My fingers tighten around the phone 73

Aria’s POV
“Who’s there?” Ethan’s sharp voice cut through the air, making my heart freeze mid-beat. “Show yourself!”
I couldn’t bear to lurk in the shadows any longer, eavesdropping on this sickening conversation. Drawing a deep breath
to steady myself, I stepped out from the corner of the hallway, my chin held high as I faced Emma and Ethan directly.
The moment I appeared, Ethan immediately pushed away Emma’s arms that had been attempting to encircle him. Their
conversation cut off abruptly, leaving the air thick with awkwardness and tension. I could feel my heart hammering
against my ribs, but I refused to let either of them see how much this affected me.
“Please, don’t stop on my account,” I said with a cold smile, my voice dripping with sarcasm. “I was just passing by.
Pretend I don’t exist.”
Emma recovered quickly, her expression transforming from startled surprise to calculated vulnerability with practiced
ease. She delicately wiped away tears from the corners of her eyes with the back of her hand, looking absolutely pitiful.
The performance was so transparent it made my stomach turn.
“What did Grandma discuss with you?” she asked, deliberately emphasizing the word “Grandma” as if to remind me she
belonged in the Shadow Fang family circle while I remained an outsider. Her blue eyes were wide with feigned innocence,
but I could see the malice lurking beneath.
A surge of anger rose from deep within me, heating my blood. My fingers curled involuntarily into my palms, nails biting
into skin. “How is that any of your business?” I replied coldly, barely keeping my voice level. “Why would I tell you
anything? Emma, stop this charade. We both know exactly what kind of person you are.”
Tears welled up in her eyes again, but this time I could clearly see the calculated mechanics behind them. She had
learned long ago how to cry on command, how to appear broken and vulnerable to manipulate others. It was a skill she
had perfected and wielded like a weapon.
“I’m sorry, Aria,” she said softly, her voice tinged with manufactured remorse. She bowed her head slightly, allowing her
golden hair to fall forward, partially concealing her face in a practiced gesture of shame. “If it weren’t for me, you would
never have experienced that terrible incident at the resort… what that man did to you…”
An icy chill crawled up my spine as memories flooded back—the dark room, searing pain, overwhelming despair, and the
ultimate betrayal. My hands began to tremble uncontrollably, and I could feel the blood draining from my face. For a
moment, the room seemed to tilt sideways, the walls closing in as my chest constricted painfully.
“Shut up!” I snapped, my voice sharp with emotion. “Don’t you dare speak of it!”
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Ethan’s brow furrowed deeply, his forest-green eyes unreadable. The muscle in his jaw worked as he clenched and
unclenched his teeth. When he finally spoke, his voice was low and commanding: “Emma, wait in the living room. I need
to speak with Aria alone.”
Though Emma looked reluctant, the authority in his alpha command left no room for argument. She bit her lip, shooting me a venomous glance before turning and sauntering out of the side hall, her hips swaying dramatically as if to remind
Ethan what he was missing.
Suddenly, the room felt both too small and too large. Just me and Ethan, standing a few feet apart yet separated by an
ocean of secrets and misunderstandings. My heart pounded so loudly I was certain he could hear it with his enhanced
alpha senses.
I stared at him, replaying Emma’s words in my mind—their one-night stand, their intimate connection. The thought of
him with her made bile rise in my throat. The same hands that had held Lucas so tenderly, that had touched me with such
passion… had also been on her. The realization made me physically ill.
“Aria,” Ethan took a step toward me, his voice softening in a way that made my traitorous heart skip a beat. “Emma has
told me about what happened to you before. Let the past stay in the past.”
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His words cut through me like a serrated blade. He thought he knew, but he had no idea. That rainy night was the darkest moment of my life—not just because of what happened in that hotel room, but because of everything that followed. I
lost my connection to my wolf, was cast out by my father, and stripped of all status and dignity in Silver Moon. Only when
Lucas was born did I slowly begin to find meaning in life again. Lucas healed me, gave me strength to continue when I
had nothing else.
I wrapped my arms around myself, as if the gesture could somehow hold together the pieces that threatened to shatter.
“I don’t need your concern,” I said stiffly, forcing my voice to remain steady. “Worry about your own affairs.”
Ethan stood there, his tall figure casting a long shadow in the sunlight streaming through the windows. His eyes never
left mine, those forest-green orbs flickering with emotions I couldn’t decipher. The alpha energy radiating from him felt
like a physical touch against my skin.
“Aria,” he murmured, his deep voice dropping to a register that seemed to vibrate through my very bones. One of his
hands came up, hesitating just inches from my face, as if he wanted to touch my cheek but wasn’t sure he should. I could
feel the heat radiating from his palm, could see the tiny flecks of gold in his green eyes as he looked down at me.
My breath caught in my throat, my body betraying me with a slight lean toward him before I caught myself. For one
insane moment, all I wanted was to close that final distance between us, to feel his arms around me, to forget everything
else.
“Tell me,” he asked quietly, his breath warm against my skin, “what can I do for you?”
I met his gaze directly, summoning every ounce of coldness I could muster. Each word emerged crystalline and sharp,
intended to cut as deeply as possible: “Take your precious Emma and get out of my world