She swallowed the rising fear from his threat and jutted her chin forward. “We will fight you until the very last drop of blood is spilled.”
He raised his hand. “Easy, my feisty temptress.”
“Don’t call me that.”
“I’m giving you an alternative. One that you’d be foolish not to take.”
When he didn’t announce it right away, impatience pushed her to prod, “And?”
He leaned back and gazed at her with a satisfied glimmer in his eyes and a hit of a smile on his lips. “You stay here with me for one week.”
Chapter 3
Rafe
“Are you insane, Rafe?” Mila threw up her hand. “Why would you even suggest something that ridiculous?”
It was the first time Mila called him by name, and although she questioned his sanity, he liked how it sounded coming from her mouth. Her lips were pink, full, and parted. His gaze lingered on them before he snapped his focus away.
Rafe asked himself the same about losing his mind on suggesting that she stay with him, but his wolf howled with glee. Considering he and Mila were part of rival packs on the brink of war, Rafe’s proposal could only be described as mad.
“I’ve been searching for my mate for a long time,” Rafe replied. “I’d lost hope, thinking it might never happen—and then told myself it was better that way as I had too much going on as alpha to take on anything else in my life.” He took a deep breath and exhaled before continuing. “Although I’m as disturbed as you are about finding out who fate has paired me with, I’m not going to be foolish enough not to ignore this gift.”
“It hardly seems like a gift,” Mila replied, arching her brow. “More like a curse.”
He chuckled. “That’s exactly what I called it this morning.”
She bent her head and appraised him with wariness. “What made you change your mind?”
Rafe groaned and pointed at his chest. “Incessant dogging inside.”
“What does that mean?”
“My wolf has been yipping at me with constant reminders not to screw up this opportunity. And what I’ve seen with packmates recently is that their mates were someone they’d least expect. Is that not the case here?”
“It is indeed,” she agreed.
“Despite all the complications and anguish, they wouldn’t change a thing.”
She grimaced. “Sounds like a major pain in the ass to bind yourself to someone who complicates your life that way.”
Rafe searched Mila’s eyes for any inkling that she might consider his ludicrous proposal, but found none. “They claim it’s worth it.”
Mila
Rafe was out of his mind. Did he truly think it was worth cavorting with an enemy just because he thought she was his mate?
What an idiot. Mila smiled to herself. He was nothing more than a typical male who was swayed by his dick over rational judgment. That was the only reason that Rafe would suggest the ridiculous idea of her staying with him.
He might be a fool, but she wasn’t. Once she’d gotten past the surprise of his insane suggestion, she contemplated the possibilities. She could use it to her advantage. If she had unprecedented access to the Franconia alpha, she could provide key insight. She could exploit his being blinded by lust over reason and spy on him for her pack.
No, her wolf protested. You’ll ruin the chance to be with our mate.
Yes, Mila countered, refusing to be swayed. Her father would be so proud of her. Her pack would finally hold her with some esteem. She could turn around her bungling up this mission to reframe it in a way in that she’d found a weakness to exploit—namely with critical access to their rival.
“How do you propose this might work?” she asked Rafe. “Where would I stay?”
“We have plenty of beds available.”
What exactly did he mean? “You’re not suggesting yours, I hope.”
His jaw twitched. “Of course not. We have a hotel.”
She couldn’t read his reaction with his expression now neutral. “I’d need to warn my father before he sends an army over.”
“Understood.”
He stood and paced, and her gaze was drawn to his masculine frame. She tracked him as he prowled like a powerful predator across the room and back again.
Ugh, that would not do. If she wanted her plan to work, she had to remain detached and only regard him from a safe distance, not drool over his impressive body. She was already playing with fire considering her wolf’s explosive reaction to this alpha male.
“You’ll need to tell your father that you’ve talked to me,” Rafe explained. “We’ve agreed to work together for one week to come to an agreement where we can all live together in peace once more.”
Mila pictured herself in that role, telling her father her plan. She’d be accomplishing something no other Sacco could do—not only infiltrating Franconia territory, but doing so in a way that she could get key insider knowledge—from their alpha.
She could prance with glee.
“I can do that,” she agreed. “But you must let me talk to him.” She raised her left arm to display the one still bound by magic. “You’ll have to let me free.”
Rafe raised his index finger and shook his head. “I can’t let you go. If I do so, what guarantee do I have that you don’t run?”
“I’ll think of something.”
“We can get Grayson and Lars to talk.”
Mila frowned. Having Lars involved in any form killed her excitement. “Can we keep Lars out of it?”
“Why? What’s the issue with having our beta communicate with yours?”
Mila turned away. “I’d rather not have him involved.”
Rafe stared at her for a few seconds. “Tell me why.”
She sighed, shoulders sagging. “I’ve been under pressure to mate with him, to form a political alliance more than anything. We don’t have any romantic feelings for each other.”
Rafe’s nostrils flared and expression hardened. A few seconds later, he replaced it with a more neutral mask. “Sure. We can come up with another way to deliver the message to your father,” he said in a measured tone, appearing to struggle to keep his voice steady.
He didn’t know her, yet appeared jealous. Why did this please her in some peculiar way?
She huffed. “Why can’t I just go over there and tell him myself?”
“Mila, please,” Rafe declared with a snort. “I don’t trust you one bit. Despite what my wolf tells me, insisting you’re my mate, let’s not forget why you are here.”
She bit her bottom lip. Maybe he wasn’t as clueless as she thought. He might not be so easy to deceive. “Well, I don’t see how anything can work with us trying to come to some common ground if you’re going to keep me locked up here as a prisoner.”
“Understood.” Rafe nodded.
She tilted her head. Maybe she’d get a way out of here yet. “So you’ll let me go?”
Rafe wagged his finger. “Not so fast, Sacco princess. I need to think about this some more.”
As he walked toward the door, she shouted after him. “You better think about it soon, or—or our deal is off.”
Rafe turned over his shoulder with amusement. “Careful, Mila. My wolf gets excited when you get feisty.”
Chapter 4
Rafe
Ignoring the ache that grew on leaving Mila, Rafe returned to the lodge next door, satisfied that he’d come up with a way to deal with their predicament. Sure, they had all the details to address, namely with convincing her to agree, getting a message to her father, hoping he’d agree, and then keeping Mila from running away.
He moaned. Maybe not so easy.
He had to tread a fine line between giving her freedom and keeping her from fleeing. How exactly he could convince her to do that was a question.
Yet, if she felt even an inkling of the yearning he felt to be with him, then it would be difficult for her to leave him.
Rafe needed to talk to Grayson about this. Once
he climbed the stairs, he glanced down the hall to Grayson’s office. The door was open. Victoria’s was closed. It had been a long time since she’d gone over to the Saccos. Her attraction to Grayson had driven her to desperation. Still, it didn’t excuse her from betraying her pack.
Rafe walked toward Grayson’s office and stepped inside.
“I have a solution.” He rubbed his hands together and then paced in front of Grayson’s desk. “I’m not sure how to pull it off, though.”
“What’s the plan?” he asked.
Rafe relayed his suggestion to Mila to stay here for one week and why.
“She agreed to it?” Grayson asked.
“She’s considering it,” Rafe responded. “We’re dealing with the issue of getting word to Kane. How can I let her go over there without her reneging on the plan?”
Grayson tapped his finger on his desk. “This.” He picked up his smartphone.
Rafe stared at it and made a doubtful sound in reply. “I barely use mine, but there’s no way Kane owns a smartphone. You know how they live over there. Off the grid.”
“But I can record a message from Mila on my phone and then go over and show them the video,” Grayson suggested.
Rafe considered that idea. “Yes, that’s good. She requested that Lars not be involved.”
Picturing her with Lars tightened Rafe’s muscles once more. A jealous rage hummed through his veins at the thought of that Sacco with his mate.
He tried to shake that possessive attitude from his mind. She wasn’t his.
“Did she say why she doesn’t want Lars involved?” Grayson asked. “It’s conventional for a beta to communicate with a beta.”
“She’s being pressured to mate with him in a political alliance,” Rafe spat the distasteful words. “Anyway, we can figure the delivery part out with who will go over. I first need to convince her to record the message.”
“Ah.” Grayson nodded. “Another complication.”
Indeed. Rafe exhaled from his nostrils.
“Are you going to keep her detained in the main lodge?” Grayson asked.
Rafe exhaled with a low groan as he considered the question. He couldn’t keep her locked away there. “That wouldn’t be a very convincing way for me to persuade her to give this thing a try, would it?”
“Not exactly.” Grayson grinned. “There are better ways for a wolf to woo his mate.”
Is that what Rafe would be doing? He wasn’t sure at the moment and was winging it as he went along. He groaned. “I’ll have to let her go, but I don’t trust her. Not for one second.”
* * *
Rafe dealt with some business matters in his office, yet spent an inordinate amount of time staring out of his window. He told himself it was to monitor operations on the mountain. The chairlifts all functioned as intended, and the lines of people waiting for them were moving along. Yet, his thoughts kept drifting to Mila.
Was he crazy to try to make anything work with a woman who detested his pack so much she tried to ruin his business? It was a foolish endeavor indeed, but one he had to play out. Otherwise, he’d be left wondering. If she was his mate, he could regret not taking a chance with her for the rest of his days.
He grunted. There was nothing simple about this attraction. At least, there were no signs of the Saccos rushing over and into battle yet to retrieve Mila. That in itself was strange. Wasn’t Kane worried about her? She’d ventured on a mission into enemy territory after all. If Rafe had a daughter and she went missing, he’d tear up every inch of dirt to find her.
He picked up a phone and made a call down to one of the boutiques in the village. “Can you send over some clothing and boots for a woman around 5’ 10”?” When asked her clothing size, he was stumped. “I don’t know.” He pictured her naked body with all those lush, tempting curves. How in the hell was he supposed to describe that as a number? “She’s fit but curvy. Does that work?”
The woman on the phone said she’d send over a few styles and sizes to find one that fits.
An hour later, Rafe returned to the main lodge. His wolf perked up inside, anticipating the moment of being near Mila again. If Rafe was truthful to himself, he was just as excited. This mate business definitely came with some inner torment. Was it like this for every wolf?
He greeted Naomi, the enforcer who was now on guard. In front of the door to the storage room, strange jitters quickened his pulse. He forced himself to ignore it and knocked before opening the door.
Mila now wore black leggings and a long beige sweater that stretched over her full breasts. His tongue moistened, and he swallowed. On her feet, she wore a pair of black boots with black and white fur on the top. The sales clerk did well.
Mila glanced at him and released a deep exhale. “Oh, thank the stars.”
He inhaled her scent, and it infused him like a euphoric spell. “What is it?” he asked.
She ran a free hand through her dark hair. He’d left one of her hands unrestrained as a sort of test to see what she would do before he released her completely—if he decided to do so.
“I’ve been going mad just sitting here,” she replied. “I can’t spend one more minute going insane trapped by these four walls. Please let me out.”
Rafe’s chest tightened. He hated being the cause of such anguish. A battle churned within on what to do. He could keep her locked in this room and record a message on his phone for her father as Grayson had suggested, or…
“Come on.” He stepped over to her and unfastened her other wrist.
She peered at him with a confused expression. “What are you doing?”
“It should be obvious.”
“You’re letting me go?” Her eyes widened with shock.
“We’re going outside, Mila. We’ll figure out our next step there.”
Mila
How was it that Mila body seemed to light up with keen awareness once he entered the room? Her wolf stirred with glee.
As Rafe released her, Mila inhaled his alluring scent once again. Gods, it was addicting. She rubbed her wrists and shook out her arms. She stared at him, trying to read what was behind his act. Was there an ulterior motive? Or was he simply a fool?
She remained wary as she walked with him outside the room.
He addressed the woman on watch outside the door. “She’s coming with me.”
The guard asked, “Shall I come with you?”
“No, I’ve got this.”
Mila ascended the stairs before him, totally confused. What was his deal?
Once outside, she gulped at the mountain air. She tipped her head back and let the sun warm her face.
Rafe grinned at her. “It’s not like you’ve never seen the sun before.”
She gave him a pointed look. “Have you ever been locked up?”
“No, but it was just one night. Not even twenty-four hours.”
Mila planted one hand on her hips. “Why don’t you try it and tell me how it feels?”
He cocked his head as if thinking about it. “I’ll pass.”
She glanced across the base of the mountain, over to where her pack lived in the distance. “What do you mean by figuring things out?”
Rafe followed her gaze across the snow-covered land. “Our first step is getting a message to your father about our plan.” He pulled out a small black device. “I can send him a video. Or…”
When he didn’t complete his sentence, she prodded, “Or what?”
His jaw twitched. “Or, you go over and tell him yourself.”
She narrowed her eyes at Rafe. “Are you serious?”
“Yes.”
He wasn’t truly going to let her go after what she’d done, was he? “Is this some kind of trap?”
“Not at all.”
She narrowed her gaze at him, unconvinced. “Why would you let me go?”
Rafe glanced away, his expression conflicted. “If you are my mate, I can’t keep you a prisoner. Although I don’t trust you right now, I have to put good fai
th into this attempt to work together.”
She blinked. He was absolutely insane. “Let me get this straight. If I start heading home, you won’t try to capture me?”
“Right.” He stared into her eyes. “You’re a grown woman. You can make your choice here. If you don’t return, you know the consequences. Any attempts at reconciliation between are packs are over. War will be inevitable, and your pack will suffer greatly.”
She stared at Rafe for any signs he might be messing with her. He didn’t appear to be. No one in her pack trusted her to be able to make decisions for herself, so this was rather strange, and she wasn’t sure how to process it.
A mountain breezed rushed in, and she wrapped her arms around herself. He stepped over and enclosed her in his arms. She leaned into him, cradled against the warmth of his body before she realized what they were doing. The movement was so unexpected.
Once she realized what they were doing, she pulled away. “What was that for?”
His expression appeared surprised. He averted eye contact. “You looked cold.”
“So you hugged me?”
He shrugged. “It was on instinct.”
“Meaning?”
“I felt an urge to protect you, because… well, you know why.”
Right. A wolf experienced an overwhelming drive to protect his or her mate. Apparently, that meant from the elements as well.
“I have a better idea,” Rafe added. “If you’re going to walk back, we should get you a coat.” He pointed at buildings across the street. “We can get one in the village.”
With the cool air, it would be a chilly walk home. She glanced at her clothing. “Did you arrange for this clothing for me?”
“Yes, I made a call earlier.”
She shuffled on one foot in her new boots to the other. They were the warmest and most comfortable pair she’d ever owned. Plus, the clothing was incredibly soft and allowed for movement. “These are much better than that shirt I had on earlier.” With a sheepish grin, she added, “Or the blanket.” She pursed her lips. “I’ll get some money to pay you back.” If they were expensive, that might be an issue. She didn’t have much money, and she didn’t want to ask for her father for money to pay back a Franconia.
The Alpha and His Enemy Wolf: White Mountain Shifters 3 Page 4