Page 19 of Moonlit Choosing Ritual

I didn’t answer and turned to look at the window, swallowing thickly.

She faced me fully and sighed. “I have a solution for you, if you want to listen.”

Her words caught my attention.

“I know that Alpha Talon can get very angry, and at times he loses control over himself. Annnnddd…” She sighed. “He’s been really bad with you. I also know that you don’t want to stay here.”

I opened my mouth to say something but snapped it shut.

She chuckled. “I knew it.” Aria cocked her head and a ghost of a smile appeared on her lips. “If you want to run away from here, I have an idea.”

And now she had all my attention. “What idea?” I asked in a voice barely above a whisper.

“I can help you, but with one condition.”

Suddenly, I found myself wanting to rub my chest, though I wasn’t sure why. Did my unease stem from fear, or was it something else entirely? I couldn’t quite grasp it.

Aria poked her tongue into her cheek. “I know someone who can take you somewhere else. I mean a different town. Once you’ve arrived, you’ll have to stay there, under the radar, for at least a month. After that, you can go wherever you like.”

“Why a month? Why can’t I go back home now?”

She licked her lips and shrugged one shoulder. “I can’t tell you why. It’s not my place, but if you agree to my conditions, I’ll help you. And I’ll give you a thousand dollars to kickstart your new journey.”

My mouth dropped in surprise. One thing I’d learned living in my neighborhood was that there’s no such thing as a free lunch. No one helps you unless they have their own agenda, hidden or otherwise. Aria was asking me to leave town without a trace and bribing me with a thousand dollars. It was a great opportunity. A win-win. So why was my heart thumping hard, urging me, telling me that this wasn’t right? Something inside me was restless.

“You don’t have to agree to this today,” Aria added. “Take your time to think about it, but this offer expires in two days. After that, you’re on your own.” Saying that, she turned back toward the mirror and brushed her hair. “Oh, and one more thing—if you speak about our little talk to anyone, I’ll outright deny it, and you already know how that would be taken. You’re absolutely nothing in this place.”

I stared at her. Aria was not only beautiful, she was also polite and cunning. “Okay…” I murmured.

The rest of my morning was spent thinking about her proposition as she got ready and went shopping with her friends. It was clear that I had to be extremely discreet about this plan if I wanted to escape. And I had to trust Aria. Remaining secretive about it wasn’t an issue, but trusting Aria? I didn’t know her very well.

By midafternoon, I had finished tidying the room and went to my room to take a bath. I was so tired that I didn’t bother to change and slept with the towel wrapped around me. My dreams consisted of vast meadows, unexplored horizons, vibrant with possibilities. I didn’t want to wake up.

Reality felt like a garden of twilight, and the path to freedom was paved with uncertainty, a shadowy labyrinth of doubt and fear. I was standing on the precipice of choice, caught between the unknown and the comfort of my tormentor. But I had to take a step toward freedom. If I didn’t explore, I would never know if what I did was right or not. My mind was a tapestry of contradictions, but eventually I decided.

Jackie came to see me in the evening. She hugged me hard. “I’m so sorry about what happened last night. We know our Alpha’s lethal, and people don’t interact with him unless they have to. However, what he did with you at the restaurant was unusual. He hasn’t ever done that with anyone. If he has to punish someone, it usually ends in expulsion from the pack or worse like imprisonment.”

“Imprisonment? Does he have private cells? Is that even allowed?” I asked, sipping my hot coffee.

Jackie stilled for a moment and let out a nervous chuckle. “Anyway!” She dug her fingers into her purse, took out a $50 bill, and changed the topic. “Aunt Shirley gave that to me for you.”

I grinned. “Thanks,” I replied as I looked at the money. “You know, I was just three months away from graduation. Then I would have—” My throat choked with emotions. I would have been free.

“We have a high school here as well. Why don’t you enroll?”

I rolled my eyes. “I have to work for Talon every morning. When will I go to school? Do you know how disorganized he is? Today I found all his clothes tossed on the floor.”

“That’s odd,” Jackie said with a frown. “He’s an extremely organized wol—man.”

I took an exasperated sigh. “I just want to get out of here!”

Jackie and I ended up talking more about Talon and then her adoptive parents. At twenty-two, she had finished her computer diploma in cybersecurity and was one of the best Talon had on his team. She had two younger brothers who were vying to be part of Talon’s security team. Everything in this town was about Talon. Like he owned everyone’s ass or was a part of every establishment.

We both went to the kitchen in the manor for dinner, where Harry and Kirk were talking about shrimp salad. As soon as Kirk saw Jackie, his eyes lit up. Harry stiffened seeing me and turned to furiously chop vegetables.

“Hi, Jackie!” Kirk made his way to us. “You look stunning!”

I looked at Jackie’s gray cotton top and brown skirt that fell to her knees. Her hair was tied in a messy bun and she seemed like she could use a bath. Kirk’s infatuation for Jackie rolled in waves.

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