Mated To An Enemy

The dawn light hadn’t even crossed the sky.

The three of them walked silently through the trees of the northeastern border, careful to avoid the patrols.

“Here,” Caleb whispered, pulling on Ashleigh’s hand before she could go any further.

Ashleigh stopped, looking back at him woefully.

Caleb looked back at Galen.

“I’ll keep an eye out,” Galen said softly before turning and giving them some privacy.

A soft smile spread over Caleb’s mouth. He reached a hand to Ashleigh’s cheek.

“Don’t do that,” he whispered. Then, taking a step closer, he placed his other hand at her waist.

Ashleigh leaned into him, pressing her head into his chest. He held her close, kissing the top of her hair.

“I’ll be back as soon as possible,” he said. “I promise.”

“Keep yourself safe,” she whispered.

“You too.”

Ashleigh scoffed.

“I’ll be here waiting for you to come back. The only danger I have to worry about is boredom.”

“Good,” he said, pulling back so he could look into her eyes. “Then I don’t need to worry.”

“You wouldn’t need to worry if you just took me with you,” Ashleigh said.

Caleb laughed.

“Then you should have married me the same night Bell married Galen.”

Ashleigh sighed.

“Ash,” he called.

She looked up at him. His warm gaze burned away her cold resolve.

Ashleigh reached her hand up to the back of his head, drawing him down to her. She kissed him with all that she had. Caleb wrapped his arm at her waist tight and gave her his all.

His warmth, his hunger, it flowed into her. She embraced it. Met his desire with her own, his heat with the raging fire inside her.

Within their hunger, their desire, there was a softness. They held a tenderness for each other, an unspoken sadness to be apart.

Caleb groaned as he pulled away from her.

The dark swirls in his eyes only made Ashleigh crave him more.

He ran his thumb across her lower lip.

“I love you,” he whispered.

“I love you,” she whispered back.

Galen cleared his throat quietly.

“I know,” Caleb nodded sadly.

He kissed her forehead one more time and then turned to Galen.

“I leave them in your hands, brother,” he said.

Galen nodded.

“I will protect them with my life,” Galen said.

Caleb nodded, and they shared a brief hug.

With one last glance at Ashleigh, Caleb shifted into a large red and brown wolf. The dark fur of his brows highlighted the grey of his eyes.

Ashleigh stepped close to him; she ran her fingers over his fur.

“You are surprisingly soft,” she smiled.

Caleb turned, so his head rubbed gently against her hand.

Ashleigh smiled. She leaned forward and kissed the top of his head.

“Hurry back to me,” she whispered.

He looked at her. She felt his promise in his gaze.

Galen and Ashleigh stood shoulder to shoulder as Caleb’s wolf disappeared into the trees just beyond the border of Summer.

“You know where he’s going,” Ashleigh said quietly.

Galen nodded.

“Will he be alright without you?” she asked.

Galen chuckled.

“He would be upset if he heard you ask that question.”

She smiled. “We all want to believe we are strong enough to handle everything alone.”

“He won’t be alone,” Galen replied.

Ashleigh turned to look at Galen.

“He won’t?”

Galen looked down and smiled.

“As a member of Winter, I’m sure you know that your young Alpha isn’t home.”

Ashleigh looked back in the direction in which Caleb had disappeared.

“Axel…” she smiled to herself. “He’ll be fine.”

“The only danger those two need to worry about is from each other,” Galen said with a light chuckle.

Ashleigh laughed.

“They’ll be fine,” she said. “They’ll growl and snarl, but whatever they’re doing together, that will come first.”

Galen nodded.

“We should return before the patrol comes back through,” he said.

They made their way back to the main campus.

Galen immediately went to work to cover all Caleb’s prior commitments and duties. Caleb leaving was kept quiet. Galen had stayed behind to give the illusion that he had never left Summer.

Ashleigh, Fiona, and a select few members of his council were the only ones who knew the truth.

She returned to her room. Fiona had canceled the day’s torture disguised as training to help Galen make arrangements for Caleb’s absence.

Ashleigh was left with nothing to do but think. She looked around the room. She considered laying back down.

She gasped and placed her hand to her heart when she was suddenly struck by a deep sense of loneliness.

‘He must have taken the suppressant...’ she thought with a twinge of disappointment.

Caleb had warned her. He told her he would need to be focused on the task he set out to accomplish. Their bond was undeniably strong, their attachment even stronger. He knew that being separated would take a toll on them both.

Ashleigh had understood, even agreed.

Still… he was gone, and she felt a void inside her without him.

She took a deep breath and left the room. It was still dark out, the early glow of sunrise starting to reach across the sky. There were few people out at this hour. She made her way across the campus and through the trees much quicker than she had anticipated.

Ashleigh was out of breath when she reached the entrance. Still, she pushed the place on the bark that opened the door. Then, she climbed the stairs and entered the treehouse.

Closing the hatch behind her, she closed her eyes and took a deep breath. She smiled.

His scent was everywhere.

Ashleigh walked to the window. Staring out into the mountains and the valley below, she knew that he was running through the trees somewhere out there. She touched the glass with the tips of her fingers, wishing she knew where he was going.

She turned to look around the room. They had cleaned up the blanket and picnic supplies after spending hours talking and laughing. She looked over at the couch, where they had cuddled together while watching two different movies. Though the second was primarily ignored as they found themselves more interested in each other.

Remembering his touch sent a pulse of warm energy through her. She swallowed as she thought about his lips trailing kisses down her throat to her chest. He had teased her for a long time, and she had enjoyed every moment.

She sighed, the memory was beautiful, but it only fueled the desire to have him back in her arms. The empty feeling in her chest grew heavy.

Her eyes lingered on the couch until she turned to look at the bed.

Held in his arms through the night, they hadn’t done anything but sleep. And she had never felt safer or more at peace.

Ashleigh walked over to their shared bed just a few hours ago. His scent was more pronounced here than anywhere else in the room. She found his pillow and hugged it to her chest, breathing it in as she climbed back into bed.

She curled around his pillow, imagining him lying beside her as the first rays of sunshine streamed through the window, and she drifted back to sleep.