Mated To My Mate's Worst Enemy Chapter 111

KAEL

But I had no grounds to object. I was mated to someone else. I'd made my choice. Ivory's recovery and her research were more important than my complicated feelings.

"If that's what you want," I said, working to keep my voice neutral.

"It is," Ivory said firmly. Then she looked at me directly, her golden eyes searching my face for something. "Can I ask you something? About the attack?"

"Of course."

"Do you think Luna Aria actually tried to kill me?"

The question hung in the air between us. The one I'd been avoiding asking myself directly because I didn't want to face the implications either way.

"I don't know," I admitted. "I want to believe she didn't. Want to believe there was an attacker like she claimed. But the evidence—"

"Is circumstantial," Ivory interrupted. "I've been thinking about it. About what I remember and what I don't remember. I felt someone grab me from behind. That's true. And I felt pain immediately after. Also true. But Kael, I was already starting to feel the poison's effects when I formed that memory. My perception was compromised. My ability to connect cause and effect was degrading."

"What are you saying?" I asked carefully.

"I'm saying that what I remember might not be what actually happened," Ivory said slowly. "My memory formed under duress and poison. It's possible—possible—that Luna Aria's account is accurate. That she grabbed me to push me out of the way. That the attacker and the dart came from a different direction. That I connected two separate events into one because my brain was already shutting down."

Hope flared in my chest. "So you're saying you might have been wrong? That Aria might be innocent?"

"I'm saying I can't be certain," Ivory corrected. "I remember what I remember. But I also know enough about how memory works, especially under trauma and poison, to recognize that my recollection might not be reliable. It feels true. But feeling true isn't the same as being true."

This was huge. If Ivory admitted her memory might be unreliable, if she acknowledged that her account could be wrong—it changed everything about how the pack would view the situation.

"Will you tell the elders this?" I asked. "Will you testify that your memory could be inaccurate?"

Ivory was quiet for a long moment. "That depends."

"On what?"

"On whether you want me to because you genuinely believe Luna Aria is innocent, or because you want to protect your mate regardless of what she actually did."

The question cut deep. Because I wasn't entirely sure of the answer myself.

Did I believe Aria was innocent because the evidence supported it? Or because believing otherwise would destroy our bond, our chance at building something real, my hope for the future?

"I believe she's innocent because it's the only explanation that makes sense," I said finally. "Aria has no history of violence. She's been struggling with jealousy and insecurity, yes, but that's not the same as being capable of attempted murder. And we know Sera has been threatening exactly this kind of attack. The boot print and scuff marks suggest an external attacker. Aria's account is consistent with that evidence."

"But your heart?" Ivory pressed. "What does your heart say? Not your logic or your political considerations or your mating bond obligations. Your heart, Kael. What does it tell you?"

I met her eyes, those golden eyes that I'd known for so long, and forced myself to be completely honest.

"My heart is torn," I admitted. "Part of me wants to believe Aria absolutely, wants to defend her against all accusations. But part of me is terrified that I'm wrong. That I'm letting my bond with her cloud my judgment. That I'm protecting someone who actually harmed you."

"And if it turns out she did attack me?" Ivory asked quietly. "If somehow, despite all the logical arguments, the truth is that Luna Aria attempted murder? What then?"

"Then we deal with it according to pack law," I said, though the words felt like ash in my mouth. "But Ivory, I don't believe that's what happened. I don't believe Aria is capable of that kind of calculated violence."

"You didn't think she was capable of a lot of things," Ivory pointed out. "Didn't think she could inspire the kind of obsession she triggered in Damon. Didn't think her presence would bring so much chaos to the pack. People are capable of surprising us, Kael. Sometimes in terrible ways."

She was right, of course. But accepting that meant accepting that I'd bound myself to someone dangerous. Someone who could smile at me, bond with me, share intimacy with me—and then attempt to murder a pack member out of jealousy.

I couldn't accept that. Wouldn't accept that unless the evidence became absolutely overwhelming.

"I need to check on her," I said, standing. "Aria. I need to see how she's doing. Talk to her about what Marcus found. Try to—" I broke off, not sure how to finish.

"Try to choose between us," Ivory finished for me. "That's what this really comes down to, isn't it? You have to choose who to believe. Your mate or your former lover. Your new bond or your old connection. And whichever choice you make will define everything that comes after."

"It's not that simple—"

"It is exactly that simple," Ivory interrupted. "You can try to have it both ways, try to believe everyone and trust everyone, but eventually you'll have to make a choice. And when you do, Kael, you need to be very sure it's the right one. Because the wrong choice will destroy someone. Possibly everyone."

I stood there, caught between the two rooms—one containing my injured former lover who I'd once declared mine, the other containing my bonded mate who was being accused of attacking that very person.

Ivory was right. I would have to choose. Was already choosing, every minute I spent here instead of there, every moment I held Ivory instead of going to Aria, every hesitation when I should have been shouting my mate's innocence from the rooftops.

And the terrifying truth was, I wasn't sure I was making the right choices.

Wasn't sure I even knew what the right choices were anymore.

All I knew was that my wolf was satisfied having Ivory close and safe. That my bond with Aria was aching with her pain and fear. That Margo was watching this entire exchange with barely concealed satisfaction. And that somewhere in the forest, evidence of an attacker might or might not exist enough to prove the truth of what had really happened.

"I'll speak with Nina about your assistant position," I said to Margo, retreating into formality because it was easier than dealing with the emotional complexity. "And I'll send word about the investigation findings as soon as we have them."

"Thank you, Alpha," Margo said, settling into a chair near Ivory's bed like she was already claiming her position.

I left the recovery room, my mind churning with everything that had been said. The guards outside straightened as I passed, and I could feel their curious gazes following me down the corridor.

Everyone wanted to know what I was going to do. How I was going to handle this impossible situation. Whether I would stand by my mate or believe my former lover.

The truth was, I didn't know yet.

And that uncertainty was eating me alive from the inside out.