Sold to Bastard Alpha after My Divorce! novel Chapter 86

Chapter 86: Chapter 86

Aria’s POV

The apartment was quiet. Lina was tucked into her bed, her little chest rising and falling in peaceful rhythm. The nightlight cast a soft glow across her face.

She looked so innocent when she slept. So normal.

But she wasn’t normal. And I couldn’t pretend anymore.

I sat on the edge of my bed, staring at my phone. Cassius’s message was still there. Still waiting for a response.

*Whenever you’re ready. I’ll be here.*

I set the phone down. Pressed my palms against my eyes.

What was I supposed to do?

Going back meant facing everything I’d run from. The pack. The prejudice. The memories that still haunted me in the dark.

Going back meant risking Lina’s safety. Exposing her to a world that might reject her. That might hurt her.

Going back meant...

Him.

Kael.

I hadn’t let myself think his name in years. Had buried it so deep I almost convinced myself it didn’t exist.

But now, in the silence of my bedroom, the memories came flooding back.

His black-gold eyes. His rare smiles. The way his hands felt on my skin. The way he’d looked at me like I was something precious.

And then—

*"We went on a few dates. I understand that might have created certain... expectations. But we’re not the same kind of people, Aria. We never were."*

The memory still burned. After all this time.

I grabbed my laptop. Opened a browser. Typed his name before I could stop myself.

Kael Blood Crown.

The results loaded instantly.

News articles. Pack announcements. Social media posts from wolves I didn’t recognize.

My heart stopped.

There it was. Right at the top.

*"Kael Blood Crown defeats Magnus Blood Crown in formal challenge. New Alpha Supreme crowned."*

He’d done it.

He’d actually challenged his father and won.

I scrolled through the articles. Read every word. Absorbed every detail.

The fight had been brutal. Magnus had nearly killed him. But Kael had won. Had taken the Alpha position. Had banished his father from Blood Crown territory.

My chest felt tight. Too tight.

He was Alpha now. The leader of the most powerful pack in Meridian Territory.

And I was... here. In a human apartment. Hiding from everything.

I kept scrolling. Looking for something. I didn’t know what.

Then I found it.

A photo from some pack ceremony. Kael stood at the center, dressed in formal Alpha regalia. His face was harder than I remembered. Older. More tired.

But still devastatingly handsome.

And beside him—

No one.

I zoomed in. Checked other photos. Other articles.

No Rebecca. No Luna. No mention of any mate.

That didn’t make sense.

He should have married her by now. Should have claimed her as his Luna. Should have moved on with his perfect, appropriate life.

But there was nothing.

*"The Alpha Supreme remains unmated,"* one article stated. *"Sources say he has declared he will wait for his ’true mate’ to return."*

True mate.

My hand was shaking.

No. That couldn’t mean—

It didn’t mean anything. He’d probably found someone else. Someone new. Someone who wasn’t Shadow Moon.

I slammed the laptop shut. Threw it onto the bed.

This was stupid. I was being stupid.

It didn’t matter what Kael was doing. Didn’t matter if he was married or single or whatever. I wasn’t going back for him.

I was going back for Lina.

Only for Lina.

---

The next morning, I made pancakes.

Lina’s favorite. The ones with chocolate chips shaped like smiley faces. I’d learned the recipe from Sophie’s mom, and it was the only thing I could make that didn’t end up burnt.

"Mommy!" Lina bounced into the kitchen, still in her unicorn pajamas. "Pancakes!"

"Your favorite." I slid a plate in front of her. "Eat up, baby."

She dug in immediately. Chocolate smeared across her face within seconds.

I sat across from her. Watched her eat. Tried to figure out how to start this conversation.

"Lina," I said finally. "I need to talk to you about something."

She looked up. Those black-gold eyes—so like his—fixed on my face.

"Am I in trouble again?"

"No, baby. You’re not in trouble." I reached across the table. Took her sticky hand in mine. "Remember how we talked about you being special?"

She nodded slowly. "Because I’m stronger than other kids."

"Right. And remember how I said there might be a place where other special people live? People who are like you?"

Her eyes went wide. "The wolf place?"

I’d told her stories. Sanitized versions of my old life. Made it sound like a fairy tale instead of a nightmare.

Maybe that had been a mistake.

"Yes. The wolf place." I squeezed her hand. "I’ve been thinking... maybe we should visit. Just to see if you like it there."

Lina’s face scrunched up. The same expression she made when she was thinking really hard.

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