Mated To My Mate's Worst Enemy Chapter 39

ARIA

He winced. "I didn't think of it that way. I'm sorry, Aria. Truly. That wasn't my intention."

I believed him. Could see the genuine regret in his eyes, the understanding that he'd hurt me even while trying to protect me.

But it didn't entirely erase the sting of exclusion. Of watching Ivory catch him when he fell, of her arms around him while she told me I had five minutes before I needed to leave.

"I'm glad it worked," I said instead of voicing those concerns. "Glad you're human again. Or potentially human again, if Ivory's right about needing to monitor whether it's permanent."

"She usually is right about these things," Kael said, and there was such trust in his voice. Such absolute faith in Ivory's abilities. "She's been studying these herbs for years, traveling to find exactly the right combinations. When she said she thought she could break the curse, I believed her."

Of course he had. Because Ivory was competent and knowledgeable and everything I wasn't when it came to healing and herbs and helping him.

"She seems very skilled," I managed to say.

"She is. She's—" Kael paused, seeming to search for words. "She's been one of my closest friends since we were children. When the curse first took hold, when I was stuck in wolf form and couldn't communicate with most of the pack, Ivory was one of the few people who didn't give up on me. She learned to read my body language, spent hours with me so I wouldn't be alone, traveled all over looking for herbs that might help. I owe her more than I can ever repay."

The words were meant to reassure me, I thought. To explain their relationship so I would understand the bond between them. But all I heard was how much he valued her, how important she was to him, how indebted he felt.

How could I compete with that? With years of loyalty and support and intimate knowledge of who he was at his worst?

"I'm glad you had her," I said, meaning it despite the jealousy coiling in my chest. "Everyone needs someone who won't give up on them."

Kael's hand was still on my cheek, and he used it to tilt my face up until our eyes met. "I have you now too. You saved my life, Aria. Risked everything to harvest those moonbeam plants when you barely knew me. That kind of devotion—it means everything."

"I did what any future Luna would do," I said, uncomfortable with the praise.

"No," he said firmly. "You did what someone who cares does. Don't diminish that. Don't diminish yourself."

The moment stretched between us, intimate despite the exhaustion radiating off him. I wondered if he would kiss me. If being human again meant he would finally close that distance, claim my lips the way an Alpha traditionally claimed his mate before the formal bonding.

But before anything could happen, a knock sounded on the door.

"Time's up," Ivory's voice called through the wood. "Kael needs to rest, and I need to check his vitals."

Of course. Five minutes, as decreed by Ivory.

Kael sighed, his hand dropping from my face. "She's right. I can barely stand. I should sleep before—before tonight."

"The ceremony," I finished. "Which is going to be very different now that you're human."

Assuming he stayed human. Assuming the transformation was permanent and not just a temporary breakthrough that would fade.

"Different but better," Kael said, his eyes warm. "I'll actually be able to say the bonding words with my own voice. Mark you properly. Hold you the way I've wanted to since you first arrived."

The promise in his voice sent heat through me despite my exhaustion and confusion.

"Rest," I said gently, stepping back. "I'll see you tonight."

"Tonight," he agreed. "When you become my Luna. My mate. Mine in every way that matters."

The possessiveness should have bothered me. Instead, it made me feel anchored. Wanted. Chosen.

I left the den before Ivory could come back in and find me lingering. In the corridor, I passed her on her way back inside, her arms full of herbs and supplies for whatever monitoring she planned to do.

She paused when she saw me. "He's remarkable, isn't he? In human form. Even more impressive than I remembered."

It wasn't a question. And there was something in her tone that made my wolf's hackles rise.

"He is," I agreed neutrally.

"I hope you appreciate what a gift this is," Ivory continued, her voice still pleasant but with an edge underneath. "Three years I've been searching for the right treatment. Three years of traveling and studying and experimenting. And now, just in time for your bonding ceremony, he's human again. Lucky timing, wouldn't you say?"

The implication was clear: this wasn't for me. This was Ivory's accomplishment, her gift to Kael, timed to coincide with the ceremony but not actually intended to benefit me.

"Very lucky," I said evenly. "Thank you for your efforts on his behalf. The pack is fortunate to have such a dedicated healer."

Ivory's smile was sharp. "The pack is fortunate to have me, period. Something I hope you'll remember when you're officially Luna. Healers like me, with rare knowledge and skills—we're valuable resources. Worth keeping happy and properly appreciated."

"I'll keep that in mind," I said.

We stood there for a moment longer, two omegas sizing each other up in a corridor while the Alpha we both cared about lay exhausted on the other side of the door.

Then Ivory nodded once and swept past me into Kael's den, closing the door firmly behind her.

And I was left standing in the corridor, thirteen hours away from a bonding ceremony that had just become infinitely more complicated, with a woman who clearly saw me as a rival establishing herself as indispensable to the Alpha I was supposed to mate.

*Tomorrow,* I thought again, the mantra that had been keeping me going. *Tonight. Just get through the ceremony, accept the bond, become Luna officially. Then everything else can be sorted out.*

I just had to survive until then.

And hope that when Kael marked me tonight—assuming he stayed human long enough to do so—the bond would be strong enough to overcome all the complications threatening to tear us apart before we'd even properly begun.