I Left Before He Learned My Worth novel Chapter 51

**Chapter 51**

**ARIA**

“I’m fine—” Kael began to argue, his voice low and weary.

“You’re not fine,” I interrupted, my tone sharper than I intended. “You just shifted for the first time in three years, fought another Alpha, shifted back, and now you’re standing here bleeding from at least seven different wounds that I can see. Treatment room. Now.”

Eliza’s authoritative tone brooked no disagreement. Kael let out a heavy sigh, the weight of exhaustion evident in his posture, and he allowed himself to be guided into an empty treatment room. I noticed Nina starting to follow us, her concern for Kael palpable, but Eliza quickly intervened.

“You need rest too, Beta,” she said, her voice firm yet gentle. “You’ve been running on adrenaline and worry for hours. Let me treat your Alpha, and then you can go get some sleep. Ivory is stable enough that she doesn’t need you hovering over her all night.”

“But—” Nina began, her voice laced with reluctance.

“That’s an order from your head healer,” Eliza stated, her expression leaving no room for argument. “Rest. Or I’ll sedate you too.”

Nina hesitated, torn between her instinct to stay by Ivory’s side and the undeniable fatigue etched across her features. After a moment, she nodded, albeit reluctantly. “You’ll call me if there’s any change?” she asked, her voice softening with concern.

“Immediately,” Eliza assured her, her tone leaving no room for doubt. “Now go. Both of you.”

With a swift gesture, Eliza directed me as well, clearly deciding that I too needed to step away from the chaos.

“Luna Aria,” she began, her voice softening, “you’ve had a traumatic night. The ceremony, the attack, witnessing violence—you need to process all of that. Go back to your quarters. Try to sleep. Tomorrow will be soon enough to deal with the fallout.”

“What about Kael?” I asked, a knot of worry tightening in my chest. “Shouldn’t I—”

“I’ll send him to you when I’m finished treating him,” Eliza replied, her tone unyielding. “Which will take at least an hour. He needs stitches, potions, and probably a stern lecture about taking better care of himself. You don’t need to sit here watching me work.”

She was right, of course, but leaving felt wrong. The thought of retreating to our shared quarters—where we were expected to bond and heal together—while Kael was being treated gnawed at me.

But Eliza was already ushering us out of the clinic, and Grandmother Rose was gently guiding me toward the exit. I was too drained to argue any further.

As Nina and I walked in silence back toward the main pack house, the atmosphere felt heavy with unspoken words. The celebration that should have erupted after the ceremony had clearly been canceled, but remnants of the night lingered in the air. Wolves huddled in small groups in the corridors, their voices hushed as they whispered about the events that had unfolded. I caught snippets of their conversations as we passed by.

“I can’t believe he attacked during the ceremony—”

“Poor Ivory, she didn’t deserve that—”

“It makes you wonder if Luna Aria is worth all this trouble—”

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