Dear Enemy, You're My Mate

Chapter 68 **

Maya

After two months of being Arvin's slave, there is barely any will and strength left in my body. The mighty Maya has fallen, and left behind is the shell of the girl I used to be.

I'm barely even breathing, and sometimes my head is so quiet that I wonder if I'm dead.

Sadly, I'm still alive, even though death would be a far kinder fate than having to keep living in this cruel world.

Sighing, I stare at my feet. I'm trying not to get irritated by the people walking up and down the stairs into the basement. I swear this place is busier than McDonald's during lunch hours.

"Good morning, alpha Arvin!" a guard chirps. He is wearing a helmet and seems equipped for battle. The guy must be a vampire—a werewolf wouldn't dress like a fake knight. "I'm ready to be in your service—I will defend you with my life!"

I avert my eyes when I catch myself staring at the idiotic young guard. I shouldn't give them any attention. Arvin punishes me whenever he catches me eavesdropping—pretending to be an empty and lifeless porcelain doll is the only way to survive.

I focus my eyes on the wall on the other side of my prison cell with that in mind.

"Do you have everything packed?" Arvin asks the guard as they both stand in front of what I've realized must be a portal.

The guard nods, saluting. "Yes, sir!"

Arvin smiles and then leads the guard to the portal. It is the shape of a door, with whirlwinds and a splash of purple and blue circling in it. I'm not sure what lies on the other side, but I know Arvin and his guards frequently enter it to come back a few days later.

"My-oh-my!"

A witch named Elodie walks down the stairs. Her skin is a deep shade of mahogany, and her long hair is dark and silky smooth—the perfect match with her green, emerald dress. She is beautiful to behold, but I would never trust her. Elodie is too cunning.

"Ready to leave?" Elodie asks and smiles at Arvin in a flirtatious way. She got the right body shape to charm the pants off any man.

"I hope your plan works," Arvin says with his appreciating eyes caught on the gorgeous woman. He looks ready to devour her. "Fairies supposedly live for a very long time, but what if their blood won't heal my mother?"

Elodie shrugs. "It doesn't hurt to try."

Arvin sighs, and Elodie kisses his cheek. He might be my mate, but he still sees other women. I don't care. The moon goddess was wrong when she picked him for me. Arvin disgusts me.

"You're worrying too much," Elodie says as she leans away from Arvin's touch. Her lips curl into a mischievous smile. "Don't you trust in my abilities, dear?"

"I do. I'm just not very excited about challenging the most powerful fairy we have ever seen."

Elodie taps Arvin's shoulder. "It will be fine—we have an entire army while the poor fellow is living in the forest on his own. He won't even see our ambush coming. Besides, even Rebecca is with us."

I swallow my inner rage.

Earlier, when Rebecca walked down in the basement to enter the portal, I had almost lost my calm. For years she had pretended to be my family's friend when, in reality, she was a spy for the enemy all along. Thinking about her is enough to leave a sour savor in my mouth.

"You're right," Arvin concludes. "I need to stop overthinking. We will defeat the fairy, and our mages will work on shrinking him."

Arvin's words aren't surprising. My mother, who claims she was once friends with a fairy, told me fairies are larger-than-life in their world. I'm not sure if she spoke the truth, but I remember she also mentioned fairies eat humans.

So now, I hope Arvin gets eaten.

But honestly?

I'm not sure if fairies even exist.

Elodie smiles, and then she rushes into the portal. She is one of many witches Arvin got on his side. I'm not sure why they are loyal to him, but something tells me the witches got a plan of their own—not that I would ever warn Arvin.

"Oh, I almost forgot!"

Before Arvin enters the portal, he turns around to smirk down at me, the filthy girl he has broken down to nothing. I wonder if he is proud of himself for being a monster.

"I will be gone for an entire week this time, possibly even longer, depending on the person we need to find. There are some things I need to handle, but the guards will still check on you. And don't even try to escape—my mother is watching the orb."

I don't reply, and Arvin laughs in satisfaction. He doesn't like it when I talk, and in order not to be beaten, I seldom utter a single word. Most days, I seal my tongue, and sometimes hearing my voice shocks me to the core.

"You're such a good girl, Maya. I might even give you a treat when I come back home."

After winking at me, Arvin walks into the portal, and I finally dare to exhale. I haven't eaten for days. Therefore, I feared my stomach would gurgle for the entire duration Arvin was inside the room. If that happened, it would end up with the alpha punishing me, so I consider this my lucky day.

I want to avoid contact with Arvin at all costs because what I never considered a possibility has come true—I fear men. All people, in all honesty. My family never came to save me, so I can't trust anyone, especially not the male gender.

I'm all alone, and I've learned the hard way that men are bigger, stronger, and all about following their sexual desire. There isn't a single ounce of kindness in Arvin's body, and I dread all men might be the same.

I bend my knees and pull them up to my chest, hugging them tightly. The room is chilly, but I will survive. It's just me, myself, and I, and I don't need anybody else.

With that mindset, I fall asleep, but while I expect another dreamless night, I see that face again. I've seen him twice already, but I can never remember what he looks like in the morning. All I remember is his grin and the weirdest part? I think he has wings.