Mated to my enemy

Though it had been 4 years since I had escaped from the dreadful past, the memories are still fresh in my mind. The screams and the tears, the blood and the fear, the thought of those still made my heart race at a hundred miles an hour, and made my mouth dry.

I would never forget the pain and hurt I had to face. I never knew that people could be so heartless until I met the beast of my life. He claimed to be my mate, but he only treated me as his slave. I used to think that mates keep each other happy, but in my life, it's quite the opposite.

Whenever I remember what happened to me four years ago, it makes me shiver in disgust and hurt. I hate the word 'mate' and I refuse to believe that there is anything in this world called 'love' because for love I only got deceit, hurt, and pain.

"Camilla!" I heard a shout from the distance. I was standing at the same spot where I had begun my new life, looking into the beautiful eyes of the same man who helped me to build it.

Four years ago, he was a tall boy, with gorgeous eyes and a crooked smile. His hair used to be messy and long slicked back with sweat, but now it was short and cropped, and his body had grown in muscles to match his height.

He found me in this place in ripped clothes.

and my body has the signs of cruelty. The beast who is my mate left me miserable and broke. If I hadn't dared to run away from him, then I would be dead a long time ago.

"Hey stranger" I smiled back, making my way towards my best friend, who wrapped his arms around me in a comforting hug.

If anyone saw us, they would think that we are a couple, but he is the one who helped me find out the real me. He is the one who trained me in self-defense, and he is none other than alpha Marco of the crescent pack.

I met him when I was running in between the woods in pain, and he helped with no questions in his eyes. Later, I get to know that he is the alpha of the crescent pack. He has a powerful pack, but he is nothing compared to alpha Stefano, who is a beast in the form of a wolf. Every time I recall him, it makes my whole body feel disgusted.

Alpha Marco took me to his packhouse and the people there were so welcoming and lovable, unlike the pack of alpha Stefano. The first time I entered his pack, everyone thought I was his mate, but they soon got to know that I was nothing but a broken girl who needed to be healed.

"How long have you been standing here?" he asked me while refusing to let go and pinching my sides.

"Not long" I shrugged, but he caught my lie and held me a little away from his body to look into my eyes.

"Who are you lying to?" his rhetorical question made me bite my lips and look at him.

"Two hours."

"Camilla, I thought you were over your past, but I guess I was wrong," he said and disappointment was clear in his eyes.

"Sorry, but my whole family is there. I want to see them just once. I want to see if they are okay or not," I said, being emotional. Furthermore, I am five miles away from my family, who work under alpha Stefano. Likewise, I can't go any further because I know if I enter their territory, then my life will be miserable again.

Not only that, but I am only half an hour away from the moon's territory, which is ruled by the cruel alpha Stefano who tortured me, broke me, and forced me to be his slave.

"What parents you are talking about, they let alpha Stefano torture you, and not even once did they think about you. Your brother is the beta of alpha Stefano, and what does he do to you?" He asked me, and anger flared up his nose.

My brother is the beta of the pack, and he lets the alpha torture me. I am his baby sister, but when alpha used to torture me, he kept his mouth shut. My whole family betrayed me; I see no remorse on their faces. I want to hate them, but I can't because they are my parents.

"I am sorry. You are right," I said to him, and he held his hand in mine. He looks at me with a softness in his eyes.

"When don't you join my pack, aren't you fed up with leaving like a rogue?" he asked me, looking straight into my eyes.

"Oh, shut up. You know I love living the rogue life," I nudged him. He is the alpha, and I may not talk to him like this in front of others, but when alone, I can talk to him as I like.

"Plus, your pack is not worthy of a person as great as me!" I teased him and I wanted to avoid joining his pack because I know that alpha Stefano is still looking for me and I feel it would be better not to put Marco in the war.

"I am the alpha of the pack, and you are disrespecting me, but I let it go because I care about you," he said with a genuine smile. Why is he behaving like that, knowing that I am not his mate?

He holds my hand in his, and then we start our journey to his packhouse. Last time I turned back to see how far I had come. Then, within a few minutes, we reached the packhouse, and I saw the members giving me a welcoming grin. I knew that most of them hoped I was Marco's mate. There have been a couple of instances where people told me to, but their hopes were shattered when they realized it was not the case.

As we entered the packhouse, I heard a loud voice calling my name.

"Camilla!" Patrica and Julia tackled me down and tried very hard to squeeze the life out of me. They are both Marco's younger sisters, and we all share a strong bond. I get love from them that I never got from my family. They always bring happiness to my life, whereas my family only brings misery to my life.

"Girls, get off!"

"We missed you," came their synchronized reply. I could push them off, but I enjoyed the love that they were showering on me.

"Alpha Marco, want to help me out here?" I asked him. He was leaning against the counter with a stunning smile on his face and raising his glass of water toward me in acknowledgment.

"Nope," he said with a grin.

"Okay then." I pushed the two of them off but enveloped them in my kind of hug after everyone was vertical. They looked at me with an expectant grins.

"Are the two of you mates yet?" Patrica asked me with eager eyes. She is the youngest one and regardless of how many times I have told her that Marco and I can't be mates, she didn't understand.

"I told you this last time, if he was my mate, I would have known by now," I explained to the eager teenagers. Their faces fell and they made a pout.

I get hurt looking at the disappointment on their faces. I know they all love me, but I already have a mate and I eloped from him and his torturous ways, but they don't know about this, and neither do I have any intention of telling them.

I want this thing to keep a secret from me because I don't want anyone to sympathize with me. I hate it when people look at me with sympathy in their eyes.

Only Marco and I know what happened to me four years ago, and I took his promise that this information would be kept only between us, and it's been 4 years, and he is still keeping his promise.

Why do I have to be the mate of the cruelest alpha? Life is unfair to me, but I will not lose any hope. I have come so far, and now I am living my life on terms.

I hate your alpha, Stefano, and I never wish to meet you again in this lifetime.