Mated To My Mate's Worst Enemy (ARIA) novel Chapter 523

Chapter 523

ARIA

"Look," I said, and I used the anchor the way I'd been learning to use it — not to command, just to get to the front of a conversation. "I understand that the book situation is important—"

"More important than the root," Nina said.

"It's not more important than the root," I said.

"The root," Nina said, "is Kael being in wolf form, which we have all had extensive experience with and have processed into our nervous systems as a known quantity. The books are new information. The books are a first. Books purchased with pack funds while refusing the book club while everyone was secretly reading them anyway — that's a novel situation." She paused, recognizing the word. "Pun acknowledged."

"We need to actually discuss the root," I said.

"The root," Ivory said, "is a problem we can address with specific solutions that I've been working on for the past two days. The solutions require Kael's cooperation and a specific set of compound applications timed to the next lunar cycle. It's on the agenda." She looked at Kael. "It's item three."

"What's item one," I said.

"The book audit," Nina said.

"And item two," I said.

"The bat," Jordan said. "Official record. The retirement of the bat deserves documentation."

"The bat," Elite said, from the corner, "was a three year emergency measure that served its function."

"It broke on a wolf," Kael said.

"It served its function," Elite said. "The function was contributing to a headache. It succeeded. We retire it with honor."

"With honor," Jordan said.

Kael looked at the ceiling.

"You used pack funds," Ivory said, returning to the core issue with the focus of someone who'd let a conversational detour run its course and was coming back. "For personal enrichment."

"The books enriched the office," Kael said. "The office is a pack resource. Therefore—"

"That logic," Ivory said, "would allow you to put literally anything in the office and call it pack expenditure."

"Within reason," Kael said.

"Books about—" Ivory started.

"Educational content," Kael said.

"Kael," Ivory said.

"I'll pay you back," Kael said. "Personal funds. With interest. And I'll share the new volumes."

"And the book club," Ivory said.

"The book club," Kael said, with the resignation of someone accepting a condition they'd known was coming.

"Once," Ivory said. "One session. One chapter. We discuss it."

"Which chapter," Kael said.

Ivory looked at him.

"Not fourteen," Kael said.

"We'll see," Ivory said.

"Ivory—"

"We'll see," Ivory said again, with the serenity of someone who'd already decided and was enjoying the uncertainty.

"Jordan," Kael said.

"I'm not in this," Jordan said.

"You're reading the same books," Kael said.

"I'm a supporter of literary discussion," Jordan said. "I'll attend the book club."

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