Chapter199 Arrest

Chapter199 Arrest
Aliya POV
Nikolai and I drove together to my parents' house to drop off Nova. When we arrived, I could see my parents standing on the front porch, waiting for us.
Even though they respected Nikolai as the alpha king, there was definitely a hint of scrutiny in their eyes as they watched him get out of the car.
Nova immediately ran up to them, her face bright with excitement.
"Grandma! Grandpa! This is my daddy!" she announced proudly, grabbing Nikolai's hand and pulling him forward.
My parents exchanged a glance before stepping forward to greet him politely.
"Your Majesty," my father said with a respectful nod, though his tone was somewhat reserved.
"Please, just call me Nikolai," he replied, extending his hand for a handshake.
My mother smiled warmly at Nova but kept her expression more guarded when she looked at Nikolai. "We've heard quite a bit about you from our granddaughter."
"All good things, I hope," Nikolai said with a slight smile.
My father stepped closer, his expression becoming more serious. "Nikolai, I need to be direct with you. Aliya is our only daughter. I hope you're serious about her, because if you're not, it doesn't matter if you're the alpha king or not. That won't matter to me."
I felt a flush of embarrassment, but Nikolai's expression remained respectful and earnest.
"Sir, I understand your concern completely," Nikolai said firmly. "I can promise you that I'm absolutely serious about Aliya. I love her deeply, and I plan to spend the rest of my life proving that to both her and to you."
My mother had been watching this exchange with interest, and now she stepped forward to give me a hug.
"How long will Nova be staying with us?" she asked quietly.
"Just a few days," I said, not wanting to go into details in front of Nova.
Nova had been listening to the adults talk, but now she tugged on my sleeve.
"Mommy, why can't you and Daddy stay too?" she asked with that innocent curiosity that children have.
I knelt down to her level and smoothed her hair. "Daddy and I have some work to do, baby. But you're going to have so much fun with Grandma and Grandpa. They've been looking forward to spending time with you."
"Will you come back soon?" she asked.
"Very soon," I promised, kissing her forehead.
Nikolai knelt down beside me and gently took Nova's hands in his.
"Hey, princess," he said softly. "While we're gone, I want you to take extra good care of Grandma and Grandpa for me, okay? Can you do that?"
Nova nodded solemnly. "I can do that, Daddy."
"That's my girl," he said, giving her a hug.
After saying our goodbyes and promising to call later, Nikolai and I got back in the car. I felt a familiar ache in my chest as we drove away, leaving Nova behind. Even though I knew it was for her own protection, it never got easier to be separated from her.
That's when we saw the flashing lights in the rearview mirror.
"What the hell?" Nikolai muttered, pulling over to the side of the road.
But instead of just one police car, three vehicles pulled up behind us. Officers got out and approached our car with purposeful strides.
"This doesn't look like a traffic stop," I said quietly.
The lead officer walked up to my side of the car and tapped on the window. I rolled it down slowly.
"Aliya Rowanwood?" he asked, though his tone was respectful rather than aggressive.
"Yes," I replied calmly.
"You're under arrest for the murder of Marcus Stonecreek. Please step out of the vehicle."
Nikolai immediately tensed beside me. "Excuse me, officer," he said. "Are you seriously about to arrest someone in front of the alpha king?"
The officer looked nervous but held his ground. "Your Majesty, with all due respect, we're just following procedure. We have to respond to the charges that have been filed."
By this time, Nikolai's gammas had all surrounded us.
"What evidence do the Stonecreeks think they have?" Nikolai demanded.
"I can't discuss the details of an ongoing investigation, Your Majesty," the officer replied.
I could see this was about to escalate into something much worse, so I placed a hand on Nikolai's arm.
"Don't fight them," I said quietly. "If this ends up on the news, it'll look terrible for both of us. Like we're trying to use your position to avoid justice."
"Aliya," Nikolai said.
"I'll be fine," I assured him. "This is just procedure. They don't actually have any real evidence because there isn't any."
Nikolai's jaw was clenched tight, but he gave a slight nod. Then he turned to the police officers, and his voice carried a very clear threat.
"If she gets hurt, even a scratch, I'll send every one of you to the border to fight rogues for the rest of your careers. Do I make myself clear?"
The officers all nodded quickly, clearly understanding the gravity of his words.
"Crystal clear, Your Majesty," the lead officer said.
I got out of the car and allowed them to handcuff me, though they did so with obvious reluctance and as gently as possible. The whole time, I could feel Nikolai's eyes on me, and I knew he was fighting every instinct he had not to intervene.
The ride to the police station was quiet. When we arrived at the station, I was processed like any other suspect, though the entire staff treated me with an unusual level of respect and caution. Word had obviously spread quickly about who I was and who was backing me.
They led me to an interrogation room and sat me down at a metal table. The handcuffs stayed on, but they offered me water and asked if I needed anything else.
"We'll begin the questioning as soon as you're ready," the detective said.
Two detectives entered the room and took seats across from me. They had files in their hands and serious expressions on their faces.
"Ms. Rowanwood," the first detective began, "we need to ask you some questions about your relationship with Marcus Stonecreek."
I looked at them calmly and said nothing.
"Can you tell us what your relationship with Marcus was?" he continued.
Still nothing from me.
"Did you and Marcus ever have any conflicts or disagreements?"
I remained silent.
"When was the last time you saw Marcus Stonecreek?"
After a moment, I finally spoke. "I won't be answering any questions until my lawyer arrives. I suggest you wait."