Free Web NovelChapter 393: Chapter 393
Nathan’s POV ƒree𝑤ebnσvel.com
The air felt heavier than any boardroom negotiation. My grandma was still counseling me.
Collins stood off to the side, pretending not to listen.
“Nathan,” Grandma said through the phone, her voice firm in a way I rarely heard, “if you only realized you loved her after separating... then don’t disturb her again.”
My wolf stilled.
That hurt, coming from family.
Collins glanced over, surprised. He had heard every word. Grandma usually spoke to me with sharp humor and hidden fondness, not like this.
I lowered my gaze. “Grandma... looking back, I think I was drawn to her long ago. I was just too young... too arrogant to accept your arrangements. I pushed back at you, so I pushed her away too.”
The words felt like gravel in my throat. “I regret it now.”
Silence hummed on the line. I could almost picture her shaking her head.
“So,” she said at last, her voice gentler now, “what exactly do you need me to do?”
I straightened unconsciously, like a pup before a pack elder.
“Help me win back Aria’s heart...but first, I want to know why you insisted I marry Aria. She was not really someone from a very wealthy home. Her family didn’t match our standing.”
As Alpha of the Ironclaw Pack, my matches should have been political powerhouses, maybe an alpha’s daughter.
But my grandmum had chosen her.
Grandma drew in a slow breath.
“I knew you would be a star even when you were only a child. You grew up to become a fine gentle man who built empires and made the Ironclaw pack the strongest in Asterfell. You dominated the country and became the wealthiest man. There was no girl your equal in talent or even background.”
My wolf flicked its ears, listening.
“Then I got a call,” she continued. “From the old lady of the Osborne family.”
I frowned. She meant Aria’s late grandma.
“She asked for a favor,” Grandma said quietly. “For the first time in her life.”
That caught my attention.
“She told me to help Aria get a job in your company after her graduation” she said, “I agreed. Aria worked as an intern in your company. I had someone keep an eye on her because of the relationship I had with her grandma.”
She paused and continued, “even as an intern, she outperformed seasoned wolves. Her professionalism and dedication fascinated both her grandmother and I.”
My chest tightened. I remembered how hardworking and smart Aria was.
“And the way she looked at you,” Grandma said softly, “that wasn’t strategy, it was love.”
My wolf shifted uneasily.
“So we arranged it, her grandma and I” she continued. “I thought I was helping fate along.”
A long sigh came through the phone. “But I was too forceful.” freēwēbnovel.com
Guilt crept into her voice.
“If I hadn’t pushed... you might have fallen for her naturally. Her competence would have impressed you. Her loyalty would have moved you. Maybe she wouldn’t have been your mate... but she could have stayed by your side as a brilliant lawyer, safe and respected.”
“Instead...”
My fists tightened. “I resisted,” I said hoarsely.
“Yes,” Grandma replied. “And that resistance turned into cruelty.”
Images flashed—Aria standing quietly while I dismissed her. Aria swallowing hurt. Aria walking alone into storms I should have shielded her from.
“The next time I heard about her,” Grandma said, her voice trembling now, “she was in prison.”
My wolf let out a low, pained whine in my chest.
“Then...her grandma passed away.”
There was silence. I couldn’t breathe properly.
Grandma’s voice, when it came again, was warm like tea... but bitter underneath.
“I thought I was giving you happiness, Nathan. Instead, I pushed two young wolves toward suffering.”
I closed my eyes. This wasn’t fate’s fault. Not Grandma’s. Not Aria’s.
It was mine.
I had a mate who chose me with her whole heart and I made her bleed for loving me.
The longer Grandma spoke, the heavier my chest felt, like my ribs were a cage my wolf couldn’t breathe inside.
Aria’s resolve back then... I hadn’t understood it at all. I thought it was stubbornness but it was love.
“I remember,” Grandma said suddenly, “Aria was already pregnant before she went to prison.”
My whole body went still. My throat closed.
My wolf let out a broken, stunned sound deep inside me.
“...Yes,” I forced out. “I was drunk that night. The night you spoke to me about giving you a grandchild. I thought she had spoken to you and set it up. I thought she was trying to trap me.” My voice turned rough. “Then the company crisis happened. Evidence pointed at her. I was angry... and I let that anger decide everything.”
I had been Alpha and I had judged my own mate like an enemy.
“What use is regret now?” Grandma said coldly.
I didn’t argue, I had no right to.
“I heard you found the real person behind the confidential leak?” she continued.
“Yes,” I said. “Sophia. Aria’s adopted sister. She planned it all to drag Aria down... so she could stay near me.”
Even saying it filled me with disgust.
Grandma paused. Then she added, “I also heard that during Aria’s imprisonment, you were involved with Sophia.”
“No!” The word tore out of me. “Never. I only saw her as an employee, nothing more.”
That part was true, but Grandma didn’t soften.
“If you were truly spotless,” she said, “those rumors wouldn’t have grown that big. With your power, you could’ve crushed them or distanced yourself, but you didn’t.”
My mouth opened and closed, I had no answer.
Because deep down... I knew, I hadn’t cared enough. Not enough to protect Aria’s name. Not enough to make things clear.
“Grandma... I really didn’t,” I said weakly.
She sighed, disappointed.
“Now you want my help winning her back.” she said.
I closed my eyes briefly. “Yes. I don’t want to lose her.”
There was a pause. Then she asked quietly.
“Nathan, if you were Aria... would you get back together with you?”
