Sold to Bastard Alpha after My Divorce!-Chapter 67

Aria’s POV

The bus rattled along empty streets.

I pressed my forehead against the cold window. Watched the city lights blur past. Each mile put more distance between me and everything I was running from.

My hand drifted to my stomach. Still flat. Still unchanged. But something was growing inside me. Something that was half him.

I closed my eyes. Forced the thought away.

One step at a time. That’s how I’d survive this.

The bus stopped at the edge of Meridian Territory. The border zone. Where the fancy buildings gave way to older neighborhoods. Where people didn’t ask too many questions.

I stepped off onto the dark sidewalk. My bag hung heavy on my shoulder.

Now what?

I had money. Kael’s money. Enough to disappear. But I had no plan. No destination. No idea what came next.

The only thing I knew for certain was that I couldn’t do this alone.

I pulled out my phone. Scrolled through my contacts. So few names. So few people who actually gave a damn about me.

Then I found it.

Cassius.

The healer who’d treated me after Lilith’s birth. The one who’d been kind when everyone else looked at me like trash. The one who always seemed to appear when I needed help most.

My finger hovered over his number.

Was it fair to drag him into this mess?

Probably not.

But I was desperate. And desperate people didn’t have the luxury of being fair.

I hit call.

It rang twice.

"Aria?" His voice was warm. Surprised. "Is everything okay? It’s late."

"Cassius." My voice cracked. Damn it. "I need help."

Silence. Then: "Where are you?"

"Bus station. Border zone. I—" I swallowed hard. "I don’t know where else to go."

"Stay there." No hesitation. No questions. "I’m coming to get you."

The line went dead.

I sank onto the bench. Let out a breath I didn’t know I’d been holding.

Fifteen minutes later, headlights cut through the darkness.

A modest car pulled up. Nothing flashy. Nothing expensive. Just reliable and clean.

The door opened. Cassius stepped out.

He was exactly as I remembered. Tall. Lean. Silver-white hair that caught the streetlight. Those calm gray eyes that always made me feel like everything might be okay.

"Aria." He crossed the distance between us in three strides. His hands found my shoulders. Steadied me. "What happened? You look terrible."

A laugh escaped me. Wet. Broken.

"Thanks. That’s exactly what every girl wants to hear."

He didn’t smile. Just studied my face with those healer’s eyes. Seeing too much.

"Come on." He grabbed my bag before I could protest. "Let’s get you somewhere safe."

---

Cassius’s apartment was small but warm.

Books everywhere. Medical journals stacked on the coffee table. Plants on every windowsill. The kind of lived-in mess that felt more like a home than anywhere I’d been in years.

He set my bag by the couch. Disappeared into the kitchen.

I stood awkwardly in the middle of the room. Not sure what to do with myself.

"Sit." His voice drifted from the other room. "You look like you’re about to fall over."

I sat.

He returned with two mugs. Pressed one into my hands. Hot tea. The warmth seeped into my frozen fingers.

"Thank you." The words came out small. Pathetic.

Cassius settled into the chair across from me. Waited.

The silence stretched.

"Aren’t you going to ask?" I finally said.

"When you’re ready."

God. Why was he so patient? So kind? What had I ever done to deserve someone like this in my corner?

"I left." The words tumbled out before I could stop them. "I packed my things and left. My apartment. My family. Everything."

He nodded slowly. "Where were you planning to go?"

"I don’t know." My voice cracked. "Somewhere. Anywhere. I just couldn’t stay there anymore."

"What happened, Aria?" His voice was gentle. No judgment. Just concern.

And suddenly, I couldn’t hold it in anymore.

Everything came pouring out.

Kael. The dates. The mating ceremony. The way he’d made me feel like maybe—just maybe—I could be something more than Shadow Moon trash.

Then the truth. The game. Rebecca’s cruelty. The money he’d shoved at me like payment for services rendered.

The hospital. The diagnosis.

Pregnant.

By the time I finished, I was crying. Ugly sobs that shook my whole body.

Cassius didn’t say anything. Just moved from his chair to the couch beside me. Put his arm around my shoulders. Let me fall apart against his chest.

"I’m so stupid," I choked out. "So incredibly stupid. I actually believed—I thought maybe—"

"You’re not stupid." His voice was firm. "You’re normal. You wanted to be loved. There’s nothing stupid about that."

"But I fell for it. Again. Just like with Finn. I keep making the same mistakes over and over."

"Hey." He pulled back. Cupped my face in his hands. Made me look at him. "Listen to me. What Kael did—what Finn did—that’s not on you. That’s on them. They’re the ones who chose to hurt you. You didn’t do anything wrong."

Fresh tears spilled down my cheeks.

"I’m pregnant, Cassius." The words came out broken. "With his baby. And he doesn’t even know. And I can’t tell him. Because if his family finds out—"

"They won’t find out." His voice was steady. Certain. "I won’t let them."

"You don’t understand. Magnus Blood Crown is—"

"I know exactly who he is." Cassius’s gray eyes hardened. Just for a moment. "And I know what his family is capable of. But that doesn’t matter. What matters is keeping you safe."

I stared at him. This man who barely knew me. Who had no obligation to help. Who was offering to protect me from one of the most powerful families in Meridian Territory.

"Why?" The question slipped out. "Why are you doing this? I’m nobody. I’m just—"

"Don’t." He cut me off. Gentle but firm. "Don’t say that. You’re not nobody, Aria. You never were."

His thumb brushed a tear from my cheek.

"I’ve watched you for years," he said quietly. "Watched you suffer under Finn’s cruelty. Watched you give everything to a daughter who doesn’t appreciate you. Watched you get knocked down again and again and still get back up."

My breath caught.

"You deserve so much better than what life has given you. And if I can help—even a little—then that’s what I’m going to do."

"Cassius..."

"I’ve already looked at some places." He released my face. Pulled out his phone. "There’s a small house near the eastern border. Quiet neighborhood. The landlord is a friend of mine. He won’t ask questions."

I blinked. "You’ve already looked?"

"The moment you called." He shrugged like it was nothing. "I figured you’d need somewhere to stay. The rent is reasonable. It’s not fancy, but it’s clean. Safe. Far enough from Blood Crown territory that you won’t have to worry about running into anyone."

I stared at the photos on his screen. A small house. Modest. But it had a little garden. Windows that let in sunlight. A door with a working lock.

It was perfect.

"I can’t let you do this." My voice wavered. "You barely know me. You shouldn’t have to—"

"Aria." He put down the phone. Took my hands in his. "I want to do this. Let me help you. Please."

The sincerity in his eyes was almost painful.

"Why?" I asked again. Desperate to understand. "What do you get out of this?"

A small smile curved his lips.

"Protecting you like this." He squeezed my hands gently. "It makes me happy too."

Something warm bloomed in my chest. Not romantic. Not complicated. Just... gratitude. Pure and overwhelming.

"Okay." The word came out as barely a whisper. "Okay. Thank you."

His smile widened. "Good. Now drink your tea before it gets cold. You need rest."

I obeyed. The warm liquid soothed my raw throat.

Cassius stood. "You can sleep in my room tonight. I’ll take the couch."

"I can’t kick you out of your own bed—"

"You’re not kicking me out. I’m offering." He was already pulling blankets from a closet. "Tomorrow, we’ll go see the house. Get you settled. Figure out the next steps."

"The next steps." I laughed weakly. "I don’t even know what those are."

"You don’t have to know yet." He tossed a pillow onto the couch. "One day at a time. That’s how we get through this."

One day at a time.

I could do that. Maybe.

---

Three days later, I had a home.

The little house near the border was everything Cassius had promised. Small but clean. Quiet neighborhood. Neighbors who nodded politely but didn’t pry.

For the first time in months, I felt like I could breathe.

But money was running low.

Kael’s cash wouldn’t last forever. I needed a job. Needed income. Needed to start building something sustainable before the baby came.

The baby.

I still couldn’t quite believe it was real. Every morning, I woke up thinking it had been a dream. Every morning, the truth came crashing back.

I was going to be a mother again.

This time, maybe, I could do it right.

The evening air was cool as I stepped outside. The sun had set an hour ago. Shadows stretched across the quiet streets.

I needed groceries. Basic supplies. The kind of things that added up quickly when you were counting every dollar.

The nearest store was a twenty-minute walk. I didn’t mind. Walking helped clear my head.

The aisles were nearly empty this late. Just a few other shoppers grabbing last-minute items.

I pushed my cart slowly. Checked prices on everything. The cheapest bread. The generic brand pasta. Whatever was on sale.

Every penny mattered now.

At the checkout, the total made me wince. Still too much. But I paid anyway. Couldn’t survive on nothing.

The walk home felt longer in the dark.

The streetlights flickered. Some were burned out completely. The neighborhood wasn’t dangerous, exactly. But it wasn’t exactly safe either.

I walked faster.

My bags rustled with each step. My footsteps echoed off the pavement.

And then I heard it.

Another set of footsteps.

Behind me.

I glanced over my shoulder. Couldn’t see anything. The shadows were too thick.

Probably nothing. Probably just another person walking home.

But my heart was racing anyway.

I picked up my pace. My bags bumped against my legs.

The footsteps behind me matched my speed.

Faster now.

No. This wasn’t my imagination.

Someone was following me.

Artemis stirred in my mind. Alert. Warning.

*Run,* she urged. *Something’s wrong.*

I didn’t need to be told twice.

I started walking faster. Almost jogging. My house was just around the corner. If I could just get there—

The footsteps quickened too.

Closer.

Closer.

My lungs burned. My heart hammered against my ribs.

I could see my door. Thirty feet. Twenty. Ten.

I was almost there.

My hand reached for my keys.

The footsteps stopped.

I let out a breath. Relief flooded through me. Just paranoia. Just nerves. Just—

A rough hand clamped over my mouth.

I tried to scream. Tried to fight.

But before I could do anything—

A bag was yanked over my head.