Mated to My Intended's Enemy novel Chapter 96

Chapter 96: Chapter 96 Trust

Leo

By the time I arrived at the pack house, night had fallen, and most of the lights were out. I made my way quietly through the halls, following Victoria’s scent to what had once been her father’s master suite.

I knocked softly on the door. "Victoria? It’s me."

For a moment, there was only silence. Then I heard her voice, muffled and tired. "Come in."

I pushed open the door to find her sitting on the bed, still in her training clothes from earlier. Her eyes were red-rimmed, and she looked utterly exhausted. The sight of her distress hit me like a physical blow.

"You look terrible," she said with a weak attempt at humor.

"So do you," I replied, closing the door behind me. "And it’s my fault."

Victoria’s expression grew guarded. "Leo, if you’re here to apologize for protecting me—"

"I’m here to apologize for disrespecting you," I interrupted, moving slowly toward the bed. "For treating you like something fragile instead of the incredible Alpha you are. For making you feel like a possession instead of a partner."

She blinked, clearly surprised by my words.

I sat on the edge of the bed, careful to maintain some distance. "You were right about everything you said. I have been controlling. I have been possessive. And I’ve been doing it all while telling myself it was out of love."

"Leo—" she started, but I held up a hand.

"Please, let me finish." I took a shaky breath. "My father did the same thing to my mother. Controlled every aspect of her life because he was terrified of losing her. And eventually, that fear became the very thing that drove her away."

Victoria’s expression softened slightly. "What happened to her?"

"She left when I was twelve," I said, the old pain still sharp after all these years. "Just disappeared one night. I never saw her again."

"Oh, Leo." Victoria’s hand moved toward mine, then stopped, uncertainty flickering across her face.

"I swore I’d never be like him," I continued. "But somewhere along the way, I became exactly what I hated. And the worst part is, I was doing it to you—the person who means more to me than my own life."

"You’re not your father," Victoria said softly.

"Aren’t I?" I met her eyes. "Today I undermined your authority in front of your warriors. I reduced you to ’mine’ instead of recognizing you as the leader you’ve become. I treated you like a problem to be managed instead of a partner to be respected."

"It starts with trust," she said softly. "Trusting that I can handle myself. Trusting that I won’t leave you just because I’m capable of independence. Trusting that our bond is strong enough to withstand me being my own person."

"I want to," I said. "God, Victoria, I want to be better for you."

"Then be better with me," she said, pressing her forehead against mine. "Not for me, but with me. As partners. As equals."

When her lips met mine, it was soft and tentative at first, then deeper as I poured all my regret and love and desperate hope into the kiss. She tasted like forgiveness and second chances, like everything I’d never dared to dream I could have.

"I love you," I whispered against her mouth. "Not because you’re mine, but because you’re you."

As we held each other in the quiet darkness of her room, I felt something shift inside me. The desperate, clawing fear that had been driving my possessiveness began to ease, replaced by something steadier. More mature.

Trust.

For the first time since Victoria had entered my life, I didn’t feel the need to control every variable, to manage every threat. She was strong enough to face whatever came, and our bond was strong enough to survive her strength.

Thank you, I sent up a silent prayer to whatever force had brought her into my life. Thank you for giving me someone worth becoming better for.