Fated with the enemy pack’s Alpha

The mate bond

Zara’s POV

Ouch!”

A sharp gasp escaped my lips as Maya’s hand landed on my shoulder from behind.

She immediately pulled away, her eyes widening with concern.

“Sorry! I didn’t realize it still hurt that much.”

She hurried around to face me with guilt written all over her face.

It had been a week since the attack on the Vicious Howl Pack, and life had somehow returned to normal.

The pack had recovered, meetings continued, and everyone seemed fine. Well, everyone except me.

The days dragged by like an endless winter, each one blending into the next. I rubbed my shoulder and squeezed my eyes shut as another wave of pain shot through me.

The agony had started on the day of the attack. One moment I had been perfectly fine, and the next it felt as though a knife fresh from the fire had been driven straight into my shoulder. The pain never completely disappeared, it had lessened over the days, but still hurt to the touch.

“Are you sure you didn’t fall somewhere and injure yourself?” Maya asked for what felt like the millionth time.

I shot her an irritated look.

“Maya, we’ve practically been in this room together for the past eight days. If I had fallen, wouldn’t you know?”

She shrugged.

“Maybe you bumped into something.”

I groaned.

“Or maybe you’re becoming obsessed with this.”

“Should we call the doctor again?” she suggested.

I rolled my eyes so hard they nearly disappeared into my skull.

For some reason, Maya’s questions seemed to irritate me today. The doctor in question had examined me more than ten times already, and the report was always the same: there was nothing medically wrong with my shoulder.

I only rolled my eyes again and stood up to stare out through the window.

Then, a thought dropped into my mind. There was a doctor I hadn’t seen yet, the werewolf doctor.

“Maya!” I called out to her excitedly.

“The werewolf doctor, he would know what’s wrong, don’t you think?” I asked her.

“What, why didnt I think of that? Of course he’d know!” She replied, equally excited.

“We’ll get dressed at once and go find him. Where is my car key?” I hopped around the room, directing the question to no one in particular.

—————-

“You’re sure you know where we’re going?”

I tightened my grip on the steering wheel while Maya stared at her phone.

“Uh…”

That single word did not inspire confidence.

“That doesn’t sound very reassuring.”

She ignored me. “Take the next right.”

I followed her instructions.

The paved road gradually gave way to a narrower one lined with thick trees.

The deeper we drove, the quieter the world became. There were no houses or people, just endless forest.

A nervous knot formed in my stomach.

“Maya…” I called gently.

“Hmm?”

“You do realize we’re in the middle of nowhere, right?” I asked her.

She glanced up, then pointed forward excitedly.

“There!”

I followed her finger.

A large, elegant house stood alone among the trees. For a moment, it looked like something out of a fairy tale or a horror movie, I wasn’t sure which.

We parked and approached the slightly open gate.

The property was surprisingly beautiful. Flowers lined the pathway, and soft lights glowed from the windows.

Nothing about the house screamed “mysterious werewolf doctor”.

A woman welcomed us inside and led us to an office.

Five minutes later, the door opened and my expectations shattered.

The man who walked in was definitely not what I had imagined.

He was well-dressed, tall, and ridiculously handsome. Nowhere near old enough to fit my mental image of a wise, ancient healer.

I nudged Maya.

“Is that the doctor?” I whispered.

She nodded.

“I thought he’d be old,” I whispered.

The man chuckled.

Apparently, he had heard me.

“Most people do,” he said in an alluring baritone voice and heat rushed to my cheeks.

He settled into his chair and smiled warmly.

“You’re Alpha Hunter’s daughters.”

Both Maya and I straightened, surprised that he would recognize us.

“I recognized you immediately. Your father was kind to me when I was a young lad. I’ve never forgotten that.”

His smile softened.

“It’s good to see you both. What brings you here?”

“She has…” Maya started, but was cut off abruptly.

“I see that it’s you who has come to seek help,” he said, gesturing at me.

“Yes…ermm… I’ve been having this sudden shoulder pain, and the doctors said I’m fine. I thought you might know what’s wrong with me, and maybe have a solution for it.

The doctor stood up and took off his glasses, then sat again and put them on.

“Your hand?” He asked and I stretched out my right hand to him.

“No, the other one,” he said, pointing to my left hand.

He took it and sniffed long and hard. After about two minutes, a smile formed at the corner of his mouth and he looked up at me.

“The pain you feel is not yours” he said finally.

What the hell did that even mean? I looked sideways at Maya who appeared as confused as I was.

“Where is your mate?” He asked suddenly and my heart lurched forward.

Saliva got stuck in my throat and I coughed.

“Uhm… my mate… I don’t have one,” I said, feigning ignorance.

“Yes, your mate. You should find him. A mate bond has been activated between you and him, and the pain you are feeling is his pain,” he said and stood up to leave.

“You mean…”

The door shut gently and he was gone.

“We have our answer, come let’s go,” Maya said and pulled me up from the seat.

“But…” I protested.

“No buts, you heard the man. Get your ass up and let’s go home, we have a long way to drive and it’s unsafe at night,” she successfully pulled me away from the chair and dragged me to the car.

“I’ll drive,” she said, taking the keys from my hand and propping me into the passenger seat.

The entire ride home passed in a blur. I stared out the window while darkness swallowed the road.

A mate bond had been activated between us, and somehow, it connected me to him, an enemy, the one person fate should never have chosen for me.

“It was bound to happen eventually,” Maya said softly.

I didn’t answer.

“Honestly, I’m still trying to process the fact that your mate is our pack’s enemy. But once a bond exists, it always finds a way to surface.”

I ignored her and kept staring outside, letting the breeze blow through my hair, scattering it all over my face.

I needed encouragement, I needed someone to tell me that the doctor was wrong and he had misdiagnosed me, I needed hope, anything, and she clearly wasn’t helping.

By the time we reached the estate, I was thoroughly exhausted.

“Goodnight, Maya,” I hugged her briefly before heading inside.

She squeezed my shoulder and quietly left me alone. I made my way toward my quarters.

Halfway there, I spotted someone descending the staircase.

It was Melissa.

My steps slowed. What was she doing here? Her room was on the opposite side of the house and she had absolutely no reason to be here.

The moment she saw me, surprise flashed across her face, and for a split second, a look of guilt passed over her face. Almost immediately, the expression vanished.

“Hi,” I said cautiously.

Normally, Melissa would ignore me completely.

Instead, she hesitated, and then nodded.

“Hi,” and continued walking.

I frowned as I watched her disappear down the corridor.

A strange feeling settled in my chest.

Something wasn’t right, and for some reason, I couldn’t shake the feeling that Melissa had been in my room.