Free Web NovelChapter 225: Chapter 225
Aria’s POV
I turned to see the judge standing not far away, her eyes complicated, searching.
“Ameila Joseph,” I said, forcing a small smile. “Long time no see.”
She approached me, her gaze sweeping over my face.
“How did you get involved in this case?” she asked, her tone familiar enough to draw curious glances from Francis and Stephan. fɾēewebnσveℓ.com
“Through a friend,” I replied simply, smiling.
She nodded, then hesitated before resting a hand on my shoulder. The contact was brief but grounding.
“When are you coming back?” she asked softly.
My body stiffened.
I met her gaze, my chest tightening with emotions I didn’t bother naming. Amelia and I had walked different paths, she had risen to become the highest-ranking judge in Asterfell, while I had fallen...
As I stepped out of the courthouse, sunlight spilling over the stone steps, my heart still buzzed with adrenaline. My cheeks were warm, blood humming beneath my skin as a result of the aftermath of battle.
Then I heard footsteps approaching and a loud excited voice.
“Nathan!”
The name sliced through the air.
Sophia practically flew toward him, joy radiating off her like a beacon.
Nathan leaned casually against a limited-edition Bentley, tall, composed, dangerous in the way only an alpha wolf could be. His gaze followed the sound—
And landed on me.
Surprise flickered in his eyes before freezing over when he noticed Francis beside me. The warmth vanished, replaced by frost.
Sophia caught sight of me too. Her smile deepened, cheeks flushing as she move past me and reached Nathan, her voice soft and sweet. “Nathan, what brings you here?”
He looked down at her, eyes narrowing slightly before softening. “You were in court,” he said, indulgent. “Of course I came.”
He lifted a hand and ruffled her hair in a possessive and slightly intimate manner.
Sophia’s face burned red.
Francis frowned, his expression darkening as he watched them. He glanced at me subtly, tension easing only when he saw my calm expression.
I met his look briefly, giving him a reassuring nod.
I didn’t care.
I turned to leave, uninterested in their performance until Sophia spoke again.
“Nathan,” she said lightly, eyes gleaming, “I didn’t expect the opposing attorney to be my sister.”
Nathan’s gaze snapped back to me.
“What? Defense Attorney?” he murmured, eyes dark, sharp, assessing.
“You think you’re a defense attorney?” Nathan’s voice cut low and rough, like a growl restrained behind clenched teeth. His deep-set eyes, framed by thick lashes, were shadowed...alpha eyes that revealed nothing unless he wanted them to.
I didn’t even look at him.
Instead, I lifted my hand slightly, signaling Francis for us to leave. The decision was already made. I wasn’t staying to bare old wounds for anyone’s curiosity.
Francis, as always, followed my lead without hesitation. He stepped forward and opened the car door for me, his movements respectful, protective. Stephan’s expression shifted; he lowered his head and got into the car without a word, instinctively sensing the tension in the air.
“Aria!”
Nathan’s patience finally snapped.
His voice remained low, but the fury beneath it rippled outward, strong enough that my wolf stirred, ears flicking inside my mind.
I paused just as I bent to get into the car.
Slowly, I straightened and turned back, my gaze cool and detached, empty of the emotions he was so used to provoking.
Nathan’s eyes narrowed.
In the next second, he strode forward and grabbed my wrist.
The contact was abrupt.
His fingers wrapped around my slender bones, and I felt the familiar surge of power in his grip...an alpha’s instinct to claim, to stop, to dominate. My wolf bristled instantly, a silent warning rumbling in my chest.
He had held my wrist countless times before.
And yet, the moment his skin touched mine, I felt his heartbeat faltering for half a breath.
Nathan masked it well. His eyes darkened as he spoke.
“Do you really want to avoid seeing me?”
I let out a soft, humorless laugh.
“Alpha Nathan,” I said calmly, addressing him formerly “not everyone has the leisure to talk about love let alone be forced to witness your public displays of affection.”
My lips curved into a cold smile as my gaze swept dismissively over him... and Sophia standing beside him.
There was no warmth left in my eyes.
“Sister, please don’t misunderstand me and Nathan...”
“I bet you’d love for me to misunderstand.” I raised my hand, cutting her off mid-sentence, my voice sharp and cold.
From the half-open car window, Francis’s serious voice sounded, steady and grounding.
“Aria, there’s a celebration dinner planned for tonight.”
I raised an eyebrow slightly in acknowledgment, then flicked my eyes back to Nathan.
“Let go.”
“Sister...”
Sophia’s face was still pale from the earlier confrontation, her pupils wide as if she’d just remembered something important.
“I remember your lawyer’s license was revoked a long time ago,” she said hesitantly. “Why are you still...”
She covered her mouth too late.
My movement stilled.
Nathan’s brows furrowed deeply, his grip tightening before loosening just a fraction. “Your lawyer’s license was revoked a year ago,” he said heavily, “because I had someone keep an eye on it. Just for him, you even risked practicing law illegally?”
