Mated To My Mate's Worst Enemy Chapter 21

ARIA

*"Damon's here,"* I thought back. *"At the northern border. He wants to talk to our leadership."*

A growl echoed through the mindlink, so fierce it made me flinch.

*"He has no business here,"* Kael snarled. *"Tell Nina to send him away."*

*"We should at least hear what he wants,"* I said, though my hands were shaking. *"If we refuse to meet with him, it could cause diplomatic issues between our packs."*

*"I don't care about diplomatic issues. He hurt you. He doesn't get to waltz onto my territory and demand your attention now."*

The possessiveness in his voice should have bothered me. Instead, it made something warm unfurl in my chest. Kael was willing to start a territorial dispute to protect me from Damon. To keep me safe from the man who'd rejected me.

But I couldn't let him do that. Couldn't let my personal drama cause problems for Shadowmere.

"I'll meet with him," I told Nina, lifting my chin. "As Luna—or future Luna, at least. I'll hear what he has to say."

Nina studied my face. "Are you sure? You don't have to face him, Aria. We can handle this diplomatically without putting you through that."

"I'm sure," I said, with more confidence than I felt. "I need to do this. I need to face him one last time, make it clear that I've moved on. That I'm not coming back."

*"I'm coming with you,"* Kael insisted through the mindlink.

*"You'll terrify him,"* I pointed out. *"You're a massive cursed wolf who nearly died protecting me. He'll think you're going to rip his throat out."*

*"Maybe I will."*

*"Kael."*

*"Fine. But I'm staying close. If he says one thing to hurt you, one word to upset you, I'm intervening. Understood?"*

Despite everything, I almost smiled. *"Understood."*

Nina drove us to the northern border in her truck, the journey passing in tense silence. I stared out the window, watching Shadowmere's forests blur past, and tried to prepare myself for seeing Damon again.

What did he want? Why come here now, so close to the ceremony? Had he somehow found out about the bonding? Was he here to try to stop it?

The thought made my wolf bristle with indignation. He'd rejected me, chosen Sera, made it clear I wasn't enough for him. He didn't get to change his mind now just because I'd found somewhere else to belong.

When we reached the border, I saw them immediately—three wolves standing just outside Shadowmere's boundary markers, watched carefully by a patrol of six of our guards. I recognized Marcus and Jake, Damon's most trusted warriors.

And standing between them, looking travel-worn and desperate, was Damon himself.

He looked different than I remembered. Thinner, maybe. More worn. There were dark circles under his eyes, and his clothes looked like he'd been wearing them for days.

His eyes found mine the moment I stepped out of the truck, and something in his expression cracked open.

"Aria," he breathed. "Thank the Moon. I need to talk to you. Please."

I forced myself to stand tall, to channel the Luna training Nina had drilled into me all week. "Alpha Cross. What brings you to Shadowmere territory?"

The formal tone made him flinch. Good. He needed to understand that things had changed, that I wasn't his convenient omega anymore.

"I needed to see you," he said, taking a step forward. The Shadowmere guards tensed, hands moving to weapons. "To talk to you. To explain—"

"There's nothing to explain," I interrupted. "You made your choice. I respected it. Now I'm making mine."

"By bonding with a cursed Alpha you've never met?" Damon's voice rose. "Aria, you can't—you don't know what you're doing. This is too fast, too reckless. You're just trying to hurt me—"

A massive black wolf materialized from the forest behind me, moving with deadly grace despite his recent injuries. Kael positioned himself between Damon and me, his golden eyes fixed on the other Alpha with unmistakable hostility.

Damon's eyes widened. "So it's true. You're really bonding with him. With the cursed Alpha of Shadowmere."

"His name is Kael," I said quietly. "And yes, I'm bonding with him. In two days, under the blood moon. After which I'll be Luna of this pack."

"Aria, please." Damon's voice cracked. "Just give me five minutes. Let me explain about the pendant, about everything. I know I messed up, but—"

"The pendant?" I felt my wolf stir with interest despite myself. "My mother's pendant?"

Damon reached into his pocket, pulling out a small velvet pouch. "I can explain. I know it's damaged, I know I should have returned it years ago, but I'm trying to make it right. Please, just let me—"

*"Do you want to hear him out?"* Kael asked through the mindlink. *"Or should I send him away?"*

I looked at Damon—at the desperation in his eyes, the way he clutched that pouch like it contained something precious. Part of me wanted to refuse, to turn my back on him the way he'd turned his back on me so many times.

But another part—the part that had loved him for years, that had held onto hope far longer than I should have—needed closure. Needed to hear what he had to say so I could finally, truly let go.

"Five minutes," I said firmly. "But I'm not crossing the border, and you're not entering pack lands without proper permission. We talk here, with witnesses. And then you leave."

Relief flooded Damon's face. "Thank you. Aria, thank you. I just need you to understand—"

"Four minutes and thirty seconds," I interrupted, crossing my arms. "Start talking, Alpha Cross."

And as Damon began to speak, his words tumbling out in a desperate rush to convince me that he was sorry and that I was making a mistake, trying to punish him like this, I stood my ground with my future mate at my side and prepared to hear the apology that had come three years too late.