Fated. Enemy Mine.

by Ariel Lei

  “I won’t mark you,” he said, breathlessly, “not unless you swear complete loyalty to me.” He pulled his head away from her so that he could see her expression. She was as breathless as he was. Her cheeks were flushed pink. Her mouth was swallowed from their hot kiss. Her blue eyes still sparkled with lust. He tightened his hands into fists and fought the urge to kiss her again. He lowered her onto the floor and took a step back to put some distance between them.

  “You need to choose a side, Neoma,” he said, sternly. He watched her brow crease. He could imagine the gears turning in her head. See the silent debate in her eyes.

  “You rejected me,” she whispered. He nodded his head slowly.

  “I did. Because we are enemies. But if you choose to side with me we can work out our issues. We are mates. We will always be mates. But our future is in your hands now. You have until tomorrow night to make up your mind.”

  Make the right choice. Choose me. He wanted her more than he’d ever wanted any woman. She seemed so perfect for him. She was strong, yet she was also submissive. And beautiful. When he was kissing her, he felt complete. He knew, deep in his heart, that he wouldn’t feel that way with another. He just hoped that she felt the same.

  “You have until tomorrow night to make up your mind,” he reminded her, before leaving her cell. Tomorrow night, he’d get his answer from Neoma. But not the way she thought.

  Actions speak louder than words. Only through her actions would he know if she could trust her.

  Neoma.

  Neoma stood unmoving for a few minutes after Mason left, trying to process what he’d said. She was in shock, and was still dazed from the intense make out session she’d had with him.

  Choose a side. Swear loyalty to him. Does that mean he wants me? Her stomach tightened at the thought of him wanting her. What about my dad, Amelia, Sian and the rest of the Pack? They mean the world to me. She was so confused.

  There was a big part of her that wanted to swear loyalty to him. She was in love with him despite everything that had happened between them. But, if she gave into him and gave him her loyalty, she would be betraying her Pack.

  What am I thinking? she questioned herself. My Pack is my family. Mason wants to destroy them. And he would expect me to help. She squeezed the bridge of her nose and shook her head. She yearned for her mate, but if she gave into him it would be at the cost of everyone she cared for. It was a high price to pay.

  This should be an easy decision to make. Mason complicated it. And she only had until tomorrow night to decide. She had little time to make up her mind. She needed longer. It’s not fair. Tears streamed down her cheeks. Either way, whatever decision she made, she knew both would break her heart. But it would be a win-win for Mason.

  She let out a sigh and walked over to the bed. She wanted to pretend the amazing kiss with him had never happened. It had messed with her mind. She climbed into the bed, knowing she wasn’t going to get any sleep. The conflict inside of her caused too much despair. Her mind was in turmoil.

  Chapter Eight.

  Neoma.

  Neoma was on the bed with her legs curled at her side and the blanket over her. She was restless, wondering how long it had been since Mason had given her the choice.

  Jake had gone into her cell to give her food and water. She was surprised he hadn’t injected her with wolfbane. It was odd. Every day so far, she’d been given it to keep her weak and from being able to communicate through the Pack link to Wade. Why was today so different?

  She still hadn’t made up her mind yet on who she was going to choose. I need to make a decision soon. Mason could show up at any minute demanding an answer. She wondered what he would do to her if she told him she couldn’t choose. She guessed he’d probably have her tortured none stop until she gave him information about her Pack. Of course, she wouldn’t tell him anything.

  I could end up being trapped here for years. The thought depressed her. She liked her freedom too much to be trapped. She was missing the quiet serenity the forest offered. The smell of the earth, and the feel of the wind against her flesh. The image of her father came to mind, of him fishing with her in the stream near their camp. His dark blue eyes sparkling with love when he looked at her. His comforting embrace. He was a good father. He’d never done anything to hurt her or anyone else in their Pack. The thought of him killing an innocent woman was ridiculous. Mason was wrong. He had to be. If only she could get him to see that her father was a good man, and his father had been wrong about him.

  Maybe I could get close to him, and then beg him to leave my Pack alone. Or give him false information about them, and try to escape. She shook her head. It wouldn’t be that easy. If she agreed to swear loyalty to Mason, he would still have her watched like a hawk. She wouldn’t be able to escape. And he’d want all the information she had on her Pack, and would check it out to make sure she was telling the trust. Her game would be up before it had even started. It’s hopeless, she thought, miserably.

  The light in the cell suddenly started flickering. Neoma frowned, hearing the door unlock. Just as it opened, the light went off, and the room fell into darkness. This had never happened before. She couldn’t see in the dark because she didn’t have her werewolf sight yet, so she remained unmoving, and kept her breathing quiet while she listened for footsteps.

  A few minutes passed and there was no sign of anyone entering the cell. She was becoming anxious now. Was someone playing a game with her? “Hello?” she whispered. Maybe Mason was trying to scare her? “Is someone there?”

  “Neoma?” A croaky voice whispered back. Her eyes widened in surprise. She stood up.

  “W...Wade?” A hand touched her arm, and she jumped in fright.

  “There you are. I couldn’t see you in the dark because the wolfbane is blocking my abilities.” Neoma was too stunned to reply.

  “It’s okay, Neoma. The power went out. We need to go before the guards get here.” She hesitated. “Now.” He started pulling her across the room.

  “Are you mad?” she hissed. He couldn’t possibly be thinking of escaping. “What if we -” He shushed her, and continued leading her out of the cell. She took hold of his hand and held on to it tightly. She felt the door brush her arm as they passed it. He turned, and she followed blindly.

  “I’m getting you out of here even if it’s the last thing I do,” he whispered, determinedly.

  “But the guards?” she questioned, tripping over her own feet. Wade steadied her.

  “We’ve been here for almost a week. I’ve had enough time to study certain things while I have been dragged from my cell to the torture room each day. Three guards check up on us two times a day. There are cameras outside each cell, and viewing windows to see inside. The Alpha must be confident enough with his security to leave us ungraded most of the day,” he explained, his tone hushed. Neoma shook her head.

  “I don’t like this. It could be a trap.”

  “Or our Pack have come to rescue us and found a way to shut off the electricity to this building,” Wade retorted. He stopped moving, and she nearly bumped into his back. She heard the sound of a handle turning. Moments later, a door opened in front of them, spilling nightlight into the corridor they were in. Wade pulled her outside quickly, looking around to make sure the area was clear. It was dark. They were surrounding by trees. Neoma guessed they were in the woods not far from the main forest area.

  “Let’s go,” Wade hissed, making her follow him in a quick run. They ran straight ahead and disappeared into the trees, leaving their prison behind. They ran for about three minutes, and Neoma’s bare feet were starting to hurt from treading on sharp rocks. Wade still looked beaten and bruised, and she wondered if he had the strength to keep up their fast pace. She was already getting tired due to the leftover wolfbane in her system. But, it was starting to wear off because of not being injected with it earlier.

  “If our Pack has come to rescue us wouldn’t we have seen them by now,” she asked, breathlessly. Wade r
emained silent. It was all the answer she needed. Their Pack weren’t here. Unease settled low in her stomach. Looking up, she saw that the sky was full of grey clouds. It was going to rain. She could almost smell the moister in the air. And the wind was starting to pick up.

  “Do you even know where we are going? We could be miles into Mason’s territory,” she said, tugging on Wade’s hand to get his attention. Just then, she felt the first drop of rain hit her forehead.

  “We’re only a couple of miles in. If it rains heavily enough, it will help wash away our scent. Once we hit the border, we’ll be safe. Mason won’t chase us if we cross onto Alpha Kruz’s territory. We’ll get onto no man’s from there,” he finally spoke.

  “This is a bad idea,” Neoma protested, wiping her face as more rain started to fall. “If they catch us things are going to get worse. And I don’t think I can keep my act up anymore.” Her foot hit a twisted root, and she stumbled forwards onto her stomach. She winched in pain. Wade stopped and turned towards her. He was breathing heavy. He looked worn-out. Neoma started to push herself back up.

  “Act?” he asked, tilting his head in confusion. She rolled her eyes at him as he helped her to her feet.

  “You should go. I’ll try and find a way to distract them if they come for us,” she told him. She knew they wouldn’t both make it out. And if Mason were going to go after anyone, she knew it would be her. Not because she was his mate, but because she was Alpha Earl’s daughter.

  “I’m not leaving you behind,” Wade snapped.

  “Mason won’t hurt me, trust me on that.” She wasn’t entirely convinced by her own words, but she needed him to believe her. Wade grabbed her hand and started pulling her along with him again.

  “He’s already hurt you,” he growled.

  “I’m his mate.” He stopped dead in his tracks. Even in the darkness she saw his back tense. “Why do you think I haven’t been seriously tortured? He’s hardly touched me. I’ve been playing him since the day we were taken,” she admitted. Wade turned to her slowly, an incredulous expression on his face. “He thinks I’m fragile and weak because I act jumpy and scared around him and his men. We both know I’m not easily scared. As long as I keep up the act he won’t hurt me. He doesn’t see me as a threat. But he thinks you’re a threat, and soon he’ll kill you. Look at what they have already done to you. I can’t stand seeing-”

  “Mate or not, he will always see you as a threat. As long as he thinks your father killed his mother you will always be his enemy,” Wade cut her off, his tone firm and hard. Neoma swallowed, knowing he was telling the truth.

  “But my father didn’t kill her!” Wade shook his head.

  “No. She died the same way as your mother. Rogues. It was your father who found her body. When Mason’s father saw him near his dead mate, he assumed he’d killed her. He was too consumed by grief to think straight and wouldn’t listen to your father when he tried to explain. Things went to shit after that,” he explained, sombrely.

  “Rogues? Father never told me that it was rogues. Why?” she asked. Wade sighed impatiently.

  “Because he didn’t want you involved with any of this. The less you knew the better. We don’t have time to talk about this here, Neoma, we have to go.” He grabbed her hand and started running again. The ground had become slippy and wet from the rain. It was coming down harder now, making it difficult to run. The clothes Neoma was wearing were soaked through. She could feel goose bumps popping up along her arms from the cold.

  Wade suddenly came to an abrupt halt, sliding along the mud and leaves, pulling Neoma with him. A breath of air whooshed out of her when she saw why he had stopped. Five large wolves stood in front of them. The hairs on the back of her neck stood to attention. Her heart fell into her stomach.

  “I knew it,” she breathed out in awe. There were no howls. No sound of pursuit. Nothing. The electricity was turned off on purpose. How could she be so stupid? Her gut had told her something was wrong, and she hadn’t listened.

  “It was a trap,” she stated, quietly. But why had they let them escape just to capture them no more than ten minutes later? It made no sense.

  “You can come back willingly, or the hard way. It’s your choice,” Jonas spoke in a casual voice, walking out from behind a large tree. His blue jeans and white tee were soaked through.

  “What’s the hard way?” Wade sneered. Jonas took a step closer. His blue eyes moved from Wade to Neoma. He shook his head, almost as if he was disappointed.

  “The hard way involves these five.” He pointed over his shoulder at the wolves. Their glowing eyes held a dangerous glint. Neoma swallowed and reached for Wade’s arm.

  “Don’t be stupid, Wade. Do as I say. Surrender,” she pleaded. She would much rather they return to the prison the way they left. In one piece. Wade growled in response, never taking his eyes off Jonas. “I mean it,” she warned.

  “Fine,” he hissed. Jonas smiled, but it never reached his eyes.

  “That is the first good choice that has been made tonight,” he looked back at Neoma as he spoke. Something like sympathy flashed in his eyes. She had a feeling the night wasn’t going to end well for her.

  Chapter Nine.

  Neoma.

  Neoma had been back in her cell for about half an hour, the whole time in a state of panic. She was an idiot. She screwed up again. First by following Wade when he left their camp, and by following him again tonight. She knew they were going to pay for trying to escape. She was scared of what Mason was going to do to them.

  At the sound of the cell door unlocking, she froze from pacing back and forth, and turned her head towards it. It opened slowly, to reveal Mason standing in the doorway. He was shirtless, wearing only a pair of dark blue jeans that hung low on his hips. Her eyes travelled across his muscular chest, toned abs, and down to the v-line that disappeared into his jeans. He was gorgeous.

  She managed to tear her gaze away from his naked chest to his face. His ear length blonde hair was slightly wet from being outside. His green and grey eyes were darker than she’d ever seen them. His lips were pulled into a slight grimace. He was mad.

  He slammed the door shut and started towards her. She swallowed nervously. She could almost feel the waves of anger rolling off him. He lunged forward, closing the distance between them quickly, and gripped her upper arm. He threw her down onto the floor at his feet, and she landed on her side painfully.

  “I’m sorry,” she said, quickly putting on her game face. She didn’t know what else to do. He seemed really angry, and pretending to be weak and fragile had always seemed to calm him down in the past.

  “Don’t,” he hissed.

  “P...please,” she whispered, keeping her eyes on the white floor to show submission.

  “I said don’t,” he shouted so loud that she jumped. “You manipulative little bitch. I heard everything you said when you were trying to escape. My territory is full of surveillance cameras. You’re a good little actress, but the act is over. Go ahead and show your true colours.” Neoma sucked in a sharp breath as her head snapped up to look at him. His eyes were completely black now. He wasn’t angry, she realised. He was furious. She watched with wide eyes as fur started sprouting on his hands and arms and his nails lengthen into sharp claws. His body trembled.

  He was starting shift.

  She was frozen in fright. She’d never seen him this angry before. When all she did was stare at him, he grabbed her by the throat and lifted her up onto her feet and threw her against the wall. She held back a moan from pain.

  “What did you expect me to do? I had to put on an act. It’s a survival technique,” she said, pushing herself up. He was several feet away from her, but she could still feel the heat of his anger from where she stood near the wall. She watched his brow lifted in mockery as he took a small step towards her.

  “Survival technique?” he hissed. “Your chances of survival are very, very slim.” He moved forward so fast she barely had a chance to blink. He grabbed
her hands and pinned them above her head, holding them with one of his. His pulled a syringe out of his front pocket and waved it in front of her face. She knew what the yellow liquid inside was. Wolfbane.

  “Double dose,” he muttered, stabbing the needle into her neck. She bit back a moan as the liquid poured into her blood stream, and fought waves of nausea. A double dose of wolfbane would leave her incoherent and extremely weak for days.

  When Mason finished injecting her, he pulled the needle out and threw it over by the door. He grabbed her by the face and made her look at him. “How does that feel?” he sneered. Neoma swallowed and tried to pull away from him. He let out a growl and shoved his body against hers, making it harder to move. He was so hot the warmth from his body seemed to seep into hers through her wet clothes.

  “Get off me,” she snapped. There was no longer any reason in pretending to be timid.

  “A feisty one are we?” He chuckled without humour. “I bet you’re as evil as your father really,” he snarled.

  “If anyone here is evil, it’s you. I can’t believe you thought I’d choose you over my father,” she retorted, her tone full of disbelief.

  “I’m the lesser evil,” Mason spat. He squeezed her cheeks between his fingers. “Yes. You’ve chosen your side. And now you’ll watch your whole Pack die. I’m going to wipe them all out. Wade will be first. Then I’ll destroy your friends. Your chosen mate Dwain. And then I’ll kill your father. Slowly.” Neoma felt her bottom lip tremble from his threatening words. Her legs gave out, and if it weren’t for him holding her up against the wall she would have fallen to the floor. The muscles in her body were starting to go flaccid. The wolfbane was draining her energy faster than any time before. She was beginning to feel giddy.

  “As for you,” Mason moved his face closer to hers, “you won’t see daylight ever again. I’m not going to kill you though. I’m going to let you live, so that every day you remember and grieve the loss of your Pack.” He smiled bitterly. “You had a choice, and you made the wrong one when you tried to escape. You also played me for a fool, making me think you were meek and innocent. But I know better now.” He licked his lips as he moved his face to her ear. “You will always belong to me. I’m going to take everything away from you. Your Pack. Your freedom.” He moved his hand down her stomach slowly. She let out a small breath and tried to push him away when he put his hand over her private area.