Mated To My Mate's Worst Enemy Chapter 128

ARIA

I found the note tucked under my pillow when I returned to my chambers late that evening.

It was small, folded precisely, sealed with plain wax that bore no identifying marks. My name was written on the outside in handwriting I didn't recognize—neat, controlled, giving nothing away about the writer's identity.

I should have called for Kael immediately. Should have summoned Nina or the guards. Should have treated an anonymous note appearing in my private chambers as the security breach it obviously was.

Instead, I broke the seal and read it.

*Luna Aria,*

*I need to speak with you. It's urgent and cannot wait. Come to the neutral dungeons where I'm being held. Tomorrow at noon. Come alone.*

*—Damon*

I read it three times, my hands trembling slightly. Damon. Somehow, from his cell in the neutral facility overseen by the council, he'd managed to get a message to me. Had found someone willing to bypass security protocols and plant a note directly in my chambers.

That should have been impossible. The neutral dungeons were supposed to be secure, prisoners monitored constantly, communications strictly controlled. Yet here was physical evidence that Damon had found a way around those restrictions.

I should tell someone. Should report this immediately.

But even as I thought it, I knew I wouldn't. Not yet, anyway.

Because a petty, hurt part of me whispered that Kael was too busy with Ivory to care about my problems. Too wrapped up in their complicated history and his absolute trust in her to notice that his mate had received an illicit communication from the man who'd caused so much chaos in the first place.

I knew I was being unfair. Knew that Kael had responsibilities beyond our relationship. Knew that my resentment over what I'd overheard—about their history, about his willingness to execute me based on her word—was clouding my judgment.

But I didn't care. Not in that moment. Not when I was still processing the trauma of nearly being hanged and the complicated revelation that Ivory had both saved me and used me as bait in her trap.

I wanted to see Damon. Wanted to hear what was so urgent that he'd risk additional punishment to contact me. Wanted something—anything—that felt like it was about me rather than being collateral damage in everyone else's dramas.

So I made a decision that I knew was probably stupid and definitely petty.

I would go. Alone. Without telling anyone.

Tomorrow at noon.

***

The morning passed in a blur of forced normalcy. I attended breakfast in the main dining hall, enduring the apologetic smiles and guilty glances of pack members who'd been ready to watch me die. I met with Nina for a brief check-in that was no longer necessary but maintained out of habit. I avoided Kael, who was occupied with council matters regarding the spy's execution and potential retaliation against Blackwood.

By the time noon approached, I'd convinced myself that visiting Damon was a reasonable choice. He was imprisoned. Supervised. Unable to harm me. And whatever he wanted to say, I had the right to hear it.

I made my way to the pack's garage where drivers waited to transport members who needed to travel beyond walking distance. A man named Robert was on duty, a middle-aged wolf who'd always been professionally polite but never warm.

"Luna Aria," he said, straightening when he saw me approach. "Do you need transport somewhere?"

"Yes," I said, keeping my voice steady. "The neutral dungeons. The council facility where prisoners are held."

Robert's expression flickered with surprise, then something that might have been suspicion. "The neutral dungeons? May I ask why, Luna?"

"Pack business," I said, using my title deliberately. "I need to speak with one of the prisoners being held there."

It wasn't technically a lie. Damon was a prisoner. I did need to speak with him. The fact that the visit was personal rather than official was a detail I chose not to share.

Robert looked uncomfortable but didn't argue. Since my exoneration, I technically had the right to travel freely within pack territory and to neutral facilities. He couldn't refuse without cause.

"Very well, Luna," he said finally. "But I should inform Security Chief Nina—"

"That won't be necessary," I interrupted. "I'll be making an official report when I return. This is just a preliminary visit."

More lies. More manipulation of my position. But I didn't care. I needed this. Needed something that was mine to control rather than being swept along by pack dynamics and political necessities.

Robert drove me in silence, the tension palpable. The neutral dungeons were about thirty minutes from the pack house, positioned on unclaimed land that belonged to no single pack but was overseen by the regional council.

The building itself was stark and utilitarian—gray stone, minimal windows, designed for security rather than comfort. Guards were stationed at the entrance, and I saw surveillance equipment positioned at strategic points around the perimeter.

"I'll wait here," Robert said as we pulled up to the main entrance. "How long do you expect to be, Luna?"

"An hour at most," I said, though I had no idea if that was accurate.

I approached the entrance, where a guard I didn't recognize checked my identification and consulted a list. His eyebrows rose when he saw my name.

"Luna Aria Blackwood," he read. "You're here to visit a prisoner?"