Chapter 172

Chapter 172

Chapter 172

ARIA

Finished

What caught my attention immediately was that her arm was no longer in a sling. She was moving it freely. waving it around almost demonstratively as she entered, clearly pleased with her restored mobility.

“Look!” she announced, flexing her shoulder and rotating her arm in ways that should have been painful given she’d been shot less than twenty-four hours ago. “Good as new! Well, mostly. Still a bit sore but functional p>

Kael looked genuinely shocked. “How? The gunshot wound should take days to heal, even with our enhanced recovery. What happened p>

“Ivory happened,” Nina said simply, as if that explained everything. “She gave me something. Some kind of accelerated healing compound. Said it would speed up tissue regeneration and reduce inflammation. She was right-I woke up this morning with the wound almost completely closed. Still tender but not debilitating p>

She pulled a small bottle from her pocket and held it out to Kael. “She sent me with this for you. Said in case you have any injuries you’re being too macho to acknowledge or get treated, you should apply this. Her words, not mine, though I agree with the sentiment p>

Kael took the bottle, examining it with interest. The liquid inside was pale blue, almost luminescent in the morning light. “She didn’t come herself p>

Nina’s expression became carefully neutral as she glanced at me briefly before responding. “She’s still busy in the clinic. Monitoring the guards who took accelerants yesterday, documenting their recovery, making sure no one shows delayed complications. You know how she is-work comes first p>

I felt a strange mixture of relief and disappointment at that. Relief that I didn’t have to face Ivory this morning, didn’t have to see her and compare myself to her competence and contributions yet again. But also disappointment that she’d thought to send healing compounds for Kael but hadn’t come herself, as if our presence-my presence-was something to avoid.

“Anyway,” Nina continued, “I’m here because Jordan said you told him you needed a break? And apparently that declaration gave him a minor heart attack because everyone’s now worried you’re actively dying and hiding it from us p>

Kael laughed-genuinely laughed, the sound warm and unguarded. “I can take breaks too, Nina. I’m allowed to rest occasionally without it signifying impending death p>

“Not in living memory, you can’t,” Nina countered. “So forgive us for being concerned when you suddenly announce you need time off. What exactly are you planning p>

“Hunting,” Kael said. “Aria and I are going hunting. Just the two of us, spending time as wolves, taking a genuine break from pack business p>

Nina’s expression froze. She repeated the word slowly, as if she’d misheard. “Hunting p>

“Hunting,” Kael confirmed.

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Chapter 172

038

Finished

Nina looked at me, then back at Kael, her expression becoming troubled. “Kael, can I talk to you for a moment? Privately p>

Something in her tone made my stomach clench. Whatever she needed to discuss, it was serious. And probably about me, given how she’d looked at me before making the request.

“Of course,” Kael said, standing and moving toward the door with Nina.

They stepped into the corridor, but they didn’t go far. Just far enough to have the illusion of privacy while still being technically within earshot. I knew I shouldn’t eavesdrop. Knew it was wrong to deliberately use my enhanced hearing to listen to a conversation clearly meant to be private.

But I did it anyway. Because whatever Nina was about to say, whatever concern was serious enough to pull Kael aside-I needed to know.

Nina’s voice came through clearly, pitched low but not quite low enough to defeat wolf hearing. “Hunting in your wolf form? That wolf that’s still mad about Ivory? That sees Ivory as his? That wolf that took Ivory into the woods for mating purposes even before the curse and during the curse? That wolf p>

My heart stopped. The words registered with visceral impact. Kael’s wolf saw Ivory as his. Had claimed her. Had mated with her, multiple times, over years. That part of him that was pure instinct and desire-it belonged to someone else. To Ivory.

“The wolf knows we’re mated,” Kael said, his voice defensive. “Knows that bond is in place p>

“Knows, or has accepted?” Nina challenged. “Because there’s a difference, Kael. Did your wolf actually accept the bond with Aria as legitimate? Or did you just state it as fact and tell your wolf to deal with it regardless of

what he wanted p>

There was a pause. A telling, horrible pause where Kael clearly struggled to answer.

“My wolf wouldn’t hurt Aria,” he finally said, but it wasn’t really an answer to Nina’s question.

“I know he wouldn’t hurt her,” Nina agreed. “He saved her during that nightwalker attack when she first arrived. Defended her even in his cursed state. But Kael, that was before Ivory was back in the pack. Before your wolf had to reconcile his claim on Ivory with your political bond to Aria. This is different p>

Another pause. I could imagine them standing there, Nina looking concerned, Kael wrestling with admitting something he didn’t want to acknowledge.

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14:35 Mon, Dec 29 MG R

Mated To My Mate’s Worst Enemy

Mark