Aria’s POV
It was a call from Collins.
His urgent voice spilled out, “Alpha Nathan!, Ms. Sophia Darvin was on the way to donate to an orphanage. Her assistant says she got into a car accident coming down the mountain. She’s being taken to the hospital...she keeps calling for you.”
Nathan’s entire body tensed. Even his scent sharpened with worry.
“Where? Hemsworth Group Private Hospital?” he asked.
“Yes.”
My sharp ears caught every word of their conversation.
Of course.
Sophia calls, and Nathan runs.
It wasn’t even a choice.
I turned my face away, swallowing the bitterness that rose in my throat like bile. My expression stayed cool and blank, like ice over open wounds.
Nathan glanced at , discomfort flickering in his eyes, but he crushed it beneath duty.
“Collins is right behind us. He’ll take you back to Hemsworth Group. No one will dare trouble you with him there.”
His tone was firm and reassuring.
But to ? To it felt like rejection smoothed over with formality.
My wolf curled her tail tight, a bit wounded but silent.
Monts later, I was standing on the roadside. The wind brushed past, carrying Nathan’s fading scent and choices he’d already made.
He lowered the car window.
“Aria...”
“Don’t waste ti,” I cut in, my voice cold enough to freeze the air between us. My wolf bared her teeth. “If your heart is with another woman, there’s no need to pretend otherwise.”
Nathan froze, his lips parting like he wanted to defend himself... but nothing ca out. I watched him, cold and detached now, even though my wolf stirred beneath my skin, restless and offended.
He looked genuinely confused, almost hurt, as if he didn’t understand why I said what I said, and that only irritated more. Wasn’t it obvious even to him how much he cared about Sophia?
Collins pulled up with the car, Nathan’s vehicle already a distant blur ahead of us.
“Luna Aria, let’s head back to the company,” he said respectfully.
I didn’t argue. I slipped into the backseat and shut the door. My wolf paced inside , her tail lashing.
When we approached Hemsworth Group, the sour scent hit first. I could sense there were too many people gathered in one place. My brows knit together as I saw the crowd waiting outside the building with their caras. They wore frowns on their faces, the scent of hostility thick in the air.
Before I could fully process it, Collins’s license plate caught their eyes, and in re seconds, they surged forward like a pack gone feral.
“Aria! It’s been so long and you still haven’t apologized? You are just enjoying being Luna while Alpha Nathan cleans up your ss!”
Their voices were sharp and ugly.
But sha wasn’t the first thing that washed over , confusion was.
I scanned their angry faces. Then I rembered Celestyr Brand’s CEO’s earlier comnt. Of course, these vultures must have co early and hadn’t seen the new statents yet.
Collins looked at helplessly. “Luna Aria, I’ve called security and the bodyguards. Please... just wait.”
Just wait?.
My wolf growled at that. Waiting ant vulnerability.
I rolled down the window.
A hush rippled through the crowd when my face appeared. One man opened his mouth, ready to hurl accusations but stopped the mont our eyes locked. My wolf’s energy pushed through , radiating calm dominance.
“You can check the latest statents from Celestyr Brand and its CEO online,” I said in a
clear and assertive voice.
The crowd appeared uncertain under my calm gaze.
Then soone hidden in the crowd shouted, “What’s there to declare? You’re only getting away with this because you’re Luna Aria! Alpha Nathan called in favors to hide your ss!”
I frowned and scanned for the voice, but only saw a sea of heads.
Before the crowd could rekindled its anger, soone read the updated news.
“Celestyr Brand’s CEO said Aria is a shareholder... and the dress was personally sent to her!”
Her voice cracked at the end.
The crowd’s fury faltered instantly. So scrambled for their phones, and when they saw the truth, their faces drained of color.
But people always cling to doubt when it suits them.
“You believe everything they say?” soone barked. “Contracts can be faked! If she was really a shareholder, why hide it? Why wait for Celestyr Brand to speak up?”
“She’s just an ex-lawyer. And a convict. How could she know the C Brand CEO?”
They were logical argunts... flimsy, but enough to sway the undecided.
“Luna Aria, anything else to say?”
Caras clustered around the window, hungry like wolves who’d forgotten they were prey.
Collins sighed heavily. He hadn’t expected them to be this stubborn.
My patience snapped. My wolf’s eyes flashed through mine as I scanned the crowd again, searching for the instigator. I couldn’t find them.
I snorted, ready to roll up the window, when a hand suddenly grabbed the door.
My wolf snarled.
The person yanked hard, wild and reckless, trying to pry the door open. Their desperation hit my senses like rotting fruit. If they managed to force the door open, I knew exactly what they’d do.
They’d drag out.
“Let go!” I growled, my voice edged with power.
But the grip only tightened.
My heart rate didn’t spike, it was quite the opposite. A cold, sharp calm spread through . The kind that ca right before my wolf lunged.
I tightened my own hold on the door, using the car as my only shield.
Collins looked shaken. He shouted into his phone, urging security to move faster.
I managed to yank the hand off and roll up the window.
Just then, my phone rang. I glanced at the caller ID. It was none other than Sophia.
I answered the call.
“Sis, are you okay?”
Sophia’s voice floated through the speaker. It was like sweet honey but laced wirh venom..
My wolf bristled instantly.
And then everything clicked.
All the confusion, all the missing pieces, all the strange coincidences.
I lifted my head slowly. Of course it was her.
“Was it you?” I asked, my jaw tight, my lips trembling in frustration.
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