Sold to Bastard Alpha after My Divorce! novel Chapter 218

Chapter 218: Chapter 218

Aria’s POV

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The detention cells were underground.

I felt it as we descended—the temperature drop, the way sound changed, got flatter and harder. The stairs went down and down, stone worn smooth by decades of boots, and with every step the air got heavier. Damper. Like the earth itself was pressing in.

Kael’s hand stayed at my waist the entire time.

Not guiding. Protecting. His palm warm and solid against the small of my back, a constant pressure that said *I’ve got you.*

I was grateful for it.

Because the further down we went, the more my skin started to crawl.

We reached the bottom. A long corridor stretched ahead, lined with cells on both sides. Iron bars, thick as my wrist. Stone floors stained dark in places I didn’t want to think about. The smell hit me—sweat and blood and something else, something animal and desperate.

Fear.

My stomach turned.

Kael must have felt it through the bond. His hand tightened slightly. "You can wait upstairs."

"No." My voice came out steadier than I felt. "I want to be here."

He looked at me for a long moment. Then nodded.

We walked.

The cells were mostly empty. A few held prisoners from previous raids—wolves who’d been caught crossing territory lines, scouts who’d been picked up on patrol. They watched us pass with wary eyes, pressing back against the far walls when they recognized Kael.

Smart.

At the end of the corridor, two cells sat side by side.

Garrett Stone in one. Blackwood in the other.

Both were sitting on the narrow benches bolted to the walls, hands still cuffed in silver. The metal gleamed dully in the dim light, and I could see the red welts forming where it pressed against their skin.

Silver burned wolves. Slowly. Constantly.

It was a reminder. *You’re not in control here.*

Ronan was waiting for us. He straightened when we approached, nodded to Kael. "Alpha. Luna."

Kael stopped in front of Blackwood’s cell first.

The older man looked up. His expression was hard—defiant, angry, the look of someone who’d already decided he wasn’t going to break.

"Let’s try this again," Kael said. His voice was calm. Almost pleasant. The kind of calm that made my spine prickle. "You attacked my territory. You followed orders from Magnus Blood Crown. What I want to know is—who else is giving orders? Who else is leading Magnus’s forces?"

Blackwood stared at him.

Said nothing.

Kael waited. Five seconds. Ten.

Still nothing.

"Suit yourself." Kael turned to Garrett’s cell. "How about you?"

Garrett flinched. He was young—maybe mid-twenties, with sandy hair and a thin face that was currently sheet-white. His eyes darted between Kael and Blackwood like he was trying to figure out which one was more dangerous.

"I—I don’t—" His voice cracked. "I just followed orders. That’s all. I didn’t ask questions."

"Smart policy," Kael said. "But you still heard things. Saw things. You know who’s running operations when Magnus isn’t around."

Garrett’s throat worked. "I don’t—"

"Don’t lie to me." Kael’s voice dropped. Not loud. Quieter, actually. But something in it made the temperature in the corridor plummet. "I can hear your heartbeat from here. It speeds up every time you’re about to lie. So let’s skip that part and get to the truth."

Garrett looked at Blackwood again.

Blackwood’s expression was stone. A clear message: *Keep your mouth shut.*

Garrett looked back at Kael.

Kael smiled.

It wasn’t a nice smile.

"You’re weighing your options," he said. "I understand. Loyalty is important. But here’s the thing." He stepped closer to the bars. "Magnus isn’t here. He’s not going to rescue you. He’s not going to trade for you. He sent you into a trap and left you to die—or worse, to sit in this cell until you rot." He paused. "So the question is—what exactly are you being loyal to?"

Garrett’s jaw trembled.

"Talk to me," Kael said. Softer now. Almost kind. "Tell me what you know. And maybe—*maybe*—you walk out of here eventually."

"You’re lying." Blackwood’s voice cut across the corridor like a whip. "He’ll kill us either way. Don’t be a fool, Garrett."

Kael didn’t even look at him. His eyes stayed locked on Garrett.

Garrett was shaking now. Full-body tremors that made the silver cuffs rattle against his wrists.

"Last chance," Kael said.

"I—" Garrett squeezed his eyes shut. "There’s—there’s someone else. Someone Magnus reports to. Or—or works with. I don’t know which."

My pulse jumped.

Kael’s expression didn’t change. "A name."

"I don’t know the name! I swear I don’t. I only heard—" He swallowed hard. "I heard Magnus talking to someone. On the phone. He was angry. He kept saying ’you promised me’ and ’this wasn’t the deal’ and—" Another swallow. "And then he said a name. Just once. Rebecca."

The world tilted.

Just slightly. Just enough.

I felt Kael’s hand tighten at my waist. Felt the way his whole body went rigid beside me, that particular stillness that meant Fenrir was surging forward and Kael was holding him back by sheer force of will.

"Rebecca," Kael repeated. His voice was flat. Empty.

"I—I think so. Yeah. Rebecca. That’s what I heard."

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