Tempted By My Ex's Brother-in-Law (Aria and Grayson) novel Chapter 150

Chapter 150

Chapter 150

Aria’s POV

1 froze, staring at him. “Are you fucking crazy?”

:

He burst out laughing. “God, that look on your face was goddamn funny. No, that’s not what I want from you. Why would I care who Zane marries? I don’t give a fuck about his love life.”

I glared at him. This guy was completely insane. “Then what do you want? Just spit it out already.”

He smirked. “I want you to talk to Zane and convince him to give up his claim to the Alpha title.”

That’s even more confusing. “Why would you want that? I thought you were already the Alpha.”

The amusement vanished from his face. He snapped, “Ever since he came home, he’s been contacting elders, plotting to overthrow me. He used to be quiet and obedient, but after he met you, everything fucking changed. He probably thinks power will help him protect you.”

My hand flew to my mouth. A lump formed in my throat.

Oh my god… Zane.

I hadn’t realized all this time he was still fighting for me, even when his own situation was already so hard.

I owed him so much. I didn’t deserve a friend like him.

“Stop looking so touched!” Damian suddenly growled. “If he really makes a move, I will kill him, and every single idiots who dares to help him! So you better talk some fucking sense into him. That’s his only chance to stay alive!”

I glared right back at him. “If killing him is that easy, then why bother asking me to help you persuade him? He must be enough of a threat to scare you, huh?”

“A threat? No, he’s just a damn bastard. A mixed–blood freak. Someone like him will never be an Alpha. He’s just dreaming!” Damian’s handsome face twisted with rage.

“Then if you’re that confident, we have nothing more to talk about,” I said coldly. “Because I’ll never help you. Actually, I hope Zane becomes Alpha. A man like him would do a hell of a better job than you ever could.”

His jaw tightened and suddenly let out a furious roar.

I flinched back and fired an arrow, but he dodged and lunged at me. His hand clamped around my throat and slammed me against a tree. I gasped, choking for air, my bow slipping from my hand.

“Don’t test my patience,” he hissed, his breath hot against my face. “Talk to Zane, and you both live. Refuse me, and I’ll rip your pretty little throat open right now!”

The air vanished from my lungs. I couldn’t breathe…He was really going to kill me!

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Chapter 150

“Answer me! Yes or no?!” he roared, tightening his grip.

VA CHOY

I clutched his wrist, forcing the words out. “No… No. I’ll never help you. I’ll never… betray my friend!”

“Then die!” he shouted. His wolf claws shot out, slicing across my neck.

Just was he was about to strike again, someone suddenly appeared behind his back and yanked him off me with a violent force.

Torvi stepped between us, catching me in her arms.

“Get away from her!” she snarled, baring her fangs.

Damian glared at her, his eyes dark with bloodlust. “Frostpine Pack. This is none of your business. Back the

fuck off.”

“I have my lady’s orders to protect her,” Torvi said coolly. “You don’t want to mess with us, Alpha Damian. Especially when your own pack’s already a mess.”

Damian’s jaw flexed. I tensed behind Torvi, ready for another attack.

Yet after a long, tensed silence, he stepped back.

“Think about my offer, Aria Collins. It’ll help both of us,” he said through clenched teeth before turning and vanishing into the woods.

I let out a shaky breath and almost collapsed. “T–Thank you, Torvi. What are you doing here?”

“Lady Quentina saw that bastard leave the tent, so she told me to follow him,” she said, helping me up. “Are you alright? Why did he attack you?”

“He made me an offer. When I said no, he snapped,” I murmured. “There’s no point in this stupid competition anymore. Let’s go back.”

On the way back, my thoughts were heavy and chaotic.

I would never agree to Damian’s demand. And that meant losing his vote at the final trial. That alone could ruin me.

If I still wanted to turn this around, my last chance was talk to Grayson…

No. I shook the thought off immediately.

It hadn’t come to that yet. I still couldn’t face him. His betrayal was still too much to bear with.

And then there was Zane.

I wanted so badly to see him, to know he was okay. But every time I called his old number, he never replied. The only way to see him now was through Damian, and that was like making a deal with a devil.

When we got back to the tent, the nobles were still gathered around, buzzing with excitement.

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Chapter 150

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They spotted me and immediately swarmed over. “What’s the matter Ms. Colins? Giving up before the competition’s even over?”

I threw my rabbit and quail onto the ground and said nothing.

They looked at my games before bursting into laughter. “My god, that’s all you got? A 5 year old can do a better job than you!”

I ignored them. The whole contest was a joke anyway.

Then someone shouted behind me, “Look! Lady Isla’s back! Let’s give a big round of applause to our winner!”

Applause erupted all around the tent. People were all whistling and cheering.

I turned around and saw Isla walking out of the forest. But her expression wasn’t so smug anymore. Instead, she looked frustrated.

Her hands were empty.

“Lady Isla, where’s your game?” one of the nobles asked eagerly. “Come on, show us what you got. We’re ready to celebrate!”

Isla’s face turned red. She mumbled something that made no sense and went back to silence.

I crossed my arms and smirked. “You want to tell them the truth? That you didn’t even get a single quail?”

The crowd fell into a shocked silence. People glanced between us, confused. Finally, someone murmured, “N- Nothing? How’s that possible? Even Aria Collins brought something back… Did Lady Isla lose her wolf too?”

“Bullshit!” Isla snapped. “It’s just—just because that valley had nothing! I couldn’t find any prey-

“A wolf couldn’t find prey? You must be joking,” someone said mockingly. “Ms. Collins and you went into the same woods. If she found something and you didn’t, what does that make you… less than a wolfless freak?”

Laughter exploded again. Isla’s face twisted with rage, but she couldn’t lash out. Everyone around her was a noble too. She couldn’t bully them like she usually did.

“I demand a rematch!” she shouted over the noise. “I can compete with Aria in archery, running, or even wrestling-”

“The competition’s over,” Damian said as he walked over, his voice cold. “Aria won. So she has my vote now. Fair and square.”

Isla froze, then her eyes went wide with fury. “You’re seriously voting for her?! She’s just a damn commoner! She doesn’t deserve your support. Forget that stupid game–you’re a noble, just like me. You should be on my side!”

“We made the rules before the competition, and you agreed to them,” Damian said lazily. “If I knew you were such a sore loser, I wouldn’t have invited you today.”

“I’m not a sore loser, I just-”

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Chapter 150

“God you are so loud. I’m done with you here.” He waved a hand. “Soldiers, escort Lady Isla out.”

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Isla was still furious when she left, muttering curses under her breath. The crowd buzzed with excitement. Everyone was gossiping about how she’d lost to me. As long as there was drama, these people didn’t care about who’s the joke.

And I frowning at Damian, still confused. I don’t get it. Why would he help me after I’d clearly turned down. his offer?

“Aria,” Damian said, stepping closer. He looked calmer now, but his eyes were still cold. “Think about what I asked again.”

“Aria’s not agreeing to anything,” Lady Quentina cut in before I could say anything. She’d already heard from Torvi what happened in the woods, and she was furious. “If you come near her again, Damian, you’ll regret it.”

He gave a faint, humorless smile. “Aria always finds herself powerful protectors. What a lucky girl… Anyway, Zane and I are staying at the Silverstone Hotel downtown. You can come by anytime. Even if you don’t want to be my messenger, you’d still want to see your friend right?”

I struggled for hours, wondering if I should go. It could be a trap.

But in the end, the longing to see Zane won.

It had been over half a year since we last saw each other and we parted under such dangerous circumstances. We didn’t even get to say goodbye.

I needed to see him. To make sure he was okay.

So that evening at seven, I went to the Silverstone Hotel.

I told myself it’d be stupid to dress up. But before leaving, I still chose a pink dress from the ones Lady Quentina had given me. It had a cute bow at the waist that made me look slimmer, and the wide skirt swayed when I moved. I even put on matching lipstick to bring some color to my face.

At the hotel, a waiter led me to a window seat at the rooftop bar and told me Zane would arrive soon.

I sat there, fidgeting with the necklace around my neck, feeling my heart race.

It had been so long. And so many things happened after we parted. But even till now, I could still remember his flaming red hair, that handsome face, and his passionate voice…

“Aria!”

I spun around sharply.

Before I could even see his face clearly, I was pulled into a tight hug. His strong arms wrapped tightly around my waist, his voice hoarse against my ear:

“God, Aria… I missed you so damn much.”