Dear Enemy, You're My Mate

Chapter 33 **

Dior

I come home to an abandoned house. Most of our furniture has been removed and taken out of the rooms. Even my parent's collection of crying clown paintings and the weird dog statues are gone. The flower pots are emptied, shoes removed from the hallway, the lamp doesn't go on, and the walls seem taller than before.

"Did they... Leave me?" I ask no one in particular.

I take a moment to regain my breathing and drop my bag of football equipment as I stare at the floor, which seems to crumble beneath my feet. Every fight and every battle I had with my parents—it all comes back to haunt me until I stand there, feeling like I'm not enough.

How could they do this to me?

Loneliness wraps me up like a blanket. It becomes harder to breathe without sharp pain slicing me apart. My eyes are blurry, but I was taught not to cry as a man.

I'm the alpha of my pack, and I'm a guy—shame on me for being human even for a moment.

I'm technically a grownup, at least on paper, and I shouldn't be surprised that my parents finally had enough and disowned me. They heard about that white monster wolf appearing during the full moon, and they immediately seemed to know it was me transforming into it without even asking me about it.

I blink to the window, narrowing my eyes at the evil clouds covering the apple-sliced moon. Once the glowing orb is full, I will turn into that white berserker monster again—that knowledge is enough to make me shudder and hope to die.

Why does someone as monstrous as I exist, and what is my purpose?

At school, I'm constantly surrounded by people, but at this moment, I realize I might be the loneliest person on earth. When people look at me, they see alpha Dior—Wesley, and Elijah do that too, but sometimes, in secret, I think I want to be seen as Dior.

As I admit that fact to myself, I can hear Patricia's voice asking, "So Elijah is a wine-drinking vampire?" before her entire face lights up like a Christmas tree—she is so beautiful.

A reluctant smile cracks my face, and unstoppable warmth floods my chest at the memory of that night we spent together by my parent's Lakehouse. And when I close my eyes, I can see Patricia beneath me with her eyes begging me to please her.

She was so gorgeous in her bed, spread on the bedsheets like a flower, ready for the taking. Her brown hair was spilled out over her pillow, and those eyes of hers were fucking me as she gazed up at me.

My heart squeezes with the desire to see her, hold her in my arms and tell her everything I'm going through, but then I remember the hard truth—Patricia hates me. In her eyes, it doesn't matter that we are mates.

Patricia dislikes me for the things I've done to her. And honestly? I've been an asshole to her, and now that I've found out that I turn into this hideous thing every full moon, then maybe I'm not the best boyfriend material either.

Dazed and a bit confused about solving things with Patricia, I walk over to the fridge. I open it to reveal it's empty, except for some jars and other useless stuff that can't be eaten as a snack. Great. Did they have to take everything with them? Assholes.

My phone buzzes as I stand there trying to decide which thing will taste the least disgusting. I fish it up while still in a gaze, only to sigh when I see Riley's name taking over my screen.

Riley: You can't be serious about breaking up with me, Dior. You need me more than anything right now.

I smirk as I tap my reply. Riley and I had some fun together, but I never considered her an actual girlfriend. We never even slept together or shared any intimate moments. She only wants me to be her shiny, rich, trophy boyfriend while the other girls leave me alone when I tell them I'm with Riley—it's been a win-win situation.

Dior: Why would I need you?

Her reply is faster than lightning.

Riley: Dude, everyone knows the snowy monster wolf is you. People saw it run in the woods during your birthday party, and while most of our pack thinks it's cool, Marcus wants you dead. He talked about challenging you for the position of alpha earlier, and he is scary.

I stare down at her message in absolute silence. The alpha position wasn't one I picked for myself, yet I don't want to give up my pack since I can create a better world for everyone in this town.

For example, Elijah and Wesley wouldn't be in a relationship if I hadn't declared the vampire a member of our pack. Elijah might be a vampire, but I can trust him. He is super intelligent and one of my most trustworthy men, only the second after Wesley.

I close the fridge and take an apple from the kitchen counter. For a brief second, I play with the weight of it in my hand as I walk up the stairs to the second floor. My room isn't very far, and I casually raise the red apple to my waiting mouth—only for the damn fruit to disappear before I've even bitten into it.

My eyes widen as the apple unnaturally pops from existence and then reappears on top of my bedsheets. What the actual hell? I stare at the apple and walk through the doorway, but I merely have time to blink before I pop up inside our kitchen yet again.

"Jesus Christ—what the hell just happened?!" My eyes are bugging out from their sockets as I look around, wondering how the hell I teleported into another room. "Am I hallucinating?"

I study my surroundings, gasping when the apple suddenly pops back into my palm. And my reaction is, of course, masculine—I scream at the top of my lungs, dropping the fruit onto the floor.

"FUCK-FUCK-FUCK!" I wipe my hands on my pants as if that would somehow miraculously save the situation. Is this a dream? How can I suddenly be inside the kitchen again! "What is going on?"

During my mental breakdown, I slip down the wall to sit on the floor. A drink would suit me well right about now, and when a six-pack of beer appears out of nowhere, frozen and ready for the drinking, I finally lose my goddamn mind. I laugh like a maniac, covering my face with both my palms as I shake my head.

"Relax, Dior, there must be a natural explanation for all the things that are happening—a witch could be playing a prank on you. Surely you're not crazy and seeing things."

I sit in foster position and play sweet reveries of the days when random items didn't pop up out of anywhere. Things were better back then. Less confusing. God, I wish I had a burger right about now!

Like clockwork, a McDonald's bag rises out of nowhere, and I glance at it before I fall into another one of those maniac laughter attacks. I have no clue what is happening! Have I turned into a magician? Right now, I'm feeling a lot like Doctor Strange from the universe of Marvel.

"No way!" I stick my hand into the bag, fishing up a hot burger before smiling out into the dark. My fingers brush through my hair, and then I shrug my shoulders. "Well, I might as well eat it."