Sold to Bastard Alpha after My Divorce! Chapter 8

Aria’s POV

The doors opened.

Every head turned.

A wave of gasps rippled through the crowd. Whispers exploded like wildfire.

"Is that—"

"Kael Blood Crown?"

"Who’s the girl?"

"An Oga? He brought an Oga?"

My face burned. I wanted to disappear. Wanted the ground to swallow whole.

Kael’s grip on my hand tightened. Not gentle. A warning.

*Walk. Smile.*

His Alpha command echoed in my head.

I forced my legs to move. One step. Then another.

The ballroom was massive. Crystal chandeliers hung from vaulted ceilings. Marble floors glead under golden light. Hundreds of wolves in expensive clothes stood frozen. Staring at us. At .

My stomach twisted. I lowered my head. Tried to make myself smaller.

Everyone was looking. Judging. I could feel their eyes like knives.

The Blood Crown heir. With a nobody Oga. I wanted to run. But Kael’s hand kept anchored. His pheromones wrapped around .

"Don’t slouch," he muttered. Low enough that only I could hear. "Stand up straight."

I lifted my chin. Just a fraction. My heart hamred against my ribs.

Please don’t let them recognize . Please don’t let my family see. Please—

"ARIA!"

No. No no no.

That voice. Shrill. Loud enough to cut through the entire ballroom.

Serena.

She shoved through the crowd. Gold dress sparkling, which I don’t know where she got. Face twisted in shock and rage.

"ARIA! WHAT ARE YOU DOING HERE?"

Everyone’s attention snapped from us to her. Then back to us.

My breath caught. I tried to step back. Kael held in place.

Serena stord up. Her eyes were wild. Manic. "You’re MARRIED!" She scread it. Made sure every single person could hear. "You have a HUSBAND! And a CHILD!"

The whispers erupted again. Louder. Sharper.

"Married?"

"She’s married and here with Kael Blood Crown?"

"What kind of Oga—"

Sha crashed over . Hot and suffocating. I couldn’t breathe.

Serena grabbed my arm. Tried to yank away from Kael. "How dare you! How DARE you show your face here!"

"Let go." My voice ca out weak. Broken.

"You didn’t even get a dress!" Her nails dug into my skin. "Mom told you to buy sothing decent. But you showed up here instead?"

I tried to pull away. She held on tighter.

The crowd pressed closer. Wolves craned their necks to see. To hear every humiliating detail.

"That’s enough."

Kael’s voice cut through the chaos. Low. Dark. Laced with Alpha authority that made everyone freeze.

Serena’s hand dropped from my arm. Her face went pale. She stepped back. Trembling.

But the damage was done.

Everyone knew now. Everyone was staring.

And then I saw him.

Finn.

Pushing through the crowd with Celestia at his side. His face was tight. Jaw clenched. Amber eyes locked on .

My stomach dropped.

"Aria." He stopped a few feet away. His voice was ice. "What are you doing here?"

The question felt like a punch.

"What am I doing here?" The words ca out strangled. "What are YOU doing here? With HER?"

I pointed at Celestia. She shrank back. Pressed closer to Finn. Playing the victim perfectly.

"Celestia is going to be part of our family," Finn said. Like it was obvious. Like it was already decided. "She needs to et people. Make connections. Surely you can understand that."

"Our family?" I almost laughed. Almost. "There is no ’our family,’ Finn."

His eyebrows rose. "Excuse ?"

"I left papers on the kitchen table." My voice shook but grew stronger. "You should read them when you get ho. Before you continue parading your mistress around."

Finn’s face darkened. "Papers? What papers?"

"Oh, I don’t know." The words spilled out. Sharp. Bitter. "Maybe the divorce petition? The mate bond dissolution? The custody agreent where I gave you full rights to Lilith since she clearly prefers Celestia anyway?"

Silence.

Absolute. Deafening. Silence.

Finn stared at , with impatience appearance which I was very familiar with. Finn’s fists clenched. "You’re hysterical."

"I’m DONE!"

The words rang through the ballroom.

Finn’s eyes narrowed. "Fine." His voice dropped. Cold. Final. "Fine. You want out? I’ll give you out. Right here. Right now."

My heart stopped.

"What?"

"I, Finn Nightfang, reject you as my mate."

The words hit like a physical blow. My chest tightened. Pain lanced through .

But I’d expected this. He always threatened it. Always used the mate bond as leverage. Knowing I’d never actually go through with it.

Knowing I’d back down.

"Good!" I forced the words through gritted teeth. Through the pain building in my chest. "Because I reject you first!"

Finn’s eyes widened. "Aria—"

"I, Aria Shadow Moon, formally reject you, Finn Nightfang, as my mate!"

The words tore out of . And with them ca the pain.

Agony.

White-hot. Searing. Like soone had reached into my chest and ripped my heart out.

I gasped. Doubled over. My hands clutched at my sternum.

Across from , Finn staggered. His hand flew to his chest. His face contorted in pain.

The mate bond shattered. I felt it break. Felt the connection between us snap like a rope pulled too tight.

"You—" Finn straightened. His face was pale. Shocked. "You actually—"

No one moved. No one spoke.

Then, just in a mont, Kael’s wolf—surged forward.

I felt it before I heard it. The shift in the air. The sudden spike in pheromones.

Kael’s eyes flashed. Black-gold ignited to pure gold. Brilliant. Blazing.

And then he growled. Pure wolf. Deep and primal and possessive.

"Mate."

The word ca out distorted. Layered. Kael and his wolf speaking as one.

"Mine."

I stared up at Kael. At the gold burning in his eyes. At the shock written across his face.

He looked as stunned as I felt.

The entire ballroom erupted into chaos. Shouts. Screams. Wolves stumbling backward.

But I couldn’t hear any of it.