Mated To My Mate's Worst Enemy Chapter 90

ARIA

But Morrison was right. The situations were parallel. Two people who'd cared about others, who'd been intimate with them, whose relationships had ended for various reasons. Neither Kael nor I had betrayed each other—we hadn't even known each other existed during those times.

"I understand what you're saying," I finally managed. "Logically, I understand it. But emotionally—emotionally it still hurts. Knowing he was with her. Knowing they shared something I can't compete with."

"Then don't compete with it," Morrison said. "Accept that it happened. Accept that it was real and meaningful for both of them. And then focus on building something equally real and meaningful with Kael now. Something different, something uniquely yours, instead of trying to replicate or outdo what came before."

"That's easier said than done," I muttered.

"Most worthwhile things are," Morrison agreed. "Now, let's discuss Sera's letter and what you're considering doing about it."

I took a breath, centering myself, and explained what I'd been thinking. About how Ivory was already talking about leaving. About how facilitating her departure might protect both her and the pack. About how it might be the most merciful option for everyone involved.

Morrison listened without interruption, his expression growing more troubled as I spoke. When I finished, he was quiet for a long moment before responding.

"No," he said firmly. "Absolutely not. We don't kick out pack members because someone else demands it. That's not how we operate, and it's not a precedent we can afford to set."

"I'm not talking about kicking her out," I protested. "Just helping her see that leaving might be her best option—"

"Which amounts to the same thing," Morrison interrupted. "Luna Aria, if we encourage Ivory to leave because Sera threatened us, what message does that send? That other packs can control our internal dynamics through threats? That we'll sacrifice our own members to appease aggressors? That our loyalty is conditional based on political pressure?"

He leaned forward, his voice taking on an urgency that made me sit up straighter.

"More than that—think about how the pack will perceive this. If Ivory leaves now, especially after Sera's ultimatum, everyone will know why. They'll see that their Luna felt threatened by a valuable pack member and used external pressure as an excuse to push her out. They'll see insecurity and jealousy dressed up as concern for safety."

"But if it actually keeps her safe—" I started.

"It won't," Morrison said flatly. "Jason was right about that. If Ivory leaves pack protection, she becomes vulnerable. Easier to track, easier to attack, easier to kill. Sera's people will find her eventually, and without pack bonds and territory to shield her, she won't survive long."

The truth of that settled in my stomach like lead. I'd been so focused on solving my own discomfort, on eliminating the comparison and the constant reminder of what Kael had shared with someone else, that I'd convinced myself facilitating Ivory's departure would be protection.

But it wouldn't be. It would be a death sentence dressed up in noble language.

"So what do I do?" I asked, and I hated how lost I sounded. How completely out of my depth. "How do I handle this situation? How do I deal with Sera's threats and my own insecurity and Ivory's resentment all at the same time?"

Morrison considered for a moment before responding. "First, you don't let Kael know you're aware of his past intimacy with Ivory. Not yet, at least. He's already struggling with complicated feelings about her memory loss and distance. Adding your knowledge of their history to that mix will only create more tension and confusion."

"You want me to lie to him?" I asked, surprised.

"I want you to give him space to process his own feelings without the added pressure of managing yours," Morrison corrected. "Eventually, you'll need to discuss it. But right now, with everything else going on, piling that revelation on top would help no one."

I nodded slowly, seeing the wisdom in that even if it felt uncomfortable.

"Second," Morrison continued, "find a way to work with Ivory. Not against her, not in competition with her, but actually alongside her. She's brilliant and dedicated, and despite her current resentment, she's not actually your enemy. If you can build any kind of working relationship, if you can show the pack that you're capable of collaborating with their beloved healer instead of being threatened by her, that will do more to establish your position than any amount of political maneuvering."

"She hates me," I pointed out. "She made that abundantly clear today."

"She's hurt and confused and lashing out," Morrison said. "She doesn't remember why she dislikes you—just has this instinctive negative reaction she can't explain. That's actually easier to work with than conscious, reasoned hatred. If you can prove through consistent actions that you're not a threat to her, that you actually value her contributions and want her to stay, that instinctive dislike might fade."

It sounded impossibly optimistic, but I didn't have better ideas.

"Third," Morrison said, his voice taking on a more serious tone, "find another way to stop Sera. Not by giving her what she wants, not by negotiating from weakness, but by actually addressing the threat she represents. That might mean gathering concrete evidence of her involvement in the attacks. Might mean diplomatic pressure from the council. Might mean building alliances with other packs who would support us against Blackwood aggression. But it can't mean sacrificing Ivory to appease Sera's revenge fantasy."

"That could take months," I said. "Sera gave us a week."

"Then let the week pass," Morrison said. "Call her bluff. Sera isn't going to launch an open attack on Shadowmere—she doesn't have the resources or support for actual war. She's using threats and proxy violence because that's all she can manage. If we hold firm, if we protect Ivory without capitulating to demands, Sera will eventually have to either escalate beyond her capabilities or back down."

"And if she does escalate?" I asked. "If she finds a way to hurt Ivory despite our security measures?"

"Then we deal with it," Morrison said grimly. "We respond with appropriate force. We demonstrate that attacking our pack members has consequences. But Luna Aria, you can't make decisions based on worst-case scenarios that might never happen. You have to act based on what's right and strategic, not what's safest or most convenient."

I absorbed this, turning it over in my mind. It made sense—all of it made sense. But implementing it, actually following through on this approach, felt overwhelming.

"There's one more thing you need to accept," Morrison said, his voice gentling again. "Kael is going to have conflicted feelings about Ivory for a while. Probably a long while. He cared about her deeply. Shared intimacy with her. Built a relationship with her that was meaningful even if it couldn't be permanent. Those feelings don't just disappear because he bonded with you."

"I know," I said quietly, though hearing it stated so baldly still hurt.

"No, I don't think you fully understand," Morrison pressed. "Kael is going to feel possessive of Ivory sometimes. He's going to feel jealous when she shows interest in other men. He's going to struggle with watching her move on while part of him still wants to maintain their connection. And you need to let him process those feelings without taking them as rejection of you or your bond."