Sold to Bastard Alpha after My Divorce! Chapter 65

Aria’s POV

I couldn’t sleep.

The hospital bracelet was still on my wrist. I’d forgotten to take it off. The plastic edge dug into my skin every ti I moved.

Pregnant.

The word kept echoing in my skull. Over and over. Like a curse I couldn’t escape.

I grabbed my jacket. Slipped out of the apartnt. The building was quiet. Most of my neighbors were asleep. Normal people with normal lives and normal problems.

I wasn’t one of them.

The night air was cool against my face. I sucked it in. Let it fill my lungs.

Better. A little better.

I started walking. No destination. Just movent. Just the steady rhythm of my feet against the pavent.

The streets of Shadow Moon territory were familiar. Every cracked sidewalk. Every flickering streetlight. Every boarded-up window and graffitied wall.

This was my world. The only world I’d ever known.

And soon, I’d be bringing a child into it.

The thought made my stomach turn.

I turned a corner. Then another.

And froze.

Two figures stood in the pool of light from a streetlamp. Near my building. Close enough that I could see their faces clearly.

Kael.

And Rebecca.

My heart stopped beating.

What were they doing here? Together? In the middle of the night?

I pressed myself against the wall. Hidden in shadow. Close enough to hear. Close enough to watch my world collapse.

Again.

Rebecca’s voice cut through the silence. Sharp. Angry.

"You’re in love with that bitch, aren’t you?!"

The words hit like a physical blow.

Kael said sothing. Too quiet for to hear. His face was hard. Closed off.

Rebecca laughed. The sound was ugly. Desperate.

"This is insane, Kael. Absolutely insane." She paced in front of him. Her heels clicked against the pavent. "You’re throwing away everything. EVERYTHING. For what? So Oga trash who can’t even keep her own daughter?"

"Your father is furious," Rebecca continued. "The whole pack is talking. Do you have any idea what this is doing to your reputation?"

Rebecca’s voice rose. Cracked. "You’re the Alpha heir! You’re supposed to marry ! We were supposed to rule together!"

Marry .

The words echoed in my skull.

Of course. Of course that was what this was about.

"Rebecca—"

"No!" She cut him off. Stepped closer. Her hand grabbed his arm. "Listen to . Whatever this is—this obsession, this madness—it has to stop. Your father is already talking about arranging sothing. A proper Luna. Soone worthy of the Blood Crown na."

My chest constricted.

Rebecca’s voice turned desperate. "You know what he’s like. He gets what he wants. Always. And right now, he wants you married. To soone appropriate. Soone who isn’t—"

"Isn’t what?"

"ISN’T HER!"

The scream echoed off the buildings.

I pressed harder against the wall. My legs were shaking. My whole body was shaking.

Rebecca’s voice dropped. Softer now. Almost pleading.

"Kael. Please. Just think about this. Think about what you’re giving up." She moved closer. Her hand found his chest. "We’ve known each other our whole lives. We make sense together. We’re equals."

Kael didn’t move. Didn’t push her away. Just stood there. Staring down at her with an expression I couldn’t read.

"Your father will accept ," Rebecca continued. "The pack will accept . We can have everything, Kael. The power. The position. The future we always planned."

Silence.

My heart hamred against my ribs.

Say sothing. Push her away. Tell her no.

But he didn’t.

He just stood there.

And sothing inside shattered.

"All you have to do," Rebecca whispered, "is forget about her. She’s nothing, Kael. A nobody. She can’t give you what I can."

Forget about her.

A nobody.

I’d heard enough.

I turned. Started walking. Didn’t run. Didn’t make a sound. Just put one foot in front of the other until the voices faded behind .

My face was wet.

When had I started crying?

I didn’t know. Didn’t care.

The tears fell anyway. Hot and silent and unstoppable.

I’d known this would happen. Had known from the very beginning that Kael and I could never be together. Had known that fate was cruel and the universe didn’t care about fairy tales.

But knowing sothing and feeling it were two different things.

And right now, all I could feel was the last fragile piece of my heart crumbling to dust.

He was going to marry her.

Maybe not Rebecca specifically. But soone like her. Soone "appropriate." Soone worthy of the Blood Crown na.

Soone who wasn’t .

And I was going to have his baby.

Alone.

A bitter laugh escaped my throat. It sounded more like a sob.

The universe really did have a sick sense of humor.

I climbed the stairs to my apartnt. Each step felt like wading through cent. My legs were heavy. My body was exhausted.

But my mind wouldn’t stop.

What was I going to do?

I couldn’t stay here. Couldn’t raise a child in this hellhole. Couldn’t watch from a distance as Kael lived his perfect life with his perfect Luna.

Couldn’t let his family find out about this baby.

The thought sent ice through my veins.

If Magnus Blood Crown discovered that his precious heir had fathered a child with Shadow Moon trash... I didn’t even want to imagine what would happen.

They’d try to take it. Or destroy it. Or destroy .

I had to leave.

The realization crystallized in my mind. Sharp. Clear. Final.

I had to get out of ridian Territory. Start over sowhere new. Sowhere no one knew . Sowhere I could raise this baby in peace.

Sowhere Kael would never find .

The apartnt door creaked open.

And the sll hit imdiately.

Sex. Alcohol. Cheap perfu.

Ho sweet ho.

I stepped inside. The living room was a disaster. Empty bottles scattered across the floor. Clothes thrown over furniture. The couch cushions were askew.

Sounds ca from my mother’s bedroom. Unmistakable sounds. Rhythmic. Accompanied by moans and grunts that made my stomach turn.

Nothing new.

I walked past. Kept my eyes forward.

The bathroom door was open. Serena stood in front of the mirror. Applying layers of makeup. Her dress was so short it barely qualified as clothing.

She looked up when she saw . Her eyes narrowed.

"Well, well." Her voice dripped with contempt. "Look who finally decided to co ho. Where have you been? Hospital? Jail? Sucking so Alpha’s cock for pocket change?"

I didn’t answer. Just kept walking toward my room.

I pushed open my door. Stepped inside.

"ANSWER WHEN I’M TALKING TO YOU!"

I slamd the door shut. Leaned against it. Let out a breath I didn’t know I’d been holding.

My room was small. Bare. Just a bed, a dresser, and a tiny window that looked out onto an alley full of trash.

The voices continued outside. Serena’s shrill complaints. Lyra’s mocking laughter. The sounds from my mother’s bedroom getting louder.

This was my family.

This was the legacy I’d tried so hard to escape.

And now I was bringing a child into it?

No.

Absolutely not.

I crossed to my dresser. Pulled open the bottom drawer. Reached beneath the old clothes I never wore.

My fingers found the envelope.

I pulled it out. Stared at it in the dim light.

Kael’s money.

Enough for a fresh start. Enough to get out of this city. Enough to survive until I figured out what ca next.

A month ago, this money had felt like an insult. Paynt for services rendered. A reminder that I was nothing but a transaction.

But now...

I pressed my palm against my stomach. Still flat. Still unchanged.

I stood. Grabbed my bag. The one I’d packed a hundred tis in my imagination. A change of clothes. My phone. A few photos from better tis.

The money.

I looked around my tiny room. At the water stains on the ceiling. At the crack running down the wall. At the life I was finally leaving behind.

My hand found my stomach again.

"I’m going to protect you," I whispered. "I promise. Whatever it takes."

No more crying.

I’d cried enough over Kael Blood Crown. Enough to fill an ocean. Enough to drown in.

It was ti to stop.

He was going to marry soone "appropriate." Soone worthy. Soone who wasn’t .

And I was going to disappear.

We would never have any relationship again.