10. Low and Venomous

Hugo’s gaze darkened as he leaned back in his chair, his fingers tapping the edge of the table. “There’s only one man who can help us now… though he’s the last person any of us would want to owe.”

Aria lifted her head slowly. Her pulse quickened at the tension in Hugo’s voice. “Who?”

“Mason Larkin,” Hugo said grimly. “Alpha of the Silver Moon Pack… and the Chairman of the Federation.”

Cecil visibly tensed beside her, her eyes widening. “Mason Larkin? Are you serious? He’s—”

“I know exactly who he is,” Hugo cut her off. “And yes, I’m serious.”

Aria’s breath caught in her throat. Not because of the things she had heard about, but because she had met him and it was an intimate encounter...

Everyone in the federation knew Mason Larkin. A man who rose to power faster than any Alpha in history. At twenty-nine, he ruled over the most brutal, cold-blooded pack in the region—and chaired the very organization that now had the power to silence her parents forever.

“He has no direct connection to your parents,” Hugo continued. “But he has the authority to stop the investigation—or bury it deeper. If anyone can unseal the truth, it’s him.”

“And why would a man like that help me?” Aria asked, her voice strained. Her hands were starting to get cold. After their last meeting, she wouldn't dare ask for help from him at all, and he might not even help her.

Hugo looked her dead in the eye. “Because Mason doesn’t help people… unless he sees something worth investing in. Power, leverage, secrets—he trades in all of it. If you want his help, you’ll need to offer him something just as dangerous as he is.”

Aria’s heart thudded painfully in her chest. “What are you saying?”

“I’m saying,” Hugo said with a heavy breath, “if you want to save your parents… you’ll have to dance with the devil himself...”

**********

Aria didn't stay long in Alpha Hugo’s mansion. Her mind was racing, her heart barely keeping up with the flood of thoughts crashing through her. She and Cecil left as soon as she got the information she needed.

As they got into the car, Aria buckled her seatbelt with a finality that made Cecil glance at her warily.

“Let’s go to the Riggs Mansion,” Aria said, her voice cold, sharp like a blade.

Cecil frowned, keeping her hands on the wheel. “Are you sure you want to go there with just the two of us? I mean… shouldn’t we bring someone with us? A bodyguard? Backup?”

Aria shook her head, her jaw clenched. “No. I will only take the things that my parents gave me, and the important documents. Elliot and his mistress can have everything else. I’ll even donate my expensive jewelry and designer clothes to them. God knows they’ll need it more than I ever will.”

Cecil didn’t argue. She knew that tone—Aria was done playing the victim.

The car sped through the highway, and after two hours, they pulled into the grand circular driveway of the Riggs Mansion. 

As Aria stepped out of the car, the heavy doors of the mansion creaked open… and there he was.

Elliot Riggs. The man who used to be the apple of her eye, the love of her life.

Standing tall in the entranceway, arms crossed, dressed in casual arrogance and a smirk that made Aria’s blood boil. His dark hair was perfectly styled, and he looked far too relaxed for someone who had just ruined a life. 

Or rather, lives.

“Aria,” he said coolly, “I didn’t expect you to show up unannounced. But then again, you always loved a bit of drama.”

Aria marched past him, brushing her shoulder against his, her heels echoing on the marble floor like war drums.

“I’m not here to play games, Elliot,” she snapped. “I’m here to get what’s mine. The rest, this palace, your lies, your gold-digging whore, you can keep it all.”

He laughed softly behind her. “You’re still bitter, I see.”

She turned sharply, eyes blazing. “Bitter? You framed me, Elliot. And now my parents? You think I wouldn’t figure it out?”

Elliot’s expression froze, if only for a second.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” he said carefully.

“You fed false accusations to the Federation. To the IRS. You had the foundation audited and twisted everything into a trap. You destroyed their lives the way you tried to destroy mine. You’re not just a traitor… you’re a coward,” she hissed.

Elliot’s eyes narrowed. “You should be careful who you accuse. You’re not the Luna anymore.”

Aria stepped forward until they were almost chest to chest, her voice now a low growl. “No. I’m not. But I am still a Harper. And I will burn this entire empire of lies you built—brick by brick—until the world sees you for the monster you are.”

Elliot smirked like the devil himself, his eyes glinting with mockery. He stepped forward slowly, hands tucked into his pockets, his voice dripping with arrogance.

“Do you have evidence of your accusations?” he asked, his head tilted back, chin high, like a king addressing a peasant.

Aria’s glare sharpened like a dagger, but she stayed silent. Her lips pressed into a thin line. She didn’t need to answer—he already knew she didn’t have the proof. Not yet.

Elliot chuckled, dark and cruel. “Maybe your parents weren’t as honest in business as you thought. Maybe… just maybe, they’ve had tax problems for years.” 

He leaned in, his tone low and venomous. “Isn’t your family known as the richest in the Ironhide Pack? It’s not hard to imagine people getting jealous. When you flaunt your wealth so shamelessly, it makes enemies. Maybe they were just… unlucky.”

He shrugged with false sympathy, his words like acid in her ears.

Aria’s hands curled into fists at her sides. Her whole body trembled—not in fear, but in fury. Her voice came out low, steady, and laced with fury.

“No,” she said. “They didn’t flaunt anything. My parents helped people. They built shelters, schools, fed orphaned pups, healed warriors who couldn’t afford care.”

Her eyes burned with unspoken grief. “You’re the one who’s jealous. You always were. You hated seeing a woman more powerful than you, a family more respected than yours.”

Then she stepped closer, her voice now a lethal whisper.

“You framed me to tarnish my name. And now you’ve dragged my parents into your sick little game. Tell me, Elliot—does it feel good? Watching a family fall apart just to soothe your bruised ego?”

Elliot’s expression darkened, the smirk faltering for a heartbeat. Just a flash—but Aria caught it. He knew. She was getting under his skin.

“I will find the evidence,” she vowed. “And when I do, you’ll wish you’d never met me.”

She turned and stormed up the stairs, leaving Elliot in a storm of silence, the echoes of her heels pounding against the marble like the final warning of a war just begun.