Mated To My Mate's Worst Enemy Chapter 126

ARIA

"That's not fair to Aria," Kael said.

"I know," Ivory agreed. "And I won't try it again. Won't put you in that position again. I dislike Aria—I won't pretend otherwise—but in the case of next time, if there's ever another situation where my word might condemn her, I'll say nothing. I'll step back and let someone else handle it. Because it's not fair to make you choose between us. Not fair to use your trust in me as a weapon that hurts your mate."

"You don't dislike her," Kael said gently. "You dislike what she represents. The disruption of what you thought your life would be. But Ivory, the actual person—Aria herself—you don't know her well enough to dislike her."

"Maybe not," Ivory conceded. "But I know enough to know she's not what I would have been as Luna. Not what you need. Not what this pack deserves."

"You don't know that—" Kael started.

"I do know that," Ivory interrupted. "And so do you. So does everyone in this pack. Aria might become a good Luna eventually, with years of work and dedication and proven service. But right now? Right now she's inadequate. And pretending otherwise doesn't help anyone."

The brutal honesty of it was like a slap. But I couldn't even be angry about it because she was right. I was inadequate. Was still learning, still struggling, still failing to live up to the position I held.

"She's trying," Kael said, and I heard him defending me in a way he hadn't during the tribunal. "She's committed to doing the work. To earning trust. To proving herself worthy."

"Then I hope she succeeds," Ivory said, and she actually sounded sincere. "I hope she puts in the years of effort required. I hope she builds the foundation she needs. I hope she becomes someone this pack can actually rely on. Because Kael, you deserve a mate who's your equal. Someone who complements your leadership instead of creating complications."

"And you think that person should have been you," Kael said quietly.

"I don't know what I think," Ivory admitted. "I don't have my memories to tell me what we were to each other, what we shared, why everyone seems to think we should have ended up together. All I have is instinct. And my instinct says that yes, I would have been better suited to be your Luna. Would have understood the role. Would have already earned the trust and respect necessary to lead effectively."

"But you're not my Luna," Kael said. "Aria is. And however we got here, however imperfect the circumstances were, she's my mate now. My bonded partner. And I need to support her. Need to help her become the Luna she's capable of being."

"I know," Ivory said. "And I won't interfere with that. Won't use my relationship with you to undermine her or make her position more difficult. But Kael, I also can't pretend to be something I'm not. Can't pretend to like her or support her or want her to succeed when the truth is more complicated."

"What is the truth?" Kael asked.

Ivory was quiet for a long moment. Then:

"The truth is that I'm angry," she said. "Angry that I lost three years of my life to the curse only to have everything I thought I was working toward given to someone else. Angry that I don't have memories to help me understand why I should be okay with that. Angry that I'm expected to be gracious and supportive when inside I'm just... hurt and bitter and resentful."

"But you saved her life," Kael pointed out. "You risked your own life to prove her innocence. That doesn't sound like someone who's bitter and resentful."

"I saved her life because killing her would have been cruel," Ivory corrected. "Because I'm not a murderer, even if part of me wishes things had worked out differently. I wanted to know the truth—needed to know if Aria had actually tried to kill me or if something else had happened. And when I discovered the real attacker, when I confirmed she was innocent, I did what was right. What was just. Not what was easiest or most satisfying."

"That's more than most people would have done," Kael said softly.

"Maybe," Ivory allowed. "But don't mistake doing the right thing for actual forgiveness or acceptance. I proved Aria's innocence because it was the truth. Not because I like her or want her to succeed or think she's good enough for you."

"Fair enough," Kael said, and I heard resignation in his voice. "But Ivory, I need you to promise me something."

"What?"

"Promise me that if there's ever another situation like this—another time when your word might be used to condemn someone, especially Aria—you'll tell me. You'll let me know what you're planning before I'm put in a position where I have to choose between trusting you and protecting my mate."

"I already told you I would," Ivory said. "I won't put you in that position again. It's not fair to you, and it's not fair to Aria. Whatever issues I have with her, whatever resentment I'm carrying, I won't use your trust in me as a weapon."

"Thank you," Kael said.

"But Kael," Ivory added, her voice taking on a harder edge, "you also need to be honest with yourself about why that situation arose in the first place. Sera didn't just randomly decide to use me as bait. She studied our pack. Learned our dynamics. Understood that my word carries more weight than anyone else's—including your mate's. And she exploited that. Used the trust you have in me as a vulnerability."

"I know," Kael said quietly.

"So what are you going to do about it?" Ivory challenged. "Are you going to build up Aria's credibility so that next time, she has her own foundation to stand on? Are you going to help her become someone whose word carries weight? Or are you going to continue allowing the disparity to exist, making her vulnerable to exactly this kind of attack?"

"I don't know how to do that," Kael admitted. "I don't know how to build trust for someone else. That's something she has to do herself."

"Then support her while she does it," Ivory said. "Stop being passive. Stop waiting for her to figure it out on her own. Actually help her. Guide her. Use your position as Alpha to create opportunities for her to prove herself. Because right now, she's floundering. And every day she flounders is another day our enemies can exploit that weakness."

"You're lecturing me on how to support my mate," Kael observed, and there was something almost amused in his tone. "That's ironic."

"It's pragmatic," Ivory corrected. "I don't like Aria. I don't want her to be your Luna. But she is your Luna, whether any of us likes it or not. And having a weak, unproven, untrusted Luna is bad for the entire pack. So yes, I'm telling you to help her. Not because I've suddenly developed warm feelings for her, but because it's what's best for Shadowmere."

"Always thinking of the pack," Kael said softly.

"Always," Ivory confirmed. "Even when it means supporting someone I'd rather see fail. Even when it means acknowledging that the right thing and the thing I want are two different things."

They were quiet for a moment, and I heard movement—maybe Kael pulling Ivory into a hug, maybe just shifting position. Through the crack in the door, I couldn't quite see.