Mated To My Mate's Worst Enemy (ARIA) novel Chapter 148

Chapter 148

ARIA

I spent the hours before our departure trying to compose myself. Trying to prepare mentally for whatever Sera had planned. Trying to figure out if there was any way to mitigate the damage when she inevitably revealed my secret visit to Damon.

I’d just finished changing into travel clothes-something practical but appropriate for a diplomatic visit- when there was a knock on the chamber door. Celine answered it, and I heard Kael’s voice in the corridor, but he wasn’t alone.

“Thank you for coming,” Kael was saying. “I know it’s short notice.”

“It’s fine,” Ivory replied, her tone professional and brisk. “When you said you were going to Blackwood, I thought it prudent to prepare some things for you.”

I moved closer to the door, staying out of sight but able to hear clearly. Through the crack, I could see Ivory pressing several small vials and packets into Kael’s hands, her expression serious and focused.

e is for general poisoning-broad

“Antidotes,” she explained, pointing to each item as she spoke. “This spectrum, should counteract most common toxins. This blue vial is specifically for wolfsbane in case they try something obvious. And these pills are for numbness-if they use any paralytic agents, these will help restore mobility.”

She pulled out a small packet of tablets. “These are adrenaline boosters. If you’re drugged or weakened, they’ll give you enough of a surge to fight or run. They’re potent, so only use them in genuine emergency situations.”

Kael accepted each item carefully, tucking them into various pockets. “You really think Sera would try to poison me? At an official diplomatic meeting?”

“I think Sera is unpredictable and dangerous,” Ivory said flatly. “I think she has a history of playing games with people’s lives. And I think you’re walking into her territory where she has all the advantages. So yes, I think taking precautions is wise.”

She paused, then added more quietly, “Besides, even if she doesn’t try anything overtly hostile, Blackwood Pack has resources and knowledge about poisons that could be useful to her. Better to be prepared than to assume good faith from someone who sent a spy to frame your Luna for attempted murder.”

“Fair point,” Kael conceded. He started to reach for her-his arm lifting as if to pull her into a hug-but then he stiffened. His body went rigid, the gesture freezing mid-motion before he dropped his arm back to his side and simply nodded his head.

“Thank you,” he said, his voice slightly strained. “For thinking of this. For preparing these precautions.”

“It would be a real disgrace if you died in an enemy pack,” Ivory said, and I could hear her trying to inject levity into her tone. Trying to make it sound like a joke, like casual banter between friends. But the worry underneath was unmistakable. The fear that something could happen to him. That she could lose him.

“I’ll be careful,” Kael promised. “Nina’s coming with a full security detail. We’re not going in unprotected or

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Chapter 148

naive.”

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“Good,” Ivory said. Then, more quietly, “Come back safe, Kael. Whatever Sera wants, whatever games she’s playing-just come back safe.”

“I will,” he assured her. “I promise.”

I heard footsteps moving away-Ivory leaving-and quickly stepped back from the door before Kael could enter and find me obviously listening. When he came in moments later, his expression was troubled but determined.

“Ready?” he asked, seeing me already dressed and waiting.

“As I’ll ever be,” I managed.

The journey to Blackwood took the entire day. We traveled by car-a convoy, actually, with Kael and me in the lead vehicle, Nina and several guards in the ones following. The roads between pack territories were long and winding, cutting through forests and around mountains, passing through neutral zones and buffer

areas.

Kael spent most of the journey trying to comfort me. His hand found mine within the first hour, fingers interlacing, thumb rubbing gentle circles on my skin. The gesture was meant to be reassuring. Grounding. A physical reminder that he was here, that I wasn’t facing this alone, that whatever awaited us in Blackwood, we’d handle it together.

“We’ll take breaks,” he said at one point. “Make sure everyone stays fresh and alert. I don’t want to arrive exhausted and less capable of handling whatever Sera has planned.”.

We stopped twice during the journey. Once at a neutral rest area where pack travelers could stretch and refresh themselves. And once just inside Blackwood territory, at a checkpoint where we were officially logged and approved for passage.

Each time we stopped, Kael would turn to me with that concerned expression. “Are you okay? Do you need anything? Water? Food? A longer break?”

I appreciated his attentiveness. Knew he was trying to be supportive. But each gesture of care just made the guilt worse. Made me more aware that I was deceiving him, that his mate was keeping a significant secret. that was about to be explosively revealed.

“I’m fine,” I’d say each time. “Just nervous about seeing Sera again. About being back here.”

“That’s natural,” Kael would assure me. “You were trapped here. Miserable. Of course returning brings up difficult emotions. But Aria, you need to remember-you’re not that person anymore. You’re not the trapped mate desperate to escape. You’re Luna of Shadowmere now. You have power and protection. Sera can’t hurt you the way she used to.”

If only he knew. If only he understood that the hurt Sera was about to inflict had nothing to do with my old position and everything to do with my recent stupidity.;

As we got closer to Blackwood Pack’s main compound, I felt my chest tightening with anxiety. The landscape was familiar-too familiar. The trees I’d walked past countless times during my years here. The roads I’d traveled hoping each time might lead to escape. The territory that had been my prison long before it became my past.

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“Almost there,” Nina said from the front seat where she sat beside the driver. “I can see the main gates ahead.”

My heart started pounding harder. Through the windshield, I could make out the entrance to Blackwood’s compound. And standing there, waiting for us, was a welcoming committee.

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