Chapter 175

[Ella’s POV]

Well, I had to say...Those two guards getting me into that damn car had proven easier as opposed to them trying to get me out of it. I clung to the seats and refused to budge.

Why the hell should I make this easy for anyone when I was being taken and brought here against my will?

Nope. I was going to be the biggest pain in the ass this screwed-up family has ever dealt with.

Both of the guards grabbed at my ankles and tore me from the seats. Pretty sure I felt quite a few nail marks in the leather interior as I was hauled out and brought toward the main doors.

The tips of my feet were dragging against the small, graveled path.

The men grunted and struggled to regain a normal sense of breathing after the fit I just put them through. Good.

When we all made it through the doors, they continued to drag me along like I was nothing more than a rag doll. I recognized the path we were taking as soon as we rounded the first corner. We were headed straight toward Aaron’s private office.

My stomach twisted in knots. One of the brutish guards gave two harsh knocks on the door, signaling our arrival.

Aaron’s smooth, undeterred voice spoke out from the other side. “Enter.”

The doors pushed open and I was roughly placed in the center of the room like a sack of potatoes. I’m sure I looked disheveled and worn, having been manhandled right off the sidewalk.

Aaron, of course, was sitting behind his desk in a perfectly tailored suit that was, no doubt, only designed to fit him. While I glared in distinct disdain at the man’s orders to bring me here, he appeared unfazed and mildly amused.

Part of me wasn’t really surprised that Aaron would pull something like this—the question was why?

Even when I was here with Liam, the man never paid much mind to me. Then again, thanks to a certain English teacher, I may have become Aaron’s new point of interest.

The corner of his mouth curved upward into an indecisive smile.

“Well, hello, Miss Belmont.”

I tried to keep the sneer off my face as I spoke. “Was that really necessary?”

“What? You mean having you escorted here by my men?” he asked dubiously. “Yes, I dare say it was. You ignored my invitation.”

I let out a humorless laugh. “You call that sketchy as hell, ambiguous message an invitation?”

Aaron scoffed as though I were wasting his time.

“Why am I here Mr. Winslow?”

“I merely wish to clarify a suspicion that I’ve developed. And what better way to find out the truth than to ask the source directly?”

Suspicion? I felt my stomach drop. I should have known that he would be interested in knowing about my developing wolf.

This conversation was going to take a very dark turn very fast if I wasn’t quick enough to stop it.

Perhaps, I need to take a page out of Arthur’s book and purposely play ignorant.

“And what suspicion would that be?” I asked with a raised brow.

I noticed the way his eyes slightly pinched with irritation. Since he made it insistent that I be here, once again, I wasn’t going to make this an easy affair for him.

He sat back in his chair and gave me a leveled look.

“I’ve been informed that you’re not entirely human, Miss Belmont.”

“Oh, I see. And would this so-called information be coming from a certain English teacher who made it her mission to harass and belittle me in class?” I asked, spitefully.

Aaron fell silent. His brows lifted in shock.

“Yes, I’m well aware of you using Mrs. Shields to spy on me. Perhaps if you used someone a little more subtle and less prejudiced you would have found out more than I’m sure she told you.”

A long pause went by, causing my heart to pound faster inside of my rib cage. Shit. I think I came off a little too strong. My mission was to try to sway Aaron from wanting to know more about me...

“Take a seat, Miss Belmont. Maybe I have overlooked you in many cases.”

Fuck.

Against my better judgment, I sat down in the nearest available chair. I tried to keep my stature as tall as possible. At the very least, I didn’t want to give him the idea that he could intimidate me.

“Why am I really here?” I asked pointedly.

His speculating about my new wolf didn’t seem like a worthy enough reason to call me all the way out here—certainly not enough to send the order out to kidnap me.

“I find it strange that someone your age, who claimed to be human her whole life would present so late in life.”

He had a point. Normally, a person would come into their wolf around puberty. But not me.

“Maybe I’m just a late bloomer. Surely that happens.”

He tilted his head forward in a nod. “It can, depending on the lineage and the dynamic of the family. However, I’ve heard that your mother is human and your father is—”

“Dead,” I claimed.

I didn’t leave room in my answer for any possible argument.

I had to admit, hearing about my father’s apparent work-related accident, which led to his death, never fully sat right with me. Especially, when that psychotic hunter made that one sly remark about knowing who my father was.

Could it have been possible that my father had been hunted down the same way that I am?

“What made you suddenly shift?” he questioned openly.

I merely shrugged. “My emotions got the better of me.”

“Your emotions?”

“Yes, it was Parents’ Weekend and I had an unexpected run-in with your wife.”

“She does tend to bring out the rougher side in people,” he commented. “So, it’s because of her?”

“Not exactly. After she left Liam and Arthur got into a bit of a fight and I just...Lost control. Seeing the two of them in such a dangerous situation caused me to shift.”

He arched a questionable brow. “I can understand your concern for Liam, but Arthur?”

A vicious glare passed over my eyes.

“Why is your hatred toward Arthur so severe?”

“He’s dangerous.”

“He’s your son,” I countered back.

Again, the man is brought to silence.

“It’s like you’re only determined to see the very worst in him,” I pointed out. “I’ve gotten to know him these past several weeks and I’ve found that he’s not the nefarious being you described before.”

“I’ve told you and Liam that he’s a mass manipulator.”

I gently shook my head. “He may possess the ability to be one, but that’s not who he is naturally.”

Surely, he would know that if he actually cared to get to know his own son...

“Miss Belmont, my main reasoning for bringing you here is because I would like confirmation on your specific lineage.”

I bit the inside of my cheek and shook my head. “I can assure you, there’s absolutely nothing remarkable about my lineage, Mr. Winslow.”

Quick! What would Arthur say?? I need to throw him off this topic.

“Tell me, is my being a wolf suddenly an issue?” I asked bluntly. “I figured you, of all people, would be thrilled by the fact that Liam is with someone who can actually give him what you people call a ‘proper future’.”

Aaron almost looked like he’s flinched from my minor accusation. “An issue? No. Not in the slightest. But when it comes to your mysterious lineage, that’s where I tend to become rather curious.”

Goddamnit, he wasn’t letting it go.

Right as I parted my lips to speak, another voice spoke out.

“Ella doesn’t have to tell you anything.”