Chapter 170

Chapter 170

KAEL

“I will. Ivory promised. After I finish these notes. I’ll sleep. I promise p>

Tll make sure she does,” Nina added. “I’ll come back in an hour. If she’s still working. I’m physically dragging her to bed p>

Finished

“You can try, Ivory said with a slight smile. “But I’m surprisingly hard to drag when I don’t want to move p>

“Then I’ll guilt you into it,” Nina countered. “Remind you that you spent all day saving lives and deserve rest. Appeal to your sense of self-preservation and professional duty to remain functional p>

“That might actually work,” Ivory admitted.

I headed toward the door, Nina following. But at the threshold, I paused and looked back.

Ivory had already returned to her notes, pen moving across paper with focused precision. But there was something in her posture-a tension, an awareness-that told me she knew I was still watching. That she was as conscious of my presence as I was of hers.

“Thank you,” I said again. “For everything p>

She didn’t look up, but I saw her pen still for just a moment. “You’re welcome. Now go be with your mate, Kael. That’s where you belong p>

The words weren’t cruel. Just honest. A reminder of reality. Of choices made and bonds formed and lives that had diverged despite my wolf’s insistence they should have remained intertwined.

Nina and I left the clinic, walking in silence back through the quiet corridors. It wasn’t until we were well away from the medical wing that she spoke.

“That was hard for both of you,” she observed.

“Yes,” I admitted. “But necessary. She’s right that I need to figure out how to interact with her normally. How to value her contributions and maintain our friendship without letting it become something that threatens my bond with Aria p>

“Do you think you can do that?” Nina asked. “Genuinely curious, not judging. Can you separate what your wolf wants from what you’ve actually committed to p>

“I have to,” I said simply. “The alternative is losing either Ivory’s friendship and contributions to the pack, or my relationship with Aria. Neither is acceptable. So yes, I’ll learn to manage it. To be appropriate. To maintain boundaries p>

Nina nodded, accepting my determination even if she looked skeptical about my ability to actually follow through.

We reached her quarters first. She paused at the door, wincing slightly as the movement pulled at her injured shoulder.

1/2

14:35 Mon, Dec 29 MGR

Chapter 170

Finisher

“Get some sleep. I ordered. “Real sleep, not just resting your eyes while your mind keeps working on security protocols p>

“Same to you,” she countered. “Real sleep beside your mate, not lying awake thinking about complicated feelings and impossible situations p>

“I’ll try.” I promised, knowing it would be difficult.

I continued to my own chambers, exhaustion finally overwhelming the complicated emotions. The door was unlocked-Aria must not have bothered with security given we were in the pack house surrounded by guards.

I entered quietly, not wanting to wake her if she was sleeping. The room was dark except for moonlight filtering through the windows. I could see Aria’s form in the bed, curled on her side, breathing deeply and evenly in sleep.

I undressed quickly and slid into bed beside her, trying not to disturb her rest. But as I settled, she stirred, rolling toward me unconsciously. Her body seeking mine even in sleep, finding comfort in proximity despite everything complicated between us.

I put my arm around her, pulling her close, and felt her relax further into my embrace. This was what I’d chosen. This bond, this woman, this future. And despite all the complications, despite my wolf’s conflicted feelings, despite Ivory’s painful honesty-this was where I belonged.

Aria murmured something unintelligible in her sleep and burrowed closer. And I let myself find peace her presence, in the simple fact that we’d both survived the day, in the hope that maybe we could build something real despite all the obstacles.

Sleep took me eventually, pulling me under into blessed unconsciousness.

in

Tomorrow would bring new challenges. The investigation into who’d visited Damon-the folded paper in my jacket pocket that I still hadn’t read. Security preparations for potential future attacks. Political maneuvering with Blackwood and the council.

But tonight, I could just rest beside my mate and be grateful we were both still alive.

It would have to be enough.

For now, it was.

20

Mark