Page 57 of Fated to the Enemy Alpha

As the adrenaline faded, I became aware of the shift in the atmosphere around me. Magnus’s guards, fierce and unwavering until moments ago, turned their eyes to me, their postures shifting from aggression to alertness.

Shock shone in their wide eyes, and I took the opportunity to warn them with a growl that they needed to surrender to me if they wanted leniency. In another heartbeat, all of the Blackthorn wolves lowered their heads, tucking their forelegs beneath them, their powerful bodies folding in acknowledgment of my new authority. They were abandoning their alpha and surrendering to me.

My wolf rumbled an understanding to them. I padded over to Magnus’s broken wolf. I snarled, still poised above him, the urge to be done with him, biting in my chest and making me draw back as I considered him.

It would be so easy to rip into his throat and end all this, but something in the air caught my attention.

The scent of jasmine and wildness—Lina’s intoxicating essence, called to me. My pulse quickened, the violent instinct within me fading into the primal instinct of want and protectiveness; my mate was just behind me.

Before I could react, I felt her shift into her human form, her gentle touch against my fur. My alert, lupine eyes noted the relief washing over her delicate features, the lines at the edges of her full lips softening. She’d been worried about me. My stomach somersaulted with hope that she cared and that there was still a chance for me…for us. But that thought was interrupted by Lina’s next words.

“Stephen, I have evidence of your mother’s death that incriminates Magnus.” Her touch was like the softness of dawn breaking through the night, and the violent tension that had held me ebbed away.

My heart thrummed in my chest as I shifted, fur becoming flesh. The conflict within me melted away, but protectiveness still had me paying sharp attention to Magnus. “Shift!” I commanded, my voice brimming with the full force of my new alpha authority, the one I’d won in defeating this vile creature lying at my feet.

Magnus’s beast growled, but he had no choice but to shift, his body shrinking into his human form.

Lina moved away, and I turned to watch her retrieve her white gown. I almost didn’t want her to put it back on, but possessiveness rippled through me as I looked at her beautiful body, suddenly very aware of the other males in the room. But then I noticed the claw marks on her side, and a growl rumbled through me. It took every ounce of willpower to prevent me from immediately gathering her into my arms as she reached me, the dress still in her arms.

She drew something out of it—a USB drive. “My mom hid this in a lockbox. That’s why Magnus kept her alive. He knew Charlotte had hidden proof with my mom of the fact that Magnus wanted her dead. I opened the box before I got here in case Magnus forced my mom to open it.”

“You swapped the real one out, you bitch!” Magnus rasped, rage clouding his features as he clutched his side, a slow trickle of blood pooling beneath him.

Understanding surged through me. Magnus had thought he’d destroyed the real one. But Lina had saved the real one, and I now held it in my hand. The thought made my chest feel too full. Gratitude and longing swept through me as I looked at the amazing woman beside me. But I didn’t have a chance to thank her as she spun around, drawing her dress on over her head and heading toward the door.

As soon as Lina drew open the door, she announced, “Mommy’s here, sweetie!” Her voice rang out, and even through the heavy atmosphere, it resonated like the most beautiful music, melting the tension I still felt thrumming through me into something soft.

Betty rushed into her arms, and warmth glowed within me at the sight—the picture of strength and love as Lina embraced our daughter, comforting her. “Are you okay?”

Betty sobbed, “I thought the monster got you, Mommy!”

My chest tightened, worry creasing my brow at the thought of what Betty had seen. She was too young to know what we were yet. Guilt gnawed at me for what she’d witnessed. I wondered how we’d explain it to her.

Suddenly conscious of trying to make the scene around me as “normal” as possible, I said, “Vic?” My nearest rogue wolf and friend padded over to me in his grey wolf form. “Guard Magnus for a moment.” He growled and padded over to stand over my father.

I took the moment to go put my jeans and shirt back on, which were in a heap by the door, slightly shredded from my shift but better than nothing. I ordered the wolves—both rogue and Blackthorn—“Shift and get dressed.”

An older woman stepped through the door. Her silver hair seemed to glow, but it was the blue of her eyes, vibrant and piercing, that confirmed she was Miriam, Lina’s mother. She looked worn out but proud, and I felt a fierce surge of love and protectiveness for her. She’d kept the priceless treasure I now held in my hand safe for the last five years. How was I ever going to repay her for what she’d done for my mother and me?

When Miriam spoke, her voice trembled with relief. “Sweetheart,” she said, stroking Lina’s hair gently. A wave of protectiveness washed over me.

It was only when they turned their gaze toward Magnus, still bleeding from my attack, that less fulfilling feelings returned to me, a reaction to the cold contempt radiating from him. I could practically feel his fury thickening like fog in the air.

Miriam’s words cut through the tension. “I’m sorry, Stephen, I had to tell him the password,” she said, her eyes darkening. “He threatened Betty.”

“It’s okay, Mom. Stephen has the real USB. “I guessed the password was our lucky numbers,” she announced, fondness lighting up her eyes. “It took me a while; I kept trying combinations until finally, I hit the right one. I swapped the USB out before I arrived in case Magnus succeeded in opening it. I didn’t have time to see what was on the stick before I arrived, but it’s safe.”

Pride exploded through me, surging like wildfire. Lina was brilliant. A smile erupted across Miriam’s tired face as realization sank in. “You darling girl.” Then, her attention came to me again. “Your mother left that with me. She had evidence of Magnus’s execution order on her. She also said there were two elders who had sanctioned the order—Cyrus and Isaac. Their messages are there, too. I tried to convince her to go before the High Council rather than confront Magnus herself, but she gave him more credit than he deserved.”

“You meddlesome—” Magnus ground out.

“Silence,” I barked at Magnus, and with a glower, he clapped his mouth shut, constrained by my alpha order.

“You’ll answer for your crime against my mother before the High Council as you have long deserved. Until then, you can hold your tongue,” I ordered, not wanting to subject the people I loved to any more of his hateful words.

Shock and rage spilled over his face as if he were seeing me properly for the first time ever—which, I suppose, he was.

“Your mother wanted to tell Magnus that it was over,” Miriam continued as if Magnus hadn’t interrupted, “and that she wanted a divorce. She was going to lead the pack alone, but he killed her himself, rather than lose his alphahood. After her death, I tried to bring my evidence before the High Council, but my husband, Hector, caught wind of it and threatened me.” Her gaze flicked to Lina. “I’m sorry for not being braver.”

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