Mated To My Mate's Worst Enemy Chapter 97

ARIA

I nodded, accepting his reasoning even if part of me still felt uneasy about how this had unfolded.

An hour later, the demonstration space had been arranged in the pack house's main courtyard. Tables had been set up in a semicircle, each one bearing a collection of potted containers filled with plain sand. No soil, no nutrients—just sand, the kind that shouldn't support any plant growth at all.

The entire pack seemed to have gathered. Wolves of all ages crowded around the perimeter, jostling for good viewing positions. The elders had taken seats at the front, their expressions ranging from skeptical to hopeful. Even the children were present, held in their parents' arms or perched on shoulders to see over the crowd.

Ivory emerged from the pack house carrying her leather satchel, her expression composed but tense. She moved to the center of the demonstration area, setting her supplies on a small table that had been positioned there for her use.

And then she turned and called out, "Jason, would you assist me please?"

The request sent a ripple of interest through the crowd. Jason stepped forward from where he'd been standing, Lia handed off to one of the pack's childminders. He moved to stand beside Ivory, his presence clearly bolstering her confidence.

Through our bond, I felt Kael's reaction to this—a subtle spike of something that felt like jealousy or possessiveness, quickly suppressed but definitely present. He didn't like seeing Ivory work so closely with Jason, didn't like the easy way they interacted or the warmth in her voice when she addressed him.

But he kept his expression neutral, gave no outward sign of his inner turmoil. Only through our bond could I sense the complicated emotions churning beneath his composed exterior.

"Thank you all for your patience," Ivory began, her voice carrying clearly across the courtyard. "What I'm about to demonstrate is the result of months of research into accelerated botanical growth. I want to emphasize that this is still experimental work. The compound you're about to see has shown promising results in initial testing, but further study is needed before it can be considered ready for widespread application."

She pulled several small vials from her satchel, each containing a dark liquid that caught the light with an almost metallic sheen. "This is the growth accelerant. A single drop applied to any plant seed, in combination with the treated growing medium, can reduce the growth cycle from weeks or months to mere minutes."

A murmur ran through the crowd—disbelief mixed with fascination.

"Jason, please distribute the seed packets," Ivory instructed.

Jason moved along the row of tables, placing small paper packets beside each container of sand. I could see labels on some of them—carrots, tomatoes, lettuce, beans. But there were others I couldn't read from my position.

"We'll be demonstrating with twenty different crop varieties today," Ivory continued. "This will help illustrate that the compound works across multiple plant types, not just a limited selection."

Twenty different crops. She'd expanded her testing since yesterday, had probably worked through the night to prepare for this demonstration.

"I'll begin with a simple vegetable—carrots," Ivory said, moving to the first table. She opened the seed packet and placed several small seeds on the surface of the sand, spacing them evenly. Then she uncapped one of her vials and, with careful precision, applied a single drop to each seed.

For a moment, nothing happened. The crowd leaned forward, breath held, waiting.

And then the sand began to shift.

Small green shoots pushed upward from the surface, unfurling with visible speed. Leaves emerged, expanded, turned toward the sunlight streaming into the courtyard. The shoots thickened into proper stems, growing taller and fuller with each passing second.

Within two minutes—two minutes—the pot contained fully mature carrot plants, their feathery green tops swaying gently in the breeze.

"Jason, please harvest one," Ivory instructed.

Jason reached into the pot and carefully pulled up one of the plants. Attached to it, impossibly, was a perfectly formed carrot—bright orange, full-sized, looking exactly like something that should have taken months to grow.

The crowd erupted. Gasps of amazement, excited chatter, a few people actually applauding. Ivory allowed herself a small smile before holding up her hand for quiet.

"One demonstration proves little," she said. "Let me show you the range of what's possible."

She moved to the next table, repeating the process with tomato seeds. Again, the miraculous transformation—seedlings becoming mature plants, tiny flowers appearing and developing into actual tomatoes within minutes.

Then lettuce, growing from seeds to full heads of crisp green leaves. Then beans, the vines climbing imaginary supports as they matured at impossible speed. Then peppers, cucumbers, squash, herbs of various types.

With each demonstration, the crowd's amazement grew. By the time Ivory had worked through fifteen different crop types, people weren't even trying to maintain composure anymore. They were openly cheering, pointing, discussing the implications with their neighbors.

"For the final demonstrations," Ivory said, "I want to show something slightly different. Jason, please bring the fruit seeds."

Jason produced another set of packets, these labeled with fruits I recognized—strawberries, grapes, apples, melons, oranges. The crowd grew even more attentive—fruits were notoriously difficult to cultivate, often requiring years before trees or vines produced viable harvests.

Ivory worked through each one, and the results were no less miraculous than before. Strawberry plants bursting with ripe red berries. Grape vines heavy with clusters of purple fruit. Even the tree fruits appeared in miniature form—small but perfectly developed apples and oranges growing from compact potted versions of their parent trees.

"Twenty varieties," Ivory announced when she'd finished. "All grown from seed to harvest-ready in a matter of minutes. All using the same basic compound, adjusted slightly for each plant type."

"Can we taste them?" someone called from the crowd. "Are they actually edible?"

Ivory hesitated for just a moment, then nodded. "That was my next demonstration. Jason, please help distribute samples."

The cooking setup had been prepared in advance—a small fire pit, pots and pans, basic seasonings. With the crowd watching eagerly, Ivory and Jason began preparing the harvested produce.