Mated to the Enemy

Chapter 14

— Jet —

We weren’t alone, I could sense someone following us, but they had been keeping their distance. Waiting, watching, and they weren’t with a pack. Was it her father? I shook my head, don’t be stupid, Jet, she’s fae… her father wouldn’t be a wolf.

I wished Danny would tell me more, open up to me, but she wasn’t ready, and I didn’t want to push her while her body quaked in my arms. I knew if we got to the portal, the wolf would report back to its pack instead of following, but what if a fae was waiting for us there?

“Ralph, go take care of our tail,” I ordered while trying to think of what our next move would be.

“Having your mate has made you more bossy,” he teased, but he wasn’t wrong. I was more terrified than ever about losing her now that I found her, and that made me edgy. Ralph has been trying to get me to accept my alpha responsibilities even before we became rogues, and now that I had my mate so close, I wanted to do everything I could to protect her. My wolf was stronger with her around, and we wanted to lead with her by our side.

Any wolf that was against a fae being their luna wouldn’t be welcome in my pack. My pack, I thought wistfully regarding the fact that I wanted that family in my life. My mother’s pack was scattered, but the land… it was rightfully mine to accept in her absence.

And a pack of my own, I would accept any wolf that needed a home, needed a family. Rogue or not. Fae or… Fae, how would my pack accept fae on our land when it was fae that took our alpha, and murdered our kin?

Danny was different…

They would have to accept her, but others?

No, only Danny.

She hasn’t been tainted with the blood lust of her heritage.

There was kindness in her soul, and werewolves were not toys or food for her pleasure. That much I knew when she stayed by my side when she could have left me to my fate. She stayed. Protected a rogue.

“He came without protest,” Ralph said while motioning behind him.

“That’s not exactly how I meant for you to take care of him,” I realized we weren’t talking through mindlink, and Danny seemed to blink out of her dazed state.

“What are you doing?” Danny scrambled out of my arms, and a pang of regret went through me at the loss of contact. But when I saw she wasn’t looking at me I glared at the male that made her uncomfortable. It was that beta from before, the one that Willow ran to when I denied her.

“I came alone,” he insisted with his hands up in mock surrender.

I didn’t believe him for a second. Alone perhaps for now, but spying for his pack.

“How?” Danny took a step back, and tugged at her hair to make sure her ears were covered. He doesn’t know what she is? Did the rising alpha not share that bit of information with him?

“You have my mark…” he cast his eyes down to the ground with guilt, and I stepped forward in warning. How dare he insinuate such a thing? But when he lifted his glowing eyes back up to me, he didn’t cower, didn’t flinch in his claim. He truly thought Danny was his mate… Pain radiated within my gut, clenching and wrenching through my nerves like fire and I whipped my attention back onto Danny. I needed her to deny this claim. I needed her to tell me it wasn’t true that she didn’t accept him, but there was doubt sown into my soul that answered back before she did. Of course, she didn’t feel the bond between us if she had already accepted another.

But it couldn’t have been complete, or I would have sensed that. He hasn’t bitten her.

Not yet.

Would she reject me here in front of the male who claims she has his mark? How else would he have found us so quickly?

How did I not notice before that there was another’s scent on her?

She scoffed, and I grinned in appreciation at her refusal of him.

“You sprayed me…” she said with a cute wrinkle in her nose. Did she not enjoy the smell? The thought was appealing that she should think any other male to be dissatisfying while it was me that she licked her lips of my blood, my scent, my essence inside of her. I licked my own lips thinking about her own juices on my tongue, I could still smell her on me. He seemed to notice the way I relished this hidden fact, and he clenched his fists at his sides to stop himself from attacking right there.

Those bright eyes of his glowered, and it only made me preen more as I adjusted myself to lean in closer to my mate.

My mate, I thought reassuring myself, but this other male made it difficult to keep my claws in check, or my fangs from aching at the ready for a fight. All my wolf wanted to do was pin him to his back and press the weight of my alpha aura on him until he submits, backing away from his claims. But this wasn’t my decision alone, and until we were fully mated I had to wait.

“Come with me,” he lifted his hand for her, but knew better than to approach. His amber eyes darted over to me in warning to let her make her own decision, not to influence her or drag her away. Would she accept his offer? “Whatever Holden told you, he doesn’t mean any harm. He’s a jackass, but he’s promised you have a home with the Blood Crests. Whether that’s with me or not. We can’t stay out here, fae have been spotted in our borders.”

He paused, but seeing Danny continue to stare at him he continued, “Holden went to guard the ceremony, all wolves are to remain together for the rest of the night taking shifts to protect the pack. The rogue can go free, chalk it up to priorities. I’m the only one who’s followed you this far, but I won’t leave you out here. Come back with me, please,” he was begging now, a desperation in his voice. He cared for her… and there was a familiarness in his tone that suggested history together. I didn’t like it. I wasn’t standing by any longer.

“Let’s go.” I was now the one offering her my hand, and she glanced between it and his like it was a difficult choice to make. I snapped my hand back feeling bitten by her rejection, but trying to smooth it over by making a small wave as if I meant only to gesture her in the direction away from our interloper.

Danny took another step back from both of us, shaking her head. Her small fingers reached up to pull back her hair, and tuck it behind her ears. She jutted her chin out in defiance of the very thing that plagued the borders of the Blood Crests, she was fae.

The look on his face was one of shock, and bewilderment, but he quickly shook it off replacing it with one of determination.

He smirked before saying, “Danny, by goddess you are beautiful.”

I growled at that, he was scum if he thought a few pretty compliments were going to fool her into mating with him.

“Lauren…” his name on her lips so soft… it was more than I could bear.

“The king will understand, we can face him together,” he kept his hand out stretched for her.

“Then we would both die,” she shoved a reality pill down his throat.

He blanched, not having considered that possibility. He was naive if he thought he could convince the Lycan King to do anything but slaughter her on sight. I would build a pack so powerful that the king would ignore us rather than force us to war, and if he did I’ve already proven I had no problem stepping down as alpha to live freely as a rogue. I’d fight, but I would also abandon everything for her.

Whatever she wanted, it would be hers… if only she’d look my way.

We stayed too long, distracted by Lauren for too long when a wave of nausea hit me. A miasma of power that felt like violence and death spewed over the forest. I couldn’t wait any longer, I grabbed Danny despite her shocked state… she felt it too. She went limp in my arms and I launched us as fast as my legs could take us through the trees, trying to outrun the rot cloying at our backs.