The battle began just after sunrise. They attacked with little warning, slipping silently closer and closer to our camp on deadly claws. The only reason we noticed the Silvermoon Pack's approach was one of the scouts just outside of camp had caught their scent on the changing wind. Angrily, I made a mental note to punish whoever was supposed to be patrolling. Their stupidity and laziness had very likely just cost our Firefang pack valuable time to prepare. They now had a leading edge over us. And with a pack as strong as theirs, that edge was going to cost us dearly.

Focus, I reminded myself firmly. I sprinted through the trees with Alpha a step in front of me, and group of our best warriors at my side. The wind rippled through my fur, invigorating and refreshing. My eyes narrowed and determination rolled down my spine.

Soon I could hear the growls through the trees. The tangy scent of blood invaded my nostrils, an acidic, metallic smell that coated my throat. Still at a sprint, my group burst out of the trees and into the battlefield. Just in time. We were losing - badly.

I crashed into a Silvermoon wolf, still in a dead out sprint. He wheezed as he flew through the air, and crashed into the ground, struggling to breathe. I had probably broken a few ribs and punctured a lung. Would he live? Probably, if he had the sense to stay down.

I had already turned to the next wolf who was barreling at me. He swiped at my cheek, but I ducked and managed to shred his ear. He whined, but continued attacking. We engaged in a deadly dance - ducking, swiping, and circling. I was just a little bit faster, but that was enough to give me the chance to dart in and knock him in the head with a paw. As he shook his head in recovery, I knocked him over onto his back. We rolled, snarling and snapping at each other. He ended up on top, his pure mass overpowering me. I held him off with my forepaws as his jaws snapped shut mere millimeters from my snout. I growled and summoned all my strength, throwing him off of me.

I got up and stalked over to him. He snarled and swiped at me, drool mixing with blood on the ground. I ducked and sprang at him, but he saw it coming and moved out of the way. My teeth closed over his hind leg and I held on, locking my jaws on and shaking. He flipped over as my momentum pulled us head over heel into a flopping mess. I still held on, and I felt something crack as I bit down harder. Blood flooded my mouth and I gagged, releasing his hind leg. He lay on the ground, unmoving, scarlet gushing from his wound.

Then a growl echoed from behind me. Whirling around, I saw Alpha pinned by a huge black and silver wolf. Fear washed over me as I saw the two wolves struggling. Without thinking, I threw myself across the glade, legs pumping furiously.

I smashed into the darker wolf hard enough to knock the wind out of me. We tumbled, both of us straining for the upper hand. We came to a stop slowly, him managing to get the top position.

Suddenly he froze, his clear blue eyes staring down at me in shock. I stilled underneath him too, as I realized what my mind was telling me. Everything else around us seemed to still, as my world narrowed to his sapphire blue eyes.

Mate, my wolf whispered to me. Mate.

We lay staring at eachother for a few moments. Then I regained my thinking ability. If he was pinning down Alpha, that meant he was from Silvermoon Pack - our attackers. My mate was from my pack's biggest rival. I thrashed under him, needing to get away. He let up slightly, and I wriggled my way free, darting away, into the woods.

Wind stung my eyes as I tore through the undergrowth. As I ran, my heart cried for my mate, but I forced it down. He's probably a jerk, I told it, so shut up. Anger drove my legs faster and branches whipped my muzzle, but I didn't care.

Suddenly a large body bowled me over, and we tumbled over each other into a mess on the ground. I looked up and he sat on top of me again. Mate, whispered my traitorous heart. His wolf snapped at me, and I snarled in response. This seemed to startled him, and he looked down at me in surprise. Get used to it, buster. I thought smugly.

Without warning, his weight disappeared off of my chest. I scrambled to my feet and looked around suspiciously. Then I saw him. Standing there in all his naked glory. I yelped, and spun around, planting my tush on the ground, and my back to him.

His laugh rang around the forest, deep and smokey, and I fought the urge to purr. "Are you embarrassed?"

I snorted, but didn't budge. I didn't want to see his... actually, I kind of did, but I pretended I didn't.

A few moments passed, and I was determined not to give in to my curiosity and peek. What was he doing? It was tantalizing.

"Ok, Princess, I've got pants on."

I turned around with a huff. Then I looked up at him. Holy hell. He was wearing a pair of pants, yes, but not much else! And damn he was good-looking. Lightly mussed dark brown hair swept over his sapphire blue eyes. A straight nose and full lips, with high cheekbones. My eyes moved down to his chest, and it was just as nice. He definitely worked out.

"You like what you see, Princess?" He asked with a smirk.

I glared up at him.

"Your turn." He motioned toward the trees and threw me a loose dress. I caught it, and with one last glare, turned and marched into the privacy of the woods. I shifted and yanked the dress over my head. It fell to just below my knees. Smoothing it out, I took a deep breath and stepped back into the clearing.

His gaze swept over me, and something glimmered in his eyes. I felt like something was pulling us together, like an invisible thread, tugging and tugging. I planted my feet and stayed put, ignoring my gut.

"So who are you, Princess?"

"Don't call me that." I snapped. "My name is Alexia. I'm Beta of the Firefang Pack."

He raised an eyebrow like he was surprised. "Hello Alexia, I'm Damien, Alpha of Silvermoon Pack. Feeling feisty, are we?"

Holy crap. He's the freaking Alpha. My mate is the Alpha of my enemy! I stuck a hand on my hip, and pursed my lips. "Oh, I wonder why? It couldn't possibly be because my mate is the Alpha of my bloody enemy!" My voice rose toward the end of the sentence, shaking slightly.

He took a step closer. "Do you think I like it any more than you? I didn't chose this either! I have much better things to do than to stand here and yell at you!" Damien growled. The sexy timbre sent shivers down my spine.

"Good! Then let's just forget any of this ever happened, and both walk away happy!" I said, as I turned to leave. As I stomped away, my head smacked into a hard wall.

"Not so fast, Princess." Damien told me.

I balled my fists up, and growled up at him, "First of all, don't call me that. Second, we just admitted that this relationship would be bad news for both of us, and third, I want an apology. Your chest freaking hurts!" I rubbed my forehead in pain.

"No, no, and no." He said smoothly.

My mouth dropped open. "Excuse me?"

"I said, no, I won't stop calling you that, no, we didn't admit that, and no, you won't get an apology." His voice dropped an octave lower.

I looked up at him, speechless. "What the hell! You jackass!"

"How ladylike, Princess." He smirked, but it looked tight. I flipped him off.

"Oh my god, there is no way I'm freaking mated to you. No way. You have no respect for anyone whatsoever, you can't apologise-" I was cut off by his mouth. Immediately, I could feel the connection between us strengthening. Heat sparked over my skin, like tiny bolts of electricity, and I melted into him. My hands rose and pressed against his chest, his hands skimming up my back and tangling in my hair. He growled in the back of his throat, and pulled us closer together. At this point, I was completely at his mercy, my resistance gone. My world was focused on him and his delectable lips. Too soon, he pulled away and I sighed at the absence of his warmth. Blinking, I began to remember what I was saying. In a rush, it came back to me.

"Oh my god! Did you just kiss me to shut me up!" I shouted up at him. It came out slightly airy.

He smiled, a sinister, dark smile. I realized I kind of liked it. "You talk too much anyway."

"I am so out of here." I fumed. "Don't even try to stop me." I spun around and stomped back the way I came.

"You're never going to escape me, Princess. We're mates. We will always find our way back to each other." He called from behind me, and I forced myself to keep walking.

I knew that damn well. Everyone knew mates never part. Inside my chest, something stung, like walking away was a physical pain. But I was a blood and dirt kind of girl. A little pain didn't scare me.

If he wanted me, he was going to have to work to get me.

A/N

Hey y'all! Thanks for reading Love Me Fiercely! It means a lot to me!

I'm super excited, guys! It's winter break! Imma just sit in my beanbag here and not move for the whole day! Maybe I'll come out for lunch. Maybe. Meager matters like eating fade away when I'm lazing. 

Ahhh, it's good to be lazy...

(PS, if I stop posting, don't worry, it's probably because I've turned into a pile of goo)

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