Page 18 of Bound to Enemy (Wolf Billionaire #3)

CHAPTER 18

ALESSANDRA

" O uch," I hissed before I removed my finger from the tender spot. I stared at the mark in the mirror. It was red, angry, and painful. "When will this not hurt?"

Jason looked at me in the mirror sheepishly. He had just been a constant shadow for the past two days. He refused to leave my side and only left me when Daxton was around.

His eyes held a mountain of regret and sadness. I could tell that he wanted to talk about it, but he kept avoiding the topic altogether. He had allowed Daxton to take the blame, or rather Daxton had taken the blame all on his own.

"I know you asked him to mark me, J." I held his gaze in the mirror. His body visibly tensed.

He hung his head in shame. "I'm sorry, Ale."

The silence that fell over my room was loud. Neither one of us spoke. I turned away from the mirror and walked toward him. I stopped in front of him and circled my arms around his waist, pulling him into my body. At first, he didn't react, but after a few seconds, he wound his arms around me and pulled me into a tight hug.

"I didn't want to lose you, Ale. You're my family." He buried his head into my hair and breathed in my scent. "I was so scared I was going to lose you."

"I'm not mad," I did my best to reassure him. "I was never mad, J. I knew why you were doing it. And truthfully, lying on that bed, I knew that I wasn't ready to die. I hadn't lived enough yet."

He tightened his hold around me and pulled me right up against his chest. We held onto each other like our lives depended on it.

"I'm so sorry," he said the words again, even though I didn't need his apology.

I pulled away so I could look into his eyes. "Don't say sorry, J. There is nothing to be sorry for. You did what you needed to to ensure that I lived. You were only doing the job my father gave you."

His eyes shined with a thin sheen of moisture. "I..."

"The mark was bound to come onto me sooner or later. And how can I fault you for wanting me to live? There was no other way to save me." I was so understanding about the whole matter that I was even shocking myself, if I was being honest. Only two weeks ago, I still looked at Daxton as my enemy, and now...well, now I didn't hate him.

A knock came at my door, and Jason went to go and answer it. Waiting on the other side was Daxton, and he did not come empty-handed. In his left hand was a bouquet of red roses.

"Daxton," Jason and he did that manly half-hug thing. They talked between the two of them for a little while before Jason turned back to me and smiled. "I'll see you later, Ale. I need to go and help some of the others with the moonstone."

I nodded, and he left me with my mate.

Daxton walked up to me with sparkling eyes. For the past two days, he had been giving me that look in his eyes. I couldn't quite get a good read on it, but from what I could tell, he was happy...with me.

He leaned down and kissed my cheek before he handed me the flowers. My heart did the little flutter thing that it had started to do every time he was close to me. I could feel my wolf wagging her tail at the sight of her mate. She was incredibly happy about this whole thing, I was sure.

Wolves were never meant to be isolated creatures. We thrive best when we are mated and in packs. It was a truth I had understood ever since I was young.

"How's the pain today?" His eyes glanced at the mark on my neck.

"Manageable. It doesn't hurt all the time, but when I touch it, it stings."

He nodded in understanding. "I will have the healers send some cream to help it heal. Come, get dressed. I want to take you somewhere."

"Where?"

He tucked a small strand of hair behind my ear and smiled down at me tenderly. The movement was so gentle and sweet. "If I told you, then it wouldn't be a surprise."

"I don't like surprises."

"You will like this one."

"Can't be so sure about that. My father has been trying for over twenty years," I shot back, and he laughed. "You think I'm joking."

He unexpectedly cupped both sides of my face, stunning me into silence. Over the course of the last two days, I had seen a dramatic shift in him. The usual malice and discontent were gone, and now he would look at me with softness.

"You will like this one. Besides, you've been cooped up here for enough time now. You need to feel the sun on your face and breathe in some fresh air."

This man was slowly chipping away at the protective wall I had around myself, and I worried that one day he would break all of it down, and I would be left bare in front of him.

There was a sense of exhilaration in that fact, but there was also a sense of fear that he would then see all of me. Very few people in this world knew me beyond my title and rank. I had always been the alpha daughter, and now I was the Luna.

"Okay," I leaned into his touch and allowed myself this small little moment to enjoy this feeling with him. "Let me get dressed."

Daxton shocked me and pressed his lips on my forehead. This man had a way of leaving me stunned and speechless, which rarely happened. I always had a witty comeback or a snide remark.

When he pulled away, my cheeks felt like they were on fire.

"Okay," the word breezed past my lips with ease. "How should I dress?"

He looked my body up and down appreciatively before he locked his gaze with mine. "Anything is fine, but dress for the heat."

"Okay."

I got dressed and made my way downstairs to the entrance where Daxton stood waiting for me. He was dressed casually in his long khakis and white shirt. The shirt hugged his torso, sculpting his chiseled body perfectly. He had slicked back his hair since he had been in my room and was sporting a bracelet that I had not noticed before.

He watched me descend the stairs with a smile playing on his lips. "You look beautiful."

"Thank you," I took his outstretched hand, and we walked out of the mansion to the awaiting Range Rover.

I had opted for a simple yellow sundress that stopped mid-thigh and tied as a halter at the back. It was far from the usual training attire I wore, but I liked the change, especially with the way that Daxton was looking at me.

I was still trying to differentiate what were my feelings and what was being enhanced by the mate bond.

When we settled into the car, I looked at him expectantly. "So where are we going?"

"Patience is a virtue, Ale." I loved when he called me that. "We will be there just now."

"Still hate surprises," I muttered as I settled back into my seat.

"You will like this one, I'm sure."

The drive was only about an hour. We came to a stop at what looked to be a lake of some kind. I turned to look at my mate, but he hopped out of the car before I could say anything. He rounded the car and opened the door for me so I could get out.

"You brought me to a lake?"

He rubbed the back of his neck. "You seem happier when you're by the water. I thought that maybe this would be good to get away from the pack for a bit and be close to your safe space."

My heart melted. "That's so sweet. Thank you."

We walked a few more feet when I saw the setup he had created. He had set up a whole picnic with a white blanket and basket that looked to be overflowing with various things to eat.

No one had ever done something like this for me.

"You did all of this?"

He looked away, a slight pink tinting his cheeks. If I hadn't seen it for myself, I would have never believed that the big strong alpha was blushing.

"You hadn't eaten yet, right?"

I nodded, allowing him to lead me to the blanket.

He had set up right by the bank. There were red rose petals all over and a bucket of wine with two wine glasses beside it.

We sat down on the blanket and unpacked the basket. With each new thing he pulled out, I felt more and more astonished. He had every single one of the things I liked to eat. From my favorite candy to my favorite chicken wrap that I loved to make back at my old home. He even had my chef's famous chocolate fudge cake.

"Wow," I looked at the entire spread on the blanket. "You went all out, didn't you?"

"I knew you were missing home, and I thought that this would be the perfect way to bring home to you."

Could this man be any sweeter? I felt like I was witnessing an entirely new Daxton from the one I had known prior. It was a complete 180-degree flip, and I could say the same about me. I wasn't the same Alessandra that had been dragged to this place kicking and screaming.

From the ceremony to the mark and now this date. We moved from one thing to the next with lightning speed. I was still trying to make sense of it all, and if I was being entirely honest, I was scared. I had only ever known this man to be an enemy. But now, he had become something completely new again.

"I have one last thing for you," he reached into his pocket, and for a second, I thought he was about to pull out a ring. Which would be ironic seeing as we were already mated. But the box he pulled out was far too large for a ring. He opened it, and inside was the exact bracelet that he wore on his wrist. It was made of white gold with diamonds encrusting the top half. A small heart pendant dangled from this one, and when I got a closer look, I realized that it had the initials DV on the front.

Daxton Vale.

"I want to really give us a shot. I don't know when it happened or how it happened, but I found myself falling for you, Alessandra Vale. All I knew in this world was to look at your people with contempt, but as time went on, I got to understand who you were and all that you are on the inside and out.

You are strong, resilient, and have one of the purest hearts I have ever seen. I know we didn't get off on the best footing, but I want to right my wrongs and show you that you can take a chance on me—on us. This bracelet is just a show of my commitment to you."

He took it out of its box and placed it on my wrist. The cool metal touched my skin and glistened under the sun's rays.

"I know I cannot make up for the sins of my family and what happened in the past. But I do want to do right by us, right by you."

I gazed at the bracelet like it was some kind of extra-terrestrial creature. When I woke up today, this was the last thing that I had been thinking would happen.

The air thickened in my lungs, and all my thoughts collided together, making me unable to speak.

"I..." I had no idea what I wanted to say. "This..."

I looked away from the bracelet and looked at the water. The wind blew through my hair, whipping the soft strands in front of my face.

"I don't know what's me and what's not."

"What?"

I couldn't bear to look at his face.

"I don't know if the things that I feel for you are me or if they can all be attributed to the bond." I licked my dry lips; this had been a question that had been plaguing me. "I know that I don't hate you, but beyond that, I'm not sure."

"I see." His words hung heavy in the air between us. "Alessandra, look at me."

I kept my eyes glued on the water.

"Alessandra," he called my name again. "Look at me, love."

Oh, my heart. It wanted to lurch out of my chest and make a run for it. Surely this would give me a heart attack one of these days.

His large hand came to cup the side of my face so he could pull my eyes to meet his. His blue eyes were alight, like lightning was passing through them.

"I understand, it's a lot, especially with the mark. I would be shocked if you weren't second-guessing everything. We went from being enemies one week to now being married, mated, and now marked. You don't have to explain yourself. All I'm asking is for the chance to show you what kind of man I am. I'm not asking you to love me for all of eternity right now. But I am asking you to keep an open mind when it comes to us."

My body heated from our closeness. My eyes darted down to his lips and then back up again to meet his eyes.

"I know I don't deserve it, but I'm asking you to trust me, Ale." I loved the way he said my name. It was the sweetest honey to my ears. "Allow me to be the man who deserves you."

His breath fanned my face. The space between us was like a fuse ignited by the sparks that flew off our bodies.

I had been yearning for his kiss and longing for his touch in ways I had never craved another person.

I could feel the pull of our wolves drawing us into each other. Inch by inch, the space between us slowly depleted.

"So? Will you allow me the honor to prove myself to you?"

My wolf screamed with glee on the inside, but there was that still small voice that penetrated through the thick fog telling me to back away from this. But I was tired of proceeding in life with caution. I wanted to live. I wanted to feel.

"Okay..." My voice was almost inaudible to my own ears, but it had been enough for him to hear.

Without warning, he smashed his lips to mine in a heated kiss, and I got lost in what was the great Daxton Vale abyss. I had no idea what would come of us from this point onwards, but it was safe to say that I would be diving in headfirst with him every single time.