Chapter 2

Nathan's POV

The Bentley purred to a stop before the prison gates. I sat in the back seat, still as stone with my eyes closed as I listened to the rhythmic thump of my own heartbeat.

When I finally opened my eyes, they locked on the weather-worn sign ahead: The Nightshade Institution for Women.

I checked my watch. The seconds dragged. "Why isn't she out yet?" I muttered, my voice low and clipped.

"The release paperwork might be taking longer than expected, Alpha," my beta, Collins, replied quickly, his eyes fixed on the road. After a nervous pause, he added, "Don't worry, sir. It's Luna Aria's release day. She'll be… over the moon to see that you came to pick her up yourself."

A humorless sound escaped me. "Is that so?"

My wolf snarled beneath the surface, restless. She had betrayed us.

"She schemed with the Cowen's family," I said flatly, a flicker of frost in my gaze. "She sold my company's confidential files. She could've continued living comfortably as my wife and Luna, but no. She chose to be a traitor."

Even saying it left a bitter taste in my mouth.

"She brought this on herself," I said, though the words didn't burn as sharply as they once did. "I'm just here to see if she dares look me in the eye."

The air inside the car turned thick and suffocating. Collins, my beta, didn't respond, he cracked the window for air, then stiffened suddenly. "Wait a second…" he whispered. "Is that—Luna Aria?"

My head turned sharply. "What?"

He pointed across the lot, toward a bus that had just pulled away. "I thought I saw her, Alpha… but…"

I rubbed the bridge of my nose, exhaustion pressing behind my eyes after a night of meetings. "Speak clearly."

"She was…holding a baby," he said quietly. "It must've been my mistake."

My hands froze. A baby?

I followed his gaze and saw the woman he was referring to on a bus, she was rocking a baby in her arms. Her hair fell over half her face, but the curve of her jaw… the way she looked at the child, soft and lost to the world, it stirred something deep in me for a brief, breathless second.

I shook it off, forcing logic to take over. "Impossible," I said flatly. "She was twenty-two when she went to prison. There was no child."

That scene triggered memories from eighteen months ago.

I had stumbled home drunk that night, my grandmother's words echoing in my head, her endless talk about heirs, legacies, and responsibility. The weight of it had driven me to the bottle again.

Aria had been waiting, quiet as always, her eyes full of worry instead of reproach. She helped me as she always does every night.

She had tucked me in and was about to leave when I grabbed her roughly by the wrist. My temper had already snapped long before my hands touched her. She was so small in my grip, trembling, looking down at me with those wide eyes that always made me feel… exposed.

I can still remember the heat of that moment, the storm in my chest, the way my anger blurred everything around me.

She'd spoken to my grandmother about children. I decided to finally give her what she always wanted.

When she whispered, "Nathan, not like this…" her voice was barely a breath. I heard it, but I knew exactly what that meant. She was only playing me, trying to make me relent. Trying to control me the way everyone else had.

Rage flared again, hot and blinding as I moved over her. My wolf roared inside me, feeding off my fury, and I let him.

"Aria," I growled, "you brought this on yourself."

I pinned her wrists above her head with one harsh motion, my kiss turning brutal and forceful as I had my way with her.

When I finally stood and looked down at her, she was just… still, with tears on her cheeks. I didn't care, she deserved it, she was the one who pushed too far.

The next morning, I dressed up in silence. Buttoned my shirt and avoided looking at her curled shape beneath the sheets. Her sobs were faint but they followed me, haunting and clinging to the edges of my mind. I stepped outside, needing the air, needing distance.

I was at the courtyard, trying to steady the pounding in my head, when I heard it — the sound of boots, the low murmur of voices.

It was the enforcers.

"Alpha Nathan," they said, "we've found evidence that Luna Aria, sold company secrets. She's under arrest."

I'd clenched my jaw, my eyes narrowing. "Do what must be done. No one betrays the Alpha and walks free."

I watched them drag her away, turning a dead ear as she denied being guilty admist tears.

"Sir, should we keep waiting?" my beta's voice cut through the memory.

I blinked, realizing I'd been staring at the prison gates for over an hour. They stood firmly shut.

"No," I said, my jaw tightening. "If she wants to walk home, let her."

I'd postponed an international board meeting for this, for her, and she couldn't even face me.

"Yes, Alpha."

The engine rumbled to life, and the Bentley rolled away from the prison. I stared out the window, the gray stone walls shrinking behind us.

In the mirror, I caught the driver glancing back, his eyes flicking to the empty gate. "Strange," he muttered. "She was supposed to be out by now."

I ignored him and unlocked my tablet, forcing myself to focus on the screen. Reports, figures, graphs. They were all safe distractions.

Several hours later at my home in Hemsworth Villa, the moon had climbed high, full and silver.

I stepped out of my study, clad in my navy loungewear. I made my way towards my bedroom to get some night rest.

Just then, I noticed the glow spilling from under Aria's bedroom door. The light was turned on, by whom?

Could it be her?

I immediately quickened my pace, my heart pounding in my chest.