Aria’s POV
The night pressed down heavily as we finally crossed into Asterfell, city lights bleeding into the darkness like scattered embers. My wolf had been restless the entire drive, pacing beneath my skin, feeling very uneasy.
Alia frowned at the GPS in her hand.
"Looks like they’ve stopped."
She lifted her phone, the glowing screen reflecting in my eyes. The pulsing dot had gone still.
Logan scratched his head. "You don’t think they realized we were tracking them, do you?"
My expression cooled instantly. My wolf’s ears flattened. "They shouldn’t have. If we got the location this fast, it’s almost certainly his personal car. Which ans..." I pinched the screen and zood in. "He should be sowhere nearby."
The dot sat brazenly in the heart of downtown.
My brows knit together.
How could this person kidnap a child and then linger in the city center?
I lifted my head and t Alia’s eyes. We all got out of the car and continued on foot, heading towards the spot on the GPS.
A few seconds later, a voice reached us.
"I know where he is."
A presence slid in from behind us, heavy and charged, like static before a storm.
"Aria." He called out in a low, magnetic tone.
Every muscle in my body went tight. My claws threatened to break skin as my fingers curled.
"Who’s there?" Alia snapped. She reacted instantly, pulling half a step behind her.
I turned and my stomach dropped. Of all the faces I never wanted to see again in this lifeti, it had to be his.
"I am Alpha Richard," the man said smoothly. "Aria’s childhood friend."
Alia glanced at , questioning.
My face remained blank, but my wolf bared her teeth within . "Why are you here?" I demanded. "And what do you know?"
"I know everything that’s been happening in Asterfell lately," Richard replied, stepping closer. "Patrick’s situation and yours."
His gaze burned as it locked onto , like a predator finally finding the trail it had been following for awhile.
"The kid is missing, I know," he continued softly. "I can help you."
He leaned down, his breath brushing the shell of my ear.
Every instinct in scread. My skin prickled, goosebumps racing down my arms as my wolf recoiled, hackles raised.
I stepped back sharply. "What child?" I demanded, my eyes sharp as blades. "And how do you know about this?"
Richard didn’t look guilty. He looked pleased.
He was still smiling.
"Well, I had him taken," he said lightly. "Otherwise, you wouldn’t have been able to leave Duckspire so easily with him. And Patrick?" His voice dipped. "I can help you deal with him too. Even what happened a year ago, I can clean all of that up for you."
Storm clouds gathered in his eyes as he looked at , his gaze sliding over like he already owned .
Alia shifted uneasily beside . From his words, it was clear Jackson’s kidnapping had been ordered by him.
"You’ve been following ," I said coldly. "And now you think you can threaten ?"
Richard’s lips curved upward, delighted by my attention. "No, Aria. I want to help you."
He stepped closer again, the chill around him thick and invasive. My wolf growled low and deep in my chest.
"Uh...sorry," Logan cut in, perfectly tid. "Let see if I’ve got this right. We were about to bring the kid back safely. You kidnapped him first. Then, while we’re out here in the middle of the night trying to find him, you show up and say you’re here to help?"
He looked at Richard like he was examining a particularly stupid puzzle. "Are you... okay?"
Richard’s dreamy gaze snapped to Logan, sharpening instantly.
"And who the hell are you supposed to be?" he demanded, voice dropping into sothing dark.
Logan shrugged easily. "Maybe your worst nightmare."
The casual answer made Alia exhale despite herself.
Richard chuckled lightly. His interference was obviously not random. It was calculated.
"So," I said, staring straight at him, disgust clear in my eyes, "what do you actually want?"
Richard turned to imdiately. His eyes locked onto with an intensity that made my hackles rise.
"You and Nathan are divorced," he said softly. "Co with , Aria. I can clear your na tomorrow. You won’t need to go through all this trouble."
My wolf pressed forward, suspicious, my teeth bared.
I was stunned by his response.
"Why should I go anywhere with you?" I asked, my eyes narrowed.
I stepped closer instead, closing the distance on my own terms. "Why are you so confident?" I asked coolly. "Confident that you can clear my na. Even what happened over a year ago?"
Richard’s eyes lit up like a gambler seeing an opening. For a mont, he looked like he was about to spill everything he knew, then he suddenly stopped himself and reached for my hand instead.
My wolf lunged.
"Just co with ," he said hurriedly. "I’ll take you to the child first. I’ll explain what happened over a year ago slowly..."
"Get lost." I yanked my hand back, my voice slicing through the night.
I lifted my chin, my eyes cold and unyielding. "If you don’t tell where the child is, I’ll hand this recording over and sue you for child trafficking."
I raised my phone, the recording interface glowing clearly on the screen.
Richard’s face twisted. "You recorded this?" His voice dropped. "When?"
"Imdiately you appeared," I replied.
Each word was ice. The kind that forms at the peak of a mountain.
"Isn’t that great?" he laughed suddenly. The sound cracked as it went on, each repetition more bitter than the last. "Haha...you have so guts Aria."
He stared at like I’d betrayed him. "After all these years. After growing up together. You guard yourself against like this?"
I felt nothing.
"Before dawn," I said calmly, "if I don’t see Jackson, we’ll et at Cowen Group."
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