Mated To The Enemy Alpha

The Blackthorn mansion is just ridiculous, huge, dripping with money. Lights everywhere. Gold floors. Yeah, gold. Who does that? And the walls? Silver. Giant glass chandeliers dangle from the ceiling like someone decided the stars needed an upgrade. The whole place smells sticky-sweet, like roses got in bed with ambition. Power. That’s what it really smells like power and perfume. Tonight, the room’s crawling with the top clans. Witches float around in long black dresses, vampires flash red eyes and too-sharp teeth, and alphas strut in suits, noses in the clouds. Everyone’s either laughing too loud or whispering secrets, flexing for the crowd. Even the wine glows, nothing subtle about it. All this? Just for me. My car rolls up, a servant flings the door open like I’m royalty (which, I mean, fair enough). Step out. Cameras go off, flash, flash, flash. Blinding. I don’t blink, wave, or even crack a smile. I just walk in, ice-cold, stone-faced, pretending I don’t see a soul. Inside, the ballroom air is thick. Feels like breathing in old spells and fake laughter. Then I spot her, Selene Aldair. My fiancée. She’s tall, pale, way too perfect for real life. Her ice-blue dress looks like it’s made out of water, lips painted blood-red, hair twisted up like she’s wearing her own crown. She turns, pins me with that look, the one that says she owns me already. “Lucian,” she purrs, smiling too wide. “Try not to look so angry. You’ll ruin the photos.” I don’t bother answering. Just stare at her hand, silver ring gleaming. The binding ring. Feels like a chain yanking at my chest. Suddenly hard to breathe. Her father’s there too. Lord Aldair. The High Council’s head honcho. Only guy in this room with more power than me, and he knows it. His smile’s all frost and secrets. “Tonight,” he intones, slapping a heavy hand on my shoulder, “marks the beginning of a great future.” All I do is nod. I’ve learned to smile when I want to scream. Jax, my Beta, sidles up, muttering, “Council spies. At least five.” “I see them,” I say, grabbing a glowing drink off a passing tray. Down it fast. It scorches all the way down. Selene watches, lips curling like she’s already won. Joke’s on her, I feel like the loser here. I fake a call, phone to my ear, and slip away. Quiet, quick. Duck out a side door. Cold air smacks me in the face. Finally, I can breathe. Stars overhead, sky black and endless. For a second, I want to bolt into it, just disappear. Then something hits my nose, a wild scent. Pine needles, smoke, and something... male. My wolf perks up, growling under my skin. What the... ? Crash. Behind me, something clatters. I spin. A tray’s on the ground, and this guy stumbles out of the service door. Stops dead when he sees me. He’s tall, broad-shouldered, dark hair all messy. Face is sharp, with a scar slicing down his cheek. One eye gold, the other green. Weird. Beautiful. Dangerous. He locks eyes with me and boom. My heart goes dead silent. My wolf’s practically vibrating. Mate. I step back, heart pounding. No. No, not possible. He’s a guy. He raises an eyebrow. “Problem?” Voice smooth, too casual. He walks closer. Way too close. Sets the tray down, then steps in again. Now he’s in my space. Way past polite. “Go,” I tell him, barely a whisper. “Why?” he asks, voice soft, almost teasing. He brushes past, and our hands touch. Just for a second. But that’s all it takes. A spark. A jolt, hot, sharp, electric. My breath catches. Mate mark flickers, glowing faint, burning just under my skin. I stagger back, dizzy. “What… what trick is this?” My voice is shaky. He just smiles. Not mean, not smug. Calm, like he knows the punchline to the joke I’m in. “You tell me, Alpha,” he says, voice low and steady. My wolf howls, deep in my chest. Not just a sound, a pull. A need. Can’t ignore it. My wolf’s pacing, restless, itching to leap out. No. No, this can’t be real. I’m not supposed to feel this. Not for him. I’m engaged to Selene. She’s in there, waiting, all smiles. Cameras flashing. Spies everywhere. Council eyes on us. But honestly? None of it matters right now. My wolf’s already made his choice. Footsteps. Jax’s voice, getting closer. Panic spikes. I grab the guy’s wrist, yanking him into a shadowy hallway. “Who are you?” I hiss. “Kai,” he says, cool as you please. His eyes just burned in the shadows. Seriously, what the hell kind of magic was this? My voice barely made it out, a shaky, “What magic is this?” He got way, way too close. Personal-space-panic-level close. “I didn’t do anything,” he murmured, voice all secret and dark. “You felt it. Right?” Yeah, I felt it. God, did I feel it, every inch of me buzzing like I touched a live wire. Next thing I knew, I had him slammed up against the wall, fists twisted in his coat. My heart was going nuts, breath all ragged. He just stared. Didn’t flinch, didn’t blink, just looked at me like he’d already memorized my nightmares. “Say something,” I hissed. “Lie to me. Pretend none of this is real.” He leaned in even closer, his lips barely grazing my jaw, soft as a secret, warm enough to make me ache. “I would,” he said, almost grinning, “but your wolf already picked me.” And I just stopped. Everything stopped. Then I kissed him, hard, wild, like I’d been starving for this, like it was a fight and I was finally letting myself lose. And hell, maybe I didn’t want it to end.