The Alpha and His Enemy Wolf: White Mountain Shifters 3

by Carlisle, Lisa

  He laughed. “I think we need to start at the beginning. Maybe if we go back to how this rift began, we can come to some sort of understanding between our packs.”

  “What exactly do you have in mind?” she asked.

  Rafe leaned forward. “I have an idea. Will you come with me?”

  After they finished lunch and cleaned up, Rafe led her outside his house.

  “Where are we going?” Mila asked.

  “To meet some pack mates.”

  “Who?”

  “I’ll introduce you soon.”

  Rafe held her hand as they walked down the road curving around the mountainside. It appeared to have been freshly plowed since much of the snow had been removed from the asphalt. He led them over to a cabin nestled in the woods and knocked on the door. “It’s Rafe.”

  A shifter with dark tousled hair opened the door. “Alpha.” He nodded. “Come on in.” He stepped aside and gestured with his hand for them to enter.

  Rafe introduced them. “This is Mila.” He welcomed her to walk in before him. “Mila, this is Damon.”

  The name sounded familiar. Mila entered and said, “Hello.”

  A woman with auburn hair and kind eyes walked in from another room. “Hi Mila. I’m Sophie.”

  One subtle sniff and Mila recognized that Sophie was human.

  “Nice to meet you both.” Mila glanced around the cabin. It was welcoming and cozy. “You have a beautiful home.” Still, she wondered why they were there.

  “Please, have a seat,” Damon suggested, gesturing to the sofa.

  “Can I get you a drink?” Sophie asked.

  “No, thank you, I’m fine,” Mila replied.

  Rafe sat beside her on the sofa and took her hand. Damon and Sophie exchanged a warm glance. Had Rafe let his pack know about the two of them—and who she was?

  Sophie grabbed a colorful, oversized cushion and pulled it over, sitting on it near Mila. “I’m glad you stopped by because I wanted to talk to you. I feel this is all my fault.”

  Damon shook his head. “No, course not. If anyone is to blame, it was me.”

  Mila furrowed her brows and glanced at Rafe. “What’s going on?”

  “Patience, my beauty. You’ll learn soon.”

  “I don’t know what you’ve heard, Mila, but I hope to tell you what happened from my point of view, as someone outside both packs. My arrival appears to have been the spark that caused all this trouble.”

  Mila raised her chin. It was starting to become clear now what was going on. She forced herself to breathe out the tension, reminded herself that she promised to have an open mind. Still, she didn’t protest and forced herself to listen. Perhaps Sophie was right—the limited information that Mila had heard from her father likely didn’t tell the entire story. Why not hear what this human had to say?

  “I met Damon at a club in Massachusetts last year and never thought I’d see him again,” Sophie began. “When I came up here last month to go skiing with a friend, I had trouble on a steep course and ended up going off trail. In the darkness of the forest and diminishing light at the end of the day, I became disoriented and got lost. Somehow, I stumbled into your pack’s territory.

  Sophie glanced at Damon and then back to Mila. “Damon works as a ski patrol on the mountain. When he caught my scent going off trail, he recognized it. He followed it through the woods to make sure I was safe. That’s when one of your enforcers found me—and soon after, Damon.”

  Sophie wrung her hands. “It was all my fault for getting in over my head that day.” She cast her eyes down to the floor. “I’m sorry. To all of you. It’s caused so much grief.” She raised her gaze back to Mila. “You should know that Alex kidnapped me. He used me as bait to provoke Damon to come and fight.”

  Mila shifted uncomfortably on the sofa. That’s why Damon’s name sounded familiar. He was the enforcer who had killed Alex.

  She’d heard a story, but it had left out many of the details Sophie had shared, most notably with Damon searching for his mate to make sure she was safe and Alex later kidnapping her to provoke Damon. That is, if Sophie was telling the truth. It sounded similar to what Rafe had tried explaining to her back when she’d arrived and had refused to listen.

  In the version Mila had heard, a Franconia enforcer had been spying in Sacco territory and had gotten caught. That version sounded flimsier each day she’d spent with the Franconia pack. Then again, they would be biased with their viewpoint.

  She adjusted her position on the cushion. Her mouth felt dry. “Actually, could I have a glass of water, please?”

  While Sophie rose to get one, Mila struggled to resolve the contradictory stories from each pack. Sophie appeared to be completely genuine. She’d learned details that her pack had left out. Never once since she’d met Rafe did she get the sense he wanted to claim Sacco lands. In fact, he’d liked her idea about allowing wolves to roam free.

  Sophie handed her a glass of water.

  “Thank you.” Mila took a sip and then a longer one.

  It felt like she was finally waking up and seeing things through clear eyes. Knowing Alex and his excessive arrogance, she could picture the scenario playing out as Sophie had explained. In that case, maybe the conflict was generated by too much pride and too little sense. It wouldn’t be the first time for wolf shifters to rush to battle over the slightest cause—if any.

  And if all this was true, her reasoning that had guided her to volunteer to sabotage the Franconia was misguided and flat-out wrong.

  Damon added, “I never intended to cause any rift between our packs. I caught Sophie’s scent and recognized it as my mate’s. With how her ski tracks veered into the woods, I worried she was in trouble. All I wanted to do was to find Sophie and make sure she was safe.”

  Sophie gave him a warm smile before turning a worried expression on Mila. “I don’t completely understand how wolves feel when they find their mates, but I hear it is quite a compulsion, almost difficult to ignore.”

  Mila bit her lip and turned away to glance outside the window to the forest. She could feel Rafe’s eyes on her. That overpowering instinct had been one they both had tried to ignore from the beginning—and failed. That was the reason why she was still here. Even when she’d tried to exploit their connection to her advantage, she’d failed at that as well. She took in a shaky breath and released it.

  A week ago, Sophie and Damon’s words would have little effect swaying Mila, but since then, so much had changed. Now that she’d found her mate and had felt his touch, could she ever walk away? If she sensed Rafe was in danger, would she try to save him the way that Damon had gone to protect Sophie, no matter what the cost?

  Mila had already learned this morning that she could never hurt him.

  She returned her attention to Sophie and smiled. “Well, I’ll admit that the emotions are particularly strong. I wanted to kill him at first.” She faced Rafe and grinned. “But he’s kind of cute and grew on me.”

  Rafe released a throaty laugh. “Like lichen.”

  Her smile spread wider. “Exactly.” She cast her gaze down to the rug. “I appreciate you both telling me what happened from your point of view. You’re right in that I haven’t heard the whole story.” She gulped. “And in that regard, I was in the wrong. I never should’ve believed all the accusations without knowing for sure.” She raised her gaze to meet Rafe’s. “I’m sorry.”

  He cupped her face and stared at her with warm eyes. “Don’t be.”

  She melted at his touch. Here he was, an alpha, showing affection to her in front of his pack mates. She wanted more of this, yearned to explore their connection.

  Rafe grinned. “I’m glad you’re feisty and brave enough to come over here and try to ruin my business. Otherwise, how else would I have met you?” One side of his mouth curled up into a wry grin.

  She laughed. “True.” She addressed all of them. “I don’t want our packs to fight, but I’m not sure how to prevent it. Even if I tell them exactly what yo
u told me, I doubt they would listen.”

  Rafe asked, “Why not? You’re Kane’s daughter. The word of Kane’s daughter should carry weight in the pack.”

  She shook her head. “Not mine.” A sour taste coated her tongue. “My opinion doesn’t matter much. Especially to him.”

  It hurt to admit it, but it was time she accepted the truth. Her father didn’t value her, and neither did her pack. She’d volunteered for a mission to win their acceptance and appreciation, but for what? Her motivation seemed hollow now, a pointless endeavor to be valued by a pack.

  If that was the case, maybe she didn’t belong with her pack after all.

  If so, she faced a much bigger, much graver problem.

  Her father.

  Chapter 13

  Rafe

  Rafe hated having caused Mila any distress. He’d sprung that meeting with Damon and Sophie on her, but sensed she would refuse to go if he revealed who they were going to visit.

  “Are you okay?” he asked her after they walked outside the cabin.

  “I am. It’s not easy learning things about your pack you wish weren’t true.” In a lower voice, she added, “Or regret the things you’ve done—and believed.”

  “You have nothing to feel bad about,” he replied and pulled her into his arms. What he would do to brush her anguish away. “You were loyal to your father and your pack.”

  When she pulled back and met Rafe’s gaze, her eyes were full of sadness. “Maybe I was misguided.”

  “What do you mean?”

  “Because.” Her lips parted. She rubbed a worry line etched between her brows. “Because you’ve shown me more compassion and appreciation than I ever felt from my pack. Even my own father.”

  Rafe’s chest tightened. He hated seeing her in any sort of pain.

  “I need to spend some time alone this afternoon,” she said.

  His gut clenched. “Where are you going?”

  She stared off into the distance and shrugged. “Just out walking.”

  Once she turned downhill, he tracked her with his eyes, struggling against the urge to follow. He had to give her the space she requested.

  Only once she was out of eyesight did he move. Maybe it was time for a few ski runs to work out the emotions coiling his muscles with tension.

  * * *

  After skiing the moguls, Rafe leaned forward, breathing heavily. He stared across the mountain to Sacco territory, aching for Mila. What would happen when their seven days were up, and she had to return to her pack—would he pine for her from his side of the borderline?

  He distracted himself with a couple of hours working in the office. When he returned home, his house was dark. Mila hadn’t returned.

  Would she?

  Ache rose from his chest, worming its way into a lump in his throat.

  He closed his eyes and forced himself to be patient, struggling against the thoughts tormenting his brain—dark speculations about what would happen if his mate decided that it was easier to leave him.

  * * *

  She didn’t return until dark. When Rafe heard movement outside the front door, he rushed to it and swung it open.

  “Mila.” He rushed to her and took her in his arms. Inhaling her scent infused him with the assurance that she was truly there. She’d come back.

  When he pulled away, she quirked one brow. “I haven’t been gone long, Rafe.”

  “And yet too long.” He exhaled. Maybe his situation was one-sided, and she didn’t feel the same anguish he did. “You don’t feel it?”

  Her distressed gaze met his. “Of course I do. Why do you think I’m in such agony trying to figure this out?” She placed her hand on his cheek. “Figure us out.”

  He pulled her back into his arms and held her body close to his. “We’ll find a way, my mate.”

  She moaned and then pulled her head back, staring into his eyes. “It’s the first time you’ve called me that.”

  “What?” he asked. “My mate?”

  “Yes.”

  Had he gone too far? After all, they’d only spent one night together. “Does it bother you?”

  “Not at all.” She shook her head once and her expression brightened. “I liked hearing it.”

  He grinned. “I might be a stubborn alpha, but I’m finally catching what my wolf has told me from the first moment I saw you.” He caressed her cheek. “You’re the one for me, Mila. The only one.”

  She dropped her head onto his chest. “Hold on to me for a little longer.”

  “Of course.” He never wanted to let her go. In that moment, he vowed to do whatever he could to prevent them from being torn apart. He’d fight Kane, Lars—hell, he’d fight every shifter in her damn pack.

  His breath quickened as he considered what he was about to say. Was it too much, too soon?

  Screw it. If he didn’t say it now, he might always regret it. “You don’t have to go back, Mila. You can stay here.” He swallowed and searched his eyes, never feeling more vulnerable in his life. “You can stay with me.”

  Tears glistened in her eyes, yet she smiled. “That’s tempting, Rafe.” She pursed her lips. “Unfortunately, that might make things even worse between our packs than they are now. My father would never let that happen.”

  “Because you’re his daughter.” Rafe nodded with understanding.

  “No.” She shook her head. “Because I’m his possession. And it all comes down to shifter pride.”

  Rafe bowed his head. What could he do to soften her distress? He took her hand. “Is there anything I can do to make things better for you right now?”

  She stared out to the forest. “Yes. Let’s run through the woods.” When she brought her stare back to him, her expression turned hard. “Hunt with me, Rafe.”

  A tremor of excitement bolted through his body. He hadn’t expected her to say that. The idea of running in wolf form with his mate, hunting prey, thrilled him on a deep, primal level. “Of course.”

  Desire pooled in her dark eyes. “And then take me to bed.”

  His voice caught in his throat. Fuck, he couldn’t think of anything he’d rather do more.

  When the skies were pitch, save for the moonlight and stars, Rafe and Mila slipped out of his house in the nude. As she shifted, he gaped at her. He’d seen the females in his pack shift, so female nudity and the transformation wasn’t foreign to him. But watching his beautiful mate shift from her gorgeous human form to that of a silver and white wolf struck him with awe. She was utterly stunning, leaving him transfixed. Her fur appeared so soft, begging for him to touch it.

  Rafe walked over and stroked his fingers through her fur, which was as lustrous as it looked.

  You’re beautiful, he told her.

  If they had pups together, would they have her coloring? His dark fur? Or both, a true joining of the packs.

  Why did he fantasize a future that might be impossible with both packs still eager to tear each other to furry pieces? He shoved that unrealistic vision out of his mind.

  She leaned into his touch. Hurry and shift so I can see your wolf.

  He laughed. Patience. He initiated his shift to wolf form.

  His wolf padded over to her, rejoicing in the moment where he’d hunt with his mate. He nuzzled her fur with his snout.

  Although he’d often led the pack when they hunted, he held back, preferring to watch Mila. She moved with the grace of a sleek predator. Hunting with her was even more thrilling than that of the chase.

  Although he often hunted rabbit or other small animals that lived on the mountain, he took her to an area on flatter land near the stream where deer often roamed.

  It didn’t take long for her to catch the scent, and they both followed it along the edge of the stream. Several minutes passed before they spotted a lone dear eating grass. They froze and exchanged glances.

  He communicated to her, You attack from the right, and I will from the left.

  Okay.

  On three. He counted and then lunged.
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  He took the deer on the left flank. Although it tried to get away, Mila prevented it from the right. He snapped his jaws over the deer’s neck to finish the kill.

  * * *

  A few hours later, they returned to his house and shifted back to human form outside. Once they entered and he closed the door, Mila stepped over to him, still naked.

  The glint in her eyes was ravenous. “I need you, Rafe. Don’t make me wait.” She caressed his cheek and trailed her fingers down his chest, her gaze descending with her touch.

  “Hell no.” He was semi erect from hunting with her.

  “So tempting,” she murmured as her touch descended.

  A growl stirred in his chest. “Mila.” His voice came out strangled.

  She raised her gaze to meet his. His heart thundered with two echoing beats before they came together in a kiss, grasping each other with desperate need. They kissed and clutched each other as they tangled their way through his living room and up the stairwell. By the time they’d entered his room, he was achingly hard.

  She pushed him onto the bed and crawled over him. Her hair tumbled over him, as she kissed her way down his neck and chest.

  He ran his fingers through her soft hair. “You’re so hot tonight,” he murmured. “So wild.”

  “I want you.” She pinned his wrists down and straddled him.

  “I’m yours,” he swore. “I’ll give you everything you need.”

  Mila

  Mila walked the snow-covered paths through the village with Rafe as the morning sun broke through the clouds. They had a couple of hours together before he had to head into his office to take care of some business. With their arms entwined, it almost felt like they were a couple, like the many they passed. That made this moment ever more bittersweet, considering their time together was counting down. Each hour that passed reminded her how they’d eventually have to separate. It seemed their mating was cursed.