Claimed by My Stepbrothers

THE MATES

LEILA'S POV

"Unless," Dane continued, "Leila comes with me willingly. Right now. And the rest of you pretend

this night never happened."

"You can't…" I started.

"I can. I just did." Dane held out his hand again. "Choose, little hybrid. Come with me and save

your mates. Or stay here and watch them die for claiming you."

The mark on my shoulder throbbed. I could feel Maddox's wolf howling inside my head, begging

me not to go. Could feel the incomplete bonds to Ronan and Alec aching like open wounds.

But I could also feel their fear. Their knowledge that Dane was right.

The Council would execute them.

Unless I left.

"I'll go," I whispered.

"Leila, don't…" Alec reached for me.

"I'll go," I said louder, forcing strength into my voice. "But I want your word, Dane. On your Alpha

oath. You don't report the marking. You leave them alone."

"Done." Dane's smile was triumphant. "Now come here. Before I change my mind."

I stood, Maddox's blood still on my shoulder from where he'd marked me. Every step toward

Dane felt like dying.

Behind me, I heard Maddox's broken growl. Heard Ronan's sharp intake of breath. Heard Alec

whispering calculations under his breath, trying to find a solution that didn't exist.

I reached Dane.

He grabbed my wrist, his grip like iron. Magic flared around us, transportation magic, I realized

too late.

"NO!" Maddox lunged again.

But we were already gone.

The clearing vanished. The forest disappeared.

We reappeared in a bedroom, massive, luxurious, clearly meant to impress. But the windows

were barred with magic. The door sealed with power I could feel but not break.

A prison disguised as paradise.

"Welcome to Shadowpine territory," Dane said, finally releasing my wrist. "Your new home."

"For two weeks," I reminded him, backing toward the far wall. "You promised."

"I promised not to attack the Blackwood Pack. I promised not to report the illegal marking."

Dane's smile turned cruel. "I never promised to let you leave after two weeks."

Ice flooded my veins. "You gave your Alpha oath…"

"Which I kept. To the letter." He moved closer. I had nowhere to go. "But oaths are about

wording, little hybrid. And I'm very, very careful with my words."

"They'll come for me," I said desperately. "The brothers…"

"Will be arrested the moment they cross into my territory. I'll have every legal right to execute

them for trespassing." Dane reached out and touched the mark Maddox had left on my

shoulder. I flinched. "This changes everything. A partial bond means you need to complete it or

die. But I can keep you alive. Feed you just enough magic to sustain you while the bond slowly

breaks your connection to them."

"Why?" Tears burned in my eyes. "Why do you want me this badly?"

"Because your father had a vision before he died. A prophecy." Dane's silver eyes gleamed. "He

saw a hybrid who would either unite the supernatural world or destroy it. A hybrid powerful

enough to make even the oldest creatures bow. And he saw that hybrid would have three

mates." He leaned closer, his breath hot against my face. "He just didn't specify which three."

Understanding crashed into me. "You think you're supposed to be one of them."

"I know I am. The prophecy speaks of the strongest Alpha. That's me." His hand moved from my

shoulder to my throat, not choking, but possessive. "You bonded with the wrong males, Leila.

But don't worry. I'll break that bond. I'll kill them if I have to. And then you'll see what you could

have if you'd chosen correctly from the start."

He released me and walked to the door.

"Someone will bring you dinner. Try to escape and I'll know immediately. The entire room is

warded with my magic." He paused at the threshold. "Oh, and Leila? You might want to eat. The

bond-breaking process is very painful when you're weak."

The door shut behind him. Locks clicked. Magic sealed it completely.

I stood alone in my gilded cage, Maddox's mark burning on my shoulder, screaming through the

incomplete bond.

They couldn't hear me. We were too far apart.

But I could feel them searching. Feel their panic. Feel their rage.

And underneath it all, my wolf's quiet promise:

"He made a mistake bringing us here. He thinks we're weak. Untrained. That we need him to

survive."

"Don't we?" I whispered, sliding down the wall.

"No. We need our mates. We need the full bond. And we need him to believe he's won." Her

voice turned predatory. "Because when he finally drops his guard, when he thinks he's broken

us..."

"What?"

"We'll show him exactly what happens when you cage a hybrid who has three Alphas willing to

burn the world to get her back."

I touched the mark on my shoulder, sending every ounce of feeling I could through the bond.

I'm alive. I'm fighting. Come find me.

In the distance, carried on the bond like an echo, I felt Maddox's response:

We're coming. Hold on. We're coming.

The door opened.

But it wasn't dinner being delivered.

It was a woman, beautiful, cold, with dark hair and calculating eyes.

"Hello, Leila." She smiled, but it didn't reach her eyes. "My name is Selene. I'm Alpha Dane's...

advisor. He's asked me to help prepare you for what comes next."

"I don't need preparation. I'm leaving in two weeks."

Selene laughed. "Oh, honey. You really don't understand, do you?" She moved into the room,

and I felt magic rolling off her. Witch magic. Strong. "You're never leaving. And those three

males you bonded with? They'll be dead within the week."

"Dane promised…"

"Dane lies. Constantly. Beautifully. It's one of his best qualities." She pulled out a syringe filled

with something dark and viscous. "This will make what comes next easier. For you, anyway."

I backed up. "Stay away from me."

"I can't. Dane's orders." She moved fast, faster than human. Witch-enhanced speed. The needle

sank into my arm before I could react.

Fire flooded my veins.

I screamed, collapsing.

"Shhh." Selene knelt beside me, stroking my hair like I was a child. "It's just a bond suppressant.

It won't break the connection to your mates, but it will make you stop feeling it so intensely.

Make you stop fighting so hard to get back to them."

"No," I gasped, but I could already feel it working. The bond to Maddox that had been screaming

in my head went quiet. Distant. Like he was a thousand miles away instead of just across pack

territories.

"Better, isn't it?" Selene smiled. "Now you can think clearly. Focus on your training. On

becoming what you're meant to be."

"I'll kill you," I whispered.

"Maybe someday." She stood, tucking the empty syringe away. "But first, you'll break. Everyone

does eventually. And when you do, when you finally accept that those three brothers can't save

you..." Her eyes gleamed. "Dane will be waiting to pick up the pieces."

She left.

I lay on the floor, unable to move, the suppressant burning through my system.