Mated To My Mate's Worst Enemy (ARIA) novel Chapter 3

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ARIA

By the time I finished packing, dawn was breaking over Damon's territory. I didn't leave a note. Didn't say goodbye to anyone except Tom, the kind guard who'd always slipped me extra meat from pack hunts when I was recovering from my injuries.

"You take care of yourself, Miss Aria," he'd said quietly, his eyes sad but understanding. "And don't let anyone make you feel small ever again."

I promised I wouldn't.

The journey to Shadowmere territory took three days through dense forest and mountain passes that tested even my wolf's endurance. Luna Margaret had arranged for a guide—a grizzled older wolf named Marcus who'd lost his own pack years ago and now worked as a neutral courier between territories.

He didn't ask questions, which I appreciated. We traveled mostly in wolf form, covering ground faster that way.

No more waiting by the window for Damon to come home. No more swallowing my hurt while he rushed to Sera's side. No more pretending I was enough when I clearly never had been.

"We're crossing into Shadowmere land now," Marcus said on the third morning, his voice rough from disuse.

We'd shifted back to human form to navigate a particularly treacherous cliff path. "You feel that?"

I did. The air itself felt different here—heavier, touched with old magic that made my skin prickle. The trees grew taller, their trunks twisted into strange shapes. Even the birdsong sounded muted, cautious.

"What happened here?" I asked, pulling my jacket tighter against the sudden chill.

Marcus glanced at me sidelong. "You really don't know much about your future mate, do you?"

"I know he's cursed. That he's been trapped in wolf form for three years."

"That's the surface of it." Marcus paused at the edge of a clearing, surveying the land ahead. "Alpha Kael challenged a dark witch who was hunting human children for her rituals. He could've left it alone—humans aren't pack business. But he didn't. Tracked her to her lair and tore her throat out with his own fangs."

Pride flickered in Marcus's weathered face. "With her dying breath, she cursed him. Said he wanted to be a beast so badly, he'd become one permanently. His human form was locked away, and every day that passes, his human consciousness fades a little more."

My wolf stirred uneasily. "And his pack? They just... let him suffer?"

"His pack is loyal as they come. They've searched everywhere for a cure—witches, shamans, even vampires. Nothing worked." Marcus started walking again, leading me deeper into Shadowmere territory.

"Then their pack seer had a vision. Said only a true mate bond might anchor his humanity. Give him something to fight for."

"But I'm not his true mate," I said quietly. "We've never even met."

Marcus shrugged. "Fate's a funny thing. Maybe you are, maybe you aren't. But the seer saw silver fur in her vision, and you're the only silver wolf they could find willing to take the risk."

The only one willing. Because any smart she-wolf would run from a bond with a dying Alpha.

But I'd stopped caring about smart decisions the day I watched Damon place his mating mark on Sera's throat.

We traveled in silence after that, going deeper into forest, leading to his pack. We were often stopped by pack scouts who made sure that we weren't a threat.

Finally, as the sun reached its zenith, we emerged into a valley that took my breath away.

The Shadowmere pack settlement sprawled before us, built into the mountainside itself. Stone structures blended seamlessly with natural cave systems, and a crystalline river cut through the center of the village.

Wolves moved through the streets in both human and animal forms, and despite the heavy magic saturating the air, there was life here. Community.

"Welcome to Shadowmere," a warm voice said.

I turned to find a petite woman with kind eyes and silver-streaked dark hair approaching us.

"I'm Nina, Beta of Shadowmere pack," she said, offering her hand. "You must be Aria. We're grateful you've come."

Her genuine warmth caught me off guard. I'd expected coldness, cruelty, maybe resentment that their Alpha had to resort to an arranged bond.

"Thank you for having me," I managed.

Nina dismissed Marcus with thanks and a pouch of coins, then linked her arm through mine like we were old friends.

"Come, let me show you around before we take you to Kael. You must be exhausted from the journey."

She led me through the settlement, introducing me to pack members who greeted me with curiosity but also surprising acceptance. A group of children playing by the river stopped to stare at my silver hair—rare among wolves—then waved shyly.

"We're not a large pack," Nina explained as we walked, "but we're strong. Kael made sure of that before the curse took hold. He's a good Alpha, Aria. Perhaps the best I've served under."