A Gift from the Goddess by Dawn Rosewood novel Chapter 35

Chapter Thirty Five 

INEN 

I still remembered the excruciating pain of being hurt every single day I lived in that hell, years before he even rejected me officially. The kind of pain that could only arise from loving someone with your entire being.

I was no longer able to stop the flood of emotions coming up all at once and I was sure my father had no idea what was going on. But he must have understood enough to see that, whatever it was I was trying to tell him, it was enough to cause me to be in this much emotional distress just from talking about it.

He pulled me into his arms and held tightly onto me as I cried against him. Everything had spilled out of me all at once. Things I had sworn to never tell anyone, things I didn’t think I would ever be able to share with someone. But I didn’t care anymore if he thought I was insane. I couldn’t live like this.

“Shhh, Aria,” he soothed. “It’s okay.” I just clung to him tighter, burying my sobbing face further into his chest. “Please… help me, papa.” He didn’t say anything else after that, he just held me in his arms until I’d exhausted myself.

I was grateful that he didn’t push the topic again for that night. By the time I had finished shedding every last tear in my body, he just picked me up and took me to bed. It was a moment that I was glad to still be small enough for him to carry me as he did, knowing that there was n o way I would have been able to rely on my legs again for that day.

And when we finally got to my bedroom, he stayed with me as I continued to cling to him for dear life. He stayed with me until finally, I drifted to sleep.

It was a blessing I was too exhausted to dream that night.

As expected, the next morning my father was obviously wanting an explanation for what had happened the night before.

And so, I told him. I told him everything. And the more I spoke, the more that poured out of m e, and soon I found that I couldn’t stop myself from giving every little detail.

I told him how I had ended up as Luna and how I’d become Aleric’s blade in his war against the world for power. How I had so desperately fought for his love… only for it to have been given t o another. And lastly, I told him about the trial, how we’d said our final goodbyes in the cells… and how Aleric had finally killed me.

looking back… that the only way I was going to be able to truly find a new fate was if I stopped being haunted around every corner This included working on letting my feelings for Aleric go eventually. I knew it would be tough, and wouldn’t happen overnight, but we both knew I wasn’t going to be able to become Beta if I was terrified of the very Alpha I was pledged to. I could see this would be the hardest part of my journey; learning to accept what had happened to me and trying to move forward. The next day, my father went to Alpha Tytus to propose a meeting be held in order to discuss the current Beta heir position, mentioning also that I would be present. I was told he was extremely intrigued by the idea of me attending and immediately agreed for it to be scheduled