I would ruin their calm.

I nodded slowly and sat down.

The silence was thick. The only sounds were the boys clinking their forks against the plates. Asher kept watching me. I kept my eyes on my plate, moving a piece of egg around with my fork.

"Is the food okay?" Asher asked.

"It's fine," I said.

"We don't get bacon like this at home," Mathew said, looking at Asher. "Mom makes us eat a lot of green stuff because she's a doctor and uncle Jasper supports mum because everyone doesn't want mum on their bad side." Mathew said laughing.

Asher smiled, but it didn't reach his eyes. "Is that so? Well, while you're here, you can eat whatever you want. I want you to feel like this is your home."

"But it's not our home," Lucas said. He was looking at Asher with a suspicious look. "We have a house with Uncle Jasper. When are we going back?"

I saw Asher's jaw tighten at the mention of Jasper's name. He put his fork down and leaned in a little.

"Well, Lucas," Asher started. "Sometimes, plans change. This place... it belongs to me. And since you are here with your mother, that makes you very special guests. In fact, you are more than guests, uncle Jasper is always welcome here, I'm not holding anyone from visiting."

I felt a cold chill. I looked at Asher, trying to tell him to stop with my eyes.

"What does that mean?" Jacob asked.

Asher looked at the boys, and then he looked at me. He had a strange look on his face. It was like he wanted to scream the truth right there.

"It means," Asher said, his voice getting a bit louder, "that we have a lot in common. More than you know. Did you know that I knew your mother when she was just a little girl? We grew up in this very house together."

"Really?" Mathew asked. "Were you guys friends?"

"We were very close," Asher said. He reached out and touched a glass of juice. "So close that if things had gone differently, I would have been the one-"

"Asher," I said. My voice was sharp.

He didn't stop. He was looking at Jacob, who looked exactly like him. "Uncle Jasper shouldn't have been part of the story, eventually you will understand. I look at you three, and I see so much of myself. It's almost like looking in a mirror. Don't you think it's funny how much we look alike?"

The boys stopped eating. They looked from Asher to me, then back to Asher. The air in the room felt like it was about to snap.

"I think," Asher whispered, "it's time you boys knew who I really am. I'm not just an Alpha. I'm-"

I stood up so fast my chair hit the floor with a loud bang.

"We need to talk," I said. I wasn't asking. I was commanding. "Now. In the other room."

Asher looked at me, he was thinking of fighting me for a moment. "Now." I said my voice firm.

Asher let out a laughter that didn't reach eyes. "I guess I will talk to you boys later, finish your meal and go play, your mother and I will be back."

Asher stood up and walked to the room. I looked at my boys.

I walked over to them, giving each of them a peck on the cheek. "Be good alright." They nod their head in unison.