Nathan’s POV
Peter hesitated, his arm trembling slightly, a lump forming in his throat. Then he lowered his voice:
"Call Sophia over."
My fangs clenched, my ears twitched. Sophia?
I grabbed him by the collar instinctively, claws of tension raking just beneath the surface.
"How could this have anything to do with Sophia? Don’t play gas with ."
His stubborn stare t mine. My wolf hissed, the hair on my neck rising. A cold shiver ran down my spine.
If this... if this really has sothing to do with Sophia...
My heart thudded in my chest, my Alpha instincts screaming. A wave of fear and fury collided inside .
If the leak of Hemsworth Group’s secrets wasn’t Aria’s doing... if it was Sophia all along... then everything...the attention and protection I had given Sophia...the slander and punishnt I gave Aria—was a lie I had been feeding myself. My wolf snarled at the thought. I had underestimated Sophia. And I had underestimated the damage done to Aria.
I took a step back, pressing my lips tightly together, and the wolf inside stirred. That gnawing, coiled tension I had felt all day suddenly surged into sharp awareness. Sophia. Could it really be her?
My lips pressed into a hard line, and I took a step back, then another, as the truth slamd into like a silver-tipped blade.
Sophia... frad ?
For a second, my wolf went still, absolutely stunned. Then a low growl rumbled in my chest, vibrating against my ribs. I forced it down, but the shock must have shown on my face because Peter was staring at with that cold, righteous look again.
He thinks I’m a monster. He probably also thinks I don’t deserve Aria.
The thought hit like claws to the gut.
In the end, I sent Collins to fetch Sophia. I couldn’t even look at her.
She’d always followed to the archives, always glued to my side, always pretending loyalty. Now that I knew she’d probably set Aria up... Goddess.
Collins soon arrived with Sophia.
When she entered the room, she wore a look of possessiveness on her face. My wolf bared his teeth.
Seeing the expression on my face, her steps faltered. Collins led her to stand before . Her heartbeat stuttered, it was a bit too fast.
My wolf glared out through my eyes, and her scent soured with fear.
“Nathan... is sothing the matter?” she asked, her voice trembling.
I didn’t answer. I just flicked my chin toward Peter.
He leaned forward. “Ms. Sophia Darvin, you were the first to discover and report the Hemsworth Group’s trade-secret leak a year ago, right?”
The mont the question hit the air, Sophia froze. Her breath hitched.
All three of us stared at her, our gazes sharp as interrogators.
“What do you an by this?!” she screeched.
Her pitch made my ears ring. My wolf snarled internally, irritated.
Collins tried to soothe her, though even his he was watching her like prey. “Ms. Sophia Darvin, we’re only asking questions. No need for panic.”
But she was panicking hard, too hard for an innocent wolf.
She realized it too. The mont clarity reached her eyes, she bit her tongue, grounding herself. Collins slid a chair toward her.
“Sit.”
She did. Her knees had looked ready to buckle.
Peter stepped in again. “Ms. Sophia Darvin, you reported Aria back then. Not long after, you presented the ‘evidence’ alleging she stole confidential files and leaked them to the Cowen Group.”
Sophia seized on the opening. “I had evidence before I reported her!”
Peter’s laugh was humorless. “Really? Your only evidence was a surveillance video of Aria and Richard crossing paths. They seed to have exchanged sothing. And the mont Hemsworth Group’s secrets leaked, you conveniently ‘found’ the rest of your proof.”
Sophia blinked rapidly at him, confused, defensive and calculating.
Peter leaned forward, his voice cold enough to frost stone. “Then tell , Ms. Darvin, if you truly had evidence beforehand, why didn’t you inform Alpha Nathan imdiately? Why wait until after the company secrets were leaked?”
I forced myself to breathe in a slow, controlled manner.
I needed to be calm and think.
Sophia startled when Peter questioned her, but the flash of fear smoothed out almost instantly. Too quickly...Suspiciously quickly.
“I just found it strange at the ti,” she said, her voice trembling it almost seed believable. “I had no idea Aria was going to do sothing like this.”
Her eyes flicked left, then right. Suddenly, anger flared within her.
“I just can’t believe it,” she continued, putting a hand dramatically to her chest. “Nathan is her husband! She actually betrayed him for her best friend’s company’s future. If it weren’t for the accidental company leak, I’d never have known she was passing secrets to Richard—”
She kept talking and talking and talking.
My wolf growled softly in the back of my mind.
Her story seed perfect, flawless enough that the shock in eased a little.
A year ago, Aria was in the wrong... but she already paid for it, I thought. As long as she stays away from Richard, I’m done hunting that ghost.
“Really?” Peter said with a low chuckle. His tone cut through my thoughts like a silver blade. I blinked, turning toward him.
He leaned forward, his eyes locked on Sophia.
“So...” Peter said, slow and sharp, “why did you monitor Aria beforehand?”
Sophia went utterly still.
Her heart missed a beat, her scent spiked, her fingers twitched.
Peter pushed harder. “Was it a coincidence? Or was it preditated?”
The room chilled.
I stared at Sophia, really stared. She was scared.
Her face drained of colour.
Just then, the tense silence was broken by the banging on the door.
BANG! BANG! BANG!
“Alpha Nathan! Alpha Nathan!”
Collins was startled, sweat running down his spine. He glanced at , my expression must have been monstrous, then he hurried to the door.
Who the hell dares interrupt now? I wondered.
The door swung open and Ethan all but collapsed inside, panting, panic reeking off him.
“Ethan!” Collins snapped. “How dare you abandon your post and co all the way here?”
But Ethan ignored him completely. For the first ti in his life, he dared to look directly in the eyes.
“Alpha Nathan!” His voice cracked. “Luna Aria—”
My heart slamd once, hard enough to shake my ribs.
“What about Luna Aria?” I growled, my wolf surging to the surface.
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