An Enemy Called Mate

ZIVA

“It is, and I’m damn serious about it,” Alexei said playfully while I laughed it off. I succumbed to licking the ice cream, as the sweet taste of strawberry was to die for.

Afterward, Alexei dipped his hand into his pocket and he brought out a phone. It appeared to be a new phone.

“Here. You can call me whenever you want. I have my contact number saved, even Xander’s and your mother’s numbers are saved too,” He said as he handed it over to me.

“Thanks, I would also like to schedule an appointment with the doctor tomorrow-”

“I will have that arranged quickly. So, all you need to do is rest and stay healthy. Your powerful mate will always be around to attend to your needs.”

I smiled, “Thanks, and I owe you one.”

He flashed a smile before glancing back at the hospital, “You should get some sleep now.”

“You too,” I replied. I handed the empty ice cream bowl to him and returned to the hospital. As soon I reached the hospital’s entrance, I turned back and waved at him. Then, he did the same with a smile.

Such a sweet man. Who would believe that someone like him would exist in reality?

I returned to my ward and dozed off after a moment of browsing on the new phone.

~~~~

I was woken up by the bright morning light that seemed to reflect on my face. Abruptly, the light stopped reflecting on my face. I looked around and saw Alpha Xander. He reached for the window blinds and closed it to block the sunlight.

Surprisingly, he was in a new set of clothes, and he looked refreshed. I glanced at the couch that was close to my bed and noticed the blanket on it. Did he spend the night in this ward?

“Is this what you always do?” I asked Alpha Xander, “Stay in the ward throughout the night and leave the next morning?”

As I waited for his response, I remembered the stretch I learned online yesterday – a lying hip flexor stretch to ease pregnancy discomfort.

My back ached from a night of awkward sleeping on the hospital bed.Content (C) Nôv/elDra/ma.Org.

So, I slowly lay flat on the bed, bringing my knee towards my chest. “Mm-hm,” he replied, his deep voice distracting me from the initial discomfort.

As I held the stretch, I couldn’t help but feel a lingering ache in my lower back. It was as if the hospital bed had been wrestling with me all night, and I was the loser.

I closed my eyes, hoping the stretch would work its magic when I felt a gentle touch on my shoulder. I opened my eyes to find Alpha Xander’s concerned gaze.

“Do you need some help?” he asked, his deep voice soft and soothing.

I nodded, feeling a bit embarrassed but also grateful. Everything seemed to be different about him after I let out my thoughts last night.

First, he revealed that he had been around, spending every night at my ward while I was in a coma. Now, he is suddenly offering to help.

I sat up in a comfortable position, with my back straight and feet planted firmly on the bed, allowing Alpha Xander to access my lower back.

As he touched it, it felt like a spark of electricity ran through my veins. Swiftly, he massaged it, his fingers applying just the right amount of pressure to ease the tension. I let out a sigh of relief as his touch brought soothing comfort to my lower back.

“How does that feel? Is the pressure okay?” He asked.

A wave of tingles spread through my body. My cheeks turned red as he continued massaging my back. I replied, “Better. It eased the ache.”

Then, he paused, taking a deep breath, and faced me. “About last night… I am very sorry. I was completely out of line. I should never have brought up the divorce, rejection, or even Alexei.

I should never have lashed out at you in anger or thrown you into the Den over something as trivial as burnt pasta.

That was unforgivable. Also, I want to clarify that I never meant to imply that I didn’t want you or the pups. When I said that night was a mistake, I meant it differently. You were never the other woman, and I regret my actions deeply. Can you find it in your heart to forgive me?”

I glanced away from his soft and gentle eyes.

“No,” I replied firmly. Then, he went on his knees and pleaded, “I am sorry-”

“When I look back at those moments, I can’t think about forgiving you. Sometimes, I wonder what came over me. No woman in her right senses can even tolerate whatever I tolerated.” I sighed and continued. “Even if Mum found out about it, she would never allow me to be around you. Also, you can draft the divorce papers.”

His eyes widened in disbelief as his face fell.

“You should not be surprised. After I woke up from a coma, I didn’t oppose getting a divorce.

The previous night, I was only annoyed because you involved Alexei during our discussion. I wanted to speak to you about co-parenting the pups until you mentioned how cruel I was to keep the pups a secret. Honestly, I was exhausted.”

“Ziva, please don’t make a hasty decision. We can start all over again.”

“It was not a hasty decision. I thought about it properly.”

“Please Ziva, reconsider,” he said, his voice shaking as he reached for my leg. However, I was quick to pull my leg away.

“You must be busy with pack works. I have an appointment with the doctor,” I said quickly, but he didn’t stop pestering me. His eyes had turned red as tears threatened to fall from his eyes.

“Give me another chance. I will make it up to you,” he begged, as tears flowed down his cheeks non-stop.

I felt my chest tighten. Seeing my mate in such an awful state was devastating, but I had to do it.

I spoke in a cold, firm tone, “Is this what you want, huh? Crying to make me feel hurt? You won’t only hurt me, you will hurt the pups too. So, stop it.”