Mated To My Mate's Worst Enemy (ARIA) novel Chapter 206

AN: There will be a little author’s Note at the end of this chapter

Chapter 206

ARIA

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The final section was a sprint-pure speed across open ground toward the flag that marked the finish line. No obstacles, no technique required. Just raw speed and determination.

They hit it at the same time, both of them running flat out, neither willing to give an inch. Their feet pounded against the earth in perfect rhythm, their breathing heavy but controlled, their focus absolute.

The finish line approached. The flag-a simple piece of colored fabric on a pole with a bowl at the base- was right there.

They reached it simultaneously.

Both of their hands shot out, both grabbing the bowl at exactly the same moment. And instead of one of them conceding defeat, instead of acknowledging the tie-

They started dragging it.

Actually playing tug of war with the flag, each trying to pull it toward their side of the finish line, neither willing to let go or admit that the other had equal claim. Kael’s superior strength should have given him the advantage, but Ivory had better grip position and lower center of gravity, making it harder for him to simply overpower her.

“Let go!” Kael growled, pulling harder.

“You let go!” Ivory shot back, her feet digging into the ground as she resisted his attempts to move the flag.

“I got here first!”

“Like hell you did! We tied!”

“Then I’m bigger, so I win by default!”

“That’s not how ties work, you overgrown-”

The commander was jogging toward them, clearly intending to make an official ruling. The crowd was laughing and cheering, thoroughly entertained by watching two of their strongest warriors reduced to literal tug of war over a flag.

This was insane. They were both elite warriors, both capable of devastating damage in real combat, both leaders within the pack hierarchy. And they were fighting over a flag like children arguing over a toy.

But nobody seemed surprised. If anything, the pack members looked delighted, like this was exactly the kind of entertainment they’d hoped for. Like watching Kael and Ivory compete and argue and push each other was nostalgic, familiar, a return to dynamics that had existed before curses and complications had changed everything.

I sat on my bench, watching this unfold, and felt so completely separate from it all.

They had this. This history, this connection, this easy competitiveness that came from years of training

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Chapter 206

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Finished

together and knowing each other’s capabilities intimately. They moved like partners even when they were competing against each other-anticipating movements matching pace, pushing each other to perform

better.

This was what champions looked like. What real partnership looked like. What years of shared experience and mutual respect created.

And I was just sitting on a bench, grateful I hadn’t been chosen to compete, knowing that I could never match this level of capability or connection.

Knowing that if Kael ended up paired with me in the actual Hunt through random lottery-we’d fail. We didn’t have this synchronization. This understanding. This ability to push each other to excellence.

I was adequate at best. And adequate wasn’t enough when you were competing against people who operated at this level.

The commander finally reached Kael and Ivory, both of whom were still stubbornly gripping the flag and refusing to concede. “This is a tie,” he announced. “Which means we’ll need a tiebreaker to determine who gets first selection privilege.”

“Best of three?” Kael suggested, still not releasing the bowl.

“Arm wrestling?” Ivory countered.

“You’d lose arm wrestling.”

“Then why are you afraid to try it?”

“I’m not afraid, I’m being practical-”

“Excuses-”

“Enough!” the commander interrupted. “We’ll determine the tiebreaker method by vote. But first-let go of the damn flag before you rip it and we have to explain to the elders why their official competition marker is damaged.”

Reluctantly, both of them released their grips. The flag stayed exactly where it was, centered perfectly between them, a physical representation of their absolute equality in this competition.

I watched all of this and tried not to think about what it meant.

Tried not to think about how perfectly matched they were.

How they brought out the best in each other. How they operated as a unit even when competing as opponents. I knew this was what partnership was supposed to look like.

And how I would never be able to provide this for Kael.

No matter how hard I tried. No matter how much I wanted to be adequate.

Some things couldn’t be forced or learned or achieved through determination alone. Some things just were. And what Kael and Ivory had….I couldn’t replicate it.

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