Chapter 4

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?"