Tempted By My Ex's Brother-in-Law (Aria and Grayson) novel Chapter 160

Chapter 160

Aria’s POV

I stared at him. After a long pause, I whispered, “…No,”

That one word seemed to set him off. His grip suddenly tightened on my shoulders, his voice sharp and furious.

“No?! Are you fucking crazy? Don’t tell me you actually want your hands and feet chopped off!”

my fate.

I looked at him with a bitter smile. “Of course I don’t. But what choice do I have? Your vote sealed You pushed me to this point. And now what? Suddenly you decide to regret it and came to play the hero?”

He gritted his teeth. “I never wanted you to get hurt or become a fucking Omega. All you need to do is beg me and let me help you. And then you’ll be totally safe.”

I ripped myself free and took a step back. Wiping the blood off my face, I looked at him coldly.

“You must really think I’m weak and pathetic, don’t you?”

“What the hell are you talking about?” he snapped.

“You think because I don’t have a wolf or a powerful family, you can do whatever you want with me. You can crush me, destroy me, then swoop in like some savior. Forget it–I’ll never let you do that again!”

“Why not?” he snarled. “Why won’t you just let me help you huh? Is it because you’d rather have Zane Elrod help you?”

Rage burst out of me. And I snarled, “That’s right! I’d rather let Zane help me–because he treats me like we’re equal, not some pet he can control! You might be rich and powerful, Grayson, but I still have my pride. I’d rather die in front of the whole world today than live on your mercy.”

“Pride?” he hissed through gritted teeth. “Do you even remember how you walked into my office the first time? You took off your fucking clothes and begged me to let you keep your job. Or back in the supermarket you worked at, you came crying into my arms, begging me to punish the people who hurt you. You didn’t seem to have much pride back then. So what changed?”

I glared at him, breathing rapidly. I thought I had cried my eyes out. But turns out his words still hurt like a knife.

“I see,” I choked out, my voice shaking. “So you’ve always looked down on me. I’m weak and pathetic in your eyes. That’s why you never want to admit our relationship. Why you never want to marry me.”

He dragged a hand through his hair, exhaling harshly, clearly frustrated.

“Do we really have to talk about this now?” he growled.

“Yes,” I insisted quietly. Because this might be the last time we ever had a chance to talk.

Chapiti ToU

“Fine.” His tone went ice–cold. “Then here’s the truth. Yes, you are weak. You are ordinary. And you do need my help. And the fact is I was willing to help you–as long as you listened to my order. And as for marriage? Let’s face it, you could never really handle being a Luna. Because you weren’t raised for that life. So why fight for something that was never meant for you?”

I bit my lip so hard it bled, refusing to let my tears fall.

Well.

At least now I knew what he really thought of me.

“I’m really glad we broke up, Grayson,” I said, my voice trembling. “You can leave now.”

He froze, disbelief flashing in his eyes.

“Broke up? Who the fuck said we broke up?” he snapped.

“I did.” I took a deep breath and met his gaze through my tears. “Did you seriously think I’d stay with you after you voted for Isla and sent me to die?”

“I told you! I’d never let anyone hurt you. I came here to save you!”

“And I’m refusing your help.” My voice rose into a growl. “I wish you hadn’t come–NO, I wish it had been Zane instead. So go ahead, Grayson. Go back to Isla. It’s over between us.”

His jaw tightened, an angry vein pulsing at his temple. “Over? You don’t get to decide when we’re over!”

“Yes, I do,” I said bitterly. “Maybe I’m weak and pathetic, but I can still do that much. I don’t love you anymore. Did you hear me? Even if you drag me out of here alive today, I will never be with you again.”

His expression became dark and dangerous.

The air around him changed as well, thick with his scent–dominant, suffocating, and angry. My knees almost buckled. Every cell in my body screamed to kneel, to submit, but I bit my tongue and forced myself to stand

tall.

A long, tense silence.

Then, suddenly, he slammed his fist into the side of the vehicle. The metal wall dented with a deafening bang.

“So you’re in love with Zane Elrod now,” he said, his voice low and freezing.

I looked away. “That’s none of your business.”

He strode forward, gripping my chin hard enough to hurt. “I am going to kill him. I’ll rip his throat out in front of you. I’ll twist his head off and burn what’s left of his fucking body.”

I trembled. “If you do that, I’ll hate you for the rest of my life. And I’ll never forget him.”

He roared, his fingers tightening until it felt like my skull would shatter. Pain shot through me, but I refused to look away. I forced myself to meet his eyes. Defiant, unyielding.

Then, suddenly, he shoved me away.

I slammed against the wall, gasping, my bones burning. He turned sharply and jumped out of the vehicle.

Outside, one of his soldiers asked, “Alpha, do we take her with us or-?”

“Leave her,” he snapped. His voice was cold, merciless. “If that’s her fucking choice, so be it.”

I stood here frozen, listening as their footsteps faded away. When silence finally fell, I took a shaky breath and climbed out of the wrecked vehicle, stepping over the bodies scattered around.

The central square was still miles away, but I knew where to go.

So I walked.

Yes, I was still going to face

my

fate.

This was the price of loving the wrong man. I wouldn’t run from it.

And even if I tried running away, I could never escape Isla and Alpha Vladimir’s grasp. So I might as well walk to the execution stand with my head held high.

It took me a couple of hours to reach the square. A huge crowd had already gathered there, and they all looked shocked as hell when they saw me. Shocked murmurs spread like wildfire:

“Oh my god, that’s Aria Collins. I heard the convoy went missing. Thought she escaped or something…”

“Look at all that blood on her body. What happened?”

“She actually came. I thought Alpha Grayson wouldn’t let anything happen to her… men are so cruel.”

I ignored the whispers. The crowd instinctively parted as I walked toward the center.

At the heart of the square stood a tall wooden platform. On it sat the jury, Alphas and nobles. Only Lady Quentina and Grayson were missing.

“ARIA COLLINS!!!”

Isla screamed when she spotted me. She rushed forward like crazy. “Grab her! Don’t let her escape again!”

“I’m not running,” I said coldly, meeting her eyes. “Now move. You’re in my way.”

She froze, thrown off by my calmness.

I brushed past her and climbed the platform, stopping in front of the executioner. He held a massive axe. Well, at least the blade looked sharp. That was the only good news.

Alpha Vladimir cleared his throat and stood up. His deep voice carried over the silent crowd:

“The convict has arrived. According to our laws, she will now be given one minute to speak her final words. Aria Collins, you may begin.”

Chapter 160

“I have nothing to say,” I said quietly. “Except that I don’t regret anything.”

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Isla’s eyes went wide. “Don’t regret it? Stop pretending to be brave! Do you even know what it’s like to have your hands and feet chopped off? The pain won’t kill you–it’ll just keep torturing you. If you beg me now, maybe, maybe we’ll reconsider-”

“Beg you?” I let out a sharp laugh. “No thanks. Let’s just get it over with.”

For a moment, the entire square went dead silent.

Then, from somewhere in the crowd, a single pair of hands started clapping.

More joined in. Louder and louder–until the sound filled the square, echoing off the walls and sending the birds flying from the trees.

Most of them were commoners. And they were applauding me.

The nobles on the platform looked furious. Isla’s face had gone pale with rage.

Alpha Vladimir frowned and spoke up, “Proceed with the execution.”

“Wait, father!” Isla protested. “Grayson’s not here yet. I want him to see-”

“Enough,” her father cut her off. “Do it. Now.”

I stepped forward, placing my trembling hands on the block. My whole body shook–I couldn’t control it. I forced myself not to think about the pain, not to think about death.

Instead, I thought about the good things.

Like running free with my wolf in the woods.

Christmas with Grandma and May.

Zane’s laugh on the boat under the silver moonlight.

There were people who loved me. And that was enough.

I closed my eyes, waiting for my fate.

The executioner raised his axe high and shouted:

“By the order of the jury, Aria Collins will have her hands and feet removed and be demoted to Omega as punishment for defying the noble class. Execution begins-”

“WAIT!”

A thunderous shout rang out from the crowd.

Someone was shoving through, pushing past soldiers and citizens.

VOUCURES

Torvi.

She was leading a squad of Frostpine soldiers, charging straight toward the platform.

“What are you doing?” Alpha Vladimir snapped. “I don’t care which pack you’re from, you have no right to interfere with an official execution! Executioner, continue-”

“I said STOP!”

Torvi leapt onto the platform and blocked me behind her tall frame.

Facing the jury, the nobles, and all the cameras, she shouted at the top of her lungs:

“Aria Collins should not be punished–because she is Lady Quentina’s daughter! A noble. A true Alpha bloodline!”