Free Web NovelChapter 75: Chapter 75
Aria’s POV
Phones lifted in the air, camera flashes burst like tiny explosions, too bright for my wolf-sensitive eyes. I lowered my head, but the crowd pressed closer, their phones nearly brushing my face.
And then—
"Collins, tell her to take off the mask."
My sharp ears caught Sophia’s words, causing my gaze to cut to her. Her lips curled in a smile.
She watched me like a spectator watching a circus animal.
I could smell her satisfaction.
She wanted revenge. Wanted every slap I’d given her to replay through this humiliation.
For a moment, Collins hesitated. A look of pity flickered on his face. But then Sophia leaned close to him and whispered some word and he immediately stepped forward.
"Luna Aria," he said quietly, "please take off your mask."
Everything in me went still. My wolf pressed back, her ears flattened, breath trembling.
Since leaving prison, I hadn’t cared for how I looked. I wore no makeup, nothing to hide the scar that now dragged across my cheek like a permanent wound except for this mask.
"Luna Aria... please," Collins murmured again, his voice tight, as he glanced around at the people who had gathered. frёeωebɳovel.com
I bit my lip, tasting blood.
Sophia, a few feet from me, crossed her arms, watching me like I was the centerpiece of her entertainment.
My nails cut deeper into my skin.
"Luna Aria—"
Before he could finish, I ripped off the mask.
Gasps exploded from the members of staff watching..
The scar was visible on my face which was now exposed under the harsh lights.
For a moment, everyone froze. Then realization dawned.
"That’s... It’s really Luna Aria!"
Someone’s voice echoed, loud despite the hush. Every gaze filled with shock, pity, and judgment all locked onto me.
I stood there, feeling like a broken fragile branch that had been stripped bare.
My knees trembled from the cold seeping up through the marble, from the sting of their cameras, from the memories—
the prison walls closing in, the stares, the humiliations, the silence.
A laugh broke from my lips. It was hollow, empty and shattered.
"She’s laughing? Now?"
"That’s the shameless Luna, Aria who stole Alpha Nathan’s files."
"Aria, your laugh is uglier than your tears."
Sophia snickered behind her hand, cruel and delighted. I smelled the satisfaction rolling off her.
Collins stared at me, horrified.
He looked like he understood my laughter, like he knew it was not of amusement but despair, the kind that sounded worse than crying.
My whole body felt like it had been plunged into a frozen lake. The shock of it slammed into my lungs, leaving me gasping as I instinctively wrapped my arms around myself—though it did nothing to warm me.
My limbs were stiff and cold, like thousands of tiny ants crawling under my skin, gnawing at my bones. My wolf whimpered at the sensation, distressed, pacing inside me.
I could feel the blood drain from my face. Even without a mirror, I knew I looked ghost-pale.
I blinked, dazed, my gaze colliding with the stunned eyes of strangers in the lobby. But the moment our eyes met, they quickly looked away, their whispers buzzing in the air like flies. Each murmur pricked at my heightened hearing, sharp and intrusive.
The lobby grew noisier as more people entered. My wolf reclined within me, overwhelmed with grief.
"Luna Aria... how did it come to this?"
Someone muttered, their voice swallowed by the chaos.
If only they knew.
If only they knew the countless nightmares of my time in prison, nightmares that still clawed at me even when I was awake. That place... it wasn’t just hell. It was the kind of hell that stripped you down to bones and left teeth marks on your soul. Even now, the thought of it made my wolf bare her fangs with a low growl that only I could hear.
Everyone said I’d changed after coming out, but they had no idea how close I’d come to losing everything, even myself, if not for Lana. She was the only reason I still lived, the only reason I haven’t ended it all.
I gripped my shoulders tightly, my nails digging into my own skin. A cold so sharp it felt alive crawled up my body like poisonous vines, twisting around my ribs, squeezing my heart until it hurt to breathe.
Prison had been a den of demons. And not the kind my wolf could fight.
The moment I was thrown in, I became prey, an easy prey. Every scent, every sneer, every stomp of a boot felt like a fresh wave of malice crashing into me.
Fetching meals, washing clothes, scrubbing dishes...my days blurred into chores and survival. One wrong move and they’d beat me, spit on me, or force me to stand barefoot on ice-cold floors in the dead of winter.
In less than two years, I fell.
From a celebrated prodigy... frёewebηovel.cѳm
to nothing.
I squeezed my eyes shut, forcing myself away from those memories, away from the cold hands trying to drag me back.
But my legs throbbed fiercely, the old injury I had, flaring with the icy sting of the marble floor. Two hours, I have been standing for just two hours, yet it felt like torture. Cold sweat soaked through my back.
My knees trembled, stiffness spreading through my muscles like frost cracking over stone. My legs felt heavy, and rigid, almost as though they weren’t mine.
Across from me, Sophia stood with her arms crossed, lips curled in a smug sneer as she watched me struggle.
"What’s the big deal Aria? You survived over a year in prison. Can’t handle two hours?"
A growl vibrated in my chest, low and instinctive. I swallowed it down. Losing control here would only feed her.
Collins’s face tightened with unease, his eyes darting toward the entrance as if hoping earnestly for someone to appear.
"Why is Luna Aria still standing there? What is she even doing?"
"She’s not who she used to be. The legal world kicked her out ages ago."
"Tch. Is she begging Alpha Nathan for forgiveness?"
Their words pricked at my heightened hearing, sharp as needles.
The air grew thick with mockery and disdain.
My spine finally buckled under the weight of it all. Sweat trickled down my forehead, sticking my bangs to my cheeks. I felt like some injured wolf dragged into town to be stared at, a creature that once ran proud but now limped under too many wounds.
A bitter smile twisted in my chest.
Sophia’s tactics were cruel. And right now... I had no strength left to fight them.
Then suddenly, the buzzing crowd shifted. A ripple ran through the space, a new familiar scent filled the air. I lifted my head.
Then I saw his tall frame.
He wasn’t alone, he was flanked by executives and bodyguards, their footsteps steady and disciplined.
He exuded power, authority and control.
It pulsed off him like heat.
The moment the crowd saw him, they bowed their heads.
"Alpha Nathan."
