Mated To My Mate's Worst Enemy (ARIA) novel Chapter 232

Chapter 232

Chapter 232

Chapter 232

KAEL

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I’d been sitting beside Aria’s bed for hours, watching her breathe, counting each breath like they were precious to me and it gave me hope that she was still here, still with me. The medical tent was dim, most of the lighting focused on the more critical patients in other sections, us in our private corner.

I kept replaying it. Over and over. The moment ‘d seen the wolves circling while Ivory fought desperately to protect her unconscious partner. The plant’s vines wrapping around Aria’s throat, strangling her while I stood frozen on that ridge with Jason, unable to help, unable to intervene, forced to watch my mate die because the Hunt’s rules prohibited assistance between teams.

I’d never felt so helpless. Not during my curse, when at least I’d been actively suffering rather than passively witnessing someone else’s torment. This had been pure, absolute helplessness

-watching Aria struggle and fail and nearly die while I could do nothing except stand there and hope she’d survive without me.

–

The wound Ivory had stitched was severe. The healers had examined it when they’d brought Aria in, had expressed concern about infection risk, about the nightshade poisoning she’d used to slow her bleeding, plus other injuries that she had contained since I last saw her the night before the hunt.

They’d done what they could, but the prognosis had been uncertain. She might wake up. She might not. Her body might recover. Or it might shut down from the overwhelming damage.

So I’d sat. Waited. Kept vigil. Because what else could I do?

Her scent had changed over the past few hours. Subtle shift that I’d noticed but couldn’t quite identify. Still Aria-still my mate-but with something added. Something that made my wolf restless and alert in ways that had nothing to do with the mate bond.

Then her eyes opened.

Relief flooded through me so intensely it was almost painful. She was awake. Conscious. Alive. For a brief moment, that was all that mattered-she’d survived, she was-

Her eyes were glowing.

I jerked back instinctively, my chair scraping against the tent floor, shock overriding every other response that I might have at the moment as I blinked, trying to understand if it was reflection or I had hit my head too hard while fighting that bear.

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Chapter 232

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“Aria?” I said, hearing the uncertainty in my own voice. “Your eyes-what happened to your eyes?”

She blinked slowly, like she was reorienting herself to consciousness, to physical reality after being wherever unconsciousness had taken her.

Then she sat up, with strength that should have been impossible, considering her injuries.

“My eyes?” she repeated, her voice hoarse from being strangled but it sounded clearer than it should have been.

She looked around, spotted her reflection in a polished metal medical tray on the nearby stand, and went still.

I watched her face as she processed what she was seeing. Watched shock register, then understanding or possibly resignation. Like she’d been expecting this change even though she clearly hadn’t known about it before seeing her reflection.

“What happened?” I asked, keeping my voice low to avoid attracting attention from other patients and medical staff. “While you were unconscious, what-did someone do something to you? The healers? The elders? Because if someone-”

“No one did anything to me,” Aria interrupted, still staring at her glowing reflection. “Or maybe-maybe someone did. I don’t know how to explain it. I saw something. Someone. While I was unconscious. She gave me something back. Something that was taken from my family generations ago.”

She was talking in fragments, not quite making sense, but I could hear the conviction in her voice. Whatever she’d experienced, she believed it was real. Believed it had transformed her

ways that were now manifesting physically.

in

She touched her abdomen where the stab wound should still be causing her agony. I saw surprise cross her face as she pressed gently, testing the injury. “It still hurts,” she said, “but not like it should. Not like it did. It’s healing faster than-Kael, I think whatever awakened is accelerating my recovery. I shouldn’t be sitting up. Shouldn’t be conscious. Definitely shouldn’t be feeling this functional after what happened.”

I wanted to be relieved. Wanted to be grateful that whatever this transformation was seemed to be helping her heal. But worry overrode relie because I had no idea what this meant for her, for us, for her position as Luna.

The elders would notice these changes. Everyone would notice. And I couldn’t predict how they’d react to Aria manifesting powers that clearly went beyond what we were used to.

“We need to be careful,” I said, reaching out to take her hand. “Whatever this is, whatever’s changed-we need to understand it before anyone else realizes the extent of the transformation. The Ghost Council is already watching you too closely. If they think you’re a

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Chapter 232

threat-”

“They already think I’m a threat,” Aria said. “Aryada tried to have me killed.”

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The anger in her voice was new. Not the insecurity she used to project but genuine fury at being targeted.Whatever happened when she was asleep, this version of Aria wasn’t going to accept abuse quietly.

“Let me help you stand,” I said, moving to support her weight. “We need to get you ready. The Hunt resumes soon and-”

“I can stand,” Aria said, but she accepted my hand anyway, using it for balance rather than weight-bearing support as she got her feet under her.

We stood there for a moment, her hand in mine, and I felt the shift in our bond.

My wolf was responding to her differently too. Not pushing her away because he wanted Ivory back but this was pure acknowledgement. Whatever Aria had done, she had proven herself to my wolf just like Ivory did.

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