Mated to My Intended's Enemy novel Chapter 62

Chapter 62: Chapter 62 Threat or Promise

Victoria

I couldn’t believe what Leo and I had just done in the backseat of the car—wild, reckless, nothing like the version of me who had always kept her composure. Even after we’d hastily cleaned up, I could feel his gaze still clinging to me, heavy and burning, making my skin prickle as though we hadn’t just given in to desire.

No, Victoria. Don’t lose focus now. I shoved lightly against Leo’s chest when he leaned in for another kiss, forcing my tone to sharpen. "Enough. We need to talk strategy, not... this."

He only smirked, the kind of slow, predatory smile that made my stomach flip and my wolf stir.

"What would you do if you were in my position?" I asked, trusting his strategic mind.

"I’d stop waiting for Marcus to corner you," Leo said smoothly, his voice low and edged with danger. "He expects you to cower. So instead, we move first."

"A preemptive strike?" I frowned, my arms crossing instinctively. "That could blow everything open before we’re ready."

Leo’s lips curved into that infuriatingly confident smile. "Not an attack. A maneuver. We put troops near the mining complex, under the cover of your shiny new security initiative. Just enough to make Marcus sweat, not enough to reveal how much we really know."

His words slid into place like pieces on a chessboard, and for a moment I simply watched him—this man who thrived on the game itself, always several moves ahead.

"And while he’s busy panicking over the obvious," I murmured, catching on, "we send in a smaller team. Quiet. Surgical. They confirm Enzo and Aurora’s whereabouts."

Leo’s eyes gleamed, approval flashing in their midnight depths. "Exactly. That’s an Alpha move."

The praise hit me harder than I expected, sparking warmth low in my chest. Ava stirred inside, her voice sharp and proud. He doesn’t just want us—he respects us. He sees us.

By the time the car rolled through the iron gates of Howlthorne Manor, the sun was sinking, bleeding orange and crimson across the mountains. Shadows stretched long across the manicured lawns. Guards stood like statues at the edge of the drive, rifles slung but eyes sharp. Every detail whispered readiness for war.

In my suite, I stripped off the council suit and tugged on black tactical pants, a fitted long-sleeve shirt, boots laced tight. The reflection staring back from the mirror startled me. Not the trembling woman from weeks ago, but someone carved from resolve and fire. Someone who could stand shoulder to shoulder with an Alpha.

A knock, then Leo entered—also changed, his tactical gear hugging his broad shoulders and lean waist. He was pure, lethal power, and my pulse betrayed me at the sight.

"Ready?" His gaze dragged slowly down my frame, sparking heat that clashed with the cool steel of the mission ahead.

"As I’ll ever be." I forced my tone steady, ignoring the way his look unraveled me. Now was not the time.

But then his hands found my hips, grounding me, pulling me close. Our lips crashed together, hungry, claiming, until breathless air was the only thing keeping us apart.

When we finally broke apart, his forehead pressed to mine, his voice a dark growl. "When this is over, I’m going to take my time with you. Hours, Victoria. I want every single second."

A shiver raced down my spine, heat curling low in my belly. Ava purred with feral anticipation.

I tilted my head, daring to smirk. "Is that a threat or a promise, Alpha?"

His grin was wicked, dangerous. "Both."

---

"They were keeping them here," Leo said, his flashlight beam sweeping across a makeshift cell in the corner. A thin mattress lay on the floor, surrounded by empty water bottles and food wrappers. Heavy chains with manacles were bolted to the wall, and more disturbing, there were scratch marks—deep, desperate gouges in the concrete that could only have been made by werewolf claws.

I knelt beside the mattress, my fingers brushing against the rough fabric. "Two distinct scents," I murmured, Ava helping me parse through the olfactory information. "Enzo and... a female. Aurora."

"Alpha," Tiny called from across the room. "You need to see this."

We hurried over to where he stood examining a wall of smashed electronics. Among the debris, I could make out fragments of monitors, hard drives, and the splintered remains of security cameras.

"They left in a hurry," Leo observed, his expression dark. "Destroyed everything that might tell us where they went."

Carson crouched beside the wreckage, already sorting through components with expert hands. "Not everything," he said, carefully extracting a damaged but intact memory card from the ruins of what appeared to be a DVR system. "If there’s anything recoverable on this, I’ll find it."

"How recent is the blood?" I asked Lilith, who was still crouched beside my brother’s torn shirt, her fingers trembling as they hovered over the stains.

"Hours," she whispered, anguish etched across her face. "Maybe less. He was alive when they moved him, but..." Her voice broke. "He’s in pain. I can feel it through our bond."

Leo’s jaw tightened, the muscle working beneath his skin. "Marcus is smart. He knew we’d eventually track them here." His dark eyes met mine. "This is a message. He’s showing us he’s always one step ahead."

Frustration and fear collided inside me, making my hands shake. I turned away from the group, needing a moment to collect myself. That’s when it happened—Ava surged forward with such force that I nearly gasped aloud, my vision briefly blurring as my wolf’s instincts overwhelmed my own.

*There,* she insisted, drawing my attention to a seemingly ordinary section of the concrete floor near the far wall. *Something’s beneath us.*