Page 4 of Falling for My Shifter Enemy

Theo, the Alpha of a rival pack, the one who saved me.

Mate,my wolf breathes.Ours.

That realization hits me with all the force of a tidal wave.

Theo is our fated mate.

In a fluid motion, Theo shifts back into his human form. The transition is seamless, his gaze never wavering, the intensity still blazing in his dark eyes. He stands tall, his body radiating the raw energy of the fight, and one of the Whispering Pines pack members tosses him a pair of sweats. He catches them without breaking eye contact with me, quickly pulling them on.

“Are you hurt?” he asks, his voice gruff but laced with concern. His gaze sweeps over me, searching, as though he needs to see for himself that I’m really okay.

I shake my head, my voice coming out softer than I intend. “No, I...” My throat tightens. “I’m okay. You saved us.”

Theo’s shoulders relax, the tension in his stance easing just a fraction. “Mark won’t be a problem anymore,” he says, his voice low. The weight of his words lingers in the air between us, heavy with finality.

An uncomfortable silence follows, the gravity of what just happened settling over us all. I shiver, not from the cold, but from the fading adrenaline that still pulses through my veins.

Ryan clears his throat, breaking the silence. His expression is serious but softened by a hint of something else—respect, maybe. “Theo, we need to talk about what happened here.”

Theo straightens, his demeanor shifting back to the Alpha I’ve always known him to be. “I didn’t know someone was targeting women until your pack infiltrated us last night,” he explains matter-of-factly. “Once I heard about the threats, I had my security company look into Mark’s activities, just in case.”

Ryan’s eyebrows lift in surprise. “You’ve been investigating this?”

Theo nods, his gaze flicking briefly to me before returning to Ryan. “We found out he had rented this cabin. I came to confront him about staying in the area and to see if he was behind the threats.” His voice darkens. “When I got here, I could smell the women—Chloé and Zoe. That’s when I knew things were worse than we thought.”

Ryan’s jaw clenches, his expression unreadable. “So you didn’t know about his plans before tonight?”

“No,” Theo says firmly, leaving no room for doubt. “I may have issues with your pack, Ryan, but I’d never stand by while innocent women were targeted. As soon as I knew there was a real threat, I acted.”

Another silence falls, but this one feels different. The tension between the two Alphas is still there, but it’s softened. Ryan’s face remains stoic, but after a long moment, he extends his hand to Theo. “Thank you,” he says simply.

Theo hesitates for only a second before clasping Ryan’s hand. “Don’t mention it,” he replies gruffly, his eyes flicking back to me.

The exchange feels significant, a moment that could ripple through both packs, reshaping the bond between them. But my attention is completely on Theo, on the way the air shifts between us the moment our eyes meet again.

There’s something unspoken in his gaze, something simmering since he burst through that basement door. And I feel it too—a pull, a connection. My heart hammers in my chest, the mate bond humming between us.

Theo takes a step toward me, his expression softening in a way I’ve never seen. “Chloé...” His voice is rough, filled with something I can’t quite name.

Closer,my wolf urges, her presence pressing against my mind. She aches for him, for his touch, for the unity we can never fully know.He will protect us. He will claim us.

I swallow hard, my throat tight as my wolf’s longing thrums beneath my skin. But before Theo can say more, Ryan’s voice cuts through the moment.

“We still have work to do,” Ryan says, businesslike. “We need to secure the area and notify the rest of the pack.”

Theo’s jaw tightens, but he nods, his eyes lingering on me a moment longer before he turns back to Ryan. “Agreed. Let’s make sure everyone’s safe.”

Their conversation fades into the background as my mind spirals. Theo saved me. The alpha of our rival pack.

My fated mate.

Chapter 2

Theo

I can't believe it. Chloé, a submissive wolf from Whispering Pines—a pack I’ve spent years at odds with—is my fated mate.

My wolf is still prowling inside me, restless and agitated. I can feel him pacing, claws scraping at the edges of my mind, all because of her. Chloé. She stands there, small and fragile on the outside, but I can tell there’s more to her than what meets the eye. There’s a quiet strength in her, something that draws me in despite my every instinct screaming at me to resist it.

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