Aria’s POV

The night pressed down heavily as we finally crossed into Asterfell, city lights bleeding into the darkness like scattered embers. My wolf had been restless the entire drive, pacing beneath my skin, feeling very uneasy.

Amelia frowned at the GPS in her hand.

"Looks like they’ve stopped."

She lifted her phone, the glowing screen reflecting in my eyes. The pulsing dot had gone still. 𝘧𝓇𝑒𝑒𝑤ℯ𝑏𝓃𝘰𝑣ℯ𝘭.𝘤ℴ𝘮

Logan scratched his head. "You don’t think they realized we were tracking them, do you?"

My expression cooled instantly. My wolf’s ears flattened. "They shouldn’t have. If we got the location this fast, it’s almost certainly his personal car. Which means..." I pinched the screen and zoomed in. "He should be somewhere nearby."

The dot sat brazenly in the heart of downtown.

My brows knit together.

How could this person kidnap a child and then linger in the city center?

I lifted my head and met Amelia’s eyes. We all got out of the car and continued on foot, heading towards the spot on the GPS.

A few seconds later, a voice reached us.

"I know where he is."

A presence slid in from behind us, heavy and charged, like static before a storm.

"Aria." He called out in a low, magnetic tone.

Every muscle in my body went tight. My claws threatened to break skin as my fingers curled.

"Who’s there?" Amelia snapped. She reacted instantly, pulling me half a step behind her.

I turned and my stomach dropped. Of all the faces I never wanted to see again in this lifetime, it had to be his.

"I am Alpha Richard," the man said smoothly. "Aria’s childhood friend."

Amelia glanced at me, questioning.

My face remained blank, but my wolf bared her teeth within me. "Why are you here?" I demanded. "And what do you know?"

"I know everything that’s been happening in Asterfell lately," Richard replied, stepping closer. "Patrick’s situation and yours."

His gaze burned as it locked onto me, like a predator finally finding the trail it had been following for awhile.

"The kid is missing, I know," he continued softly. "I can help you."

He leaned down, his breath brushing the shell of my ear.

Every instinct in me screamed. My skin prickled, goosebumps racing down my arms as my wolf recoiled, hackles raised.

I stepped back sharply. "What child?" I demanded, my eyes sharp as blades. "And how do you know about this?"

Richard didn’t look guilty. He looked pleased.

He was still smiling.

"Well, I had him taken," he said lightly. "Otherwise, you wouldn’t have been able to leave Duckspire so easily with him. And Patrick?" His voice dipped. "I can help you deal with him too. Even what happened a year ago, I can clean all of that up for you."

Storm clouds gathered in his eyes as he looked at me, his gaze sliding over me like he already owned me.

Amelia shifted uneasily beside me. From his words, it was clear Jackson’s kidnapping had been ordered by him.

"You’ve been following me," I said coldly. "And now you think you can threaten me?"

Richard’s lips curved upward, delighted by my attention. "No, Aria. I want to help you."

He stepped closer again, the chill around him thick and invasive. My wolf growled low and deep in my chest.

"Uh...sorry," Logan cut in, perfectly timed. "Let me see if I’ve got this right. We were about to bring the kid back safely. You kidnapped him first. Then, while we’re out here in the middle of the night trying to find him, you show up and say you’re here to help?"

He looked at Richard like he was examining a particularly stupid puzzle. "Are you... okay?"

Richard’s dreamy gaze snapped to Logan, sharpening instantly.

"And who the hell are you supposed to be?" he demanded, voice dropping into something dark.

Logan shrugged easily. "Maybe your worst nightmare."

The casual answer made Amelia exhale despite herself.

Richard chuckled lightly. His interference was obviously not random. It was calculated.

"So," I said, staring straight at him, disgust clear in my eyes, "what do you actually want?"

Richard turned to me immediately. His eyes locked onto me with an intensity that made my hackles rise.

"You and Nathan are divorced," he said softly. "Come with me, Aria. I can clear your name tomorrow. You won’t need to go through all this trouble."

My wolf pressed forward, suspicious, my teeth bared.

I was stunned by his response.

"Why should I go anywhere with you?" I asked, my eyes narrowed.

I stepped closer instead, closing the distance on my own terms. "Why are you so confident?" I asked coolly. "Confident that you can clear my name. Even what happened over a year ago?"

Richard’s eyes lit up like a gambler seeing an opening. For a moment, he looked like he was about to spill everything he knew, then he suddenly stopped himself and reached for my hand instead.

My wolf lunged.

"Just come with me," he said hurriedly. "I’ll take you to the child first. I’ll explain what happened over a year ago slowly..."

"Get lost." I yanked my hand back, my voice slicing through the night.

I lifted my chin, my eyes cold and unyielding. "If you don’t tell me where the child is, I’ll hand this recording over and sue you for child trafficking."

I raised my phone, the recording interface glowing clearly on the screen.

Richard’s face twisted. "You recorded this?" His voice dropped. "When?"

"Immediately you appeared," I replied.

Each word was ice. The kind that forms at the peak of a mountain.

"Isn’t that great?" he laughed suddenly. The sound cracked as it went on, each repetition more bitter than the last. "Haha...you have some guts Aria."

He stared at me like I’d betrayed him. "After all these years. After growing up together. You guard yourself against me like this?"

I felt nothing.

"Before dawn," I said calmly, "if I don’t see Jackson, we’ll meet at Cowen Group."