Page 23 of Bound to Enemy (Wolf Billionaire #3)

CHAPTER 23

DAXTON

I stared up at the ceiling with my wife in my arms. For just a few short moments, we existed in this bubble where there was no looming danger, everything was fine, and there was no war to be fought.

My entire life I had been raised to be a fighter. I had been raised to act on logic and strategy. I always believed I had something to fight for. I always believed that my pack was the sole reason that I fought so hard. And now, my heart had something more to fight for—her.

The looming war had plagued my mind for weeks. I should have been scared. I should have felt the tension riddling my body. But with her in my arms, I felt at peace. I didn't feel like the ground was going to open up and swallow me whole. I remained at ease with her at my side.

I guess this was what my mother had meant when she said to be grounded in love. I was firmly rooted in her even as a storm brewed outside, both metaphorically and literally. I knew that I would not waver because she kept me steady.

I moved my hand up and down her bare back, feeling the little goosebumps erupt on her skin.

Neither one of us spoke, neither one of us had slept. How could we sleep when we knew that in only a few short hours we would be losing some of our own? War was a messy and dangerous game, and I knew that the rogue king did not come to play. We had done all that we could with the time that we had.

The thunder roared outside. The sound shook the glass of the window. Grey clouds had rolled in, and not a speck of blue could be seen in the sky. It was a fitting backdrop for what was about to happen in the coming hours.

Maybe the rain would wash away the blood of our enemies when we claimed victory.

I pressed my lips against her forehead and breathed in her sweet scent. It had become somewhat of a relaxant for me.

"What do you think life after this will look like?" Ale's voice penetrated through the thick silence.

I breathed in deeply and pulled her more into my side. "Life after the war?"

She lifted her head and placed her chin on my chest. Her bright eyes stared into mine like she could see the very depths of my soul.

I loved how the veil that had once covered her eyes was no longer there. I could see everything she tried to keep locked away inside. It was truly a privilege to get to know her, truly and deeply know her.

"What do you want life to look like, Ale?" I tucked a small strand of hair behind her ear. "What would the perfect life after this war is done look like for you?"

She tilted her head to the side, trying to think over her answer. "I don't think we can ever attain perfection. But I would want us to be happy. I would want the packs to be fully integrated with one another and all the varied prejudices would stop. We would live in harmony and happily. And..." Her voice trailed off.

"And?" I cupped the side of her face. I would never grow tired of touching her.

"And maybe, when we're ready, some pups."

I stilled. My eyes moved from her cheeks to meet her warm gaze, and I smiled.

I had never thought much of pups beyond the need to sire an heir. But now the prospect of children with Alessandra thrilled my heart in more ways than I could describe. I could see her with a perfectly round belly creating life in her stomach and expanding our little family.

"You want pups."

The light shined in her eyes. "I do. We can start with two, and if I carry well, then maybe three. How many do you want?"

"As many as you could give me." The words moved past my lips softly. Images of what we could be in the coming years filtered into my mind. She with her round belly and me playing with our little heirs on the grass. It was a vision that I had never thought possible a few months back, but now I wanted it to be my new reality.

"I want them to take your eyes and bravery. They will need it when facing the world." She brushed her thumb against my cheek, and I leaned into her touch.

This woman always found a way to leave me at a loss for words. I grabbed her waist and flipped us so she lay beneath me and I hovered over her. She let out the most childlike squeal that had my heart doing flips within my ribcage.

Her small, dainty hand caressed the side of my face. Her thumb rubbed against the stubble that had begun to grow in recent weeks. Her pupils moved over every inch of my face until they finally came to rest on my eyes.

"I love you, Alessandra."

Her eyes softened. "I love you."

Last night we had exchanged those words, but I had feared that maybe it had been the euphoria of the sex that had gotten to my wife. But now that she had said them without the high of dopamine flooding her brain, I could rest.

She loved me.

Who would have thought that this would be where we would be some odd months ago?

I leaned down and pressed my lips to hers. It was by no means a heated or erotic kiss, but it felt more powerful than the ones that we had shared prior to this.

It felt different, a good different.

When I pulled away, she had this smile on her face that reached her entire body. I didn't know if it were possible for a whole body to smile, but hers was smiling at me, brightly, I might add.

I opened my mouth to say something, but then that's when I heard the chilling howl that moved through the air.

My wolf surged forward, already knowing what this meant.

They were here.

"Dax," her eyes hardened. "They're here."

I nodded my head. "We need to go."

I pulled off of her body and helped her to her feet. We got dressed but negated the shoes because we would be shifting either way. Once she had tied her hair up, I grabbed her hand and pulled her out of the room at a sprint.

Warriors popped out of rooms left, right, and center as we all made our way outside. We moved through the people until we finally made it to the training grounds. I found Elliot at the front with several of my head warriors. They all wore shorts, ready to shift at any moment.

The dark clouds loomed over us. The thunder roared and the first raindrop fell from the sky. I felt the cool liquid on my cheek first.

Alessandra dropped my hand and walked over to Jason. I looked at him and gave him a curt nod, he returned my gesture in clear understanding. Our conversation from last night was still fresh in my mind and clearly, it was on his too. He knew what he needed to do.

She was to be protected at all costs. It was her life over ours, and I knew that I could count on him to be my other set of eyes and ears.

"Where?" I looked at Elliot.

"The eastern borders. They took the bait and are heading for the caves." Elliot looked focused, but the slight tinge in his left eyebrow told me that he was worried. "The scouts say that they saw about 70 of them."

They were a large number, but we had 90 on our side. The only issue was half that number had not fought a rogue in battle. It was an entirely different ball game. But I had faith.

"The goddess is on our side. She will carry us through this." I didn't know if I was saying this for my benefit or his. "We move in five minutes."

The eastern border was about a twenty-mile run from where we stood. We already had our first line of defense holding them, but they would soon require our support.

It was now or never.

I stood on the stool that had been brought out for me. I looked over the brave women and men who were choosing to fight for the world today. They were placing their lives on the line in order to bring peace and safety to the world.

Alessandra walked to the front and came to stand in front, her eyes looking up at me with gentleness and support.

She made me feel invincible even though internally I was at odds. I wanted us to win, but this was war at the end of the day.

The lightning sliced through the dark skies violently, and the thunder ripped through the air, shaking the ground we stood on.

The storm was here and so was the war.

"I know that a lot of you will face rogues for the very first time today," I tried to look every single warrior in the eye. "But I have faith that every single one of you will carry the favor of the goddess and you will be victorious. Fight with honor. Fight with valor. But most importantly, fight for your people. We are one today, we are no longer two packs. Today we fight for all wolves and humankind alike. The fate of the world is in our hands. For freedom!" I punched my fist in the air and everyone followed with me.

"For freedom!" They all chanted after me. "For freedom!"

I hopped off the stool and grabbed my wife's hips. I pulled her toward me and pressed my lips against hers.

The kiss was brief, but I poured all that I had into it. I wanted her to feel my love. I wanted her to know that she meant everything to me and more. She was my rock, my solid ground.

She kissed me back and I could feel the power surging through me. I could feel her energy moving throughout my system. It jolted my body to life.

'I love you.'

The voice that rang in my head wasn't mine or my wolf's, but it was also a voice that I had become accustomed to.

Did I...?

I wasn't sure, so I just pushed the exact same thought into my mind and hoped for...I wasn't sure exactly.

'I love you, Ale.'

She ripped her lips from me with wide eyes. "Did you just?"

I nodded, "We have a mind link."

It was unique and was not always awarded to mates. So for us to receive such a gift was a miracle and a blessing all on its own.

But we had no time to enjoy the moment; we needed to get focused.

I pecked her lips once more and turned to the crowd that was still chanting. I raised my hand in the air to silence them all.

The rain beat down on our half-naked bodies.

"Right," I turned and faced the tree line that headed to the eastern border. "Let's go."

I took off with a sprint, my Luna and Beta in tow. When I was at full speed, I leaped into the air and shifted into my wolf.

I landed on my paws gracefully and continued increasing in speed with each step. I heard Ale and Elliot come up beside me and the rest of the warriors followed suit.

We were running straight toward a bloodbath; I didn't know what the outcome would be. All I knew was that no matter what happened, she had to live.