I Left Before He Learned My Worth novel Chapter 84

Chapter 84

ARIA

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“Ivory won’t agree to this,” Kael said. “Even if we tried to convince her to leave for her own safety, she’d refuse. She’s stubborn and proud, and the idea that we’re letting enemies chase her away from her home would infuriate her.”

“Then we don’t tell her it’s about Sera’s threats,” I said, and even as the words left my mouth, I recognized how manipulative they sounded. “We tell her we’re worried about her safety. We help her see that leaving might be the fresh start she needs. We support her decision to go somewhere new, somewhere she won’t constantly be reminded of everything she’s lost and endured here.”

“You want to lie to her,” Nina said flatly. “You want to manipulate her into leaving without telling her the real reason.”

“I want to give her an out,” I corrected, though the distinction felt flimsy even to me. “A way to leave that doesn’t feel like she’s being chased away. A way to start over somewhere she might actually be happy.”

Kael studied me for a long moment, and through our bond, I felt his conflicted emotions. He understood the logic of what I was suggesting-could see how facilitating Ivory’s departure might solve multiple problems at once. But he also recognized the moral complexity, the way it would feel like betrayal even if it was framed as protection.

“I need to think about this,” he finally said. “We all do. This isn’t a decision we can make impulsively based on one threatening letter from Sera.”

“We have a week,” I reminded him. “Sera gave us seven days to convince Ivory to leave before she escalates. That’s not much time.”

“Then we use that time wisely,” Kael said firmly. “We implement the security measures we discussed. We talk to Ivory about the threats-honestly, not manipulatively. We see what she wants, what she’s actually considering, before we make any decisions about encouraging her departure.”

“And if she decides to stay?” I asked. “If she refuses to leave despite the danger?”

“Then we protect her,” Kael said simply. “We do what we should have been doing all along-we make sure our pack member is safe, regardless of what our enemies want or threaten.”

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Chapter 84

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He took Sera’s letter from my hands, folding it carefully. “But Aria, I want you to understand something. Sera is counting on your guilt, on your tendency to take responsibility for situations you didn’t create. She’s betting that you’ll be so desperate to end the conflict, so worried about endangering others, that you’ll become her weapon against Ivory. Don’t give her that satisfaction. Don’t let her manipulate you into betraying someone who’s already suffered enough because of connections to you and Damon.”

The words stung because they were true. I was letting Sera manipulate me, was already halfway to convincing myself that pushing Ivory away would be the noble, self-sacrificing thing to do.

But would it? Or would it just be another betrayal-another way I’d inadvertently hurt someone who’d done nothing wrong except exist in the blast radius of my complicated past?

“The elders wanted to meet with Ivory today,” Nina said, breaking the tense silence. “To discuss the security measures and explain the situation. We should probably attend that meeting. See how she reacts to the news about Sera’s threats before we start making plans about her future.”

Kael nodded. “Agreed. And Aria, I want you there too. I want Ivory to see us presenting a united front. I want her to know that we’re all invested in her safety, that this isn’t just Alpha decree but genuine concern from the pack’s leadership.”

I agreed, though part of me dreaded the conversation to come. How was I supposed to face Ivory knowing what Sera had written? Knowing that part of me—a shameful, guilty part-was actually considering whether encouraging her departure might be the right choice?

The meeting was scheduled for that afternoon, giving us time to prepare but not enough time

my mind. to overthink. As I left the council chamber, Sera’s words echoed in

*Every attack. Every injury. Every death that results from this conflict-those will be your responsibility, Aria.*

Was she right? If I had the power to end this, to convince Ivory to leave and thereby eliminate the threat to the pack, did my refusal to use that power make me responsible for what came

next?

Or was standing firm, refusing to be manipulated, protecting Ivory’s right to stay in her home -was that the real demonstration of leadership and loyalty?

I didn’t know. And the weight of not knowing, of having to make choices that would affect so many lives regardless of which path I chose, was crushing.

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