Chapter 229
Chapter 229
Chapter 229
Chapter 229
IVORY
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Her question took me off guard, out of many things that I had expected her to ask, this wasn’t even in the top 5.
“She’s my partner,” I said carefully, as I watched her expression. She looked a bit furious or maybe I was just projecting. “The Hunt requires partners to work together. I was fulfilling my obligation, I would save anyone, regardless of who it was, if they were partnered with me p>
“You could have fulfilled your obligation by leaving her to die and claiming she was killed by enhanced creatures before you could help,” Aryada said bluntly, not mincing words. “No one would have questioned it. Partners ‘die’ in the Hunt sometimes. It’s expected. Understood. You would have faced no consequences p>
I said nothing, uncertain where this was going but I was getting more certain with each passing second that I wasn’t going to like the destination.
“And yet you chose to save her,” Aryada continued, not waiting for a reply.. “You chose to carry her to safety despite your own injuries that you sustained, do you have any idea how foolish that was? You chose to risk your own elimination from the Hunt rather than abandon someone who was actively hindering your success p>
“Yes,” I said simply, because there was no point denying what had been witnessed by everyone, especially the ghost council. They were often cryptic with these kinds of things. If Aryada was telling me this point blank, it meant that there were things happening Lowkey that I wasn’t aware of, and I needed to decipher something.
Aryada moved closer, her expression becoming more intense as she added. “I made your Hunt difficult on purpose, knowing you were capable of rising to the challenge. I ensured the challenges you faced were more severe than those given to other teams.. All because I wanted to eliminate the Luna. To expose her inadequacy and remove her from a position she doesn’t deserve p>
The confession landed like a physical blow as I felt my breath escape my lungs in a loud exhale.. I’d suspected Aryada was hostile to Aria, had noticed the bias since the day they arrived. But deliberately sabotaging our challenges?
“Why?” I asked, unable to keep the question confined. “Why go to such lengths to eliminate her? What did she do that warrants this level of ostility p>
“She took what should have been yours,” Aryada said, as if this was obvious. “The Luna position. She took your man, Kael. And she did through manipulation and political
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convenience rather than earning it through capable means p>
“That’s not-” I started.
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“She’s weak,” Aryada interrupted raising her hand to stop me from speaking. ” She is untrained. Inadequate for the position she holds A Luna should be exceptional, should be someone who elevates the pack, I do not see that in her. She is barely scraping by and she is insecure, we do not need a weak Luna.Not someone who barely survives challenges that true warriors handle with ease p>
“She survived,” I pointed out. “Despite everything you threw at her, which shows that she is more resilient than you expected. That suggests strength, not weakness p>
“Surviving because you carried her isn’t the same as surviving through her own capabilities. You did the work. You fought the battles. You made the choices that kept you both alive. She was deadweight you chose to carry instead of abandoning p>
“She poisoned the plant that was strangling her,” I said, my voice taking on an edge, as I subconsciously clenched my fists. “She was being strangled but she was calm and thinking hard enough to poison it and weakened it. She is not a dead weight. That is her fighting even when giving up was more easier since she would just ‘die’ and be disqualified.
“Pretty words,” Aryada said dismissively. “But they don’t change reality. Aria is weak. You should be Luna of Shadowmere. That’s what was meant to be before the curse complicated everything p>
“The Luna position should have been yours,” Aryada repeated. “And can still be yours, if you’re willing to make the right choices. If you’re willing to stop protecting someone who’s taking what you deserve p>
“You want me to let her die,” I said flatly. “To stand aside during the final challenges and let other teams eliminate her. To stop protecting her and let nature…-ake their course p>
“I want you to pick a side,” Aryada corrected. “To recognize where your loyalties should lie. To acknowledge that helping Aria is working agains your own interests. You could be Luna, Ivory. Could have the position you were meant for. Could bond with Kael the way you were supposed to before the curse interfered. All you have to do is stop sabotaging your own future by protecting your replacement p>
“You’re choosing her over yourself,” she observed. “Over your own future. Over everything you could have if you’d just step aside and let events unfold naturally p>
“I’m choosing not to be complicit in murder,” I corrected. “There’s a difference p>
“Murder,” Aryada repeated, testing the word. “That’s a strong accusation. I’m simply allowing the Hunt to proceed as designed. That’s natural selection. The weak being culled so the strong can thrive p>
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Chapter 229
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“You admitted to sabotaging our challenges specifically,” I pointed out. “To deliberately trying to eliminate Aria through ‘accidental’ Hunt dangers. That’s not natural selection. That’s targeted assassination with plausible deniability
“And you’re going to report this to the other elders?” Aryada asked, her tone suggesting she didn’t believe I would. “Going to accuse me of bias and manipulation? With what proof? Your word against mine? The testimony of someone who’s emotionally compromised by competing romantic interests p>
She was right that I had no proof. Right that it would be my word against hers, and who would believe that an elder would stoop to petty murder of a Luna she disapproved of?
But that didn’t change what I knew.
“I’m not reporting anything,” I said. “I’m just telling you that I won’t help you. Won’t stand aside while you orchestrate Aria’s death. Won’t participate in whatever final challenge sabotage you’ve planned. You want her eliminated, you’ll have to do it without my cooperation p>
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