Bound to Enemy

6

That was how it was meant to be. That was how it was supposed to be. The gift was to both packs and not just theirs. They left us defenseless, and when called upon, they ignored our call.

"I loathe you and your people. All you know is selfishness and hatred. There is nothing that you bring to this world but darkness. You are just as bad as the rogues themselves."

He pressed the dagger against the soft part of my flesh, slicing the skin and causing a sharp sting to radiate through my neck.

The blue in his eyes melted away and the black of his pupils spread. I could see the slight amber peeking through, and I knew that his wolf was fighting to come forward.

I gulped.

I would be lying if I said the thought of facing a full-fledged alpha was not terrifying because it was. When a wolf became a fully realized alpha, they were gifted with enhanced speed, strength, and size. And every alpha carried a special attribute that was their unique power.

Daxton's father was a highly skilled hunter. He had a killer instinct that made him lethal on the battlefield. My father was able to pierce into a wolf's mind without needing a blood connection. Those were some of the rare abilities.

I had no idea about Daxton's, but there was a reason they called him Rogue Slayer.

Daxton leered toward me, his teeth elongating into fangs. "I am nothing like that abomination, do you hear me?"

I held his gaze, not wanting to be forced into submission, but his alpha tone was strong. But I had held onto my strength.

I was no runt. I was an alpha, and I had earned my stripes.

"Learn your place, Alessandra." The way he spoke my name sent shivers up and down my spine. It was a culmination of fear, anger, and intrigue.

There was the logical part of me that knew not to push him further, but then there was the other side to me that wanted to see just how far I could go before he finally snapped.

Daxton looked like he walked around with a stick up his ass. I wanted to see him come undone and lose his control. But was losing my own life in the process worth it?

I held his gaze, not wanting to be the one to break first. The tension in the air grew thicker.

A thin red liquid poured from my neck as he held the dagger against my throat. All he needed to do was apply a little more pressure and I would be done for.

I dared him with my eyes. I wanted to see if he would actually do it.

His eyes glowed, his wolf taking further control.

I was fully prepared for him to do it, but just when I thought that he would slice me right through, he pulled back and dropped the dagger to the floor. He pushed his wolf back, his eyes returning to their normal color.

"We have a meeting to attend, sweetheart." He stepped back.

With those parting words, he turned on his heel and walked down the hall to my father's study, leaving me bleeding and at a loss for words.

If this was how we behaved when we had only met, then I wondered just how catastrophic our marriage was going to be.

Goddess help us all.

CHAPTER 4

ALESSANDRA

I

sat across from the asshole who had a dagger pressed against my neck less than an hour ago.

My father's study was thick with tension.

My father kept staring at the now-healing wound on the side of my neck. He would have questions after this, I was sure. And I would tell him the truth: I tried to kill my fiancé but failed.

That was sure to get his blood boiling.

My father still believed that Daxton and his pack were like an answered prayer, but I knew better. Blood Born only ever served themselves.

Why now? They had managed to keep the wolves at bay all this time, so why did they suddenly want to broker a deal? Something didn't make sense.

Elliot, Daxton's beta, cleared his throat. He looked from me to my father and then back again. He was the one I had to blame for all of this. He was the one who convinced not only my father but his alpha that this arrangement would prove fruitful for all parties.

He was on my list.

"As per our agreement, Alpha Ezekiel, we will offer the bolstering of your shield with the moonstone. And in addition, you will give us the archives of the moonstone and access to some of your senior healers."

"Excuse me?" I looked at my father in disbelief. "They want to take our history too? No, absolutely not."

My father raised his hand in a motion to tell me to calm myself. But how could I be calm when this savage had come into our home and demanded not only me as his mate but our history as well? A history that had not been tainted by their lies and self-absorption.

"They will not take the archives forever, Ale. They only want to research about the moonstone."

"The same stone that they took from the sacred place?" My wolf was livid, and I agreed with her sentiments.

But my question went unanswered when my father looked to the alpha to continue speaking.

"After the rogues are dealt with, we will require a slight expansion of land. I think we can use part of Lake Rova that just touches our southern borderline."

"No," again, I replied to him without hesitation.

Daxton's eyes cut back to where I sat. "Quiet, Alessandra, the adults are speaking right now."

"Watch your tongue, Daxton," I sneered his way. "We are already giving you access to some of our best healers, not to mention the old texts of the moonstone. We will not give you our land."

"I'm not asking you," his green eyes took on a darker hue. "You are here as a favor. I didn't want you in this meeting; your father requested you be present, but only if you were silent."

I ground the back of my teeth together. The pressure was so intense I felt the c***k of my enamel.

"Daxton, watch yourself. She is my daughter and heir."

"My son will be your heir." Daxton whipped his head in my father's direction. "She is not your heir anymore."

"As long as I'm alive and have not given birth, then I am still the heir to this pack. Watch yourself, Vale, before I rip your tongue from your mouth." From the moment I had laid eyes on this man, he had been nothing but patronizing. He was trying to push me over the edge, and I could see the little glint in his eyes every time he dug his knife a little deeper.

Daxton removed his eyes from my face and turned back to my father. "As I was saying, we will require the land by Lake Rova."

My father stared my fiancé down. His face showed me that he wanted to speak, but my mouth opened on its own accord before he could even speak.

"We give nothing to murderers."

This caught everyone's attention. Elliot's eyes narrowed on me, and Daxton looked like he was ready to hurl me right across the room.

"Excuse me?" Elliot spoke up for the first time. "We are not murderers."

I scoffed, "Of course you would say that. Your entire pack is complicit in the m******e of my people all those years ago."

"Alessandra," my father was trying to de-escalate the situation, but the only thing that would make any of this better was if this man left my land immediately.

"You don't know what you're talking about."