ELLA.
Silence stretched between us, thick and suffocating.
I could hear my own heartbeat pounding in my ears, each thud echoing louder than the last. The words you have no choice hung in the air like a verdict already passed.
I looked from Leonard to Lurgard, then to Lawrence, hoping foolishly, that one of them would soften, that one would say this was all a misunderstanding.
None of them did.
My fingers curled tightly around the edge of the hospital bed, knuckles whitening as I struggled to steady my breathing. Panic clawed at my chest, but beneath it, something sharper began to rise, defiance.
"You can't do this," I said finally, my voice low but trembling. "You saved me, yes. And I'm grateful. But that doesn't mean you get to own me."
Leonard's jaw tightened. Lurgard scoffed softly, crossing his arms as if my words amused him. Lawrence remained still, his gaze never leaving my face, watching me as though he were trying to read something written deep beneath my skin.
"We're not owning you," Lawrence said calmly. "We're taking responsibility."
"For what?" I demanded. "For a woman you think I am?"
Lurgard stepped forward, his presence overwhelming, his shadow falling over me. "Stop saying that," he snapped. "You are her. Whether you remember it or not."
"I am not!" My voice cracked, the shout tearing out of me before I could stop it. My hand moved instinctively to my stomach, my palm pressing protectively against it. "I don't know you. I don't know your pack. And I don't belong anywhere called Ironclad."
Their eyes dropped briefly to my hand, and something unreadable flashed across all three faces.
Leonard exhaled slowly, as though losing patience. "You're exhausted. Confused. And injured. This isn't the place for arguments."
"So you'll just force me?" I asked bitterly.
His silence was answer enough.
A cold realization settled deep in my bones. Physically, I was weak. Emotionally, I was fraying. And standing against three men who moved and spoke like power itself was a battle I couldn't win.
Lawrence stepped closer, his voice softer than the others. "You don't have to fight us, Theresa."
"My name…" I started, then stopped.
I didn't even know what my name was anymore.
The thought hollowed me out.
I swallowed hard, tears burning behind my eyes as I looked away. For a brief moment, images flashed through my mind, running feet, shouting guards, Alex's face twisted with rage, the fear that had driven me into their hands.
I couldn't go back.
And I couldn't stay here either.
"Fine," I whispered at last.
All three of them stiffened.
I lifted my head slowly, meeting their eyes one by one. "I'll go with you. But not because I owe you my life. I'm doing this because I have no other choice right now."
Lurgard smiled like he'd won something. Leonard nodded, satisfied.
Only Lawrence looked… conflicted.
"This doesn't mean I accept your story," I continued, my voice steadier now. "And it doesn't mean I'll pretend to be someone I don't remember being. If I go with you, it's on my terms."
Leonard raised a brow. "You don't get to set terms."
I stiffened instantly, was this a prison.
For a long moment, no one spoke. Then Lawrence inclined his head slightly. "We can talk once you're settled."
It wasn't agreement, but it wasn't refusal either.
Lurgard turned toward the door. "We'll handle the discharge."
Leonard followed, already pulling out his phone.
Lawrence lingered.
As the door closed behind the other two, he looked back at me, his expression unreadable yet heavy with something that made my chest ache for reasons I didn't understand.
"You really don't remember us," he said softly and it wasn't a question.
I shook my head.
He studied me for a moment longer, then nodded once. "Then I hope," he murmured, "that this time…we don't break you again."
Before I could ask what he meant, he turned and left.
I sank back against the pillows, my hand returning to my stomach, my heart racing with fear and uncertainty.
Ironclad Pack.
A name I didn't remember.
A past that wasn't mine.
And a future I had just walked into, whether I wanted it or not.
I didn't argue again.
Not because I agreed with them, but because my body no longer had the strength to hold defiance. The moment Lawrence turned away, the weight of everything I had been suppressing crashed down on me all at once. My limbs felt heavy, my chest tight, my thoughts tangled and slow.
I sat there quietly while they handled everything.
Doctors came and went. Papers were signed. Instructions were given in low, authoritative voices that allowed no room for questions. No one asked for my consent. No one explained anything to me in detail. It was as if my presence in the room was secondary, like I was an object being transferred from one place to another.
And maybe… that was exactly what I was to them.
When they returned, Leonard stood at the foot of the bed, tall and imposing, his aura pressing down on me even without him saying a word. Lurgard leaned casually against the wall, arms folded, eyes sharp and assessing. Lawrence stood slightly apart, silent as always, his gaze steady but unreadable.
"You're coming with us now," Leonard said authoratively.
I could only nod my head.
The movement was small, instinctive. Submission born not of loyalty, but of survival.
Lurgard stepped forward and reached for me. I flinched before I could stop myself, my shoulders tensing as his hand hovered near my arm. His brows furrowed briefly, irritation flashing across his face.
"We're not hurting you," he said curtly.
I swallowed and relaxed, at least outwardly.
He helped me stand, his grip firm, unyielding. The moment my feet touched the ground, a wave of dizziness swept over me. My knees buckled slightly, and I would have fallen if Lawrence hadn't moved instantly, his hand bracing my back.
"Careful," he murmured.
His voice was low but there was something restrained in it, something that made my chest tighten inexplicably.
I was guided—not asked, not led, but guided—out of the room.
The walk to the SUV felt longer than it should have. Every step sent a dull ache through my body, and by the time they settled me into the back seat, I was shaking despite myself. Lurgard shut the door firmly, the sound echoing like a final seal.
There was no going back now.
The engine started. The car pulled away.
I stared out the window, watching the hospital disappear behind us, my reflection faintly visible in the glass. I barely recognized the woman staring back at me, pale, exhausted, eyes too large for her face, fear barely contained beneath the surface.
Theresa.
They kept calling me that.
I wrapped my arms around myself unconsciously, my hand drifting to my stomach. The movement grounded me, reminded me why I was still breathing, still enduring.
I have to survive.
No matter what they believed.
No matter where they were taking me.
Leonard sat in the front passenger seat, his presence heavy even from a distance. Lurgard drove, one hand on the wheel, relaxed but alert. Lawrence sat beside me in the back, close enough that I could feel his warmth, though he never touched me again.
After a while, exhaustion won.
My head tilted against the seat, my eyelids growing heavy. Just before sleep claimed me, I felt a coat being draped carefully over my shoulders.
I didn't look to see who did it.
When my eyes fluttered open, I woke to iron gates.
Massive, towering, engraved with symbols I didn't recognize, but my body reacted before my mind could. A strange unease crawled up my spine as the SUV slowed and passed through them.
Ironclad Pack.
The name echoed ominously in my thoughts.
The estate beyond the gates was vast, dark stone buildings rising against the night sky, lights glowing faintly in tall windows. The place felt ancient… powerful…
The car came to a stop.
"Wake her," Lurgard said.
Lawrence shifted beside me. "She's awake."
I straightened immediately, my heart racing. The door opened, and cool night air rushed in. Leonard turned to look at me, his gaze sharp, assessing, authoritative.
"From now on," he said calmly, "you do as you're told. You speak when spoken to. And you do not attempt to run again."
I nodded quickly.
"Yes," I whispered.
Satisfied, he stepped aside.
Lurgard reached for me again, lifting me effortlessly from the car as though I weighed nothing at all. The ease with which he carried me was humiliating, and terrifying. My fingers curled into his shirt unconsciously, my body reacting to the certainty of his strength.
He carried me inside with the doors closing behind us with a deep, echoing thud.
"This is your room," Leonard said after a while, stopping before a large door.
Lurgard set me down gently, but the moment my feet touched the floor, my legs trembled.
"You'll rest," Lawrence added. "We'll talk when you're stronger."
Leonard's eyes narrowed slightly as he looked at me. "And don't forget, Theresa, you belong to Ironclad now."
The words settled over me like chains and instantly, I opened the large door before me and stepped inside.
And when it closed behind me, the silence was deafening.
I sank onto the bed slowly, my breath shaky, my hands once again finding my stomach.
"I'm still here," I whispered to the life inside me. "No matter what… I'll endure."
But as the weight of Ironclad pressed down around me, one terrifying thought took root in my mind…Surviving them might be harder than escaping Alex.