Chapter 4 Wanted

• Aria’s POV
• The first ray of morning sunlight slipped through the heavy velvet curtains and landed right on my face.
• I slowly opened my eyes, my mind still foggy for a moment.
• Beneath me was a soft velvet bed, and the air carried a faint, insanely good smell of fir—like the scent of that man from last night.
• Memories flooded back.
• Rainy night, running away, those dark golden eyes, and that possessive line: “Your life belongs to me.”
• I shot up. Pulling back the covers, I saw the old scar on my lower belly—the one that had tormented me for five years—had turned into soft, pale pink skin.
• That legendary Lycan King actually used his own power to heal me?
• “Awake?”
• A deep, husky voice came from the sofa nearby.
• Valen was dressed in dark gray silk loungewear, legs crossed, holding a cup of coffee. He radiated this lazy kind of royal vibe. Compared to the ruthless king he’d been last night in the rain, he seemed way softer now—but still impossible to ignore.
• “Come here.”
• He waved me over without standing up, but there was this magnetic pull that made me want to kneel.
• I hesitated for a second, then threw back the covers and walked over.
• Valen slid a tablet across the table toward me, his tone casual but his eyes cold as ice. “I think there’s something you need to see.”
• On the screen, the morning news from the Blackwood Pack was playing.
• Lucas’s face—the man I’d loved for five whole years—filled the screen. He looked worn out, eyes red-rimmed, like he’d been through hell.
• Facing a sea of flashing cameras, Lucas choked out, “My ex-wife Aria not only betrayed our marriage, but last night she stole the tribe’s core defense secrets and ran off…”
• He held up a so-called “Wanted Poster” with my photo on it, and in big bold letters it read:
• (Wanted Across All Territories: Traitor Aria. Reward: 10 million gold coins. Dead or alive.)
• At that moment, I felt like all the blood in my body rushed straight to my head.
• I stared hard at that lying bastard on the screen.
• Stealing secrets?
• He was the one who kicked me out for some white-haired bitch! He let Selina poison me! If I hadn’t run fast last night, I’d be a corpse right now.
• ```
• But now, he’s standing on some moral high ground, slinging the nastiest insults at me—and even putting a ten million gold coin bounty on my head!
• I was so pissed I laughed—tears almost spilling down my cheeks.
• This is the guy I loved. I nearly died for him. And now, in his mouth, I’m some traitor who stole secrets.
• I slammed the tablet down on the table, my knuckles going white from the force.
• “Mad, huh?”
• Warm hands covered the back of mine.
• Valen had somehow slipped up beside me. He wrapped my trembling hand in his palm, his voice low and steady:
• “Good. You should be mad. Tears are for the weak, but right now, anger’s your best fuel.”
• I looked up at him, eyes red-rimmed: “He’s slandering me... saying I stole the Blackwood Pack’s secrets...”
• “Then let him pay for it.” Valen bent down and gently wiped the tears leaking from my eyes. “But I gotta ask—what kind of secret is worth a ten million bounty? Must be pretty damn important to him, huh?”
• “Hell yeah, it’s important!” I spat, full of hate. “It’s the core of Blackwood Pack’s defense system—their lifeline!”
• My voice rose without me realizing it: “And it was me who spent three whole years designing it!”
• The air went still for a moment.
• Valen stared at me, and for the first time, those usually casual dark gold eyes flashed with real surprise and something like admiration.
• “So that’s how it is.”
• He chuckled low, a teasing, appreciative edge in his voice as his fingers lightly traced my cheek: “Didn’t expect my partner to be such a hidden master.”
• “Since you built the cage yourself, you gotta know... how to break it.”
• He leaned in close, his voice dropping to a devilish whisper that could tempt anyone: “If he says you stole it, then screw it—destroy it.”
• His words hit me like a spark, lighting a wild fire in my mind.
• “I’m gonna make him regret this.” I took a deep breath, every word burning with fury. “I’ll turn his precious tribe into ashes right in front of him.”
• Valen watched the fire of hatred flare up in my eyes, a satisfied smirk tugging at his lips.
• “Good.”
• He pulled me into his arms, his tone dripping with affection:
• “Do whatever the hell you want. Rip the sky open—I’ll patch it up for you.”
• “But first, eat breakfast. My queen, revenge takes energy.”
• He took my hand and led me to the table, loaded with fancy food.
• At that moment, staring at Lucas’s face still babbling away on the screen, the last bit of my attachment to the past snapped completely.
• Lucas, if you want a war, then fine—I’ll give you one.
• ```