Dear Enemy, You're My Mate

Chapter 50 **

Patricia

I wake up on the couch inside of the house I share with Alice. Finn is sitting on the floor, engaged in a silent, staring competition with Elijah, who has taken a chair across from us. Wesley is standing behind him, and so are Riley and Brad.

My initial reaction is to sit straight and prepare for battle, but Finn places a hand on my leg, shaking his head.

"These people aren't here to fight you. I believe they want you to rejoin their pack," Finn says and turns his attention back to Elijah, who is glancing between us with curious cat-eyes.

I remind myself to stay on my guard even as I part my lips. Elijah and Wesley might be friends of mine, but I don't the other two standing in the room to be my friends.

"Where is Alice?" I ask.

Elijah speaks. "Upstairs with William, he is in poor condition, and she is tending to his wounds."

I nod. "I see."

Elijah interlocks his fingers and bends forward to scan me. His eyes are judging, glowing embers, and I get the sense he wants to ask me something, which makes me frown.

"What is it?"

A grin coats his lips. "The entire Winterbite pack saw you fight against the older Dior—they recognize their former alpha wasn't the one who attacked them during the full moon, yet without an alpha, none of the pack members can relax or feel safe."

"Your point being?"

Elijah exchanges a look with Wesley, who nods his approval. It seems they have spoken about this subject already.

"Step up as Dior's luna, the second in command, and lead the Winterbite pack while he is gone. Everyone has seen you fight, and thanks to Wesley, they have learned you are Dior's mate. The entire pack deems you worthy of becoming their luna, and even Riley and Brad think you possess the qualities needed to protect our grounds."

Riley snorts, her arms locked underneath her chest. "Right, I might not like you, Patricia, but I can recognize power when I see it—you and that alien beat the crap out of the werewolf who no one else could knock out."

"Hey!" Finn shouts in an insulted tone. "I'm a fairy, not a freaking alien!"

Riley narrows her gaze. "Fairies don't exist."

Finn grunts a response and stands up, casting a massive shadow over the others with his unnatural height. Wings sprout out from his muscular back, iridescent, with some parts glowing in blue.

"Amazing!" I whisper in awe.

Finn crosses his arms over his chest to mimic Riley's stance, and then a grin reaches his ears. "What was that about fairies not existing?"

A silent gasp escapes Riley's lips while the other people in the room are staring and taking in the shape of Finn's wings. The fairy seems to grow uncomfortable and sucks his wings into his skin before facing me with concerned eyes.

"How are you holding up?" Finn takes a seat on the couch, smiling softly at me like a dog seeing its master after hours spent apart.

I return his smile. "I've had better days."

He grins and hands me the crystal ball. "Here, I kept this safe for you," he hesitates then. "If I were you, I would hang it around your neck—if you wish for it hard enough, a chain will appear."

"Oh, I didn't know that."

Finn only smiles before talking. "You need to keep it safe. While I doubt another person could summon me, your enemies can still shatter the orb."

"What happens then?"

His mood seems to darken. "Then I will die. My soul is inside of that thing, and while I don't enjoy being a slave, I want to live."

My heart squeezes. "I won't treat you as a slave."

Finn gives me a slight smile. "Thank you, Patricia."

Elijah clears his throat, and I turn around, meeting the face of the elegant vampire. "So, what do you judge, lady Patricia?"

"I haven't finished the mating ritual with Dior, and I'm not sure if I will ever become his luna," My heart squeezes. "I like him, but this isn't a decision I can take by myself."

"The pack doesn't need to know that. The Winterbite pack needs someone strong enough to lead them as not to fall apart—this is bigger than you and Dior, lady Patricia. We are speaking about people's hope and lives, children."

"I know..."

Wesley gives me a hopeful smile. "I understand this is a lot to take in, but take some time to reflect over it, please?"

I take a deep breath, letting my eyes jump from one face to another before my eyes connect with Elijah's once more. Finn's hand on my shoulder gives me confidence, and my heart, still longing for Dior, grants me a reason to fight.

Love is the reason we exist, the thing we search for our entire lives, and therefore, I will join my old pack once more—to protect everything and everyone they love.

My old pack members froze me out in the past, but I now realize not everyone was involved. Those who were, well, they were only trying to please their alpha. They followed Dior, and if I'm on my way to forgiving him, then it's only fair I do the same with my old pack.

"Okay," I say fiercely. The future frightens me, but I think this is what I'm meant to do—my heart is pumping with determination. "I will step up as Dior's luna and take control of our pack, but..." A giggle slips out through my lips. "I know nothing about leading others!"

Wesley smiles. "That's why you have me."

"And me," Elijah cuts in, and this time, the vampire is smiling.

"I'm also on team Patricia," Finn says, tapping me on the shoulder to give me a big friendly grin, pointy teeth, and everything. "And if your pack betrays you, then we can blow them away."

Wesley gasps, offended. "We are right here, you know!"

Finn turns around with a bored expression. "And?"

"Well, you could be nicer!" Wesley exclaims.

Finn snorts a laugh. "All four of you were calling me an alien until recently, so don't act like I'm the one being rude."

Wesley's smile falters. "I suppose you're right—I'm sorry for saying you might be an intergalactic criminal."

"You have a wild imagination," Elijah mumbles and then turns to face Finn with an apologetic look. "I'm sorry too. I've never seen a fairy before, and I let my mate's suspicions get the best of me. For a moment, I believed you were an alien."

Finn grins. He doesn't seem like a person who holds grudges. "Apology accepted."

An awkward silence follows until Wesley lifts a finger, beaming like the sun at us all. "Does anyone want some tacos?"

Everyone gets up from their chairs, and the ones already standing walk over to the kitchen area.

"I thought you would never ask!" Brad exclaims. "I skipped dinner!"

Even Riley seems happy. "I would also love to have some tacos—I'm starving!"

Brad cracks up. "You eat like a bird, and you claim you're starving?"

"Oh, shut up!"

"No swearing in the kitchen!" Elijah snarls. "It's a holy area!"

"How ironic that it's a vampire saying that when we all know what would happen if someone poured holy water above your head, darling," Wesley comments.

"I'm still religious," Elijah frowns. "I need to presume there is a heaven after I'm done living."

"Wow, you're all like... So deep and intelligent." Brad says.

Elijah snorts. "Please, Brad, in your mind, talking about anything other than football is deep."

Wesley cracks up, and I blink at the odd conversation going on in the kitchen. I've never had these many friends over before—if Riley and Brad can be considered friends.

Smiling, I lift myself from the couch, only to stare at Finn, who has turned into a block of ice. His eyes are watery, and his lips are quivering until he notices me looking. He then avoids my eyes and clears his throat as if crying is a crime in his eyes.

"I'm sorry," Finn apologizes. "I've just never had tacos before, and it smells nice, and there are actual people here-..."

"Finn, do you want to join us for dinner?" I interrupt.

"I can do that?" Finn's voice is insecure, as if he trusts me to change my mind if he allows himself to smile.

"I don't see why not?"

Shock seeps into the fairy's features, and when he lifts me into his trademark bearhug, I'm prepared. He spins me around the living room, and I entertain the idea of Finn being a dog—he acts an awful lot like a golden retriever or a labrador.

"I'm so happy! I can't begin to describe how much I appreciate you, Patricia! You're the best master ever!"

With my eyes still spinning after being put down, it's a miracle that I manage to smile. "I'm glad you think so." I take Finn's hand in mine, dragging him toward the kitchen. "Let's go eat some tacos! You need to try out everything!"

Finn beams down at me, nodding. "Yes, sir!"