Mated To My Mate's Worst Enemy (ARIA) novel Chapter 137

Chapter 137

Chapter 137

ARIA

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And truthfully, I didn’t know what I would say anyway. That I was jealous of his history with another woman? That I resented their easy friendship? That I’d eavesdropped on a private conversation and was hurt by his honest admission about his conflicted feelings?

None of that seemed fair. None of that would help rebuild what we were both trying to salvage.

Besides, attacking him for having history with Ivory when that history predated me by fifteen years would make me look petty and insecure. Would confirm every negative assumption the pack had about me. Would prove that I was exactly as inadequate and jealous as everyone suspected.

So I said none of it. Just stood there holding the purple wildflowers and tried to figure out how to respond to his apology.

“I know you were in an impossible position,” I finally said, choosing my words carefully. “I know you made the only choice you could make given the circumstances. I’m not… I’m not angry about that. Not rationally, anyway.”

“But emotionally?” Kael pressed, and there was such naked hope in his voice that he’d take anything I was willing to give him.

“Emotionally it’s complicated,” I admitted. “But I’m trying to work through it. Trying to understand that logic and feeling don’t always align, and that just because something was necessary doesn’t mean it didn’t hurt.”

Kael nodded, absorbing this. Then he seemed to reach for me-his hand lifting toward my face-before catching himself and stopping the motion. His hand dropped back to his side, and he smiled instead. A slightly sad smile, but genuine.

“I’m grateful,” he said simply. “That you’re willing to try. That you’re still here. I know I don’t deserve your forgiveness or your patience, but I’m grateful for it anyway.”

He paused, then continued with more energy, as if trying to shift the mood away from heavy emotion.

“I wanted to ask-I’ve been trying to arrange this for days now would you join me for dinner tonight? I had the garden set up. The secluded one on the south side, with the pergola? It’s private. Quiet. Just the two of us. A chance to actually talk without interruption or pack business getting in the way.”

I thought about saying no. About retreating to my chambers and continuing to avoid him, avoiding the complicated feelings he stirred up, avoiding confronting whether we could actually rebuild what had been broken.

But he was trying. Despite everything, despite his complicated feelings for Ivory, despite the mess we were both navigating-he was trying. And didn’t I owe it to both of us to try too?

“Yes,” I said. “I’d like that.”

The relief and joy that flooded Kael’s face was so profound it was almost painful to witness. As if he’d

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genuinely expected me to refuse. As if my simple agreement to dinner was some precious gift rather than the basic minimum of what a mate should be willing to give.

“Really?” he asked, as if needing confirmation. “You’re not just saying yes because you feel obligated?”

“Really,” I confirmed. “I think we do need to talk. Need to figure out how to move forward from everything that’s happened.”

“Yes,” Kael agreed immediately. “Yes, exactly. That’s… that’s what I’m hoping for. A chance to just be together without all the chaos and crisis. To remember why we bonded in the first place.”

He reached out again, and this time I noticed him stop himself even more deliberately. His hand lifted toward me, his fingers almost close enough to touch my cheek, before he seemed to reconsider and dropped it. As if he was afraid I’d flinch away. Afraid I didn’t want his touch anymore.

And maybe I should have been grateful for his restraint. Should have appreciated that he was being careful not to push me. But instead, it just made me sad. Because when had we reached the point where my mate was afraid to touch me? Where simple physical affection had become something uncertain and fraught?

“Give me twenty minutes,” Kael said, his voice brightening with purpose now that he had something concrete to do. “To make sure everything is ready. And then…” He smiled, genuinely this time. “And then we can have dinner. Just us. No pack business. No crisis management. Just trying to reconnect.”

“That sounds perfect,” I said, and tried to mean it.

Kael left, practically bouncing with renewed energy. I watched him go, then made my way into our chambers. Celine appeared from wherever she’d been discreetly waiting.

“That seemed to go well,” she observed carefully.

“He invited me to dinner,” I said, setting the purple wildflowers in water. “In the south garden.”

“Oh, that’s wonderful!” Celine’s enthusiasm seemed genuine. “Alpha Kael has been working so hard to arrange that. He kept setting it up, then having to cancel when you weren’t available. The kitchen staff has been preparing and reheating meals for days now.”

My stomach clenched at that detail. Days. Kael had been trying to arrange this simple dinner with me for days. Setting everything up, waiting for me to be available, then having to ask the staff to clear it away when I wasn’t there.

How many times had he done this? How many times had he gone to the effort of creating something special, only to have it go to waste because I wasn’t around or wasn’t ready or was off doing something stupid like visiting Damon?

“Help me get ready,” I said to Celine, making a decision. “I want to look nice. Want to show that I’m taking this seriously.”

Celine’s face brightened. She helped me select a dress-nothing too formal, but nicer than my usual day clothes. A soft green that brought out my eyes, with delicate embroidery along the hem. She fixed my hair, leaving it mostly down but pulling a few strands back to frame my face.

By the time she was done, I looked… like myself, but a better version. Someone making an effort rather than just going through the motions.

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Chapter 137

“You look beautiful, Luna Aria,” Celine said with genuine warmth. “Alpha Kael is going to be…”

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She trailed off, but I understood. He was going to be hopeful. He was going to see my effort and interpret it as willingness to reconnect, to rebuild, to give our bond a real chance.

And he wouldn’t be wrong. Despite everything I’d witnessed at the waterfall, despite Damon’s poison still circling in my head, despite my own doubts and fears-I was willing to try. Because what was the alternative? Giving up? Walking away?

I wasn’t ready for that yet. Not when Kael was trying so hard. Not when there might still be something worth saving.

The walk to the south garden took about ten minutes. As I approached, I could see warm lights glowing through the pergola’s vine-covered framework. The garden had always been beautiful, but someone-Kael, presumably, with help from the staff-had transformed it into something almost magical.

String lights were woven through the pergola’s structure, creating a canopy of gentle illumination. The table was set with actual china and crystal, not just everyday dishes. Fresh flowers decorated the center-not purple wildflowers this time, but a mixed bouquet that complemented the garden’s natural beauty.

And the privacy-someone had clearly ensured that this area would be undisturbed. I didn’t see any other pack members nearby, no guards stationed within obvious sight. Just quiet and seclusion and the promise of uninterrupted time.

How many times had this been set up and taken down? How many staff members had worked to create this scene, only to dismantle it when I wasn’t available? How much effort had gone into something that kept getting postponed?

Kael was standing near the table, adjusting one of the place settings with an attention to detail that was endearing. He looked up when he heard my approach, and his face transformed when he saw me.

“Aria,” he breathed. “You look… you’re beautiful.”

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Mated To My Mate’s Worst Enemy