Wrapped in My Enemy’s Arms

Chapter Eleven

Ayla’s POV.

It’s been two days, forty-eight hours of trying, failing, trying again.

And still… nothing.

I was stuck. I slide my palm against the bathroom mirror, wiping the fog that blurred my reflection.

The girl staring back at me looked… breakable, tired, and pathetic.

Was this really me? I was supposed to be something more. My vision blurred and before I could stop it, a tear slipped free.

“I hate this,” I whispered. “I really hate feeling like this.”

“Mother…” My voice cracked, barely more than a breathe. “I need you.”

I was replied with silence, not even a feeling, talk more of a whisper.

Just emptiness filling the void.

I filled a porcelain bowl with water, the soft rush of it the only sound in the quiet room. My hands moved in tandem, dipping a cloth into it and wringing it out.

Clutching the bowl and cloth, I stepped out into the hallway, my feet carrying me toward Kael’s room before I could second- guess myself.

The door creaked softly as I pushed it open. It was dark, and I could feel a slight change in the air here in his room. It didn’t feel right.

Kael lay on the bed, his body rigid and breathing uneven. It was like he got worse with time. His eyes flickered open, dull with exhaustion as they landed on me.

“Hey,” I said quietly, lifting my free hand in a small wave.

He only gave me a slight nod.

I stepped inside anyway. Each step closer just felt wrong, The closer I got, the more his expression tightened, his jaw clenched as if my presence was adding salt to his wound.

I lowered myself onto the sofa beside his bed, setting the bowl down carefully. This had become my place over the past two days, watching him.

I dipped the cloth into the water again, wringing it gently this time before leaning forward. His skin was warm, not the burning fever from before but not normal either.

As I brushed the cloth across his forehead, my breath caught. The wound in his shoulder— It looked worse.

Dark veins spread outward from it, crawling beneath his skin. They stretched toward his neck, his collarbone, his arms… like lightning.

My stomach tightened. What kind of curse does this?

“Can I get you something to eat?” I asked softly.

He didn’t answer. Or take a glance at me.

The silence stretched, I swallowed and pulled the cloth away before straightening. Fine, if he didn’t want to talk, I wouldn’t force him. I picked up the bowl and turned towards the door.

A sharp sound stopped me, I turned quickly, Kael was trying to sit up. His body trembled with the effort, muscles tightening as pain flickered across his face. He gritted his teeth, one hand pressing against the bed as he forced himself upright.

Without thinking, I dropped the bowl and rushed forward.

“Don’t touch me!”

The words hit like a slap. I froze. My hands hovered in the air between us before slowly curling into fists at my sides.

The distance between us suddenly felt vast.

“Kael…” My voice came out softer than I intended. “I’m only trying to help—“

“Alpha, Ayla.”

His voice cut through mine, cold as ice.

“I am your Alpha.” His breathing was uneven, strained, but his gaze held mine with unwavering intensity. “That’s what you will call me.”

Something in my chest twisted. Not even pain. Something hotter, dangerously close to anger. He had managed to sit up now, despite the pain, despite everything— and even like this, weak and injured, there was till something about him that made my skin warm.

Annoyingly so.

“I’m sorry you’re in this situation because of me,” I said, stepping closer despite his warning. “But let me help you.”

“You don’t get it,” he muttered, dragging a hand down his face. “You being here isn’t helping.”

I stilled. “What?”

His eyes lifted to mine, and this time… there was not softness or hesitation. Just bitter truth.

“I’m like this because of you.”

The words didn’t settle well in me, but I listened.

“Every time you come in here…” he continued, his voice quieter now, but no less cutting, “it gets worse.”

My fingers trembled.

“So do yourself a favor…” he added, leaning back slightly, exhaustion creeping in. “Stay out of my sight.”

For a moment, I couldn’t speak, couldn’t think. The words circled in my head, over and over, until they blurred together.

“I’m trying,” I finally said, my voice barely steady. “Ka— Alpha.”

“Why do you blame me for the curse?” I asked, the question slipping out before I could stop it. “I didn’t cause it” My throat tightened.

“If you knew you were going to be like this…” My voice cracked. “Then why save me?”

“I don’t need help from you,” he said eventually.

That did it. The thread holding my anger snapped. He had pulled it too tight.

“I’ll do you one better, I’ll leave. I’ll leave your pack,” the words came out calmer than I felt, even though I didn’t mean it.

“I’ll go back to the academy and tell them I failed to join your pack.” Each word felt like I was carving something out of my chest.

“I tried,” I continued, my fingers digging into my palm. “But I couldn’t help you break your curse.”

I walked away then paused at the door, my back turned to him.

“And this bond between us…” My voice dropped, like I don’t mean the next statement again. “It can go to hell.”

Then I walked out.

I moved quickly, grabbing the few things I had brought with me, stuffing them into my bag without care. Clothes, small items… none of it mattered. I wasn’t wanted anywhere, not here, not the academy. Fuck.. my own parents abandoned me.

But I had survived the academy before. I could definitely do it again. At least there… I knew who I was.

A knock didn’t come. The door burst open.