Chapter 128
Chapter 198
ARIA
I found the note tucked under my pillow when I returned to my chambers late thin cyli
h was small, folded precisely, sealed with plain was that bore no identifying marks. My the outside in handwriting I didn’t recognize-seat, controlled, giving nothing away at an identity
I should have called for Kael immediately. Should have summoned Nina or the guards. Should have beh an anonymous note appearing in my private chambers as the security breach it obviously was
Instead, I broke the seal and read it.
*Luna Aria p>
*I need to speak with you. It’s urgent and cannot wait, Come to the neutral dungeons where I’m being held Tomorrow at noon. Come alone p>
Damon*
I read it three times, my hands trembling slightly. Damon. Somehow, from his cell in the neutral facility everseen by the council, he’d managed to get a message to me. Had found someone willing to bypass security protocols and plant a note directly in my chambers,
That should have been impossible. The neutral dungeons were supposed to be secure, prisoners monitored constantly, communications strictly controlled. Yet here was physical evidence that Damon had found a way around those restrictions.
I should tell someone. Should report this immediately.
But even as I thought it, I knew I wouldn’t. Not yet, anywa
Because a petty, hurt part of me whispered that Kael was too busy with Ivory to care about my problems. Too wrapped up in their complicated history and his absolute trust in her to notice that his mate had received an illicit communication from the man who’d caused so much chaos in the first place.
I knew I was being unfair. Knew that Kael had responsibilities beyond our relationship. Knew that my resentment over what I’d overheard about their history, about his willingness to execute me based on hee word was clouding my judgment.
But I didn’t care. Not in that moment. Not when I was still processing the trauma of nearly being hanged and the complicated revelation that Ivory had both saved me and used me as halt in her trag
I wanted to ser Danion Wamed to hear what was so urgent that he’d risk additional pomishment to contact
* Wanted something-anything that felt like it was about me rather than being collarat damage the
everyone else’s deamas
No i made a declares the ikony was probably snipid and slefuinely petty
O
17:34 Fri, Dec 19 0.
Chapter 128
I would go. Alone. Without telling anyone.
Tomorrow at noon.
The morning passed in a bhir of forced normalcy. I attended breakfast in the mam dining hall, or the apologetic smiles and guilty glances of pack members who’d been ready to watch me Nina for a brief check-in that was no longer necessary but maintained our of habit. I avo occupied with council matters regarding the spy’s execution and potential retaliation a
By the time noon approached, I’d convinced myself that visiting Damon was a reasonable C imprisoned. Supervised. Unable to harm me. And whatever he wanted to say, I had the right to hear it
I made my way to the pack’s garage where drivers waited to transport members who needed to travel beyond walking distance. A man named Robert was on duty, a middle-aged wolf who’d always been professionally polite but never warm.
“Luna Aria,” he said, straightening when he saw me approach. “Do you need transport somewhere p>
“Yes,” I said, keeping my voice steady. “The neutral dungeons. The council facility where prisoners are held.
Robert’s expression flickered with surprise, then something that might have been suspicion. “The neutral dungeons? May I ask why, Luna p>
“Pack business,” I said. using my title deliberately. “I need to speak with one of the prisoners being held
there.
It wasn’t technically a lie. Damon was a prisoner. I did need to speak with him. The fact that the visit was personal rather than official was a detail I chose not to share.
Robert looked uncomfortable but didn’t argue. Since my exoneration, I technically had the right to travel freely within pack territory and to neutral facilities. He couldn’t refuse without cause.
“Very well, Luna,” he said finally. “But I should inform Security Chief Nina-
“That won’t be necessary,” I interrupted. “I’ll be making an official report when I return. This is just a preliminary visit p>
More lies. More manipulation of my position. But I didn’t care. I needed this. Needed something that was mine to control rather than being swept along by pack dynamics and political necessities
Robert drove me in silence, the tension palpable. The neutral dungeons were about thirty minutes from the pack house, positioned on unclaimed land that belonged to no single pack but was overseen by the regional
council.
The inadding Barlf was stark and utilitarian-gray stone, minimal windows, designed for security sather than comfor Guards were stationed at the entrance, and I saw surveillance equipment positionist at strator pots around the perimeter.
I’ll want her, Robert said as we pulled up to the main entrance. “Thos long do you expects be, Lun
Has feng
“An hour at trust, I sad though i had no idea if that way accurate
19
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17:34 Fri, Dec 19 JM ·
Chapter 128
I approached the entrance, where a guard I didn’t recognize checked my identification and const His eyebrows rose when he saw my name.
“Luna Aria Blackwood,” he read. “You’re here to visit a prisoner p>
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Mated To My Mate’s Worst Enemy
Chapter 129
Mark