Chapter Three

Skylar

The next day, I was in the courtyard with Jasmine's two younger sisters, Alana and Josie, taking a walk before I had to prepare to meet the pack as their Luna. I was terrified, but there was no getting out of it. Marcus would not accept any more of my excuses now that I was eighteen, as promised.

I couldn't even see Nora and Ryder to vent my frustrations to them because the girl had met her mate and was preoccupied with him, while the pack kept Ryder busy. They were both aware of my problems, but there was nothing they could do. Ryder paid me frequent visits, and Nora prayed that I would find my mate before becoming Alpha Marcus's Luna.

I was so caught up in my thoughts that I didn't realise I was alone. The sisters were nowhere in sight, which was unusual. They were always glued to me.

"Are you sure that's her?"

An unknown male voice caused me to freeze. The courtyard was only for the girls in the pack house; everyone else was barred from using it. The concept made me panicky.

"Hmm," said another voice, filling the space. "She's the only one here, so I guess?"

When I turned around, I saw two really tall males. The taller one had black hair and bright brown eyes that stared at me straight. The latter, albeit significantly shorter, had golden silky curls. His blue eyes were looking for something, but I had no idea what.

I wasn't sure who they were or what they were doing in the courtyard.

I frowned.

The two men exchanged short glances before the taller one nodded. "That's her."

Before I could think about it, one of them had wrapped their hand over my mouth and was tugging me along with him. What the heck? I begged my Wolf to dominate, but before she could respond, my vision degraded. The sensation of being carried was the last thing I was aware of before darkness enveloped me.

My eyes fluttered open, encountering an unfamiliar ceiling. For a second, I wasn't sure where I was. When my eyes connected with the now-familiar pair of boys, I panicked as memories of them dragging me from the flower garden flooded back.

My respiration quickened as I took in my surroundings.

The two men were separated by bars, and I was placed on the cell's lone bed.

"You're awake," the dark-haired man said.

I squinted my eyes to see him properly because it was so dark. "Where am I?" I croaked, my throat parched.

"Somewhere where your pack is not," the curly-haired guy mocked, but there was no humour in his tone.

"Why am I here?" I asked quietly, my throat hurting.

"Let's see," the dark-haired remarked, approaching the metal bars. "Your Alpha won't back away, what other way to stop him than taking his mate?"

I snorted at his words. "Is that what you really think?"

Marcus would never settle a feud over me. Not possible at all. If anything, a lone Wolf like me would die pointlessly.

The man narrowed his eyes on me and said, "You underestimate the love for a mate."

My eyes met his, and I should have been terrified or worried, but instead I felt sad. His words triggered something within me. Marcus's aggressive attempt to take me as his had dashed all my aspirations of meeting my mate.

"What's your name?" the curly-haired person inquired.

"Skylar," I answered frankly. "Where am I exactly?"

"It would be too easy to tell you," he said. "If we tell you now, your Alpha mate will find you and it will be no fun for us."

"Your Alpha is one selfish prick," the other one said, which surprised me entirely.

"You do realise that holding me hostage is pointless, right?" I asked the couple, peering between them.

The curly-haired man shrugged. "Didn't seem like it with how your Alpha reacted to us taking you."

I furrowed my head at his comments. "What?"

"He's issued a search warrant for you," he explained. "The things wolves do for their mates." He pretended to tremble.

The other man growled at him. "Finn, watch your words."

Finn, with curly hair, dropped his head slightly. I did not understand, but I did not question it.

After all, I didn't get any of it. Being held prisoner in an attempt to strike a bargain with Marcus? That seemed ludicrous to me.

"You said your name is Skylar," the man whose name I didn't recognise turned to me. "Surname?"

"Does it matter?"

He roared at my response. "I wouldn't have asked if it didn't." "Brooks," I nonchalantly said.

"Skylar Brooks?" he asked, as if the name rang a bell. "As in johnBrooks's pup?'' Finn inquired, astonished. "There's no way," the other man grumbled.

I froze at the mention of my father. "How do you know my father?" "Evelyn," Finn said softly, turning his gaze to the other youngster.

The second man, whom I supposed to be Evelyn, guarded me. "That isn't important."

I wanted to know about my father. Nobody ever mentioned him. "It's important to me."

Evelyn brushed me off and shifted the topic. "It's not my problem.

And tell your friend he won't find you that easily." "Stop calling him that!" I shouted. "He's not my mate!"

Anger cursed me. I despised how I was thrown about and used for their enjoyment. Who were they to use me to end their feud? The emotions I had suppressed for several years were abruptly rising.

Despite the fact that these two men were holding me hostage, I felt more confident in their presence. Perhaps it was my Wolf, but I got a sensation of

power.

"What is that supposed to mean?" Evelyn inquired, arms folded and head cocked to the side. He seems amused.

"He's not your mate? That doesn't even make sense,"Finn asked.

I breathed loudly. "God, are you two always this annoying? Alpha Marcus is not my mate."

"He sure is. He's searching everywhere for you. If you weren't his mate, he wouldn't go to these lengths."

I glared at Evelyn; he was obnoxious. "Believe what you want, but I am not destined for him. And tell me how you know my father."

They both scanned my face for something, as if to see if I was lying, but I refused to back down.

"Why would he claim you as his if you aren't his mate?" Finn inquired, his face confused as he completely missed the last part of my sentence.

"That makes no sense. She's lying," Evelyn charged.

I stared at the latter man, perplexed. This was why I had never told the sisters in the pack home about my genuine feelings: no one believed me. It was frustrating.

"Unless," Evelyn added, narrowing his gaze at me, "you really are Skylar Brooks."

I arched an eyebrow at him, hoping to gain insight into the conclusion he had reached.

"Unless it's true and he knows," Finn said, his attention shifting to the dark-haired beside him.

His statements only served to confuse me more. "Know what?"

"Nothing of interest to you; leave it to us to handle," Evelyn said. "The Alpha will be amused to know this."

Finn stood there with a poker face on. I could not grasp what was going on. "If that's true..."

I couldn't tell if he was speaking to me, Evelyn, or himself. He appeared pallid.

"Can someone explain what is going on?"

As one could imagine, Finn ignored my inquiry. Evelyn was not interested either.

"We don't owe you an explanation. Your Alpha should have filled you in as your mate."

I snarled at him. "I already told you that he isn't my mate." "Feisty," he murmured. "That attitude isn't going to work here."

My Wolf roared at the boy. Even though I didn't know how to communicate with her correctly, I could tell she was angry. I could sense the strength she exuded.

"We need to speak with Xander, let's go," the dark-haired man urged the other, pressing him to revive the latter.

The pair was about to go, when I leapt out of bed and dashed towards the bars. "Wait!"

This forced both of them to come to a halt and turn around. Evelyn hissed, "What!" "How long have I been here?"

Finn said, "Not long," which astonished me. "We have to go, but we will be back later."

His response was too unclear for my liking. "And how long am I going to stay here?"

Evelyn absolutely disregarded me and kept walking away. Jerk.

He sighed, "I can't say. But we won't hurt you, if that's what worries you."

"Can you at least tell me where I am?"

He appeared to be about to say something, but Evelyn's voice boomed throughout the building as he called for him.

"Finn, let's go!"

Finn gave me an apology look. "Sorry, I can't tell you. You're not in your territory, that's all you need to know."

It did not take a genius to figure out where I was. If I wasn't in Pale Moon and was being kept prisoner by Wolves seeking revenge on Marcus, I had to be in Silver Crescent. The two packs despised each other. I could care less about either. They both made life difficult for me. I couldn't figure out why they'd abducted me to begin with. To spite Alpha Marcus? Since when has anything like that happened?

"Oh, by the way," Finn added over his shoulder. "Do not try to flee.

"These bars will only hurt you."

He went away, leaving me clinging to the dark metal bars. I plopped down on the floor and began thinking about my father.

At the mention of his name, every emotion and feeling that I had denied returned. He had left us when I was quite young, and I couldn't

Remember him. My mother had never spoken about him either. The mere mention of him piqued my interest. The opposition pack appeared to be aware of his existence; what did this indicate for me?

After some thought, I decided to try to escape. I wasn't sure where my confidence came from, but I honestly believed I could break the metal bars.

Being held hostage meant that I would ultimately have to return to Marcus, and as nice as he was, I did not want to marry him. I did not want to be his Luna. This was my only opportunity of genuinely escaping him. I was relieved that I had escaped without being killed.

I stood up off the harsh concrete ground and moved away from the bar to figure out how to shift into my Wolf. I tried everything, but nothing happened, leaving me furious and dissatisfied.

My Wolf wasn't engaging, or I was doing everything wrong.

Please work, I pleaded silently, closing my eyes as tightly as possible.