I Left Before He Learned My Worth novel Chapter 15

**I Left Before He Learned My Worth**

**Chapter 15**

**ARIA**

225 Fres Com

What I felt now was worlds apart from the tumultuous emotions I had harbored for Damon. My feelings for him had been a tangled web of desperation, a clinging need fueled by gratitude, loneliness, and an aching desire to be wanted.

But this—this was something entirely different. It ran deeper, resonating within me like a long-lost melody that I had never realized I was aching to hear.

“You’re insane,” I murmured, my voice barely above a whisper, but lacking any real anger. “You fought five nightwalkers all by yourself. You could have died.”

*”But I didn’t.”* His mental voice carried an amused undertone, a hint of playfulness amidst the gravity of the situation. *”Your moonbeam plants ensured my survival. Where did you manage to find them?”*

“I was searching for herbs for the healer’s lodge,” I explained, my heart racing as I recalled the moment. “They were growing on the edge of a cliff, and I remembered how precious they were, so I—” I hesitated, a lump forming in my throat. “I’m so sorry. I led the nightwalkers right to you. If I hadn’t ventured so far into the forest—”

*”Stop.”* His tone was gentle yet firm, a command laced with understanding. *”You were aiding the pack. Gathering herbs to help our wolves. That’s the role of a Luna. The nightwalkers’ presence was not your doing.”*

“But you got hurt because of my actions.”

*”I got hurt defending what is mine,”* he corrected me, his voice steady and filled with conviction. *”And I would do it all over again, a thousand times if necessary. Do you understand that, Aria?”*

Words eluded me, trapped in a whirlwind of emotions—gratitude, guilt, awe, and something that felt dangerously close to love’s first stirrings.

Nina cleared her throat delicately, her voice cutting through the tension. “Alpha, the healers need to conduct further tests. We must ensure the nightwalker toxin is entirely eradicated from your body.”

*”I feel fine,”* Kael protested, a hint of defiance in his mental tone. *”In fact, I feel better than I have in months. The curse—it’s not gone, but it’s… quieter. As if something is holding it at bay.”*

“The moonbeam plants,” Eliza interjected thoughtfully. “They’re not just mending your physical wounds; they’re also combating the magical curse. I’ve never encountered anything like it before.”

*”Then we need to find more of them,”* Kael declared, his determination palpable. *”If they can push back the curse, if they can help me maintain clarity—”*

“There’s a whole patch of them in the western forest,” I said quickly, excitement bubbling within me. “Right near where the nightwalkers attacked. I can show you exactly where—”

*”You’re not returning there,”* Kael interrupted, his mental voice firm and unyielding. *”Not until we’ve cleared that entire area of nightwalkers. I’ll send a full patrol.”*

“I’m fine,” I insisted, my voice rising slightly. “My wounds are already healing—”

“You were nearly killed today.” His voice cracked, raw and vulnerable beneath the weight of his Alpha authority. “I heard your scream echo in my mind, felt your terror coursing through our bond. If I had been even a minute later—”

He didn’t need to finish that thought. I had witnessed the fierce desperation in his eyes as he battled those nightwalkers, the unwavering determination to shield me at any cost.

“You made it in time,” I said softly, reaching out to lay my hand on his massive head. His fur was surprisingly soft beneath my palm, still slightly damp with blood but radiating warmth. “You saved me, Kael. And then I helped save you. We’re even.”

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