Chapter 139

Chapter 139

Chapter 139

ARIA

+5 Pearls

The days that followed the garden dinner fell into a pattern. Not comfortable, exactly, but manageable. Sustainable A routine that gave structure to the uncertainty I was still navigating

I’d decided, somewhere between watching Kael’s hopeful face across the dinner table and lying awake that might processing everything, that I needed to actually do something as Luna. Not just exist in the role. Not just accept apologetic gifts and awkward greetings. But actively contribute in ways that demonstrated I took my responsibilities seriously

So I’d started presiding over disputes.

It had begun almost accidentally. I’d been in the pack house common area when two pack members approached Elder Morrison about a property boundary disagreement. He’d been busy with other matters- something to do with the spy’s continued interrogation-and had looked harried and overwhelmed.

“Luna Aria, he’d said, seeming to make a decision. “Would you be willing to hear this matter? It’s straightforward enough. Just needs someone to listen to both sides and make a fair judgment p>

I’d agreed, more out of surprise than confidence. But I’d listened carefully to both parties, asked clarifying questions, consulted the pack’s property records, and ultimately made what I thought was a fair ruling. Both parties had accepted it without argument, thanked me politely, and gone about their business.

Morrison had looked pleased. “Well handled, he’d said. “Would you be willing to take on more cases like this? Minor disputes that don’t require full elder council attention but still need official arbitration p>

And just like that, I’d found something to do. A way to be useful that didn’t require me to compete with Ivory’s medical expertise or match her years of proven dedication. Just listening, thinking carefully, and making fair decisions about the small conflicts that arose in any community.

Over the past week, I’d heard dozens of cases. Property disputes. Disagreements about shared resources. Conflicts between neighbors about noise or boundaries or whose turn it was to use communal equipment. Nothing dramatic or life-threatening. Just the daily friction that needed someone to make a final call.

Nobody told me not to do it. The elders seemed relieved to have the help. Kael, when I’d mentioned it over one of our increasingly regular lunches, had looked proud and supportive. Even Nina had commented that she was glad someone was handling these matters efficiently.

The pack members themselves were… polite. They accepted my verdicts without argument. Thanked me respectfully. Did what I told them to do. But there was no warmth in their acceptance. No enthusiasm. Just neutral acknowledgment that I’d performed my duty adequately.

I’d hear them sometimes, talking as they left after I’d settled their disputes.

“Luna Aria is fair, at least p>

“She listens carefully before deciding. That’s good p>

“Could be worse. At least she takes the responsibility seriously p>

+5 Pealis

Faint praise. Grudging respect. But nothing like the affection they showed Ivory or the trust they placed in Kael’s judgment.

Still, it was something. More than I’d had before. A foundation of competence I could build on, even if it didn’t inspire devotion.

And Kael-Kael was trying so hard it almost hurt to watch.

He’d started waiting for me at midday, appearing outside whatever room I was using for hearings just as I finished with the morning’s cases. He’d offer his arm, formal and courtly, and walk with me to the main dining hall for lunch. Making sure everyone saw us together. Making sure the pack understood that despite everything that had happened, he was choosing me. Supporting me. Standing by me.

The dining hall would go quieter when we entered together. Not silent, but noticeably more subdued. Pack members watching us, assessing, trying to determine if this was genuine reconciliation or political theater.

I wasn’t always sure myself which it was. But I appreciated the effort. Appreciated that Kael was publicly demonstrating his commitment even when our private moments were still sometimes awkward and uncertain.

We’d sit together, usually with Nina joining us since she needed to brief Kael on security matters anyway. The conversations would be a mix of pack business and small personal details. Comfortable enough, though never quite achieving the easy intimacy I’d witnessed between Kael and Ivory at the waterfall.

I tried not to think about that too much. Tried to focus on what I had rather than comparing it to what he’d had with someone else. But it was hard. The comparison was always there, lurking in the background of my thoughts.

I hadn’t seen much of Ivory lately. She seemed to be avoiding anywhere I might be, which was fine with me. The few times we did cross paths in corridors or pack house common areas, she looked straight through me as if I didn’t exist. No acknowledgment. No greeting. Just complete indifference, as if I was a piece of furniture she had to navigate around.

It shouldn’t have bothered me. Should have been a relief, actually, that she wasn’t actively hostile or confrontational. But somehow her complete dismissal was worse than outright dislike. At least hostility would have acknowledged my existence. This was just… nothing.

And she was always busy. Always rushing somewhere with purpose, usually with Margo trailing behind her carrying supplies or notes. Always engaged in something important that couldn’t be interrupted by something as trivial as acknowledging the pack’s Luna.

I told myself it didn’t matter. Told myself that Ivory’s opinion of me was irrelevant as long as I was doing my job and building my relationship with Kael. Told myself that her indifference was actually easier to deal with than her previous resentment.

But late at night, lying in bed next to Kael who was finally sleeping in our chambers again, I’d wonder. Wonder if she was avoiding me deliberately. Wonder if seeing Kael and me together bothered her more than she was willing to show. Wonder if her indifference was genuine or just a mask for feelings she couldn’t afford to display.

I had no answers. Just questions that circled endlessly without resolution.

It was a week after my garden dinner with Kael when I overheard another conversation that shifted my

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12:48 Sun, Dec 21

Chapter 139

perspective slightly.

+5 Pearls

I’d finished my afternoon hearings and was walking back toward the residential wing, intending to change before dinner. The corridors were relatively quiet at this hour, most pack members still engaged in their daily work or duties.

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Mated To My Mate’s Worst Enemy

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