Free Web NovelChapter 137: Chapter 137
Nathan’s POV
Peter hesitated, his arm trembling slightly, a lump forming in his throat. Then he lowered his voice:
"Call Sophia over."
My fangs clenched, my ears twitched. Sophia?
I grabbed him by the collar instinctively, claws of tension raking just beneath the surface.
"How could this have anything to do with Sophia? Don’t play games with me."
His stubborn stare met mine. My wolf hissed, the hair on my neck rising. A cold shiver ran down my spine.
If this... if this really has something to do with Sophia... freeweɓnovel.cѳm
My heart thudded in my chest, my Alpha instincts screaming. A wave of fear and fury collided inside me.
If the leak of Hemsworth Group’s secrets wasn’t Aria’s doing... if it was Sophia all along... then everything...the attention and protection I had given Sophia...the slander and punishment I gave Aria—was a lie I had been feeding myself. My wolf snarled at the thought. I had underestimated Sophia. And I had underestimated the damage done to Aria.
I took a step back, pressing my lips tightly together, and the wolf inside me stirred. That gnawing, coiled tension I had felt all day suddenly surged into sharp awareness. Sophia. Could it really be her?
My lips pressed into a hard line, and I took a step back, then another, as the truth slammed into me like a silver-tipped blade.
Sophia... framed me?
For a second, my wolf went still, absolutely stunned. Then a low growl rumbled in my chest, vibrating against my ribs. I forced it down, but the shock must have shown on my face because Peter was staring at me with that cold, righteous look again.
He thinks I’m a monster. He probably also thinks I don’t deserve Aria.
The thought hit me like claws to the gut.
In the end, I sent Collins to fetch Sophia. I couldn’t even look at her.
She’d always followed me to the archives, always glued to my side, always pretending loyalty. Now that I knew she’d probably set Aria up... Goddess.
Collins soon arrived with Sophia. freewebnøvel.com
When she entered the room, she wore a look of possessiveness on her face. My wolf bared his teeth.
Seeing the expression on my face, her steps faltered. Collins led her to stand before me. Her heartbeat stuttered, it was a bit too fast.
My wolf glared out through my eyes, and her scent soured with fear.
“Nathan... is something the matter?” she asked, her voice trembling.
I didn’t answer. I just flicked my chin toward Peter.
He leaned forward. “Ms. Sophia Darvin, you were the first to discover and report the Hemsworth Group’s trade-secret leak a year ago, right?”
The moment the question hit the air, Sophia froze. Her breath hitched.
All three of us stared at her, our gazes sharp as interrogators.
“What do you mean by this?!” she screeched.
Her pitch made my ears ring. My wolf snarled internally, irritated.
Collins tried to soothe her, though even his he was watching her like prey. “Ms. Sophia Darvin, we’re only asking questions. No need for panic.”
But she was panicking hard, too hard for an innocent wolf.
She realized it too. The moment clarity reached her eyes, she bit her tongue, grounding herself. Collins slid a chair toward her.
“Sit.”
She did. Her knees had looked ready to buckle.
Peter stepped in again. “Ms. Sophia Darvin, you reported Aria back then. Not long after, you presented the ‘evidence’ alleging she stole confidential files and leaked them to the Cowen Group.”
Sophia seized on the opening. “I had evidence before I reported her!”
Peter’s laugh was humorless. “Really? Your only evidence was a surveillance video of Aria and Richard crossing paths. They seemed to have exchanged something. And the moment Hemsworth Group’s secrets leaked, you conveniently ‘found’ the rest of your proof.”
Sophia blinked rapidly at him, confused, defensive and calculating.
Peter leaned forward, his voice cold enough to frost stone. “Then tell me, Ms. Darvin, if you truly had evidence beforehand, why didn’t you inform Alpha Nathan immediately? Why wait until after the company secrets were leaked?”
I forced myself to breathe in a slow, controlled manner.
I needed to be calm and think.
Sophia startled when Peter questioned her, but the flash of fear smoothed out almost instantly. Too quickly...Suspiciously quickly.
“I just found it strange at the time,” she said, her voice trembling it almost seemed believable. “I had no idea Aria was going to do something like this.”
Her eyes flicked left, then right. Suddenly, anger flared within her.
“I just can’t believe it,” she continued, putting a hand dramatically to her chest. “Nathan is her husband! She actually betrayed him for her best friend’s company’s future. If it weren’t for the accidental company leak, I’d never have known she was passing secrets to Richard—”
She kept talking and talking and talking.
My wolf growled softly in the back of my mind.
Her story seemed perfect, flawless enough that the shock in me eased a little.
A year ago, Aria was in the wrong... but she already paid for it, I thought. As long as she stays away from Richard, I’m done hunting that ghost.
“Really?” Peter said with a low chuckle. His tone cut through my thoughts like a silver blade. I blinked, turning toward him.
He leaned forward, his eyes locked on Sophia.
“So...” Peter said, slow and sharp, “why did you monitor Aria beforehand?”
Sophia went utterly still.
Her heart missed a beat, her scent spiked, her fingers twitched.
Peter pushed harder. “Was it a coincidence? Or was it premeditated?”
The room chilled.
I stared at Sophia, really stared. She was scared.
Her face drained of colour.
Just then, the tense silence was broken by the banging on the door.
BANG! BANG! BANG!
“Alpha Nathan! Alpha Nathan!”
Collins was startled, sweat running down his spine. He glanced at me, my expression must have been monstrous, then he hurried to the door.
Who the hell dares interrupt now? I wondered.
The door swung open and Ethan all but collapsed inside, panting, panic reeking off him.
“Ethan!” Collins snapped. “How dare you abandon your post and come all the way here?”
But Ethan ignored him completely. For the first time in his life, he dared to look me directly in the eyes.
“Alpha Nathan!” His voice cracked. “Luna Aria—”
My heart slammed once, hard enough to shake my ribs.
“What about Luna Aria?” I growled, my wolf surging to the surface.
