Sold to Bastard Alpha after My Divorce! novel Chapter 6

Chapter 6: Chapter 6

Aria’s POV

I woke up to voices downstairs.

Feminine laughter. Lilith’s excited squeals.

My body ached. I dragged myself out of bed. Stumbled to the bathroom. Splashed cold water on my face. The mirror showed a ghost. Hollow eyes. Pale skin.

More voices from downstairs. I recognized one of them.

Celestia.

She was still here.

I gripped the sink. Took three deep breaths. Then I walked downstairs.

The kitchen was bright. Too bright. Sunlight streamed through the windows. Celestia stood at the stove, making pancakes. She wore one of Finn’s shirts. It hung to her mid-thigh.

Lilith sat at the counter, swinging her legs. Smiling. Happy.

"Good morning!" Celestia’s voice was cheerful. Like she belonged here. Like this was her home.

I looked around. "Where’s Finn?"

"Oh, he left early for work." Celestia flipped a pancake. "But he asked me to make sure Lilith ate a good breakfast."

My daughter didn’t even look at me.

"Finn." I forced the words out. "I need to talk to him."

"He’ll be back tonight." Celestia smiled. "Is there something I can help with?"

"No." My hands clenched. "When are you leaving?"

The smile didn’t falter. "Oh, didn’t Finn tell you? I’m staying here now. To help with Lilith."

The room tilted.

"What?"

"Mommy, Celestia makes the best pancakes!" Lilith finally looked at me. "Try one!"

I ignored her. Pulled out my phone. Called Finn.

He answered on the fifth ring. "What?"

"Why is she still here?"

A sigh. "We talked about this."

"No. We didn’t. I want her out of my house."

Ice in his voice. "I’ve decided. Celestia will stay. She’ll take care of Lilith."

"I’m Lilith’s mother—" 𝗳𝚛𝗲𝕖𝕨𝕖𝗯𝚗𝚘𝕧𝕖𝗹.𝗰𝗼𝕞

"You work all day." He cut me off. "And now you just need to prepare for the pregnancy again. You won’t have time. Celestia is better suited for this."

My nails dug into my palm. "I don’t need another woman raising my child!"

"It’s not up for discussion." Papers rustled in the background. "I have a meeting. We’ll talk later."

"Finn, wait—"

The line went dead.

I stood there. Phone in hand. Staring at nothing.

"Aria?" Celestia’s voice was soft. Concerned. "Are you alright?"

I turned. Looked at her. Really looked at her.

She was beautiful. Delicate. Everything I wasn’t. Her golden hair caught the light. Her blue eyes sparkled with false sympathy.

"I know this is hard," she continued. Her hand went to her heart. "I don’t want to intrude. But Finn thought—"

"Get out."

Her eyes widened. "I’m sorry?"

"Get. Out." I stepped closer. "This is my home. My daughter. Get out now."

"Aria, I understand you’re upset—"

"I said GET OUT!"

Lilith started crying. "Mommy, stop yelling!"

Celestia moved toward my daughter. "It’s okay, sweetheart. Your mommy is just—"

"Don’t touch her!" I grabbed Celestia’s arm. Spun her around.

And I slapped her.

Hard.

The sound cracked through the kitchen.

Celestia stumbled back. Her hand flew to her cheek. Tears sprang to her eyes.

"Aria!" Finn’s voice came from the doorway.

I turned. He stood there. Face twisted in rage.

When had he come back?

He crossed the room in three strides. Shoved me away from Celestia. Hard enough that I hit the counter.

"Are you insane?" He pulled Celestia into his arms. "Did you hurt her?"

"I’m okay," Celestia whispered. But tears streamed down her face. "I’m okay."

"Mommy!"

I looked down. Lilith stood there. Her little face red. Angry.

She ran past me. Straight to Celestia. Wrapped her arms around the woman’s legs.

"Celestia, does it hurt?" My daughter’s silver eyes—my eyes—glared up at me. Full of hate. "I’m sorry my mommy is so mean!"

Then she turned. Ran at me. Her small fists pounded against my legs.

"I hate you! I hate you! You’re a bad mommy!"

Each word was a knife.

"Lilith—"

"I wish Celestia was my mommy instead! She’s nice! She’s pretty! You’re just mean and ugly and I HATE YOU!"

The world stopped.

Finn scooped Lilith up. "Shh, baby. It’s okay." He looked at me over her head. His eyes were ice. "You need to leave."

"This is my—"

A notification. Social media.

I looked anyway.

Celestia’s post. Posted one hour ago.

A photo of her and Lilith. My daughter’s room in the background. They were reading a book together. Lilith was smiling. Really smiling.

The caption: *"Being needed feels so good ❤️"*

Seventy-four likes already. Comments:

*"You two are adorable!"*

*"Such a sweet bond!"*

*"She’s lucky to have you!"*

I blocked her account. Threw my phone on the bed.

Cassius came in with discharge papers. "You can go home now. But take it easy. No heavy lifting. Lots of rest."

"Okay."

"Aria." He sat on the edge of the bed. "You have friends. People who care about you. You don’t have to go through this alone."

I looked at him. This kind man who’d always been there. Who’d delivered Lilith. Who’d held my hand when I almost died.

"Thank you, Cassius."

---

That night, I went to work anyway.

I needed the money. Needed the distraction. Needed to not think about empty wombs and daughter who hated me.

The mating ceremony was tomorrow. I hadn’t bought Serena a dress. Mom would kill me.

But I’d get the twenty-five thousand from Kael. That was something. Maybe the only thing I had left.

Moonlit Velvet was busy. I smiled. Served drinks. Cleared tables. Moved on autopilot.

My body ached. Cramped. But I pushed through.

The hours crawled. My feet screamed. My back throbbed.

That’s when the door burst open behind me.

A wave of pheromones crashed over me. Ebony and frost and raw Alpha power. I turned.

Kael Blood Crown stood in the doorway. Two males flanked him. Friends, probably. But I only saw him.

His black-gold eyes locked onto me. Instantly. Like he’d known exactly where I was.

My heart slammed against my ribs. I couldn’t breathe. Couldn’t move.

He walked toward me. Slow. Deliberate. Every wolf in his path lowered their head. Moved aside.

He stopped right in front of me.

This close, I could see everything. The sharp line of his jaw. The way his dark hair fell across his forehead. The predatory gleam in those eyes.

His pheromones wrapped around me. Suffocating. Intoxicating.

"Tomorrow after work," he said. His voice was low. Dark. Laced with Alpha command that made my knees weak. "I’ll pick you up for the mating ceremony."

"Don’t forget."