Wrapped in My Enemy’s Arms

Chapter Fifteen

Ayla’s POV

Heavy knocks on the door dragged me out of a soft fog of sleep. I blinked, my eyes stinging as I realized the ceiling above me wasn't my own. The air here was different, smelling of musky cologne, expensive spice, and the lingering heat of the night before.

No. No. No. s**t.

I had fought the way those borrowed powers made me feel, but in the heat of the moment, they had taken the wheel and a traitorous part of me had let them. I had just slept with the one man I was supposed to despise.

Worse, the power was gone. That high, untouchable confidence had evaporated, leaving me feeling hollow and exposed. Only my wolf was happy— she was practically humming, she curled up contentedly because she’d finally touched Kael’s wolf and wouldn't stop howling about the connection, and I wanted to tell her to shut up.

Kael was gone, of course. The bed beside me was cold. Not like I expected a breakfast tray, but the emptiness of the room made my stomach churn. s**t, Ayla. f*****g the man you claim to hate? Really?

But he’s your mate, a smaller, quieter voice countered.

I pressed my palms into my temples, trying to physically shove the voices out of my head.

I scrambled into my clothes and slipped out, trying to look invisible. Naturally, the universe had other plans. I ran right into Kiara as she was stepping out of Riian’s room. She looked just as disheveled as I felt.

“Don’t even think about it,” she snapped, catching the look on my face before I could even process that she was coming out of the second-in-command's quarters. Her expression softened, just a fraction. “Thank you for Kael. He’s healed.. mostly. But the curse isn’t gone yet. I can still feel the orb’s energy in the air.”

About that, that was the strange thing I felt as I entered Kael’s room. It was the orb.

“You don’t have to thank me, Kiara. He’s my mate,” I said, the word mate feeling like a lie and a truth at the same time. I bit my lip, wondering if I should tell her about my deal with the spirit in the Eidolon realm. Two fortnights of service.

“So,” Kiara asked, her eyes searching mine. “Are you still leaving?”

I hesitated. I should say yes. I should run but what if Kael gets ill again.. and the debt I owed the realm kept me tethered here. “I’d like to stay for a few days. I need to make sure the healing holds.”

“Sure, sure,” she said, giving me a knowing wink that made me want to crawl into a hole.

As she walked away, Riian stepped out behind her. I didn't judge him— I couldn't, not after what I’d just done. But as I walked towards my own room, my skin burned. Every time I remembered the way I had come apart under Kael's touch, a hot, crimson flush crept up my neck.

It was never like this with Sebastian. I hated that I was even comparing them. I’d liked Seb once, back when I thought he was just a rough around the edges warrior, before he proved he was just another asshole using me. But Kael.. Kael was a different kind of danger.

I needed a distraction.

I headed toward my wing but stopped when I heard the low murmur of voices coming from the council chamber. If I was going to survive in this den of wolves, I needed to know the politics. I crept toward the door, masking my scent the way I’d been practicing, and peered through the crack.

Kael sat at the head of the massive oak table, surrounded by elders down which I recognize and a few betas including Riian.

“Is it true the curse is winning?” one elder asked. “That it’s taking you, body and mind?”

“Do you think he’d be sitting here if that were the case?” another countered. I recognized the first speaker— the one who had suggested Kael execute me the moment I arrived.

“As you can all see, I am alive and well,” Kael roared, his voice vibrating through the door and making the hair on my arms stand up. “Now, who dared suggest otherwise?”

The room went quiet. Then, the instigator stood. “Alpha, we are only concerned for the pack. We believe in unity. We believe that even those on punishment, like Cian, have learned his lesson. He is a strong warrior, we need more soldiers like him to fight against the rogue wolves that has been roaming for a while now.”

Kael’s face went cold. He looked like he was about to tear the man’s throat out. “Who brought up this idea of forgiveness for a traitor?”

I moved to get a better look, but my foot caught on a loose floorboard. I froze, but it was too late. The door swung wide, and suddenly, every powerful wolf in the Red Crescent pack was staring at me.

“Wrong room,” I managed, forcing a tight, awkward smile. I turned to bolt.

“Step in, Ayla,” Kael commanded.

My legs obeyed him before my brain could even protest. His Alpha tone had a magnetic pull that made my inner wolf wag her tail. Traitor.

I walked in, feeling the weight of a dozen hateful gazes. Is he going to announce the bond? I panicked. They already hate me. If he tells them I'm his mate, they'll burn me alive.

“Ayla is a student from Nightwhisper Academy,” Kael said, pausing. He looked at me, and for a second, I felt like he was reading the frantic thoughts screaming in my head. “She is a promising warrior. She will begin training to stand among the vanguard of this pack.”

I gave a small, awkward wave. Silence. Only one elder gave me a pitying, tiny smile.

“But she’s a woman!” one old wolf spat, his face wrinkling in disgust.

“And a significantly stronger one than you, I suspect,” Kael countered, his voice dropping into a low, dangerous tone. “Do you have an issue with my selection?”

“We can’t trust her, she’s not a proper member of this pack yet!” Another says.

“She’ll undergo rigorous tests and training to ensure she’s fit to stay in the pack.”

Some began to nod while others stared away unsatisfied.

“Any more questions?” Kael asks.

“No, Alpha.” They muttered mostly together.

“Dismissed,” Kael snapped.

The room cleared out soon. Riian shot me a wink as he followed the elders out, leaving me alone with Kael in the vast room. The air flow dropped immediately and everywhere suddenly felt tight.

“You didn't have to defend me,” I said, the words coming out sharper than I intended.

“And you shouldn’t have been eavesdropping,” he replied, stepping down from the platform before strutting toward me, his presence overwhelming.

“Were you looking for me? Perhaps you wanted a repeat of..”

“Oh, please, Kael,” I rolled my eyes, though my heart was hammering against my ribs. “What happened last night was a mistake. I was.. overflowing with power. I had to release it somehow. Consider yourself a lucky vessel.”

Kael stopped just inches from me. His voice turned strangely soft, rough at the edges. “About that.. Thank you, Ayla. You saved my life.”

The sincerity in his tone caught me off guard. It calmed me, which was the last thing I wanted. I was supposed to be angry. I was here because he kidnapped me for his own selfish needs. And now, I had a debt to the spirit realm. I didn’t sign up for all these but I must have lost some brain cells in that ritual, I thought, looking into his dark eyes. Because for a second, I don't want to leave at all.