Mated To My Mate's Worst Enemy Chapter 29

ARIA

The news reached me through pack gossip, the way most important information seemed to travel in wolf communities—whispered conversations that grew louder with each retelling until they became impossible to ignore.

I was in the pack library, reviewing ceremonial protocols with one of the elders, when Nina burst through the door with an expression that made my stomach drop.

"Aria, we need to talk. Privately."

The elder excused herself quickly, sensing the tension. Once we were alone, Nina closed the door and leaned against it.

"I just got word from one of our contacts in Blackwood pack," she said without preamble. "It's about Alpha Cross."

My hands tightened on the book I'd been holding. "What about him?"

"He's imprisoned Luna Margaret. Put her in the cells for 'orchestrating the alliance' and sending you away without his permission." Nina paused, watching my reaction carefully. "And he's locked Sera in her quarters. Apparently she threatened self-harm when he told her he was planning to challenge Kael and claim you as a second mate."

The book slipped from my fingers and hit the floor with a dull thud.

"He what?"

"He's spiraling, Aria. Badly. Our contact says he destroyed half the main hall in a rage, that he's obsessed with finding a way to contest the bonding ceremony. He thinks if he defeats Kael in a challenge, you'll come back to him."

I sank into the nearest chair, my mind reeling. Damon had imprisoned his own Luna. Locked up his bonded mate. All because of me. Because I'd finally chosen myself over him.

"Sera threatened self-harm?" I asked quietly, focusing on that detail because it was easier than processing the rest.

"Held a knife to her own throat, according to the report. Told Damon she'd remove herself from the equation if that's what it took to make him happy." Nina moved closer, her face grave. "He's not thinking rationally anymore, Aria. He's dangerous."

Dangerous. Damon, who I'd loved for years, who I'd thought was fundamentally good despite his flaws—had become dangerous.

"Margaret doesn't deserve that," I said, my voice barely above a whisper. "She was trying to help me, to give me a chance at something better. And Sera—Moon Goddess, Sera might be manipulative but she doesn't deserve to be locked up like a prisoner."

"No, they don't," Nina agreed. "But that's where they are. Because Alpha Cross has convinced himself that you belong to him and that anything standing in his way needs to be removed."

I felt sick. This was my fault. If I'd never agreed to the alliance, if I'd just stayed in Blackwood and accepted my place as Damon's invisible assistant—

No. I caught that thought before it could take root. This wasn't my fault. Damon's choices were his own. His obsession, his rage, his decision to imprison two women—those were on him, not me.

But knowing that didn't make the guilt go away.

"What about the ceremony?" I asked. "If he's planning to challenge Kael—"

"We're increasing security," Nina assured me. "Extra patrols, guards at every entry point. He won't get close to you during the ritual. But Aria..." She hesitated. "You need to be prepared for the possibility that he'll try something. That he might show up and force a confrontation."

I thought about Damon as I'd seen him at the border—desperate, unhinged, convinced he could win me back through sheer force of will. And now he'd escalated to imprisoning people who got in his way.

What would he do at the ceremony? Try to physically drag me away? Challenge Kael despite the risk of war? Disrupt the ritual and damn the diplomatic consequences?

"I won't let him take me," I said firmly. "Whatever he's planning, whatever he thinks is going to happen—I'm not going back to Blackwood. I'm not becoming his second mate while he keeps Sera locked up like a guilty secret."

"Good," Nina said with visible relief. "Because for a moment there, I was worried you might waver. That the guilt or the history between you might make you reconsider."

Had I wavered? For a split second, when she'd mentioned Margaret in the cells, I'd felt a pull to fix things. To go back and sort out the mess, to prevent anyone else from getting hurt because of me.

But that was the old Aria thinking. The one who took responsibility for everyone else's choices, who sacrificed herself to keep the peace.

The new Aria—the one who'd slapped Damon at the border, who'd stood her ground with children clustered around her asking if she'd stay—knew better.

"I'm not responsible for his choices," I said aloud, as much to convince myself as Nina. "He's Alpha of Blackwood pack. He chose to imprison Margaret and Sera. He chose to become obsessed with claiming me. Those are his decisions, his consequences to bear."

"Exactly," Nina said, squeezing my shoulder. "You're not responsible for fixing him, Aria. You're responsible for yourself, for your commitments, for this pack. And right now, what we need is for you to stay focused on the ceremony."

Right. The ceremony. In less than two days now. I'd been so caught up in emotional turmoil that I'd barely thought about the practical aspects of bonding with Kael.

"I should get back to studying the protocols," I said, bending to pick up the dropped book. "If Damon does try something, I need to know the rules inside and out. Need to know how to handle any challenges he might raise."

Nina nodded approvingly. "That's exactly the right attitude. Knowledge is power, especially in situations like these."

We spent the next several hours going over every aspect of blood moon ceremonies. The traditional words, the exchange of marks, the moment when the bond would snap into place and become permanent. Nina explained that once the ceremony was complete, once Kael's mark was on my throat and the bond was sealed, no one could contest it. Not even another Alpha claiming prior rights.

"So he has to challenge before the marking," I said, understanding dawning. "That's his window. Between when the ceremony starts and when Kael actually marks me."