Free Web NovelChapter 174: Chapter 174
Nathan’s POV
Collins nodded so quickly it was almost a bow, then hurried out, leaving me alone with the remnants of my rage.
I dragged a hand through my hair, rubbing my temples. My mind was a mess. Anger, fear, protectiveness, guilt... too many emotions were battling for dominance. My wolf paced and snarled, furious that Lana’s safe world had been invaded.
But beneath all of that...Aria’s face surfaced in my mind, her cold, disappointed eyes when she glared at me earlier. freeweɓnøvel.com
The memory hit me like claws across the chest. My fingers tightened involuntarily, and the pen I was holding snapped in half. Ink splattered across the paper like blood drops.
Damn it.
I pushed to my feet, unable to sit still a second longer. My wolf demanded action. I snatched my coat from the chair and stormed out.
Minutes later, my Maybach shot out of the underground garage, accelerating toward the Hemsworth Group Private Hospital. My pulse pounded in my ears, wolf instincts sharpening my senses as the city blurred past.
When I reached Aria’s room and pushed open the door, the sight of Aria made my breath stop.
She sat on the hospital bed, trembling slightly, her arm shaking enough that her whole body followed. The light from her phone screen made her look even paler, fragile in a way that stabbed at something in me.
My wolf fell silent...stilled.
Watching her the way wolves watch wounded mates.
Without thinking, I stepped forward and snatched the phone from her hands. One glance at the screen told me enough, she’d read everything.
“I’ve arranged for someone to handle it,” I said, my voice low and protective. “All of Lana’s photos will be deleted.”
I set her phone face-down on the cabinet.
For the first time since I entered, she looked up at me. Her voice was hoarse, cold enough to frost glass. “Do you know who’s behind it?”
I hesitated. I hated the answer, but I gave it anyway. “Not yet.”
Her eyes sharpened. “Then you should focus on Sophia and Jessica.”
Sophia? Jessica?
I frowned, thrown off. “Sophia?”
But Aria’s eyes... gods, those eyes. There was. a mix of pain, anger and ice in them. She’d always been strong since leaving prison, but this time she seemed carved out of something brittle.
“I already told Collins to look into it,” I said. “You should be focusing on recovering.”
The moment I spoke, I felt the shift in her. She let out a humorless laugh and sank into the pillows, looking fragile but somehow still fierce.
“Aria...” I tried. My voice came out softer than I intended. My wolf hated the distance between us, distance that felt wider than oceans.
She lifted her chin, her voice calm but edged with steel. “My dress was custom-made. No tags, no logos. Yet somehow the internet claims it’s a fake Chanel. That’s impossible without someone deliberately leaking it.”
Her eyes darkened.
“Someone at the villa saw my dress box. Jessica was at my bedroom door. And Sophia...” She exhaled sharply. “Sophia is never far from trouble.
"And look at the timing. My supposed dress scandal breaks out and instantly Lana’s photos appear everywhere. That isn’t a coincidence.”
Her logic hit me hard. She was right. Every word was precise. It was the cold, painful truth.
For a moment, I could only stare at her pale face, her eyes closing as exhaustion overtook her. She looked drained... too worn out for someone who has been fighting tooth and claw through life.
My fingers twitched. I hated seeing her like this.
My wolf wanted to pull her into my arms. To tell her she wasn’t alone. To promise I’d tear apart every last person who hurt her once I found them.
But wolves can’t fix what humans break.
And even though we shared a home... the emotional distance between us felt like two separate worlds.
Still...
I wanted to bridge it.
Just once.
Just one step toward her.
Lowering my gaze, I pulled my hand back before it could brush Aria’s. My wolf had urged me to reach for her, but I stopped myself. She wasn’t ready for that.
“I’ll look into what you said,” I murmured, softening my tone in a way that surprised even me. “Just focus on getting better.”
She didn’t answer, didn’t even open her eyes.
My words bounced off her blank expression like pebbles hitting ice.
A faint ache tugged at my chest, an emotion I didn’t want to name. My wolf whined low in my mind, unhappy with how she shut us out.
Staying here... wouldn’t help either of us.
“If you need anything, have the nurse call me,” I said before stepping out.
The soft click of the door closing felt too final.
****
I didn’t see Aria’s expression after I left—but the scent of her emotions hung in the air. Confusion. Hurt. Anger. A whirlwind mixing into something sharp enough my wolf paced nervously.
I forced myself to keep walking, even as part of me wanted to turn around.
Aria’s POV
As the door clicked shut, I opened my eyes again. They burned, not from tears, but from the storm twisting inside me. The faint scent of Nathan’s lingering presence faded from the room, and with it, whatever fragile calm I had left.
I pushed myself upright, my muscles aching like I’d been fighting in my sleep. Maybe I had—these days my wolf never truly rested. Grabbing my phone, I dialed a familiar number.
“Hey,” I said when the call connected, “the dress you gave me... there’s no brand tag on it, right?”
On the other end, I could hear my designer friend chewing something “Of course not,” she drawled. “It’s my custom piece. No brand could match my reputation. Why would I lower my work’s status with some silly tag?”
She can be arrogant. But unfortunately, every word was true.
“Why’re you asking?” she added casually.
“Nothing,” I murmured before ending the call.
My claws pricked faintly at my fingertips as memories from yesterday surged. I was sure I left the gift box outside my door, Jessica must have seen it. I know she did. And since it had no tag...she must have concluded it was fske designers...it suddenly made sense.
My eyes narrowed, a low growl slipped from my throat.
If it really was them...
I clenched my jaw, forcing my wolf back as protective fury surged through me, hot and wild.
“They can play their petty games with me,” I whispered to the empty room. “But if they dare target Lana...”
My wolf’s gold eyes flashed fiercely through mine.
“...I will tear them apart.”
