Mated To An Enemy

Caleb swallowed. Who the hell was this guy? Caleb looked back at Bell and Ashleigh.

“What does he mean, Bell?” Ashleigh asked.

“He’s Tomas’ son,” she whispered through tears, holding desperately to Galen’s hand.

Caleb closed his eyes and lowered his head ever so slightly. He took a deep breath.

Roman grinned.

“Even so,” Caleb said, “you can’t just go around putting your hands on a Summer wolf.”

“We’re not in Summer,” Roman growled. “Your authority ends at the fancy new gates.”

Caleb growled.

As much as he wanted to pummel this man for all he was guilty of, the threat of war was very real, and they were not ready. They wouldn’t be for at least a few more weeks, if even then.

“Winter is not so forgiving,” Ashleigh growled, “we won’t let you get away with it either.”

Roman laughed bitterly.

“You don’t speak for Winter either,” he smiled, pantomiming the act of tipping his hat to her. “Luna of Summer.”

Ashleigh growled, remembering Axel’s similar words.

‘Teach him who you really are!’

‘Demand the respect that is owed to Winter!’

‘Shut him up!’

“Go…” a sluggish Galen whispered. “Take Bell… get out of here….”

‘See what he has done? He must pay!’

‘Justice!’

‘Avenge your ally!’

Ashleigh squeezed her eyes closed, trying to focus on Bell.

“No!” Bell shouted, clinging to Galen’s hand but still too afraid to move any closer.

Galen struggled but managed to sit up. He looked at her warmly, wiping the blood from his mouth.

“I’m ok, I promise,” he whispered, “hard head, remember?”

Bell was not comforted; she could not stop the tears that fell.

“You need to get somewhere safe,” Galen said, squeezing her hand.

“I won’t leave you,” she whispered back.

“Sorry, angel,” he said, getting to his feet and giving Ashleigh a nod.

Ashleigh nodded in agreement and pulled Bell up to stand.

Galen looking to Roman.

“She goes nowhere!” Roman snarled.

“Not up to you,” Galen growled, moving beside his alpha. “Go, take her now.”

“No!” Bell shouted.

“Sshhh, Bell, it’s ok, it’s ok,” Ashleigh whispered. She held her back, trying to comfort and calm her down as she pulled her away. “Galen is going to be fine. Caleb is with him. They got this.”

“He doesn’t care about rank, rules, any of that, Ash. He will kill them!” Bell cried out as Ashleigh practically dragged her from the area.

“Bell, Bell!” Ashleigh called to her. “Please, listen to me. They will be fine, ok? But, right now, we need to get you and Ren safe.”

“Galen!” Bell shouted, tears streaming, her heart racing.

Bell tried to push past Ashleigh, trying to go back to ensure that Galen would be alright. Her heart kept beating harder and louder, and her chest tightened while her lungs threatened to burst. She was terrified. She needed to know that he was alright.

It was getting hard for her to breathe, see, and focus. Until it became impossible, and the darkness overwhelmed her.

Ashleigh barely caught her before she hit the ground.

“Bell!” Ashleigh cried out.

“Ashleigh?” a voice called from not far away.

Ashleigh looked up to see Saul coming from the training grounds.

“Saul!” Ashleigh called, “quick, I need your help.”

Saul rushed over, and Ashleigh moved Bell into his arms.

“I need you to take her to the hospital, quick!” she said. He gave her a look of confusion. “Please, Saul, there is someone dangerous here, I need to get back to help Caleb and Galen, but I need to know she is being taken care of.”

“Of course,” Saul nodded and then hurried toward the hospital.

Ashleigh ran back as quickly as she could. Arriving in time to see Galen thrown around and Caleb struggling to hold Roman back.

‘They need you.’

‘Prove the strength of Winter!’

‘Kill him!’

Ashleigh gasped, taking a step back. As she saw the memory of the Whiteridge wolves, torn into pieces by her bare hands. The fathers, sons, mothers, and daughters.

“I don’t want to kill anyone…” she whispered.

She felt the energies that stirred inside of her pacing, unsatisfied and angry, like a wild beast trapped in a cage.

Watching as the fight continued, she could see that Caleb was holding back. His strategy was entirely defensive.

‘Diplomacy is not the answer.’

‘He will die.’

‘Will you watch as the fire consumes them all?’

Roman smiled as he glanced between Galen, who staggered and struggled to hold himself up, and Caleb, who was more concerned with protecting Galen than focusing on the fight.

He lunged forward at Galen.

Caleb tried to move in front of Galen to block the attack, but Roman was quick. He turned his entire body and used the force of his movement to bring his two fists down against the side of Caleb’s head.

Caleb was entirely caught off guard, the hit landed hard, and he was forced to the ground, his entire body feeling the impact.

Ashleigh gasped. She made a move to go to Caleb but then saw that Roman had already moved on. He stood above Galen, who was bloodied and weak. Then, raising his arm in the air, Ashleigh could see the shining glint of a blade’s edge.

She flew forward, running as fast as she could, and threw herself on top of Galen, preparing to feel the stinging burn of the knife penetrating her back.

Instead, a feeling entirely different fell over her.

A muted sense of dread. An icy cold that bored down into the bone. A phantasmic presence that stole the heat from your breath and followed it into your lungs until you choked on the frosty tendrils it left behind.

His power was more significant than she had ever felt. It was colder, harsher, and more intense than Wyatt, Corrine, or even Fiona had ever pushed on her.

Even more than Caleb had used around her.

Ashleigh felt the wind behind her as Roman was lifted and stolen away, but it was the cracking sound of the tree as his body was slammed into it that drew her attention.

She opened her eyes and turned toward the sound just as the tree split and a large branch collapsed into the snow below.

At the base, she saw Roman, his eyes dazed, and his body lifted against the remaining part of the tree, held there by a strong hand at his throat.

Roman’s mind was rattled. The surprise of it all and the actual hit to the tree had shaken him momentarily. He looked down at the man that held him to the tree, his vision was blurred, his focus going in and out.

“I didn’t know your name back then, but I do now,” the man snarled.

Roman’s eyes finally settled on the man’s face, on the thick scar that covered one of his eyes.

“Hello, Roman,” Axel’s voice came out thick with rage. “Do you remember me?”

Axel let out a roar as he gripped Roman’s throat and threw him to the ground, standing over him with his eyes ablaze and his teeth bared.