Mated To My Mate's Worst Enemy (ARIA) novel Chapter 273

Chapter 273

Chapter 273

ARIA

The mirr eflective

dissolve

round us began to crack. Small fractures at first, spider-webbing across the faces. Then larger breaks, entire sections shattering, falling away in pieces that o nothing before hitting the ground.

ugh the broken mirrors, I could see the outside world.

pectator stands. Packed with people. The entire pack, maybe, all of them watching cal projections of the trials, all of them having heard my confession through whatever o feed the Ghost Council had provided.

The other teams who’d completed their trials. Standing in designated areas, looking exhausted and traumatized but alive.

And the Ghost Council themselves. Seated in elevated positions, their expressions ranging from satisfaction to contempt to something that might have been vindication.

Aryada stood, her voice carrying with supernatural clarity despite the chaos of shattering mirrors. “Well, well, well,” she said, her tone dripping with satisfaction. “We have found our spy. The Luna who betrayed her pack by visiting the enemy in secret. The thief who not only stole Ivory’s rightful position but also compromised Shadowmere’s security through her pathetic attachment to her former mate.”

The realization hit me like physical blow.

The trial hadn’t just been about making me confess for my own growth or understanding. It had been about forcing me to reveal my betrayal publicly. In front of the entire pack. In front of Kael. In front of everyone who mattered.

The Ghost Council had known. Had designed this trial specifically to expose what I’d been

ing. Had used the Hunt itself as elaborate trap to make me confess where everyone could

e executioner’s blade might have been delayed.

ut it was falling on my head right now.

People rushed forward, not toward me but toward Ivory. Medics, healers, pack members all concerned about her bleeding eyes and collapsed state. They lifted her carefully, began

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carrying her toward what I assumed were healing chambers set up for the Hunt’s aftermath.

And Kael approached me.

Slowly. Like he was moving through water. His expression wasn’t angry-not yet. Just shocked. Disbelief written across every feature as he tried to process what he’d just heard me confess.

“That name on the paper Sera wrote,” he said, his voice carefully neutral. “That was your name, wasn’t it?”

I couldn’t look at him. Couldn’t meet his eyes. Just stared at the ground, at Ivory’s blood still staining my clothes, at the broken mirrors surrounding us.

“Yes,” I whispered.

“You visited Damon,” Kael continued, still in that neutral tone that was somehow worse than anger. “In the neutral prison. The enemy we captured. The one who orchestrated attacks against our pack. You went to him. Talked to him. Against my explicit advice to stay away.”

“Yes.”

“When?” The word came out sharp now, anger starting to bleed through. “When did this happen?”

“After-” I swallowed hard, forced myself to continue. “After we bonded. After you told me not to go. I went anyway. I needed-I thought I needed closure. Needed to hear him explain why he’d done what he’d done.”

“And did you get closure?” Kael’s voice was rising now, the careful control slipping. “Did your secret visit to your former mate give you what you needed? Was it worth betraying your pack’s trust? Was it worth putting everyone at risk because you couldn’t let go of someone who’d already rejected you?”

I had no answer. Nothing I could say that would make this better or explain my reasoning in ways that wouldn’t sound pathetic.

Bridget’s voice cut through the crowd, sharp and condemning. “Aria has shown us she is not worthy to be Luna,” she announced, her tone carrying certainty that suggested she’d been waiting for this moment. “She betrayed her pack. Visited the enemy. Kept secrets that compromised our security. She must be removed from the position immediately.”

Murmurs of agreement rippled through the assembled pack. Some looked shocked. Some looked vindicated. Some looked like they’d suspected all along and were satisfied to finally have confirmation.

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And Kael was looking at me with expression I couldn’t read. Betrayal, definitely. Anger. Disappointment. But underneath all of that, something that might have been hurt. Like I’d wounded him personally by keeping this secret, by making this choice without trusting him with the truth.

“Kael-” I started, but I didn’t know how to finish. Didn’t know what words could possibly bridge the

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