Free Web NovelChapter 183: Chapter 183
Aria’s POV
Collins continued, “The internet is full of posts about you. After what happened yesterday, it’s dangerous outside.”
His scent was all seriousness, not even a sprinkle of exaggeration.
Yet something about his tone bothered me. Collins wasn’t the type to fuss over online gossip. And he certainly wasn’t the type to look this grim over it.
My wolf’s ears flattened. Something’s wrong.
I pulled out my phone and scrolled through it, checking the internet.
My breaths grew sharp and fast. With each headline, each photo, each disgusting, speculative comment involving Lana, rage surged through me like wildfire.
“These heartless reporters...” I snarled, my claws itching beneath my fingertips. “They’ll do anything for a damn story.” ƒreewebηoveℓ.com
They dared... they dared to target my pup.
Collins immediately replied, his voice gentle. “Hemsworth Group is doing all it can to suppress the rumors. With time, they’ll fade.”
I bit my lip so hard. I didn’t answer him. My wolf was pacing in circles within me, her tail lashing, ready to tear into anyone who even whispered my daughter’s name.
Collins shuffled awkwardly. I lifted my head slowly and fixed my gaze on him.
His pulse skipped.
“Move,” I commanded, my voice low, edged with the authority of an Alpha’s mate.
Collins froze, startled, and stepped aside.
I walked past him, my footsteps sharp and furious against the floor. He didn’t dare follow.
Behind me, I heard his frustrated sigh. Then the click of him dialing a number.
I didn’t need super hearing to guess who he was about to call.
It was Nathan.
Not bothering with him or waiting around dto hear what they would discuss, I left the villa. I took a car straight to the supermarket where Sandra worked, my wolf pacing beneath my skin the whole ride. The moment I sat down, I sent a quick message to the nanny back in Hemsworth Villa: Lana had to be watched carefully. My pup mattered more than anything.
When I stepped out of the car, the scents of different wolves filled my nose, harsh and overwhelming. Still, I found Sandra easily. Her scent was faintly sweet and familiar.
“Have you given it any thought?” I asked, stepping closer, my voice firm but not unkind.
A flicker of emotion crossed her face. It bothered between guilt and fear. I couldnt really tell which it was but she blinked it away too quickly for me to be sure. My wolf huffed, suspicious.
“Yes,” she said, feigning calm.
I nodded, feeling relieved. “Good. Once the store is ready, I’ll help you get used to the new environment.”
Sandra offered a smile. I returned it, though part of me remained uneasy. Something felt off but I pushed the thought aside.
Leaving the supermarket, I exhaled slowly, letting the morning breeze cool my heated thoughts. Helping Sandra felt right. Necessary. After everything, part of her situation was my responsibility.
Still...Why won’t this sense of danger leave me?
I kept glancing over my shoulders, as if expecting something.
I took another step away and again, felt the urge to look back. So I did. Sandra was still inside, sorting items, her expression unreadable.
I shook off the feeling. I’d check on Kara later. For now, I only skimmed the renovation updates on my phone while waiting for my ride outside the supermarket.
That was when the world suddenly changed.
Darkness swallowed my vision.A strange chemical scent hit my nose. My limbs turned sluggish, like my bones had been drained of strength. My wolf snarled, trying to rise, but the scent smothered her like smoke.
My voice came out a weak, nasal groan.
“Who...?”
A cold wave of fear rolled over me.
Collins’ warning...it was happening so soon? Another kidnapping? In broad daylight?
Someone grabbed my wrist hard. Their grip was all brute force, no fear of being seen.
“Load her up,” a man ordered behind me.
My heart thudded in furious, panicked beats.
My wolf clawed at my chest, begging me to shift, but the drug kept me trapped.
Rough ropes tightened around my arms, scraping skin. Then a heavy cloth was thrown over me, covering everything—my face, the ropes, my whole identity.
I inhaled sharply. The dizziness slammed into me like a truck.
Someone hefted me over their shoulder. The world tilted. I could taste fear in my mouth.
Not again.... I can’t leave Lana...not like this...
Then...I heard a piercing sound. fɾēewebnσveℓ.com
BANG.
Was it a gunshot?or a slammed door? Whatever it was, it froze the men in place.
They stiffened. I felt their panic in the sudden tension of muscle beneath me.
Out of nowhere, a familiar, powerful scent cut through the haze.
Francis.
At some point he had arrived.
I felt myself dropped, the air whooshing from my lungs. The cover was lifted and I saw Francis. He seized the man who carried me by the neck with one hand one. His supernatural strength crackled through the air like static, his claws were drawn. The man bared his fangs but he was no match for Francis.
He slammed the man into the wall so hard the impact vibrated through the ground.
“Do you think Asterfell’s laws are suggestions?” Francis roared, his voice deep.
The man’s head scraped against the rough wall, blood mingling with dust.
Francis untied my ropes with a ferocity that wasn’t gentle, but it was protective.
My strength surged back as soon as the rope was gone. All the men had scampered away after the gunshot except the one who had held me. He was beaten to a pulp by Francis who didn’t let him escape.
My wolf rose with a furious snarl.
Standing tall over the man who was lying weak on the floor, I demanded in a sharp voice, “Who are you?”
