Free Web NovelChapter 159: Chapter 159
Aria’s POV
Sophia was sprawled across Nathan’s chest. Her scent filled the room. Nathan held her tightly, his breathing was uneven, his voice low and strained.
“Aria...” he said.
I furrowed my brows. How dare he mention my name while holding onto another woman?. fɾeeweɓnѳveɭ.com
Sophia raised her bright eyes and looked directly at me. Her cheeks were flushed red as berries.
She smiled at me, then she stroked his chest, whispering, “Nathan, it is Sophia.”
Nathan’s eyes fluttered open. It was foggy and unfocused. His spine tightened, muscles flexing. He grabbed Sophia harder, as if trying to pull her closer or hold himself together, I couldn’t tell.
My wolf growled deep in my chest, a sound only I heard.
I reached for the light switch and flicked it on.
Bright white light flooded the room, merciless, exposing every corner, every detail, every sin.
Nathan’s POV
The lights blasted on and the sudden brightness sliced straight through my haze. My wolf recoiled, claws scraping against the inside of my skull, dragging me back to clarity.
Sophia’s face snapped into focus, too close, too expectant, too wrong.
A low growl vibrated in my chest before I even realized it. Instinctively, I jerked back, putting space between us. The room stank of spilled liquor, her perfume, and something else.
But none of it mattered once I caught her scent.
Aria.
My head whipped toward her. She stood across the living room, Lana held steady in her arms, the bright light outlining her like some cold, unreachable goddess. Her gaze didn’t waver, it was icy and distant, it hit me like a punch to the ribs.
My heart kicked hard. My wolf pressed forward, ears flat, tail lashing.
Mine, he snarled.
A pulse of panic shot through me. My limbs tingled, my senses sharpening painfully as the alcohol burned off under the force of adrenaline.
I opened my mouth to speak, to explain? To defend myself? I didn’t even know—but her steady, deliberate footsteps drowned my voice. She walked past us, switching on every light along the way, as if cleansing the shadows we sat in. She went straight to the kitchen, not even glancing back.
Sophia followed her with her eyes, then looked at me. “Nathan... are you sober now?”
I glared at her. My voice came out colder than ice. “Why are you still here?”
Her breath caught. “You were drunk. I brought you home. I couldn’t just leave you.”
Drunk...right.
I pressed a hand to my head. Pain pounded behind my eyes...part hangover, part wolf temper, part something I refused to name. Sophia moved closer, offering a hangover remedy. My wolf recoiled; I forced myself to remain still.
And then Aria reappeared. Calm, composed, holding Lana like she held her entire world. She barely spared us a glance before heading toward her room.
“Aria.”
Her name tore itself from my throat before I could stop it.
She paused, turned, her expression bored and impatient. It stabbed deeper than any claw.
“Where did you go?” I demanded.
Her brows dipped in annoyance. “What does it matter to you? We agreed to stay out of each other’s business.”
She started to leave.
No.
No, absolutely not.
I surged forward towards her, my drunken balance forgotten, wolf strength overriding everything. My hand closed around her wrist.
“I asked,” I growled, “where did you go?”
Her eyes flashed stormy, defiant. My wolf pushed up hard inside me, furious, possessive, baring his teeth.
Because I remembered.
I remembered the reports, the photos. Her laughing...laughing with Francis.
Francis holding little Lana.
Rage scorched through me like wildfire. My vision blurred at the edges, red creeping into gold. Richard, Peter. Rowland and now Francis.
Too many names, too many threats.
Too many men near what was mine.
I hadn’t cared about the mountain of documents on my desk. I cared only about the gnawing fire in my chest, the hollow in my gut, the urge to hunt or fight or drink until the roaring stopped.
So I’d gone to the bar. Not the private upper floor, no. I’d wanted noise, crowds, a place where I couldn’t hear my wolf obsess over her. I drank bottle after bottle until the world swam and blurred.
Someone must have recognized me and maybe even called Sophia. Next thing I knew, Sophia was dragging me home, despite her injured ankle. She fussed and hovered, whispering my name like it meant something.
Aria peeled my hand off her wrist, her expression frosted over.
“Alpha Nathan,” she said coolly, “don’t take your drunkenness out on me.”
That formality sliced deeper than claws.
I grabbed her again, pulled her toward me, and the words ripped free before I could stop them.
“You’re my wife!” The word echoed through the villa, raw and primal. My wolf snarled in agreement.
Sophia flinched. I didn’t spare her a glance.
Aria’s expression hardened, her voice like ice.
“Alpha Nathan,” she said quietly, “our marriage is a façade. I don’t question you bringing other women back to Hemsworth Villa, so don’t question where I go.”
The moment her words hit me, my eyes flickered. My wolf pushed against my skin, claws scraping at the edges of my control. My grip on her wrist tightened. I could feel her pulse there, steady, unbothered... and it infuriated me.
“You’re saying I shouldn’t care?” I growled, my voice rougher than I intended, my wolf bleeding through. “You always seem to be seeking other men’s attention.”
The accusation tasted bitter even as it left my tongue. It was jealousy, raw, ugly and primal. My wolf hated the scent of other males around her. Hated it to the point it made my heart ache.
The change in Aria’s aura was immediate.
Then she slapped me hard.
I was stunned.
