Loving The Enemy

Chapter 1

"You're holding back," Aria snarled, her emerald eyes flashing with irritation. "Fight me like you mean it."

The scent of blood and sweat hung heavy in the training ring as Aria Blackwood dodged another vicious swipe from her sparring partner's claws. Marcus, a seasoned warrior twice her age, showed her no mercy despite her being the Alpha's daughter, which was exactly how she preferred it.

Marcus hesitated for a split second, and then she struck. Her fist connected with his chest, sending him stumbling backwards. Before he could recover, she swept his legs, dropping him to the dirt with a satisfying thud.

"Good," came a familiar voice from the sidelines. "But it could have been better."

Aria spun around to face her father, Alpha Damon Blackwood, whose massive frame filled the training ring entrance. Even in his human form, his presence still commanded absolute respect. The Silver Crest pack members who'd been watching the sparring match immediately dropped their gazes and stepped back.

"At least I got the job done," Aria replied, wiping blood from her split lip with the back of her hand.

"In a real fight, there would have been no hesitation." Damon stepped into the ring, his steel-grey eyes staring deep into hers. "Show me the combination again, properly this time."

The watching pack members exchanged glances. Everyone knew better than to interrupt when the Alpha was training his heir, despite the tension. At seventeen, Aria had already surpassed most adult wolves in combat, but Damon still pushed her harder than anyone else.

"With respect, Alpha," Marcus coughed from the ground, "perhaps we should---"

"Perhaps you should remember your place," Damon's voice dropped to a dangerous growl. "My daughter will lead this pack someday, so she doesn't need coddling."

Aria felt her wolf, Kestra, nod with both pride and frustration. "He's right," Kestra whispered in her mind. "But his methods..."

"Are necessary," Aria finished the thought. She'd been training since she could walk, studying pack law since she could read, and the burden of being the only heir to the second-largest pack in the region meant that there was no room for error.

"Again," Damon commanded.

This time, Aria moved with fluid precision, dealing blow after blow to Marcus until he yielded with a pained grunt.

"Better." Damon's approval was barely a nod, but it meant everything. "Come find me later in the conference room to discuss alliance negotiations with the Northern packs."

As Aria towelled off her sweat and blood, she caught whispered conversations among the pack members.

"...should be planning her eighteenth birthday, not more politics..."

"...never seen an Alpha push their child so hard..."

"Enough," Aria commanded with irritation. Despite her youth, her Alpha presence was still undeniable, "Don't you have training of your own to attend to?"

The pack members scattered, leaving only Aria and her father in the ring.

"They question you because they don't understand," Damon said quietly, his harsh demeanour softening slightly. "The pack needs to know their future Alpha can handle anything, that is what's most important."

"I know." Aria's voice was steady, but inside, Kestra paced restlessly.

That's enough for today," Her mother, Celeste intervened, stepping into the ring. "Aria has other things to prepare for."

Damon looked like he wanted to argue, but something in his mate's expression stopped him. "Fine. Go ahead, but don't forget to attend the meeting in the conference room today."

"Got it," Aria replied, nodding.

As the crowd dispersed, Celeste linked her arm through Aria's. "Walk with me, sweetheart."

Aria let herself take off the leader mask she always had to wear, then walked freely with her mother.

They headed toward the packhouse, a massive structure that housed the Alpha family.