Without even waiting for the umbrella as per protocol, Logan, Mason, and Julian rushed out of the vehicle at the same time and towards Emilia's unconscious form.

"My princess," Logan exclaimed as his feet moved with such agility it was hard to believe he was already sixty years old.

As Mason carried Emilia's unconscious body up in his arms, Julian's eyes drifted to the second female laying on the floor, who also looked unconscious. "Mason, Dad, look, she's wearing the crystal," Julian said as he crouched closer to Harper's body.

And for a minute, the three mean we're puzzled. The globe had pointed out where they would find the lost princess, but there were two women who fit the description, except that one had the crystal necklace, which is a Gray family heirloom, and one doesn't

"They both need medical attention. Let's get them to a doctor first, then we can figure out who the real princess is later," Logan decided.

***

"Ahhh!" Emilia jolted awake with an almost silent scream and a racing heart. "My baby? Is my baby okay?" she gasped the question as her hands flew to her belly, and tears she did realise had formed, dropped down her cheeks.

"It's okay. You're okay, and the baby is fine," Mason, who had been glued to her bedside since they brought her in, said gently. His tone was so soothing that for a moment, Emilia breathed a deep sigh of relief.

"Where...who are you people?" Emilia asked as her eyes moved slowly around the room she was in and slowly to the three faces staring at her.

"I'm Logan Gray, the Lycan King," Logan said with his eyes never leaving hers. "This is Mason," he tapped Mason's shoulder beside him, "and Julian," he finished, gesturing to a younger version of himself, who had been standing at the door with the same look on his face.

"What am I doing here?" Emilia asked slowly with furrowed brows as her gaze moved from one man to the other.

"Why don't we give you space to freshen up and have some food for the baby and then come out when you're through, then we'll let you know all that," Logan said softly.

At first, Emilia stared at them. She knew she ought to be scared or at least concerned, waking up in a strange place. Where she was didn't look like a hospital and the three men who looked at her like she was something important were sure as hell, not doctors. But for some reason, she couldn't explain, she felt at peace, she felt safe, so she nodded her head in agreement.

An hour later dressed in a new attire that was actually fit for a princess, which confused her the more, Emilia walked out of the room she had been in down to the study, led by a staff.

As she walked in, her gaze swept the room, Logan, Mason, and Julian stood huddled together while another young lady sat timidly on one of the chairs by the fireplace a few feet from them. As all three men saw her, smiles spread across their faces, which startled her at first.

It wasn't the sneers passed off as smiles that Emilia often received from werewolves who saw her as nothing but a mere slave, these were real, genuine smiles, it was as if they were truly happy to see her, truly happy she was there.

"May we know your name, young lady?" Mason asked, turning to look at the lady who Emilia met there.

"My name is Emilia," Harper replied, her small voice carrying around the now quiet room.

'Emilia?' The name echoed in Emilia's mind as she wondered if her name was truly that common. Throughout her twenty-two years of living, she had never met another person bearing her name.

"How did you come about that necklace on your neck?" Mason asked again.

Before Harper could answer, Emilia's eyes zeroed in on the necklace Mason asked about. "Wait, that necklace looks just like mine," Emilia cut in as her hands moved automatically to her neck, "That is my necklace, I've had that for as long as I can remember. It's the only thing I had on when I arrived at the orphanage," she added.

"You can't say that," Harper replied, her voice rising a bit, "I have had this necklace since I was a child. My adopted mother told me that this was the only thing she found on me when she first saw me as a child."

"I am very sure that this particular necklace on your neck is mine. It must have fallen off my neck when I fell to the floor in front of Alpha Alexander's office building," Emilia replied.

"It's okay," Mason said gently, looking at Emilia with a smile, "Surely if you own something, you should be able to know it inside out. Tell us something only you know about the necklace," he asked Harper.

They all turned towards Harper at that moment, who looked like she had been caught in a web. And for a few seconds, they waited for her to say something.

"Yes, you're right," Emilia replied when her namesake had nothing to say. "If you look on the inside of the crystal necklace, at the top left corner, there is a little scratch. Check it out. It will prove that the necklace is mine. That is the only scratch on the necklace," Emilia said confidently. Since she had already had her husband stolen from her, she's never going to allow anything else to get stolen from her, she promised herself.

Harper's eyes widened slightly as she swore in her head. She had been so in a hurry that she didn't check the necklace for things like scratches. With all eyes on her, she had no choice but to unclasp the necklace on her neck and hand it over to Julian.

"Yes, there is really a scratch here," Julian replied with a smile.

With their attention fixated on the necklace, neither of them noticed that slight wiggle of Harper's fingers.

"Wait, there are two scratches," Julian exclaimed, while Harper smiled smugly but discreetly.

"That can't be right. Let me see," Emilia said, gently taking the necklace from Julian, "when I woke up this morning, this second scratch on top of the crystal wasn't there," she continued, her tone sad. "Wait," she said as her eyes moved from Julian's neck to Mason's and then to Logan's. On their necks, sat identical crystal necklaces exactly like the one in her hand, "you three have identical necklaces," she pointed out, her brows furrowing in confusion.

"Yes, Emilia. This crystal necklace is a family heirloom, and each of us has one. This one right here belonged to our mother," Julian replied with a small smile on his face, pointing to the one in her hand.

"Does that mean I am your sister and you are my family?" Harper asked excitedly, before Emilia could say anything. "Brothers, Father," Harper said again, testing the words on her tongue.

Emilia's eyes widened a bit, not at what the girl bearing her name had just said, but because of the realization that she might indeed have a family of her own. For the longest of times, that has been what she really wanted–to have a family she can be a part of.

Despite the smile plastered on her face, Harper's anger grew, 'they are ignoring me. All of them are ignoring me,' she said to herself, 'and it's all because of that wench.' With the smile still plastered on her face, she moved her right hand behind her and wriggled her fingers more forcefully this time.

"Ahhh!" Emilia exclaimed in pain as a sharp corner of the crystal cut into her forefinger, drawing blood. As her blood touched the front part of the crystal, the crystal sizzled, emitting smoke.

With a frightened gasp, Emilia let go of the necklace, and it dropped to the floor with a soft clank. And in the twinkle of an eye, a fiery phoenix figure emerged from the crystal, stunning Emilia and even Harper that had had her mouth hung open even before Emilia dropped the necklace.

"Let me reintroduce myself, my darling," Logan said, with a smile, totally unfazed by the appearance of the phoenix, "I am Logan Gray, the Lycan King. I am your father."

"My father?" Emilia asked, still dazed by the phoenix figure that had now dissipated into thin air.

"Yes. And I am Mason Gray, the crowned Prince and your eldest brother," Mason said with affection in his eyes. "This one million tons of gold is my gift to you, little sister," he added, gesturing to the array of boxes by one corner of the room, filled with gold bars that Emilia was just noticing.

"And last but not least, I am Julian Gray, your second older brother. You are our little sister and the lycan princess," Julia said with a smile, "I own a billion-dollar company and these documents, which contain half the shares of my company, are my gift to you," he added, handing her a folder.

"I am the lycan princess?" Emilia repeated, unable to comprehend all that was going on at the moment.

"Yes, little sister," Mason replied, "You see, we knew from the moment we saw you that you were the one we were looking for. The Lycan blood is very unique, and one can tell even without the necklace," He said, turning to look at Harper, who had now begun fidgeting.

"Yes,"Julian continued, turning to face Harper, "all these back and forth we've been indulging in, was arranged for you to tell us what you are really doing here. Because, first off, we know you are not Emilia, and secondly, the CCTV cameras caught you stealing this necklace close to our sister's unconscious form."

"Please forgive me, your majesty," Harper tried out and fell to her feet with a thud. Her plan had failed and she knew she had to savage whatever was left so they didn't get caught.

"How dare you try to deceive the lycan royal family?" Mason thundered with barely controlled fury.

"Please, your majesty forgive a lowly human for daring to deceive you. It wasn't my intention. I had only wanted to steal the necklace but then I heard a vehicle approaching and I couldn't get away," she said. She had considered using her powers to try to get out of there but she knew she wasn't strong enough, so she had to use whatever lie came to mind. "I'm so sorry my princess, the life of a lowly human is not an easy one to live," Harper added, turning towards where Emilia stood, while mentally keeping her fingers crossed.

"So because your life is not an easy one, you think it is okay to lie and steal? Guards, arrest her," Logan ordered.

Emilia thought about all the times she had been insulted and treated like trash because she thought she was human, "Please, let her go," She said, turning to the man who said he was her father.

All three men turned to her briefly, then Logan took a deep breath and said, "consider today your lucky day, young lady. Get her away from here," he said to the guards.

As the guards dragged Harper away, a sly hidden smile played on her lips as she promised herself that she would help Liam Black achieve his aim.

"All this can't be real," Emilia said, her voice low and soft as soon as Harper had left them. "I am a human and an orphan, I have been told that my whole life."

"It is real. We lost you when you were five years old and have been looking for you ever since," Logan said, his eyes shining with tears–happy tears.

"Yes. You even inherited our mother's healing abilities, that is why your baby is safe, even after bleeding so much," Mason said.

Emilia touched her forehead, "I had fallen, and now I don't even feel any pain," she said, moving to a standing mirror close to where she stood to check her forehead, "Not even a scratch. I really do have healing powers," she whispered. "And a dad," she smiled more freely as she held Logan's hand, "and not one but two brothers," she added with a smile.

Mason and Julian smiled cheerful as they walked closer to her and all hugged her.

"I have to go home now," Emilia whispered after a few seconds, her words bringing a frown upon each of the men's faces.

"Home to that jerk who left you bleeding and unconscious in the rain?" Logan asked, his voice laced with barely controlled fury.

"He nearly killed your baby," Mason said in the same tone as their father.

"I'm not going back to him, I'm going back to divorce him," Emilia said.

***

Later that day, Emilia sighed deeply as the royal vehicle stopped in front of her soon-to-be ex-husband's house.

"This is your last chance. Do you want me to come in and terrify him properly?" Mason asked, his tone so serious that it made Emilia chuckle.

"I think I can handle one arrogant Alpha," Emilia said with a smile as she unbuckled her seatbelt.

"If you need backup or a body to be disposed of, just mindlink us," Julian, who sat in the front of them said reassuringly.

"Okay. Thank you big bros," Emilia replied with another chuckle. For the first time in her life, she had a family to back her up–the feeling was surreal and it helped to boost her confidence.

With another deep breath Emilia stepped into the mansion. "Alpha, Mrs. Reed has returned," one of the staff shouted as soon as she saw Emilia.

In a matter of seconds, the sound of footsteps echoed in the hallway and Emilia's brow shut up as Alexander rushed to where she was. "Where were you last night?" he asked, raising his voice a bit.

"Do you know how many nights I stayed up waiting for you?" Emilia asked, ignoring Alexander's question, "well, none of that matters now. I'm here to end this."

"End what? What are you talking about?" Alexander asked, his forehead furrowing in confusion.

"Us. This mistake of a marriage. I want a divorce," Emilia said and handed him the divorce document. "I've already signed my part, it's your turn."

Without even reading the document, Alexander scrunched it and threw it to the floor. "So that's your game plan, uh? Let me guess, you want some more money? Is that it?" he asked.

Emilia's eyes widened in surprise, "If you would have bothered reading the terms in the document, you would have seen that I want nothing from you," she replied.

"Oh please, how could you even afford an attorney, uh? Alexander asked, with barely controlled anger, "Unless of course, you have a new sugar daddy."

"Is that what you think of me? A gold digger?" She asked.

"That's what you are," he retorted, then he opened a drawer and brought out another document, "That's your deal. You brought that to me."

Emilia looked down at the contract marriage document she had signed with Alexander four years ago.

"You asked me to pay you one million dollars per year to be my secret wife, remember?" Alexander asked.

'I needed that money to save Oscar, my friend from the orphanage. Being gay in a werewolf society is worse than being human, I was all he had, a deep silent sigh passed Emilia's as she remembered.

"For the past four years, I have loved you completely, unconditionally, and that's what you think of me? Let's end this," Emilia said and turned to leave.

"You think you can just walk away whenever it suits you? Clause 2.2. states that only I could break the contract. Not you," Alexander's words stopped Emilia in her tracks. "Clause 3.2. states that I own you, physically, emotionally, spiritually, you belong to me." Alexander added.

Emilia turned around and in a swift move connected her palm to Alexander's face.

The sound of Emilia's palm connecting with Alexander's cheek echoed through the entrance hall like a gunshot. For a moment, everything seemed to freeze. The staff members who had been lingering nearby scattered like leaves in the wind, their footsteps quick and hushed against the marble floor.

"You are a bastard," Emilia said, her voice steady despite the tremor in her hands.

Alexander's head had turned slightly from the force of the slap, and now his eyes widened as the sting registered on his skin. His hand moved slowly to his cheek, fingers pressing against the reddening mark as if he couldn't quite believe what had just happened. His mouth opened, then closed again, words seeming to die on his tongue.

The click of heels against marble broke the silence before Alexander could find his voice. Stephanie Reed swept into the entrance hall like a storm gathering strength, her designer suit immaculate, her silver hair pulled back so tightly it seemed to stretch her face into a permanent expression of disapproval. The scent of her expensive perfume arrived before she did, something floral and cloying that made Emilia's stomach turn.

"Who gave you the right to slap my son, the esteemed Alpha of the Redstone pack?" Stephanie's voice carried the kind of authority that expected immediate submission.

Emilia turned to face her mother-in-law, her chin lifting slightly. She opened her mouth to respond, to explain, to defend herself one last time. But before a single word could form, Stephanie's hand flew through the air.

The slap landed on Emilia's cheek with enough force to make her head snap to the side. Pain bloomed across her face, hot and sharp. Her eyes watered from the impact, but something inside her, something that had been cowering and quiet for four long years, suddenly roared to life.

Emilia's hand moved on instinct. The sound of her palm meeting Stephanie's face was even louder than the first slap, if that was possible. Her hand stung from the contact, but the satisfaction that surged through her veins was worth every bit of discomfort.

Stephanie stumbled back a step, her hand flying to her cheek. Her perfectly applied makeup couldn't hide the shock that transformed her features. Her mouth fell open in a way that would have horrified her if she could see herself.

"How dare you?" Stephanie breathed, her voice climbing in volume with each word, "How dare a human trash like you raise your filthy hands on me?"

Stephanie's eyes were wide, almost bulging from her face. The hand on her cheek pressed harder, as if she could somehow erase what had just happened through sheer pressure. She looked at Alexander, then back at Emilia, then at Alexander again, as though waiting for her son to materialize a solution to this unprecedented situation.

"Anyway, I'm not going to waste my breath on a leech like you," Stephanie said, taking a deep breath. Her voice came out calmer than she felt, steady and clear.

Emilia looked at Alexander, and shook her head slightly. For four years, she had swallowed insults such as this from his mother, and even now, he just stood there, one hand still on his own cheek, watching the scene unfold like a spectator at a play rather than a participant. His silence spoke louder than any words could have.

Stephanie seemed to recover from her shock, her face hardening into familiar lines of contempt. She turned to Alexander, her voice taking on a lighter tone, almost conversational, as if nothing unusual had just occurred.

"I saw the news about you and Mia," she said, smoothing down her suit jacket with shaking hands, "and all I can say is that I am glad you're finally getting rid of this embarrassment of a wife."

Emilia let out a short laugh, harsh and bitter. The sound surprised even her. 'Of course, this was how it would go,' she said to herself. Four years of her life suddenly played through her mind like a film on fast forward. Four years of eating dinner alone while Alexander worked late, or claimed he was working late. Four years of Stephanie's cutting remarks about her clothes, her hair, her human smell, her common manners. Four years of making excuses, of trying harder, of believing that if she could just be better, quieter, more useful, things would change.

She thought about the nights she'd spent staring at her phone, willing it to ring. The mornings she'd woken up alone in their bed, the sheets on his side cold and undisturbed. The holidays she'd celebrated with only the staff for company. The birthdays that passed without acknowledgement. Every small hurt had seemed bearable at the time, just another thing to endure, but now they piled up in her mind like stones, heavy and sharp-edged.

Gone were the days when she allowed her mother-in-law to trample upon her and insult her. 'No more,' Emilia whispered to herself, the words a promise and a prayer all at once.

"Don't worry yourself," Emilia said aloud, her voice stronger now. "I'm leaving."

She took a step toward the door, ready to walk out of the house and this life forever. Behind her, she could hear Alexander shift his weight, she could sense him about to speak.

"Oh great, you can leave," Stephanie said, her voice cutting through the silence, and Emilia could hear the smile in her voice, sharp and mean. "But everything you are wearing was bought by my son."

Emilia stopped. She turned slowly, her eyes finding Alexander's face. He looked away, his gaze dropping to the floor. His silence felt like a final betrayal, worse somehow than all the others that had come before.

Something hot and fierce burned in Emilia's chest. She thought about the baby growing inside her, about the brothers waiting outside in the car, about the father she'd just found. She thought about who she was now, not who she'd been when she walked into this house as a naive eighteen-year-old girl desperate to save her friend.

"With all pleasure," Emilia said, and even she could hear the edge in her voice. Her hands moved to her ears. The diamond earrings were small, delicate things that caught the light from the chandelier overhead. She'd worn them so often she barely noticed their weight anymore.

"These earrings," she said, pulling them free. The posts slid out of her pierced ears with a small pinch. "You got these as a pathetic excuse for not coming home for four months straight."

She held them up, watching the light dance through the stones one last time. Then she opened her fingers and let them drop. They hit the marble floor with tiny, almost musical sounds, bouncing once before coming to rest near Alexander's feet. "I waited with my phone beside me night after night waiting for your call," she continued, her voice steady even as her throat tightened. "And now I know why you never came home."

The memory of those nights washed over her. Sitting on the edge of their bed, phone in hand, jumping at every notification that wasn't from him. Making excuses to herself. He's busy. He's important. He's an Alpha with responsibilities. The way she'd convinced herself that his absence was somehow her fault, that if she could just be more understanding, more patient, more worthy, he would come back to her.

Her hands moved to the necklace at her throat. It was a simple silver chain with a small pendant, nothing extravagant, but she remembered the day he'd given it to her. She'd thought it meant something. She'd been such a fool.

"This necklace," she said, her fingers working at the clasp. "You got it on Valentine's Day."

The memory of that day stung worse than Stephanie's slap. She'd spent hours preparing a special dinner, wearing her nicest dress, lighting candles. He'd arrived home at eleven at night, tossed the jewellery box at her without a word, and disappeared into his office. She'd cried herself to sleep that night, the new necklace cold against her skin.

The clasp came free, and she pulled the chain away from her neck. The metal had been warmed by her body heat, and absorbed the scent of her skin. She held it for just a moment, feeling its weight in her palm, then let it fall. It landed in a small coil on top of the earrings, a silver snake on white marble.

Emilia paused, and with a sad smile, she moved to turn towards the door again.

"How about the dress?" Stephanie said, her voice dripping with malicious satisfaction. "Take it off."

The words hung in the air between them. Emilia could see the gleam in her mother-in-law's eyes, the expectation of humiliation, the certainty that Emilia would back down, would give in, would prove once again that she was beneath them.

"Mother, that's enough," Alexander spoke finally, his voice rough but not more than a whisper.

"Fine," Emilia said.