Chapter Twelve – Look, this is not charity.
"I find it scandalous that people, young women like you scar their bodies with disgusting tattoos. What even is this, meaningless and scandalous, but I guess, to each their own. Anyway, enjoy the party. Come on, Ryker." She giggles and walk away, while Aria is freaking out, because within the time they've spent at the party, a mysterious and strange and tattoo has appeared on her body with her knowledge and consent, and Elara is the one to point it out? what the hell.
"We need to leave, now." Luna says and she nods, still shellshocked by the inscriptions on her screen. Together, the four of them walk out, doing their best to ignore everyone look, they are able to get a cab, and forty minutes later, they walk into the Manor and she collapse on the couch, cuddling into the pillows, and feeling insanely exhausted.
"Do you want to talk about it?" Luna says as softly as possible and she sits upright and gets up.
"Do I want to talk about it? There is a tattoo on my right hand, a full sleeve tattoo, do you know how creepy that is. Does the Moon Goddess have no sense of consent, marking my skin, is that all I am to her, just a canvas for her to do as she likes? What the actual fuck, I'm having the worst headache, my head feels like it is about to be split open!" She yells and they are all silent, because she is right, it is odd and creepy.
"I think we need to check your body for any other markings. You can check it yourself, if you prefer, but there might be other markings." Luna states and she nods.
"Okay, come to my bedroom, I will strip, and you check." Aria tells her and they walk away. Gideon and Kael looks at themselves and they head to the kitchen, because it really has been a very odd day.
"We need to heighten security around the manor and just be prepared and ready. Ryker and Elara looked crazed with suspicions, and with the way Aria basically spat in their faces, which was a baddass move by the way, they are surely even more suspicious. Coupled with you being the Alpha's son, they literally burnt a person alive for figuring out your identity, who knows what want to do to you." Gideon muses and Kael scoffs.
"I will like to see them try."
Kael is a gentle man, he is calm and collected and he has a natural inclination towards peace and everything it embodies, but the beast in him is not calm or collected, and his beast has a predisposition to chaos and violence. Once in a while, Kael feed the beast the destruction it deserves, so if Ryker and Elara comes after him and his family, he will embody everything his beast is and fight.
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Aria and Luna finds no markings, inscriptions or tattoos on any part of her body, just her right hand, full sleeves. Luna left few minutes ago to give her the privacy she needs, and Aria tries not to break down. It seems all these is more than she anticipated, more than she bargained for. She needs money, she needs clothes of her own, she needs a phone, she needs to relax.
She walks to the living space and sees everyone seated, eating and the sight and smell of the meal makes her stomach grumble.
"Help yourself." Gideon tells her and she nods, she walks to the kitchen and serves herself Macaroni and cheese, it is something. She sits beside Kael and he smiles at her, they eat in silence and she tries to settle her pounding head.
Where does she go from here? She deserves an audience with the Moon Goddess, she needs her questions answered, where has she been for the past four months, is her former body still at the bottom of the river, who was the previous owner of this body, why this body, why is alive, so many questions, she feels her head is about to be split open. She gets up and drops the half-eaten meal in the kitchen, she does not like to waste food, but she can't bring herself to eat, at least not now.
"Aria, can I talk to you for a sec?" Gideon says and she looks at him, frowning, but she nods. He walks to her, and they walk out, to the backyard, this Manor is really amazing, with so much space and privacy.
"Is everything okay? Is this about the food? I'm sorry, it tastes good, but my head is pounding, and I feel nauseous. I can reimburse you for it when I get a job." She assures him and he shakes his head.
"It is not about the food; this is about something else. This might be awkward for you, but before you reject it outright, just think about it. I would like to think we are friends, perhaps not yet friends, but we are no longer strangers. I have some money saved aside, and since I will be staying here for the next couple of months, I would like to give it to you." He says and her eyes widens.
"What? No, I don't want your money, give it to Luna or something." She gasps and he shakes his head.
"Truly, I kept the money aside for Luna, she hates her apartment, so I was thinking of getting her another one, but now, she does not have any need for it, because she asked Kael if she could stay at the Manor for some time too. Look, this is not charity, you can return the money when you feel like. You need to get settled, and while Kael has more than enough obviously, I know you will never ask him, which is why I am offering. If you want, this can be a secret between the two of us, I won't tell them if you don't want me to." He convinces and she nods, reluctantly. He is helping her.