Unwanted

Kimberly's P.O.V.

The guards drag me along like I'm nothing, no matter how much I fight and scream. What the fuck is wrong with these people? Don't they realize I'm better than all of them combined? I was planning on shifting, but those assholes snapped a collar around my neck laced with silver. Not enough to kill me but enough to hinder my wolf and keep me from shifting. They throw me into a cell in the dungeon before walking away.

"You will pay for this. You will all pay for this. I was promised I would be even more powerful than the luna if I did everything I was told." Oh, shit, I said too much. The two guards turn around and walk toward me again.

"What do you mean? Who made that promise to you?" One of the guards asks me. I walk over to the cell door and smile.

"Maybe if you let me out of here, I'll tell you. I'll even make it worth your while, and no one has to know." The guards look at each other and start laughing.

"Yeah, right. Like we would touch you. We're glad Teegan saw through you. No one wanted you as luna. Everyone here hates you for what you did to Anton. We can't wait until he meets his fated mate. Hopefully, they leave you in here to rot." The guard says before they turn to leave again.

Why are they doing this? She promised me that I would have everything I deserved by tricking Anton. This isn't fair. I'm supposed to outrank them all. When I get out of here, everyone will die, starting with Anton's sister Teegan. If she hadn't shown up, then no one would have figured anything out. When it was time for our pup to come, I would have faked a miscarriage.

"You're so stupid. I told you this wouldn't work. You should have held out for our fated mate." I ignore my wolf, Asha, like I always do. She was never happy that I made that deal. I don't care about being mated. I just care about power and want what was promised to me. She'll come. I know she will. I won't be stuck in here for long.

Anton's P.O.V.

I can't believe Kimberly lied to me. Actually, I can believe it. I just didn't think anyone was low enough to fake being pregnant. I'm starting to wonder if I even had sex with her. I was determined to wait until I met my mate. Even having too much to drink shouldn't have made me change my mind that quickly, especially not for Kimberly. She was hanging on to me that night, no matter how much I tried to get away from her. I wonder if she put something in my drink. It would have to be really strong to knock me out so much that I can't remember anything.

"Are you okay?" Teegan asks me after they take Brock's body away. I'm so glad to have her back. I was five when our parents took her away. I didn't understand why until later. Even then, I could never stop thinking about my little sister. Damon was too small to remember her, but I knew there was something special about her even back then. She's already proved it by picking up that someone in the pack was responsible for the disappearing pups and Kimberly being a fake.

"I'm better now that you exposed Kimberly. I don't know why I didn't see it earlier. When I asked her about not showing, she said the doctor told her it's different for every woman, so I took her word for it. I was relieved when she suggested leaving to stay somewhere else to keep our pup safe, but now I think it was so no one would question why she wasn't showing. I'm thankful that we never marked each other. Now, maybe I can find my real mate." I tell her. Joel is standing next to her, holding her hand. I can't believe that she's mated to a prince and Damon is mated to a princess. Do they have any other females hidden somewhere that could be my mate?

"I hope you find her too. I'm just sorry you wasted all this time with Kimberly. Tomorrow, we're going to start looking for the stolen pups." Teegan says. I've been thinking about that with this change of events.

"I want to talk to Mom and Dad. Will you both come with me?" I ask. If I have Teegan and Joel's support, I think they'll listen to me.

"Sure, but what do you need us for?" Teegan asks as we walk into the packhouse.

"I want Dad to hold off on making me alpha. I would like him and Mom to stay here so I can go with you to find the pups. It will give me a chance to get out and increase the possibility of me finding my mate. I also want to ask Damon and Kiana to go with us." We stop outside the alpha office and look to see what they think. Both are smiling at me.

"I think that's an excellent idea. Dad kind of jumped the gun, and I don't know anything about packs. I'm assuming the transition isn't typically a spur-of-the-moment decision." She says. I chuckle and nod.

"Yeah, he did. So help me convince him he needs to finish work here and let me go." Teegan links her arm with mine.

"We got your back." She says. I knock on the door.

"Come in." When we walk inside, I see Mom and Dad packing things up. They look at us in surprise.

"We need to talk to you," I say as Joel shuts the door. It's strange for me to not use his title, but he's so easygoing that you don't think of him as a prince; he's more like your childhood best friend.

"What can we do for you?" Dad asks, looking between the three of us.

"I want you and Mom to remain alpha and luna so I can go with Teegan and Joel to find the pups. After everything with Kimberly, I need to get out of here. There's also the added benefit that I may find my fated mate. Sitting here behind this desk won't make her fall into my lap." I plead with them.

"Good job using the Kimberly factor to play on their sensitivities." Teegan mindlinks me.

"It will also give me time to get to know my brothers. We want Damon and Kiana to go with us. We need this time to bond after being separated for so long." I bite my lip so I don't laugh.

"You're not too bad at playing on them either." I mindlink her. Dad and Mom narrow their eyes and look between us.

"I feel like we're being played a little, but it makes sense and gives us time to tie up some loose ends. If you need anything, let us know." I feel like a little pup getting permission to shift and run through the forest for the first time with my friends as I nod at them eagerly.

"We will. Thank you. We're going to leave first thing in the morning." Teegan, Joel, and I walk out and close the door behind us.

"What about your parents? Are they going to stay here, or are they going back to the palace?" I ask Joel as we head downstairs to talk to Damon and Kiana.

"I think they may stay here for a while. They never get to leave the palace, and it will give my brother time to practice being king." Joel answers. When we reach the common area, I see Damon and Kiana whispering to each other on the couch. I can't help feeling jealous. Even when I thought Kimberly was pregnant, I never touched her. She disgusted me, but I wasn't going to turn my back on my pup.

"Hey, you two, we have something we want to ask." They jump like they got caught doing something they shouldn't. Were they doing something? By how red their faces turn, I think they were.

"What's up?" Damon asks. He looks guilty, but Kiana's smirking.

"Dad and Mom are going to stay here so I can go with Teegan and Joel to find the pups. Do you two want to come with us?" They both jump up with excitement.

"Yes. That will be great. When are we leaving?" Damon asks.

"First thing in the morning," I reply.

"I'm glad we caught you all here together." We turn, and the king and queen are walking toward us.

"Is something wrong?" Joel asks them. They shake their heads and smile.

"No. We were just talking, and we think it would be best for you to mark each other. Especially now that you're going to be traveling all over. You'll be able to mindlink each other. We'll still have a ceremony when you come back. What do you think?" Adrian asks Joel and Teegan.

"Yeah, I agree. We'll do it tonight in private so no one makes a big deal about it. How about Kiana and Damon? They're going with us, and so is Anton. Simon and Mirela are staying here." Joel tells them.

"Then you two should mark each other if you're ready. We'll stay behind so we can help them go through the documents and hopefully give you kids a map to follow. It's nice here, away from all those rich snobs." Victoria says as she looks around with a smile.

"Sounds good to me," Kiana says, looking at my brother, who's already staring at her neck.

Everyone goes their separate ways, and I watch them leave. My younger siblings are going to mark their mates. I'm almost thirty, and all I can think about is I'm still alone. I turn to look out the window. Maybe my mate is out there somewhere, just waiting for me to find her.