Page 12 of Fated to the Enemy Alpha

I stifled the pang at the thought of leaving them and my little Swanling.

Outside, I thought I’d successfully avoided falling apart, but just before I opened the car door, Matthew pulled me into a hug. Emily wasn’t good at the touchy-feely shit, as she liked to say, hence staying in the office.

“Lina, we’re only a call away if you need to talk about anything,” Matt assured me as he hugged me. “You’re not alone, okay?”

I felt those cracks in my chest again, the ones I’d been trying so hard to shore up. I nodded. “I know. Thanks, Matt.” Both he and Em knew everything about my past with Stephen, too, and I knew from the look in his kind eyes that Matt was referring to the heartache he knew I was about to walk into once again. I had entrusted them both with my daughter as well as all the secrets of my heart. They weren’t just my friends; they were my family.

With my mind sharpened by purpose, I settled in for the drive to New York. It was a four-hour journey, and I only stopped once for coffee and gas. As I crossed the Hudson, the skyscrapers of Manhattan were dazzling in the afternoon sunshine, and it finally hit me—I was home.

I spent the afternoon getting ready in my hotel room before driving out to the Hamptons. When I arrived at the opulent Blackthorn Villa, trepidation, along with the sea breeze, washed over me.

I moved past the throng of other shifters, my heart pounding with every breath, and grateful that with my lavender evening gown, strappy heels, and my long glossy locks, I blended into the throng.

In a moment, I was walking into the hall, the very one where I thought until yesterday both my parents had died. My gaze strayed to the polished floor where my father had fallen—the wood shiny as if the attack had never happened.

I shook my head, forcing my thoughts away from the past. I had to be here. Now. I took in a deep breath of salty air as I stepped through the open door onto the terrace, where more party guests mingled. Familiar faces of the shifter elite filled the terrace, their laughter mingling with the clinking of glasses.

I felt his presence before I saw him—that unmistakable frisson of energy that had once arrested me on a dark, downtown street. My skin prickled with awareness, and this time, as I inhaled, the definite scent of spice and earthiness infiltrated my lungs.

Stephen.

He was there, standing on the terrace, exuding confidence. I could hardly breathe as I caught sight of him. My heart fluttered against my will, both thrilling and terrifying. My wolf surged up, instantly awake at his scent, too.

He strode toward me. The one stolen night we’d shared before reality intervened waltzed unbidden through my thoughts. The ache of an unfulfilled connection resonated through me, reminding me of a moment when I had thought he was the solution to all my problems.

Forcing my breath to steady, I felt the weight of my plans pressing against my chest and forced a calm over my body. My revenge was in motion, and I wouldn’t allow Stephen to get in the way. And I sure as hell wouldn’t allow him to stop me from saving my mother. Tonight marked the beginning of a dangerous dance, one that required all my attention.

“Hello, Darlin’,” he greeted, his voice a low rumble.

The greeting could have been used by any host welcoming his visitor, but the way Stephen uttered ‘Darlin’ drew my thoughts back to the memory of our bodies intertwined, and a shiver of memory, heat, and wanting rushed through me. “You in a hurry, Darlin’?” he’d asked as I’d bucked my hips up to meet him, telling him I needed him with a deep longing that I’d only ever experienced once in my life.

His bright green eyes seemed imbued with the same intensity they’d had in that moment.

“Stephen,” I said, plastering on a strained smile. The tumultuous emotions within me threatened to spill over, but I couldn’t show he’d gotten under my skin. So instead, I said, “It’s been too long.”

He studied me for a moment, his gaze searing into mine like he was searching for all the secrets I had to hide.

Chapter 5

Stephen

“It’s been too long,” her deceptively simple phrase cleaved through my chest.

“Where have you been?” I demanded, my gaze scanning her for clues.

All I found was the stunning beauty she’d grown into. The silk evening gown hugged the swell of her breasts and hips, accentuating every curve.

“I moved cities,” Lina remarked as if we hadn’t been apart for five long years.

I took a sip of my drink, and the room spun. It wasn’t the whiskey but her scent, a blend of jasmine and something wild, something undeniably Lina, that had me reeling.

Yet my lungs dragged it in, demanding more, tormenting me with the memory of countless half-remembered dreams. The scent of her was enough to make me want to risk everything.

Yet, her simply being here was a risk. My gut clenched. A visceral warning buzzed through me: if I didn’t stay in control, the mask I’d worn for years was going to crack.

“You need to leave,” I growled.

She couldn’t be here—not with Magnus.

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