Page 1 of Falling for My Shifter Enemy

Chapter 1

Chloé

“We need to find a way out of here,” Zoe mutters, more to herself than to me. Her determination is palpable, but I can’t stop the tremor in my voice when I ask, “Do you really think we can?”

The cold dampness of the basement clings to my skin, setting my nerves on edge. I try to steady my breathing, but every time I inhale, the reality of our situation presses down harder. Zoe paces, her movements sharp and purposeful, as if she can will us out of here by sheer force. I admire her for that, but I’m not sure I have enough hope left to share.

We must escape.My wolf’s voice rises softly in my mind, a gentle whisper of encouragement.Run, find safety.Her yearning is like a pulse within me, urging me to move, to do something. But I can’t. Not yet. Not when I feel this helpless.

For a moment, Zoe meets my gaze, her dark eyes filled with the kind of fierce resolve I’ve only read about in books. “We have to try,” she says, and I want to believe in her words. Maybe Zoe can get us out of this. Maybe we can survive.

As the minutes crawl by, we tear the room apart in our search for something—anything—that can help us escape. I check the chairs, running my fingers along the edges, hoping to find something sharp or loose. Zoe is on her hands and knees,inspecting the legs of the table. But everything is too solid, too secure. It feels like the room itself is mocking us.

With each failed attempt, a heavier weight settles on my chest. I glance over at Zoe, who has slumped against the wall, her eyes closed as if she’s trying to escape this place in her mind. I want to say something comforting, but the words die in my throat. What could I offer, really? I’m the pack’s weak link—the wolf who can’t even shift. How am I supposed to help us get out of this?

We are not weak.My wolf’s voice is firmer now, a rare moment of defiance.We are more than they see.Her quiet confidence surprises me, and for a second, I wonder if I’ve been underestimating her all along. Maybe I’ve been underestimating myself too. But what good is a wolf that can’t shift? The doubt lingers, heavy.

Zoe’s eyes flicker open, and I see something in her expression—a fleeting vulnerability I hadn’t expected. She looks… haunted. “Are you okay?” I ask gently, my voice thick with concern. I don’t know how to comfort someone like Zoe, someone so strong, but I have to try.

She gives me a weak smile. “Just… thinking about someone.”

The way her voice softens makes my chest tighten. “Marcus?” I guess, though I already know the answer. She’s been preoccupied with him for weeks, even if she hasn’t said it outright.

Zoe nods, and for a second, something wistful flickers across her face. “Yeah. I can’t stop thinking about him.”

I sit down beside her, careful not to sit too close in case she needs space. But I want her to know I’m here, that she’s not alone in this horrible place. “Want to talk about it?” I offer quietly. “Might help take our minds off… this.” I gesture vaguely at theroom, but my heart isn’t really in it. How can anyone forget the suffocating sense of doom hanging over us?

Zoe hesitates, but there’s something raw in her expression, something that tells me she needs to talk. “It’s just… so complicated,” she says, her voice low. “With Liam and the pack dynamics and everything.”

I nod, giving her the space to share without pushing. I’ve always been a good listener, even if I never have much to say myself. It’s easier that way—staying quiet, staying small. Maybe that’s why I’ve been single for so long. In our world, mates are everything, but no one has ever looked my way. Not really. I’m the girl who’s always on the sidelines. Most days, I convince myself that I’m fine with it, that I prefer the solitude. But sometimes, late at night, I wonder what it would be like to have someone. To be seen. To be chosen.

“But you care about him,” I say softly, sensing the depth of her feelings.

A small smile tugs at her lips. “Yeah, I do. He’s been so protective lately, with all the threats against single women in the pack.”

I can’t help the warmth that spreads through me at the thought of Marcus being there for her. Zoe deserves someone who’d go to the ends of the earth for her. “And you’ve fallen for him,” I whisper, more a statement than a question.

Zoe blushes, the faintest pink coloring her cheeks. “I… I don’t know. Maybe.”

Without thinking, I reach out and squeeze her hand, trying to offer what little comfort I can. “The heart wants what it wants,” I say, giving her a small smile. “Even when it’s inconvenient.”

Her eyes flicker with emotion, and she nods, her voice barely above a whisper when she speaks again. “I just… I keep thinking about him, wishing he was here to help us. But then I feel guilty for not being strong enough to get us out of this myself.”

Something in her words strikes a chord deep inside me. I know too well the feeling of not being strong enough. “Hey,” I say firmly, turning toward her, “wanting help doesn’t make you weak. We’re pack, even if I’m… well, even if I’m not exactly a normal pack member.”

Zoe’s brow furrows. “What do you mean?” she asks, genuine curiosity in her voice.

My heart pounds in my chest, the familiar shame creeping in. I haven’t told many people about my inability to shift. It’s a secret I carry like a scar, something that marks me as different, as less.Not enough, my wolf whispers, a quiet, forlorn murmur in the back of my mind. I swallow hard, feeling its instinctual longing rise, like a deep ache. My wolfwantsto be free, to run, tobelong—but it’s trapped, forever silent.

But here, trapped in this basement with Zoe, I feel like I have nothing left to lose. “I… I can’t shift,” I admit, my voice barely audible. “I was born a wolf-shifter, but I’ve never been able to actually shift. It’s… it’s not something I talk about much.”

There. I’ve said it. My wolf stirs restlessly, nudging me with a soft, yearning whine.Tell her. They need to understand.I brace myself for the judgment, the pity, the awkward silence that usually follows that confession.

But instead, Zoe’s hand tightens around mine, offering warmth where I expected coldness. “That must be really hard,” she says softly, her voice filled with empathy and understanding.

I nod, blinking back the sudden sting of tears. “It is. But… it’s who I am. I’ve learned to live with it, even if some pack members look at me differently.”

Zoe’s expression softens, and her next words catch me off guard. “You’re amazing, you know that?” she says, her voice full of admiration. “And we’re going to get out of here together, I promise.”

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