Alpha's Regret, Begging My Convict Luna Back のすべてのチャプター: チャプター 401 - チャプター 410

Aria's POVBefore the silence could suffocate the room any further, Jonathan spoke.“Before coming here, Aria explained the situation to me.”His voice was calm and steady, like an alpha who had long outgrown the need to bare his fangs. He spoke with so much confidence rooted in certainty, not bluster. The pressure in the air shifted.Gina froze.Her eyes locked onto Jonathan as if she were staring at a ghost. The sharp, hostile scent she had been giving off faltered, confusion bleeding through it.“It seems this young lady doubts the authenticity of the brooch,” Jonathan continued lightly, his posture relaxed, almost leisurely.At once, every gaze swung toward Gina.I inclined my head slightly. “Yes. Ms. Carlson believes the brooch could only have been designed by Anderson Turner. And since she assumes I couldn’t possibly know him, she concluded it must be a fake.”Jonathan turned his attention to Gina, studying her with a faint smile. “Ms. Carlson has a very keen eye.”The complimen

Aria's POVMy wolf shifted beneath my skin at her words.Of course I knew his feelings were real. I had felt them in the way his scent changed around me. In the way his heartbeat deepened.But love was not the same as safety.“I’m doing well now,” I said evenly. “I don’t want to look back. What’s in the past should stay there.”Jennifer pressed on. “And what about Lana? Do you really want her to grow up without a father figure? Even for her sake?”She was betting on my heart, but she didn’t understand. In as much as there was a time when I loved Nathan with all I had, things have changed, I was not that girl anymore.I looked down at Lana. Her cheeks were rosy, her tiny fingers gripping the edge of my shawl. She cooed softly, unaware of the weight of adult expectations placed upon her small shoulders.“As long as I am here,” I said quietly, “Lana will have a complete and happy home. A father’s identity is not essential.”Because what she truly needed was strength, protection and a mot

Nathan’s POV“Alpha Nathan,” she said coldly, “I know what kind of person my friend is. I know he never laid a hand on you. Emotionally and logically, I will stand by my friend.”My wolf went still, completely still.The memory from the past slammed into me without warning. The memory of when Aria stood before me, trying to explain that she was innocent. Trying to defend herself.And I hadn’t listened.I had trusted Sophia’s investigation over my mate’s voice, over her scent, over the bond.I had judged, decided, and closed the case.Was this what it felt like? To speak and not be heard? To be condemned without trial?My fists tightened again, but this time not in anger, but in regret.I bit the inside of my lip hard enough to taste blood. My voice came out hoarse.“What do you want?”She looked straight at me. “Apologize to him.”Two simple words, yet they weighed a hundred pounds.“Fine,” I said through clenched teeth. I lifted my chin and forced myself to look at Jonathan. “But don

Nathan's POVHer words echoed loudly in my mind. I leaned back into the pillow, staring at nothing.So that’s what it is. What I had done was simply unforgivable.The staff suddenly went very still. I could almost smell the moment realization struck her. Her breathing changed. She must have known why I asked.The Crescent Manor belongs to my grandmother but her members of staff knew about what happened over two years ago, just like everyone in the pack and the country at large. They knew how my Luna went to prison for a crime she was accused of committing.Silence stretched between us until she cleared her throat carefully.“Well… maybe it’s not impossible,” she amended quickly. “But if someone wants forgiveness, sincerity is the most important thing.”My eyes flickered back to her.“Sincerity?” I repeated. “What more sincerity is needed if he can offer money, power, love?”I could give Aria the world. I already owned most of it. The staff shook her head.“It’s not like that. If someo

Aria's POV"I didn't know," Jennifer said. Her voice was smaller than I had ever heard it. "I knew you had been in prison. I knew it had been difficult. But I didn't know —" She stopped, collected herself with visible effort. "I am so sorry, Aria.""You don't need to apologize. It wasn't your doing.""No." She shook her head firmly. "I made a promise to your grandmother when she was alive. I told her I would watch over you. That I would make sure you were cared for." Her voice cracked on the last word. "I failed her. And I failed you."Something shifted in me at that. The mention of my grandmother hit me somewhere deep in my heart."My grandmother knew the kind of man you were trying to pair me with," I said carefully. "She knew his flaws. But she also trusted that love, given time and the right soil, might correct them."I looked down at Lana, who had fallen into a light doze against the pillows. "She wasn't wrong about love. She was just wrong about timing."Jennifer reached across