Free Web NovelChapter 155: Chapter 155
Aria’s POV
Nathan’s arms tightened around me. His scent flooded my senses. My wolf didn’t know whether to bite him or melt.
For a moment, I thought Rowland would lunge at his uncle. But when he saw my stunned expression, he froze and masked his reaction.
Nathan leaned back with a satisfied expression, completely relaxed with me in his lap, his alpha confidence radiating off him. His posture screamed dominance, and Rowland faltered.
I glared at Nathan. “Let go.”
“No.”
I twisted to face him fully, and our eyes clashed...heat, defiance, and confusion swirling between us. My wolf trembled slightly within me.
Why is he acting like this? Why now? He never really wanted me. He is only doing this to make his nephew jealous. Pathetic!
Nathan lowered his voice, his breath warm against my ear. “Aria, we are not divorced yet. Remember your place. The person sitting in front of us is your nephew.”
Rowland stiffened. My stomach dropped.
Rowland hid things well, too well for a wolf...but downstairs, he had lost control, punching a man without hesitation.
Then it hit me. freewēbnoveℓ.com
Nathan didn’t bring us up here for a conversation. He brought us to make a point. A cold weight settled in my chest.
No wonder.
How could someone like Rowland, a young noble, get involved with a woman like me? A soon-to-be divorcée with a record?
My throat tightened and I stopped struggling.
Nathan didn’t notice. His expression stayed calm, but I caught the subtle flare of his nostrils as he instinctively inhaled my scent. That tiny slip betrayed him, he wasn’t as unaffected by my presence as he pretended.
Rowland finally snapped, his voice cold.
“You two are divorcing soon. Since things are broken, shouldn’t you keep your distance? Uncle Nathan... shouldn’t you respect Aria’s wishes?”
Nathan glared furiously at him, his eyes glowing amber with his wolf.
My eyes flicked to Collins who was standing against the wall, he looked like he was silently praying for his life.
Before the tension could explode, a knock sounded at the door.
Collins nearly sprinted to open it.
I tried to slide off Nathan’s lap, but his arms only tightened, holding me in place. My wolf snarled.
Sophia walked in and froze.
“You...”
Nathan barely glanced at her. “What’s wrong?”
Her gaze flicked between us, full of betrayal and rage.
Mortified, I shot to my feet, heat rushing up my neck. I went along with Nathan’s nonsense? After everything he had put me through?
I leapt away from him, creating space.
Nathan’s arms fell empty. His face darkened immediately. But with Sophia present, he couldn’t yank me back.
Sophia approached with her documents and then of course “accidentally” stumbled. Her heel snapped, and she fell straight into Nathan’s arms. fгeewebnovёl.com
I watched her fake her whimper, her trembling lip, her strategically red ankle.
“Aria... why did you trip me?”
There was silence.
Nathan slowly lifted his head and stared straight at me.
I stared back and laughed inwardly.
What a pathetic trick.
Nathan’s POV
“Aria?”
I said her name quietly, my voice edged with a low growl.
She froze for a heartbeat before lifting her gaze to mine. But what I saw there made an ache twist in my chest, she looked at me with distance, suspicion... and nothing else. There was no atom of warmth in her gaze.
Sophia spoke before Aria could.
“She probably did it accidentally.”
Her voice trembled, all soft innocence and fragile breath. Two perfect trails of tears glistened on her cheeks.
My wolf should have reacted protectively. He usually did around injured pack members.
But today? He was restless, snapping, Irritated. Not at the one crying but at the woman denying responsibility.
“I didn’t do it,” Aria said calmly.
“It wasn’t her,” Rowland added at the exact same time.
Their voices overlapped, and something cold and violent slashed through me.
My wolf snarled.
I spun toward Rowland.
“You read minds now? How do you know she didn’t?”
He didn’t flinch and that irritated me more.
Aria took a sharp step back, away from me like I was some beast lunging at her.
My wolf recoiled within me, then roared in protest. She retreated further, and Rowland moved instantly, slipping between us like a shield.
They were standing too close.
Far, far too close.
A dangerous frost coated my voice, my aura pushing out instinctively. My wolf prowled under my skin.
Mine! She’s mine!
Sophia’s soft sobs reached my ears. Normally, the sound would tug at the protective instincts in my blood.
Not today.
Today those sobs only grated, amplifying the tension wrapping around my lungs.
I forced myself to look at her ankle. It was red and swollen, clear as day. Her high heel had snapped. The injury was real.
But my eyes drifted back to Aria anyway.
I wanted to ask her, to hear her explanation, to understand.
But when I saw her cold, unreadable and distant expression, the words died in my throat.
She brushed past Sophia like she wasn’t even there and stood in front of Collins who was blocking the door.
“Open the door. I’m leaving.”
Collins paled and looked at me, silently begging for instructions.
