A Different Kind of Enemy

Aria

There are bad ideas, and then there’s me — sitting in the dining room of the very man I swore to destroy, wearing a red dress like I belonged there. If someone had told me a year ago this was how things would play out, I would’ve laughed and called them insane.

But here I was. Here we were.

The dining room was massive, all dark wood and long windows, the chandelier above throwing soft light that did absolutely nothing to soften the tight tension between us.

Kol sat at the head of the table, swirling a glass of wine like he had all the time in the world. Meanwhile, I was sitting there thinking about how Uncle Jarek hadn’t come home from work yet. Which was exactly why I came early for this stupid dinner in the first place. I had limited time to pull this off — whatever this even was.

I tucked my hands neatly into my lap and smiled like I wasn’t plotting a hundred different ways to kill him with the silver knife hidden under my dress.

"You said you came back recently," Kol said casually, breaking the silence. "Tell me more about yourself."

Of course he would want to know. “The Alpha doesn’t like mysteries he can’t solve.” I jeered, more to myself than him.

I gave a little shrug, leaning back slightly in my chair. "Not much to tell, honestly. Grew up far from your pack. Went to boring private schools. Lived a boring life. Moved back here because…" I paused for effect, "I missed the weather."

That earned the tiniest twitch of his lips, but he didn’t call me out on the obvious lie.

I picked at the edge of my napkin, letting my eyes wander casually around the room while he sipped his wine.

That’s when I noticed them.

Pictures.

Lots of them. Spread along the walls and side tables. Pictures of Kol with women — dozens of his Lunas.

Different faces, different dresses, different smiles. Always Kol standing tall beside them, always them gazing up at him like he hung the stars.

I turned back toward him, arching an eyebrow. “Busy man, huh?" I said, voice light. "Lots of women who admire you."

Kol set his glass down with a soft clink. "Why have one Luna when you can have as many as you like?" he said smoothly, like it was the most normal thing in the world.

I blinked. Thrown completely off my composure.

"So..." I said slowly, "is this dinner... an interview for the position or...?"

Kol laughed. A real one this time.

"You despise me," he said, almost admiringly. "I can see it in the way you look at me. If you had a knife, you'd stab me right here at the table."

If only he knew how close he was to being right.

"And I love that about you," he added, voice dropping even lower.

I smiled sweetly, pretending to twirl my glass between my fingers. "So it is an interview then," I teased. "Fair play. I get it. Keep your friends close and your enemies closer, right?"

His eyes gleamed, catching the light. “Is that what I am to you?" he asked. “An enemy?"

I shrugged lightly. "I think it’s obvious," I said, "that I understand why you’re able to have all these women. It’s not just because you're Alpha."

I leaned forward slightly, lowering my voice like I was letting him in on some great secret. "It’s your mentality. Your charisma. Your aura."

I saw the flicker of satisfaction cross his face before the entire mood shattered.

The door to the dining room opened, and a maid stepped in carrying a tray of fresh glasses and wine.

She barely got two steps inside before she froze. Her eyes widened in horror as she stared at me — not like I was a stranger. Like I was a ghost.

She dropped the tray. Glasses shattered against the marble floor, wine splattering like blood.

"Luna Lira," she whispered, voice trembling.

The entire room froze. I felt Kol stiffen across from me.

I blinked, pretending to look confused. “What...?” I said, frowning in innocent puzzlement.

Kol didn’t even glance at me. His voice was low and cold. "Get out."

The maid scrambled away, nearly tripping over the broken glass in her rush to escape.

I stayed perfectly still.

Inside, my heart was racing. Luna Lira. She thought I was her. She wasn’t the only one, apparently.

Dinner ended faster after that. I thanked Kol politely. Stood up carefully, making sure the knife didn’t slip free from under my dress.

Kol insisted on driving me home. Which, honestly, made the whole night feel like a hostage situation with slightly better food.

I said yes anyway. Better to stay close to the enemy. Because I had plans of ending him that night.

The ride was silent. Kol gripped the steering wheel loosely, looking more relaxed than I expected. I stayed quiet, counting streetlights and thinking about the way the maid had dropped everything just at the sight of me.

When we finally pulled up outside the crumbling little apartment I shared with Jarek, I hesitated. My hand hovered over the door handle.

"Can I ask you something?" I said, voice soft.

Kol looked at me, dark eyes unreadable. "Go on."

I turned toward him, studying his face. “I know we just met and you don’t owe me this information but your maid—“

“If you have a question, Aria, ask it.” He demanded sternly.

“Who is Lira?" I kept my tone curious, almost casual.

His fingers tightened around the steering wheel just slightly. He paused momentarily before he finally decided to speak and for the first time since I met him, the mask cracked.

"Lira," he said slowly, "was... everything."

I swallowed. Hard.

"I loved her," he continued, voice low. "More than I should have. More than it was safe to."

He looked straight ahead now, like he couldn’t bear to meet my eyes. “She was wild. Defiant. She fought me at every turn." A tiny smile ghosted across his mouth. "And I let her. Because I loved her more when she fought."

I didn’t know what to do with the knife hidden under my dress anymore. The plan had been simple — get close, find an opening, take him down.

But this... This wasn’t the monster I had prepared for.

Or maybe it was. Maybe he was still manipulating me, saying all the right things. Maybe this was just another game.

Either way, something inside me shifted. Cracked open.

"Thank you," I said quickly, before my voice could betray anything else. I slipped out of the car, clutching the door handle like it was the only thing keeping me upright.

I waited until his taillights disappeared around the corner before fumbling my keys out of my bag. My hands were shaking.

When I finally opened the door and stepped inside, I was so caught up in my own tangled thoughts that I didn’t even notice Uncle Jarek standing there at first.

He didn’t say a word. Just threw something at my feet.

My journal.

It landed open on the floor as pages fluttered, stopping perfectly on the one where I had circled Kol’s name in red, over and over again like a curse.

Uncle Jarek’s voice was low and fearful.

"What have you done?”