All Chapters of His Mate, His Enemy: Chapter 11 - Chapter 20

SAPHRA'S POV I do not leave my room.At first, it is not defiance so much as paralysis.When morning light filters through the curtains, pale and thin, I am already awake. I have not truly slept; my body lies still, but my mind circles the same burning image over and over—the echo of a woman’s dying breath and a child’s scream.Elara.The name sits in my throat like a stone.I sit on the edge of my bed, wrapped in my sheets, staring at the door as if it might open and spill the entire world into my chamber. My skin still prickles where Lucien touched me. My wrists ache faintly, and I keep rubbing them as if I can scrub away the memory of his grip.I do not move.I do not dress.I do not eat.The first summons arrives before noon.A sharp knock at my door.“Saphra,” Marcus’s voice calls. “Lord Lucien requests your presence in the war room.”My stomach tightens.I say nothing.The knock comes again, louder. “Saphra?”I stare at the door.The image of the black X flashes behind my eyes.

LUCIEN’S POV I should have known she would refuse.Saphra stands in the centre of her chamber, chin lifted, eyes burning with a defiance that has become far too familiar. The morning light cuts across her face, catching the hard set of her mouth.“No,” she says. “I won’t go.”The word hits me harder than it should.“This is not a request,” I reply, keeping my voice even controlled. “There is a territorial dispute. You will attend.”She laughs. “You drag me out of my cell when it suits you, scream at me when you’re angry, and now you want me paraded in front of rival Alphas like some trophy? Absolutely not.”Something ugly coils in my chest.“You will stand where I tell you,” I snap.She turns away, arms folding over her chest, shoulders rigid. “Then kill me now and be done with it.”The bond flares.Something sharp and possessive and furious that is not entirely my own.Before I can stop myself, I cross the room in two strides and grab her arm.She gasps, spinning back toward me. “Do

SAPHRA'S POV I am now crouched low by the eastern gate, heart pounding so loudly I am certain it will betray me.The iron lock is cold beneath my fingers. I stole the pin from a dressing tray hours ago, hiding it in my sleeve like a talisman. My hands shake as I work it into the narrow seam, angling, twisting, praying to gods I no longer believe listen to servants or prisoners.The night air tastes metallic. Guards stand just beyond the torchlight, silhouettes shifting as they talk quietly among themselves. Every second stretches thin as wire.Come on. Come on. Come on. The lock resists.A shadow falls over me.Strong hands grab my shoulders and yank me backwards.I bite back a scream, spinning wildly until a familiar face fills my vision and a finger presses urgently to his lips.Joren.He doesn’t speak. He doesn’t hesitate, he drags me sideways into the deep shadow of the gatehouse wall just as a guard laughs and turns his head.My heart slams against my ribs as Joren pulls me flu

SAPHRA'S POV The gardens are quiet and peaceful in the late morning.Sunlight filters through trellised vines heavy with pale blossoms, casting soft shadows across the gravel paths. Fountains murmur gently, water slipping over stone in a rhythm meant to soothe. I sit on the low edge of a marble planter, hands folded in my lap, eyes tracking a pair of butterflies as they spiral upward and vanish.This place is beautiful, and that almost makes it worse.I am so absorbed in my thoughts that I don’t hear Joren approach until his shadow falls across the path in front of me.“You shouldn’t sit in the open like this,” he says quietly.I look up, startled, then relax when I see it’s him. “Everyone can see me anywhere,” I reply. “That’s the point.”His mouth tightens. “Still.”He glances around before sitting beside me, leaving a careful distance between us. He looks like a gardener today. He is wearing a simple tunic with dirt under his nails and a basket of clipped herbs at his feet. Anyone

SAPHRA'S POV I don't plan to tell her but the confession begins anyway. It starts as a crack and then everything inside me gives way.“Mara,” I say, my voice already shaking. “I need you to listen and try to understand me.”She stills instantly. The shutters are half-closed, dawn hours away. Candlelight flickers between us, throwing long shadows across the walls. She nods once, slowly, and sits on the edge of the chair like she’s bracing for impact.I pace.“I’m not who you think I am,” I say. “I am not just a servant or captive and I didn’t come here by accident.”Her eyes sharpen.“I...I am not from.... I came from....” I take a deep breath and look back at her. “The Emberfangs.”She inhales sharply. Just a sound, but it changes the air.“They were erased,” I continue, the words spilling faster now, like if I stop I’ll drown. “Wiped out in a single night. My people were slaughtered and Lucien ordered it.”My hands clench into fists so tight my nails bite skin.“They came unannounce