Aria’s POV
I’d tried so hard not to think about it. Had buried the memories so deep I almost convinced myself they weren’t real. That it had been a nightmare. A horrible, twisted dream.
But it wasn’t.
It was real.
And now Damon was standing in Kael’s office, breathless and flushed, saying he’d found something.
My hands were shaking. I pressed them against my sides. Tried to steady myself.
I wanted to know. God, I wanted to know who had done this to me. Who had stolen Artemis. Who had left me broken and wolfless and alone.
But I was also terrified.
What if the truth was worse than not knowing?
Rebecca’s voice cut through my spiraling thoughts.
"Wait." Her tone had shifted. The fake sweetness gone. Replaced by something sharper. "What are you talking about? What kidnapping case?"
She was looking between Kael and Damon. Her eyes darting back and forth. Too fast. Too nervous.
Why did she look nervous?
"This doesn’t concern you," Kael said without looking at her. His attention was fixed entirely on Damon. "What did you find?"
Rebecca laughed. High and strained.
"Well, clearly it DOES concern me if you’re discussing it in front of me." She straightened her shoulders. Tried to look confident. "But honestly, this sounds like pack business. Internal security matters. I probably shouldn’t be here for this."
She was backing toward the door.
"Actually, I just remembered I have an appointment." The words tumbled out too fast. "I should really go. But we cleared everything up, right? About the misunderstanding? About us not having a child?"
Her hand was on the door handle now.
"So I’ll just... I’ll go now. Unless you need anything else?"
She ran away immediately.
Kael didn’t say anything, just turned back to Damon.
"Show me."
Damon pulled out his tablet. His fingers moved quickly across the screen.
"I did what you asked." He spoke while typing. "Checked every shop along the route Aria would have taken that night. Most of the security footage from three years ago is long gone. But I found one store that keeps their archives longer than standard."
He turned the tablet around. Showed us the screen.
"This is from a convenience store two blocks from the human border. Date stamped the night Aria left."
My breath caught.
The video was grainy. Black and white. The timestamp in the corner read 11:47 PM.
And there I was.
Walking alone down a dark street.
I looked so small on the screen. So vulnerable.
I watched myself on the screen. Watched as I glanced over my shoulder. Like I was checking if anyone was following.
Then I disappeared from the frame.
"This is the last confirmed sighting we have," Damon said quietly. "After this point, there are no more cameras. The street leads toward an industrial area near the border. Mostly abandoned warehouses."
Kael leaned forward. His jaw tight.
"Keep going."
Damon typed something else. The video jumped forward. Different angle. Same timestamp.
"This is from the same store’s parking lot camera. Watch."
We watched.
The street was empty for a few seconds.



VERIFYCAPTCHA_LABEL
Comments
The readers' comments on the novel: Sold to Bastard Alpha after My Divorce!