Fated To The Enemy

Sieze the moment

Lila’s wrists burned from the cable ties that Derek had used to restrain her. The thin plastic biting into her skin with every movement.

She winced as she tried to shift, but her determination far outweighed the pain.

Her wolf, Sara, might be silent, but she was still a fighter, and she refused to remain a pawn in Derek’s twisted game any longer.

She reminded herself of who she was. Daughter of an Alpha, and a Lycan princess — and if she could just find a way out, she’d fight with everything she had, even though her body was still weak from the wolfsbane.

Her eyes scanned the room, assessing every detail, every possible escape route. Her gaze caught on a small, barely noticeable sharp edge on one of the window frames. It wasn’t much, just a tiny metal protrusion, but it was enough. If she could just get to it…

Shifting her weight in the chair, she maneuverered herself until her hands brushed the edge of the frame. Her arms were stiff, sore from the restraints, but she ignored the discomfort.

She began to rub the cable ties against the sharp metal, each drag sending jolts of pain through her already raw wrists. The plastic began to break slowly under the pressure.

The tension built in her chest as she worked, her breath shallow and quick with the urgency of it all. Her arms ached, her skin stung, but she kept going.

Just a little more, she thought, gritting her teeth. She couldn’t stop. The sound of the cable tie snapping was like music to her ears. A small but powerful victory that gave her one step forward.

Lila pulled her hands free, her wrists throbbing and raw, but the relief of freedom flooded her senses.

She massaged the angry red marks on her skin, trying to get some feeling back into her fingers. The broken ties fell to the floor with a dull thud, and for the first time since Derek had locked her away, she felt a glimmer of hope.

Slowly, she stood, but her legs were weak, trembling beneath her weight. The wolfsbane still coursed through her veins, making her feel as though she could collapse at any moment, but Lila fought through it. This was her chance! If she didn’t act now, she might not get another.

She took a steadying breath, her mind flashing back to Rowan’s warning that Derek was in a dangerously foul mood, made worse by the situation with Alex.

Lila had felt the full force of his wrath earlier, the betrayal pains still fresh and lingering inside her.

Turning her attention to the window, she looked outside, her heart sinking. She was too high to make an escape through it. There was no way down without risking a deadly fall.

Clenching her jaw, she pulled a bobby pin from her hair and quietly approached the door instead. She wasn’t going to give up.

A flicker of that woman touching Derek flashed through her mind, hardening her resolve. She refused to be broken.

She thought of Avery, her best friend who was still in danger, but she reassured herself that Rowan would take care of her. He had to. Avery was his mate, after all.

As Lila worked the bobby pin into the lock, her thoughts betrayed her resolve. Despite everything, despite the pain, anger, and betrayal, she couldn’t deny the magnetic pull Derek had over her.

His presence alone was enough to send her heart racing, not just with fear, but with something deeper that she hated to admit to herself.

His powerful frame, the way his muscles tensed under his shirt, and the intensity in his stormy eyes that seemed to see through her every time he looked at her.

The memory of his touch, as much as she tried to push it away, sent shivers down her spine. Even the scent of him lingered in the air around her, an irresistible mixture of danger and desire.

Why did it have to be this way? she thought, her fingers trembling against the lock. If things had been different, if Derek wasn’t her enemy, maybe they could have had a future together.

There was no denying the spark of the mate bond, a fire that could have been something beautiful.

She imagined a life where the two of them weren’t bound by pack loyalties or violent histories. A life where they stood together, leading side by side, building a family. The thought was absurd given the current situation.

But as much as she hated Derek for everything he’d done, the pull between them was undeniable. Her heart fluttered at the thought of what they could have shared.

If only things were different, she thought, maybe we could have had something real. Something beautiful.

But that was a fantasy. Derek was who he was, and she was who she was. With a sigh, she steeled herself and pushed the door ajar.

She poked her head out, her eyes darting left and right as she scanned the hallway. It was empty. Her pulse quickened. Now’s my chance. She thought to herself.

Without a second thought, she slipped into the hallway, closing the door quietly behind her. The silence was deafening, her own breathing too loud in her ears as she moved swiftly, trying to find a way out.

The hallway stretched out before her, a maze of closed doors and dim lighting.

She tried each door she passed, but they were all locked, trapping her with no clear path to escape. Panic began to creep in as she realized her options were running out.

Her heart pounded in her chest, her breath coming quicker as she was forced to turn around and head in the opposite direction.

Suddenly, footsteps echoed down the hall coming towards her. The sound sent a cold rush of fear racing through her veins.

The footsteps grew louder, closer, steady, unhurried, as if whoever was approaching knew they had all the time in the world.

Lila’s pulse thundered in her ears but she refused to feel terror she had to stay strong.

She glanced down the hall, seeing no exit, nowhere to hide. The corridor was too long, the shadows too shallow to offer her cover. She was trapped.

Her breathing became ragged as the footsteps continued, echoing like a death knell in the silent hallway.

Her mind raced through possibilities. Derek? Rowan? She would not be able to take them on in her weakened state.

Please let it be someone else she prayed. She swallowed hard, her throat dry, her palms slick with sweat as she positioned herself into a fighting stance.

A dark figure appeared at the end of the hallway, silhouetted against the dim light. Their movements were slow, almost taunting, as they approached.

Lila’s breath hitched in her throat, her entire body trembling with the anticipation of what was coming. Her fingers gropped her bra for the shard of glass she had wrapped in paper earlier. She praised herself for her resourceful thinking.

The footsteps stopped, just feet away.

Lila held her breath, her body coiled tight like a spring, ready to lash out if she had to. She didn’t know if she could fight, not with how weak she felt, but she wasn’t going down without trying. Her shard of glass may just save her.

The figure stepped into the light...