Free Web NovelChapter 172: Chapter 172
Nathan’s POV
Aria’s eyes opened, but the first words out of her mouth weren’t about her wounds, her body, or even what happened.
She asked about the child.
Lana.
My wolf growled low inside me, something close to jealousy scraping at my chest like claws. She almost drowned, but she’s focused on a pup whose father I still haven’t identified?
Why?
And why did it bother me so damn much?
A strange pang shot through my chest at the thought of her worrying for someone else’s child. My wolf bristled with a restless frustration I couldn’t name. It irritated me. It unsettled me.
When her gaze finally settled on me, unfocused but relieved, she exhaled softly.
Then she said the words that made my jaw tighten:
“Alright, you can leave now.”
Just like that. She was dismissive...Indifferent...As if I were nothing.
As if I were only tool to be used and set aside.
My hand curled into a fist, my claws itching beneath my skin. My voice came out harsher than I intended:
“Aria, do you think you can summon and dismiss me at will like some kind of servant?”
She looked at me in a strange, distant manner, like she was seeing a ghost or a memory that hurt too much.
Her eyes flickered, then she scoffed softly.
“Nathan, if it weren’t for you, how would things have ended up this way?”
My brows pulled together.
What does this have to do with me?
She had that same look again, the one that told me she didn’t expect me to understand. That she had already given up trying.
Her eyes closed, and her scent spiked with a mix of fear and betrayal.
But before I could speak, a sharp knock broke the tension.
Francis barged in like he owned the place.
Without hesitation, he slid into the chair beside Aria, my chair, and grabbed her hand.
My wolf let out a low, threatening growl within me. The air dropped several degrees.
Francis didn’t even flinch as he demanded, “Didn’t you know how to swim? How did you end up hurt after falling into a pool?”
His concern made something hot and furious burn in my chest.
Then he did the unforgivable, he held her hand tighter.
My energy spiked, cold and violent. He shivered slightly, good. At least he wasn’t completely oblivious to the Alpha he was provoking.
“When are you getting discharged?” he asked.
Aria shook her head.
Francis’s tone sharpened, clearly meant for me.
“You knew the party was a trap. You escaped unharmed this time. But if you got seriously hurt, who would stand for you? Who would protect you?”
My jaw clenched.
He was talking to her, but he was aiming every word at me.
Aria’s eyes dimmed as though something inside her was breaking. I hated it, hated seeing her like that, hated that I didn’t know how to fix it.
She had gone to that party to spite Sophia.
I knew her well enough to recognize her pride.
But what shocked me was Francis rising to his full height, facing me like a challenger wolf.
“Alpha Nathan, don’t you think you owe us an explanation? How does a healthy person end up in the water?”
“An explanation?” I repeated calmly, but the temperature in the room plummeted. My wolf pressed forward, agitated.
“Francis, I acknowledge your contributions. But as an outsider, you dare to demand an explanation from me regarding my wife, my luna?”
I didn’t miss the way Aria stiffened.
Francis’s smile vanished.
“If you truly considered her your wife and luna, you wouldn’t have conspired with outsiders to harm her.”
I froze.
Conspired? With outsiders?
What the hell was he talking about?
“When did I ever—?”
I stopped. Aria’s eyes were cold enough to shred me.
Francis scoffed and reached for an apple.
Before he touched it, my hand closed around his wrist like a steel trap.
“Explain. Now.”
He tried to pull back but failed.
Finally, he spat:
“Aria inhaled a lot of water. Tell me, how does someone who knows how to swim nearly drown in a shallow pool?”
My breath hitched, my mind blanked. My wolf went still, dangerously still.
Francis continued relentlessly: fгee𝑤ebɳoveɭ.cøm
“A year ago I pushed you to investigate. You dismissed everything. Tell me, did you consider her your wife and luna back then?”
A muscle ticked in my jaw.
Back then...
Back then all I felt was the pressure of my elders, their expectations, their disdain.
Back then my bond with Aria was a cage I didn’t understand.
“Besides,” Francis said with a mocking laugh, “you trusted Sophia more. You trusted Sophia over your own wife.” freёwebnovel.com
My head snapped toward him.
“Sophia is her sister,” I said automatically. “Why would she harm Aria?”
“NO.”
Aria’s cold, angry voice cut through the room.
I turned to her.
Her expression was lifeless. “She’s not my sister,” she said calmly.
“The Darvin family adopted her. That’s all. Nathan... she’s nothing more than your girlfriend.”
