Mated To My Mate's Worst Enemy (ARIA) novel Chapter 287

Chapter 287

Chapter 287

KAEL

I found Jason in the command center where he shouldn’t have been. Post-Hunt protocol called for competitors to be checked by medical, released to their quarters, given at least twelve hours of rest before resuming regular duties. But Jason had never been particularly good at following protocols that involved him being idle when there was work to be done, and I’d stopped trying to enforce them with him months ago when I’d realized it was a losing battle.

He was bent over the tactical map when I entered, marking something with the careful precision that characterized everything he did. His Hunt clothes had been replaced by standard duty wear, his hair still damp from what must have been a quick wash. He looked tired but functional, the kind of exhaustion that came from sustained exertion rather than anything broken.

“You should be resting,” I said, letting the door close behind me.

He glanced up briefly, registered my presence, went back to whatever he was marking. “So should you. Yet here we both are.”

Fair point. I moved closer to the map, trying to see what he was documenting. Hunt routes, I realized after a moment. He was plotting the path our team had taken through the trials, marking decision points, noting what had worked and what hadn’t.

“Debriefing yourself?” I asked.

“Habit from intelligence work,” Jason said, not stopping. “Document while it’s fresh. Memory degrades fast after high-stress events. In three days I’ll have forgotten details that seem obvious right now. In a week, I’ll be reconstructing rather than remembering.” He finished a notation, stepped back to look at the overall pattern. “We made good time in the earth manipulation trial. Better than I expected given how badly we stumbled on the water section.”

I looked at the map and saw what he wasn’t saying directly. We’d survived. We’d completed all

say that, five trials and made it to the final chamber. We were one of three teams who could which meant we’d succeeded by any reasonable measure.

It also meant we’d been in those final chambers when Aria had confessed. Had heard every word. Had watched the entire confrontation between her and Ivory play out on whatever magical projection the Ghost Council had provided for spectators.

“About what you heard in the final trial,” I started.

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“Not my business,” Jason interrupted, still focused on the map. “What happens between you and your mate is between you and your mate. I’m your assistant, not your confessor.”

“You’re also my friend,” I said. “Or close enough that the distinction doesn’t matter. And you heard the same thing everyone else heard, which means you probably have thoughts about it.”

Jason was quiet for a moment, his stylus paused over a section of the map. “You want my honest assessment?”

“I wouldn’t have asked otherwise.”

He set the stylus down and turned to face me properly. “Your mate visited her former mate in prison without telling you. Kept it secret for months. And you found out about it in the worst possible circumstances-publicly, during a trial designed to force confession, with the entire pack watching.” He crossed his arms. “That’s a betrayal of trust. Clear-cut. Anyone would be justified in being furious about it.”

“But?” I said, because I could hear the qualifier coming.

“But I also heard her explain why she did it,” Jason continued. “And I heard you tell her she wasn’t good enough because she couldn’t be honest, couldn’t be trusted, couldn’t commit to what she had because she was too busy mourning what she’d lost.” He paused. “That was cruel, Kael. Accurate, maybe. But cruel.”

The words landed harder than I’d expected. I’d known what I’d said to Aria had been harsh. Had intended it to be harsh because I’d been hurt and angry and wanted her to feel some fraction of what I was feeling. But hearing someone else name it-hearing Jason, who was usually careful about offering opinions on personal matters-call it cruel made me face what I’d done more directly.

“She deserved to hear the truth,” I said.

“Did she deserve to hear it like that?” Jason asked. “In front of the entire pack? With Ivory collapsed and bleeding and everyone watching to see what you’d do with your inadequate, betraying mate?” He shook his head. “I’m not saying she didn’t earn consequences. She did. But you chose to deliver them in the way that would hurt most. That was a choice you made. Own it.”

I wanted to argue. Wanted to defend my actions as justified given the circumstances. But Jason wasn’t wrong, and we both knew it.

“I was angry,” I said.

“You had a right to be angry,” Jason agreed. “But anger doesn’t give you permission to eviscerate someone publicly. Especially not someone you’re supposed to be building a life

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