Sold to Bastard Alpha after My Divorce! novel Chapter 20

Chapter 20: Chapter 20

Aria’s POV

The flickering light buzzed overhead. My legs had gone completely numb.

Then the corridor door clanged open again.

More footsteps. Multiple this time. Heavy. Purposeful.

I lifted my head. Three guards appeared outside our cell. Different ones from before. Bigger. More intimidating.

"On your feet," one barked. "All of you."

My mother scrambled up from the bench. Serena and Lyra froze mid-argument.

"What’s happening?" My mother’s voice pitched high with fear. "Where are you taking us?"

"Separate holding areas." The guard pulled out a set of keys. "Mr. Nightfang’s orders. You’re being split up."

Split up?

My stomach dropped.

The cell door swung open with a screech of metal.

Serena lunged toward me. Her eyes were wild. Desperate. "This is because of YOU!"

"Back off!" A guard grabbed her arm. Yanked her away.

"DON’T TOUCH ME!" She thrashed against his grip. "LET GO!"

Lyra started screaming too. High-pitched. Panicked. "You can’t do this! We have rights! WE HAVE RIGHTS!"

"Save it for someone who cares." The guard’s voice was flat. Bored.

They dragged Serena toward the door first. She fought every step. Kicked. Scratched. Bit.

"ARIA!" She twisted to look at me. Hatred blazed in her eyes. "I HOPE YOU ROT IN HERE! I HOPE YOU DIE ALONE!"

The words echoed down the corridor long after she disappeared.

Lyra went next. Quieter. More defeated. But her glare burned into me as they led her away.

"You did this," she hissed. "Remember that. You did this to us."

Then it was just me and my mother.

The remaining guard gestured at her. "Your turn."

"This is your mess to fix, Aria." Her voice was cold. Final. "Figure it out."

She walked out on her own. Head held high. Like she was leaving a party instead of a jail cell.

The door clanged shut behind her.

And I was alone.

Completely, utterly alone.

I sank back against the wall. My legs gave out. I slid down until I was sitting on the cold concrete floor.

The silence pressed against my ears. Heavy. Suffocating.

This was it. This was rock bottom.

No family. No home. No money. No hope.

Finn had won. He’d taken everything from me. My daughter. My dignity. My freedom.

*Kael.*

Artemis whispered his name in my mind. Soft. Urgent.

I squeezed my eyes shut. No. I couldn’t.

*Call him.*

I couldn’t drag him into this disaster. Couldn’t humiliate myself further. Couldn’t—

*He’s our mate.*

The bond hummed in my chest. Thin but real. A thread connecting me to something I didn’t fully understand.

*He felt it too. At the ceremony. He called us his.*

That was just his wolf talking. Fenrir. Not Kael.

*Same thing.*

It wasn’t. It really wasn’t.

But...

My hands trembled as I pushed myself to my feet. My legs shook. My heart raced.

This was crazy. Absolutely crazy.

But I had nothing left to lose.

I walked to the cell bars. Gripped them tight. The metal was cold against my palms.

"Hey!" My voice came out hoarse. I cleared my throat. Tried again. "HEY! I need to make a phone call!"

Silence.

Had they heard me? Was anyone even there?

"PLEASE!" I rattled the bars. "I’m allowed one phone call! That’s the rule!"

Footsteps. Slow. Reluctant.

The female guard from before appeared around the corner. Her expression said she’d rather be anywhere else.

"Thought you didn’t have anyone to call."

"I changed my mind."

She studied me for a long moment. Something flickered across her face. Curiosity? Pity?

"Fine." She pulled out her keys. "One call. Make it count."

She led me down a narrow corridor. Past other cells. Past sounds I didn’t want to identify. Past smells that made my stomach turn.

The phone hung on the wall at the end. Old. Scratched. Like something from a different era.

"You have three minutes." The guard stepped back. Crossed her arms. "Clock starts when you dial."

Three minutes.

That was either forever or nothing at all.

I picked up the receiver. My fingers hovered over the keypad.

What was I doing?

Kael Blood Crown. The Alpha heir. The wolf who’d made it clear he hated Omegas. The wolf who’d bought me a dress and called me his mate in front of hundreds of witnesses.

The wolf who’d almost kissed me and then driven away.

My hand shook.

I could still hang up. Could still walk away. Could still pretend I had some shred of pride left.

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