Fated To The Enemy

Inner Turmoil

My feet moved silently through the woods, but my heart felt like it had been left behind at the stream. Each step away from Derek deepened the wound, the pain clawing at me with every breath. How could the Moon Goddess be so cruel?

She had bound me to Derek Blackwolf—the boy who had once been my best friend, the one I had shared my dreams with before everything fell apart. Now, he wasn’t just a boy anymore. He was the Alpha of my enemy’s pack, a living reminder of the bloodshed and loss that had torn us apart.

It stung even more to realize I couldn’t reject him. The bond was out of my hands. As an Alpha, it was Derek who held the power to reject me, not the other way around. I couldn’t sever the tie that bound us. The rules were clear—only an Alpha could initiate the rejection of a fated mate, and that left me at his mercy, no matter how desperately I wanted to be rid of him.

As the edge of my territory came into view, I slowed, my eyes drifting to the pack house in the distance. It loomed like a fortress, a silent sentinel standing guard over the lives within.

The structure was built from weathered stone and dark wood, exuding an air of authority and power. High arched windows lined the exterior, casting a faint glow onto the grounds, while thick ivy crept up the walls, weaving itself into the cracks as if trying to hold everything together. This place was supposed to be my sanctuary, but tonight, it felt like a gilded cage.

I slipped through the trees, careful to avoid the guards and patrolling wolves. The last thing I needed was someone noticing my ragged state or asking questions I couldn’t answer. It wasn’t just the tears in my eyes that needed hiding, but the raw turmoil inside, the helplessness that festered with each passing second.

Derek’s face flashed in my mind, his amber eyes filled with a mixture of conflict and something else—possessiveness. I had seen the way his gaze lingered on me, the subtle clenching of his jaw when I’d tried to reject him. His hands had gripped me with the kind of authority only an Alpha could wield, as if he could command me to stay bound to him simply by refusing to let me go. And he could. That was the cruelest part of all.

A bitter laugh escaped my lips. How naïve I’d been to believe I had any control over my own fate. The Moon Goddess had tied me to a man who had the power to keep me whether I wanted it or not.

I hated him for that, hated him for holding the strings to a bond that would continue to unravel my life.

When I reached the pack house, I ascended the grand staircase, my footsteps soft but heavy with resentment. Inside, the air was thick with the scents of cedarwood and fresh-cut flowers, a stark contrast to the turmoil swirling in my chest.

Even here, in my own territory, I was trapped, bound by an invisible thread that tightened every time I thought of Derek.

In my room, I twisted the doorknob and stepped inside, the reality of it all crashing over me like a tidal wave. I wasn’t just losing Derek again; I was losing any chance of making my own choices. It wasn’t just about the packs or the arranged marriage. It was about Derek having the final say in my fate.

I collapsed onto my bed, the tears that had threatened to spill now flowing freely. The bond was supposed to be sacred, something to cherish, but to me, it felt more like a chain.

Curling into myself, I buried my face in the pillow, trying to drown out the thoughts racing through my head. How could I ever convince Derek to reject me?

Even if he didn’t want this bond, his Alpha instincts might compel him to keep me close just to maintain control. That’s what Alphas did—command, control, and claim. And I hated that I was powerless to fight it.

As I lay there in the quiet darkness, Sara’s voice cut through my thoughts, low but determined.

“You know, there’s still a choice here, Lila. You could go to him. Derek is our mate, the one the Moon Goddess chose. You felt that connection—you know it’s real.”

My heart twisted painfully at the thought, the image of Derek’s intense, amber eyes flashing in my mind. “Sara… it’s not that simple. You saw how complicated this is. We’re on opposite sides of a war that’s draining us. Marrying Marcus could help our pack recover, give my brother a future…”

"But there’s something more at stake here. The Moon Goddess wouldn’t have tied you to someone like Derek just for you to throw it away on a marriage you don’t want.”

My chest tightened, but I forced myself to stay steady. “This isn’t just about me, Sara. Our pack needs this alliance. Jacob needs a chance to grow up without constantly fighting for survival.”

“Maybe. But at what cost, Lila?” Sara’s voice was barely a whisper, filled with an ache that mirrored my own. “I just don’t want you to give up on a bond that could actually make us happy.”

I stayed silent, my heart caught in the painful truth.

Eventually, sleep began to claim me, but as I drifted off, one thought lingered in the back of my mind: If Derek refused to reject me, then I would have to find another way to break the bond.