Dear Enemy, You're My Mate

Chapter 102 **

Maya

"So, how is drinking coffee at Espresso House supposed to help me find my inner wolf?"

Finn chuckles. He is wearing a beanie, a grey shirt, and faded jeans that he summoned himself while looking at a catalog. It seems he has discovered other abilities, but he isn't bragging.

"Your sister won't hurt your friend. Bianca is bait to lure you into Winterbite territory, which is why we won't rush to save her. We will take our time finding your wolf again."

I smile at Finn and try not to drown in his eyes. His eyelashes are long and dark, touching his cheeks every time he blinks. Since I haven't given in, we aren't a couple yet. Still, I'm annoyed by the trio of girls giggling and checking our Finn from their beanbag corner.

The fairy watches me drink my coffee while innocently smiling at me.

"Hold still."

I give Finn a questioning look and feel my heart claw at my throat when he dips his head to kiss me. It's long and sweet, filled with the taste of his latte. My hand travels to his chest, and he smiles against my lips before making my toes curl by kissing me harder.

Dear Lord.

This man will be the end of me.

Heat floods me when Finn leans back. He is eyeing me with his gorgeous blues, and then he licks the corner of my lip, grinning.

"You had coffee around your mouth."

By now, I'm entirely out of breath. Part of me wants Finn to come back and never stop kissing me. Weird, because with the other guys I've dated, I've always been bothered by them kissing me in public.

Not with Finn.

"Yeah..." I breathe. "Thank you."

Finn smiles, standing out from his chair. "You want something?"

"Uh, I could eat another cinnamon roll, but how exactly are you going to pay for it? Do you need my card?"

"No," Finn says. "A gentleman always treat their date."

With that, his hand starts glowing in an unnatural blue light, and my eyes widen to the size of saucers. What the hell is he doing? Someone could see him use magic!

"There we go," Finn beams at me. "I'm not sure who just lost their wallet, but the point is that it's now mine."

I stare at the wallet now in his hand. "Wait, you stole that from someone?"

"Yeah, I used my magic to search for a wallet with cash in it," he winks at me and walks for the counter. "A cinnamon roll, you said?"

"Finn!" I hiss at him while trying to keep my voice low. "You can't just steal money from people!"

"Sure I can—I just did!"

I facepalm, dragging my hand down my face while my lips twitch. I want to be mad at Finn, but he is cute, and his naive personality makes me want to hug him so badly.

"At least tell me the person was rich whom you stole the wallet from..."

Finn opens the wallet and takes out a driving license. His hands glow briefly, and then he widens his smile. "It appears some asshole CEO is missing their wallet."

I snort. "Fine, okay, I will also have a large vanilla latte," Expresso House is an expensive place, and the thought of having unlimited money goes straight to my head. "Oh, and wait! I also want a cupcake and some cookies, and maybe a homemade yogurt."

Finn winks at me. "Coming right up!"

I return his smile. "Awesome!"

Finn stands in line for a reasonable amount of time. He passes me grimaces to make me laugh whenever my eyes travel to his, and my heart flutters. I've missed him so much.

I keep my eyes on him until I hear the sound of approaching footsteps, and someone sits down by my table.

I turn around. "Excuse me, but-..."

My voice dies upon seeing Elijah, my father's old vampire friend. Well, Elijah appears young since he doesn't age. He is stuck in his early twenties while his werewolf mate, Wesley, is older.

When my father was alpha, Wesley was my father's beta, and Elijah was my father's adviser. They both had essential roles. I never got to know Wesley, but the perfectionist of a vampire was tasked with the challenge of babysitting me when I was little.

And oh boy, it must have been downright traumatic from the always clean and always suit-wearing handsome vampire to handle an unruly child. Elijah downed an entire bottle of wine one evening after having had to chase me around the garden.

I'm genuinely sorry for what I made him endure in the past.

But I also have to admit it was great fun dirtying his white shirts and seeing the tiny vein in his forehead about to burst.

"Lady Maya..." Elijah is panting, and his wild eyes meet mine, bringing a more collected expression to his face. Dark hair is falling into his eyes, but he brushes it away. "I'm sorry to interrupt your lunch like this, but the Winterbite pack needs your help."

I clench my fist underneath the table. "Oh, yeah?"

I'm about to ask Elijah why I would be interested in a pack that has done nothing to help me. But that cunning voice returns inside my head and makes me shut up.

'You should hear him out. Elijah always liked you, Maya, and your parents assigned him to be your guardian growing up. So, maybe your parents aren't as bad as you think they are.'

I answer the voice. 'My mother is lovely, but my father never did like me—he only had eyes for my twin sister, Lily.'

The voice sighs. 'Did it ever occur to you that the reason your father focused on Lily is that she needed it the most? She was born with the power of darkness, and I'm sure you noticed she wasn't very nice growing up. I'm confident your father was afraid of her becoming evil.'

My heart clenches. The voice might have a point. Lily lost her temper a lot growing up, and there were times when my mother had to yell at her to calm down. Shadows would rise from the panels on the floor, and Lily accidentally hurt my mother at some point.

'Your parents didn't love Lily more—they were afraid of her.'

My lips part. 'Who are you anyway?'

There is an amused giggle. 'There is a legend saying the most vital wolves possess an inner voice. My name is Luminous, but you might call me Lumi, and I'm your wolf. I'm a part of your soul, and it's a pleasure to be talking with you, Maya.'

I take a deep breath, giving Elijah my attention again. "What happened? Why does the Winterbite pack need me?"

Elijah hesitates. Air fills his chest, and then he exhales. "Lily has lost her mind and summoned permanent shadows from hell. Everyone is afraid of the shadow creeps, and no one can do anything to stop them. Lily is way stronger than your father. He couldn't beat her. Neither could the ones attempting to help him."

I search Elijah's face, willing him to go on by staying silent.

Elijah continues. "Lily is talking to multiple voices inside of her head, and she is listening to them. She has imprisoned anyone questioning her position as the alpha, and the shadows are rapidly growing in numbers. If she isn't stopped, I'm afraid many people will die. The shadow creepers sometimes fed on people's souls."

A cold shudder travels down my back. "And no one can stop Lily? Have you guys even tried?"

"We have," Elijah's face darkens, tears glistening in the corner of his eyes before his lips part again. "Lily killed my mate, Wesley, so, therefore, I have chosen to join you instead."

"Uh, what?" I lift an eyebrow. "Join me?"

Elijah gets down on the floor, kneeling before me and making people think he is about to propose. People turn quiet until Elijah rolls his eyes and snaps his fingers, sending everyone's mind on a trip.

The vampire is crazy powerful, and my eyes roam the entire room. Every person sits in their chair with glazed eyes, entirely mind-controlled by the original vampire.

"Where was I?" Elijah sighs, and I stare down at him, causing him to smile up at me with his red, glowing eyes. "I would like to pledge my loyalty to you, Maya, the second daughter of Dior. Until the day you die, I will be your servant and guardian. Do you accept?"

My head is spinning. What am I supposed to do?

'Say yes. Elijah might be a vampire, but he is a powerful and loyal ally. He won't betray us. Never.'

Without breaking eye contact with the vampire, I listen to my inner wolf and say. "I accept."