Aria’s POV
The man clenched his jaw, refusing to speak.
Beside , Francis’ gentleman façade was gone. Completely gone. In its place was a lethal, territorial wolf whose eyes promised more violence.
His gripped the man’s throat and lifted him up with wolf strength The man, big as he was, turned red, choking, his arms and legs twitching.
I watched, my breath steady, as the man refused to answer.
Then Francis’s eyes flicked to mine as if asking what I wanted him to do to the man.
The stepped forward and asked the man another question, “What’s your connection to that driver from yesterday ago?” I demanded, my voice low, edged with a growl I could no longer hide.
The man blinked rapidly. “What are you talking about?”
He tried to mask it, but I caught it, the sharp spike of adrenaline, the evasive flicker of his eyes.
He was lying...He was afraid.
A cold laugh slipped from my lips. “Still coming after ? Whoever wants dead must have paid you well.” I stepped closer, letting my aura unfurl. “Who ordered this? Tell , how much is my life worth to them?”
For the first ti in my life, I truly felt it...the weight of being hunted. The value placed on my head. The danger circling like vultures waiting for to fall.
The man swallowed. His scent soured with panic.
Then, with a hiss, he spat, “I just don’t like you. You sold Hemsworth Group’s secrets. People lost their jobs because of you. And you still get protected by Alpha Nathan? He must be blind.”
His words sliced deeper than claws ever could.
I felt a mix of anger, sadness and sha swirl within . I shouldn’t even feel because I knew I had done nothing wrong. But lies... lies always stuck like burrs under the skin.
Francis interfered sharply. “Don’t let him provoke you. That’s all he’s doing.”
His voice snapped the tension and then ca the impact.
Francis’s kick sent the man crashing against the opposite wall with a sickening thud. The man collapsed, groaning, probably with cracked ribs.
Francis’s bodyguards dragged him up by the hair.
Francis stepped forward, his energy darkening like a storm.
“There is no surveillance here,” he murmured. “Do you want to make you mute?”
The man’s breath seized. Terror rolled off him in waves.
But still...no answers.
The bodyguards tried everything to force the truth out of the man, but he remained quiet. Possibly loyal...Possibly more scared of whoever hired him than of us.
They turned to , waiting for command.
“Should we turn him in to the enforcers?” Francis offered.
I shook my head slowly, a bitter laugh caught in my throat.
“No... tie him up and leave him here.”
Francis hesitated only a montm The man was bound tightly and was left squirming like a caught animal.
As I walked away, I gave the alley one last glance.
I slid into the car with Francis, letting the door close on that Chapter.
“Soone will deal with it,” I said quietly.
Francis’s eyes narrowed. “Nathan’s n?”
I didn’t answer.
The old ache inside pulsed. Francis sensed it and stayed silent. Nathan’s na was a wound neither of us touched lightly.
My voice cracked before I even realized I’d spoken. “Does everyone think it was ?”
“Aria.” Francis gripped my shoulders gently but firmly, forcing to et his eyes. Those dark amber eyes softened in a way that always disard my guard. “In my eyes, you’ve never been that person. You’re still the Aria I first t. You understand?”
The world outside blurred...trees, cars, people...all slowing as if giving space to breathe.
My heart eased just a little.
As we reached his private lab, dizziness still tugged at from the earlier drug. I leaned on Francis instinctively. He steadied , his touch lingering longer than necessary... longer than neutral.
“The rumors about you are everywhere,” Francis said softly. “Are you really unaffected?”
My wolf flattened her ears. Rumors never killed but they tore apart reputations, trust and families.
I forced a smile. “You said it yourself, they’re rumors.”
Francis watched with a sadness he didn’t voice...He knew I was lying...He knew it hurt, but he let it go.
We walked the corridor in silence until we reached a door he opened with a small flourish.
“Aria,” he said gently, “I arranged an office just for you.”
Inside, the space slled of fresh paint, clean wood, and sterile labs. But what caught my eye was the curved, elegant crescent-shaped seat bathed in soft silver light.
A crescent.
The symbol of wolves...of resilience.
My heart ward unexpectedly.
I turned to Francis, unable to hide the emotion rising in my chest.
“You...”
My voice ca out hoarse, roughened at the edges. There were too many emotions trapped beneath my ribs. “Hey... hold on.”
Francis, always the serious, dependable older-brother type, actually smiled. On him, it looked almost shocking.
“Why don’t you check if there’s anything we missed?”
I nodded, maybe a little too eagerly. My fingers drifted across the new book covers he’d arranged for my office. They were thick, had heavy volus and were sturdy like bricks. Yet the mont my fingertips brushed them, sothing inside stirred. Recognition and familiarity.
These... these were from my old office at the Hemsworth Group. They were always placed on the shelf closest to my desk. Always within reach during late nights of strategizing as I hunted through case files.
I hadn’t told him any of that. I hadn’t expected him to rember these books...But he did.
“It’s perfect,” I murmured, my voice still rough. My wolf stirred beneath my skin, brushing against with a soft, warm nudge, sensing the nostalgia tightening my chest. I’d agreed to help Francis mostly in na. A favor. A distraction. A way to keep myself busy after... everything.
Yet he took it seriously. More seriously than I did.
“There was no need to go through so much trouble...”
“Of course there was,” Francis chided lightly, giving a look that was filled with admiration.
“Aria, forgive my use of words.. have you forgotten who the hell you are?”.
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