Free Web NovelChapter 198: Chapter 198
Nathan’s POV
I paced around outside the hall, a little bit impatient.
It is getting late already, why is she not here yet to clear her name?
“What a waste of Alpha Nathan’s goodwill.”
The muttered words drifted through the crowd like rot.
My wolf lifted his head instantly, his ears sharp, his teeth bared beneath my calm exterior.
“Perhaps she won’t even show up,” another voice sneered. “Luna Aria, always relying on someone else to clean up her mess.”
Disdain thickened the air. I could smell it. The chatter festered until patience snapped.
I turned.
The woman who’d spoken met my gaze and froze.
People often described my eyes as cold, but in moments like this, they weren’t just cold. They were empty. Like staring into a dark forest where something apex waited silently.
“Al...Alpha Nathan,” she stammered, her bravado collapsing into regret. ƒreewebηoveℓ.com
My wolf surged forward, demanding retribution.
“Terminate all our Company’s dealings with her family,” I said flatly to Collins.
I didnt have to raise my voice. I didn’t have to give her any explanation. The sentence landed like a death warrant.
Anyone who talks ill of my luna would bear the consequences.
As I walked away, whispers erupted behind me, people were already calculating the cost of crossing me. I didn’t care, my focus had shifted. freēwebnovel.com
I entered the hall and decided to scan it in search of Aria. Maybe she had somehow managed to get inside.
I didn’t see her.
My wolf paced restlessly beneath my skin, unsettled as we kept searching.
Then a soft hand threaded through my arm.
“Nathan, were you looking for me?” Sophia asked brightly, her excitement bubbling like champagne.
I inclined my head, noncommittal. I wasn’t about to confess the truth, not to her.
She thanked me effusively, clinging to my arm, but her voice grated against my nerves. I rubbed my temples, fighting the low growl building in my chest.
“Have you seen your sister?” I asked.
Sophia paused.
That pause was telling.
“I heard she’s here with Alpha Jonathan,” she whispered, her glance sharp.
The name hit like a spark on dry grass. My wolf snarled.
Jonathan.
Before I could respond, his voice echoed through the hall, commanding attention with ease.
“Ladies and gentlemen, thank you for joining us.”
The crowd stilled. I straightened instinctively, my eyes locking onto the stage.
Jonathan spoke of charity, of purpose—and then he mentioned her.
My senses sharpened painfully.
“Selina,” he said calmly, “known publicly as Aria, has faced intense scrutiny recently. As her friend, I stand here to support her.”
A murmur rippled through the room.
Then a voice bold and hostile, cut through the calm, questioning her legitimacy.
My jaw tightened.
Jonathan didn’t flinch.
“Then,” he said smoothly, “I invite her to come up and speak for herself.”
The lights dimmed. A single spotlight fell over the stage. A hand clad in white slipped through Jonathan’s arm.
The room stopped breathing. When the lights rose, she stood there.
Aria.
No...Selina.
The gown she wore stole the air from the room. It was crimson and white, power and restraint intertwined. My wolf went utterly still.
That dress...
It was a masterpiece.
“I am Selina,” Aria said, her voice steady as steel beneath silk. “Also known as Aria.”
The silence was absolute.
Pride stirred within me against my will, sharp and unwanted.
But it didn’t last.
Suddenly a voice from the crowd spat the words I despised.
“You are a convict.”
My gaze snapped toward the man who had spoken like a blade. The man swallowed, his courage evaporating under my stare.
Then...
Sophia stood.
“I’ve seen the design sketch for this dress before!” Her voice rang with manufactured hurt. “Sister, how could you deceive everyone by claiming this as your own work?”
The room shifted violently. All eyes swung to Aria and then to Sophia.
The balance tipped instantly. Sophia’s reputation gleamed; Aria’s was stained by rumor. Sisters didn’t lie, did they?
The design world erupted.
Sophia’s advisor Ken slammed his hand on the table. “Luna Aria, claiming another designer’s work is an unforgivable offense! You owe Selina an apology!”
I clenched my fist hard.
Aria’s face remained hidden beneath the wide brim of her hat, bead tassels falling like a curtain. I could only see her perfect proud chin and lips painted red as blood.
I looked at Sophia, my gaze cold, then back at Aria.Something inside me twisted.
I knew her and yet, I had never once seen her design anything.
Not a sketch, not a draft.
My wolf growled, uneasy.
The crowd seethed with rage, ready to tear her apart—
And for the first time that night, I wasn’t sure who I was protecting or who I was about to destroy.
Aria’s POV
I didn’t raise my voice.
I didn’t need to.
Silence was my weapon, the kind that made prey uneasy when they realized the forest had gone quiet.
My gaze slid past Ken’s livid face like ice over stone and settled on Sophia. If she thought tears and righteousness could frighten me, she’d forgotten what kind of wolf I was.
“You’ve seen this dress’s design sketch?” I asked calmly. “Where?”
My wolf lifted its head, eyes glowing behind my ribs.
“Do you have proof?” I continued. “If you’re making accusations without evidence, then don’t blame me if I do not hesitate to disregard family ties. The law doesn’t recognize blood, only truth.”
Each word landed with precision.
Sophia’s lips parted. No sound came out.
“I—”
I took one step closer.
“You say you cherish our bond as sisters,” I said softly, my voice edged like a blade drawn slowly from its sheath. “Yet here you are, trying to ruin me in front of everyone. Sophia...what is it you actually want?”
Her scent betrayed her. It was a mix of fear tangled with ambition. My wolf sneered.
Sophia bit her lip, her eyes reddening. The crowd shifted, confused by the sudden reversal. They’d expected me to crumble. Instead, I stood like a cliff.
“Sister,” Sophia said weakly, her voice trembling with practiced grievance, “I only wanted to protect your dignity. But you’re being so aggressive. You leave me no choice but to reveal this to everyone.”
