I Left Before He Learned My Worth novel Chapter 85

Chapter 85

ARIA

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We found Ivory in the herb gardens, exactly where the guards stationed nearby had told us she’d be. The afternoon sun filtered through the carefully maintained canopy of trees that protected the more delicate medicinal plants, creating dappled patterns of light and shadow across the carefully tended beds.

But she wasn’t alone.

Jason was with her, both of them bent over a small potted plant positioned on one of the work tables. They were close-close enough that their shoulders nearly touched, close enough that I could see the way Ivory’s hair fell forward as she leaned down, how Jason’s hand hovered near the small of her back without quite touching.

“Watch this,” Ivory was saying, her voice bright with excitement in a way I’d never heard it. She held a small vial of dark liquid, carefully extracting a single drop with a glass pipette.

She let the drop fall onto the soil of the potted plant. For a moment, nothing happened. Then the soil seemed to shimmer slightly, and before our eyes, the plant began to grow.

Not slowly, not over days or weeks like normal plant growth. But rapidly, visibly, the stem shooting upward as leaves unfurled in fast motion. Within seconds, what had been a small seedling had transformed into a fully developed shoot with mature leaves and the beginnings of what looked like vegetable buds.

“Holy gods,” Jason breathed, his voice full of wonder. “That’s incredible. I’ve never seen anything like it.”

Ivory was giggling-actually giggling at his reaction, her face alight with genuine joy. “You’re the first person to see it. Well, the first besides me. I’ve been working on this formula for months, trying to perfect the growth acceleration without compromising the nutritional value of what’s produced.”

“Growth acceleration?” Jason repeated, still staring at the plant in amazement.

“Food production,” Ivory explained, her enthusiasm making her talk faster. “Imagine being able to speed up the growing process like this. We could combat hunger during famines. Provide fresh vegetables during harsh winters when nothing grows naturally. Supply food during wars when trade routes are cut off and territories are under siege. This could change everything about how packs manage food scarcity.”

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Chapter 85

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Jason turned to look at her, and I could see the admiration in his eyes. “This is brilliant, Ivory. Revolutionary. Have you tested it? Is the food actually safe to eat?”

“I cooked it and ate it myself for a week straight,” Ivory said, as if this were completely normal. “Multiple different vegetables-carrots, lettuce, tomatoes, beans. All grown with the accelerant. And they taste normal. Actually, they taste better than normal. Something about the compound seems to enhance flavor profiles while maintaining full nutritional value.”

“You ate it yourself?” Jason’s voice had risen slightly, alarm creeping in. “For a week? Without telling anyone? Ivory, what if it had been poisonous? What if there had been long-term effects you couldn’t anticipate?”

“That’s exactly why I didn’t tell anyone,” Ivory said firmly. “I didn’t want to risk hurting anyone in case there were bad effects I hadn’t accounted for. So I tested it on myself first. Made sure it was completely safe before even considering showing it to anyone else.”

“What about you?” Jason demanded, and there was something fierce in his voice now. “Weren’t you worried about hurting yourself? Ivory, you’re valuable. People can’t lose you. The pack can’t lose you.” He paused, and his voice dropped lower, more intimate. “I can’t lose you.”

I watched Ivory’s face flush pink, watched the way her breath caught at his words. She moved closer to him, tilting her face up, her eyes dropping to his lips. Jason leaned down, one hand coming up to cup her cheek, and they were maybe an inch apart, about to kiss—

Kael cleared his throat.

The sound cut through the moment like a knife. Both Ivory and Jason snapped apart, spinning to face where we stood at the edge of the garden. The three of us-Kael, Nina, and me— watching what we’d inadvertently interrupted.

Ivory’s expression transformed from soft and open to furious in an instant. Her eyes she glared at us, her entire posture going rigid with anger.

blazed as

“What,” she said, her voice sharp enough to cut, “are you doing in my herb garden without permission?”

Nina, apparently less affected by Ivory’s rage than Kael or I, was staring at the rapidly grown plant with undisguised awe.

“You created that?” she asked, moving closer to examine the shoot. “Ivory, this is incredible. Why didn’t you tell anyone about this? Why keep something this revolutionary hidden?”

“Because,” Ivory said through gritted teeth, still clearly furious about the interruption, “I didn’t want anyone to assume I was trying to show off. That I was attempting to prove I was better than Luna Aria or demonstrate that I was more suitable for a leadership position than her. I

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11:50 Thu, Dec 18

Chapter 85

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