Sold to Bastard Alpha after My Divorce! novel Chapter 161

Chapter 161: Chapter 161

Kael’s POV

The whiskey burned going down.

Good.

I needed something to feel. Something other than the hollow emptiness that had settled in my chest. 𝚏𝐫𝚎𝗲𝕨𝐞𝐛𝕟𝚘𝐯𝚎𝗹.𝕔𝐨𝗺

Damon sat across from me. His third glass already empty. Mine was still half full.

We were in my private study at the Alpha mansion. Dark wood. Leather chairs. The kind of place designed for exactly this—drinking away problems that wouldn’t stay buried.

"So." Damon leaned back. Studied me with those sharp beta eyes. "You found the person who hurt Aria. Exiled her. Defended Aria in front of the entire pack. Basically declared to everyone that she’s under your protection."

He paused. Took another sip.

"And yet you look like someone just killed your dog. What gives?"

I didn’t answer. Just stared at the amber liquid in my glass.

"Kael." His voice got sharper. "Talk to me. What’s going on in that thick Alpha skull of yours?"

Still nothing.

He sighed. Long and dramatic.

"You’re not actually upset about Rebecca, are you?" The question came out skeptical. Almost mocking. "Please tell me you’re not sitting here feeling bad about exiling the woman who tried to MURDER your—"

"Don’t." I cut him off. My voice came out rougher than intended. "Just don’t."

Damon’s eyebrows shot up.

"Wow. Okay. Touchy subject."

I took a long drink. Let the burn spread through my chest.

"I’m not upset about Rebecca." The words came out flat. Final. "She got exactly what she deserved. Less than what she deserved, honestly."

"Then what’s the problem?"

I set my glass down. Too hard. The sound echoed through the room.

"The problem," I said slowly, "is that she was right."

Silence.

Damon stared at me like I’d grown a second head.

"She was... what now?"

"Right." I ran a hand through my hair. Felt the tension coiling tighter in my shoulders. "Aria suffered because of me."

The words hung in the air between us.

Heavy. Undeniable.

Damon opened his mouth. Closed it. Opened it again.

"Kael—"

I cut him off. "It’s true. Rebecca attacked Aria because of her jealousy over ME. Because she saw Aria as competition. As someone who’d stolen what she thought was hers."

I stood. Started pacing. Couldn’t sit still anymore.

"If I’d never gotten involved with Aria, Rebecca would have left her alone. Aria would still have her wolf. Would still be whole. She wouldn’t have spent three years broken and alone."

My hands curled into fists at my sides.

"The person who hurt her was standing right beside me for YEARS. At pack gatherings. At ceremonies. Smiling. Pretending to be loyal. And I never suspected a thing."

Damon was quiet for a long moment.

Then he did something unexpected.

He laughed.

I spun around. Glared at him.

"What the HELL is so funny?"

"You!" He pointed at me. Still grinning like an idiot. "You’re sitting here wallowing in guilt because you didn’t magically know Rebecca was a psychopath? That’s what this is about?"

"She hurt Aria because of ME."

"No." Damon stood. Walked over. Jabbed a finger into my chest. "She hurt Aria because SHE is a terrible person. Because SHE made terrible choices. Because SHE decided that her jealousy mattered more than someone’s life."

He jabbed again.

"You didn’t poison Aria. You didn’t attack her. You didn’t steal her wolf. REBECCA did. All of that. Not you."

I opened my mouth to argue.

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