Aria’s POV
My wolf growled low in my chest.
I briefly considered turning around and leaving, choosing peace over conflict.
But sothing told ...This visit was never ant to be peaceful.
I moved before Sophia’s hand could reach .
My body reacted on instinct, my wolf snapping awake beneath my skin. I sidestepped smoothly, the way predators do when they already know the path of an attack. Sophia lunged and grabbed nothing but air, stumbling forward awkwardly. When she straightened, her eyes were blazing, resentnt thick and sour.
“Aria,” she spat, “you’re like a lingering ghost!”
My wolf bared her teeth. Then you should be afraid.
I hadn’t expected such a vicious outburst, but my expression cooled instantly, frost settling into my bones. Before I could respond, Jonathan stepped in front of , his tall fra shielding almost naturally.
“Ms. Sophia Darvin,” he said calmly, though there was a warning edge beneath his politeness, “please maintain so decorum in public.”
His alpha aura pressed down on her, dampening her arrogance by half. But Sophia wasn’t one to back down easily. She scoffed, lifting her chin.
“Maybe you should be the one watching it,” she snapped, shooting a sideways glare heavy with undisguised jealousy.
Her gaze crawled over ...my dress, my posture, my calm, and then rested on my face.
“Aria,” she sneered, “you’re still not divorced from Nathan, yet here you are parading around with another Alpha at an Orphanage ho. What’s wrong with you? Couldn’t wait a little longer?”
The words were venomous.
My eyes narrowed, a dangerous gleam surfacing as my wolf stirred, muscles coiling, claws itching for release.
But I didn’t move.
Soone else did.
Nala.
She burst forward like a tiny, feral beast, all bones and fury, and slamd her head straight into Sophia’s stomach.
The impact was solid.
Sophia gasped in shock and fell backward onto the ground, her shriek tearing through the air. “Where’s Martin?! Martin! Who let this lunatic loose?!”
She pointed accusingly at Nala.
Martin rushed over, one hand clutching his belly, his face draining of color as he took in the scene. His expression hardened instantly.
“Nala!” he barked. “Help Ms. Sophia Darvin up and apologize!”
Nala lifted her head briefly, her eyes cold and unrepentant—then looked away, ignoring him completely.
My wolf growled low, approving of what she did.
Martin looked ready to explode, his words trembling on his lips, when I stepped forward.
I smiled faintly at Sophia, my tone light but edged. “A child’s ignorance,” I said, “and you’re going to hold that against her?”
The phrase hit its mark.
Sophia’s fury stalled, her face twisting as she swallowed the insult forced down her throat. With help, she stood up, then shot a vicious glare.
“Protecting her like that,” she hissed, “soone might think she’s another one of your bastard child!”
Sothing inside snapped.
“SMACK!”.
The sound rang sharp and clean, slicing through the noise around us.
Sophia froze, stunned, her head turned to the side. Martin stood there gaping, utterly at a loss.
I lowered my hand slowly, my voice cold as winter steel. “I warned you to watch your mouth.”
Before she could recover, a familiar voice reached us.
“What are you doing?”
The voice cut through the air like an arrow, heavy and commanding, carrying with it a sharp gust of dominance that made my wolf tense instantly.
It was Nathan.
To Sophia, his voice was salvation.
Tears welled up imdiately as she rushed toward him, throwing herself into his arms like a swallow returning to its nest. Nathan stiffened slightly, his eyes flickering but when he sensed my indifferent gaze, he didn’t push her away.
Her small fra clung to his towering body, the contrast almost theatrical.
I watched calmly.
From a few centiters away, I observed my legal husband and my step sister locked in their little display, my wolf remained silent and detached.
Jonathan glanced at with concern, but when he saw how composed and unbothered I was, I felt his tension ease.
Nathan’s POV
“What happened?”
My voice ca out hoarse, rough with restrained fury, and the mont it rang out, the air shifted. My wolf surged forward instinctively, alpha pressure rolling out in an invisible wave. Conversations faltered. Even the caras seed to hesitate.
My cold gaze swept across the scene, taking everything in...the fallen composure, the trembling staff, the lingering scent of fear and adrenaline. Martin shrank under my stare and hurried to explain, his words tumbling over each other.
“I—I just couldn’t stand it,” Sophia cut in before he could finish. She bit her lip, her cheeks flushed, her eyes shimring as she looked at . “Your wife is still legally married to you, Nathan, yet she’s so close to another man out here. What would people think of you?”
My eyes moved without my permission towards Aria.
She stood beside Jonathan, a small girl nestled between them. The three of them ford a picture so complete it made my chest seize, as if sothing cold had slamd straight into my heart. My wolf snarled violently, claws scraping against my ribs.
They looked like a family.
Sothing thick and suffocating lodged itself in my chest.
“Aria,” I said, my voice low, dangerous. “Sophia did nothing wrong. Why did you hit her?”
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