Alpha's Regret, Begging My Convict Luna Back Chapter 6

Aria’s POV

"Stop right there! Who are you?"

The security guard’s sharp voice pierced through the fog in my head, yanking back to reality. My wolf stirred uneasily under my skin, sensing tension before I even processed his words.

I frowned, trying to keep my voice steady. "I was here this afternoon—I live in Building Three. Don’t you rember?"

He shifted from one foot to the other, avoiding my gaze.

"Yeah, I let you in myself," he said finally. "But we just got orders. Your apartnt’s been seized by your creditors. I can’t let you in without their okay."

For a heartbeat, I thought I’d misheard him. "What?" My voice ca out thin, trembling. "That’s my apartnt. How can I not be allowed in?"

My wolf bristled at the injustice, claws itching to surface. That house was mine. I’d paid for it in full. It had nothing to do with Nathan.

The guard’s eyes flicked to the bundle in my arms, my pub, Lana, and his tone turned cold. "Look, you’ve got a kid, so I won’t make this harder than it needs to be. Just leave."

"You can’t do this!" My words cracked with desperation. "My things are in there—my luggage, everything!"

He just shrugged, unmoved. "Do you have a court order to lift the freeze? Without that or authorization from your creditor, I can’t let you in. Those are managent’s rules."

"Creditor?" I echoed, my voice barely a whisper. My lips felt numb from the cold, or maybe from the shock. "I don’t even know what you’re talking about..."

"Figure it out," he said, turning back toward his booth as if I were nothing more than a nuisance.

The icy wind cut through my thin coat, but the real chill ca from within. I could almost picture Nathan’s rciless stance as he signed the order to seize everything I owned. Legally, he had the right to do that, using my conviction and prison sentence as grounds for claiming damages.

With one command, he had stripped bare of my accounts and my ho.

Just how much did you hate , Nathan?

I’d served my ti. I’d paid the price for the cris levied against . Wasn’t that enough?

"Nathan, you’re heartless," I whispered, clutching Lana tighter against my chest.

The guard barked at again, telling to move away from the entrance, that I was an eyesore to Shevron Estates’ pristine image. My wolf growled low in my chest, but I forced her back. Losing control now would only make things worse.

So I stepped away, out into the empty street. The night wind howled around , sharp as knives. My hands shook, not from the cold, but from the rage simring beneath my skin. My wolf paced inside , snarling, wanting to lash out, to break through those gates and reclaim what was ours.

But I couldn’t. Not now. Not with Lana in my arms.

I took a deep breath, trying to steady myself. I had to move forward for her, for us.

Seconds later, a scrap of paper danced through the wind and landed at my feet. I crouched, my fingers stiff and trembling as I picked it up.

It read:

Cleaner wanted. Room and board included, two als daily, $1000/month.

I stared at it for a long mont. My pride whimpered, but my wolf was silent. Even she understood.

With a criminal record, no one would hire . Not even as a waitress. But a cleaner... a roof over my head, food, a chance to start over—that was sothing.

I held Lana close, her soft whimper muffled against my chest.

One last ti, I looked up at the gates of Shevron Estates, a symbol of everything Nathan had taken from . My wolf snarled softly, promising retribution.

Then I turned away.

Nathan’s POV

The early dawn crept over Hemsworth’s Villa as my car rolled past the iron gates. I leaned back in the leather seat, closing my eyes for a mont’s peace. My wolf stirred, uneasy. He’d been that way ever since yesterday night... ever since I’d sensed her in our ho.

The car stopped briefly at County Estates. The faint scent of expensive perfu hit before the door opened.

"Alpha Nathan, look what I brought you!" Sophia’s voice was light, cheerful, far too bright for this hour.

Her light brown curls were perfectly in place, her designer suit crisp, and the diamond-studded gold watch on her wrist glittered in the morning sun.

I gave her a brief glance, my expression unreadable, and went back to scrolling through the tablet in my hand.

She leaned forward, offering a neatly packed breakfast box. "I thought you might want sothing homade. You’ve been working so much lately."

The scent wafted through the car. It was warm bread, and the faint sweetness of jam. My wolf froze. I knew that sll.

The sa toasted rolls she used to make.

By she, I an Aria.

I didn’t want to rember, but the images ca anyway: Aria in the kitchen, barefoot, her hair tied up ssily, humming while the sun poured through the curtains as she made breakfast.

"You seem off today, Nathan." Sophia’s tentative voice broke the silence. "Is sothing wrong?"

Her hand trembled slightly where it rested on her lap.

"I heard you went to pick up Aria yesterday," she ventured. "Is she... still upset about turning her in?"

My fingers stilled on the tablet. I hadn’t absorbed a single word on the screen. My wolf stirred uneasily within . He was conflicted and angry.

I reached for one of the rolls. Habit, maybe. The first bite hit my tongue, and I exhaled. It was wrong, too sweet unlike the way Aria made it.

"She brought it on herself," I said flatly in response to Sophia’s question as I washed the taste away with a sip of water.

"Eighteen months ago, you outmaneuvered the Cowen’s family’s top lawyer with your brief. You’re a genius, Sophia . Hemsworth Group is lucky to have you."

I let my gaze harden, the cold armor slipping back into place. "As for her... she’s just a criminal. Don’t waste your thoughts on her."

Sophia sighed, a look of sorrow etched her face. "But Aria was my ntor. She brought into Hemsworth Group when I was nobody."

A muscle ticked in my jaw. "If not for her, you’d still be nobody," I said quietly. "She saw your talent and got jealous. Tried to bury you. Tried to bury everyone who threatened her spot."

"She’s vicious, Sophia," I added, my tone softening but still edged with venom. "You’re too kind. That’s why I need you by my side."

Sophia’s eyes shimred at that, pleased. She sighed dramatically. "Who could’ve guessed Aria would sell out the company? Working with the Cowen’s family against you. That is unthinkable. She was obsessed, Alpha Nathan. She wanted to make you depend on her."

Her hand slid onto my knee, her touch calculated. My wolf growled low inside . He didn’t like her scent, didn’t like her. But I ignored him.

"Lucky I had you," I murmured absently, patting her hand. My gaze drifted to the window.

Where was Aria now? The woman whose only dream was remaining my Luna?

She hadn’t returned again last night after all the stunts I pulled. My investigators said nothing about seeing her yet. Was she really out there, scavenging through trash for food? Or was she scheming again, waiting for her chance to strike?

A cold smirk tugged at my lips.

If she wanted to crawl through the dirt, so be it. She made her choice.

The screech of brakes jolted forward. Sophia gasped, tumbling into my arms.

I steadied her instantly, my instincts flaring. "What the hell was that?"

"My apologies, sir!" my driver stamred. "A street cleaner appeared out of nowhere—I almost hit her!"

My gaze snapped forward.

There, through the windshield, was a petite woman, bundled in a faded coat and scarf. She pushed a broom through the puddles, the water splashing against her thin legs. The sight clawed at . There was a strange familiarity I couldn’t shake.

Then she looked up.

But before I could get a good look at her face, she dropped her head and hurried away, sweeping faster, almost frantically.

There was a bundle strapped to her chest.

"Is that... a baby?" Sophia scoffed. "Sweeping with a child strapped to her? What kind of mother does that?"

Her words faded into static.

Because I knew that baby’s blanket. I’d seen it before—soft blue fabric with silver embroidery.

Then it hit . This was the woman on the bus outside the prison, cradling a baby.

It was her.

"Alpha Nathan, should I go help her?" My driver’s voice was careful, edged with pity.

I stared at the woman visibly cold, clutching her baby to her chest.

My wolf stirred imdiately, a low growl curling in my chest...