Page 11 of Fated to the Enemy Alpha

I nodded. “I know, but I can reposition myself in New York and Blackthorn until we are,” I said confidently, already formulating a wild plan.

My mother’s alive.

My heart hurried with relief and hope for the first time in years.

“There is a banquet on at Blackthorn Villa, hosted by Magnus himself,” Matthew said.

An image of Blackthorn Villa flashed through my head, its grand hall decorated in white linen and dozens of bouquets of flowers. Then, the totem-marked wolves attacking, my father’s wolf fighting, and my mom on the floor, blood seeping through her pale dress.

“That’s tomorrow!” Emily exclaimed, looking skeptical. “You don’t have to go so soon. There’ll be other events.”

I shook my head, squeezing my hands into fists. “I can’t wait now that I know he has her.” My gaze crept back to the monitor, every ache that I’d been feeling since losing my mom resurfacing, leaving me feeling more fragile than I had in a long time. But I did what I always did—I focused on covering the rising tide of emotion with the fire of vengeance, always flickering within me.

“I can’t let this opportunity slip away. I need to go tomorrow,” I said, feeling a newfound urgency ignite.

Matthew nodded, his expression a mixture of determination and concern. “We’ve got your back. We’ll figure this out.”

As my heart raced with anxious excitement, a sliver of doubt crept in. “Will you two be okay with Betty while I’m gone?”

“Of course,” Emily replied, her voice steady and reassuring. “She’s used to spending a night or two with us. It’ll be fine.”

Em was right. Every few weeks, when I had a big client meeting, I left her with them. Both Emily and Matthew had rooms here in the villa. They had apartments in Philadelphia, too, but split their time between the city and here.

“You can count on us,” Matthew reassured me, watching me with his kind, blue stare and looking as if he wanted to say more.

I smiled. “I know I can. Thank you both,” I said, picking up my chai tea to prevent Matt from hugging me. If he did, I didn’t think I’d be able to hold myself together.

But I knew Betty was in the best of hands. My two colleagues and best friends were pros at grey-market dealings and running my business empire but also at feeding time, bedtime, and everything else in between.

I took a deep breath, trying to calm the fluttering in my chest. Before I could overthink it, we fell to concocting a plan.

After an afternoon of planning, I had a harder job to do. I sat with Betty on the living room floor, surrounded by her colorful toys. She looked up at me, her big blue eyes so like mine and my mom’s that I felt again how important it was to go to New York and save the woman who meant the world to me and who I wanted my own daughter to have the chance to know.

“Sweetheart, I need to talk to you about something important,” I said softly, brushing a black strand away from her forehead. The light kiss I planted there felt more significant than I intended, tinged with a gentle sadness. This was the first time I’d be leaving her for an extended period.

“Tomorrow, I’m going to go away for a little while,” I explained carefully. “But you’re going to stay here with Auntie Em and Uncle Matt. I know you’ll be a good girl for them, won’t you?”

Her brow knitted in confusion, and my heart squeezed. She nodded slowly. “How long, Mommy?”

“I’m not sure, but I promise to call you whenever I can,” I reassured her, hoping to soften my sudden absence. “And when I come back, we’ll do something special!”

Her bright blue eyes lit up, and she shrieked, “We go see Swan Lake!”

I laughed, instantly promising, “Yes, we can go see Swan Lake again when I get back.”

As she wrapped her tiny arms around me, I let out a shaky breath. I kept seeing the way my mom had pushed me out of those doors at Blackthorn Villa, risking her life for mine. If there was a chance that I could bring her back and share the precious life I’d built for Betty with her, it was worth the risk I was taking.

Later, when Betty was fast asleep in bed, I packed for tomorrow’s trip. I planned to drive to New York early tomorrow morning, then check into a hotel and dress for the evening.

That night, I tossed and turned, finding it hard to sleep as I went over the plan. Early in the morning, I looked in on Betty, both relieved and disappointed she wasn’t awake. Part of me knew it would be easier for Em and Matt if I was already gone, but the other part already missed her and wanted to soak up every last moment. I settled on planting a light kiss on her forehead before quietly leaving.

Matthew had already brought one of the cars round to the front. The SUV was exactly what I’d planned to take. It wasn’t too conspicuous or one that wouldn’t make Magnus ask too many questions.

As I reached the living room, the bookcase door opened, and Matthew came out. “Tell her I want New York pizza when she comes back!” Emily called out.

“Noted,” I called into Em’s lair with a smile, knowing that was her version of goodbye.

Both Em and Matt had lived in New York in the past, too, and I knew they would launch into the ordinary argument later about which pizzeria was the best now that the topic had been brought up.

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