Aria’s POV
My heart thudded. My wolf perked up again. Why did she say it like that? Did sothing happen?
Sophia seized my hand once more, this ti with performative desperation.
“Aria, the Hemsworth Group is in trouble. Francis has the manuscript the company needs, but he refuses to hand it over unless you et him. This isn’t sothing you can reject because of... personal issues.”
“You can’t bla the company or let it suffer for your problems with .”
She forced a trembling pout. My gaze snapped to Nathan.
Suddenly everything aligned.
Every word...Every gesture he tried to make...Of course. Of course that’s why he offered to let see Francis.
A bitter laugh rose in my chest.
He needed .
He didn’t want to see Francis because he cared for or for Lana.
But because Hemsworth Group was choking—and I was the last lifeline.
I felt my wolf curl inward, wounded and furious.
I really overestimated you, Nathan.
Nathan t my eyes, and sothing like guilt flickered in his scent.
“Aria,” he said quietly, “this is what I ant to tell you. The company needs your help.”
I laughed, but it was hollow, sharp, and cold.
“Does almighty Alpha Nathan actually need soone with a criminal record?”
I tilted my head. “Or are you asking a criminal for help?”
Nathan stiffened, his aura darkening.
“Aria!”
But this ti I felt nothing.
He had put in a cage. He had thrown to the wolves, and now he couldn’t stand hearing the truth?
Ridiculous.
I held Lana tightly in my arms and turned toward the hallway.
Just speaking to these two was draining.
My wolf was snarling, her ears flat, her tail lashing with agitation.
Sophia tried to block my path but I shoved her aside with the strength of a wolf defending her pup as I yelled, “Get away!”
She yelped, stumbling. Nathan rushed to catch her.
And then, like always, she collapsed into him with perfect timing—tears, trembling lips, and a lingering glance thrown at like a dagger.
But the mont she looked at Lana, the pup in my arms with Nathan’s exact eyes.
Her expression changed.
It was filled with a mix of shock, jealousy, fear and realization. This was the first ti she was having a very good look at her face, I had always shielded Lana outside.
After I shoved Sophia was pressed far too close to Nathan, her hand lingering on his chest like she owned him. My wolf bristled, claws scraping just beneath my skin.
A year in prison had hardened . The hard labor, the constant fights...it had rebuilt from bone to fang. I was stronger now, fast enough to snap a grown wolf’s wrist before he blinked. But even with that strength, I knew damn well Sophia couldn’t have been thrown fifteen feet like she just pretended to be.
She was faking it.
I could sll the lie on her. That pathetic blend of fear and calculation. She was performing for Nathan.
I let a cold smile tug at my lips but said nothing. My silence always terrified her more than my words.
Nathan suddenly stepped away from her, realization flashing across his face.
But Sophia barely noticed. She just whipped her head up and t my eyes.
The mont she realized Nathan wasn’t by her side anymore, she froze and glared at .
Her fists clenched tightly, her heartbeat stuttering—a delicious rhythm of fear I could hear as clearly as breath.
Nathan cleared his throat, awkward and stiff. “Aria, Sophia is your sister.”
A humorless laugh escaped before I could stop it.
My gaze slid from Sophia’s trembling eyelashes to Nathan’s self-righteous expression. He looked like he expected to simply nod and behave.
Males. Always so certain their excuses were enough.
“I see,” I replied lightly, tilting my head. “Do sisters share the sa husband too?”
The words tasted like frost. And they hit their mark. Nathan’s expression darkened instantly. Sophia’s lips curled into a smug little smile.
She thinks she’s winning. She thinks she can have him.
Sophia’s voice suddenly trembled, soft and pathetic. “Aria, how could you say that? I know you’re angry at , but Nathan is your husband. Don’t you even trust him?”
I let out a loud, mocking snort. Not wanting to waste anymore precious ti on either of them, I walked down the hallway to my bedroom and slamd the door shut so hard the entire fra shuddered.
There was silence.
I leaned against the door, letting the cool wood press into my spine as I breathed out slowly. The anger, the betrayal, the humiliation, it all churned in my chest like a storm. My wolf paced inside , wanting to claw, to bite, to drag Sophia out of this house by her throat.
Sophia had guts showing up here after everything she’d done. She really thought I was weak now. She really thought prison had broken .
I bit down on my lower lip so hard my wolf growled in irritation, the grinding of my teeth echoing faintly in my ears. The tallic taste of blood touched my tongue, grounding , but not calming the storm inside.
Nathan’s earlier defense of Sophia replayed in my mind like a slap.
His tone, his gaze, his effortless willingness to protect her over .
A bitter laugh escaped before I could stop it.
This is Hemsworth Villa—Nathan’s territory, his den. Even if seeing Sophia in this house makes my wolf gag, what can I do? Walk out into the night with Lana? Challenge her and make her leave?
My wolf snarled, We could, we should.
But I straightened my spine and exhaled sharply.
I turned toward the floor-to-ceiling window. The sunset outside burned in gold and crimson, but the iron bars fitted discreetly into the fra caught my attention instead.
It was pretty to the eye, yet a cage all the sa. Just like this place, just like this marriage.
I stared out at the fading sky, my reflection pale against the glass.
I was only a caged bird, I thought. No... a caged wolf.
My chest tightened painfully.
Why is Nathan humiliating like this? Hasn’t he already taken enough? Even if he hated our forced union, hasn’t he punished long enough over the past years?
Night fell slowly. After I finally soothed Lana to sleep, exhaustion clung to my bones, but sleep refused to claim . My wolf paced inside , restless and agitated.
I slipped out of the bedroom and padded quietly into the hallway. The corridor was dim, lit only by soft yellow lights that cast long shadows against the walls.
As I walked toward the kitchen for a glass of milk, sothing caught my attention.
A thin, bright line of light beneath a barely cracked door.
Nathan’s study.
My wolf’s ears perked instantly.
And then I heard them...voices. A man and a woman.
I moved closer, my breath silent, my steps soundless.
Sophia’s sugary voice drifted out first:
“Nathan, has Aria agreed to see Francis?”
Nathan’s low hum followed.
I felt my jaw tense.
Then Sophia again,
“What do you think of the solution I ntioned?”
Nathan responded,
“Not bad.”
I rolled my eyes. Sophia could have suggested breathing and he’d praise it.
But then she pushed further, her voice dripping with that manipulative innocence she wore like perfu:
“How does it compare to when Aria was your right-hand woman?”
My heart... stopped.
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