Mated To My Mate's Worst Enemy Chapter 113

ARIA

"They were gone," I admitted, hating how weak it sounded. "By the time I got untangled from Ivory and looked toward where I'd seen the movement, there was nothing. No one. Just forest."

The three elders exchanged looks. I could read the skepticism in their expressions, could see them weighing my account against its improbability.

"Security Chief Nina," Morrison called. "Please present your findings."

Nina stepped forward, opening her folder. Her face was carefully neutral as she addressed the tribunal.

"We conducted a thorough search of the area where the incident occurred," she began. "We found evidence of recent activity in a tree approximately thirty meters from where Luna Aria and Healer Ivory were located. Scuff marks on the bark consistent with someone climbing. A partial boot print on the ground beneath, not matching any standard pack issue footwear."

Hope flared in my chest. This was it—proof that someone else had been there.

But Nina wasn't finished.

"However," she continued, and that single word crushed my rising optimism, "we cannot definitively date these marks to yesterday morning. The tree in question is along a common patrol route. Guards climb it regularly to check sight lines. The boot print could be days or even weeks old. And we found no other evidence—no DNA, no scent markers, no additional tracks or disturbance patterns that would confirm the presence of an intruder yesterday specifically."

"So what you're saying," Thorne said slowly, "is that the physical evidence is inconclusive."

"Yes, Elder," Nina confirmed. "It's consistent with Luna Aria's account, but it doesn't prove that account."

"What about the dart itself?" Cassius asked. "Were you able to analyze it?"

"We recovered the dart from where Luna Aria dropped it during the emergency transport," Nina said. "The poison coating was a sophisticated compound—fast-acting, targeting both nervous and cardiovascular systems. The craftsmanship suggests professional work, likely commissioned rather than homemade."

"Could Luna Aria have obtained such a weapon?" Morrison asked.

Nina hesitated. "It's possible. But it would require contacts we have no evidence she possesses. And the poison itself would need to be prepared by someone with significant chemical knowledge."

"Knowledge that Healer Ivory possesses," Thorne pointed out. "Could Luna Aria have somehow obtained poison from the healing stores?"

"We inventoried all toxins immediately after the incident," Nina said. "Nothing was missing. If Luna Aria used poison from our stores, she would have needed to replace what she took, which seems... unlikely given her limited knowledge of our systems."

Small mercies, I thought bitterly. At least they couldn't prove I'd stolen the murder weapon from pack supplies.

"Thank you, Security Chief," Morrison said, dismissing Nina with a nod. He turned his attention back to me. "Luna Aria, I want to make sure I understand your testimony clearly. You're claiming that an unknown assailant was hiding in the trees, shot Healer Ivory with a poisoned dart, and then disappeared without leaving any definitive trace of their presence?"

"Yes," I said firmly. "That's exactly what I'm claiming, because that's exactly what happened."

"And you expect us to believe this despite the fact that you were the only witness to this alleged attacker? Despite the lack of concrete evidence supporting your version of events?"

"I expect you to consider that someone has been threatening Ivory for weeks," I said, hearing desperation creep into my voice. "Sera sent that letter. She made it clear she wanted Ivory dead. This attack fits her pattern perfectly—using proxies, acting from a distance, creating chaos without direct involvement."

"We're aware of the threats," Morrison acknowledged. "But Luna Aria, you must understand how this looks. You have clear motive—jealousy of Healer Ivory, insecurity about your position, constant comparison between yourself and her. You had opportunity—alone with her in a secluded location. And the only version of events that exonerates you requires us to believe in an attacker who left virtually no evidence of their existence."

"Are you implying that Healer Ivory is lying?" Thorne interjected, her voice sharp. "About what she remembers?"

"No," I said quickly. "Ivory's not lying. She's telling the truth as she experienced it. She felt me grab her from behind. She felt pain. She connected those two things because her brain was already being affected by the poison. But her perception was compromised. She didn't see the attacker. She didn't see me trying to save her. She only felt the grab and the pain, and her drugged mind made them into a single event."

"How convenient," Cassius muttered.

"It's not convenient, it's the truth!" My voice rose despite my efforts to stay calm. "Why would I try to kill her? What would I possibly gain?"

"Shall we enumerate the reasons?" Thorne asked coldly. She pulled out her own document, apparently prepared for this question. "Motive one: elimination of a romantic rival. The entire pack knows about the history between Alpha Kael and Healer Ivory. Knows that many believe she should have been Luna instead of you."

Each word was a knife, but Thorne continued relentlessly.

"Motive two: addressing your inadequacy. You've been compared unfavorably to Healer Ivory since your arrival. She's beloved, accomplished, respected. You're... trying. Perhaps you thought removing her would remove the comparison."

"Motive three," she continued, "political expediency. Sera threatened to attack if Ivory wasn't removed from the pack. Perhaps you decided to solve that problem yourself, eliminate the threat while also removing your rival."