Sold to Bastard Alpha after My Divorce! novel Chapter 56

Chapter 56: Chapter 56

Kael’s POV

The mansion was dark when I got home.

Good. I didn’t want to see anyone. Didn’t want to talk. Didn’t want to exist.

I killed the engine. Sat in the driveway for a long moment. Staring at nothing.

Her scent still lingered in the car. Moonflowers and rain. Faint but unmistakable.

I pressed my palms against my eyes. Hard. Like I could push her out of my head.

It didn’t work.

My phone buzzed for the hundredth time.

I pulled it out. The screen was a wall of notifications.

Rebecca. Rebecca. Rebecca.

*How dare you*

*Call me back RIGHT NOW*

*You’re going to regret this*

*I gave you FIFTEEN YEARS*

*Answer your phone*

*Kael please*

*We need to talk*

Seventeen missed calls. Twenty-three messages. And counting.

I turned off my phone. Threw it onto the passenger seat.

Couldn’t deal with her right now. Couldn’t deal with anything.

I got out of the car. Walked toward the house. Each step felt like wading through cement.

The foyer was empty. Good. My father was probably in his office. My mother was probably in her room. Lucian was probably...

I didn’t want to think about Lucian either.

I climbed the stairs to my bedroom. Closed the door behind me. Leaned against it.

The silence was suffocating.

I crossed to the window. Stared out at the city lights below.

Somewhere out there, Aria was in her crumbling apartment. Probably crying. Probably hating me.

She should hate me. I deserved it.

*Touch her one more time. I dare you.*

The memory of my own voice. Low. Savage. Ready to kill.

I’d meant it. Every word. I would have torn that bastard apart for putting his hands on her.

And then I’d driven her home. Told her we could never be together. Let her walk away.

What the fuck was wrong with me?

I pressed my forehead against the cold glass. Closed my eyes.

Big mistake.

Her face was right there. Waiting.

Those silver eyes. Filled with tears. Looking at me like I’d just stabbed her in the chest.

Which I had. Again.

*Goodbye.*

The word echoed in my skull. My own voice. So final. So gentle.

I’d kissed her cheek. Like that made anything better. Like a soft goodbye could undo all the damage.

Pathetic.

I was pathetic.

I pushed away from the window. Started pacing. The room felt too small. The walls were closing in.

*She’s ours,* Fenrir whined. *Why did we let her go? Why do we keep hurting her?*

"Because we have to."

*Bullshit.*

I stopped pacing. Ran my fingers through my hair. Tugged until it hurt.

The pain didn’t help.

Nothing helped.

I threw myself onto the bed. Stared at the ceiling.

Sleep. I just needed sleep. Tomorrow, everything would make sense. Tomorrow, I’d be able to think clearly.

I closed my eyes.

Aria.

Her laugh. Her smile. The way she’d looked in that altered dress.

I opened my eyes. Stared at the ceiling again.

This was insane. I was the Alpha heir. I’d been trained to control my emotions since childhood. I’d faced down challenges that would break most wolves.

And I couldn’t stop thinking about one Omega.

I rolled onto my side. Punched my pillow. Tried again.

Aria.

Her scent. Her warmth. The way she’d trembled when I touched her cheek.

I sat up. Scrubbed my face with both hands.

*You’re torturing us,* Fenrir growled. *Both of us. This is stupid.*

"I know."

*Then do something.*

"Like what?"

*Go to her. Claim her. Stop being a coward.*

"It’s not that simple."

*It’s exactly that simple. You’re just too scared to admit it.*

I got out of bed. Paced some more. The restless energy had nowhere to go.

Hours passed. I didn’t sleep. Couldn’t sleep.

Every time I closed my eyes, she was there. That look on her face. Those tears she was trying so hard to hold back.

The pain in my chest got worse. Sharp. Constant. Like something was clawing at my ribcage from the inside.

Dawn came. Gray light crept through my windows.

I hadn’t slept at all.

"Okay. Why do you feel like shit?"

"Because..." I trailed off. Ran my fingers through my hair. "Because there’s this woman."

"A woman." She wrote something down. "Tell me about her."

"I don’t even know where to start."

"Start anywhere. The beginning. The middle. Whatever comes to mind first."

I closed my eyes. Took a breath.

And started talking.

It came out in pieces. Disjointed. Messy.

The mating ceremony. How Fenrir had recognized her. How I’d called her my mate in front of everyone.

The dates. The way she’d looked at me like I was actually worth something.

The night at the Nightfang estate. Finding her on the floor. Almost killing Finn with my bare hands.

What happened after. The heat. The way she’d felt in my arms.

The morning I’d destroyed everything. Paying her like she was a transaction. Telling her to disappear.

Rebecca’s game. How I’d let it happen. How I’d stood by while she humiliated Aria in front of everyone.

Last night. Saving her from that bastard in the parking lot. Breaking things off with Rebecca. Driving her home.

Kissing her cheek. Saying goodbye.

The words poured out of me. Unstoppable. Like a dam breaking.

Dr. Moonshadow listened. Nodded occasionally. Made small sounds of acknowledgment.

She didn’t judge. Didn’t interrupt. Just let me talk.

When I finally stopped, I felt empty. Hollow. Like I’d just vomited up everything toxic inside me.

"That’s quite a story," Dr. Moonshadow said softly.

"I know." I stared at my hands. "I know how it sounds."

"How do you think it sounds?"

"Crazy." I laughed bitterly. "It sounds completely crazy."

"Mmm." She tapped her pen against her notepad. "Tell me something. When you think about this woman Aria what do you feel?"

"I..." I struggled to find the words. "When I’m with her, I feel... calm. Like the noise in my head goes quiet. Like I can actually breathe."

"And when you’re apart from her?"

"Like this." I gestured vaguely at myself. "Restless. Angry. Can’t sleep. Can’t think straight."

"Interesting." More notes. "And the physical symptoms? The pain in your chest? How long has that been happening?"

"Since..." I frowned. "Since the ceremony, I think. Since I first touched her."

I grabbed fistfuls of my hair. Tugged hard.

"I don’t understand what’s happening to me." The words came out desperate. Broken. "I’ve never felt like this before. I can’t eat. I can’t sleep. Every time I close my eyes, she’s there. Every time I try to focus on something else, my mind goes right back to her."

I looked up at Dr. Moonshadow. My eyes burned.

"Am I crazy? Is this what going crazy feels like? Because I feel like I’m losing my goddamn mind."

She studied me for a long moment.

Then she pushed up her glasses. A warm smile spread across her face.

"Child," she said softly. "You’re not crazy. You’re just in love with her."