The Fake Luna: Marked By The Alpha King

Chapter 119: Chapter 119 If Aria were here...

Author’s POV

Meanwhile, across the city, Clara Voss sat frozen in front of her laptop, staring at the screen in disbelief.

The article was gone.

Not just taken down—erased. The news station had issued a formal apology. Ryan Cole had been fired and arrested. Every media outlet that had shared the piece had scrambled to delete it within minutes.

Clara’s fingers trembled over the keyboard. She refreshed the page again. Nothing.

"How the hell did she do that?" she whispered.

She’d been refreshing the trending topics all morning, watching with smug satisfaction as Aria’s name got dragged through the mud.

The comments had been brutal. Vicious. Exactly what Clara had hoped for.

And now it was all gone. Like it had never existed.

Clara grabbed her phone and tried calling Ryan again. Still no answer. She’d been trying all day.

Her chest tightened. If Ryan had been arrested... if the police questioned him... would he give her up?

No. No, he wouldn’t. He couldn’t. She’d been careful. She’d never contacted him directly.

Everything had been done through a burner email account. There was no trail leading back to her.

She opened their University alumni group chat, hoping to find some distraction. But instead, she found chaos.

Everything had been done through a burner email account. There was no trail leading back to her.

She took a shaky breath and opened the Silver Creek Pack alumni group chat, hoping to find some kind of distraction.

But instead, she found chaos.

The group was blowing up with messages. People were apologizing to Aria—publicly, profusely, desperately.

Some were tagging Ethan, asking if he knew where Aria was so they could apologize directly.

Clara scrolled through the messages, her stomach sinking further with each one.

*"I feel so bad. I believed that article without even thinking."*

*"Aria’s always been professional. I should’ve known better."*

*"Does anyone have her contact info? I want to apologize properly."*

Then someone pointed out something Clara hadn’t even noticed.

*"Wait... when did Aria leave the group?"*

Clara’s breath caught. She scrolled up through the chat history, searching for Aria’s name.

She wasn’t there. Not anymore.

"When did she...?" Clara muttered, her pulse quickening.

She’d assumed Aria had been silently watching the group all day. Watching them tear her apart. Clara had taken a sick kind of pleasure in imagining Aria’s face as she read the messages.

But Aria hadn’t seen any of it. She’d left the group—probably days ago—and hadn’t looked back.

Clara’s hands clenched into fists.

---

Across town, Ethan Holt was having the exact same realization.

He stared at his phone, scrolling through the alumni chat, his jaw tight. He’d defended Aria earlier—told everyone the article was garbage, threatened lawsuits, the whole nine yards.

He’d thought she’d see it. He’d thought she’d appreciate it.

But she wasn’t even in the group anymore.

"Dammit," he muttered under his breath.

He tried calling her again. Still busy.

Who the hell was she talking to?

Ethan tossed his phone onto his desk and ran a hand through his hair, frustration clawing at his chest. His wolf was pacing restlessly, agitated by the distance between them.

He needed to see her. To talk to her. To make sure she was okay.

Before he could stand, his phone buzzed. Clara’s name flashed on the screen.

He hesitated, then answered. "What is it?"

"Ethan..." Clara’s voice was shaking. Panicked. "Something’s wrong. I—I need you to come over. Now."

Ethan frowned. "Clara, I’m in the middle of—"

"Please." Her voice cracked. "I’m scared. I—I did something stupid, and I don’t know what to do."

His wolf growled low in his chest. He didn’t want to deal with this right now. He wanted to find Aria.

But Clara sounded genuinely terrified.

He sighed heavily. "Fine. I’ll be there in twenty."

---

When Ethan arrived at Clara’s apartment, she practically threw herself into his arms.

"I’m so sorry," she sobbed into his chest. "I didn’t mean for it to go this far. I—"

"Clara." Ethan grabbed her shoulders, forcing her to look at him. "What are you talking about? What did you do?"

She shook her head, tears streaming. "I can’t... You’re going to hate me."

"Clara, if you don’t tell me what’s going on, I can’t help you."

Finally, she whispered, "It was me. I paid Ryan to write that article about Aria."

For a moment, Ethan didn’t move. Didn’t breathe.

"You what?"

Clara flinched at the ice in his voice.

"I didn’t think it would blow up like that! I just wanted her to back off. I wanted her to stop getting in the way of us—"

"What kind of person she really was?" Ethan’s voice rose, sharp and cold. "Aria didn’t do anything, Clara! That article was full of lies!"

"I know!" Clara cried. "But Ryan got arrested, Ethan. If the police trace this back to me... if they find out I paid him..." Her voice broke. "I’ll go to prison."

Ethan stared at her, his mind racing.

"Marcus," Clara whispered. "If I go to jail, what happens to Marcus? He’s only three years old. He needs his mother."

That hit him like a punch to the gut. Marcus. His son.

"Please," Clara begged, grabbing his hands. "I know I messed up. But I was desperate. I love you, Ethan. I’ve loved you for ten years. I couldn’t stand watching her take you away from me."

Her words twisted something deep in his chest. Clara had been there for him since they were teenagers. She’d saved his life once. She’d given him a son. She’d stood by him even when things got complicated.

Ethan exhaled slowly and pulled out his phone.

"I’ll call my lawyer," he said quietly. "We’ll get Ryan out on bail. We’ll pay him to keep quiet. If he doesn’t talk, the police won’t have anything connecting you to this."

Clara’s eyes widened. "You’ll help me?"

"I don’t have a choice. Marcus needs you. And I’m not going to let you go to prison over this."

Clara let out a choked sob and threw her arms around him again. "Thank you. Thank you so much. I’ll never do anything like this again, I swear."

Ethan didn’t respond. He just stood there, holding her while his head throbbed and his wolf snarled in the back of his mind.

He pressed his fingers against his temples, trying to ease the pressure building behind his eyes.

When his migraines got this bad, Aria used to notice immediately.

She’d make him stop whatever he was doing, force him to rest, bring him painkillers and water before he even asked.

She’d cancel his meetings, handle his emails, sit with him in the dark until the pain subsided.

She’d taken care of him without him ever having to say a word.

And now...

Now she was gone.

And he was standing in Clara’s apartment, cleaning up her mess, wondering how the hell everything had gotten so complicated.

His wolf whined softly, a low, mournful sound.

*If Aria were here...*

But she wasn’t. And she wouldn’t be. Not anymore.