Mated To An Enemy

Ashleigh just stared back at him. Trying to understand what he meant.

Caleb took a deep breath.

“I didn’t want you to come,” he began, “because I knew how they would react.”

He clenched his jaw and sniffled.

“I knew that my pack was not ready to accept you as Luna. I knew that having to explain what happened between us would only make it that much harder for them to understand.”

“Ok,” Ashleigh said. “But why not just tell me?”

Caleb scoffed. He looked up at her, and the moonlight reflected off the tears that shone in his eyes.

“Why couldn’t you accept me, Ashleigh?” he asked gently. “Every time we got close, what got in the way?”

“I thought Granger–”

“It wasn’t just him,” Caleb interrupted, shaking his head. “Granger, your dad, our packs. It always mattered more to you what others thought.”

Ashleigh swallowed down the painful feeling.

“I was worried that you would use this as an excuse to leave me again,” Caleb said with a tremble in his voice. “That you would hear the words, see the angry faces, feel my mother’s rage, and give up. Just like before.”

“That’s not going to happen! I didn’t know how to accept my feelings for you before!” she shouted desperately. “I love you, Caleb.”

“I know,” he said with a nod. He swallowed and looked at her before saying another word. “But are you telling me that before you went to the Priestess after your mom walked in on us, you didn’t accept your feelings for me then?”

Ashleigh remembered the moment she recognized his feelings and acknowledged her own. It was in her room, after their kiss, as she listened to his sincere words. It was the first time she truly understood what it meant to feel in love.

“I had,” she answered honestly.

“Then why did you lie?” he asked with a pained laugh. “Why did you tell me it was him and not me?”

Ashleigh chewed her lip.

“He told me if I chose you, it would lead to war,” she replied through tears. Then, she quickly added when she saw how he clenched his jaw. “He wasn’t wrong! Spring and Autumn, they would never just stand by while a marriage between Summer and Winter is forged!”

“Then let them come!” Caleb shouted angrily. He took in a deep and shaky breath. “If that is the only way I can prove how much I love you and have you by my side. Then I will happily go to war with them both!”

Ashleigh was stunned.

“Caleb…”

Caleb took in another shaky breath, pushing it back out through gritted teeth.

Ashleigh got down on her knees before him. She put her hand on his cheek and lifted him to face her. Tears streamed down his face; his brows were creased together as he struggled to maintain composure.

“Talk to me…” she said quietly.

“I have never felt so helpless…” he whispered through tears. “I have never in my life wanted anything as much as I wanted you to say my name that day.”

Ashleigh tried to brace her heart.

“In all the battles I have fought, all the training, all the injuries… nothing, can compare to the pain I felt when you said his.”

Ashleigh got up on her knees, bringing her head up against his, their foreheads touching, connecting them.

“I’m so sorry…” she whispered. “I’m so sorry.”

Ashleigh brought both of her hands up to hold his face. She pulled back enough that they could see each other.

“I love you,” she whispered. “Leaving you is only one of the many mistakes I have made since we met. But I swear, I will never make that one again.”

Caleb wrapped his strong arms around her, pulling her up awkwardly into his lap. Once he had her settled, he laid his head on her chest.

“If you try to run,” he said, “I will chase you.”

“I will only run to you,” she whispered, kissing the top of his head.

“Cheesy,” he smiled.

Caleb held Ashleigh for the better part of an hour, refusing to let her go until she desperately needed the bathroom. _{ρꪖꪕᦔꪖꪕꪫꪣꫀ​ꪶ​}

When she returned, she was shocked to find him already lying on his bed.

“How did you…?” she asked, pointing to his wheelchair sitting beside the bed.

Caleb smiled.

“Do you really think that we don’t have training for moving yourself around the battlefield in a situation where your legs aren’t working?” Caleb asked.

Ashleigh laughed and then looked at him thoughtfully.

“What’s wrong?” he asked with concern.

Her expression cleared up, and she shook her head.

“Nothing, I was just thinking that I will need to take a lot of make up training sessions when I join Summer.”

Caleb tried to hide it, but Ashleigh saw his eyes light up when she said it. She felt the jolt of happiness through their bond.

Ashleigh smiled.

She moved towards the bed as she spoke.

“In fact, there are probably many things I will need to learn once I am officially a member of Summer.”

His mouth tilted ever so slightly upwards.

“There are a lot of areas of study you might find interesting,” Caleb replied, watching her as she moved toward him. “Even just in physical training, there are all kinds of tactics and strategies you’ve never seen before.”

Ashleigh raised her knee up onto the bed.

“Are you going to teach me?” she asked, her voice just slightly lower than usual.

Caleb licked his lips.

“It would be my pleasure to teach you anything you want to learn,” he answered with a heat laced into his words.

“Anything?” she asked, biting her lower lip.

He nodded as now familiar darkness swirled in his eyes.

Ashleigh grinned and leaned forward. She placed her hands on the bed and shifted her weight up. Then, slowly moved toward him as if he were her prey.

She positioned herself at his knees, looking at him with a devilish grin as she crawled over him, straddling his legs. She continued to move up the length of his body.

Though he had no feeling in his legs, the sense she got through their bond was that the visual was enough to entice him.

He licked his lips as she got closer and closer. Then, reached his hands out to her as her shoulders passed over his hips.

The warmth of his hands on her shoulders sent a delight filled sensation coursing through every nerve. His lips called to her. Ashleigh found herself moving faster now, hurrying to complete their connection.

“You can’t just go in there!” a shout and the sound of the bedroom door flying open sent Ashleigh falling to the ground once more.

“Ashleigh!” Caleb shouted.

“Still fine!” she called back.

“What the fuck are you doing to my sister!” shouted an enraged Axel staring at them from the doorway.

“Axel?” Ashleigh said. “What are you doing– Axel, no!”

Ashleigh shouted as she realized Axel was preparing to charge at Caleb on the bed.

She lifted herself off the ground, and pushing off against the wall, she sent the full force of her body slamming into her brother.

“Ugh!” Axel let out a groan as his body hit the floor.

Ashleigh rolled off of him, turning back to face him just as he recovered. He growled once more and got up to try again for Caleb.

But Ashleigh was faster. She jumped at him, forcing her knee into his back and riding him down to the floor. He let out another groan. Then, she grabbed his arm, pinning it to his back while placing the heel of her palm against the base of his skull, holding him in place.

“Stand down, Axel!” she growled angrily.