Bound to Enemy

19

"I need to know she's alright."

"She's fine," he ground out, "now leave."

"And who are you to tell me to leave? This is my pack, she is my mate, and I am⁠—"

The door to the healing room swung open and a depleted-looking Olivia leaned against the wooden threshold.

"Enough, Daxton," she panted.

Her skin gleamed with sweat and her baby hairs clung to her forehead. Her eyes looked tired and her skin was flushed from the treatment she had endured. Her arm was placed in a sling, likely to aid her healing process, and there were bright red bruise marks decorating her body.

This is what my actions had done to her.

"Alessandra..." I didn't even know where to begin.

"Ale, you should rest." Jason ran to her side like he always did and her eyes softened. Why did she hold such a soft spot for him? What made him so special to her?

"How can I rest when you two are bickering like children?" Her breathing was incredibly strained and she looked about ready to topple over. Her eyes moved from her aid to me; they hardened on me. "Are you happy with yourself now, Daxton? You did this for me."

I opened my mouth to speak but her words beat me to it.

"You hate me so much that you almost killed me in your fit of anger." The disdain in her tone did not go unnoticed. "I thought that I could give your people the benefit of the doubt but now I see that you are all monsters. You have no regard for life and you treat my people like mutts. We deserve better treatment than that, I deserve better treatment since you are supposedly meant to be my mate."

Her words were true and I wanted to apologize, but I knew that no matter what I said in this moment, it would only fuel her anger. The best thing that I could do right now was leave.

"Jason is right," I cleared my throat, "you should rest."

I gave her one long-lasting look and then I left. I didn't look back and I didn't attempt to speak with her for the next week. I knew she was angry and her anger was justified. But the longer I drew the avoidance on, the harder it became to speak to her.

CHAPTER 11

DAXTON

I

sipped on the bitter liquor and allowed it to soak my throat as it traveled down harshly.

I looked out at the back of the estate where they were setting everything up. The stage went up three days ago and the seating had been put down last night. When I went to bed, the entire place had been bare and lacked any sort of beauty. But now, there were white and blue roses decorating the entire area. It was a complete transformation, and I couldn't quite believe my eyes if I was being honest.

I had known that this day would come, but now that it was here, I would be lying if I said I wasn't shitting bricks. It had been a day that my mother had told me would stay with me for the rest of my life.

There was a subtle ache in the back of my chest.

My parents should have been here, but the war had robbed me of their presence. I sipped on the bourbon some more.

If I was going to get through this day, then I needed to add a little something to my system.

"Your goal is to walk up that stage alone, right?" Elliot came up beside me by the window.

He was dressed in all-white and blue attire to represent the colors of my pack. But unlike the rest of my male wolves, he wore a white sash with the cygnet of the beta. While mine had my family crest and my alpha cygnet.

"I'll be fine. I just need to make it through." I sipped on the bourbon, successfully draining my glass. "Could you get me another?"

He took the glass from me but made no attempt to refill it. When I turned to question him, he shook his head. He gave me this pensive look that was more like a father trying to reprimand their child.

"Have you spoken to her?"

For the past week and some days, he had been asking if I had smoothed things over with my wife-to-be.

"Like I told you, no." I grabbed the glass from him and made my way to the bar cart I had in my study. "And why should I? The incident is past, and she is healed."

"She may have healed physically, but she clearly holds quite a bit of resentment toward you." Elliot walked over to the bar cart and grabbed the bottle of bourbon from my hand. "Enough, Daxton. I understand that you don't like this union and you would much rather do away with this marriage, but a lot of people worked very hard in order to set this up. This has to do with more than just your wants and needs. The fate of our kind rests on our shoulders."

I hated that he was right. I ground my teeth together in annoyance but allowed him to place the bourbon back on the tray.

"You will need to speak to her eventually, you do know this, right?"

I nodded before I sighed heavily. "I do. I just don't know what I'm going to say to her. She is not my favorite person in the world, but what I did was unacceptable. I could have..."

I couldn't even bring myself to say the words. I was far too ashamed.

"I know, brother." Elliot placed his hand on my shoulder and gave me the slightest bit of reassurance, but it did nothing to lift my spirit. "You made a mistake, and these things happen to the best of us. Don't allow it to get to you."

How could I not? I had looked her father in the eye and promised I would take care of his daughter, and I had almost killed her.

My word was my bond, and I had gone back on it.

"Her father just got here."

My heart skipped a beat. f**k.

"Where is he?"

"From what I was told, he is downstairs waiting to meet with you."

"Does he know?"

My beta shrugged, "I can't be certain he does and I can't be certain he doesn't. But he does want to speak with you. He's been waiting down there for some time. I had wanted to give you a minute before I allowed him to come up."

I nodded and looked back out the large floor-to-ceiling windows. The wolves were all beginning to file into their seats to prepare for the ceremony.

The time was near, and even if I wanted to back out, I couldn't.

"Bring him up."

Elliot nodded and made his way out of my office, leaving me to my silent thoughts. My head had always been a safe space for me, but within recent days, I felt trapped there.