Chapter 162 I'm Not Leaving You Again

Chapter 162 I'm Not Leaving You Again
Marcus's POV

I watched Isabella's face contort with false innocence, and I couldn't help but let out a cold laugh. The sound cut through the chaos around us like a blade.

"Did you think I didn't know what you've been doing?" I asked, my voice carrying the authority that made grown Alphas step back.

Isabella's eyes widened, her carefully constructed mask beginning to slip. "What do you mean?"

The tremor in her voice told me everything I needed to know. After five years of knowing her, I could read every micro-expression, every tell that betrayed her lies.

"I know exactly what you've been doing," I continued, taking a step closer. "And Felix was just your scapegoat, wasn't he?"

Her face went completely white. The champagne glass in her hand trembled as she stared at me with those ice-blue eyes that once reminded me of winter mornings, but now only brought thoughts of calculated coldness.

"I..." she started, but I cut her off.

"I went along with this charade for so long because I wanted you to hear me say this – I'm not a fool, Isabella." My wolf paced restlessly beneath my skin, satisfied that the truth was finally coming to light. "I couldn't understand why Felix would try to kill me. But then it all became clear. It was all you. You wanted an excuse to be with me, to drive a wedge between Aria and me."

Isabella grabbed my arm, tears streaming down her face. "No, it wasn't me! You can't leave, Marcus—"

The desperation in her voice was almost pitiful. Around us, the crowd had begun to murmur, their voices growing louder as they processed what they were hearing.

"She's actually that vicious?" someone whispered.

"God, how disgusting. What a bitch," another voice added with disgust.

Someone from the crowd threw something at Isabella – a napkin, maybe a small appetizer. Then another person followed suit. I didn't bother to stop them or defend her. Instead, I turned toward the staircase leading to the second floor.

My Beta caught my signal and followed me wordlessly. Behind us, Isabella's voice rose to a desperate shriek.

"Marcus! You're so heartless!"

The sound of breaking glass echoed through the ballroom – wine glasses shattering, people scattering to avoid the chaos Isabella was creating in her desperation. I didn't look back.

My heart pounded as I climbed the stairs, each step feeling like an eternity. Fear clawed at my chest – not for my own safety, but for Aria. What had they done to her?

I reached the hotel room door and didn't hesitate. I kicked it open with enough force to splinter the wood frame.

The sight that greeted me made my blood run cold, then hot with rage.

Aria lay unconscious on the bed, her silver hair spread across the pillow like spilled moonlight. Derek sat beside her, watching her with an expression I couldn't quite read.

When he saw me, he didn't seem surprised. "You're here," he said simply.

"Were you waiting for me?" I asked, my voice dangerously low.

Derek looked at me with those dark eyes that had always held secrets. "You're really lucky, you know."

I didn't understand. "The mess with our family's stock market – that was you and Isabella spreading information about Ava, wasn't it?"

"Yes," he said without hesitation. "I lost."

"Get out," I growled.

But Derek didn't move immediately. He shook his head slowly, his gaze returning to Aria's peaceful face. "Marcus, we've known each other for years. You understand my feelings. I really do love Aria. But when she came here tonight, she kept calling your name." His voice was tired, defeated. "I realized I didn't want to take advantage of this opportunity."

The admission hit me like a physical blow, followed immediately by a surge of protective fury. "You should never have tried to take advantage at all! Do you know how much this could hurt her?"

Derek laughed, but there was no humor in it. "That's why I said you're lucky. No matter what I do, Aria doesn't love me. I give up."

He stood, preparing to leave, but my Beta stepped forward with several pack members, blocking his path.

"Letting you walk away? We still have accounts to settle," I said coldly.

Derek's eyes widened in genuine surprise. "What did I do? I didn't even touch Aria."

"That's only because she doesn't love you," I snarled. "But you used Isabella to orchestrate all of this. You should die for that alone."

I gestured to my men, and they advanced on Derek. I heard the sounds of the beating begin, but I had already turned away, gathering Aria's limp form in my arms.

She was so light, so fragile. Her skin was warm, which reassured me, and her breathing was steady. Whatever Isabella had given her, it wasn't life-threatening. But the fact that they had drugged her at all made my wolf howl with rage.

Her scent – that intoxicating blend of moonlight and jasmine – wrapped around me as I held her close. Even unconscious, she had the power to calm the storm inside me.

"Alpha?" my Beta Nathan asked quietly from behind me.

"Handle Derek," I said without looking back. "Make sure he understands the consequences of his actions. Then clean up this mess downstairs."

"And Isabella?"

I paused at the doorway, Aria secure in my arms. "Isabella made her own bed. Let her lie in it."

As I carried Aria through the hotel corridors, I thought about how close I had come to losing her forever. The engagement ring on Isabella's finger felt like a chain around my neck, but right now, none of that mattered.

What mattered was the woman in my arms, the one who had called my name even in her drugged state. The one who had somehow managed to hold onto pieces of my soul I thought I'd lost.

The elevator doors closed behind us, and I looked down at Aria's peaceful face. Her lips were slightly parted, and even in sleep, she looked like she was waiting for something.

"I'm here," I whispered against her hair. "I'm here, and I'm not leaving you again."

As the elevator descended, taking us away from the wreckage of Isabella's schemes and Derek's misguided love, I made a silent promise to the woman in my arms.

No one would ever hurt her again. Not while I was alive to prevent it.

The elevator chimed softly as we reached the ground floor, and I stepped out into the hotel lobby, carrying the most precious thing in my world toward whatever came next.