Free Web NovelChapter 120: Chapter 120
Aria’s POV
Rowland led me all the way to the front row, at the dead center, where every high-ranking wolf would see us.
We sat, and I blinked, stunned.
I smelled the faint tang of pride rolling off him, he was pleased with himself.
Seeing my expression, Rowland grinned. “Picked these seats myself. Do you like it?”
I let out a half sigh, half laugh.
He looked so cocky and hopeful it almost disarmed me.
But the problem was... I was still mated.
And though most of the noble wolf families didn’t know me, I wasn’t about to risk being recognized. The wrong eyes seeing me here could mean trouble.
I tugged on Rowland’s arm and whispered, “Think we could sit a bit to the side?”
He looked confused, his head tilting like a wolf pup hearing a strange sound.
I avoided his eyes and stared up at the bright overhead lights. “The lights are killing my head,” I lied, rubbing my temples.
He studied the motion quietly, a slow breath leaving him.
For a moment, I thought he’d insist we stay.
Then he flashed that boyish grin. “Easy peasy.”
He waved down an attendant with the confidence of a high-ranked alpha, and minutes later he led me to a seat on the right side of the first floor.
A large sunshade hung above us, casting cool shadow.
I exhaled, my shoulders loosening. My wolf settled too, curling comfortably now that we weren’t in direct view.
But the relief didn’t last long.
From across the hall, I could feel someone’s stare burning a hole into the shadows we sat under. A sharp, bitter scent drifted toward me.
My wolf growled in warning.
Across the hall, Sophia, Nathan’s beloved little shadow, squinted at us.
I didn’t have to see her clearly to sense her turmoil. She looked confused and angry. freēwēbnovel.com
Why is she so riled up?
Relax, Aria, my wolf huffed. She’s too far away to do anything.
I knew she was probably jealous. If she had seen the commotion that happened earlier, she would probably be wondering just why Rowland, a man who seemed to wield some power, had deemed me fit to stand up for me.
She snuck another glance at us, but the shadow mostly hid Rowland and me. The light was kind to us,.well, to me. To my anonymity.
But the entire first row was male leaders and heirs... except for me.
But Sophia kept glancing at us.
Then, a voice boomed.
“Let the auction begin!”
Lights blasted across the hall, harsh and sudden, stripping away the shadows I’d been hiding under.
My spine snapped straight.
Lana yelped in surprise.
The light exposed my profile.
Nathan’s POV
I sat on the first floor, pretending to pay attention to the auctioneer droning on about some artifact no one actually cared about. My wolf had long tuned him out, my ears flicking dismissively.
I pulled out my phone, skimming Rowland’s message again.
The person he’d been searching for... finally found...
My brow furrowed.
My nephew had been obsessed for years, scouring cities and borders for one particular woman. What kind of she-wolf could captivate him like that? Make him fly all the way to Asterfell, following nothing but a trail and a rumor?
I rubbed my chin, containing my curiosity the way I contained everything else. In a composed and controlled manner.
That was how an Alpha behaved.
Collins nudged me. “Alpha Nathan, isn’t that Alpha Rowland over in the corner?”
I followed his pointing finger.
It was indeed Rowland.
But it wasn’t him who made my wolf sit upright.
It was... the figure at his side.
Rowland sat with an arrogant posture, wearing a snow-white suit, something so unlike him it immediately pushed my senses on edge.
His frame blocked most of the woman beside him, but I spotted a soft pink dress brushing the floor. And a small form beside her...a child?
My wolf growled low. He brought a woman... with a pup?
My eyes narrowed, instincts sharpening.
What kind of woman, what kind of mother, held Rowland’s attention so fiercely?
Confusion tugged at me. But then I watched them whisper, their bodies tilted toward each other in an intimacy that made my wolf bristle.
Months had passed since I last saw Rowland, but I remembered him clearly. He always wore black suits, navy shirts, charcoal ties. Everything dark, everything muted.
Yet today he was dressed head-to-toe in white...
And then I noticed the tie.
A pink diamond.
The exact shade of her dress.
A matching-couple color.
My jaw tightened.
They weren’t even hiding it.
My gaze drifted against my will back to the woman.
She leaned in to hear something Rowland said, her slender neck exposed, glowing under the lights. Even with her hair falling softly around her face, her profile—
My breath stopped.
No.
No, no, no—
My eyes widened, my wolf slamming against my ribs.
Aria.
It was Aria!...My mate...My wife.
She was the one sitting there with Rowland.
Laughing and listening to him up close.
A growl ripped through my chest before I could stop it.
Collins flinched.
My stare bored into them, her, him...my vision tunneling, my wolf roaring in my ears.
Rowland lifted his head, his eyes meeting mine.
For a split second, he froze, sensing my Alpha fury. He blinked, and by the time he looked again, I had forced my expression back to stone.
But inside?
My wolf was losing his mind.
Rowland, oblivious fool that he was, offered a polite nod.
I didn’t move. My eyes were glued to Aria, my Aria, beside another male.
I barely registered Rowland lifting his phone.
Seconds later, mine buzzed.
[Well, what do you think? Isn’t my date a stunner?]
The words punched the air out of my lungs.
I looked up.
Rowland had already turned back to her, smiling softly, leaning close to murmur something in her ear.
She blushed.
My wolf roared so violently my hands trembled. The veins in my temples throbbed, vision tinting red.
How dare he...How dare she...
I forced my fingers to move, typing through clenched teeth:
[Do you even have a clue who she is?]
