Fated To The Enemy

A Web of Disarray

Derek sat behind his desk, the papers in front of him a blur as his thoughts spiralled in a dozen directions.

The oil deal was an agreement that would bring incredible wealth to his pack. It should have held his full attention. He had spent months negotiating it, and with this last signature, it would be secured. But Lila dominated his mind.

He clenched the pen in his hand, a surge of guilt hitting him hard. Leaving her tied up, alone, had torn at him more than he cared to admit. He had walked away, angry. But the pull of the mate bond was relentless.

Every instinct screamed for him to go back to her. To apologize. His wolf was angry and refused to talk to him. Yet, he tried to force himself to stay focused.

Lila kept invading his thoughts. Rowan had convinced him to get the girls better accommodation. He had his warriors working the past few days to prepare his penthouse suite for them.

Just then Zane his most trusted warrior mind linked him.

“Alpha?” Zane’s voice came through the mind link, steady but expectant.

“Yes?” asked Derek

“The penthouse is ready and secure as instructed.”

“Good work. Bring Lila to my office. I left her in the CCTV room. I’ll take her to the penthouse myself,” Derek replied, the words firm, the thought of seeing her again made his pulse quicken.

“Understood. I’ll have her there in a few minutes,” Zane responded before cutting the link.

He shuffled the papers on his desk, trying to push the thoughts away. But even as he pretended to focus on the paperwork, his mind kept drifting back to her. Her stubbornness. Her strength. The way she looked at him with fire in her eyes, even when she was restrained and unshowered for days, she looked and smelled perfect.

She wasn’t just any wolf. She was his mate, and despite everything he had tried to do to suppress it, that bond gnawed at him, clawing its way to the surface every time he thought of her the hardness in his pants was uncontrollable.

A knock on the door startled him, and Rowan, his Beta, stepped inside. Derek knew by the look on his face that something was wrong.

“Alpha,” Rowan began, his voice tight with anxiety. “We have a situation. It’s Avery.”

Derek’s pulse quickened. Avery was Lila’s best friend and, more importantly, Rowan’s mate. Seeing the fear etched on his face, Derek felt a knot tighten in his chest.

“What happened?” Derek demanded, setting down his pen.

Rowan hesitated, glancing down at the floor as if he was ashamed. “There’s been a mistake. The wolfsbane we gave Avery… it was too much. It was meant for Lila, not her.”

Derek’s stomach dropped. “What?”

Rowan’s eyes flashed with guilt. “Lila’s of Alpha blood, she’s stronger. The dose was prepared for her, but it was administered to Avery at the same level. And now… the healer isn’t sure if Avery’s going to make it.”

A wave of cold washed over Derek. Guilt gnawed at him—guilt for having dragged his Beta’s mate into this. But what choice did he have he did not know that Avery was Rowan’s mate until after they had drugged and captured them.

“What are her chances?” Derek’s voice was quieter now, the reality of the situation bearing down on him.

“The healer is doing everything he can, but the overdose… it’s bad.” Rowan’s voice cracked. “But there’s one thing that might help.

The elder healer suggested I mark her. She said the Beta mark would strengthen her, speed up her healing and most importantly it will sever her connection to her pack. But…” His words trailed off, his face etched with conflict. “I can’t do it without her consent.”

Derek understood the problem of what Rowan was saying. Marking a mate was a sacred act, a bond forged through mutual consent and love. But Avery’s life was hanging in the balance. She might not survive without it.

“Rowan,” Derek said, his voice steady but firm, “this isn’t about tradition. It’s about saving her life. If marking her will help, then you have to do it. Consent doesn’t matter right now you can make it up to her when she is better. I accept Avery into the Blackwolf Pack”

Rowan looked torn, his eyes filled with anguish. “But she’s unconscious. She has no say in this. What if she wakes up and resents me for it?”

Derek shook his head. “If you don’t do it, she might not wake up at all. Do you want to live with that regret? Knowing you could have saved her?”

Rowan swallowed hard, his hands trembling. After a long pause, he finally nodded, though reluctance still clouded his features. “You’re right. I’ll do it.”

“Good,” Derek said softly. “Go now. Time is running out.”

Rowan turned to leave, but before he stepped out, he looked back at Derek. “Where’s Lila? I stopped by the room to update her about Avery but she was not there.”

Derek tensed, a fresh wave of guilt washing over him. “She’s secure for now. Zane is bringing her here and I’ll take her to the penthouse suite once I’m done here.”

Rowan stared at him for a long moment, as if he wanted to say something more, but instead, he nodded and left the room, closing the door quietly behind him.

Derek leaned back in his chair, rubbing a hand over his face. Avery was fighting for her life because of him. If she didn’t make it… he wasn’t sure how he could face Rowan, or Lila, for that matter.

A sudden, sharp pulse through the mindlink startled him.

“Alpha!” Zane’s voice came through, frantic and panicked.

Derek’s heart skipped a beat. “What is it?”

“Lila… she attacked me. She’s gone.”

Derek shot to his feet, his heart hammering in his chest. “What do you mean, she’s gone? She was tied up!”

“She broke free,” Zane replied, his voice laced with pain. “I tried to stop her, but she overpowered me. She’s stronger than we thought, Alpha. I—”

Derek cut the link, fury surging through him. He stormed out of his office, his footsteps echoing down the hallway.

How had Zane allowed this to happen? He trusted Zane, one of his best warriors, to handle the situation. To control Lila. But now she was loose, and the ramifications could be catastrophic.

When Derek reached the hallway to the room where Lila had been kept, the scent of blood hit him instantly. Zane was slumped against the wall, blood soaking through his clothing and dripping onto the floor. Derek’s eyes flashed with rage.

Zane’s face was pale, his breath ragged. “Alpha… I’m sorry…”

Derek crouched beside him, inspecting the wound. “What happened?”

“She broke free,” Zane wheezed, his voice strained with pain. “I tried to subdue her, but she fought like a wild animal. I wasn’t prepared for her to have something sharp”

Derek’s jaw clenched. “You should’ve been prepared.”

“I know,” Zane muttered, wincing in pain. “I underestimated her. She’s faster than I thought.”

Derek stood, his fury barely contained. His mind raced with the implications of Lila’s escape. She knew too much. If she made it back to her pack, she would expose what he had done, the council would surely interfere.

“Get to the healer,” Derek ordered coldly. “Now.”

Zane nodded weakly and staggered to his feet, stumbling out of the room. Derek stood there for a moment, staring at the open door where Lila had escaped. The cold dusk air blew in, chilling his skin, but the fire in his chest burned hotter than ever.

She had outsmarted him and was far stronger than he had thought.

Reaching out through the mind link, Derek connected with the pack’s best trackers. “Lila has escaped. Find her. Now. She’s on foot, wolfless, and desperate. Report to me the moment you catch her scent.”

He couldn’t afford to lose her. Not Now. His chest tightened with a mix of anger and regret.