The Alpha and His Enemy Wolf: White Mountain Shifters 3

by Carlisle, Lisa

  Rafe

  I caught a Sacco shifter, Damon communicated to Rafe, waking him up.

  Rafe’s blood heated with fury, yet it was followed by the sweet satisfaction of knowing they had finally caught one of the culprits. He climbed out of bed and paced across the hardwood floor of his bedroom. Where is he?

  It’s a she, Damon replied.

  Rafe arched his brows. A she-wolf?

  Yes. She’s bound by silver and locked in the storage room beside first aid.

  I’ll be right there, Rafe declared.

  He dressed quickly and then jumped into his black SUV, driving as fast as possible without skidding down the mountain road. When he reached the base lodge, he stopped with a squeak. He almost threw the door off the hinges as he entered. The fury that swelled within him tore at his emotions. His fangs pierced through his gums, itching to tear into this Sacco Wolf.

  He bounded down the stairs to the lower level, clenching his fists as blood raged through his veins. If the Sacco wanted to play this way, he’d send them another dead wolf, dropping it on the borderline.

  No, he had to regain some control before he did something that might come back to haunt the pack.

  Focus. What do you think Grayson would tell you to do in this situation?

  Rafe was prone to rash judgment and relied on Grayson’s calm reason to keep him from reacting in ways that might have dire consequences.

  He’d say to think before we act.

  Grayson saw situations from different angles and found ways to negotiate that would keep all parties satisfied. That was what made him such a key part of the team in developing the resort.

  But this matter wasn’t a business deal. It had turned personal with the Sacco pack versus the Franconia one. And as the head, Rafe would make the decision on whether this Sacco intruder lived or died.

  “She’s in there?” Rafe confirmed when he saw Damon.

  “Yes, Alpha,” Damon replied.

  “We need to get someone else to guard her so you can return outside.”

  Damon nodded. “Will do.”

  Rafe tore open the door. A woman was attached by her wrists to a ring fastened on the wall. She had brown hair tousled wildly over bare shoulders as she was wearing nothing but an olive green fleece blanket with the Franconia Mountain logo printed on it.

  She stared at him from blazing dark eyes, her chest rising and falling with each heaving breath.

  “Get me out of here!” she spat.

  How dare this fiery intruder demand anything from him? He raised his index finger. “You will not command me to do anything.”

  “You have no right to lock me up this way!” She struggled against the silver ropes binding her wrists and the blanket shifted lower, exposing a half inch of the top of her breasts. His gaze lingered longer than it should.

  He scowled as he tore his gaze from that tantalizing female flesh. She was a Sacco wolf, the least desirable woman on this earth for him.

  He stormed over to her, intent on showing her who held all the power in this situation. “You were caught trespassing on our lands, Sacco, and interfering with our operations. Negotiations are dead. You are now my prisoner and I will decide what happens to you.”

  As he approached, her scent reached him. It was clearly that of a Sacco and something more.

  Something alluring.

  And oh, so devastating.

  It’s her! his wolf declared with glee.

  No. He recoiled and took a step back.

  Yes, it is. Can’t you sense it?

  She can’t be, Rafe argued to his wolf.

  Her eyes widened. Stark fear gleamed through the hateful fury. She must have sensed it, too.

  It couldn’t be. It. Could. Not. Be.

  There’s no doubt, his wolf countered.

  Rafe’s muscles turned rigid. He wouldn’t allow it.

  He ground his teeth. “Absolutely not. Never.”

  He took another step back, desperate to get away from that scent. It clouded his judgment and pierced him with confusion. How could the scent of his enemy bewitch him so?

  “Exactly. I’d rather die than be with one of you,” she cried.

  Don’t walk away from her, his wolf insisted.

  Oh, he absolutely would. No way would he ever succumb to this outrageous prank from the universe. He was an alpha. He had pride. He would never consort with his enemy.

  He and the Sacco glared at each other and fell silent. The only sound echoing around them was that of their frantic breathing.

  “Let me go!” she demanded and struggled against her restraints. In her wild desperation, she knocked the blanket loose.

  Rafe watched the fleece fall, sliding off her and landing in a pile at her feet. He scanned from her toes up her voluptuous body, lingering over the lush curves of her naked flesh.

  He hated himself for even staring at her at all. She was his enemy. She’d been caught tampering with operations at his resort. She was to be punished, not gawked at.

  And yet, Rafe couldn’t tear his eyes off her. His wolf pranced inside with jubilance.

  We finally found her, his wolf declared. Our mate!

  Chapter 2

  Mila

  No, no, no.

  The situation had gone from bad when she’d been captured to utterly devastating when her wolf perked up.

  Why now? Why at the worst possible time—and with the most awful shifter imaginable?

  To make a terrible situation excruciating, Mila had knocked off the blanket in her frantic attempt to escape. So now she stood tied up before this horrible Franconia shifter, restrained and naked.

  He stared at her with a mixture of hatred and desire. And her body responded in ways it shouldn’t under his intense gaze.

  “Stop looking at me like that!” she shouted.

  He snorted before turning away. “As if that wasn’t intentional to try to distract me.”

  “I don’t think so.” She snorted. “As if I’d bare myself to a Franconia!”

  “And yet, here you are exposed before me by your own doing.”

  Mila scowled. Although not planned, that was exactly how the situation had panned out.

  She attempted to bend down to retrieve the blanket, but the ropes binding her wrists prevented her. The bastards must have silver reinforcing the rope, which would weaken a shifter and make it difficult to use any magic. The shifter who had captured her had worn gloves and kept them on when he’d fastened her to the wall in this room with no windows and a couple of shelving units. No way out besides the door that he walked through.

  “You can at least be decent and release me so I can cover up,” she barked at the Franconia standing before her with penetrating blue eyes.

  “Ha!” He arched his brows, keeping his gaze averted. “How naïve do you think I am? I’m not stupid enough to do so and let you attempt to escape.”

  She dropped her head back against the wall and groaned. “Damn it.” She swallowed before she uttered the distasteful words. “Fine. Just cover me up.”

  He entwined his fingers before him and cracked his knuckles before he stared into her eyes, piercing her with a cool gaze. “I’m an alpha and don’t take orders from other shifters—let alone one from a rival pack caught trying to destroy my business.”

  Ugh, he had to be Rafe, the leader of the Franconia pack.

  Yes, an alpha, her wolf rejoiced. A perfect match for the daughter of one.

  Mila did not share the same exaltation as her wolf. The only thing she wanted was to get out of here and get away from him, specifically.

  She’d expected the Franconia leader to be older, closer to her father’s age with graying hair and a mature appearance—not looking like that. Rafe appeared to be in his thirties and in peak physical form. His dark hair curled at the ends and his beard was neatly trimmed. Unfortunately, he was attractive, extremely so with those intense eyes and chiseled cheekbones. And his body? She could moan. All muscle—an impressive male physique. She could pre
ss herself against him and drink that irresistible scent in.

  No, she refused to picture him that way. This was just her wolf and hormones messing with her.

  Mila exhaled through her nostrils. “So you’re just going to stand here and gawk at me like some perv?”

  He kept his gaze pinned on her eyes. “Your wolf would like that.”

  She growled. There might be a kernel of truth in that statement. Her wolf had been going wild inside as if she were in heat—not that Mila had any experience in that matter. Her wolf urged Mila to cozy up to this shifter, rub up against him, and seduce him, because of some deranged thoughts that this dreadful shifter was her mate.

  No way. Not a Franconia wolf. Especially their alpha.

  “What do you want from me?” she snapped in frustration.

  He rubbed his beard. “Answers.”

  “Well, you’re not going to get any treating me like this.”

  He stepped closer to her. When he bent near her ear, he sniffed her and moaned. Her wolf swooned. He smells so good.

  His scent was maddening! Deliciously vexing. She’d never scented anyone quite like him. His musk was like an aphrodisiac. It intoxicated her with sweet, forbidden lust.

  “What do you want?” His voice hummed along her ear, filling her with a pleasant buzz that made it momentarily difficult to think.

  What was he doing? Why was he talking to her this way? Was he as confused by his wolf’s demands, struggling with them as she was with hers?

  A shiver of lust curled through her body, coiling with need right between her legs.

  “Cover me,” she managed to demand.

  A flicker of awareness danced in his bright eyes, and his lips curled up with a sensual curve. He stared at her with a knowing, satisfied expression. By the moon and stars, he must have scented her desire. She cursed her traitorous body for broadcasting what she’d rather keep secret.

  He stepped back and crossed his arms across his broad chest. “Once again, I don’t take orders, Sacco. Ask me nicely.”

  So frustrating! She stomped one foot, but when it made her breasts jiggle, drawing his attention to them, she regretted that action. She had to stay calm to find a way out of this mess. She wasn’t able to communicate with her pack to let them know what happened. It could have been the distance or the silver in the rope.

  “Fine.” She huffed. “Will you please cover me up?” Snark dripped from her tone.

  “First, you tell me your name,” he replied.

  Why more games? Still, the more she argued with him, the longer she had to stand before her enemy in this vulnerable state.

  “Mila.”

  “Mila,” he repeated.

  She liked the way it sounded in his rich baritone.

  “Mila, why have you trespassed into our territory to sabotage our operations?”

  “What is this—an interrogation in the nude?” she attempted once more to get out of the ropes, but stopped as it was futile.

  “Just that one and I’ll cover you.”

  “Promise?” She narrowed her gaze.

  “Promise,” he declared with a nod.

  She turned her head. “You know why. With all that you’ve done to our pack, some vengeance is expected.”

  “What we’ve done?” He placed his hand over his chest. “Your enforcer attacked one of mine. Your enforcer came onto our lands and kidnapped a woman—a shifter’s mate—knowing it would lure our enforcer over.” He pointed to her. “Your enforcer incited a fight and deserved the harsh outcome.”

  “I’m not having this conversation like this.” She glanced down at the blanket. “You promised.”

  “And I’ll keep my word.” He strode over to her.

  When he bent down before her naked body to retrieve it, she held her breath. His head was inches away from her breasts, her core, her sex. Her wolf went wild, clamoring to mate with him.

  No way. Mila had to calm the raging inferno of lust dizzying her. It was a mistake. It had to be. The universe couldn’t be cruel enough to pair her up with her enemy shifter as her mate.

  Could it?

  She resisted the urge to inhale, refusing to be swayed by his scent. After he retrieved the blanket and rose in what seemed like agonizing slow motion, she struggled to dampen the burning inside. He rose to full height, standing a head over her, nostrils flared.

  “Don’t sniff me,” she said.

  “Why not? You smell good.”

  “You’ll make it worse.”

  He wrapped the blanket behind her. The fact that the touch of his hands was separated from her flesh by only a layer of fleece turned her heady. Her body trembled, yearning for more. When he covered her breasts and tucked one end inside the other, a rumble emanated deep within his chest.

  “There. Happy?” he asked.

  “I’ve never been less so in my life.”

  He lowered his head close to her ear again. In a low murmur, he said, “That’s unfortunate for you since I don’t have any interest in bringing pleasure to my prisoners.”

  Her breath came in short spurts from her nostrils. “If you keep me here, it will be your undoing.”

  He stepped back and stared at her with an amused expression. “Why? Are some Sacco shifters going to come searching for you?”

  His mocking infuriated her. “Of course. I am the alpha’s daughter. They will not leave me here.”

  His expression turned murderous. “You’re Kane’s daughter?”

  The look on his face made her throat tighten. She swallowed. “Yes. And he’ll kill you for this.”

  Rafe threw his head back and laughed. “For capturing his daughter caught in the act of sabotaging my property? Oh, what a sense of humor you have.”

  Mila raised her chin. “I know who you are.”

  “Oh?”

  “You’re Rafe. The destructive wolf who has been exploiting land for profit.”

  He leaned closer. “You know nothing, Mila,” he spat with contempt. The look he gave her showed his repulsion. “You might want to get used to your surroundings. It will take a long time for your pack to find you, if they ever do. We own a lot of land.” He stormed out of the room and slammed the door behind him.

  Mila stared at the closed door and then scanned the storage room once more, searching for a way out. Were there any windows behind the shelving units? She craned her head in either direction to scan around the boxes. Nothing.

  Damn.

  The only way out was through that door. If she could shift to wolf form, she’d use her strength to try to bash through it. But the silver must have prevented her from shifting.

  How the hell could she claw her way out of here?

  Rafe

  This couldn’t be happening. Rafe dropped his head into his hands outside of the door.

  “Is everything okay?” Damon asked.

  Rafe shook his head. “No. Nothing’s okay.” His mate was behind that door—and she was the daughter of his number one enemy. How the hell was he supposed to deal with that?

  He pointed to the door. “I’ll be back. Do not leave her unaccompanied, even for one second. In fact, move more enforcers here to guard this building.”

  “Understood.” Damon acknowledged with a nod.

  Rafe climbed up the stairs to the lodge two at a time and headed outside. It was still nighttime, and no one was around.

  What a prize he’d captured—Kane’s daughter.

  His body trembled with rage—and something more bittersweet.

  He’d been waiting for his mate for so long. He’d longed to find the one person in the world who would complete him. An alpha ruling his pack without a mate was not whole, and he’d felt that missing piece in his life. Last year, he’d left Franconia Mountain to venture where other shifters might be in the hopes of finding her.

  And where was she? Living adjacent to his territory on another pack’s lands. Enemy territory.

  No, he could never permit that pairing. He had pride. No way would he succumb to f
ate’s prank that made him desire his forbidden enemy.

  Screw it. He didn’t need a mate. He’d gone for over thirty years without one and had seen all the trouble Damon and Grayson had encountered when they found theirs. Damon had tracked his mate into Sacco territory, sparking the strife between the packs. In Grayson’s attempt to find a mediator, he’d met his mate, Aurora. It had further exacerbated the tension as the Saccos thought she was biased and setting them up. Rafe expected a mate to make him work to be worthy to claim her—but that would not include catering to his enemy.

  His shoulders sagged. He couldn’t think about it now. His mind and body were in shambles, conflicted with the warring emotions between his wolf’s more primal desires and the logic in his head.

  He woke Grayson with a telepathic connection and quickly filled him on the situation, leaving out the part about Mila and mates and how his life had just been turned inside out.

  After ending the conversation, Rafe paced in agitated circles in the snow. To hell with it, he would let his wolf run to relieve some stress. If they focused on something else, hunting prey, that could give him a brief respite from the turmoil in his head.

  He shifted to wolf form. As he expected, his wolf turned to head back to Mila.

  No, Rafe commanded.

  She’s our mate, his wolf declared.

  She’s enemy, he responded. We will fight this pull. If we yank on it enough, it will have to break.

  You know that a connection between mates is harder to destroy than that.

  Rafe growled. Regardless. We will not submit to our enemy.

  His wolf attempted to ignore Rafe’s command and return to Mila. Rafe exerted all his influence to resume control. I said no. I shifted so you can run it out. If you can’t control the yearning, I will change back.

  His wolf howled in protest, but complied and turned to run up the mountain. Since he spent much of his days as a human, he let his wolf roam free most nights to hunt in the forests blanketing the mountain.

  What was paramount was to ignore the pull to return to Mila. Ignore the vision of seeing her naked. Dismiss how his body responded to her with such potent attraction.