Mated To My Mate's Worst Enemy Chapter 19

ARIA

The morning of the second day before the blood moon ceremony, I woke to find Nina standing at the foot of my bed, her arms crossed and a mischievous grin on her face.

"Luna training, day seven," she announced cheerfully. "Today we're doing something different."

I groaned, pulling the blankets over my head. My leg still ached from the nightwalker attack two days ago, though the wounds were healing remarkably well. The healers said it was because of my proximity to Kael—that our developing bond was strengthening my wolf, helping me heal faster.

Kael himself had been recovering in the infirmary, though he'd insisted on moving back to his den yesterday despite Eliza's protests. We'd been communicating through the mindlink regularly, his mental voice growing stronger and clearer each day. The moonbeam plants had done more than just heal his physical wounds—they'd pushed back the curse enough that he could maintain human thought patterns, could speak in full sentences instead of growls and instinctive reactions.

It was progress. Real, tangible progress.

But it also made everything more complicated. Because now when he spoke to me through the mindlink, I heard the man beneath the curse. Intelligent, protective, surprisingly funny. And it made my growing feelings for him impossible to deny.

"What kind of different?" I asked suspiciously, peeking out from under the blankets.

"Dress fitting," Nina said, her grin widening. "For the ceremony. We need to make sure your Luna gown is perfect."

My stomach flipped. The ceremony. In two days, I would stand before the entire Shadowmere pack and bond with Kael under the blood moon. I would become Luna in truth, not just in name.

It felt surreal. Terrifying. And somewhere deep in my chest, beneath the fear and uncertainty, there was a flutter of something that felt dangerously close to excitement.

"I thought the gown was already made," I said, sitting up and pushing my hair out of my face.

"The base gown is ready," Nina corrected. "But it needs to be fitted to you specifically, and we need to add the traditional Luna symbols. Plus, there's the moonstone circlet, the ceremonial jewelry, the—well, you'll see. Come on, get up. The seamstresses are waiting."

An hour later, I stood in a private fitting room in the pack's administrative building, staring at my reflection in a floor-length mirror and barely recognizing the woman looking back at me.

The gown was breathtaking. Made of silvery-blue silk that seemed to shimmer like moonlight on water, it hugged my curves before flowing out into a full skirt that pooled on the floor around me. The neckline was modest but elegant, and the sleeves were long and fitted, ending in points over my hands. Intricate embroidery covered the bodice—wolves running through forests, moons in various phases, and symbols I didn't recognize but that felt ancient and powerful.

"The symbols represent the Luna's connection to the Moon Goddess," one of the seamstresses explained, noticing my interest. "This one here is for wisdom, this one for strength, this one for compassion. The Luna must embody all these qualities to lead her pack."

I traced my fingers over the embroidery, feeling the raised threads beneath my touch. "It's beautiful."

"You're beautiful in it," Nina corrected from where she sat nearby, watching the fitting with approval. "Kael is going to lose his mind when he sees you."

Heat flooded my cheeks. "He's seen me covered in nightwalker blood and dirt. I don't think a fancy dress is going to impress him."

"You saved his life while covered in nightwalker blood and dirt," Nina pointed out. "Trust me, the dress is going to kill him. In the best way."

The seamstresses made small adjustments, pinning here and tucking there, while I stood as still as possible and tried not to think about Kael's reaction. Tried not to think about standing in front of him in this gown, about the moment when we would complete the bonding ceremony, about what would happen after.

We hadn't talked about the physical aspects of bonding. Couldn't, really, while he was still trapped in wolf form. But I knew from pack lore that bonding ceremonies under a blood moon were powerful, transformative. That the connection between mates deepened in ways that went beyond the normal pack bonds.

That scared me more than I wanted to admit.

Not because I didn't want that connection with Kael—I did, surprisingly. But because I'd trusted someone with that kind of intimacy before, and he'd thrown it back in my face the moment someone better came along.

What if this was a mistake? What if I was setting myself up for the same kind of heartbreak all over again?

*"You're thinking too loud."*

Kael's voice in my mind made me jump slightly, earning curious looks from the seamstresses.

*"Sorry,"* I thought back. *"Didn't mean to broadcast my anxiety across the pack bond."*

*"You're nervous about the ceremony."* It wasn't a question. *"I can feel it through our connection."*

Of course he could. The bond between us had been growing stronger every day, even without the formal ceremony to cement it. I could feel his presence at the back of my mind now, a warm, protective weight that never quite went away.

*"A little,"* I admitted. *"It's just... it's a big step. A permanent one."*

*"Are you having second thoughts?"* His mental voice was carefully neutral, but I could feel the tension beneath it. The fear that I might change my mind, might walk away like his pack had feared I would.

*"No,"* I said quickly, and realized I meant it. *"No second thoughts. Just... normal pre-ceremony jitters, I think."*

*"Good."* Relief flooded through the bond. *"Because I'm not letting you back out now. You're mine, Aria. The ceremony is just making it official."*

There was possessiveness in his voice, but not the toxic kind I'd experienced with Damon. This was different—protective rather than controlling. Like Kael wanted to claim me not to own me, but to make sure everyone knew I was under his protection. That I belonged somewhere, to someone.

That I mattered.

*"How are you feeling?"* I asked, changing the subject before my emotions could overwhelm me. *"Physically, I mean. Are the wounds still healing properly?"*

*"Almost completely healed,"* he confirmed. *"Eliza checked on me this morning. She says the moonbeam plants are still working in my system, keeping the curse at bay. I can think clearly, maintain focus. It's... it's the most human I've felt in three years."*

I could hear the wonder in his mental voice, the hope.

*"And after the ceremony?"* I ventured. *"Do you think... is there a chance the bond might help break the curse completely?"*