Aria’s POV
A man yanked my hair so hard my neck snapped to the side. Pain flared across my scalp, but the mont my gaze t his eyes, my wolf stiffened inside . He had murky, cold, dead eyes and looked very rough.
I could see pure malice in his gaze. It slithered from him like smoke.
A shiver crawled down my spine. My wolf growled low, her hackles rising.
We are in Danger, she growled within . I tried shifting but i couldn’t, I was too weak.
“I didn’t expect you to be the wife of the richest Alpha... Nathan,” he spat, his voice thick with resentnt.
The grip he had on my hair tightened, jerking my head back. Instinctively, I bared my teeth, just slightly, my wolf pressed forward, wanting blood.
Then it hit . His scent.
That faint, oily stench I’d slled once before.
Realization dawned on . He was the cab driver from the celebration at Hemsworth Villa. The man I told I was going to press charges against.
My stomach dropped. Horror crawled up my throat like ice.
This is bad, very bad. He’s unhinged.
My wolf circled inside , urging, Attack. Let’s Rip him and run.
But my limbs were trembling, I was still recovering, still weak.
Swallowing hard, I forced myself to speak with steadiness I didn’t feel. “What do you want? This is a residential area, there are caras everywhere.”
He forced my chin up so I had to et his malicious looking eyes.
“You think I’m an idiot?” he hissed. “The caras at the gate are fake. Just like you. All dressed up, playing Luna Aria...you really think I’m a fool?”
His words slamd into . My eyes darted instinctively toward the surveillance caras Nathan installed not long ago.
The red lights... weren’t blinking.
They were dead.
My heart skipped. My wolf snarled furiously. This was a trap. The man planned this perfectly.
Before I could react, he yanked harder and dragged toward his car.
I tried to scream but his hand slamd over my mouth, muffling everything. My voice choked back into my throat.
His grip was strong. Much stronger than I expected. Maybe it was adrenaline, maybe it was madness.
I struggled, claws itching beneath my fingers, trying to break free. But I was still recovering and weak.
As I thrashed, he grew more frantic, glancing around to ensure no one was watching. His anxiety only fueled his cruelty. His fingers dug into my face, leaving my skin burning and raw as he dragged a few ters from Hemsworth Villa to where his tinted car was waiting.
He hissed insults, each one ant to grind down further, as he pushed into the back of his cab and tied my hands behind my back with silver chains before taping my mouth. Pain coursed through .
Then—
There was a sudden engine hum. I looked out the tinted window and saw a sleek Maybach roll to a stop.
My eyes widened in desperate hope.
Nathan stepped out with Sophia beside him. The sight of them together pierced sharper than the pain in my scalp.
I tried to cry out again.
Nothing but a strangled, muffled sound escaped.
I watched helplessly as Nathan and Sophia walked past... straight into Hemsworth Villa.
He didn’t turn.
Didn’t look around.
Didn’t sense my fear, didn’t feel the danger stalking right behind him.
My heart cracked....my wolf whimpered.
The man snorted, his eyes glinting with cruel satisfaction as he stared at through the rearview mirror “Guess the rumors are true. He’s got a mistress. Even if you vanish, he won’t care, will he?”
His words sliced deeper than his grip ever did.
My last glimpse of the outside world was Sophia’s flowing dress... and Nathan’s tall, distant silhouette disappearing into the villa without a backward glance.
A single tear slid down my cheek as the unregistered car sped into the dark.
Nathan’s POV
Sophia trailed beside , her scent fluttering weak and sugary against my senses. She looked up through her lashes, timiid and calculated.
“I didn’t think you’d have ti to see ,” she murmured. “With everything happening to Aria...”
I kept my gaze forward. My wolf prowled beneath my skin, restless. “The Hemsworth Group is handling it. Aria isn’t well. I don’t trust anyone else to take care of Lana.”
Sophia stiffened beside . She hadn’t expected that answer. My wolf didn’t care.
I exhaled sharply, forcing my tone back into neutrality. “The celebration ended abruptly. I still have a gift for you.”
Instantly, Sophia brightened, playing shy. “With all the trouble Aria caused, you still thought of gifting sothing?”
I raised an eyebrow. Her performance was transparent, her scent souring with envy. But I didn’t respond. I simply led her down the hall toward Aria’s room.
The gift box sat outside the door exactly where I left it.
“I ordered a custom dress,” I said. “You changed too quickly at the event for to give it to you. I asked Aria to check it since she understands fashion.”
Sophia knelt eagerly, only for her excitent to crumble the mont she lifted the lid.
It was empty.
Her scent spiked with rage. For a mont, I saw sothing feral flash in her eyes.
“Why was my gift outside Aria’s room?” she snapped.
“I hadn’t inspected it yet,” I replied flatly. “Aria was supposed to confirm if it suited you.”
Sophia’s fingers trembled around the box. Her bitterness radiated so strongly that even my wolf wrinkled his nose.
She masked it quickly with a breathy little sigh. “It’s empty... I don’t understand.”
I leaned in, checking for myself. It was truly just an empty box, but I already knew that.
Sophia swallowed dramatically. “That must be why there’s controversy online. It’s really about the gesture you made. Maybe Aria misunderstood...but if she’d told , none of this would be happening.”
Her voice was gentle. I watched her carefully.
She flinched under my stare.
I wasn’t fooled.
Her reaction earlier...The way she’d spoken...
“I had no doubt this ti, she was behind the news online regarding Aria’s dress,” I thought.
I placed the empty box back by the door. “Since the dress can’t be delivered, we’ll return to the office.”
Sophia’s bright smile cracked for a second before she composed herself again. I started walking, but paused when her scent faltered behind .
“Do you need sothing else?” I asked, turning slightly.
Her heart skipped a bit too loud. She scrambled to my side and I said nothing.
My mind kept circling the sa thought: Why did she Sophia attempt to publicly humiliate Aria in this manner despite knowing what she was going through at the mont?
Before I could process the thought any further, Ethan rushed in, breathless and sweating.
“Alpha Nathan—have you seen Luna Aria? The hospital said she’s been discharged.”
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