t first, I didn't believe a single word Drake said. But as I looked at Roan's face and listened to his heart beating rapidly, I had to take Drake's words as the truth.

"You're saying I'm the daughter of an Alpha?" I asked.

"Your father is the younger brother of Alpha Theron. And now that he's dead with no heirs, your father is next in line. So, yes."

But my parents were just normal, boring wolves. They couldn't be that high in rank, they just couldn't be. They'd told me over and over that they were just common wolves who wanted to live like humans.

"No," I objected, "No, that's not possible. Wouldn't someone have tracked us down or something?" I'm going to need to have a long, long talk with my parents.

"That's where Roan comes in."

Roan hadn't said anything and neither had Asher.

I narrowed my eyes, "You think I'm gonna believe you, the guy who betrayed his entire species? You gotta be kidding me."

He was nothing but a liar and a traitor.

"Listen to my heartbeat. And listen to his."

I scowled at him but couldn't help myself. Roan's heart was beating rapidly while Drake's was steady.

"Lia Theron," He stated suddenly, "That's your real name."

"Go. Just go." I said angrily and with a smug look on his face, Drake left.

Silence. The silence before the storm.

And that storm was me.

"You didn't tell me. Why didn't you tell me?" I wanted to scream so badly but I held it all in. I would not scream, I would have self-control.

"Lia, before you unleash your wrath on me, just hear me out-"

"No, just tell me if what he's saying's true or not."

"It's true, it's true. I was supposed to be a grade ahead of you and I was supposed to go to Mystic High but then my parents got word of Alpha Theron's brother running away and their entire pack turning into chaos. So my parents thought it would be a good idea to find you and have you come back to the pack."

Wow, and the truth comes out.

"How long did you know?"

It looked like it physically pained him to say it, "Thirteen years." That would put him long before we even met.

"So let me get this straight, your parents basically paid you to be friends with me so they could make sure they found the missing royal family?" I didn't let him answer, "You were just using me?"

"No, I didn't use you-"

"Just shut up," He knew about me all along and didn't even tell me.

I slapped my hand on the glass separating me and Asher.

"Did you know about this?"

"No." Asher shook his head rapidly, looking as surprised as I did.

"Right, like I believe you." The Jackson and Trueblood packs were friends, why should I trust anything they said.

I turned my back to them, staring at the empty cell next to me.

Roan spoke up, "Come on, Leia, it's not like that-"

"Don't call me that," I growled, "It's pronounced Lia. Lee-ah. Not Leia."

It was Lia Theron. Lia Theron, not Lia Deliz.

.•*•.

When Dr. Vonn came, I let her take me. My feelings were all over the place and I couldn't even look at Roan right now.

He knew about me.

Was that the only reason why he singled me out?

I laid down on the metal table, bracing myself for the pain.

"So you finally found out?" Dr. Vonn asked.

I didn't move a muscle.

"You're the lost queen, Lia, that's a lot to digest,"

I bit my tongue as she injected a huge-ass needle into my arm. It continued to throb long after the needle had been injected.

"What the hell was in that thing?"

"I'll tell you when the experiment is complete," She cleaned the needle and I heard her open the door, "Now, I'll be back," I could barely hear Dr. Vonn's voice, the ringing in my ears blocked my senses.

Tori came bursting through the door.

"We don't have much time," She cut my restraints with a knife and I sat up, feeling completely drained.

"I thought you hated me? After all, that's why all of us are here in the first place." I spat, never forgetting what she did to us.

"I only wanted you to think that."

"Wait. . . what?"

"I made a deal with Drake to get you out. And this is me carrying out that deal. So let's go,"

Did Drake actually care about me?

No freaking way.

I started to follow her when I realized I'd be abandoning everyone else trapped in here.

"What about the others?"

She shrugged, "They weren't included. Now come on," She grabbed my arm and started to drag me out the door.

I shook her off me, "No, I'm not going without my friends," Even that idiot Roan, "Or the fact that there are hundreds of werewolves and humans here locked up in here, too. You can't expect me to leave."

Tori took a second.

"It's no use, Lia, everyone in here is going to be locked up here forever and there's nothing you can do."

"Yes, there is. We can free everybody here."

"But Dr. Vonn-"

"Screw Dr. Vonn and her minions. People don't deserve to be locked up in cages to be poked with needles and experimented on for no reason. That's not right." I argued and Tori finally nodded, experiencing a sudden change of heart.

"I'll do it. But we have to be quick."

Tori unlocked the door and I followed, running after her. It was like an endless labyrinth of hallways and rooms, everything looking the same.

"All of the cages will be unlocked at the same time so be prepared to run." She told me and I nodded.

"I told you to get her out of here," I almost jumped out of my skin when I turned around and saw Drake standing there.

"Go,"

"But-"

"Go straight and it's the last door on your right." Tori said and took out her knife, getting in a fighting stance.

I hesitated before nodding, "Tori. . . thank you." I'd hope to learn why she changed her mind so quickly.

She nodded at me before I ran straight.

I sprinted down the hall, flying through the air, and turned right, spotting the last door. I kicked down the door and entered, sitting down at the computer screen, which prompted a password to unlock.

Shit, she didn't tell me the password. God, I sucked at guessing people's passwords.

I typed in WEREWOLF but that was denied. I typed in WOLF, HUNTER, and HUMAN but still no luck.

Fuck, fuck, fuck, if I were an evil scientist who kidnapped and experimented on werewolves for a living, what password would I pick?

WOLFSBANE. Denied. ALPHA. Denied. FULL MOON. Denied. MOON GODDESS. Denied. EVIL MASTERMIND. Denied. THERON. Denied. MYSTIC HIGH. Denied.

I screamed in my head. I was so close, I just needed this one thing. This one thing.

Dr. Vonn, what would be her password? She's a cold-hearted bitch who hates werewolves and wants to study them for hell-knows-why.

I typed in LYCANTHROPE.

Denied.

SANCTUM.

Denied.

JUST A PLAIN HEARTLESS BITCH.

Denied.

I took a deep breath and thought about what she'd told me earlier. About who I was.

You are the lost queen, Lia.

LOST QUEEN.

Accepted.

I worked fast, locating the cell controls and not hesitating when I saw the "open ALL cell doors" button.

I heard the howls and decided to get the hell out of there.

I ran like someone was chasing after me, when in reality, I was in the clear. I'd memorized the way Dr. Vonn had gone each time she'd taken me to the same room and taken me back out. I found the way out pretty easily and when I did, it was madness.

Some wolves had phased already and were fighting the doctors and scientists and hunters. I ran around the fighting and headed to the other cells.

When I got to Roan and Asher's cells, they'd already escaped. I looked into Winter and Finn's cells but they weren't there either. I just hoped they were smart and weren't engaging in the fighting.

I ran to the huge doors at the other side, which had been destroyed by claw marks, and crossed through to the other side to run up the stairs, entering the old house that was above the underground labyrinth.

What I saw at the top of the stairs blew my mind.

"Mom, Dad!" Shocked and anxious, I took the steps two at a time and hugged them happily. "How did you find me?"

"We searched the whole damn town. Now, who's responsible for this?" Dad bellowed.

That's when I remembered what they'd kept from me.

I broke away and glared at them, "Why didn't you tell me you ran away from your pack, and not just any pack but the Theron pack?" I questioned and they looked each other.

"Who told you that?" Mom asked, voice calm.

"Wait, what?" Another voice interjected and I turned around to see Winter and Finn behind me; Roan and Asher behind them.

"What's she talking about?" Winter asked and Mom sighed.

"We're part of the Theron pack and your father-"

"My brother is the Alpha, was the Alpha," Dad finished and my brothers looked at him in pure shock, "He died a few years ago so really-" He didn't say anything, he just let everything sink in.

"Then I'm. . ." Winter gasped.

"You're next in line after me." Dad told Winter and he shook his head.

"I don't want it, I don't want it," He repeated.

"Then Owen will have to-"

"Are you kidding, Owen's in Cali, he doesn't want anything to do with us." I said weakly.

That's when I dropped to the ground.

"Lia?" Roan came rushing in, holding my hand.

"It hurts. Why does it hurt?" My heart was constricting, shrinking until there was nothing left.

"It's the mate bond." Roan said suddenly and I widened my eyes. How did he know?

"It can't be."

"Mate bond? You have a mate?" Dad asked rapidly.

I nodded silently.

"But I rejected him." I said quickly and my parents gasped. They looked at each other, panicking.

"Then. . . ?" Mom's eyes glimmered with sadness, probably realizing that I'd never get another mate again.

Asher spoke up, "I mind linked with a couple of my wolves and they said that Drake had been shot. He's dying."

He's dying.

Which meant I'd die, too. . . if we were mates, which we weren't.

"But she rejected him, why is she dying?" Winter's eyebrows formed a v. Roan's hand left mine and he grabbed my shoulders, forcing me to stare into his eyes.

"Lia, what did you say to him? What were your exact words that you said when you rejected him?" Roan demanded and I blinked.

"I, Lia Deliz, reject Drake Villemaire as my mate."

"You didn't say forevermore." He swore.

"What?" The blood drained from my face.

"Go find him." Roan let go of me and Winter and Asher ran off to find Drake.

I coughed and another wave of pain shook my body. I laid down on my back to alleviate the pain.

"I don't want to run the pack. I want to be normal." I coughed. Mom crouched down beside me, and Dad did the same.

"We'll talk about this when you're feeling better." Mom said, brushing my hair back.

"No," I struggled to breathe, "I don't want to do it. I don't want it."

Dad sighed, "Then who will take over the pack when we're gone?"

"I will." Finn came down to my side and Dad looked caught off guard, which was pretty rare.

"You don't have to."

Finn met their eyes, "I know I don't have to, but I want to."

I smiled at him and suddenly felt my lungs burn, like someone set a flame deep within my chest. What the hell was happening to my body?

"I got him, I got him!" Asher yelled distantly as he and Winter dragged Drake to us.

Despite the multiple gun shots to his chest and abdomen, he was still breathing. But he had one foot in the grave, his soul slowly fading away into the unknown.

"We could've. . . had everything." He murmured and I wondered if I'd ever regret doing this to him.

Sometimes I wished things were different.

But I'm happy all the crap lined up in the world to have the family and friends I'm close to now.

"We wanted different things," I told him sadly.

"The Moon Goddess is never wrong. She is never wrong." Drake muttered and I knew what I had to do.

I felt a familiar hand on my shoulder and looked up at my dad, "Use your last name. Your real last name."

Once again, I found myself staring into my mate's eyes and whispering the words that would break our bond eternally.

"I, Lia Theron, reject Drake Villemaire as my mate. Forevermore."