Tempted By My Ex's Brother-in-Law (Aria and Grayson) novel Chapter 149

Chapter 149

Chapter 149

Aria’s POV

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“You two know each other?” Lady Quentina asked, surprised.

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“Yes. I had the honor of meeting Aria quite some time ago,” Damian said with a crooked smile. His gaze lingered on me like a predator watching its prey. “You still remember my brother Zane, right? He’d be devastated if you forgot him.”

“Of course I remember.” My voice was sharp. “How is he?”

Back then, when Damian and Grayson caught us, he was brutal toward Zane. I could only imagine what Zane suffered afterward. The thought still filled me with guilt.

“Oh, he’s doing great. Perfect, actually. Back home, surrounded by family–how could he not be?” Damian looked me over and chuckled. “But you, my dear Aria… things haven’t been so easy for you lately, have they?”

There was mockery in his tone.

My fists clenched. If it were anyone else, I might’ve been able to ask for their vote. But not Damian. He had hurt Zane. I’d rather lose this case than beg this monster.

“What’s the matter, Aria?” he drawled lazily. “I thought you came here to beg for my vote. Silent treatment doesn’t really help your case.”

I glared at him but said nothing.

“Well, if you insist on being boring,” he said with a smirk, “I’ll go entertain someone else.” He lifted a hand and called out, “Lady Isla, over here!”

I spun around.

There she was—Isla—walking over, dressed in a bright red hunting outfit. She looked radiant and smug, like she’d already won this trial.

Her eyes widened when she spotted me. “What the hell… Aria Collins?! Does Grayson know you’re here? I thought he locked you up at home.”

“It’s none of your business,” I snapped.

She raised a brow, smiling sweetly. “Ah, I see. You snuck out. Hey I’m sorry you had to witness what happened yesterday. Must’ve been heartbreaking to realize Grayson cares more about me than you.”

I stiffened. Lady Quentina stepped forward, pulling me behind her. “Isla, are you even allowed to be here today? Or do you want another pair of handcuffs?”

Isla flinched back like she’d been struck. Clearly, the memory of being arrested still haunted her.

“The trial ended in a tie, so I’m temporarily released. Don’t touch me, I’m warning you,” she snapped.

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Chapter 149

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“That’s right. I invited Lady Isla here,” Damian cut in smoothly. “Lady Quentina, Aria–I hope you all enjoy today’s hunt.”

Isla covered her mouth, giggling. “Enjoy the hunt? Damian, haven’t you heard the rumors? Aria lost her wolf. If you send her into the woods, she might get run over by a little rabbit.”

There were a couple of muffled chuckles nearby. Damian widened his eyes in fake surprise. “Lost your wolf? God, then what are you now? Without a wolf, you’re basically… a freak.”

Isla snorted. “After you do your time in jail, Aria, maybe a freak show will hire you as their star.”

Everyone burst out laughing except the Frostpine people.

I just stood there, cold and still.

I’d prepared for this. After yesterday’s breakdown, I’d promised myself I wouldn’t let anything break me again. So let them laugh.

“I don’t know why you’re laughing, Isla. You’re not exactly the winner here, are you?” I said evenly when the noise finally died down, “You said Grayson doesn’t believe me. But he doesn’t believe you either, does he? You two were married once. You keep bragging about your deep love, but still, you don’t have his vote. If I were you, I’d be falling apart.”

Her smile vanished. “Grayson will vote for me at the final trial. I know he will!”

“In that case, you already have 3 votes out of 5. Why are you here begging for Damian’s vote?” I stepped forward, locking eyes with her. “Maybe even you aren’t that confident after all.”

Her face twitched. Anger and something else….maybe fear. I couldn’t help but grin. Using her own tricks against her felt so damn good.

Damian clapped his hands, cutting through the tension. “Alright, ladies. You’re both here for the same thing— my support. So let’s make this interesting.”

“What do you have in mind, Damian? I’m up for anything,” Isla said with a sweet smile.

“I was thinking we make it a competition,” he suggested. “Whoever catches more game before time runs out wins my vote. How does that sound?”

My stomach dropped.

He knew I didn’t have my wolf. I couldn’t even chase a damn rabbit. There was no way I could win this. Why not just wrap his vote in a gift box and hand it to Isla already?

“I think that’s a brilliant idea,” Isla said cheerfully. She turned to me, grinning. “What do you say, Aria? Fair and square, right?”

I ground my teeth. “Yes… very fair and square.”

“Perfect,” Damian said. “So it’s just you against Aria then. No help allowed. Lady Quentina, why don’t you join me in the tent while they hunt?”

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Chapter 149

Quentina frowned deeply. She squeezed my hand. “Are you sure about this?”

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I took a deep breath. “Yeah. I have to try.” One thing I knew for sure: I wasn’t going down without a fight.

Isla entered the forest first, still wearing that smug grin. She didn’t even take any weapons with her. She didn’t need them. Her wolf was her greatest weapon.

Before disappearing into the woods, she blew me a kiss. “See you in there, Aria.”

I ignored her.

Unlike Isla, I took my time selecting my weapons and gear. Since I didn’t have my wolf, I had to rely on tools. I took a bow, a quiver of arrows, a sharp dagger, and stuffed my backpack with food and water.

“What are you waiting for? This isn’t a picnic!” Damian shouted from behind me. “Clock’s ticking, Aria!”

The crowd burst into laughter again. I rolled my eyes, slung my bag over my shoulder, and ran into the woods.

I knew how to hunt the human way. When I was little, before I even shifted, my mom used to take me hunting for pheasants with a bow. It was how we fed ourselves back then. And one of the few good memories I had of her.

Today’s forest was very quiet. I gripped my bow and walked deeper. It’s been an hour since the competition started. So far, I’d managed to get a rabbit and a pheasant. I prayed I’d find something bigger next–like a deer. But not too big. I still valued my life.

A creak came from behind me.

I spun around and fired an arrow at the noise.

He caught it in his bare hand.

Damian raised an eyebrow, grinning. “Careful, sweetheart.”

I kept my bow loaded and aimed at him. “What the hell are you doing here? Planning to kill me so Isla wins?”

He burst out laughing. “If I wanted you dead, I’d just sit back and vote for Isla a couple of days later.”

I narrowed my eyes suspiciously. He dropped that arrow and smirked at me. “But what I did instead? I told Isla there were tons of games in the western valley. She’s already headed that way. Truth is, there’s nothing there but dead grass. She’ll come back empty–handed later, humiliated. Then I’ll have a perfect reason to vote for you.”

I frowned.

…He was helping me? That didn’t make any sense.

“What do you want?” I asked, my tone cold. His help clearly wasn’t free.

He grinned, leaning closer. “Smart girl. I like that. Alright, here’s my price–I want you to leave Grayson and

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Chapter 149

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marry my brother Zane.”

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