I Left Before He Learned My Worth novel Chapter 117

**TITLE: I Left Before He Learned My Worth**

**Chapter 117**

**ARIA**

The summons arrived just as the sun began its slow descent, painting the sky in hues of orange and purple, casting elongated shadows that danced across the grounds of the pack house. A guard materialized at the door of the conference room, his demeanor carefully composed, devoid of any hint of the turmoil that churned within me.

“Luna Aria,” he announced, his tone clipped and formal, “your presence is requested in the main council chamber. Immediately.”

A cold wave of dread washed over me, my stomach twisting in knots. This was it. The culmination of whatever investigation the elders had been conducting, whatever evidence they had unearthed—or failed to unearth—had led us to this pivotal moment. The moment where my fragile grasp on freedom would be stripped away, and judgment would be rendered.

“Who called the meeting?” I managed to ask, striving to keep my voice steady, even as my heart raced.

“I wasn’t informed, Luna,” the guard replied, his expression unchanging. “Only that your attendance is mandatory.”

With trembling hands, I gathered the documents I had been poring over, organizing them into neat folders. If this was to be my final hearing, I needed to present every scrap of evidence I had collected, however thin it might be, before they made their irrevocable decision.

The journey to the council chamber felt interminable. As I walked, pack members paused in their tasks, their eyes following me with a mix of curiosity, satisfaction, and something that resembled pity. Whispers had undoubtedly spread like wildfire through the pack—news of impending judgment always did.

Upon reaching the council chamber, I found the doors already ajar, revealing a room filled to the brim with more faces than a typical tribunal would warrant. The elders were seated at their imposing table at the front, their expressions grave and unyielding. Kael was there too, positioned off to the side alongside Nina and Marcus. His face remained a mask of neutrality, but our bond revealed the storm of emotions swirling within him—anxiety, dread, resignation.

He believed I was guilty. The realization struck me like a physical blow, knocking the breath from my lungs. Whatever evidence the elders had gathered, Kael had already accepted my culpability in the attack on Ivory.

But as I surveyed the room, a peculiar detail caught my attention. The atmosphere, while undeniably formal, felt charged with something other than the somber weight of impending judgment. There was an undercurrent of anticipation, a sense that something unexpected was about to unfold.

And then I spotted her.

Ivory stood near the back entrance, her energy practically radiating from her. Her golden eyes sparkled with an intensity that belied her recent injuries, and beside her was Margo, equally animated.

Something was undeniably amiss.

“Luna Aria,” Elder Morrison called, gesturing for me to approach the center of the room. “Please come forward.”

I stepped into the designated spot, clutching my folders tightly as if they were a lifeline. Around me, pack members continued to filter in, filling every available inch of space. Whatever drama was about to unfold, it seemed the entire pack was eager to witness it.

“Elder Morrison,” I began, my voice steady despite the turmoil inside. “I have been conducting my investigation as instructed. I possess preliminary findings that I would like to present—”

“Your findings are unnecessary,” Morrison interrupted, and my heart plummeted. They weren’t even going to consider my evidence. The decision had already been made.

Before I could muster a reply, the chamber doors swung open wide, and Ivory strode in, her demeanor exuberant. She was smiling—a radiant, triumphant smile as if she had just unraveled the universe’s greatest mystery.

VERIFYCAPTCHA_LABELVerify