Mated To My Mate's Worst Enemy Chapter 50

ARIA

"Luna Aria?"

I looked up to find Grandmother Rose standing nearby, her weathered face kind despite the exhaustion evident in her eyes.

"Are you alright, child?" she asked gently. "That was quite an ordeal you just survived."

"I'm fine," I said automatically, then reconsidered. "No. I'm not fine. Ivory's hurt because of me. The pack is divided about whether I should even be Luna. And I—I don't know if Kael chose me or just accepted the most convenient option when his curse broke."

Grandmother Rose settled onto the bench beside me with a small sigh. "May I tell you something I've learned in my many years watching Luna ceremonies?"

I nodded, grateful for any wisdom that might make sense of this mess.

"The bonding is never the end of the story," she said. "It's the beginning. The ceremony seals the bond, yes, but it doesn't create the relationship. That comes after. Through shared struggles and small kindnesses and the choice to keep choosing each other even when it's difficult."

"But what if he doesn't want to choose me?" I asked quietly. "What if he wishes he'd bonded with Ivory instead?"

"Has he said that? Has he given you any indication that he regrets marking you?"

I thought about the fight, about how Kael had defended me against Damon. About the warmth I'd felt through our bond when he'd called me his. About how he'd looked at me during the ceremony—not with the desperate obsession Damon had shown, but with something steadier. More real.

"No," I admitted. "But Ivory—"

"Loves him, yes," Grandmother Rose said, surprising me with her bluntness. "Has loved him since they were children, probably. But child, loving someone doesn't mean they're meant to be your mate. Ivory is wise enough to know that. That's why she protected your ceremony. Not just for Kael's sake, but because she recognized that what he needs and what she wants aren't the same thing."

"How do you know that?" I asked.

"Because I know Ivory," Grandmother Rose said simply. "I helped deliver her when she was born. Watched her grow up. She's stubborn and strong and fiercely loyal, but she's not foolish. If she'd wanted Kael romantically, if she'd thought there was even a chance he might feel the same, she would have made her intentions clear years ago. The fact that she didn't tells you everything you need to know."

I wanted to believe that. Wanted to think that Ivory's sacrifice had been purely altruistic, born of friendship rather than unrequited love.

But I'd seen the way those junior healers looked at her. Heard the pity in their voices when they talked about her letting herself be a decoy. They clearly thought Ivory had sacrificed her own happiness for Kael's sake.

"What if you're wrong?" I asked. "What if she does love him that way, and I'm standing in the middle of something that should have been theirs?"

Grandmother Rose studied me with those sharp, knowing eyes. "Then you honor her sacrifice by being the best Luna you can be. By proving that her faith in you—and Kael's choice—wasn't misplaced. By building something strong with your mate that justifies what she gave up."

Before I could respond, Eliza emerged from Ivory's room, looking even more exhausted than before.

"We've stabilized her," she announced to the corridor at large. "The internal bleeding is controlled, and we've reduced the brain swelling enough that I'm cautiously optimistic. But she's not out of danger yet. The next twenty-four hours are critical."

"But she'll survive?" someone asked—one of the other healers, I thought.

"I believe so," Eliza said carefully. "She's strong. Stubborn. She'll fight to wake up." She paused, then added, "But her recovery will take time. Weeks, possibly months before she's fully healed. And there may be... complications. We won't know the full extent of the damage until she regains consciousness."

The words hung in the air, ominous despite Eliza's attempt at optimism. Ivory might survive, but she might not be the same person she'd been before. Might have lasting damage from Damon's attack and her collision with the table.

All because she'd tried to protect me. To protect us.

The guilt was overwhelming. I pressed my hands against my face again, trying to hold back tears that threatened to spill over.

Grandmother Rose's arm came around my shoulders, steady and warm. "This isn't your fault, child. The only person responsible for Ivory's injuries is the Alpha who struck her. Don't take on guilt that isn't yours to carry."

But it felt like mine. Felt like everything that had gone wrong tonight—Damon's attack, Ivory's injuries, the pack's division—could be traced back to my decision to come here. To accept the alliance. To bond with Kael when I barely knew him.

Kael emerged from Ivory's room a few minutes later, supported by Nina. He looked like death—pale, swaying, blood still seeping through his makeshift bandages. But his expression was determined as he sought me out in the crowded corridor.

"There you are," he said, his voice rough with exhaustion. "I thought you'd left."

"Just needed some air," I said, standing to meet him. "How is she?"

"Stable, according to Eliza. But unconscious. Won't know more until she wakes up." He paused, his golden eyes searching my face. "Are you alright? I felt your distress through the bond but I couldn't leave until I knew Ivory was going to survive."

Of course he couldn't. Of course Ivory took priority, even over his newly bonded mate's emotional crisis.

*Stop it,* I told myself firmly. *That's not fair. He has history with Ivory. Of course he's concerned about her.*

"I'm fine," I lied. "Just processing everything that happened."

Kael looked like he wanted to press further, to dig deeper into what I was feeling, but Eliza chose that moment to intervene.

"Alpha Kael, you're bleeding all over my clean floors," she said sternly. "Get into a treatment room right now, or I swear by the Moon Goddess I will sedate you and drag you there myself."