Free Web NovelChapter 196: Chapter 196
Nathan’s POV
The words escaped before I could stop them.
Her reaction was immediate. She froze, her eyes narrowing slightly as she studied me like I’d spoken in a foreign tongue.
Still, when she met my gaze, something changed. I saw her defenses hesitate, her sharp reply falter before it ever reached her lips.
It felt as though her heart took the blow I hadn’t meant to strike.
Her lips trembled slightly as she lifted her chin, skepticism shadowing her eyes.
She sneered. “Strikingly forgetful, aren’t you, Alpha Nathan?”
Each word was dipped in venom. I didn’t know why she had said that and I didn’t ask.
A dry smile curved my lips. It was bitter and defensive. “The Hemsworth Group will issue an official statement on your behalf. We’re already containing the narrative.”
My gaze drifted back to the invitation in her hand, at the the name that still scraped at my instincts.
“Some events huh,” I added coolly, “seem a bit... superfluous.”
Inside, my wolf paced restlessly.
Because no matter how calm I looked, one truth howled louder than the rest...
If Aria really was Selina...Then the woman I thought I knew had never been just prey.
She’d always been powerful and dangerous.
There were faster ways to crush the rumors surrounding Aria. With a single order, I could have redirected public opinion, buried speculation, rewritten the narrative overnight.
But I didn’t.
Because Aria wasn’t some disposable partner or convenient ally.
She was my woman, my wife.
And in a wolf’s world, outsiders had no right to interfere in what belonged to the alpha.
My voice came out firmer than I expected, edged with authority I rarely unleashed as I explained my plan to clear Aria’s name.
Aria stared at me as if I’d spoken nonsense.
Then her eyes sharpened with defiant land I knew I’d misstepped.
“Nathan,” she snapped, her voice cutting like ice, “you didn’t help me clear things up a year ago. And now you want to play the good guy?”
The words hit harder than any blow.
My throat went dry. Even my wolf flinched.
Color drained from my face as her accusation tore open a wound I’d sealed too tightly.
A year ago... was it really her?
The thought had haunted me more often than I liked to admit. Access to Hemsworth Group’s core secrets was tightly controlled. Only a handful could breach it.
And Aria had been close to Richard.
My wolf growled uneasily, sensing the cracks in my certainty.
Before I could speak...before instinct or regret could take control, she turned away.
“If you’re leaving, do it now,” she said coldly. “I don’t want to see you.”
The door slammed shut behind her.
The sound echoed like a gunshot. For a moment, I couldn’t breathe. It was as if the air had twisted into a noose around my neck, tightening with every second I stood there. My wolf howled in frustration, pacing violently inside my chest.
I stared at the closed door.
Anger boiled up fast and sharp.
From a business standpoint, someone in Alpha Jonathan’s position wouldn’t lift a finger without profit. I knew his kind, I was his kind.
So why was he helping Aria?...What did he want from her?
The thought made my blood burn.
With a snarl tearing from my throat, I slammed my fist into the wall. Pain exploded...it was metallic and hot.
I barely noticed until the scent of blood hit. My blood. The skin across my knuckles was split, crimson streaking down my hand.
“Alpha Nathan!”
Collins’s panicked voice cut through the haze as he rushed over, his eyes wide. “What are you doing?!”
I didn’t look at him.
“Get me an invitation to the Celestyr charity gala,” I ordered, already turning away.
Aria’s POV
I stood by the window, watching Nathan’s car disappear down the long driveway, the engine’s growl fading into the distance like an irritated beast retreating into the wild.
My eyes lingered long after he was gone.
The glass reflected my face. I was too calm, too composed but inside, my wolf paced restlessly, unsettled by everythung that just happened.
I rubbed my temples, the beginnings of a headache blooming. Enough. I needed space. I needed air.
I reached for my phone, my fingers moving quickly as I typed a message to Alpha Jonathan. I planned to take him to the studio Kara had prepared for me, my den away from everything and everyone that made my instincts bristle.
Just as I hit send—
A hand flashed into my vision and my phone was gone.
I spun around, my wolf snarling within me.
Rowland stood in front of me, casually tossing my phone from one hand to the other. His gaze was unexpectedly restrained but that didn’t ease the warning bells ringing in my bones.
I stepped back instinctively, putting distance between us.
“What do you want?” I said coldly. “Give me back my phone.”
After Nathan, my nerves were already frayed. But Rowland... Rowland made my wolf uneasy in a different way. He was unpredictable, like a young predator who didn’t yet understand the boundaries in a pack.
Darkness flickered through his eyes at my rejection for a brief second, then vanished, replaced by a bright, almost playful grin.
“This is my Uncle Nathan’s villa,” he said lazily. “As his nephew, it’s not unreasonable for me to visit my aunt, right?”
He lingered deliberately on the word aunt.
My frown deepened. His logic was flawless and irritating. freeweɓnovēl.coɱ
“Your Uncle Nathan has gone to the company,” I replied flatly, waving my hand. “Give me my phone.”
Rowland stared at me openly, unapologetic. Then, unexpectedly, he sighed and handed the phone back.
He leaned closer, lowering his voice. “I went overseas to deal with some things. I rushed back the moment I was done.”
His tone was gentle, earnest and flowed like cool water over stone.
For some inexplicable reason, an image flashed through my mind.
A large dog, its tail wagging.
I stiffened, startled by my own thoughts, and stepped back again.
“You should report to your Uncle Nathan,” I said coolly. Only then did I realize he sounded like he was explaining himself to me.
His gaze lingered too long. My wolf bared her teeth within me.
He leaned against the wall, relaxed and rebellious, wild energy rolling off him like heat.
Then that magnetic voice reached me.
“Luna Aria.”
Alpha Jonathan’s voice cut through the tension like a bell.
