Mated To My Mate's Worst Enemy (ARIA) novel Chapter 163

Chapter 163

ARIA

Finished

She continued her examination, checking my joints, feeling for broken bones or internal injuries I might not have noticed in the chaos.

“The accelerants you made,” I said after a moment of silence. “They saved us. If Jordan and the others hadn’t gotten there so fast-”

“Then the outcome would have been different,” Ivory finished. “But they did get there. That’s what matters.”

“Still,” I pressed. “Thank you. For creating something that made the difference. For giving them the tools they needed to rescue us.”

Ivory paused in her examination, her expression becomin

more guarded. “I created those compounds for emergency situations. For times when the pack needs enhanced capabilities to respond to threats. This qualified. I was just doing my job as healer and researcher.”

“It was more than that,” I insisted. “You could have just sent them without the accelerants. You could have told them to do their best with normal abilities. But you gave them something extra. Something that tipped the balance.”

“Because tipping the balance meant Kael survived,” Ivory said bluntly. “And the pack needs him. That’s the calculation I made. Not personal. Just practical.”

But her voice was slightly too controlled. Her expression slightly too neutral. Like she was working hard to maintain clinical distance from a situation that had actually affected her more than she wanted to admit.

“Well,” I said quietly. “Thank you anywa

us.”

For practical reasons or personal ones. Thank you for helping save

Ivory nodded once, acknowledging my words without quite accepting them. She finished her examination and stepped back.

“You’re uninjured,” she pronounced. “No physical trauma. You should probably speak with someone about processing what happened-the pack has counselors for post-combat situations. But medically, you’re

cleared.”

“What about the others?” I asked. “Nina? The guards who took your accelerants?”

“Nina will recover,” Ivory said. “Clean bullet wound to the shoulder. Painful and inconvenient but not life- threatening. The accelerant users are being monitored. Side effects are mostly exhaustion and muscle fatigue as the compounds wear off. No one’s showing signs of dangerous reactions.”

She paused, then added, “The accelerants were experimental. I’d only tested them on myself under controlled conditions. Giving them to guards in a combat situation was a calculated risk. They could have had severe side effects. Could have made things worse instead of better. But the alternative was certain failure, so I chose to risk unknown problems over guaranteed defeat.”

“It worked,” I said. “They worked. You saved us.”

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Chapter 163

39

Finished

“This time, Ivory corrected. “But these compounds aren’t sustainable for regular use. The toll on the body is significant. They’re for emergencies only. One-time interventions when the alternative is catastrophic failure.

She started putting away her examination tools, her movements precise and methodical.

“You should rest,” she said without looking at me. “You’ve been through trauma even if you’re not physically injured. Your body needs time to process. To come down from the adrenaline and fear.”

“I will,” I promised. “After I check on Nina and the others.”

Ivory nodded, still not meeting my eyes. “Then you’re dismissed, Luna Aria. If you develop any delayed symptoms-pain, dizziness, emotional distress you can’t manage―come back and we’ll address it.”

I slid off the exam table, heading toward the door. But something made me pause. Made me turn back to look at Ivory, who’d already moved on to organizing supplies, apparently dismissing me from her attention entirely.

“Ivory,” I said. “Can I ask you something?”

She stilled but didn’t turn around. “What?”

“Why did you make the accelerants?” I asked. “I know you said it was practical, that the pack needs Kael. But you’ve been working on those compounds for a while, haven’t you? Long before this specific crisis. What made you develop them?”

Ivory was silent for a long moment. Then, still without turning to face me, she said, “Because the pack faces threats I can’t always heal after the fact. Because sometimes the best medicine is prevention. Because giving our wolves an edge in combat situations means fewer injuries I have to treat later. That’s why I made them.”

It was a reasonable answer. A logical explanation. And probably partially true.

But I sensed there was more to it. Something personal driving her research. Some fear or memory that pushed her to create tools that would keep pack members-keep Kael-safer in dangerous situations.

But she clearly wasn’t going to share it with me. So I just nodded and left, making my way through the pack house toward where I knew Nina would be receiving treatment.

The day had started with breakfast at Blackwood, with Sera’s manipulations and Damon’s escape.

It had nearly ended with my capture and probable death.

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