Dear Enemy, You're My Mate

Chapter 66 **

Maya

Arvin isn't moving a muscle. His jaw is ticking, but his head doesn't seem to have fully processed the meaning of my words. He stands there like an ice cube, gaping at me without even breathing.

Should I run?

I take a step back from Arvin, aware of the crowd whispering louder now. Shivers travel up my spine, and the warning bells inside my head are chiming, yelling at me to run.

What have I done? I'm an average human, and I've rejected Arvin, the Springclan's glorious alpha—surely my parents must be so disappointed with me. Not only that, but my actions might be the beginning of a new war.

"How dare you..." Arvin laughs, and time seems to stand entirely still when he lifts his hand. His nails turn into claws, and even though I know the slash is coming, my legs won't budge. I don't avoid the impact. "Take that, you bitch!"

A smear of blood lands on the floor, making Arvin laugh out loud. My hand goes to my cheek, where the red liquid is trickling down my face. Warmth is pooling underneath my skin, and within a second, hell breaks loose.

Werewolves jump at each other—Alice and William are fighting for our side, and they brought a few friends with them. Still, Arvin got the numbers, and I can already tell which side will eventually win the ongoing battle.

"Excellent!" Arvin exclaims as his eyes roam around the chaos. People are getting injured, and the madman is celebrating. Typical tyrant. "Finally, some goddamn action in this place!"

My eyes dart around the dancefloor, which has turned into a battlefield. I'm not a fighter and wouldn't last a minute fighting against the Springclan, but maybe I can find the door leading outside this castle.

I frantically search the entire room and spot a door. A confident smile seizes my lips, and, as I'm hoping not to make a sound, I rush to the entrance. No one follows me, and faith in making it out of here alive spirals in my chest.

I reach the door, only to shriek when Arvin grabs my hand. He isn't kind and covers my mouth with his palm as he pulls me into a secret door on the wall. Everyone else is too busy snarling at each other to notice us disappearing.

"I can't let you leave," Arvin chuckles, but the sound is cruel and colder than ice. There isn't an ounce of love behind it, even if we are supposedly mates chosen by the moon goddess. "And while I understand we can't complete the mating ritual before you accept me as your mate, perhaps I can break your defenses and make you yield by force!"

I mockingly snort at him. "I won't ever submit to the likes of you! You're a monster!"

"Oh, darling, you flatter me!" Arvin pushes me into a bookshelf while the secret passage closes behind his hulking form. "Let's see what you're hiding under your clothes."

A hand slinks into my dress to touch my breasts, and I shriek in fright, disliking the skin-to-skin sensation. I want to be anywhere else other than here, but Arvin easily holds me into place. I can't fight him—he is too damn big.

Arvin whispers into my ear. "You're so beautiful... What was your name again, Dior's second daughter? You must be Maya, right?"

Tears are prickling behind my eyelids, and my voice doesn't come out as confident as intended when I speak. "Get off me..."

Arvin laughs and dips his head. His horrible breath gives me convulsions, and when he kisses me, I wish I were dead. No flutters or magic are running loose in my veins, only fear.

I don't want this!

I try to wriggle away from Arvin's grip, but there isn't a chance in the world for me to win against a werewolf. Arvin is also the alpha, and they are known to be massive. The man is towering over me, pressing me further into the bookshelf as he takes more than I'm willing to give.

What Arvin is doing is wrong on so many levels—this counts as rape!

Arvin leans back from my lips, talking into my ear with his warm breath fanning against my skin. "You're curvy underneath this dress, aren't you, Maya? Damn, your breasts are so big, melons in my hands. I can't help but want to fuck you, my dear."

I'm not his dear—the moon goddess must be mistaken! I hate the man before me!

Arvin is taking off my dress, smirking and removing it from my shuddering body. He is touching me where no man has ventured, and I want to scream for help. I can't fathom how sick in the head a person must be to get an erection from forcing the other person to be romantic with them.

"I'm so horny for you, Maya."

My lips part, but not a sound comes out. I'm not sure why my voice won't come out. Arvin is staring down into my face with a red glow burning brightly in his eyes. My ears ring to the verge of bleeding, and my mind recognizes him as a hybrid.

He is using compulsion to silence!

Shit!

How did it come to this?

Tears trickle down my chin, and I bite my lower lip in an attempt to stop them, making this less mentally painful.

Every bone in my body wants to run, but I'm plankton, trapped underneath Arvin's bulging arms, and I can't get out. All I can do is succumb to the darkness, and my only defense is to block out the sound when Arvin grunts into my ears.

The man is thrusting and rolling his hips, and my eyes focus on the ceiling, praying this will be over soon as tears roll down my face. My brain is building a fortress, shielding itself from harm by making me think of happier times.

But eventually, I can't ignore the sound of Arvin, and when he reaches his climax, a part of me dies—I had hoped to save myself for the person I one day would call my husband.

I have said it more than once, and I will repeat it—I hate this man.

After Arvin is done, he sits up. "Glad to know you're useful for something, my sweet darling," his lips twitch in amusement. I hate him so much. "One day, you will accept me as your mate, and until then, I will keep you locked inside my castle like a little, wingless bird."

Even though I'm terrified of the monster sitting next to me, I somehow form words. "My parents will come looking for me."

"Oh, they won't," Arvin laughs. "They will be chased away by the rest of my clan, and they won't come for you. Your clan lacks the numbers needed for a rescue mission, and why would they waste time on saving a failure of a wolf?"

My self-esteem is crumbling. Arvin knows my weaknesses, and I'm quickly turning into a sobbing mess. The alpha before me might be a beautiful man with eyelashes framing the red color of his eyes, and his face is to die for, but Arvin is crueler than the devil, and right now, he might as well be named Satan.

"I-I'm not a failure-..."

Arvin interrupts me by belting out laughter. He is holding himself up with grace, looking like a well-mannered aristocrat. I loathe his stance. Arvin reeks of power, and I want to snatch it away from him, make him see how it feels to be the underdog like me.

Arvin speaks after he has calmed down. "Keep telling yourself that, darling! Everyone in your pack hates you and wishes you dead! You're a disgrace to your family and entirely different from your strong sister. Do you realize your entire clan talks shit about you behind your back?"

My heart pounds with hurt and Arvin stands up from the floor, but before he leaves, his predatory gaze lands on me. His lips curl higher toward his ears, and then they part as the man spits on me like I'm nothing more than trash in his eyes.

"Worthless piece of shit." His lips curl to one corner, and his eyes gleam like midnight diamonds. "But at least you're pretty to look at and don't think about escaping because I have something in my possession that you want. Follow me."