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

nerve, igniting me once more despite my exhaustion. Crumbling that final piece inside me that still cared about what he would think

to me throughout my lives. I would have preferred it if you had just told me you were trying to get rid of me because at least that would be something I could believe and know

you say

is so goddamn unpredictable that I feel as though everything I learnt the first time around is completely useless. That it was meaningless. That I went through years

s that fair?” 

what the fuck are you talking

n my eyes you were, Aleric. You were my torturer, my abuser, and you would parade that bitch Thea in front of me like a prized possession you loved more than anything; never caring what it did to me,

“Aria–.” 

power 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,

an attendant who in the end threw me to the dogs. And it

that maybe you would love me... so that maybe you would

JOU 

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 again... because I couldn‘t bear the thought of living through your rejection twice. That alone had been more painful than anything

apparently rejected you? Hurt you? ...None of

then escaped my lips, realising I‘d forgotten

of thin air by Selene and sent back. No, no… you have to die first, Aleric. I

with this, his face quickly

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

Chapter Seventy Theo 

you put me

Instead, he just looked at me, his eyes full of

down at my hands which were now balled into fists, tightened

what‘s unfair this time...,” I choked out slowly. “And you don‘t get to

step closer towards me but, even once he kneeled down to eye level, I still

at me,” he said.

head, wiping at my face.

*look at me,” he repeated.

sob escaped me but I just shook my head

“Aria, look.” 

up to finally meet his gaze,

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.

did.” 

young,” I whispered. “You have time to change, time

of his grasp and looked

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 s nothing I can say to make right

knew he was

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

had never given me a reason to not trust him. In fact, he had proven to me time and time again that I could. And yet I still refused to let myself give in. On even the small chance that things turned bad once more, I knew that it would break me beyond repair. It would be the final betrayal I couldn‘t survive.

moving away from him. “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 live in

nupied scrantyce 

in the shadows as a Luna anyway. I just want you to help me make this pack the best it can be.”

sounded basically the same as what I

know you want change, Aria. That much is obvious,” he continued. “You think I haven‘t noticed how messed up things have been? Hate me for the rest of your life if you want, but I would rather we work together than end up

the impact it would have on Aleric.

was clear now.

offering was true then this was the

thing I ever expected to hear from his mouth This would mean no Alpha commanding servitude from

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