The Fake Luna: Marked By The Alpha King

Chapter 192: Chapter 192 This wasn’t over

Author’s POV

Nathan watched the exchange, and for a moment, he thought he might actually win this.

Then Aria’s expression hardened.

"Fine." He forced the words through clenched teeth. "I’m sorry." His smile was cruel, eyes still cold on Jennifer. The apology rang hollow. Even Jennifer seemed to shrink under his gaze.

"An apology requires sincerity," Aria said coolly. "At minimum, know who you’re apologizing to. And they should actually feel like you mean it."

She stood, pulling Jennifer up with her. "Come on, Jennifer. Mr. Smith clearly has no intention of offering a real one."

"Jennifer."

Nathan closed his eyes, exhaling hard through his nose.

When he opened them, his expression had shifted neutral, voice carefully modulated.

He couldn’t afford to lose this—not on record, not in front of HR. Better to swallow his pride now and deal with Aria later.

"I’m sorry," he said again, softer. He forced himself to meet her eyes. "I was wrong. I shouldn’t have—" He glanced at Aria, then back.

"I shouldn’t have harassed you. I shouldn’t have pressured you into things you weren’t comfortable with. I apologize sincerely. It won’t happen again."

The words tasted like ash. Jennifer stood frozen behind Aria, hand still in hers, and said nothing.

Nathan’s apology might have sounded better this time, but his eyes told a different story. They were cold, calculating. Dangerous.

Jennifer felt a shiver run down her spine.

Aria squeezed Jennifer’s hand reassuringly, but she didn’t turn to look at Nathan. Instead, she addressed the HR representative directly.

"Did you hear that?" Aria’s voice was calm, professional. "Mr. Smith has apologized. Please proceed with the standard protocols and enforce company policy accordingly."

The HR representative stood quickly, nodding with visible relief.

"Yes, Ms. Smith. Of course."

Aria turned and led Jennifer out of the office, her posture straight and confident, her grip on the younger woman’s hand firm and steady.

Behind them, Nathan remained seated, his jaw tight, his hands clenched into fists on the armrests.

His wolf snarled inside him, furious at the humiliation.

But outwardly, he remained perfectly still, watching Aria’s retreating back with cold, calculating eyes.

This wasn’t over.

Not by a long shot.

The HR representative waited until Aria and Jennifer left, then hesitantly approached Nathan. "Mr. Smith... you don’t need to worry too much. This should just be procedural."

Nathan stared at the door Aria had vanished through, then turned slowly, lips curling into something not quite a smile. "You want to fire me?"

She shook her head so hard she looked like a bobblehead. "No, absolutely not—"

"Following protocol would take time," he said, deceptively gentle, patting her shoulder. "But you... probably don’t have that much time."

Her knees nearly gave out. Why did it have to be her?

"I didn’t mean it like that. Honestly, I think this is a misunderstanding. You’ve apologized, so—"

"Handle it however you see fit." He cut her off, smile never reaching his eyes.

She stood frozen as he walked out, footsteps echoing down the hall.

The door closed. She slumped against the desk, letting out a shaky breath.

This was going to come back to haunt her. She just knew it.

---

Aria’s POV

The day Jennifer resigned, I reached out to her immediately.

Something about her sudden departure felt off, and a quick review of the security footage confirmed it—she’d entered my office and accessed my computer.

But instead of jumping to conclusions, I decided to hear her out first.

I invited her to a quiet café far from headquarters, telling myself I just needed an explanation. In truth, I only wanted to know she was okay.

She showed up looking like she’d been carrying the weight of the world—terrified of dragging me into her mess, terrified Nathan would retaliate against her family. So she told me everything.

She’d gone into my office, yes, but only to make Nathan think she was complying.

Everything she’d passed along had been fabricated, harmless. She was willing to disappear with her mother and brother rather than actually betray me.

I believed her instantly. What surprised me more was how long she’d been suffering in silence, too afraid to ask for help.

That was Nathan’s real talent—manipulating people’s fear until they trusted no one, not even those trying to protect them.

If she’d come to me sooner, she would have handed me the very burden Nathan was using against her, and since he and I were already at odds, confronting him on her behalf would only have escalated things.

For Jennifer, that defeated the whole purpose—she was trying to protect me, not endanger me further. So she’d been trapped between family and principle, unable to choose either.

Thankfully, I’d stepped in before she had to.

I spent that meeting reassuring her that we were on the same side—that standing with me didn’t make her a burden, it made her an ally.

Problems were meant to be solved, not run from.

We’d both survived worse than Nathan Smith. By the end, the fear weighing her down had finally started to lift, and I gave her two days to rest before we’d face him together.

Today was that day.

Which was how we’d ended up leaving that office, Nathan’s glare burning into my back the whole way.

Once we were safely in the hallway, Jennifer’s knees buckled. I caught her, steering her to a nearby bench.

"Are you okay?"

She nodded, wiping her eyes. "I didn’t think you’d actually go through with it. I thought you’d just fire me and move on."

"Why would I do that? You trusted me with the truth even when you were terrified. That takes courage."

"I was so scared," she whispered. "When he threatened my family, I thought if I just gave him what he wanted, he’d leave us alone."

"But you didn’t give him anything real, did you?"

A shaky smile. "No. I couldn’t actually betray you. Not after everything you’ve done for me."

"You did the right thing. Nathan won’t touch you or your family again. I’ll make sure of it."

She looked at me, wide-eyed. "Why risk so much for someone like me?"

"Because you’re not just ’someone.’ You’re part of my team, and I protect my people."

It was the truth. These past few months had taught me I didn’t need Pack bonds or wolf instincts to build loyalty—just people who knew I’d fight for them the way I expected them to fight for me.

Her eyes filled again, but this time it looked like relief. "Thank you, Aria."

I pulled her into a quick hug before standing. "Come on. Let’s get you home."

As we walked toward the elevator, my phone buzzed again.

Damian.

[Miss you. How much longer until you’re off work?]

Heat flooded my cheeks, and I quickly tucked my phone away before Jennifer could see my blush.

Focus, Aria. One battle at a time.

But even as I tried to refocus, I couldn’t ignore the warmth spreading through my chest.

I typed back quickly: [Dropping Jennifer home first, then I’ll come find you.]

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