A Gift from the Goddess

Chapter 73

Chapter Seventy–Three 

“... What the fuck are you doing back here?” Aleric asked. 

He stood in my doorway, arms crossed, staring at me like I was insane. 

But I didn‘t care. My mind was made up. There was no way I was going to have this conversation tonight. 

“No,” I answered flatly. 

“No‘?” 

“No, I‘m not doing this now,” I clarified. “I‘m too tired. We can talk later.” 

I rolled onto my side, facing away from him, and pulled the blanket up over my shoulder. Maybe if I closed my eyes and pretended to sleep, he would just leave on his own accord. 

“Aria, you need to tell me what‘s going on,” he pressed. “Joseph told me you came back over the border and I thought he was joking until I caught your scent by the stairs. Did something happen? Were you caught?” 

“No,” I mumbled, repeating myself once more. 

“Stop that. Regardless of how tired you are, this is more important. I need to know if something went wrong.” 

I groaned out in frustration but reluctantly sat up, my head immediately pulsing with a migraine.* 

“Nothing went wrong, Aleric. Just let it go.” 

“Obviously something went wrong or you wouldn‘t be here.” 

He was getting angry at me and it was only making me more irritated that we were actually having this conversation. 

“Fine then,” I snapped back, turning to look at him. “You want to know what went wrong? The entire thing. The whole plan. How stupid do you think Tytus is that he wouldn‘t find out that you were planning to hide me in the Silver Lake?” 

His eyes widened a little in surprise. “You’re joking, right? Cai didn‘t organise to move you somewhere else?” 

‘More like didn‘t want to move me somewhere else,‘ I thought, recalling our earlier exchange. And that was only after finding out about Caitlyn. 

“Evidently not,” I answered, not wanting to elaborate further on the other reasons I‘d returned. 

“So... what? You‘re just going to come back here and pretend everything is normal? That you didn‘t almost get killed here? After risking everything to get you out?” 

“I don‘t know, Aleric!” I yelled back. “I don‘t know, okay? I don‘t know what to do about me, or Tytus, or Cai ... and I *especially don‘t know what to do about you.” 

He paused, frowning. “...About me?” 

Ah, fuck. I’d said too much. 

“Wait, are you angry at me because of what I told you in the car?” he asked, piecing together my silence. 

I rubbed my eyes, hoping that this was just a bad dream.“...No.” 

But I didn‘t sound very convincing. 

Chapler Seventy–Three 

“Seriously? How is that fair on me? You were the one who was angry at me for originally not telling you.” 

did it.

me once more despite my exhaustion. Crumbling that final piece inside

it was the cruellest thing anyone has ever said to me throughout my lives. I would have preferred it if you had just told me you were

you say ‘lives‘?”

everything I learnt the first time around is completely useless. That it was meaningless. That I went

s that fair?” 

what the fuck are you

you as if you were a monster. Because i n my eyes you were,

“Aria–.” 

to give, I gave it to you. You wanted the world to kneel before you? I gave you the path to do it. You wanted my heart, my soul and complete servitude? I gave it to you. I let you

room with nothing but an attendant who in the

for you. I did it so that maybe you would love me...

JOU 

again. That if I don‘t then everyone dies. And so that‘s what I did. I worked hard to stop the same future from happening, to stop myself from becoming your Luna, to stop you from trapping and hurting me again... and to stop myself from ever having to love you

the hell is this? You‘re saying I apparently rejected you? Hurt you? ...None of this is

then escaped my lips, realising I‘d forgotten

“You see, to be reborn, you don‘t just get plucked out of thin air by Selene and sent back. No, no… you have

was going with this, his face quickly starting to pale, and my

who convicted me o f crimes I never committed, and you who held the sword as it came crashing down, slicing through my neck at the trial grounds. You killed me, Aleric. You killed me once I was no longer of any use to you anymore. And you

Chapter Seventy Theo 

you put me

no words came out. Instead, he just looked at me, his eyes full of confusion, and, slowly, my breathing turned into sobs.

fists, tightened around the blanket beneath me, and watched as my tears hit the

don‘t get to say that you love me. It‘s nine years too late for

me but, even once he kneeled down to eye level, I still refused to

me,” he said.

wiping at my face.

at me,” he

escaped me but I just shook my head once more.

“Aria, look.” 

he gently grabbed my chin and raised my head up to finally meet his gaze, to meet his

is true… then there is literally nothing I can say that will make what happened to you okay,” he said, his expression serious. “Because the reality is... it‘s not okay. And I can apologise for those things if you want, to say that I‘m sorry but, at the end of the day, even if I did, it wouldn‘t mean anything. Yes, I‘m sorry that those things happened to you, but I can‘t

did.” 

young,” I whispered. “You have time

looked

persecute me for sins I‘ve never committed? When have I, m e personally, ever hurt you, Aria? When have I ever given you a reason to not trust me? It‘s true that there i

knew he

to get my sincere apology. And the things that I went through were never going to be okay. Because the person I needed to hear the apology from was dead in another timeline that was now destroyed. *My* Aleric was gone. And, knowing him, it was likely that

to me time and time again that I could. And yet I still refused to let myself give in. On

“I can‘t become a Luna again, always living in your shadow and hoping that what i do ensures my survival for one more day. I refuse to

nupied scrantyce 

said, making me look up sharply in surprise. “I never expected you to sit back passively i in the shadows as a Luna anyway. I just want you to help me make this pack the

all that much different. It still sounded basically the same as what

want, but I would rather we work together than end up divided in a civil war for power, something that benefits neither us nor the pack. I‘m not so naive as to assume you haven‘t at least considered taking over once you‘re of age. Especially after what Tytus has done to you.”

on Aleric. At the time, I couldn‘t risk

was

was offering was true then this was

power struggle, no ruined friendship He was oftenng me mutual control, something that was the last thing I ever expected to hear from his mouth This would mean no Alpha commanding servitude from a Luna But more like split

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