Enemy of my Enemy

𝕿𝖍𝖎𝖗𝖙𝖞 𝕿𝖍𝖗𝖊𝖊

One Year Later

"Bianca wants to meet with me."

He'd thought it through multiple times, and had finally decided on telling Alaina about how Bianca had contacted him. The Original Six didn't completely trust him yet- With good reason, too. The reason he'd been invited into their ranks wasn't one to be proud of. Indirectly lying to them wouldn't be helpful for his current risky predicament.

"Is that so?" Alaina inhaled deeply through her cigarette. "Where, exactly? And when? Will she be alone?"

Grayson hesitated. "You're planning on ambushing her?"

"Grayson, honey, she's planning on ambushing you," Alaina replied. "And if she's stupid enough to be actually telling the truth... Well, all the more reason to show up with trucks filled with human mercenaries and riddle her with bullet holes."

"I thought The Seven weren't allowed to interfere in the business of ordinary alphas? Isn't that why you agreed to letting me and Bianca help you last year, when you needed to get rid of Lorenzo?"

"Lorenzo hadn't declared any official battles against us- The Original Six," she clarified. "It would've been unjustifiable for us to wipe out his pack when he hadn't really done anything wrong. Bianca, on the other hand..."

"She's calling for war."

"You could say that," Alaina nodded, undoubtedly recalling the picture of Reyes that Grayson had sent to her. "So? We're killing her then, yes?"

"No," Grayson muttered.

Alaina's brows shot into the sky. "Excuse me?"

"No," he repeated. "Look- Why don't I just hear her out? Listen to what she wants? It's better if we clean up this mess with no bloodshed involved. War is going to be costly for both sides."

"The girl's a Blackburn, Grayson. Do you really think she's going to be civil? Especially after what you did to her?"

Funny how Alaina had chosen to leave out the part where The Six were to blame for everything.

"Don't go alone," Alaina finally decided.

"Of course. I'll take my best wolves-"

"Take my daughter, too."

Grayson froze. "Alaina, with all due respect, that is a horrible idea."

"Take her with you," Alaina repeated. "I need you two to both keep an eye on each other."

What the hell did that even mean?

Kenna had come to him covered in scars in bruises last night. He'd thought he'd seen the last of her after Bianca's message, but Kenna had informed him that she wasn't hurt in the slightest, and that Reyes was still alive... Barely.

The place where it all began.

Redwood House.

He could still remember the glimmer of the devil in Bianca's eyes that first night, when she'd leaned back on her chair and said, No offense, but you're just not as impressive as you think yourself to be.

Grayson's car pulled up into the old estate: His childhood home, which had been been blown apart roughly two months ago.

It had been a while since he'd visited this place. After the incident, he'd taken his belongings to one of his buildings in the city. As soon as Bianca had received word that he'd moved out, she'd taken it upon herself to blow up the entire place with a couple of shabby hand grenades.

He supposed the fact that she hadn't exploded the house when he'd still been in it meant something, at least.

Grayson got out through the left door of the car, and Camila exited through the right. She was here at her mother's orders, and this was yet another example of how she was so different from him. She'd grown up spoiled and utterly adored by her parent.

Grayson sighed. Bianca had been the only one to ever truly understand him, and he'd thrown it all away for...

The rustling of leaves sent him on high alert.

"Get back in the car," he told Camila without looking at her. If anything happened to Alaina's precious princess, the wolf queen of New York would be putting the blame- along with a million dollar bounty- on him.

Of course, Camila had to make things ten times harder for him by refusing to listen. "She told me to watch you, you know," she rounded the car and came to a stop at his side.

"Camila," he gritted through his teeth, "Get back in the fucking car-"

"Grayson."

Grayson wondered if he was having a heart seizure, or if his pulse really was beating at such a frantic speed. It felt like it had been so long, too long, since he'd heard her voice last.

"Bianca," he breathed.

She was just as stunning as ever, but now, all her designer clothes were gone, and in their place were a simple black blouse and black pants. Bianca's eyes fell upon his right hand, which was hovering dangerously close to Camila's.

"You've brought a friend," Bianca noted. "I've brought one, too."

Her guards threw Roman Reyes's unconscious body onto the ground.

"I've got a lot more hostages," she said. "I'm saving Reyes for last."

"Camila, get inside," Grayson muttered yet again.

"No, Camila. Please, stay," A smile- A sneer, more like it, decorated Bianca's face. "I need a witness to be present for the conversation Grayson and I are going to be having today."

"What conversation?" he snapped.

Reyes had his faults, sure, but he'd always been by Grayson's side. Grayson wasn't sure what he would've done if Bianca had shown up with a corpse today. Reyes had always been like a brother to him, and the way Bianca was acting all nonchalant while Reyes was practically dying beside her was driving Grayson out of his mind.

"I asked you here because I need you to know I'm very serious about this," Bianca began. On cue, a dozen of her wolves emerged from the woods surrounding them. In between their ranks were six of Grayson's wolves, all of whom were on the brink of collapsing.

"I'm here to make you a promise." She took a step forward. "A vow, really. Brick by brick, I'm going to tear away everything that matters to you. Everything and everyone you care about, until there's nothing left of you anymore."

Bianca placed her hand on his cheek. Grayson stiffened at once, but didn't say anything.

"I want to make you hurt," she said.

It might've been his imagination, but he could've sworn her voice was shaking. He definitely wasn't imagining things when he saw her eyes glisten with what seemed to be tears.

"I want to make you hurt... As much as you hurt me."

The sound of gurgling blood filled the clearing. Bianca's guards raked their claws across the throats of Grayson's men. And just like that, six new corpses now decorated the forest ground.

Grayson surged forward and wrapped his hands around Bianca's throat. His weight threw her off balance, and the two of them went toppling to the ground. Grayson let his eyes glow red, and he was met with the sight of Bianca's searing crimson pupils.

"Do it, Grayson," she rasped. "You should kill me, right now. Because if I walk out of here alive, I'll be making sure you regret it for the rest of your miserable life."

She was right. He needed to do this. In the position they were in, it would be so easy. A single twisting motion from his wrist, and her neck would be snapped in two.

Grayson pulled himself off of her.

"I knew you wouldn't," she nodded.

Her teeth gleamed as she gave him her signature devil smile.