Chapter 3

"Do not look through the windows," the enforcer in the front seat said without turning around. I am curious why they instructed me to not look outside but did not dare to do otherwise. Most likely, they do not want me to map out their territory. Smart move.

I turned my face away from the glass and closed my eyes. My head was pounding, my vision blurry from crying.

This is how they deliver cattle, I thought.

The ride felt endless. Forest roads, mountain passes, darkness everywhere. I had no idea where they were taking me or what would happen when we arrived.

I thought about running. But where would I go? My own pack just called me a murderer. No other pack would take me in with my reputation.

I was completely alone.

The car finally stopped. It was very cold as they opened the door and pulled me out.

I looked up and saw it looming in front of me. A massive stone mansion built into the mountainside like a fortress. Dark windows stared down at me like dead eyes.

The Grimshaw estate.

The inside of the mansion was breathtaking!

Everything was perfect. Marble floors so clean they reflected the crystal chandeliers hanging from the ceiling. Gold details everywhere. Paintings that probably cost more than my entire pack made in a year. Furniture that looked like it belonged in a palace.

"Holy shit," I whispered without thinking.

"Watch your language," the lead enforcer said sharply. "You're in a respectable house now."

A man in a suit walked up to us. He was smaller than the enforcers but carried himself with authority. A Beta, I could smell it.

"Miss Thorne," he said formally. "I'm Ivan, house manager. I'll escort you to your quarters."

"My quarters?" I stared at him. "What do you mean quarters?"

"Your room, miss. Please follow me."

He started walking toward a grand staircase. I looked back at the enforcers.

"Go," the lead enforcer said. "Don't cause trouble."

I followed Ivan up the stairs, my mind spinning. Room? Not a cell? Not a basement? What was happening here?

"Sir," I said carefully. "Can I ask why I'm getting a room?"

"That's not for me to explain, miss," Ivan said without looking back. "The Alphas will discuss everything with you shortly."

We walked down a long hallway lined with more expensive art. Everything here probably cost more than most packs saw in their entire existence.

Ivan stopped at a heavy wooden door and opened it.

"This will be your room," he said.

I stepped inside and my mouth fell open.

The room was huge. Bigger than the entire house I grew up in. A four-poster bed with silk curtains. A sitting area with a fireplace. Windows that looked out over mountains and forest. A bathroom with a bathtub the size of a small pool.

"This is for me?" I asked, still not believing it.

"Yes, miss. You'll find clothes in the wardrobe, toiletries in the bathroom. Dinner will be served at eight."

"Dinner?" I turned to stare at him. "This doesn't make sense. Why am I being treated like a guest?"

"I wouldn't know, miss," Ivan said. "Is there anything else you need right now?"

"I need to understand what's happening!"

"Someone will explain everything soon," Ivan said. "I suggest you rest and clean up. It's been a difficult evening."

He left, closing the door behind him. I heard a soft click.

I ran to the door and tried the handle. Locked.

So I'm a fancy prisoner, I thought.

I walked around the room, touching everything. The bed was softer than anything I'd ever felt. The clothes in the wardrobe were expensive, all in my size. How did they know my size?

A knock on the door made me jump.

"Come in," I called out.

A woman entered carrying a silver tray. She was young, maybe my age, with the submissive posture of an Omega.

"Miss Thorne," she said with a curtsy. "I'm Anna. I'll be serving as your personal maid during your stay."

"My personal maid?" I stared at her. "I don't need a maid."

"Yes, miss. I've brought you some tea and light refreshments. You must be exhausted."

She set the tray on a small table and began arranging cups and plates.

"Anna," I said slowly. "Can you tell me why I'm here?"

"I'm sorry, miss. I don't know anything about that."

"But you know I'm a prisoner."

Anna paused in her tea preparation. "I know you're a guest, miss."

"A guest who can't leave her room."

"All guests have different needs, miss," Anna said carefully.

What does that mean different needs? I wanted to ask, but Anna's nervous energy told me she wouldn't answer.

Another knock interrupted us. Anna immediately stepped back and lowered her head.

"Enter," I said quietly.

A different Beta walked in, this one carrying a leather folder. He was older, with gray hair and sharp eyes.

"Miss Thorne," he said formally. "I'm James, the family's legal advisor. We have some documents that require your attention."

"Documents?" My stomach dropped. "What kind of documents?"

"Nothing too complicated," James said, setting the folder on the table. "Just some paperwork to formalize your... arrangement."

"What arrangement?" I stepped toward him. "Nobody's told me about any arrangement!"

"The Alphas will explain the details," James said smoothly. "But we need your signature first."

"I'm not signing anything until someone explains what's happening to me!"

James looked at Anna. "Please excuse us."

Anna curtsied and left quickly, closing the door behind her.

"Miss Thorne," James said once we were alone. "Your former Alpha sold you to settle a debt. These documents make that transaction legal and binding."

"Sold me?" The words hit me like a punch. "He actually sold me?"

"Yes. The papers outline your obligations and the terms of your stay here."

"My obligations?" I felt sick. "What obligations?"

"Nothing unreasonable," James said. "Standard terms for this type of arrangement."

"What type of arrangement?" I demanded. "Stop talking in circles and tell me what's happening!"

James opened the folder and pulled out several thick documents. "These contracts outline your duties as..."

"As what?" I interrupted.

"As a mate to the Grimshaw brothers."

The room spun around me. "A mate?"

"It's quite an honor, actually," James continued. "Very few women are considered worthy of the triplet Alphas."

"I don't want to be anyone's mate!" I backed away from him. "I want to go home!"

"Your former pack has already handed you a payment," James said. "There is no home to return to. And if you think of going somewhere else, no pack will take in the cursed mate. No pack will want to risk the deaths that follow you."

His words cut deep because they were true.

"The Grimshaw brothers are offering you protection, shelter, and status," James continued. "All you have to do is sign."

"And if I decided not to?"

James's smile coldly. "Then we'll have to find other ways to recover the debt your former Alpha owes.. Your former pack will face the consequences of defaulting on a Grimshaw loan."

I thought about everyone back home. Elder Morio, Tore. They might be cruel, but they didn't deserve to be destroyed because of Finnick's debts.

"How long?" I whispered.

"I'm sorry?"

"How long would this... arrangement... last?"

"Four years," James said. "After that, you'd be free to make your own choices."

Four years. It felt like a lifetime.

"I need time to think."

"I'm afraid time is something we don't have," James said. "The Alphas are waiting for your decision."

"The Alphas?" I looked toward the door. "They're here?"

"They're downstairs. Waiting to meet their new mate."

Another knock made us both turn. Ivan stepped inside.

"Sir," he said to James. "The Alphas request Miss Thorne's presence in the main hall. Now."

My hands started shaking again. "What if I refuse to meet them?"

"Then you'll meet them later anyway," James said simply. "But under less pleasant circumstances."

"So I don't really have a choice."

"Everyone has choices, Miss Thorne," James said, gathering his papers. "Some choices just have better outcomes than others."

Ivan stepped forward. "Miss Thorne? They're waiting."

I looked around the beautiful room one last time. At the luxury I'd never seen before. At the golden cage they'd built around me.

"What do they want with me?" I asked desperately. "Why me? Why not someone else?"

"I have no idea what you're talking about," Ivan said.

"Please," I whispered. "Please just let me go. I won't tell anyone anything. I'll disappear. No one will ever see me again."

Ivan's face softened slightly. "I'm sorry, miss. But that's not possible."

"Why not p..ossible"

"Because," Ivan said quietly, "the brothers have been waiting for you for a very long time."

What does that mean? How could they have been waiting for me?

"I don't understand" 

"You will," Ivan said. "Now please, we can't keep them waiting any longer."

He opened the door and gestured for me to walk out.

I looked back at the contract papers scattered on the table. At the beautiful room that was really a prison. At the life I was about to lose.

"What happens if I sign?" I asked.

"Then you become Luna to the most powerful pack in the territory," James said.

"And if I don't sign?"

"Then you'll wish you had."

The hallway stretched out in front of me like a path to my execution. Somewhere downstairs, three Alpha brothers were waiting to claim me.

I had no choice but to go meet my fate.