Mated To My Mate's Worst Enemy Chapter 36

ARIA

I was halfway up the stairs to my quarters, exhaustion pulling at every limb, when the pain hit.

Sharp. Sudden. A lance of agony straight through my chest that made me gasp and grab the banister for support. It felt like someone had reached into my ribcage and squeezed my heart with iron fingers, twisting until I couldn't breathe, couldn't think, couldn't do anything but endure.

And then—nothing.

Gone as quickly as it had come, leaving me gasping on the stairs with my heart racing and confusion flooding through me.

What the hell was that?

I pressed a hand to my chest, feeling for any lingering pain, any indication of what had just happened. But there was nothing. Just my heart pounding and the echo of fear in my veins.

Through the bond, I reached for Kael instinctively, seeking reassurance or explanation.

But the bond was... muted. Not gone, but dampened somehow, like he'd drawn a curtain between us. I could still feel his presence, still sense him somewhere in the pack house, but the usual clarity of our connection was obscured. Deliberately, I realized with growing unease. He'd closed off his side of the bond.

Why would he do that?

I stood on the stairs for a long moment, debating whether to seek him out or respect his obvious desire for privacy. The future Luna in me said I should investigate, make sure he was alright. But the woman who was still learning the boundaries of our relationship hesitated.

Maybe he needed space. Maybe something was happening that he didn't want me to worry about yet. Maybe—

I caught movement in the hallway below and instinctively stepped back into the shadows. Kael's massive form moved past, heading toward the healer's wing. And beside him, her hand resting casually on his shoulder, was Ivory.

They moved together with easy familiarity, Ivory talking in low tones that I couldn't quite hear.

Through the partially muted bond, I felt Kael's emotions—hope mixed with apprehension, determination underlaid with fear. Whatever they were doing, whatever was about to happen, he was nervous about it.

And he hadn't told me.

I watched them disappear into the healer's wing, that uncomfortable twist in my chest returning with a vengeance. I should go to my quarters, I told myself. Should trust that if Kael needed me, he'd reach out through the bond. Should respect that he clearly wanted privacy for whatever this was.

But my feet carried me down the stairs instead, drawn by worry and something else I didn't want to examine. Curiosity? Jealousy? Fear that I was already being excluded from important pack matters before I'd even officially become Luna?

I moved quietly through the corridors until I reached the healer's wing. The door to one of the treatment rooms was partially open, and I could see inside without being noticed.

Kael lay on one of the larger examination tables, his wolf form taking up most of the space. Eliza was there, along with two other healers I recognized. And Ivory, standing at Kael's head, her hands buried in his fur as she spoke in that confident, melodious voice.

"The treatment will be intense," she was saying. "More painful than anything you've experienced so far. But if it works—Kael, if this works, you could shift back. Actually shift back to your human form, not just temporarily break through the curse."

My breath caught. A treatment that could break the curse? Why hadn't Kael told me about this?

"The risk?" That was Eliza, her voice cautious.

"Significant," Ivory admitted. "The herbs I brought back are powerful, but they're also volatile. If his body rejects them, the backlash could make the curse stronger. Could potentially kill him if his system can't handle it. But based on how well he's responded to the moonbeam plants, I think his body is ready. I think we can do this."

"And you're sure about the preparation?" Eliza pressed. "One mistake in the mixture—"

"I've studied these herbs for three years," Ivory interrupted, her tone firm. "I know what I'm doing, Eliza. Trust me."

I watched as Ivory's hands moved through Kael's fur, confident and sure. The way she touched him spoke of long familiarity, of someone who'd done this countless times before. And Kael—Kael was letting her, was lying still under her ministrations in a way that spoke of absolute trust.

*Why didn't you tell me?* I thought toward him through the bond, not really expecting an answer given how muted our connection was.

But I felt something flicker in response. Guilt, maybe. Or protectiveness. He was deliberately keeping me in the dark, and that realization hurt more than I wanted to admit.

I should have announced my presence. Should have walked in and asked what was happening, claimed my right as his future mate to be involved in major decisions about his health.

But something held me back. The way Ivory's hands moved through his fur with such practiced ease. The trust in Kael's eyes as he looked up at her. The clear competence she displayed while I—I would have just been in the way, another person to worry about, someone who didn't understand healing or herbs or any of this.

A non-healer, I thought bitterly, remembering Ivory's earlier words about knowing how to harvest moonbeam plants properly.

I retreated before anyone could notice me, made my way back to my quarters with that muted bond still thrumming in the back of my mind like a dull ache.

Sleep, when it finally came, was restless and fractured. I dreamed of Damon challenging Kael at the ceremony, except in the dream Kael was still in wolf form and Damon defeated him easily. I dreamed of Ivory standing at Kael's side during the bonding, her hands on him while I watched from the crowd. I dreamed of the bond snapping, of pain flooding through me until I couldn't breathe, couldn't think, couldn't do anything but scream.

I woke several times throughout the night, reaching for the bond only to find it still muted, still deliberately obscured from Kael's end. Each time, that sense of exclusion grew stronger, mixing with my anxiety about tomorrow's ceremony until I felt like I was drowning in uncertainty.

What if the treatment went wrong? What if Kael was hurt and I wasn't there because he hadn't wanted me there? What if Ivory succeeded in breaking his curse and he realized he didn't need me anymore, that the only reason he'd agreed to this bonding was desperation?

The thoughts spiraled through the dark hours, rational and irrational fears tangling together until I couldn't tell which was which.

When the pain hit at five in the morning, I wasn't prepared for it.