Chapter 276

Chapter 276

Chapter 276

KAEL

I looked at her standing there covered in Ivory’s blood, crying, trembling, clearly expecting me to call for the harshest punishment. Expecting me to confirm her worst fears about herself by rejecting her the way Damon had, by proving that she’d been right all along about being inadequate and unwanted.

And I wanted to. Gods, I wanted to hurt her the way she’d hurt me. Wanted to make her feel the betrayal and disappointment and crushing realization that the person you’d been trying to build something with had been lying through their teeth the entire time.

But I was Alpha. And being Alpha meant making decisions based on what was best for the pack, not on what would feel most satisfying personally.

“She stays,” I said finally, the words tasting bitter. “She remains Luna. She completed the Hunt successfully-that can’t be dismissed just because we don’t like what was revealed during the trials. And the bond between us is real regardless of the circumstances that created it. Breaking it would damage both of us in ways that would compromise the pack’s stability p>

Murmurs of surprise rippled through the crowd. Bridget looked outraged that I wasn’t calling for Aria’s removal. Others looked confused, uncertain whether I was being merciful or foolish.

“However,” I continued, my voice hardening, “there will be consequences. Aria will be confined to pack territory under guard until we can verify she hasn’t compromised our security in other ways we don’t know about yet. She will have no contact with anyone outside Shadowmere without explicit approval. And she will earn back the pack’s trust through demonstrated loyalty rather than just expecting it to be given because she holds a title p>

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I turned to look at Aria directly. “You wanted closure from Damon. Wanted answers about why you weren’t good enough. Well, here’s your answer: you weren’t good enough because you couldn’t be honest. Couldn’t be trusted. Couldn’t commit to what you had because you were too busy mourning what you’d lost. And until you fix that—until you prove you can actually be present in the life you have instead of constantly looking back at the life you wanted-you’ll never be good enough for anything or anyone p>

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The words were cruel. Designed to hurt. And I watched them land, watched Aria flinch like I’d struck her physically, watched her face crumple with the weight of having her deepest insecurities confirmed by someone she’d been hoping would contradict them.

But I didn’t take them back. Didn’t soften them. Just stood there letting her feel the full impact

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of what her choices had cost.

“The ruling is made,” Lunaris announced. “Aria retains her Luna position but with the restrictions Alpha Kael has outlined. The Hunt is complete. All three surviving teams will receive their rewards-the fragments they collected, the knowledge they gained, the capabilities they proved. This Hunt is concluded p>

The crowd began to disperse slowly, pack members moving toward the refreshment areas or the healing tents or just away from the emotional devastation they’d just witnessed. Some were already gossiping about what had been revealed, speculation about what it meant for pack stability, whether Aria could recover from this kind of public exposure.

I turned away from Aria without another word. Couldn’t look at her anymore. Couldn’t stand to see her crying when part of me wanted to comfort her and another part wanted to make her hurt worse for what she’d done.

Jason appeared at my elbow, his expression carefully neutral. “The medical team wants to check you over,” he said quietly. “Make sure the trials didn’t cause any lasting damage. And there are reporters from other packs asking for statements about the Hunt results p>

“Handle the reporters,” I said, my voice flat. “Tell them we’re pleased with our performance. Tell them our Luna proved herself capable during the trials regardless of what was revealed about her personal failings. Make it sound like we’re a united front even though we’re falling apart p>

“And you?” Jason asked. “Where will you be p>

I looked toward the healing tents where they’d taken Ivory. “I need to check on her,” I said. “Need to see if she’s okay after-after everything p>

Jason’s expression shifted to something that might have been concern or might have been warning. “Are you sure that’s wise? Given that she just got her memories back and tried to kill your mate p>

“She’s my responsibility,” I said. “I was the one cursed. She was the one who suffered through it with me. She deserves to know that someone cares about her welfare after what she’s just been through p>

What I didn’t say was that part of me wanted to see Ivory because she represented something simple. Three years where partnership had been uncomplicated by politics or forced bonds or secret betrayals. Where we’d just worked together to survive, building something genuine rather than something constructed out of necessity. 1

I’d lost those memories. But she had them back now. And maybe-maybe talking to her would help me understand what I’d lost when the curse broke the way it had. What Aria had taken

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from both of us by being in the right place at the right time to become the mate the curse demanded.

I walked toward the healing tents, leaving Aria standing alone in the broken mirror chamber surrounded by the wreckage of her confession.

And I tried not to think about whether I’d just made the right decision or the biggest mistake of my life.

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