Chapter 133 CHAPTER 134: Under Watch

Chapter 133 CHAPTER 134: Under Watch
REED’S POV

The music inside the grand hall was pounding so loud it made the crystal chandeliers rattle overhead. Reed should have been enjoying the championship victory. The team had worked hard for it, and everyone wanted to celebrate. There were parties, interviews, school events, and endless conversations about their win.

My teammates were having the time of their lives. Cole was holding court near the bar with a crowd of cheering girls, Jasper was laughing loudly with some of the pack warriors, and Kai was leaning against a marble pillar, looking exhausted but victorious.

Normally Reed would have been right in the middle of it, enjoying every second of the attention. I loved the flashing cameras, the free drinks, and the girls throwing themselves at us.

Instead, he found himself distracted. Every time he tried focusing on hockey, his thoughts drifted back to Aria and everything that had happened recently.

I kept scanning the crowded room, looking past the streamers and the balloons. My chest felt tight, a heavy, restless energy buzzing under my skin.

During one of the championship celebrations, Reed noticed something that immediately ruined his mood.

A visiting pack representative kept watching Aria throughout the event.

He was standing near the edge of the buffet table, an older man wearing an expensive charcoal suit with a silver pin on his lapel identifying him as a delegate from the Northern Territories. At first Reed assumed the man simply recognized her because of recent gossip, but the longer he watched, the stranger it felt.

The man wasn't looking at her like someone who found her attractive. He looked like he was studying her. Observing her. Almost as if he was trying to figure something out.

His cold, calculating eyes never blinked as Aria laughed at something Maya said a few feet away. He wasn't smiling. He was just analyzing her posture, her face, the way she moved.

Reed couldn't explain why it bothered him so much, but it stayed in the back of his mind for the rest of the evening.

Because of that uneasy feeling, Reed stayed close to Aria throughout the event.

I pushed through the crowd, ignoring a couple of cheerleaders who tried to grab my arm, and slid right in beside her. I kept finding excuses to stand beside her or include himself in conversations.

"Hey," I murmured, resting my hand lightly on the small of her back. Her skin was warm through the thin fabric of her dress.

Aria turned her head, looking up at me with those bright, dark eyes. "Hey yourself. Aren't you supposed to be doing a victory toast with the coaches?"

"They can wait," I replied, my eyes darting back toward the buffet table. The Northern delegate was gone. My jaw tightened. "How are you holding up? Are you having fun?"

Eventually Aria noticed and started teasing him for acting possessive again.

She rolled her eyes playfully, leaning back against my side. "You know, for a guy who just won the biggest hockey game of the year, you are acting awfully clingy. Is this because you missed me during the third period, or are you just jealous that everyone is looking at my dress?"

Reed laughed and pretended she was imagining things, but the truth was that he couldn't relax.

"Me? Jealous?" I teased, flashing her a cocky grin while my heart hammered against my ribs like crazy. "Never, princess. I just know good company when I see it. You can't blame a guy for wanting to stand next to the best-looking girl in the room."

"Smooth," she laughed, shaking her head. But she didn't step away from my touch.

Every time he looked around the room, he found himself searching for the man again.

The delegate was nowhere to be seen in the main hall. That did not make me feel better; it only made me paranoid. If he was moving around the venue, what else was he planning? The more he thought about it, the more convinced he became that something wasn't right.

Later that night, after most of the guests had left, Reed and Aria found themselves alone.

The heavy oak doors of the back terrace were propped open, letting in the cool night breeze. We stepped outside into the quiet shadow of the garden, away from the blaring music and the flashing lights. Away from the noise and distractions, the atmosphere became softer.

The moonlight caught the soft waves of her hair, and the tension finally started draining out of my shoulders.

"It's quiet out here," Aria whispered, wrapping her arms around herself to ward off the chill.

I shrugged off my dark suit jacket, stepping close behind her, and draped it over her shoulders. It smelled like cedar and smoke—my scent. She pulled it tighter around herself with a soft, grateful sigh.

"Thanks," she murmured, leaning back against my chest.

Aria admitted that she was tired of feeling confused all the time and scared by how many unanswered questions were suddenly appearing around her.

Her shoulders slumped, and the feisty edge in her voice faded into something painfully vulnerable.

"I'm just so tired, Reed," she confessed, her voice trembling slightly. "I feel like I'm walking through a fog. One minute I'm trying to figure out school and the hockey team, and the next minute there are strange men, rumors, and things happening that make zero sense. Why does everything feel so complicated? Why is everyone acting like I'm sitting on some kind of secret?"

Reed listened carefully and reminded her that she didn't have to deal with everything by herself anymore.

I wrapped my arms fully around her waist, pulling her back against my solid chest so she could feel my heartbeat.

"Hey. Look at me," I whispered, pressing my lips softly against her hair.

She turned her head, looking up at me with tired, beautiful eyes.

"You don't have to carry any of this alone anymore," I told her, my voice dropping into a fierce, quiet promise. "No matter what happens, she had people standing beside her now. I've got you. Cole, Kai, Jasper—we're all right here. You never have to face any of it by yourself again."

The conversation brought them closer emotionally, and for once Aria stopped fighting the comfort she found around him.

A soft, genuine smile touched her lips, and the defensive wall she always kept up finally crumbled away. She let out a long, shaky breath, melting completely into my embrace.

"It's nice," she whispered, her hands coming up to rest gently over my arms. "Knowing someone actually has my back."

She allowed herself to enjoy the moment instead of worrying about everything waiting for her tomorrow.

I looked down at her, my chest swelling with a fierce, terrifying wave of affection. I lowered my head, brushing my lips softly against hers. The kiss was slow, sweet, and deep, carrying every unspoken word I couldn't tell her yet.

Whatever was coming, whatever those men wanted, whatever secrets were buried in her past—she didn't need to know tonight. She was safe right here in my arms.

As he stood beside her, watching the celebration continue around them, he made a silent promise to himself. Whatever these people wanted from Aria, they were going to have to go through him first.