Nathan’s POV

The words struck deeper than any blade. My body went rigid. My fingers curled into my palms, nails biting into flesh.

He was right.

Back then, the one who had hurt her the most, the one who had let her suffer...

Was me.

"You feel guilty?"

Richard’s laughter scraped against my ears, sharp and ugly. "Haha! Nathan, someone as arrogant as you actually feels guilty about someone?"

He stared straight at me, his eyes gleaming as he caught the hesitation I couldn’t fully hide. The instant he saw it, satisfaction bloomed on his face, rich and cruel. 𝑓𝓇𝘦ℯ𝘸𝘦𝑏𝓃𝑜𝘷ℯ𝑙.𝑐𝑜𝓂

My wolf snarled furiously within me, hackles rising.

Richard’s laughter faltered. He stared into space. He looked like he was deep in thought.

I knew they could only be thoughts about Aria. A look of pain crossed his face.

I stood there rigid, my fists clenched, my wolf pacing violently beneath my skin. My eyes burned, heat gathering behind them like embers on the verge of igniting.

Richard straightened slowly, wincing, then began to walk away. Each step was heavy, uneven, but stubborn.

He didn’t look back.

His words from earlier drifted back through the night, sharp enough to cut.

"Nathan... Do you really think you’re any different from me?"

The night swallowed him whole.

Moonlight stretched our shadows apart, long and distorted, pulling us in opposite directions.

Aria’s POV

The sun had barely risen, but my wolf was already awake and uneasy, pacing inside my chest. I had just gotten a call from an unknown caller who turned out to be Richard.

He told me he was outside my estate and asked me to come alone and take Jackson. I stared outside the window and true to his words, he had come with Jackson.

I immediately rushed out of the house quietly, my heart pounding in my chest.

When I got outside the estate gate, the first thing that hit me wasn’t the cool morning air, but Richard’s scent. It was mixed with stale alcohol.

He clearly hadn’t slept all night. The dark circles beneath his eyes were so deep they looked bruised, and his gaze was dull, almost hollow.

"I’ll give you the kid," he said hoarsely, "but I have one condition."

My heart slammed violently against my ribs.

One of his hands was gripping Jackson’s small shoulder. The child looked pale, his fear so sharp my wolf bristled instantly, a low growl rumbling in my chest before I forced it down.

Any trace of sleepiness vanished in an instant.

I stared at Richard without moving, every muscle tight, every instinct screaming that this man was dangerous.

"I don’t believe you would suddenly grow a conscience," I said coldly. "Even if you don’t give him to me, I’ll call the enforcers. The choice isn’t yours anymore, it’s mine."

His dead, unfocused eyes flickered. Then they slowly locked onto me.

And suddenly... he smiled. That smile sent ice sliding down my spine.

I knew that look too well. The look of someone who thought they still owned a part of me. Someone who believed I was still the girl who trusted him, who leaned on him, who didn’t yet know how cruel the world and people could be.

People change.

I had learned that the hard way over a year ago.

I stepped back instinctively, positioning myself between him and Jackson, my eyes never leaving the child. I gave Jackson a subtle look, willing him to stay calm.

He was shaking.

Even though he bit his lip and didn’t cry, his body trembled so badly it made my wolf ache. Protective fury surged through me.

"My condition is simple," Richard said softly.

His hand slid slowly from Jackson’s shoulder to his neck.

The world snapped into focus.

"What do you think you’re doing?" I demanded, my voice sharp as steel.

My wolf surged forward, furious, murderous, every instinct urging me to tear his throat out in his weak state and drag him to the ground.

Richard kept smiling, but there was no warmth in his eyes.

"Be my luna."

The words hit me like poison.

"Impossible, I can never be that." I didn’t hesitate for even a second.

His lips pressed together, the light in his eyes dimming again, replaced by something dark and unstable.

"Then tonight, 8pm" he said quietly. "At Lakeside Pavilion, buy me dinner."

I blinked. For a moment, I thought I’d misheard.

"That’s it?"

"That’s it," he replied, chuckling softly. "You wouldn’t agree to anything else anyway."

The way he looked at me made my wolf curl inward, uneasy. There was something predatory in his gaze, like a hunter savoring the wait before a kill.

My heart raced.

But then I looked at Jackson. His face was bloodless, his eyes wide and terrified. My fingers curled into fists.

"Fine," I said.

The moment the word left my mouth, Richard released Jackson.

Jackson froze just for a heartbeat, then bolted toward me like he was running from a pack of wolves. He slammed into my side, clutching my arm with both hands, his entire body shaking.

My chest tightened painfully. What had Richard done to him? What could make a child this afraid?

"Aria," Richard said softly, his voice drifting like fog across still water, "make sure you come." He turned to leave.

That tone made my skin crawl. It felt like standing at the edge of a cliff hidden by mist, step forward, and you might find solid ground... or nothing at all.

A chill ran through me.

"Richard," I said suddenly, my voice cold, "has anyone ever told you that you’re acting like a madman?"

He stopped but didn’t turn around.

Instead, he laughed. It was a low, chilling sound that made my wolf bare its teeth.

"If being crazy means I can have you," he said, "then I’ll stay crazy forever."

Then he walked away.

I stood there long after he was gone, my body stiff, my wolf unsettled.

When his presence finally faded, I went into my apartment, shut the door and pulled Jackson inside.

"You’re safe now," I said softly, crouching down and rubbing his back in slow, steady motions. "Tell me what they did to you."