A Gift from the Goddess

Chapter Thirty-Four Despite my resolve, it still took another two months before I finally worked up the

courage to begin the difficult journey of becoming Beta. The rest of Myra’s charity event had gone well

that day and I didn’t see Aleric for the remainder of the fundraiser, which was perfectly fine by me. I could

tell Myra was a bit worried about me though and I had to palm it off as no big deal. I didn‘t want to worry

her. It was her first time seeing me so scared by anything and I could only imagine what might have been

going through her mind. In the two months that had passed, I somehow had reached my fifteenth

birthday. I requested that it be kept a quiet affair and so we ended up celebrating it with just my parents

and Myra. There were minimal gifts, also per my request, and we all sat and had a nice dinner at my

house. Really, I was just happy to be amongst all the people who genuinely cared about me. I’d spent

too many birthdays in the past being almost completely alone and forgotten. And so finally, today, I stood

at the door of my father’s office, peering in nervously. He was concentrating on reports in front of him and

I was scared of disturbing him. From here, I could see his silver hair and violet eyes, and I thought about

how similar we really did look. If it weren’t for me having mostly my mother’s face shape, I would have

looked like a cut and pasted female version of him. “I can feel you staring at me from here,” he called out

without even looking up from his work.

I jumped at the sound of his voice, having not expected him to know I was here. He looked up and finally

met my eyes. “What can I help you with, Aria?” I stepped inside the door cautiously, clearing my throat. “I

need to talk to you, Father. Do you have a moment?” I could hear the slight quaver in my voice as I

spoke. I needed to get a hold of myself though. I wouldn‘t be able to convince him I was suitable for this

if I didn‘t sound like I believed it myself. But it was a bit strange how nervous I was. Exploiting a foreign

government for money? No issues. Asking my father to hear me out while I explained why I wanted to be

a Beta? Terrifying. His opinion mattered to me and I didn‘t want his perception of me to change because

of this. It didn‘t help that I was also having to constantly remind myself that this version of my father was

different from the one I had been with before my death. He was almost ten years younger than the father

who had cried with me inside the jail cells. At this point in our lives right now, our relationship was very

formal. I remembered how scared I’d been of ever disappointing or annoying him… a feeling that didn‘t

change up until he had himself arrested for defending my honour. He looked at me closely, a curiosity in

his eyes. “Sure, take a seat on the couch.” I followed his instruction and he walked over to join me.

Sitting like this together, casually on the settee, I honestly couldn’t tell if it made me feel

comfortable or even more nervous. Perhaps if I could have treated this as a business negotiation and sat

across from him at a desk, then I wouldn’t have been so afraid. “You haven’t come to my office like this

since you were little,” he mused. “Did you want some

tea?”

I shook my head, knowing I wouldn‘t be able to drink at a time like this. I couldn’t even recall the last time

I had dared to disturb his work but I knew I’d procrastinated this conversation long enough. Time was

running out if I wanted to be given a chance to earn my spot as Beta heir. I also knew that I would need

help in training if I had any hope of improving my skill in a fight. I’d reached a plateau and hadn’t seen

any real difference in my strength for over a month now. I realised the only way I was going to get better

from here would be to have someone show me how to improve and, with Cai gone, it meant there really

was only one person in my life that could help. My father.

I watched as he poured himself a tea and settled back into the couch. “So, what did you want to talk

about?” I hesitated, unsure where to start. I’d practised what I had wanted to say in the mirror almost

every day but, now it was actually happening, it was like my mind had gone blank

“Um,” I started.

‘Brilliant, Aria. So intelligent,’I scolded myself internally.

Quickly, I pushed my thoughts away, trying to refocus. “...I‘ve been thinking a lot about the future,” I said.

“We haven‘t really had a conversation about it since the night after the Alpha’s summons, back when

Myra was attacked.” He raised an eyebrow at me. “Did you want to finally discuss why you told the Alpha

you didn’t want to become Luna? Why you kept your mother and I in the dark about your intentions?”

I paused. It sounded like he was still irritated about the whole thing. I could recall the argument we got

into vividly and remembered how they had been so furious at my decision. It had scared me off enough

to start keeping more secrets from them. “It wasn’t my intention to hide it from you,” I said. “I hadn‘t

planned to tell the Alpha anything of the sort, but this mark on me changed everything. I needed to

establish that I wasn’t a threat to Tytus or Aleric.” I then took a deep breath. “But, Father...I need you to

know that, from the bottom of my heart… I really don’t want to be Luna. What I said to them that day was

the truth. I really am sorry I kept it from you and Mother.”

I almost said ‘don’t want to be Luna *again*’ but managed to stop myself right before I spoke. What a

disaster that would have been. “...Why?” he finally asked, after he’d taken some time to think. “…I don’t

have any desire for the position.”

He frowned. “I doubt you would have come all the way in here to tell me this without a reason.

on pyritysten

There is obviously something else you wanted.” I bit my lip, my nerves threatening to take over. “The

truth is… I’d like to take over for you one day… and become Beta,” I said slowly. To his credit, he didn’t

outwardly refuse me immediately. Instead, he just nodded his head, placing his teacup back on the table,

and reclined into the couch in thought. I was too scared to say anything in case it just made his rejection

quicker. After some time, he looked over to me and stared down at my hands, narrowing his eyes. “So,

for how long now?” he asked.

I didn’t know what he was referring to.“‘How long‘...?” I repeated. “Your hands,” he said, nodding towards

them. “I‘ve just realised how calloused they look How long have you been training in secret?” It was a

question that would have been answered eventually, but nevertheless, I wished it had been something

he found out about only if he had agreed to support me. I tightened my hands into fists on my lap, staring

at them. “Maybe… eight months now? Nine? I started not long after the Alpha summons.”

He was silent again. I wished he would just talk plainly to me instead of making me guess whatever he

was thinking inside. It was excruciating.

“So, this is something you’ve taken a few months in deciding to pursue then?” That wasn’t exactly

correct. I had started training with the original intent of defending myself from Aleric, not for the purpose

of becoming Beta. But it was true I had spent the last two months thinking through my options

thoroughly. This was something I wanted to do. Something that I *needed* to do. “I‘ve weighed all of my

options with great care, Father” I replied. “This is the only choice I have that allows me to both refuse the

Luna position and protect myself from those threatened by my mark” He was silent once again. “I can

see why you may think I might not be worthy,” I finally said after he hadn’t said anything for an extended

period of time. “I understand that you would want to see me succeed, and becoming Luna would be

viewed as the highest honour for your daughter to achieve. I also realise that being a female, you may

think I‘m not up to the task.”

I looked up to meet his eyes and saw he was looking at me, a crease between his brows. “Aria, you don’t

need to become a Luna for your mother and I to be proud of you,” he said. “I also don’t care whether

you’re a male or female. To me, any child of mine naturally has a right to succeed me as Beta.” My heart

leapt at hearing his words. I was pleased to know his stance on my position hadn’t changed in ten years.

He really did care. Had the wall between us been only something I created in my mind the entire time?

“Thank you, Father,” I said, wholeheartedly.

I felt out of breath. It was a relief to finally hear the words from him, to know that he supported me.

“But, Aria,” he continued, his tone serious. “I‘m disappointed that you kept this from me – from us. I

thought you understood how much we didn‘t appreciate you cutting us out after last time. Keeping

secrets from me was not the way to gain my support in this.”

I froze. Had I really made a mistake in how I’d handled it? This entire time I thought I was doing the right

thing, scared of what they might think of me if were to tell them of my real desires and worries. “A Beta is