He’d force himself to forget everything about her.
Rafe couldn’t remember a night he’d spent in such anguish. What could he do to fix this catastrophic discovery? Meeting his mate was supposed to be a magical moment, not one that twisted him with agony.
After a rough night with little sleep, he drove down to the lodge, too restless to ski. Plus, he couldn’t deal with cumbersome skis and boots if he needed to shift at a moment’s notice. Tensions were at a peak, and he had moved more shifters in close to guard the lodge where Mila was being detained. The Saccos could attack at any moment.
He checked in with the enforcers and forced himself to walk by the main lodge where Mila was. The agonizing urge to go to her almost overwhelmed him, but he pushed himself to stick to his resolve and avoid her. This magnetic connection was already difficult enough to ignore.
Rafe entered the octagonal lodge adjacent to the main one and walked up to his office. Soon after he entered, Grayson stepped in and greeted him.
“Any more developments since last night?” his beta asked.
Aside from Rafe’s burning need to walk into the next building and inhale Mila’s irresistible scent?
Rafe growled. “No, but at least we caught one in the act.”
“How do you think the Saccos will respond?” Grayson asked.
Rafe brought his hands together and cracked his knuckles. “They’ll come after her. I moved more shifters to guard the perimeter closer to the lodge. We have to be prepared to fight.”
“That would be suicidal. We outnumber them.”
Rafe rubbed his tired eyes. “Close the door.”
Grayson did and sat down in the chair on the other side of Rafe’s desk. “What is it?”
“This situation is worse than the Saccos and their attempts at sabotage. At least for me.”
Grayson stared, as if waiting for Rafe to continue.
He shook his head and stared at his fingers as he tapped them on the desk. “I can’t think of anything worse than this laughable fate.”
“What is it?” Grayson asked.
Rafe clucked his tongue and lifted his gaze to meet Grayson’s. “The wolf that we caught last night. She isn’t just a pack member, she’s Kane’s daughter.”
Grayson raised his brows. “He set his daughter up to do his dirty work?”
“That’s only the beginning,” Rafe added with a groan. “What’s worse is that my wolf recognized her.” Rafe swallowed and turned his head away. “As my mate.”
“Mate?” Grayson repeated with surprise. “No?”
Rafe rubbed his tongue along the back of his teeth and turned in his chair to face the mountain. “Yes, unfortunately.” He snorted. “Which god have I pissed off to bring on this wrath? This curse?”
“I know this is—difficult,” Grayson replied, his tone gentler. “But finding your mate is a gift, not a curse.”
Rafe widened his eyes, and he released a doubtful laugh. “This doesn’t feel like a gift. Mila is the worst possible match that I can imagine. How could the universe pair me with my enemy?”
Geez, he sounded like an angsty adolescent. But how was he supposed to respond? Skip, jump, and declare with glee that he’d finally found his mate like it was something to celebrate?
Not in this case.
“What do you plan to do about it?” Grayson asked.
Rafe push back in his chair with more force than he’d intended. “Ignore the call, of course.”
Grayson tapped his fingers together. “It’s not going to be that easy.”
Rafe gritted his teeth. “I know. I’m already experiencing the delightful urge to go next door and rub my fur against a wolf I loathe.”
Grayson exhaled. “I wish I had an easy answer, or at least some guidance to make it more tolerable for you. But as Damon and I have both discovered, there is no simple way. I don’t know of any way you can ignore this call.”
Rafe spun his office chair back to face his beta and his jaw twitched in agitation. “That’s what I was afraid you’d say.”
“Sorry to be the bearer of bad news.”
“As my beta and friend, what do you suggest I do?”
Grayson cocked his head as he appeared to consider the options and then shrugged. “The only thing I think you can do in the situation.”
Rafe gripped the arm rest, already dreading the words Grayson hadn’t yet uttered.
“Get to know your mate and give this pairing a chance,” Grayson advised.
Rafe dropped his head back onto the headrest. “She’s a Sacco. Kane’s daughter.”
Grayson gestured with an open palm. “If she’s your mate, your wolf won’t let you walk away.”
Rafe’s wolf snorted inside. It’s true. I refuse to let you ignore our mate and drive us to misery and possible insanity.
“I’m starting to sense that.” Rafe exhaled through flared nostrils. “After all the strife it’s caused, let me ask you something. Is it worth it?”
Grayson cocked his head. “Do you mean bonding with my mate?”
“Yes. Any regrets?” Rafe added.
Grayson shook his head with decisiveness. “No. None. Yes, there’s been a price to pay with all the complications, but I’ll never regret choosing Aurora above all else. Since we’ve committed to each other with the mating bond, I feel balanced. I wasn’t even fully aware that something was missing in my life until she made me whole. The searching, the inner restlessness is gone.”
Which was exactly how Rafe had been feeling. He ran one hand over his temple. “Shit.”
“What is it?” Grayson asked.
“It means I’m utterly and simply screwed.”
Mila
When the door opened to the supply room, Mila sat up on her cot and glanced up. One of the Franconia’s dopey shifters had given her an oversize, button-down shirt and a cot to sleep on. A female had helped her use the bathroom earlier. Although Mila had searched for a means to escape, the restraints that bound her wrists as well as ankles had made it impossible to run.
In stepped Rafe, and her body responded with a strange mix of disgust and elation.
He’s back, her wolf rejoiced. Don’t scare him away this time.
Ha! Time to catch up to the reality that this alpha was completely off-limits. Last night, Rafe had been infuriating. Today, he was sure to be even more so. She resolved to keep herself calm and not let him get a rise out of her.
His scent reached her and her wolf pranced like a pup discovering snow for the first time, rolling in it with gleeful abandon.
Great.
She snarled.
“Sleep well, Sacco?” Rafe asked.
“Wonderful!” she declared with contempt. “I’ve never spent a more comfortable night than one locked inside a room and forced to sleep on a shitty cot.”
He closed the door and narrowed his gaze. “You could have woken up in your sweet little bed this morning if you hadn’t chosen to trespass over here and sabotage my business.” His stare hardened. “So who put you up to it? Daddy Dearest? His evil henchman, Lars?”
Mila ground her jaw. With those few words, he edged close to the truth. She raised her chin and declared. “I volunteered to do so.” She was now questioning why since she hadn’t been as stealthy as she thought and had been captured. Way to go in proving worthiness to the pack, especially her father.
Epic failure.
Rafe scanned her body. “You’re wearing clothes.”
“Genius!” She bit into the word and wagged an index finger. “Don’t let anyone ever tell you that you weren’t born with the big brains, Alpha.”
He appraised her, his expression turning amused. “Do you always have such a smart mouth?”
“Being held captive tends to bring it out in me,” she replied.
“If you watch the attitude, I’ll make sure you get something to eat soon.”
“Oh.” She tipped her head to one side and batted her eyelashes. “My hero.”
“Fine.” He stood. “Suit yourse
lf and starve.” He headed to the exit.
“Wait,” she called out. The mention of food turned her ravenous and her mouth watered. She swallowed the revulsion before she uttered the next words. “I’ll stop being snarky.”
Rafe appraised her with a long look that made her pulse jolt before he returned to her. He grabbed a fold-out chair that leaned against a wall and positioned it two feet from her cot. She gritted her teeth and warned her wolf to calm down.
He sat down and leaned back in the chair. “We’ve lived in peace for all these years. Why do you think we’d jeopardize that?”
She exhaled. “Really? We’re going to talk about this now?”
“Yes,” he declared.
“Fine.” She took a deep breath and exhaled. “To try to claim more land.”
“You’re wrong. And your enforcer is dead because of that lie,” Rafe boomed. “He’s the one who crossed over here and kidnapped a human. He used her as bait to lure Damon to fight him. It’s entirely on him that he didn’t survive the outcome.”
Mila muscles tightened. Rafe had mentioned that yesterday, and it had sounded like it could be true. Worse, she was getting turned on by Rafe’s anger. Heat hummed through her veins. Maybe her wolf was right, an alpha would be the perfect match for her. He’d take charge in bed…
No, stop thinking this.
“Even so, your enforcer broke the treaty by crossing onto our land,” she argued. “We know he was spying on us.”
“That’s a complete fabrication.” Rafe leaned closer.
A tremor of fear pulsed through her. His scent tempted her to want to abandon control. She held her breath.
“Damon caught his mate’s scent and knew she was in trouble.” Rafe inhaled and his eyelids closed halfway, dark lashes casting a shadow. He leaned back in his chair, locking his hands behind his head, and smiled with pleasure before gazing at her once more. “I’ve heard that when wolves find their mates, they don’t always act on reason. Pure instinct seems to guide them. Driven by urgency to protect his mate, Damon ran to find her. Can you fault him that?”
Mila couldn’t hold her breath any longer. With him not so close, it was likely safe to breathe again. She did so in a slow and measured way so she wouldn’t by affected by this scent the way he appeared to be impacted by hers.
Still, his masculine aroma lingered in the air and stirred her with sudden awareness in her core.
Oh, hell.
Considering her wolf thought this exasperating shifter was their mate, she might eventually experience this uncontrollable urge to be with him first-hand.
She frowned. Not if she could help it.
Rafe watched her as if waiting for her response. Damn those penetrating eyes.
She exhaled audibly from her nostrils. “Whatever you’re thinking,” she replied. “Don’t.”
His lips twitched with amusement. “What do you possibly think might be on my mind?”
Mila bit her bottom lip. “You know exactly what I’m talking about.” She motioned between them. “Whatever we may be feeling must be a mistake. Surely, that must happen sometimes.”
Rafe’s eyes widened, and his heart thumped. “So you admit you feel it, too?”
She attempted to throw her hands up, but they didn’t move far with the restraints. “Why are we even discussing it? It can’t happen. It won’t happen. We shouldn’t even talk about it.”
Rafe cocked his head. “You’re the one who brought it up.”
“Ugh, you’re so infuriating!”
He chuckled. “And you must be hungry as it’s making you angry.” He stood. “I’ll be back with some food and we will talk more then.”
After Rafe left the room, Mila remained statue still. The air seemed thick with his scent still lingering in the room, which didn’t help her situation one bit. The way they tiptoed around their complicated mess with their wolves thinking they were mates was something she didn’t know where to begin to untangle. All she knew was that it had zero chance of happening in reality. Rival packs did not mix.
Several minutes later, Rafe returned with a tray of food. He was accompanied by two other shifters, each of whom gave her a scathing glance. One carried another tray of food and the other a folded-up table and a paper bag. Her mouth watered at the scents of eggs and bacon.
After one of the shifters set the table near the cot, they placed the trays on them as well as bottled juice from inside the bag.
“Anything else, Alpha?” one of his goons asked him.
“No, that will be all.”
After they left, she asked Rafe, “What’s this?” She eyed the trays.
Rafe motioned to the table. “You see, maybe your backward pack isn’t accustomed to things of this nature, but this is something us Franconia shifters call food,” he teased. “They are edible, tasty, and provide nourishment. We also have these liquid accompaniments called drinks. Quite refreshing. You should try it.”
She groaned. “You know what I mean.” She snorted. “And you think I have a smart mouth,” she rumbled. “Why is the meal set for two?”
One side of his mouth twitched into a grin. “I’m not going to just sit here and watch you eat. We can enjoy a meal while we figure out what to do next.”
She appraised him for several seconds before she replied. “What do you mean by us figuring out what to do?”
Rafe stepped closer. “Are you a left-handed or right?”
“Right.”
He unfastened the rope binding her right arm, her left remained attached to the wall. She circled her wrist and shook out her arm. For a moment, she visualized beating him with it, but the food smelled delicious. Besides, punching him would get her nowhere but the brief satisfaction of hitting this damn shifter. It would only make her hungrier and no closer to escaping.
He pushed the tray toward her. “Eat.”
Mila didn’t hesitate. She scooped up a massive forkful of scrambled eggs and moaned when the hot, delicious mixture met her tongue.
“Glad you like it.” He chuckled.
She ignored him and devoured half a strip of bacon in one bite. Rafe ate opposite her, and neither spoke until their plates were nearly empty. She washed the breakfast down with a gulp of orange juice before returning to the food.
“My, you are hungry,” he said.
“I didn’t have the chance to hunt last night.”
“Perhaps you should have done so before you volunteered to sneak over here.”
She frowned. “I hadn’t planned on getting caught.”
He grinned. “No criminals do.”
“I’m not a criminal,” she refuted in between bites.
“I don’t lock up the innocent,” Rafe stated.
She finished the last bite and swallowed, pushing the tray away. “What the hell do you want to talk about?”
Rafe chewed as if he had all the time in the world. Naturally, he was in no rush. He wasn’t locked up and deprived of food. He finished and leaned back once again, probing her with a penetrating stare. “I’ve come up with an idea.”
“What’s that?”
“You and I may be able to accomplish a great deal together in resolving the differences between our packs. Especially since the attempt at bringing an outside mediator in didn’t work out.” He cocked his head and then gestured with a raised hand. “Except for Grayson.”
“Your beta, right?”
“Yes. He was fortunate—or unfortunate—enough to discover that the mediator he’d hired to come up was his fated mate. Hadn’t you heard?”
“No, I heard that he sent his mate over to deceive us. That she was attempting to trick us into agreeing to a bad settlement.”
Mila was surprised that she’d even heard that. Her father rarely told her anything. It was as if she wasn’t important enough to be told.
“That’s not how it happened,” Rafe said. “Grayson didn’t meet her until after Aurora arrived. He tried to ignore it, but…” He shrugged and extended both hands out, palms up. “
She was his mate.”
The look in Rafe’s eyes turned more intense. Was it so impossible to ignore the call of a mate?
“As for a bad settlement, we offered more than general proposals, including a vast amount of land, which your father and Lars killed when they let Victoria hunt Aurora.”
Victoria was a Franconia wolf who had come over and warned about the mediator, Aurora’s, deception. Mila disliked Victoria on sight. After all, she was a Franconia, and she’d defected from her pack. She was now slinking around with the Saccos, and some said she was sleeping with Lars. Good, Mila hoped it was true. That would hopefully remove the pressure for her to mate with Lars.
If what Rafe was saying had any bit of truth to it, maybe her pack should consider the Franconia’s proposals.
“Forget bringing in an outsider,” Rafe added. “We have this unexpected connection that we shouldn’t ignore.”
She bent her head slightly to one side. “What exactly are you saying?”
“I’m saying both you and I may be able to come up with a solution to satisfy both packs.”
Was he reading her mind? Mila didn’t think mates had that ability, but he seemed to sense what she’d just been thinking. She attempted to read his, but nothing.
She raised her chin. “And why would we want to do that?”
“Would you prefer war? Because that’s where we’re headed after your pack’s attempts at sabotage. There is no other option for compromise at this point.” He paused. “Until now.”
“Because?” She raised her brows.
“Because you know exactly why,” he barked. “Our wolves think we are mates.” When she raised her hand to protest, he said, “Don’t attempt to deny it. It’s as clear to me as if reading a billboard.”
“So what?” She shrugged one shoulder. “Neither one of us will accept that pairing, so we might as well forget we ever met.”
“Are you saying you’d prefer to fight?” He tsked and shook his head. “Your pack has a lot to lose.”
She growled in frustration. “So does yours.”
“Yes, but we outnumber you. We can quickly surround and crush your pack. You will lose not only the lives of many of your pack mates, but your land as well.”
The Alpha and His Enemy Wolf: White Mountain Shifters 3 Page 3