Free Web NovelChapter 136: Chapter 136
Nathan’s POV
The dusty scent of old paper and metal filled the Hemsworth Group’s secret archives as I flipped through another stack of files. My wolf paced beneath my skin, restless and irritated, he hated enclosed spaces, hated stillness even more.
But we needed answers and answers were buried somewhere in this mountain of documents.
A sudden shrill ringing ripped through the silence.
Collins jolted, hand flying into his pocket. My brows knitted instantly. My wolf bared his teeth.
Noise, why was Collins cellphone turned on in the first place when we had work to do?. I hated being distracted at a time like this.
I lifted my head slowly, giving Collins a look sharp enough to skin him alive.
He swallowed hard.
Then he glanced at the screen, and his expression changed.
He hesitated...then he ended the call.
My jaw clenched, hard.
“Work first,” Collins muttered to himself before setting the phone to silent.
I grunted, good choice. We had a year-old betrayal to unravel, something that had torn Aria from me, sent her to prison, and left my wolf howling in rage beneath my ribs.
She had walked back into my life thin, tired, smelling like steel and cold concrete.
And I still hadn’t forgiven myself just thinking that there might be a possibility that we had been wrong about everything. I turned back to the files.
My attention stayed locked on the shredded document Peter had given me before...a piece of the truth, the very truth that might have been used to damn Aria.
My claws threatened to push through my fingertips as I smoothed the fragile paper.
Then—
A firm knock echoed from the door.
Collins and I exchanged a glance. I nodded at him.
He went to the door and opened it.
And Peter stepped inside.
The moment he crossed the threshold, my wolf lifted its head. The man no longer carried the confidence of a Hemsworth Group attorney, his scent had dulled, his shoulders hunched slightly. A month hadn’t passed since our last encounter, yet he looked like he’d lived a full winter alone.
Collins motioned him in and shut the door.
I came out of the archive through the adjoining room to my office and went to my chair. I sat down and leaned back, folding my arms, letting my aura fill the room. My wolf pressed forward, gauging Peter’s heartbeat.
I tapped my finger lightly against the table.
“Sit,” I ordered.
Peter obeyed immediately.
I wasted no time. I was the one who had called him here.
My voice came out low, edged with command only an Alpha could wield.
“What do you know about what happened a year ago?”
My tapping continued. It was slow and steady, like rain on a storm night.
Peter flinched slightly. Good, ge should. He had been close to Aria once, closer than I’d allowed myself to be.
He stared at the document between us, the torn evidence he had risked everything to deliver.
I remembered that time well. While he’d been fighting behind the scenes for her retrial, I...I had believed the accusations.
My wolf snarled at me, the same way he had ever since Aria returned.
You failed her. You failed our mate.
Peter finally lifted his eyes.
“Alpha Nathan,” he said, his voice steady in a way that challenged my wolf, “do you want to clear Aria’s name? Or do you want to find out who really leaked Hemsworth Group’s secrets and hold them accountable?”
My jaw tightened.Did he think I didn’t ask myself that every night?
My gaze sharpened. freewebnσvel.cøm
“You only need to tell me what you know.”
His lips twisted. “I have no such obligation.”
My wolf lunged within me, wanting to slam him against the wall.
But Peter reached into his coat... and placed a document on the table.
I reached for the file Peter handed me, my fingers brushing over the edges. The first thing my eyes caught were the bold words: Resignation Letter.
Peter spoke slowly, each word deliberate, each syllable heavy. "I am resigning from the Hemsworth Group."
A low growl twisted in my chest. It was not a sound I made, but a tension that rattled my wolf. I could feel the change in the room, the quiet pressure in the air, the way Collins tensed at my side. Peter had always been stubborn, but now... he was calm in the storm. Calm enough to defy me.
Memories surged unbidden. Aria, standing there in the Hemsworth lobby, her pleading eyes cutting through the crowd, forcing me to drop my demand for ridiculous compensation just to save her from further torment. My wolf snarled inside me at the recollection, protectiveness flaring, claws itching for the chance to strike anyone who dared touch her again.
Peter had kept his place in the Group, his law firm untouched, growing steadily. He had even reclaimed the old house, the one that held Aria and Lana’s rooms.
I scowled, my jaw tightening. My wolf coiled inside me, sensing the tension radiating off Peter.
"Have you thought this through?" I asked in a low voice.
Peter didn’t answer. He simply nodded, in a calm and defiant manner. I could smell the stubbornness in him.
I tossed the file to Collins, the motion sharp and controlled.
"If he wants to, you handle it."
Peter made a move to stand, to leave, but I rose first, and rushed to his side, my height and strength pressing him back into the chair.
"Peter," I said, my voice hoarse and icy "tell me what you know. Otherwise... though I promised her I wouldn’t make things difficult for you, I actually might go back on that promise...don’t test me."
My palm pressed against his shoulder, and even through his clothing, the cold burned. The scent of panic, of restrained defiance, reached me. My wolf growled, sensing every microtremor in his body.
"Alpha Nathan," he spat back, "are you trying to pressure me again?" freeweɓnøvel.com
I wasn’t angry. My eyes narrowed, hunting and analyzing. I didn’t let the unease rising within me show.
"She’s at Hemsworth Villa, If you want to protect her, you must speak" I said, finally, letting the words roll out slowly.
I knew Peter too well. Years in the Group had taught me his stubbornness, his loyalty, and... his unusual attachment to Aria.
Peter’s calm faltered. His eyes narrowed, I saw a hint of fear in his eyes. I smiled coldly, letting the threat linger. I was shameless. I knew it. Threatening him with Aria was a tactic I didn’t hesitate to use.
"Speak," I commanded.
