Bitten by My Enemy Alpha

Chapter 7: Mate

Henrietta creased her forehead, darkness engulfing her vision until something cold brushed her cheek. A chain. Then the rough texture of a blanket beneath her fingers. Then the sharp, metallic scent of... wolves.

Her eyes snapped open from the realization.

She sat upright instantly, though her body protested. Her wrists were bound with enchanted steel shackles that burned faintly against her skin, suppressing whatever remnants of her abilities were left.

She was finally able to see that a stone chamber surrounded her. It wasn't a dungeon from the Argenthal fortress, but close.

'A holding room,' she thought. She cast her gaze around, forehead knitting. 'Where am I?'

Before she could gather her scattered thoughts, she heard footsteps echoing before they stopped. And then the door unlocked.

There, appeared was the last person she ever wanted to see. Now that she recalled it, she wasn't dreaming at all that before darkness swallowed her, she thought she must be seeing him.

And the proof was here.

Gideon Marco Lacetti stepped inside.

He filled the doorway with his height and presence, his cold ocean-blue eyes locking on her instantly. Even without shifting, the air around him seemed to drone with Alpha dominance. A dangerous kind of calm radiated from him, the kind that promised violence if pushed.

Henrietta straightened despite her shackles, refusing to appear weak before the wolf who had ruined his life. From meeting him the first time, she never felt this frightening feeling looming over her despite his overwhelming strength and appearance. Now, with the blood of a beast tainted on her, she felt her wolf inside her brewing an unexplainable feeling that she couldn't fathom.

It was as if her wolf felt the opposite of the hatred she felt.

This caused her to be bewildered. It was bizarre that the wolf inside her thought differently from her.

To Henrietta, her wolf was like her inner voice, dressed up as someone with a conscience. That was how she perceived it.

His gaze lingered on the strand of red hair that had escaped the ring's fading illusion.

"So it wasn't a trick of the light," Gideon said quietly, stepping closer. "You really do have red hair."

Henrietta fought the urge to flinch. She was surprised that he was this sharp and vigilant. Her voice was still gone, her throat felt tight, and her body was exhausted. But her glare was piercing enough as if looks could kill, he would be dead meat by now.

Gideon watched her for a long, evaluating moment. He even scanned her facial features, trying to get to the bottom of his mind that something about her felt familiar.

"That scent..." he murmured, taking a step around her, circling. "I noticed it earlier... masked, faint, but indeed familiar." His gaze darkened. "Why does my wolf react to you?"

She stiffened. 'His wolf...?' Chills ran down her spine from that thought.

Gideon's voice dropped lower. A hint of danger infected the surroundings.

"Answer me, woman."

Her throat burned when she tried to speak. Her mouth felt parched from the days she had traveled away just so she could make a distance from her kins who had branded her to be purified. She couldn't even utter a word.

He noticed her attempt; his jaw tightened. "You can't speak? Or you won't?"

Though he knew the answer, he wanted to see if she was going to try at least.

And she didn't answer—couldn't.

Gideon reached out, gripping her chin. Not harsh, but firm enough to stop her from looking away.

"You crossed into my territory half-dead," he said. "You fought my patrol." His eyes squinted. "And something about you... feels wrong."

Henrietta met his gaze with as much defiance as her shaking body allowed.

"Who are you really?" he demanded. "And why do you smell like—" He cut off abruptly. Something flickered in his eyes. There was confusion, recognition, and instinct. Then, he continued, "...like you were mine once."

Her breath stilled. 'What did he say?' Amidst the confusion as she was deciphering his words, her wolf acknowledged them. 'Is she... happy?'

He released her and turned away abruptly, as if irritated with himself. "This is pointless. The illusion of your appearance is fading. The moment it breaks, I'll know exactly what bloodline you belong to."

Her heart hammered inside her chest.

'He'll know I'm Argenthal. He'll know I'm the one he bit. He'll know everything.'

She was panicking inside as regret washed over her. She was trying to understand that, of all places she would have to go, why did her feet drag her to the man who caused her immense downfall?

'Why is this happening to me?'

Gideon, with his sharp ears, heard the loud pounding of Henrietta's chest. He knew that this woman was hiding something, and he would know it soon. His voice snapped her back to reality.

"You will stay here until the pack doctor clears you," he said coldly. "Then I'll interrogate you properly." He reached the door, paused, and without turning back added, "And whoever you are... don't try to run again." His frigid tone struck her. "My wolves will scent you in seconds."

Then, he left, the heavy door locking behind him.

Henrietta exhaled shakily, her chest tight with dread. Her eyes darted at the illusion ring that was flickering again. It was weaker than the last time she saw it, and it was fading fast.

She squeezed her eyes shut, not knowing what to do.

'If my ring breaks... he'll see the red hair. The amethyst eyes. He'll know I'm an Argenthal hunter.' Her fingers twitched. 'And the man who ruined my life will finally recognize exactly who I am.'

She curled into herself, praying it would hold until she found a way to escape. But she knew that it was impossible.

She was weaker, couldn't even escape, and all she had to do was to wait for the death coming not from her kin, but from this man whom she hated.

In the meantime, Gideon stalked down the stone corridor, jaw clenched tight. His pack warriors stepped back without being told. His mood was a warning all on its own.

He tried to shove the confusion out of his head, but the woman's scent clung to him like a stubborn shadow. Not only that, his wolf wouldn't stop nagging him about her.

'It didn't make sense,' he thought.

To him, she smelled like blood and moonlight, like winter steel, like—

Mine.

His wolf had lunged inside him when he got close to her. Not violently, but instinctively. It was a recognition without reason.

He growled lowly in his throat as he turned a corner.

"Impossible," he muttered, clenching his hand.

He didn't recognize the woman. He'd never met her. And yet...

His wolf whispered again.

Mate.

Gideon slammed his palm against the wall, hard enough to crack the stone. His pack warriors exchanged glances and distanced themselves from him to give him some privacy.

"No," he uttered, gritting his teeth.

His wolf didn't get to choose. His destiny was already set. His life was already brutal enough.

He would not have the Moon Goddess mocking with some dying stranger who could barely stand.

'There was no way she was my mate! That's impossible!' He tightly shut his eyes. 'But her scent...' he trailed off, her scent still wafting in the area that made him want to return to her. He slowly opened his eyes. 'What if—'

His thoughts were shattered when a warrior ran up to him.

"Alpha, Doctor Rowan needs you. Now."

And Gideon didn't hesitate as soon as he heard it.

Meanwhile, Henrietta sat still as the pack doctor entered. It was a tall woman with pale eyes and a quiet presence. She approached cautiously, like someone examining an injured animal that might still bite.

"Stay still," the pack doctor murmured.

Henrietta didn't flinch when her cold fingers touched her face. The pack doctor, who could cast magic, swept over her. Her eyes were piercing as she was trying to see something in her soul.

Then Rowan froze. Her eyes widened. Her breath hitched as she looked at her as if she had grown another head.

"Your blood..." Rowan whispered.

Henrietta tensed. 'Did she detect it...?' she wondered, panicking.

"You are..." Rowan paused shakily. "I've only ever seen it in—"

Her words were cut off when the ring flickered violently.

Henrietta grabbed it instinctively, but it was too late. The illusion burst like a dying spark.

Right there and then, Henrietta's hair shifted in a wave of crimson. Her eyes burned into amethyst. Her skin regained its porcelain tone.

The pack doctor stumbled backward. Horror was evident in her face upon seeing Henrietta's real appearance.

"Oh Moon Goddess," Rowan whispered, her lips quivering. "You're an Arg—" Before she could finish her words, the door had slammed open.

Gideon stormed inside. His gaze snapped to Henrietta instantly as if like a metal immediately attached to a metal.

And when he saw her true face, he stopped breathing. His eyes widened in disbelief, shock, fury, and something rawer... something almost wounded.

Henrietta tried to turn away, forcing her hands to wrap around her as if that would comfort her, but it was futile. And she couldn't hide now.

Not from him.

It took Gideon a moment before he finally found his voice.

"Argenthal."

The way he mentioned her surname laced with venom, and it was enough to feel goosebumps crawling over her body.

Her shackles felt suddenly too tight. Her breathing felt suffocating as the room fell silent. Too silent that she didn't have the urge to fight back.

Gideon took one step toward her. "That night..." he murmured. "You're the hunter I bit..."

Henrietta's heartbeat thundered. She wanted to say something, but she couldn't. She wanted to scream at him about how he ruined her life with just a single bite that turned her into a creature she had been slaughtering, but it was impossible for her.

She had never felt so helpless. For a moment, her mouth wanted to utter Hezekiah's name.

Gideon stared at her as if the world had just tilted. "It was you," he declared. "Henrietta Vera Argenthal."