Mated to My Enemy

Chapter 3 Flight Before Dawn

The night dragged on, cruel and silent.

Every sound in the packhouse echoed louder than usual—the scrape of boots in the hall, the howl of distant wolves, the flutter of moths against the torch flames. Each one tightened the knot of dread in my stomach.

Axel’s words replayed again and again. By sunrise, you won’t be a burden any longer.

I pressed my forehead to my knees, fighting the tremor in my hands. They would kill me. My own pack. My own blood.

Part of me wanted to curl up and surrender. To let the dawn come and end this endless misery. What worth did I have, rejected, unloved, and cursed?

But then the ember stirred again. That strange warmth from before, whispering in my veins.

Not yet. Not like this.

I raised my head. My wolf’s voice was still weak, but clearer now. She wasn’t ready to give up—and maybe, deep down, neither was I.

I thought of my parents again. Of the way my mother used to sing to me beneath the moonlight, telling me I was chosen, even if the world didn’t see it. I thought of my father’s laugh, loud and proud, the way it used to make me feel safe.

Would they want me to bow my head and die quietly?

No.

The decision settled in my chest. If the pack wanted me gone, I would leave on my own terms. I would survive. Somehow.

I pushed myself upright, muscles trembling, and limped toward the edge of the courtyard. The gates would be guarded, but the forest walls weren’t impenetrable. I’d snuck out before, as a child. I knew the cracks.

Mara’s voice echoed in my mind—The Goddess might surprise us all.

I prayed she was right.

---

The packhouse was quiet when I slipped into the corridor. I hugged the shadows, every creak of the floorboards sending fear up my spine. My heartbeat thundered so loud I swore it would give me away.

At the back of the hall, I found the window I’d used years ago. My fingers shook as I unlatched it, pushing the frame open just enough to slip through.

The night air hit me like freedom. Cool. Sharp. Alive.

For the first time in years, I let myself hope.

But as I swung my legs out, a hand clamped around my arm.

I gasped, whirling, and found myself staring into Mara’s wide eyes.

“Teresa, what are you doing?” she hissed.

“Leaving.” My voice cracked, but my resolve didn’t. “If I stay, Axel will—”

“I know,” she whispered, glancing down the hall. “But if you run, they’ll hunt you down. You’ll never make it out of Bluerock territory alive.”

“I’ll die either way,” I said. “At least this way, I have a chance.”

Mara’s grip tightened. Her eyes glistened. “Then take this.”

From her sleeve, she pressed something small and silver into my palm. A pendant shaped like a crescent moon, old and worn.

“It belonged to my grandmother,” she whispered. “She always said it carried a blessing. Maybe it will protect you.”

My throat closed. “Mara, I—”

“Go,” she urged, pushing me toward the window. “Before someone finds us.”

I slipped the pendant over my neck, swallowing hard. “I’ll come back for you. I promise.”

Her lips trembled, but she nodded. “Survive, Teresa. That’s all that matters now.”

I climbed through the window, landing softly on the damp earth below. For a heartbeat, I looked up at the only friend I had left. She raised her hand in farewell before vanishing back into the shadows.

I turned toward the forest and ran.

---

Branches whipped my face, roots snagged my feet, but I didn’t stop. I couldn’t. My lungs burned with every breath, my legs screaming for rest, but the fire in my chest pushed me onward.

Behind me, a horn blared.

They had discovered my escape.

Wolves howled in answer, their cries echoing across the trees. My heart lurched. They were coming.

Panic clawed at me, threatening to drag me down. But then the ember inside me flared again, brighter this time. My blood hummed with strange energy, and the shadows seemed to bend around me as I ran.

I didn’t understand it, but I didn’t question it. I let it guide my steps, faster, quieter, almost as if the forest itself wanted me gone.

Still, the howls grew closer.

I stumbled into a clearing, chest heaving, and froze.

There, standing in the moonlight, was a figure cloaked in black. Tall. Broad-shouldered. His face hidden beneath a hood.

“You shouldn’t be here,” his voice rumbled, deep and unfamiliar.

My stomach dropped. “W-Who are you?”

He tilted his head, as if studying me. Then, slowly, he pushed back the hood.

Silver eyes met mine.

Not Axel’s cruel gaze. Not Terry’s cold rejection.

But something else entirely. Something older.

“You’re not supposed to be alive,” he said softly, almost in awe.

Before I could respond, the howls drew nearer, the ground vibrating with the pounding of paws. The stranger’s eyes narrowed.

“They’ll be here any moment.” He stepped forward, and for the briefest second, I swore his hand glowed faintly with the same silver light that had touched me earlier.

“Run with me,” he said. “Or you won’t see another dawn.”

I froze, torn

between fear and the desperate need to live.

And then the first pair of glowing eyes appeared at the tree line.