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Mate of My Enemy
NovelShort
Hoàn thành
“I’m done hiding who I am. It’s time to claim what’s mine,” I said into the phone, my voice firm, before ending the call. My hands shook slightly, and my eyes burned with unshed tears as I t...
Chương (3)
第1章
Selene
“I’m done masking who I truly am. It’s time I reclaim what was always mine,” I uttered into the communicator rune, cutting the connection before the person on the other end could respond.
My throat tightened as I stood there, staring into the open wardrobe carved from black ironwood—the very same place where the evidence of my mate’s betrayal stared back at me like a snarling beast. My lips quivered, and heat pooled behind my eyes, refusing to spill even though my chest trembled with each breath.
A humorless, wounded laugh escaped me as I reached for Gideon’s Alpha jacket—the one scented with cedar and moonfire—hoping I wouldn’t find what I feared. My fingers searched the interior pockets, bracing for more scraps of feminine clothing, but apart from the scarlet scrap already on the floor, nothing else surfaced.
I had only intended to gather his garments for weekly washing. Gideon never remembered to empty his pockets; there were usually forgotten gold tokens or stray notes tucked inside. But today, instead of money, my hand closed around something soft, silky, and distinctly intimate—a red lace thong that unmistakably did not belong to me. The scent clinging to it was not mine either; wolves know these things instinctively.
The moment I inhaled, my mind jumped straight to Brielle—his beloved assistant—whose perfume lingered in every corridor of the packhouse offices. I didn’t need the Moon Goddess to confirm what my instincts screamed. That scrap of fabric was hers.
“Five years…” I whispered, my voice breaking as tears finally slipped down my cheeks and landed on the jacket in my hands.
Five years ago, I had chosen Gideon as my fated future, running away from my birth pack when my parents forbade me from bonding with him. With the influence and alliances I concealed from my family, I helped Gideon rise from an ambitious Gamma-born wolf to a powerful Alpha who ruled over a prosperous trade pack.
And for a while, I thought I had made the right decision.
Then, two years into our union, Brielle appeared. The daughter of a wealthy Alpha from the Northern Territories, she requested a position as Gideon’s assistant. She slipped into the pack as though she had been carved for it. With her elite ties and honeyed tongue, she drew in strong allies and wealthy patrons, swelling Gideon’s businesses with millions in revenue.
That was all it took for Gideon’s loyalties to shift.
Slowly. Quietly. Cruelly.
He didn’t announce the affair outright, but his behavior made denial impossible—late nights at the office, hushed conversations he wouldn’t take near me, his scent constantly mixed with hers, and now… her underwear hidden in his jacket like some kind of twisted trophy.
I had already decided to leave him for good. But first, I needed to face him. To face them.
Gideon hadn’t returned home since last night anyway; he’d chosen not to.
After showering and dressing, I ordered a pack-runner carriage to take me straight to the Lunar Crest Headquarters—the massive tower Gideon and I built together from nothing but dreams, determination, and my secret resources.
Not once had he offered me a place within its leadership. He claimed he loved that I stayed home, that I kept our den warm and comfortable. I believed him. I swallowed his excuses. I didn’t see the poison creeping in until Brielle arrived and he began praising her every sunrise.
Stopping in front of the towering glass structure, I felt a mixture of pride and grief. My efforts had shaped this empire, yet my name was nowhere on it.
I entered the lift rune and ascended to the top floor. As I stepped out, the receptionist—an Omega wolf with a soft smile—looked up and bowed her head respectfully.
“Good morning, Luna. Alpha Gideon hasn’t returned yet,” she informed me.
I inclined my head. “It’s fine. I’ll wait for him.”
Walking past her, I pushed open the door to Gideon’s office—and froze.
Brielle lounged in Gideon’s chair like she owned the place, her long leg draped across his desk, tapping playfully against his stack of documents. The moment she caught sight of me, she flinched, scrambling upright. Her false sweetness rushed over her like a mask she practiced in the mirror.
“L-Luna Selene,” she stammered, bowing her head. “My apologies. I was only waiting for Alpha Gideon.”
I let out a cold, humorless breath. “Drop the act, Brielle. I see your game clearly enough.”
Her head lifted slowly, and something shifted in her eyes.
The fear vanished.
The trembling stopped.
What remained was pure defiance.
“I was trying to be courteous, Selene,” she replied, her tone chillingly polite—polished, sharp, venomous.
The sudden change sent a flicker of shock through me, but I quickly swallowed it down. “So the mask finally cracks,” I said flatly.
Her lips twitched. “State your business. Your mate isn’t here.”
I pulled the small bag from my pocket and tossed it onto the table. “You seemed to have misplaced something.”
She opened the bag, and when she saw what lay inside, a slow, triumphant smile curled on her lips.
“Next time, don’t leave your underwear behind,” I told her, voice low and laced with fury.
Brielle chuckled—a soft, poisonous sound. “Oh, I didn’t forget it. He wanted something that reminded him of me… while he was stuck with you.”
My hand moved before my mind even caught up. The slap cracked through the office like a whip. Her head snapped to the side, and a thin line of blood appeared at the corner of her lip. She pressed her fingers against the swelling cheek, then smiled—a deranged, satisfied smile.
“I don’t care what idiocy exists between you and Gideon,” I growled, every inch of me vibrating with wrath. “But you will never address your Luna with disrespect.”
Her grin widened. “And I warned you from the start, Selene… everything that happens now? You brought it on yourself.”
My eyes narrowed. “What are you talking about?”
Suddenly, Brielle lunged forward and grabbed my arm with a grip surprisingly strong for someone pretending to be delicate. Then—she screamed.
“Luna Selene, please! Please don’t hurt me! I’m sorry!” she wailed loudly, voice trembling in a deliberately dramatic display.
“Let me go,” I muttered, trying to pull my arm free, stunned by her theatrics.
She released me abruptly, staggered back three steps, then threw herself to the side—crashing against the sharp corner of Gideon’s desk.
The sound of her skull hitting wood echoed like a thunderclap.
I screamed as she collapsed to the floor, motionless. Blood seeped rapidly into the thick carpet, spreading like a dark, blooming stain around her.
And there she lay—Brielle, the she-wolf who ruined everything—lifeless at my feet.
第2章
Selene
“What did you do?” Gideon’s voice cut through the room like ice, each word sharp and furious. I spun around to meet his gaze, the fire of rage and betrayal glowing in his amber eyes.
“Gideon… I—” My explanation was swallowed by the sting of his hand across my cheek, and I staggered backward, clutching my burning face.
“You… you struck me?” I croaked, my voice trembling at the edges, disbelief coating each word.
“And I swear, Selene, if anything happens to Brielle, you’ll regret it,” he hissed, venom lacing every syllable.
Before I could reply, he swept past me, moving with predatory speed, and lifted Brielle into his arms in a bridal carry. His voice, usually commanding, softened as he murmured soothing words into her fur, and within moments they had vanished down the hall.
I followed, but my thoughts roared louder than my legs could move. Accusations of my supposed cruelty to Brielle spun in my mind like a cyclone. He didn’t even glance back as he mounted his sleek black wolf-car and vanished into the night.
I reached for the passenger’s seat, but the door slammed shut with a growl as the car accelerated away, leaving me sprawled against the cold stone ground. My cheeks burned—not with the slap, but with humiliation—while the packhands lingering nearby exchanged whispers and furtive glances, as though I were some marked prey.
I summoned a carriage and returned to our den. Tears streamed freely as I looked upon the home we had shared for half a decade. Its halls echoed emptiness, mirroring the hollowness gnawing at my chest. How could Gideon assume so readily that I had harmed her, when the fall had been entirely her own doing?
I opened the wardrobe, methodically folding my garments into my travel bag. Deep down, I had gone to see Gideon hoping for reassurance, some fleeting shred of loyalty that might tether me to our bond. But now, every hope crumbled. His heart, I realized bitterly, had long since left me. There was no reason to cling to the shadows of a marriage that had dissolved into nothingness.
I had nearly filled the suitcase when the door slammed open. Gideon stormed in, his nostrils flaring, the heat of his anger radiating through the den. His gaze swept over me without a flicker of notice for my packing.
“Come with me,” he demanded, yanking my arm with the strength of an Alpha.
I wrenched free. “Let me go!”
“Now! Move!” he barked, his voice like a whip.
“Where are you taking me?” I groaned, planting my feet stubbornly.
It was futile—he was stronger, faster. Within moments, he had me in his grip, dragging me toward the waiting moon-lit streets.
“To the medics. You’re going to save her—she’s hurt because of you,” he snapped, his words sharp as fang and claw.
“I didn’t touch her! She fell on her own,” I protested.
“Lies, Selene!” His roar shook the air. “Your jealousy nearly cost a life! The least you can do is donate your blood so she survives!”
“But I—”
“I said no excuses!” His glare cut deeper than the forest shadows at midnight.
“Why would you trust an outsider over me?” I demanded, my voice cracking with disbelief.
“They all heard her screams. I heard them. You refused to listen, and you almost killed her!” His words drove me backward, into the sleek wolf-car he had summoned.
As he steered us toward the den of healers, clarity struck me like a claw through my chest: Brielle had orchestrated this. She had screamed, wailing, ensuring all witnessed my supposed cruelty. Even Gideon, my mate of five years, refused to believe me.
At the healer’s enclave, he dragged me into the emergency ward. Reluctantly, I followed, my claws gripping the leather of my sleeves in silent fury.
“If you care so much, why not just provide blood yourself?” I spat at him.
Gideon’s amber eyes hardened. “Her type isn’t stocked. The enclave is flooded with injured tonight—many lives need saving.”
The chief healer arrived, and Gideon gestured toward me. “She’s O+, please prepare her and save Brielle,” he implored, his voice unguarded, full of concern. The sight tore at my chest—he had never looked at me this way in the past three years.
Nurses and medics approached, securing my arms and injecting me with sedatives. Darkness claimed me, and the world dissolved.
When I awoke, the light stabbed at my eyes, and pain throbbed through my head and stomach. The room was empty. “Hello?” I called weakly.
The door swung open, and Gideon appeared, his expression carved from stone. “You’re lucky… Brielle survived,” he said, each word a jagged shard of judgment.
“What about me? Don’t you care if I’m okay?” I rasped.
“You’re not the one bleeding internally,” he snapped.
A healer entered, her eyes filled with sympathy. “Alpha Wolfe, you are her mate, correct?”
Gideon’s gaze fell on me with disdain. “I do not have such a malicious mate,” he said, before turning sharply and walking away, leaving my heart in splinters.
The healer sighed. “There’s something you should know, Selene.”
“What is it?” I asked, fear curdling in my stomach.
“Tests reveal… you were one month pregnant.”
I froze. “Were?”
“You lost the pup during the transfusion. I am so sorry,” she murmured.
My mind spun. “Why… why did you take my blood when I carried a pup?”
“Your mate approved it,” she replied gently.
“Did he… know?” I whispered, dread clawing at me.
“Yes,” she said quietly, and the words sank deep, leaving a hollow ache that no time could heal.
第3章
Selene
“Luna Selene?”
The healer’s voice drifted toward me like an echo in a cave, barely reaching through the crushing ache twisting my lower belly. My hands instinctively pressed against my abdomen as tears blurred my vision. For moons—years, even—I had prayed the Moon Goddess would bless me with a pup. Two winters ago, Gideon and I tried relentlessly, clinging to the hope that a child would steady our marriage, breathe life back into the bond that had been fading.
But then he’d sunk his claws into Brielle.
And once she slithered her way into his bed, he barely touched me anymore. The rare times he did, he was half‑drunk, his breath thick with ale, his wolf disinterested in me entirely. Even then, I kept hoping. I foolishly believed that an heir, a tiny heartbeat, would tether us together again.
Instead… Gideon had ordered the death of our pup.
Our innocent child—executed with a single command.
A fury unlike anything I’d ever known crackled through me. I refused to collapse beneath the pain, refusing to let grief tear me apart when betrayal already had.
“Luna Selene?” the healer called again, more firmly this time.
“That monstrous bastard,” I growled, my voice low and venomous.
With shaking fingers, I ripped out the IV embedded in my wrist. The sting was nothing compared to the agony inside me. I pushed off the cot and staggered toward the exit.
“Luna—please! You’ve lost too much blood. Your wolf needs time to mend. Come back—”
“Where,” I snarled, stopping just long enough to pin him with a deadly glare, “are Gideon and his mistress?”
The healer swallowed hard. “Luna, I—I don’t think—”
Another hard stare from me silenced him instantly. He lifted a trembling finger toward the adjoining room.
I shoved the door open.
There he was.
Gideon, Alpha of the Silvercrest Pack, bending tenderly over Brielle, brushing stray strands of hair from her cheek as if she were his goddess‑given treasure.
“You vile creature,” I roared. “You filthy traitor!”
Gideon jerked up. Before he could utter a word, my palm cracked across his face with a force that echoed through the infirmary. He froze—stunned, speechless.
“That’s for murdering my pup,” I screamed, voice breaking.
“What in the spirits’ name is going on?” Brielle whimpered behind him, and the sound of her voice snapped something inside me.
“You pathetic little leech!” I lunged, hands reaching for her. “You ruined everything!”
But Gideon moved with Alpha speed, shoving me back to shield her. I hit the floor hard, a jolt of pain ripping through my abdomen as fresh blood seeped down my thighs.
“I hate you,” I sobbed, my wolf howling its grief inside me.
“Get up, Selene,” he said coldly, his tone devoid of even a shred of remorse. “Return to your room and clean yourself.”
I stared up at him, heart shattering anew. “How can you stand there pretending nothing happened when you ordered our pup’s death? Our pup, Gideon!”
“You were the sole compatible donor for Brielle,” he said flatly. “Should I have let her die?”
“So you decided my child’s life was worth less than your lover’s,” I hissed.
“Do not speak about Brielle like that!” he barked. “And the pup wasn’t meant to be harmed. If you lost it—maybe it’s because you were never meant to be a mother.”
His words were sharper than claws. I recoiled as if physically struck.
“Gideon,” Brielle whispered shakily, “don’t say that. Selene is hurting. This is my fault…”
I pushed myself upright, swaying as I stood. The world felt distant, muffled, unreal. I walked out of the room without looking back, his voice still shredding my mind.
“You’ll regret this,” I muttered, though my throat was raw and my heart was in ruins.
A nurse helped me clean up, but I spoke no words. I stared at nothing. I felt nothing.
Two days passed this way—silent, hollow—until the healers finally discharged me.
When I returned to the Alpha’s house, it comforted me only that Gideon hadn’t come home either. His scent wasn’t anywhere near the property.
I gathered my things, moving mechanically. A thick envelope lay atop my luggage—delivered while I was gone. I slit it open and exhaled shakily.
The Moon Court’s seal.
Our divorce decree. Already stamped. Already approved.
All that remained was my signature.
My hand did not tremble as I signed it. The document lay on the bed—final, irreversible.
Gideon had made his choice long ago.
He chose Brielle.
He chose power, ego, lust—anything but me.
And after what he’d done… after what he took from me and our unborn pup… there was no path back.
A sob clawed up my throat, but I forced it down. I refused to let a single more tear fall for them.
I grabbed my suitcase and walked out of the house that had once been my home.
An Uber waited by the gate and carried me straight to the airport.
As I sat at the terminal, waiting for my flight, my phone buzzed.
Gideon’s name lit the screen.
I answered only because I wanted closure.
“What is this crap on the bed, Selene?” Gideon snarled. “Where the hell are you?”
“It’s our divorce decree,” I said coolly. “Sign it. Our bond is over.”
Silence stretched for several seconds before his voice returned—angry, incredulous.
“You don’t mean that. And you have nowhere to go—you have nothing without me. I’ve provided for you all these years. Come back and stop acting insane.”
“Don’t ever call this number again,” I said softly. “Or I swear, Gideon… you’ll regret ever marking me.”
“Selene—wait—”
I ended the call. Removed the SIM card. Snapped it. Tossed it.
My flight began boarding. I Selene, heart heavy but resolute.
Five long years have passed since that day.
And now I am returning.
Returning to reclaim my life.
Returning to fulfill the expectations my parents once had for me.
And most of all—
I am coming back to make Gideon and Brielle answer for the pup they murdered.
For the life they stole.
For the wolf they shattered.
They will pay. The Moon Goddess is my witness.