Chapter 274
Third Person’s POV
Aaron’s looks might have been above average, but nothing more.
Finished
Mooncrest High was five years behind them now. Back then, even if his arrogance had already been budding, there had been a trace of youthful clarity in his eyes. Now, after stepping into the world of adults, his gaze was filled with cunning calculation. He wore the scent of a petty wolf who thought himself Alpha, radiating the smug air of a jackal that had tasted scraps of power.
“Aaron, you’ve finally arrived.”
Instantly, the group shifted, a pack of sycophants swarming toward him as if he were some crowned Alpha. Their voices dripped with flattery, tails metaphorically wagging.
Aaron played the part, his mouth forming humble phrases like “Everyone is too polite,” but his chin tilted skyward, pride swelling in every line of his posture.
“Aaron, why so late? We’ve been waiting forever.”
He smirked, savoring the moment. “I was speaking with Alpha Lucien about business.”
The claim was only half–true. He had indeed crossed paths with Lucien, but “speaking of business” was nothing more than /standing on the fringes, fetching tea like a servant pup. He had merely lingered at the edges of Lucien’s meeting over the East
District project until the Alpha had dismissed him without a second glance.
Yet fortune—or so he believed–had shifted. As Aaron left, he stumbled across a young she–wolf pushing an empty service
cart.
He had asked, with all the pomp of self–importance, “Have my guests arrived?”
The girl had replied with dutiful respect, “Sir, are your friends the group of wolves in their twenties? There is a Miss Carmen among them?”
Aaron’s ears had pricked, and he’d nodded eagerly. “Yes, that’s them.”
“Your friends are in Private Room 101.”
Aaron had blinked. Room 101? He had reserved 107.
“Not 107?”
“Sir,” she explained patiently, “Alpha Lucien reserved 101. Your friends were moved there.”
The words struck him like a thunderclap. Alpha Lucien–reserving a suite for him? Aaron’s chest swelled, every nerve alight with giddy triumph. Lucien had noticed him. Lucien had cleared the way, granting him the Super VIP chamber in the heart of the Mooncrest’s most prestigious hotel.
Aaron didn’t question it. Why would he? His vanity devoured the thought whole. He strode toward 101 with head high, only to find his classmates already gathered there.
Their flattery rained on him like honey, feeding his ego until he could barely keep his paws on the ground.
“Everyone, sit. Let’s begin,” he announced, basking in the glow of his false authority.
His gaze locked on Riley the moment she moved.
The she–wolf he had chased for years in high school, his unattainable goddess. No amount of courting or displays of bravado had swayed her then. She had always been untouchable, her wolf’s dignity sharp as steel, her spirit beyond the reach of petty
suitors.
And yet–here she was, sitting before him once again.
His eyes lingered too long, his wolf stirring with hunger. Time had only honed her beauty, her face carved sharper than memory, her aura fierce and unyielding Desire clawed at him, the same itch he had carried since youth.
11:53 PM PP.
Chapter 274
Finished
Yes, he was married now–but what did that matter? His mate was nothing more than a brood sow, an heiress with clumsy paws and dull eyes. Sleeping beside her was like curling next to livestock. He had already planned her ruin: take every coin of her inheritance, leave her stripped of fortune, and then return to chase women like Riley, women who matched the fantasies of his wolf.
He smirked openly, gaze crawling across Riley as though undressing her with his eyes. Every wolf in the room caught the heat of it, the stink of lust rolling from him like a rutting beast.
“Riley Vale,” one of the classmates jeered, emboldened by Aaron’s presence. “You came here uninvited, wasn’t it for the chance to finally greet our mighty ‘class idol‘? Now that you’ve seen him, shouldn’t you go over and pay your respects?”
Riley’s lip curled. She felt the weight of Aaron’s stare, a look that sought to peel flesh from bone, leaving her spirit raw. The revulsion in her chest rose like bile.
She narrowed her eyes. “Aaron… are you certain you booked this room?”
Aaron raised his brows, smirking with confidence. “Of course. I booked it myself. You think I’d forget?”
A
Riley’s silence deepened. Doubt crept at the edges. Could Alpha Lucien have misremembered? No. It didn’t matter. She needed to leave–now. She had to find Lucien and clarify before this charade rotted further.
She tugged at Mia’s arm, turning toward the door.
But the others moved, wolves forming a wall of bodies, blocking her exit with smirks and taunts.
“You’re already here, don’t run.”
“What’s wrong? Dropping the pure act already?”
“Enough with the pretense. You’re only making it worse.”
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A hand shoved Riley’s shoulder. She staggered, off–balance, the urn of rage inside her threatening to burst.
Her body tilted, momentum driving her forward–straight into Aaron’s waiting arms.
And the bastard smiled, his arms closing around her like a trap snapping shut.
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