Free Web NovelChapter 93: Chapter 93
Nathan’s POV
My concern for Aria must have been obvious, because the entire team moved around her with a kind of muted deference, as if my worry alone was enough to make them tread carefully. I hated how unsteady she looked, hated even more that I couldn’t fix it right here, right now.
She left quietly, her steps small, controlled and almost defeated.
And just before the investigator guided her out, she glanced back at me looking reluctant and conflicted. She was obviously hurting.
My chest tightened, my wolf growling low inside me, restless and uneasy until she was out of sight.
The moment the door closed behind her, Collins stepped forward and ordered the hotel sealed. Locks clicked, the doors thudding shut with finality.
I became more alert.
"What’s going on?" I demanded, my voice dropping to that cold edge I couldn’t restrain. The kind of cold that made lesser wolves lower their heads.
Collins swallowed hard, lowering his voice. "Alpha Nathan... the plate is registered under the Cowen family."
My entire body stilled.
The Cowen family.
My eyes darkened instantly, a low snarl rippling through my wolf. Heat flashed under my skin, followed by a chilling calm so sharp it could cut bone.
"Richard?" I asked, my voice barely above a whisper but dangerous enough to make the room freeze.
The hotel lobby fell silent, tension crackling like static. My aura surged outward, freezing the air.
Richard Cowen.
If he was involved...
A cold, lethal focus slid into place.
"Get in touch with the Cowen family," I said, each word a blade slipping through clenched teeth. "I want to know what they’re playing at."
A shiver ran through the room. Even Collins bowed his head slightly under the weight of my alpha presence.
Inside me, my wolf prowled, seething.
If the Cowen family had anything to do with Lana’s disappearance or Aria’s terror—
Then this wasn’t just an investigation.
It was a hunt.
And I never missed my prey.
Richard’s POV
I tightened my arms around the little wolf pup, Lana, as I studied her face. My eyes narrowed, the analytical part of me kicking in. There was something about her features that stirred a cold unease deep in my gut.
She had Nathan’s eyes.
The resemblance irritated me more than I expected.
I reached out and pinched her cheek between two fingers. Soft as marshmallow and Innocent. But somehow... it grated on me.
"Nathan’s child..." I murmured, my voice light, almost airy, though threaded with something darker. "She looks so much like him."
The pup stirred, squirming in my hold. Restless and uncomfortable.
Before I could adjust my grip, something small and sharp smacked against my arm.
A slap.
My secretary and beta gasped.
I blinked down at Lana.
The strike was nothing, it was light, leaving no mark. But her little eyes glared defiantly up at me, as if challenging me.
A slow grin curled my lips. "You’ve got your mother’s fire."
She didn’t understand the words, but I could feel her instinct recoil. She wrinkled her nose at me, pouting like I disgusted her. She was hilarious.
Oddly... I didn’t grow annoyed.
Seeing Aria in her softened me in ways I hated.
If it hadn’t been me who found her, I thought, stroking the child’s arm, but an actual trafficker... what would Aria do then?
My beta answered as if reading my thoughts. "Luna Aria would likely be in grave danger."
I frowned. She was a vulnerable mother with a vulnerable pup. Too easy to snatch, too easy to lose.
"Exactly," I muttered. "They’re too exposed on their own. They’d be safer with me."
My beta spoke again, bowing slightly. "We’ve contacted Luna Aria. She’ll respond soon."
"Good." I toyed absentmindedly with the pup’s flailing hands. "Tell her I found Lana, and she should come pick her up."
"But... won’t Luna Aria see through that?" he asked, scratching his head. "The child was taken from a remote hotel. For you to just... find her..."
"Of course she’ll see through it."
My smirk returned, sharp as broken glass.
Aria wasn’t stupid, that’s what made this fun.
"Then... why—?"
"Do it," I ordered, my gaze darkening. The pup squirmed, sensing the shift of energy, but I kept her close. Let Aria understand who’s holding the leash here.
And if she wondered whether I could take Lana again...
Good. She should wonder.
Recent reports said she met with Nathan. That was what tipped everything.
I opened a folder on my screen, high-resolution photos from earlier:
Aria standing outside a building, her eyes hollow, humiliation painted across her pale face. The image hit me like a jolt.
My chest tightened—anger and jealousy, hot and poisonous mixing together.
I flipped to the next picture. Aria and Nathan walking into a hotel. Then leaving together.
So she would let Nathan close... but kept me at a distance?
My wolf bristled, a growl bubbling low in my chest.
The Cowen Group top floor glowed bright with polished lights, but the atmosphere around me was ice-cold.
My beta was at a side making a call to Aria. Her voice reached me through the phone, rage and terror laced together.
"What does he want?"
My beta attempted a polite tone. "Luna Aria, please don’t misunderstand. Alpha Richard kindly found your child. You may come to the headquarters to pick her up."
Aria’s bitter laugh echoed through the speaker.
"Do you take me for a fool? Richard planned this!"
Her rage delighted me.
"Put Richard on the phone!" she roared.
My beta nearly dropped the device.
I took it, amused.
"Aria," I said, letting my voice melt into a warm, low hum, "Lana’s safe with me."
"SAFE?" she snapped. "She isn’t safe with you! Richard, whatever grudges you have, give me back my child."
Her fear trembled beneath every word. I could almost smell it through the phone.
Perfect.
"Aria, listen," I coaxed, softening my tone deliberately. "If I hadn’t stepped in, Lana would be gone. You’re alone and vulnerable. Come to me. I’ll protect you both. She’ll have the best life. Top-tier education, safety, everything she deserves." My voice dropped, gentle but chilling. "Thats your best option."
Even over the phone, I felt her shiver.
A delicious reaction.
"Cowen Group headquarters," I said with a low chuckle. "I’ll be waiting."
I hung up, satisfied. My wolf purred, possession, obsession, triumph curling together.
Lana fussed in my arms, but I simply smirked down at her. frёeωebɳovel.com
"You’ll thank me one day," I murmured, though she ignored me.
A moment later, my beta rushed back in, his face pale. "Alpha Richard, it’s Alpha Nathan."
Nathan.
I raised a brow. I’d arranged the kidnapping under the cover of night. How had he sniffed it out already?
"Tell him I’m asleep," I said calmly.
But then Nathan’s recorded message growled through a voice message:
"Richard, for every minute you dodge my call, Hemsworth Group blocks one of your deals."
My jaw ticked.
Nathan was close.
"Alpha Richard..." my beta whispered. "He’s—"
A knock interrupted her.
"Alpha Richard, someone from Hemsworth Group is here to see you."
We froze.
Nathan’s people, already at the door?.
Slowly, I rose, my hand hovering over the knob. As soon as I opened it snd saw who it was, a cold ripple went down my spine.
