Free Web NovelChapter 203: Chapter 203
Aria’s POV
Jonathan and I walked side by side down the sunlit street, our conversation light, our laughter easy. For a rare moment, my wolf was quiet and content. Lana rested in Jonathan’s arms. He claimed it was to spare me the trouble, but I could tell the truth by the way his hold never loosened, by how his steps unconsciously adjusted to her tiny weight.
He didn’t want to give her back.
I noticed, of course. But I said nothing, letting the moment exist as it was.
I had seen some online chatter about our outing earlier. The public was becoming a nuisance with their constant attacks and speculations. I decided not to pay them any attention.
Jonathan and I wandered without purpose, stopping at small shops and stalls. I pointed out Asterfell’s signature pastries, its handmade chocolates, the artisanal breads infused with strange but pleasant scents. Jonathan listened attentively, amused, indulging me like someone who had all the time in the world.
Then we reached the end of the street.
A Bugatti Veyron sat there like a predator blocking a trail, hazard lights blinking—once, twice—like a pair of unblinking eyes locked onto me.
My wolf bristled instantly.
Annoyance flared. I turned slightly, intending to leave, when the engine roared to life. The car lurched forward just enough to cut off our path, forcing the confrontation.
It wasn’t subtle...It was meant for me.
The window slid down, revealing the man behind the wheels.
It was Nathan.
His gaze was sharp, glacial, lingering first on Jonathan, then dropping to Lana in his arms. Inside the car, his aura churned violently, like a storm trapped behind steel and glass.
The door opened.
Long, straight legs touched the pavement, followed by his tall frame. His shadow stretched toward us, heavy and imposing.
My wolf recoiled, hackles rising. Nathan’s presence was unwanted and uninvited. My instincts screamed it. I could almost feel the air thicken around us.
Jonathan remained composed, as befitting a man of breeding and restraint. His lips curved into a polite smile.
“What a coincidence, Alpha Nathan.”
Nathan didn’t even acknowledge him.
His eyes stayed on me, only flicking briefly to Lana, as if confirming something that disturbed him deeply.
Why did you bring her our?
The unspoken accusation was loud enough.
“This is not a coincidence,” Nathan said with a cold snort, his hostility naked.
Jonathan merely lifted an eyebrow, clearly unsurprised.
I frowned, my irritation surging. “What exactly do you want?”
Nathan’s expression shifted, only slightly, but the darkness remained.
“Remember your place,” he said flatly. “And come home with me.”
The command grated against my ears, against my bones, against my wolf. Even Jonathan stiffened at the tone.
“Alpha Nathan” Jonathan said calmly, confusion flickering across his face, “Aria invited me out today to thank me for my help yesterday. Does that require your interference as well?”
Nathan didn’t answer him.
He looked at me instead, his gaze sharp as a blade. “Someone from the Darvin family has arrived,” he said. “Are you sure you don’t want to leave?”
The words struck harder than I expected.
My fingers twitched, my calm cracked.
I finally met his eyes, searching them to know if he was lying. His eyes were cold... but sincere.
My grip on Lana tightened.
Someone from the Darvin’s family?
Why now?
Questions flooded my mind, one after another, setting my wolf on edge. The situation was a bit unnatural.
There was no time to think.
Fear, not for myself, but for Lana, rose like ice in my veins.
I flagged down a cab, my face drained of color. Turning to Jonathan, I forced an apologetic smile. The light in my eyes had dimmed, and he saw it.
“I understand,” he said gently, though disappointment flickered beneath his composure. “We can reschedule.”
The word reschedule echoed in the air.
Nathan let out a series of cold, mocking laughs.
It wasn’t until Aria turned her back on me and got into the taxi that my restraint finally cracked.
I turned slowly and fixed my gaze on Jonathan.
The streetlights caught his polite smile, he was calm and infuriatingly composed.
“Stay away from her.”
My voice came out low, rough, carrying the weight of a growl barely restrained. He met my stare without flinching.
“Aria is remarkable,” he said mildly. “It’s natural that people would want to pursue her. That said, I respect the law and ethics. I would only approach her with her consent, after you two divorce.”
Divorce.
The word hit like a blade.
He excused himself then, lifting the shopping bags...plush toys, perfume, obviously things she had chosen. Things that shouldn’t have been in his hands.
“Divorce?” I repeated coldly, the word tasting like blood.
“Don’t even think about it.”
The wind carried my words after him.
Jonathan paused for just a fraction of a second, then continued walking, utterly unbothered.
My claws bit into my palm as he disappeared from view.
By the time I returned to Hemsworth Villa, the house was quiet.
Aria had already put Lana to sleep. She sat on the living room sofa.
Waiting.
Her eyes were sharp, burning with fury and accusation as soon as she saw me
“Where’s the Darvin family?” she demanded.
I almost laughed.
She’d finally come home and seen through my lie.
“Forget the Darvin family,” I said with a cold chuckle, sarcasm dripping from every word. “If I’d left you and that guy alone any longer, would you two have gone straight to get married?”
She didn’t even blink.
“We could,” she shot back calmly. “If you sign the divorce papers first. At least I wouldn’t be guilty of bigamy.”
Then she stood and turned toward the stairs, toward the divorce papers.
My wolf snapped.
I caught her wrist, my fingers tightening instinctively. The moment our skin touched, heat surged through me, familiar and maddening. freewёbnoνel.com
“Aria,” I ground out, my teeth clenched, “do you really have to push me this far?”
She looked straight at me, unafraid.
“Aren’t you the one pushing me?” she asked.
“We never had love. Why keep up this farce? Divorce would be best for both of us.”
No love?
The words shattered something inside me. She pried my fingers away, determined to leave.
That was when my nerves finally snapped.
No love?
How could she say that?
She had loved me, fiercely with everything she had. My wolf remembered it even if she claimed not to. The memory of it was burned into my bones.
My chest heaved. Before I could stop myself, I pulled her back into my arms.
Her body stiffened instantly.
My breath brushed against her neck, cold and sharp with restrained rage. I felt her freeze, felt her pulse jump beneath my touch.
“I won’t agree,” I growled, every word soaked in anger and refusal. “I would never agree to a divorce!”
