Aria’s POV
Peter didn’t answer.
His eyes were unfocused, his scent muddled with stress, frustration, and a tint of fear.
My wolf bristled within .
"Peter," I said softly,"maybe I could take a look?"
The old part of , the lawyer I used to be, still lived inside my bones. And Peter... he had been my student, my shadow, my silent supporter. After everything he’d done for and Lana, helping him felt like instinct, sothing I should do without thinking.
But he forced a smile, one that didn’t reach his eyes."It’s nothing."
I didn’t believe him. Not even for a second.
I wanted to push, to demand answers, but he looked like one harsh word would crack him open, so I swallowed the worry clawing up my throat.
"Then go get so rest," I told him gently."I saw a few ingredients in the fridge. I’ll make dinner tonight and call you when it’s ready."
He didn’t argue. That alone told enough. Peter never turned down a chance to play responsible host.
His steps were unsteady as he walked away.
I turned toward the kitchen and got busy, pushing my thoughts aside and focusing on the rhythm of chopping vegetables, the calm of familiar motions.
But part of kept hearing the irregular beat of Peter’s heart as he walked to his room.
—
When I finished cooking, I went to call him.
"Peter, dinner’s ready. I’m coming in, okay?" I knocked lightly.
There was no answer.
My wolf pricked her ears. I pushed open the door quietly.
The lights were still on. Peter was on the bed, completely knocked out.
But what caught my attention wasn’t him, it was the paper half-hanging off the mattress.
A docunt.
Sothing inside tightened. My wolf leaned forward, her ears sharp, her instincts humming like a warning drum.
I stepped closer and picked it up.
And then I saw it.
The contents were familiar.
The structure, the phrasing, the legal traps hidden between the lines.
It was a flawed contract.
A complete setup.
My breath hitched, and I flipped to the final page—
Thirty million dollars.
My fingers trembled.
Thirty million? The Hemsworth Corporation was suing him for thirty million dollars?
Peter wasn’t even five years into his career. His firm wasn’t nearly that liquid. Even selling everything wouldn’t raise that kind of money.
I looked at him, asleep and oblivious. Even in sleep, his brow was furrowed, as if he was fighting sothing he couldn’t wake from.
My heart clenched.
And then—
A voice crashed through my mind, from my mory, from the past.
From him.
"I’ll make you behave."
That was what Nathan had said to . Was this what he ant? Did he already sohow know that I was staying with Peter?
My wolf recoiled violently.
My vision blurred.
Suddenly the voice wasn’t just sound, it was grip, a chain, a hand clamping around my throat, squeezing until the air was gone.
I stumbled back, my breath shattered, my chest heaving, my nails digging into my palms.
"Aria?"
Peter’ voice cut through the shapeless panic like a blade.
I looked up, still panting.
He was awake, wide-eyed, shocked and concerned.
"What’s wrong?" he asked.
I tried to steady myself, but my hands still shook. His gaze dropped to them... and then to the contract.
His face went stiff.
"Was it... Nathan?" I asked quietly.
My voice sounded small, but I couldn’t stop it.
Peter’s silence answered before he nodded.
"Yeah," he breathed."Alpha Nathan found out our firm mishandled a case. He’s coming after us for it."
My wolf growled, a low, protective rumble in my chest I barely kept silent.
"This is a setup," I snapped."Peter, that contract was flawed from the start! You’ve been walking straight into a trap!"
My voice was too loud, too sharp, too desperate.
He stared at , stunned.
Our eyes t. I saw myself reflected in his pupils.
I swallowed hard and lowered my head.
"I’m sorry," I whispered."I... overreacted."
But had I?
My wolf didn’t think so. She paced violently inside , her fur bristling, sensing danger far beyond what was on paper.
Peter softened."Aria... did you notice sothing in the contract? Look, I know you’re worried, but this is my problem. Don’t let it get to you."
He ant well.
But the chill in my spine wouldn’t go away.
Nathan’s shadow lood over every line of that docunt.
And no matter how much I told myself I was imagining it—
My wolf knew better.
Sothing very dark was happening.
And Nathan Hemsworth was at the center of it.
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