Free Web NovelChapter 396: Chapter 396
Nathan’s POV
The top floor of Hemsworth Group headquarters always smelled faintly of steel, leather and of course, power.
Usually, that grounded me. Today though, my wolf was unsettled.
“So, the Carlson girl is here?” Grandma asked, seated in the chair I’d had brought in just for her. Even at her age, her presence carried dominance. Her eyes gleamed with interest.
My jaw tightened.
Gina Carlson.
My wolf gave a low, irritated rumble in my chest. fгee𝑤ebɳoveɭ.cøm
I didn’t like unpredictability near my territory... especially not today.
“Grandma, how did she even know you were here?” I rubbed my temples. My senses were already stretched thin — Aria, Crescent Manor, tonight. I’d planned everything carefully.
Gina was chaos in heels. I had invited Grandma here for one reason only, and that was to help me win Aria back. I needed her help to fix what I broke.
Gina could destroy that in seconds.
Grandma noticed my tension. She always could read me the way Alphas read the wind before a storm.
“I actually think Gina’s timing is perfect,” she said calmly.
Perfect? My wolf stilled, confused.
“What do you mean?” I asked.
She smiled, it was the kind of smile elders wear when they already see ten steps ahead of you.
“Gina has always liked you. She came for you. And she’ll definitely want to attend the Crescent Manor banquet.”
A groan left me before I could stop it. My skull throbbed.
“How is that perfect? Can’t we just send her back?” I reached for my phone, ready to call her family. I needed to remove the problem.
Grandma’s hand stopped mine firmly.
“Nathan,” she said in a commanding tone.
I froze. Even now, my wolf instinctively lowered itself before her authority.
“Do you know why I asked you what love is when I first heard about the toubles you and Aria had?”
The question hit like cold water.
I swallowed. “Why?”
Her gaze went distant.
“When you married Aria, she loved you.”
There was a pause. “Now that you’re divorced and trying to win her back... you’re the one in love.”
The words felt like claws dragging down my ribs.
“You didn’t love her enough at the beginning,” she continued. “That’s why you resisted her. Even when I pressured you into the marriage.”
My throat tightened.
“But Aria?” Grandma said softly. “No one could pressure her heart at that time, because she was in love with you.” She let out a sigh. “If she truly doesn’t love you anymore... nothing you do will bring it back.”
Pain burst through my chest so sharply my wolf flinched inside me.
“She loved me,” I rasped. “She chased me for years... It hasn’t even been that long. How could she just—”
My voice broke.
Grandma sighed again and patted my shoulder. Her touch was warm and steady, like they were in the old days when I was a reckless young wolf trying to prove I didn’t need anyone.
“Love is not endless, Nathan. It gets worn down. Bit by bit by disappointment.”
I felt unsteady.
“Let Gina come, Infact, I asked her people to send her” Grandma said. I stared at her in shock. She nodded “I did that for a reason. I’ll watch Aria. If Gina’s presence doesn’t stir anything in her... then even I can’t help you.”
My wolf went quiet because deep down... it already feared the answer.
Grandma stood, energy returning to her steps. The heavy mood in the office lifted around her like fog burning off under sunlight.
She was thinking about something else now.
Not me, not Aria but her great-granddaughter.
Lana.
As she walked toward the door, excitement brightened her scent.
“Little darling... Great-grandmother is coming,” she murmured.
Even if Aria never returned to me... our pup still carried Hemsworth blood. She was my legacy and Grandma would never ignore blood ties.
I remained behind my desk, staring at nothing.
I was an Alpha of companies, ruler of territory, yet powerless over the one she-wolf who once waited outside my door just to see me smile.
Aria’s POV
I was just about to check on the progress of the brooch with Jonathan when I spotted him pulling up in his car. I walked up to him and got into the front seat.
He smiled at me and pulled out a beautiful wrapped box. The jewelry I asked for had to be inside.
My wolf stirred at the sight with an excited, protective energy that made my chest tighten.
“Why did you come in person?” I asked, both surprised and oddly touched. Wolves are instinctively attuned to intentions, and I could feel the care radiating off him like a warm glow.
“I thought you might be anxious. Take a look,” Jonathan said, offering the box. My claws itched in the thrill of anticipation as I carefully accepted it.
I shook my head with a small smile. “I trust your work. I’ll head over now. It’s getting dark, drive safely.”
Even as I left for the Crescent Manor, my senses remained alert.
It almost felt like an invisible current was alerting me to movement, life, and danger alike. I glanced at my watch: time was slipping away, and my meeting with Nathan’s grandmother wouldn’t wait.
