Free Web NovelChapter 213: Chapter 213
Aria’s POV
The person I saw was Sandra.
She checked the door first. Then Kara’s direction. Only when she was certain she was alone did she approach my desk, flipping through papers with shaking hands, snapping photos.
The world seemed to hollow out.
I leaned back against the chair, drained, my chest tight. It was Sandra.
If it had been Kara, I could’ve understood, I could have explained it away somehow. Kara had given so much; perhaps she’d needed something in return.
But Sandra?
During her darkest days, I had been the only one standing beside her. ƒгeewёbnovel.com
Why? my wolf asked, feeling wounded.
“Hey, why so gloomy?”
A bright voice snapped me back.
I looked up just as Kara and Sandra walked in together. I turned off the screen casually, though I didn’t miss the flicker of panic that flashed through Sandra’s eyes when she saw me.
“Aria, you’re here already?” Kara beamed. “Didn’t you say you’d come in the evening?”
I smiled. It felt practiced. My gaze slid briefly to Sandra.
“How’s everything going here?” I asked lightly. “Are you settling in well, Sandra?”
The question caught her off guard. Anxiety flickered across her face before she forced a smile.
“It’s... it’s fine,” she replied, her voice unsteady.
I caught it all, the quickened heartbeat, the sharp scent of nerves. My wolf went still, listening.
Kara laughed, oblivious. “Why so serious? She’s just worried about you adjusting. Relax!”
She clapped a hand on Sandra’s shoulder and immediately started carrying the purchases toward the storage room, chattering as she went. Sandra hesitated, then followed, unable to refuse Kara’s enthusiasm.
Moments later, the office was quiet again.
It was just the two of us.
I let my gaze rest on Sandra slowly.
She shifted under it, unease rolling off her in waves. My eyes darkened slightly. Ever since my release, something about her had felt... off. She looked older somehow, worn thin. I’d assumed it was the aftermath of Hemsworth Villa, the sudden fall in comfort, the shock of everything we’d endured.
But now I saw it clearly.
She was always on edge. Always guarded. As if she were constantly waiting for something to catch up with her.
No wonder Kara kept urging her to loosen up.
I rose to my feet and picked my bag and her eyes immediately landed on me.
“I will be leaving now”, I said with a soft smile, keeping my tone light.
My wolf stayed coiled and silent beneath my ribs, watching.
Sandra nodded quickly, as if my calm unsettled her more than anger would have. Her heartbeat thudded unevenly in the quiet studio, it was too loud to my sharpened senses.
“Let Kara know I’ve gone,” I added casually, my lashes lowering as my fingers moved the mouse. The computer shut down with a faint click, the sound echoing softly in the room.
I felt it the moment her shoulders loosened.
So she thought she’d survived this, my wolf murmured coolly.
I rose and left without hesitation. No backward glance, no accusation. Sandra hurried after me, respectfully seeing me out. Once the door closed behind me, I knew exactly what she would do...she would check the storage room, confirm Kara hadn’t returned, then scurry off to hide like a rabbit sensing a hunter’s shadow.
She didn’t know that after seeing the footage, I’d activated every camera in the studio.
At first, the extra cameras had been little more than formality. One at the entrance was enough, back when trust still existed. But betrayal had a way of sharpening instincts so I decided it was time to see everything happening at every corner of the studio.
The moment I stepped into the cab, my phone vibrated.
I lowered my gaze.
I saw Sandra on the screen. ƒrēewebnovel.com
The camera feed I’d just activated streamed clearly.
“Hello? Alpha Richard!”
The name hit me like a claw to the chest.
My hand trembled violently.
Richard?.
His face surfaced in my mind, I hadn’t thought of him in a very long time. My heart skipped, then sank.
“Luna Aria suddenly came back today,” Sandra whispered, panic lacing her voice. “It’s strange. I have a bad feeling...”
She hesitated, torn. I could see it on her face...the conflict, the fear, the guilt warring inside her. For a second, I almost believed she might stop, but she didn’t, she gave him details of all that happened today.
I set the phone down slowly, my fingers curling into my palm. My eyes darkened, the silver glint of my wolf surfacing briefly before I forced it back.
Being betrayed by someone you trusted... was a hard pill to swallow. I wasn’t angry...no...I was utterly disappointed.
I bit my lip, tasting bitterness. Outside the window, the city blurred past, lights stretching into long, meaningless streaks.
You can’t let this go, my wolf said quietly. We just can’t.
The thought settled heavy in my chest.
Just then, a loud ringtone shattered the silence. I checked the caller ID and immediately answered the call. The excited voice of the caller reached me.
“Aria! I’m on my way to Asterfell!”
