Unwillingly Ours

This is a work of fiction. Any names, characters, places, events, and incidents are products of the author's imagination or are used fictitiously and are not to be construed as real. Any resemblance to actual events, locales, organizations, or persons—living or dead—is entirely coincidental. UNWILLINGLY OURS copyright @ 2023 by Brook Wilder and Scholae Palatina Inc. All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any manner whatsoever without written permission except in the case of brief quotations embedded in critical articles or reviews. Book 3 of the Korolev Bratva trilogy Cover by Angela Haddon Book Cover Design: http://www.angelahaddon.com/ AUTHOR’S NOTE This book uses Russian naming conventions. Formal greetings by Russian characters will use a patronymic, which is composed of a first name and the character’s father’s name. Aleksey’s formal name is Aleksey Fyodorovich, which means Aleksey, son of Fyodor. His sister Alyona’s formal name is Alyona Fyodorovna, which means Ayona, daughter of Fyodor. Russian names also use diminutive names to show closeness and affection—such as parents to children, friends to friends, or loved ones to each other. Alternatively, it can be used as an insult by someone who should otherwise greet the person in a formal setting. Aleksey’s diminutive name is Alyosha, and Alyona’s diminutive name is Alya. The Korolev Bratva series can be enjoyed alone on its own, but reading experience is greatly enhanced if you’ve read the Suvorov Bratva trilogy beforehand, as some characters and events are referenced. You can read book 1 of the Suvorov Bratva – Dark Promise –today (free on KU): https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0BG7BQJGR TABLE OF CONTENTS UNWILLINGLY OURS Chapter One Chapter Two Chapter Three Chapter Four Chapter Five Chapter Six Chapter Seven Chapter Eight Chapter Nine Chapter Ten Chapter Eleven Chapter Twelve Chapter Thirteen Chapter Fourteen Chapter Fifteen Chapter Sixteen Chapter Seventeen Chapter Eighteen Chapter Nineteen Chapter Twenty Chapter Twenty-One Chapter Twenty-Two Chapter Twenty-Three Chapter Twenty-Four Chapter Twenty-Five Chapter Twenty-Six Chapter Twenty-Seven Chapter Twenty-Eight Chapter Twenty-Nine Chapter Thirty Chapter Thirty-One Chapter Thirty-Two Chapter Thirty-Three Chapter Thirty-Four Chapter Thirty-Five Chapter Thirty-Six Chapter Thirty-Seven Chapter Thirty-Eight Chapter Thirty-Nine Chapter Forty Chapter Forty-One Chapter Forty-Two Chapter Forty-Three Chapter Forty-Four Chapter Forty-Five Chapter Forty-Six Chapter Forty-Seven Chapter Forty-Eight Epilogue Extended Epilogue OTHER BOOKS BY BROOK WILDER UNWILLINGLY OURS Chapter One Elia The car bumped along the road and sent another sharp jab to my bladder. I shifted on the leather seat and then shifted some more. Occasionally, I cast a furtive glance toward my captor, Svetlana. “Quit squirming,” she ordered, turning toward me in the process. I fought the urge to shudder at her scarred and disfigured face. “I need to pee,” I said. It was the truth. I hadn’t gone to the bathroom since I managed to escape the shootout at the safehouse with Lana, and now my bladder was starting to feel like an overfilled water balloon. But there was another reason that I wanted to stop. I needed to get away from Svetlana. She had threatened to carve my baby out of me when the time came. Having seen what she was already capable of, I knew deep in my heart that this was no empty threat. I couldn’t risk letting her take me to whatever destination she had in mind. Because the moment she did, Aleksey would never be able to find me until she wanted him to. And by then, it would already be too late—for me, and for my baby. “I really need to pee,” I tried again. “Please.” “I don’t believe you.” “You don’t have to,” I sighed. “But if I pee all over these nice leather seats, you’re going to be sitting in it along with me.” I paused to let the words sink in. “And who knows what other complications might happen to me and the baby.” That last part was bullshit, but I was banking on her not knowing that. Her frown deepened, and I could see the indecision building in her eyes. Finally, she cursed under her breath and looked at the back of the driver’s head. “Stop at the next gas station.” She turned her gaze back to me. “Listen to me and listen well, pretty bitch,” she warned as she turned the knife in her hand so that I could see its glint. “Do not test me.” I didn’t react, my heart beating a thousand times a minute at the thought of tasting freedom once more. I was only going to have one chance at this. The SUV finally started to slow and I sat up straighter in the seat, my hands clasped tightly in my lap as it took the next exit toward a rundown gas station with only two pumps and not much else. It was exactly what I was looking for, mainly because in old places like this, the bathrooms would be outside and not watched by any cameras. When the car stopped, the driver unlocked the door, stepped out, and made his way over to my side. Cool air slapped me in the face as the door opened. I unbuckled my seat belt to get out, but that was when Svetlana grabbed my arm with a gnarled hand. Her sharp nails dug into my flesh. “You better not be lying to me,” she hissed. I nodded and she released me. I didn’t bother looking at the indentations her nails left on my skin as I stepped out. It felt good to get out of the stifling SUV for a while and get the blood flowing back into my legs. Briefly I thought about Lana and how she had been left on the side of the road by Svetlana’s men. Despite what my best friend did, I still worried for her. Was she okay? Would someone find her? “You have five minutes,” Svetlana said as she exited the vehicle as well, putting her giant sunglasses back on to mask her face. “Make them count, pretty bitch.” I stayed rooted to the spot, my arms cradling my belly. “What?”