Enemy Alpha is My Mate

Caroline sways through the crowd, holding the shots above her head carefully. She reaches the booth where her friends are chatting. James’s arm is draped around Haley. Haley is blushing. James lifts his head from where he was whispering in Haley’s ear and stares at Caroline. Caroline smiles at both of them as she slams the shots on the table. “You sure you don't want to drink?” She asks the Alpha. “Nope!” James says as he grazes the back of his fingers at the nape of Haley’s neck. Haley closes her eyes and sighs. She grins at James, then proceeds to grab the shot on the table. This is Caroline’s last night in the city. She was supposed to leave today, on the day of their last exam but Haley, her best friend, stopped her for a night of drinking and dancing. Caroline is twenty six years old. She deserves some fun. So she stayed to have fun for one night after the long, tedious days of studying and taking their final exams. Caroline’s big brother, Casey, passed away after falling from the tallest tree on the outskirts of the forest in Park territory. Just near their house in the village. Their pack didn't have a lot of medical supplies back then. The infection on Casey’s leg spread faster than fire in a forest. The distance to the city from the village was days away, so they couldn't take him to the city. Casey needed urgent treatment. Caroline’s own parents, the healers of the Park pack, made a medicine, the paste of their most potent herbs. But Casey’s body didn't respond to it. He passed away two days after falling from the tree. It has been ten years. It was a shock for the Park pack. The guilt of the other healers was immeasurable. Even though they did their best to save his life. For Caroline, it was traumatizing. Coming to the city to get a degree in Medicine was the best choice she ever made. Now she is more confident about saving lives. She takes pride in becoming the youngest healer in the pack too. “Earth to Caroline. Hello!” Haley says cheekily, and wiggles her eyebrows at their shots. “Four, three, two, one!” Caroline widens her eyes and throws back her shot with Haley. Both Omegas flinch and then laugh out loud. “Come on, let's dance!” Haley kisses James on the cheek and slides out of the booth, yanking Caroline’s arm with her. Caroline goes willingly to the dance floor, grooving to the beat and shaking her body from side to side. James watches his fated mate, Haley with a smile. Haley is an orthopedic surgeon as well. James, on the other hand, is the prince of his pack (metaphorically). He’s next in line to become the Head Alpha in the Moon pack which is situated back in their home town. A few years back James visited the city for some work purpose, met Haley at a cafe for the first time, and bought a condo in Seoul immediately. So that he could come meet her frequently in Seoul. They’re soulmates. The best friends dance, throwing back their trail of thoughts in the backseat. Both Omegas laugh when someone shoves Caroline and she crashes into Haley. Caroline twirls her around. They sashay from left to right, slowly, feeling every beat of the song. The dance floor is packed tonight. Sweat trickles down in a single row from Caroline’s temple, and she wipes it away before smacking Haley on the ass. They burst out laughing. A beat passes and Caroline’s Omega becomes restless. She gently puts her fingers on her heart, massaging the skin. It's strange. She is very connected to her Omega, so she knows this is unusual. She doesn't understand why her Omega is becoming more unsettled by the minute. In her mind, she pictures her Omega pacing back and forth, and then sniffing the air. Caroline narrows her eyes. She sniffs, but smells multiple scents on the dance floor, including her own scent of honey and fresh roses. She tilts her head in confusion and pauses in her languid dance moves, standing still to scan the dance floor. Her Omega shakes itself off, getting rid of all the dust from his furs. It wags its tail in excitement, as if to prepare and present itself in the best way possible to the person it is going to meet. Caroline looks around for the person restlessly, her heart in throat. Knowing her Omega never behaves like this. Caroline’s Omega has always been quiet and calm. Never finding interest in any Alpha’s scent. Why is it so enthusiastic now? What’s the anticipation for? So yeah, Caroline’s Omega has always been nice and quiet. Unless it’s the time for Caroline’s quarterly heat. Her Omega is always more than enthusiastic for that, and she always has to kill its excitement by spending the heat alone. Caroline shakes her head and informs Haley that she's going to the washroom. Haley c***s an eyebrow at her but then nods and walks back to their booth. Straight into James’s arms. When they're not looking her way, Caroline spins on her feet and goes out of the club to get some fresh air. ✧✧✧✧ She takes a deep breath and exhales through the mouth. Her fingers are splayed out on her flanks, the thumbs curled into her ribs. The jitters haven’t gone away. She doesn't know why her Omega is going wild so she tries her best to calm her nerves by taking long, deep breaths. It doesn't work. She groans. Caroline blinks innocently as something in white catches her eyes. She stares at a man through the bodies of that couple. The man who's wearing a white, buttoned up shirt. The lines on Caroline’s forehead deepen as she tilts her jaw to get a better view of the man. In a daze, she starts. One foot ahead of the other, as more people continue to dance wildly around her. The blurry image of the white shirt becomes clear. The joy is unexplainable. Euphoric. So much that she doesn't even notice how deeply relaxed her whole body has become. How peaceful her heart is. How at peace her Omega is. The man in front of Caroline is sitting on a bar stool, facing the dance floor. His elbow lays on the counter behind him, a glass of wine hangs from between his fingers, and the other arm is thrown carelessly on his leg. Caroline covers her mouth with a hand. She’s a goner. “Carol!” A hand touches Caroline’s shoulder. “Hey, what are you doing?” Haley asks. “You've been standing here for a while now. At first we thought you were just watching people dance but it got weirder by the minute.” She looks in the direction of Caroline’s gaze, narrows her eyes, then looks back at Caroline. She grabs Haley's hand as the other girl yelps. “Haley! I saw him! I found him,” Caroline says desperately. Her eyes go watery with happiness. I saw my mate. Caroline excitedly looks back at the place where the man had been sitting but her smile drops. The stranger is gone. “Who?” “He was right there.” Caroline mumbles as she shakes Haley’s hand off and storms through the dancing bodies to look for the man. Haley grabs her elbow, halting her. Caroline’s Omega growls dangerously, and this time, it's Caroline who is shocked. Fuck. “You guys leave. It's all good. I am good.” Caroline gently takes Haley’s hand off her elbow. “I'll text you later, I promise. I just need to go now. Everything's good. Really!” She simultaneously walks back, with her back to the crowd. Haley stands there, perplexed for a second. A smile bubbles up on her face. She gives Caroline a nod, waves at her, and whirls around, probably to get to her fated mate. Caroline swirls back around and jogs, looking everywhere for the stranger. She reaches the bar, and exhales roughly. “Excuse me? Where's the man who was sitting right here? The one with soft curls on his forehead.” Caroline points toward her own forehead. “He had a sharp jaw, big doe eyes and his shoulders were really sturdy!” She explains with hands in the air, gesturing toward her shoulders. The bartender c***s an eyebrow at her and smirks. Caroline is whipped. Yes. And they haven't even officially met. Fuck. “The one in white shirt!” Caroline holds herself back from cursing. The bartender looks sideways, and she snaps her head in the direction. She mutters a thank you and runs. Her eyes search around, scanning through people. They are everywhere. Caroline whines. She halts to a stop. Maybe she lost the Alpha. Her heart skips a beat. She can’t lose her soulmate! Her lover, the one who ehe has dreamed about all her life. Creating mating scenarios at night before sleeping. The one who Caroline thinks of whenever she listens to a love song. Her mate.