Aria’s POV
Suicide?!
My mind wentpletely nk. For a second, I thought I must’ve misheard.
Otto? Suicide?!
That was impossible!
He was like thest man I’d ever imagine taking his own life.
A cry broke through the silence. I copsed to the floor, with tears streaming dramatically down her cheeks.
“No, no… Otto… why would you do something so stupid?! You didn’t do anything wrong!” she wailed.
I frowned at her. Even her grief looked fake to me. Every sob, every tear, it all seemed fucking staged.
“How the hell did this happen?” Grayson’s voice thundered. “I told you to watch him closely. He shouldn’t have been left alone. How the fuck did he even get the chance to do this?”
The captain of the guards bowed deeply, his voice trembling with nerves. “Forgive us, Alpha. Otto must have smuggled a gun in himself. And he did it while no one’s looking…”
“And you didn’t even search him before throwing him into the jail?” Grayson growled. “I didn’t know my men were so stupid!”
There was a tensed silence. Every soldier seemed horrified as hell.
“Show me his letter.” Grayson demanded.
The soldier quickly pulled out a bloodstained paper and started reading it:
“…Red Stone and White River share a blood feud. I would never pass up the chance to take revenge on Grayson Hart. Too bad I failed to kill his little whore’s wolf, to make him taste the grief as I have. Even I have failed, I do not regret it. I take full responsibility for everything I did. I knew nothing of this. She only wished to help. I only took advantage of her kindness. If you have any honor as a man, you won’t punish her for my actions. -Otto”
When he finished reading, I burst into another round of sobs.
“Oh, you idiot Otto! I–I begged him, like a thousand times. I asked him to put aside his hatred and use this chance to reconcile with Red Stone Pack. But he never listened. He should have listened <i>to </i>me…”
“Wait a minute!” I cut her off sharply. “<i>You </i>mean to say you knew nothing about any of this? That Otto did it all behind your back?”
She blinked at me with wet eyes, looking surprise. “Well, of <i>course. </i>You heard what he wrote yourself.”
“I find this whole thing very suspicious,” I snapped. “From his so–called suicide, down to this letter.”
“How dare you!”
I scrambled to her feet, ring at me through her tears, her voice shaking with fury. “Otto is dead! He’s paid the price for what he did. <b>The </b><b>! </b>could do is show a shred of respect for the dead! And yet you stand here questioning his final words. Is that your idea of manners?<b>” </b>
“I don’t have any manners. I thought you knew that,” I said tly.
20
“Grayson!” She spun toward him, her face torn between rage and sorrow. “Aren’t you going to say something? You’re actually dating a cold, heartless <b>girl </b>with no manner. I feel sorry for you.”
<b>1/4 </b>
<b>But </b>Grayson didn’t even look at her. His eyes were on me
“What do you find suspicious, Aria?” he asked.
“Well, for starters–Otto was not the type to go down quietly. He struck me as the kind of man who’d scream his innocence to his <b>dying </b><b>breath </b><b>and </b>fly <b>to </b>drag you into hell with him. He will not blow his own brains out.”
“He must have done it to protect me,” i sobbed, clutching at her face. “He cared too much about me. He knew I’d be targeted if he didn’t take the me.”
“Exactly,” I shot back, looking at her with disgust. “That’s the most suspicious part. If you really had nothing to do with this, why would you need <b>his </b>protection? Especially in a suicide note where he went out of his way to dere your innocence? It sounds fake as hell to me.”
The hall fell into dead silence.
Every eye turned to me. They’d understood exactly what I was implying.
“You–you can’t seriously be suggesting-“I gasped, her voice shrill.
“That’s right.”
I said loudly, my heart pounding:
“I’m saying you killed Otto! You murdered him and pinned it all on him to take the me.!”
The words left my mouth and hung in the air like a thunderp.
My pulse was racing. I’d never used anyone of murder before. It was a serious charge, , and I had no hard evidence. It’s risky.
But my gut screamed the truth. I was at the rotten core of all this.
“Aria.” Grayson’s voice was low<i>, </i>stern. “Do you even know what you’re saying?”
“I know exactly what I’m saying. And I swear, I’m not lying about this-”
“Stop asking her!” I cried out, her sobs louder, more pitiful. “It’s obvious what’s happening here! Your little girlfriend won’t miss a single chance to paint me as the viin, no matter how insane it is! What did I do wrong, Grayson? Maybe I shouldn’t havee back. Maybe I shouldn’t have tried to make peace between Red Stone and White River. Maybe I shouldn’t have cared enough to bring Aria a doctor when she was suffering. Because now? Now I’m suffering from my own kindness!”
Her cries echoed through the hall.
I could feel everyone’s eyes on me, even the Red Stone’s soldiers‘–cold, using.
They pitied I. They hated me.
They thought I was the ungrateful bitch.
And i was the poor, innocent victim.
I clenched my fists, trembling with rage. “<i>No </i>seriously. I can’t be the only one who thinks this whole ‘suicide and note thing is too <b>damn </b>convenient! Otto was an Alpha. He’d never abandon his entire pack by killing himself. It makes no sense! Just try testing the handwriting. Or check I’s alibi<b>…</b><b>I’m </b>damn sure you’ll find something!”
The soldier holding the note shifted nervously and muttered,”
My eyes widened. “And I’s alibi?”
“…We alreadypared the handwriting. It’s definitely Alpha Otto’s own writing.<b>” </b>
A tall man stepped forward, his face carved from stone. “I am Glen, Alpha Grayson’s guard captain. Last night, I personally stood watch <b>at </b><b>Lady </b><b>I’s </b>
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15:55 Tue 19 <b>Aug </b>
<b>Chapter </b><b>110 </b>
<b>door</b><b>. </b>I can swear <b>she </b>never left her room.”
<b>What</b><b>?! </b>
1 bit my lip hard, fury and doubt tangling inside me.
How the hell was that possible? If she
ver left her room how did she kill Otto? Did she have help? Or… some other trick?
“So?” I wiped her tears and sneered at
room and appeared in the dungeon to me, “What are you going to say!
lotto?”
y now<i>? </i>
Are you
going to call me a witch next? Say I magically vanished from my
I stayed silent, ring at her.
Her voice rose in hatred. “Maybe I should use you instead, Aria Collins. You hated Otto. Maybe you are the one who snuck outst night and killed <b>him </b>
“Enough.”
Grayson’s voice crashed like thunder. His eyes cut to I. “I was with Aria all night. Don’t throw
baseless usations at her.”
I sniffled, looking at him with wounded eyes. “See? Being falsely used hurts, doesn’t it? You can’t just protect her here, Grayson. I’m your friend too. Remember?”
Friend my ass.
I want to smack her.
“If you’re truly innocent, no one can hurt you<b><i>,” </i></b>he said.
Her tears vanished in an instant, reced by a relief smile. “I know you wouldn’t leave me drowning, Grayson.”
I whirled around to him, stunned. “What the hell–seriously?!”
Was he just going to let her walk away?
I wanted to scream in anger.
God! This was the perfect chance to expose I’s true face. And I was so fucking close!
But once again, she slipped away, smug and smiling.
Grayson squeezed my hand, a subtle warning for me to stay calm. Then his voice cut across the hall:
“Otto has paid for his crimes. I will show mercy by sparing the rest of his pack. But if White River Pack ever dares to cross me again, I’ll burn every inch of their territory to ash. Spread the word to their elders.”
“Yes, Alpha.”
?..
He swept the hall with his icy gaze. “This matter is over. Get Otto’s body t
The soldiers bowed and dispersed to do their job. I turned to go as well.
As she left this ce, our eyes met for a brief second.
And I saw it.
The faintest curl of her lips.
The smile of someone who’d gotten away with murder.
his people. And we’ll leave this ce tomorrow.”
<b>3/4 </b>
I clenched <b>my </b>fists. God, I fucking hated herl
“Hey<b>, </b>stop pouting.” Grayson spun me to him, gently brushing my cheek. “Smile. We’re going home tomorrow?
“I know she’s responsible. I swear it!” I shouted.
“using a noble isn’t so simple as you think,” he said in a serious tone. “You’d have to answer to her elders and her Alpha about her crime<b>. </b>If you can’t answer their questions, or can’t present enough evidence, the punishment would fall on you.”
<b>“</b>Must be nice, being a noble,” I muttered bitterly.
“And honestly,” he added, “I think this time you might’ve been a little unfair to her.”
What? Seriously? Now I’m officially pissed at him!
Before I could explode, Malik hurried over. He looked nervous yet determined.
“S–sorry to interrupt. But since Alpha Otto is gone, perhaps I could… volunteer as Aria’s personal healer?”
I gave him an encouraging look. Grayson’s voice, however, was cool. “So. What’s your theory, young man?”
Malik swallowed hard. “I believe Aria’s wolf is bound by a powerful spell. That’s what’s weakening her. And to break it–we need to find her parents. They’re the most likely ones who could have performed the ritual when she was <b>a </b>child.”
AD
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