Five

Savannah

The car doors clicked shut. Trees blurred past in a dizzying smear of green. He was driving too fast. My heart pounded like a warning bell.

Who was this man?

What did he want?

The questions echoed through my mind. More daunting was the fact that even though I knew I was seeing this man for the first time, it felt like he had always been a part of me.

The mate bond made my wolf cry out for him.

My fingers trembled as I fumbled with the door handle, making a frantic attempt to open it.

“Please—let me out,” I begged. My fingers slipped on the door handle, sweat coating my palms.

His eyes met mine through the rearview mirror. His eyes held a flicker of relief, but it was buried beneath a storm of fury.

My limbs froze with terror.

“Mommy!” his daughter chirped, reaching back to touch my hand, her eyes shining like this was the best day of her life.

"He's our mate," my wolf cried inside me. "Our other half. Our destiny."

But the bond didn’t soothe me. It terrified me.

He could have announced the bond and I'd have accepted willingly. Instead, he kidnapped me and locked me in this car, driving me to God knows where.

He had to be insane.

Only an insane person would treat his fated mate like a hostage.

“Get me out of here!” I screamed, as horrific thoughts of Jermaine having an episode filled my head.

“Stop it, Sasha,” he warned, his voice hardening dangerously.

“Daddy, is Mommy mad at us?” The little girl asked curiously.

“No, baby. Mommy is… Mommy seems unwell. But we'll take care of her.”

Oh fucking great.

He thought I was insane.

Just because he was my mate didn’t mean he wasn’t dangerous or unpredictable. I should have felt safe and protected in his presence. Instead, I felt trapped and terrified.

He drove into an estate with high walls surrounded by beautiful hibiscus gardens, unlike anything I had ever seen. The little girl clung to me tightly as if afraid I would run away. Since I had kids her age, I knew how sensitive they could be, so I stayed silent.

The girl and I had the same hair and eye color, but that didn't mean we were related. My dad had told me my mom died giving birth to me. There was no one else—no sister, no other family.

"Oh my goodness, she’s back!"

I heard a voice screech as someone rushed toward the car. It was a young woman wearing a doctor's coat and had rainbow-colored hair.

"Xavier, where did you find her?" she cried out in disbelief.

Her sharp eyes scanned me, but suddenly, all her excitement dissolved into contempt.

“You caught her with a man, didn’t you? Gods, Sasha. You’ve always been full of shit.”

Her sudden shift in tone startled me. She looked like him, same sharp jaw, same hazel eyes, but while his stare was confused, hers burned with disgust.

“She doesn’t recognize me. Something’s wrong," Xavier said, sounding exasperated after sending his daughter inside. "Check if she’s running a fever or something.

His gaze lingered on me, as if trying to decode a puzzle. His sister checked my temperature, but I shrugged her hand off.

"She’s thinner," she muttered. "Perhaps she suffered some trauma and hit her head. She needs rest. We must rule out all possibilities before assuming she’s lying."

Xavier stepped closer. My heart thundered as he lifted my chin.

"Sasha."

I looked away. Here we go with the Sasha name again.

Was it so wrong to pretend, just for a second, that this warmth and luxury belonged to me? That I wasn't the girl who raised twins alone, who worked long hours to pay for heart medication?

But reality crashed over me.

Sasha, who was obviously missing, could be in danger, or worse, dead.

“Would I really sink so low to steal someone else's personality? What if she returned right now?

Two boys were at home waiting for me.

I snapped my brain out of my delusion.

"Please, you have to understand. I’m not who you think I am. I don’t even know you."

He exchanged a glance with his sister, whose contempt had faded into confusion. She was staring at me like I was a particularly interesting documentary.

When Xavier touched my arm, the bond flared, electric and undeniable.

"Sasha, I’ve got you," he said softly. "Don’t be afraid. You’re home. You’re safe. Let’s go inside.”

He held my hand. His touch was surprisingly gentle against mine. We walked into the mansion, where he signaled a maid to take me upstairs.

“She needs to freshen up and rest. Make sure the chef prepares something satisfying. I'll be back after holding court.”

Xavier pulled me closer and gave me a loose hug. Then he walked away. I kept trying to calm myself down, knowing the only way to escape this place was to play along.

The maid led me upstairs and stopped in front of a bedroom door, stepping aside.

"If you need anything, please call me."

The room was larger than any space I had ever called my own—larger than my entire apartment. My gaze wandered to the vanity, where expensive perfumes and jewelry were neatly arranged.

Who was this woman they thought I was?

And why did trouble always find me?

From waking up in a stranger’s bed five years ago to getting pregnant with twins, one with a heart condition, now I was being mistaken for my mate’s wife and held hostage.

My gaze locked onto the necklaces lying on the vanity.

For a split second, I considered taking some and selling them to raise money for Jermaine’s treatment. But as quickly as the thought came, I dismissed it. Surely there were cameras in the room. The last thing I needed was to make this situation worse.

Then my eyes landed on a picture frame beside the perfumes. I picked up the frame. My heart lurched. It was me.

Or... someone who could be my reflection.

Her hair framed her face just like mine. Her grey eyes stared back at me with the same intensity I often saw in my reflection. Even the tiny birthmark on her nose was identical to mine.

I stumbled back.

This couldn’t be real.

How could someone look so much like me?

Was it possible that Xavier and the little girl weren’t entirely wrong? That this Sasha was somehow connected to me?

The picture frame slipped from my hands, landing on the carpet with a soft thud.

Now, I didn’t blame them for their assumptions.

Seeing this photograph, I might even have believed I was Sasha.

At some point, a heavy exhaustion pulled me under, and I drifted into sleep.

When I woke up, it was already seven pm.

I sent Eve a quick text: Please hold on until I return.

But I didn’t call her. I didn’t want to put fear in her.

I needed to get to my boys.

They were alone, and I couldn’t trust Eve to handle Jermaine all by herself.

Quietly, I crept out of the room and descended the stairs. I heard the distant sounds of the maids chatting in the kitchen and paused. My eyes darted around, searching for an escape route.

A door leading to the backyard.

I slipped outside.

The night air hit my face. Panic and instinct tangled inside me. My wolf scratched beneath the surface. I gave in to the transformation, letting my body shift effortlessly.

Then, I ran.

Heart pounding, I sprinted toward the fence, praying no one was watching.

Determined to escape, I leaped over the fence—

And landed on the other side with a thud.