Free Web NovelChapter 221: Chapter 221
Nathan’s POV
“If you don’t want to get hit,” Aria said coolly, her voice cutting clean through the tension, “stay out of my way.”
The words were blunt and absolute. They struck harder than a slap.
Aria’s lips curved faintly, a smirk that didn’t quite reach her eyes. For a split second, sadness flickered there like a dying ember.
I froze. I hadn’t expected that response.
My gaze lingered on her, searching, confused. The woman in front of me felt even more unfamiliar with each passing day. Like someone who had shed her skin and grown fangs.
Beside her, Jonathan looked amused at first, clearly entertained by her audacity. But his smile faded as his eyes shifted to Sophia and me.
“Alpha Nathan,” he said gently, though his tone carried unmistakable authority, “your Ms. Darvin is spreading baseless rumors. What fault does Ms. Aria have?”
His voice was warm. Steady.
Too steady.
I saw Aria’s shoulders relax just a fraction beneath it, her wolf responding despite herself. That sight made something dark twist in my gut.
“Why did you come here with him?” I demanded abruptly, cutting off the exchange.
Sophia blinked in confusion, looking up at me—only to see the hard line of my jaw, my expression cold and immovable.
Aria raised an eyebrow, unimpressed. “What’s it to you?” she replied flatly. “Even if we’re married, you have no right to control my actions.”
Her defiance scraped raw against my nerves.
My wolf paced furiously, restless, irritated by her refusal to submit, to explain, to soften. The bond strained, stretched thin and aching.
Then Collins’s voice cut cleanly through the tension.
“Alpha Nathan, are we ready to start?”
He had just arrived after parking, clearly sensing the charged atmosphere the moment he stepped in. His eyes flicked between Aria and Jonathan, and I caught the subtle shiver he tried to suppress.
“It seems Alpha Nathan has matters to attend to,” Jonathan said smoothly, clearly eager to remove Aria from this battlefield.
Aria turned without hesitation, choosing disengagement over confrontation.
Sophia clenched her teeth. Her face still stung, her pride bruised raw, but she swallowed it all down.
Collins moved quickly, trying to restore order. “Yes, Alpha Nathan. The reporters have been waiting.”
Sophia pulled out her compact mirror, hurriedly fixing her makeup. Powder brushed over flushed skin as she stole glances at me. I paid her no attention.
Collins sensing the awkward atmosphere cleared his throat, forcing cheer into his voice. “Ladies and gentlemen, Alpha Nathan is here for a charitable donation. Please cooperate.”
Martin rushed over, bowing repeatedly.
I watched as Aria deliberately avoided the spotlight, sitting on a stone bench by the garden with Jonathan. She pulled the little girl close, seating her beside her as though they were related.
At Collins’s signal, the reporters surged forward. Even from a distance, their excitement was impossible to miss.
And then the question rang out, sharp and unmistakable:
“Alpha Nathan, are you and Ms. Sophia Darvin considering adopting a child together from the orphanage?”
Aria’s POV
The question one of the reporters asked hit like a spark thrown into dry grass.
My wolf stiffened.
Cameras flashed instantly, every lens swinging toward Nathan and Sophia, the air buzzing with anticipation. I didn’t need anyone to explain it to me, I knew this question hadn’t come from nowhere. Sophia must be behind it.
For everyone else, it was gossip. For me, it was a knife because Aria was Nathan’s child.
Out of the corner of my eye, I felt Nathan’s gaze shift.
I looked up and for just a fleeting moment, our eyes met, I steeled myself, staring at him squarely as though I was unbothered.
His eyes darkened.
I watched as his gaze swept past me, over Jonathan, over Nala, the little girl standing between us.
I saw his hands clench at his sides. I could sense the restless fury of an alpha who hated what he was seeing but couldn’t tear his eyes away.
“Possibly,” Nathan answered at last.
The word was vague, careless and devastating.
The reporters erupted, their voices overlapping, excitement surging. Sophia’s eyes lit up like she’d been handed a crown. Hope, ambition, triumph, all of it shimmered in her scent.
I lowered my gaze to my phone, scrolling aimlessly. My fingers trembled just enough for my wolf to notice.
Steady, she whispered. Don’t let them smell weakness.
“Alpha Nathan,” a reporter called out boldly, “could you comment on your current relationship with Luna Aria. It appears you are having issues in your marriage?”
The world seemed to pause.
Nathan frowned sharply and lifted a hand. Collins reacted instantly, stepping forward with practiced ease. “Today’s focus is the Hemsworth Group’s charity initiative,” he said firmly. “Please refrain from questions regarding Alpha Nathan and Ms. Sophia Darvin’s personal relationships.”
The disappointment among the reporters was palpable, but the moment passed. Questions shifted and formalities resumed.
Soon, the donation ceremony began.
Martin accepted Nathan’s check, glanced at it and beamed. It must have been a large amount of money “Thank you, Alpha Nathan, on behalf of the children!” freewebnøvel.com
Nathan stood with his arm around Sophia, nodding slightly. He looked distant, composed, every inch the noble alpha philanthropist.
Then he glanced down at her with a smile.
Everyone paused to hear his next words.
