Free Web NovelChapter 255: Chapter 255
Aria’s POV freewebnøvel.com
Rowland stretched and leaned against the sofa, unbothered. “What could be so important? I’m finally free. Maybe I can offer some advice.”
His posture was relaxed, but his eyes were cold, sharp enough to cut.
When his gaze shifted to me, the coldness eased. “Aria,” he said, his voice warm, “if anything is bothering you, tell me.”
I knew he’d been watching. He was probably up to date with all that has happened to me these past few days.
“If you’re free,” I said calmly, adjusting Lana in my arms, “help me move my things.”
Rowland’s eyes lit up immediately. “You are moving? Sure. No problem. I’m strong.”
He rose to his feet without hesitation and followed me.
Nathan moved fast.
His hand closed around my wrist, his fingers firm and possessive.
I twisted away, but he didn’t release me. “Why are you moving?” he demanded.
I stopped and tilted my chin up, meeting his gaze head-on. “Didn’t you say ‘home’?” I asked coolly. “I won’t stay here with Lana anymore. My home is Shevron Estates now. I’ll have everything moved there.”
The words fell like a stone into still water.
“I don’t agree!” Nathan snapped.
His aura turned glacial, alpha pressure rolling off him in waves. Any weak wolf would’ve bowed instinctively, not me.
I laughed.
“You don’t agree?” I repeated, already dialing my phone. “Yes. Come over now. I am moving from Hemsworth Villa to Shevron Estates.”
My voice was polite and composed, so unlike the storm inside me. Nathan heard it, and I saw the realization dawn in his eyes. He knew I wasn’t acting, I was actually serious about leaving.
“Why?” he asked, stepping closer, towering over me. His eyes were dark and torn. “If you’re unhappy with how Lana’s case was handled, I’ll have Collins investigate again. Why leave?”
This time, I didn’t turn away.
“Why?” I echoed, arching a brow. “Do you think you’re the one being wronged?”
My wolf rose, steady and unyielding.
“I’m Lana’s mother. I love her more than anyone. I know who’s truly dangerous to her.” My gaze hardened. “You’re the head of Hemsworth Group, the richest man in Asterfell. How can someone like you be fooled so easily by surface truths?”
“Do you trust Sophia so much,” I continued softly, “that neither I nor Lana matters to you?”
My voice was cold, like snowmelt sliding off a mountain cliff.
Nathan opened his mouth and closed it again.
No answer came.
“I agreed to return to Hemsworth Villa for Lana’s safety,” I said at last. “And I can choose to leave for her safety too.” ƒreewebηoveℓ.com
I turned away, Lana cradled against me as I headed towards my room to grab my things.
I got in and the door slammed shut behind me, the sound sharp and final.
Nathan’s POV
My wolf growled low in my chest, claws itching beneath my skin, as Rowland’s tall frame blocked my path. He was a mountain, solid and immovable, standing in front of Aria’s door, preventing me from going in.
My pulse hammered like a drum. Every instinct in me screamed to push forward, to clear the way, to rush to Aria and stop her from packing her things, but Rowland’s lazy stance, his nonchalant strength, held me back like a living barrier. Our eyes locked, a silent battle sparking in the air between us.
“Move,” I finally said, my voice low and hoarse, carrying the weight of months of frustration, my teeth gritted behind it.
Rowland shook his head, calm as a wolf stalking its prey. “She doesn’t want to see you. Uncle Nathan. She really wants to leave, please respect her wish.”
Something snapped inside me. My wolf surged to the surface...anger, protectiveness, frustration all mingled into a growl I could barely contain. I grabbed Rowland by the collar, my grip iron-tight, my eyes flashing with crimson heat. “Hemsworth Villa is my property. Aria is my wife! Are you really going to stop me here?”
My wolf prowled inside me, muscles tensing, senses sharpening. Every instinct screamed to push forward, protect and demand what was mine by right. Rowland, surprisingly steady, only hesitated for a heartbeat. His smile faded slightly, but his posture remained unyielding.
“As long as Aria wishes to leave,” he said, his voice calm but firm, “I won’t let her see anyone she doesn’t want to see until she’s safely gone.”
The tension radiated off him like cold air, chilling me down to the bone. My claws itched for confrontation, but I refrained myself.
A knock at the door shattered the standoff. Aria’s voice slipped through the crack, soft but commanding: “Rowland, come in and get the stuff.”
Rowland’s posture relaxed slightly, his obedience to her clear, and he glanced back at me with a flicker of mischief before moving. “I am coming,” he said.
My fists clenched, my knuckles white. My wolf roared, frustrated and hungry to act, but before I could step forward, the moving team Aria had arranged arrived.
She emerged from her room, bags in hand, followed by Rowland, her eyes never once meeting mine.
“Aria,” I called out, my voice a low growl threaded with urgency unwilling to let her leave, “Please don’t leave”.
