17. Gemstones

Chapter seventeen

Gemstones

*ARDEN*

W e wrap up the meeting with me promising to go through the folders and all the information again. I feel like we are missing something, but I'm not sure what it is. A detail that keeps clinging to my mind, but I can't put my finger on it yet. The next step would be for one or two of us to question the orphanage.

It's a task none of us truly wants to do because it leads us to the world of humans, to their reality, and we'd need to be cunning. I'm not made out for that. Zoé is too young, and Gustave too insecure. I still want to do it because someone has to, but Aurelia offers to do that task.

"I don't mind," she says. "I have a lot of contact with humans and am used to hiding who I am."

"I can join her," Leila offers. "I think together we'll make them spill everything." A smirk curls her lips, while she grabs the folder I put together about the orphanage. "The director is a man, isn't he?"

"You don't need to do that," Emilien points out. "I mean, do anything that makes you feel uncomfortable."

"I'm not doing anything." She chuckles. "It's not like I'm going to bed with this guy. I just feel that if Aurelia and I inquire about Meg, then we'll be more successful."

"Leila isn't wrong," Eric says.

"You guys here are the geniuses and brilliant minds," Leila tells us.

"But Leila and I aren't," Aurelia ends. "I personally am more suited for practical work."

"Me too," Leila admits. "Everyone just underestimates me because I'm pretty." When Zoé gapes at her, she chuckles. "What, little one, there is a place to be humble and modest, but this isn't it."

"I agree," I say. "Leila has spent years in survival mode, and Aurelia is going to become alpha. Both of them work well in stressful situations."

"I think there was a more subtle way to say this," Leila says, amused, ignoring the curious gazes Gustave and Zoé send her. "But essentially, it's true."

"I still don't think—" Emilien starts.

Leila pats his knee gently. "I know. But I have an alpha to watch out for me."

Aurelia chuckles. "Anything for my cousin… or however we are related."

"Don't worry, we'll watch out for each other," Leila tells him once more.

"Aren't you concerned?" Gustave whispers to me.

"What for?"

"For the princess."

"The princess?"

"Aurelia, your mate," he emphasizes.

I'm so in my own world sometimes I tend to forget her rank, but to me she isn't a princess, she is Aurelia. "She easily overpowered a group of warriors today, barely lifting her finger."

"But aren't you worried?"

"I don't think I understand your point. Logically speaking she is stronger than any of us in this room," I explain while Eric looks completely amused at Gustave's expression. "On top of that, if she takes it up against a group of wolves so easily, how much easier will it be for her against humans?"

Gustave looks confused while Aurelia and Leila exchange an amused gaze. "See?" Leila tells Emilien. "Some men can see reason."

Aurelia smiles at me. "I won't do anything reckless," she says. "Just brief me on it beforehand. I wasn't here when you researched Meg."

"First thing in the morning," I promise.

Aurelia gazes at her watch. "Val is due to pick us up any moment."

Hearing Valerie's name, Eric is up on his feet, immediately. "Let's not make my princess wait," he exclaims, opening the door to my office before Val can even knock at it. He must have smelled her. "Here she is, the woman of my dreams."

Aurelia groans slightly. "He is so cringey, sometimes."

Leila laughs. "It's cute, because he can pull it off."

"Is there anything else we can do?" Zoé asks. "I don't have any plans and can work a bit longer."

"Me too," Gustave offers.

"No, make sure you get some well-deserved rest," I tell them.

"Alright." Zoé nods. "I will take off and head for the bus home."

"The bus?" Leila shakes her head. "It's late, and I don't feel comfortable letting you go home on your own."

"I can accompany her," Gustave offers.

"And then ride the bus home by yourself?" I ask. "We are driving by your pack on our way to the dinner reservation. We can drop you off."

"Emilien has the evening off from pampering Eric," Leila says.

"Excuse me," Eric snorts. "He is my beta."

"Who deserves an evening off, especially, with doing double the work he does right now by helping the team and watching your guests," Leila says.

Instead of getting upset, Eric looks amused, with a glint in his eye, which I don't quite understand. "Exactly why I already gave him the evening off."

"Right." Leila smirks. "He can take me out instead, and we can take Zoé home."

"You have an interesting view on giving someone the evening off," Eric says.

"An evening with me is certainly something to look forward to," Leila says.

"It's okay," Emilien reassures him.

"I know." Eric and Val exchange a gaze and chuckle. "Of course it is."

I'm not good at catching conversational cues, but this talk leaves me more confused than ever. My confusion grows when Aurelia, Gustave, and I leave the others, and Aurelia eyes us curiously. "Is there something going on between them?"

"Between who?" I ask.

"Emilien and Leila."

"Like what?" Gustave asks.

"Seriously?" Aurelia blinks. "Both of you didn't catch it? Leila was teasing him, and Emilien was flirting… or he tried to."

Now that she said it, I can't help but recall the last part of the conversation before we left. "They never said anything," I admit. "And I'm still not sure if they are flirting, but I see why you think they do."

"Me too," Gustave says with a frown. "How did I not catch it?"

I'm just glad that Eric and Val drive separately because I am sure Eric would have teased us into oblivion.

Aurelia and I drop Gustave off at his pack before continuing to the restaurant Eric has booked for us all. I am driving while Aurelia gazes outside and looks at the passing landscape in interest. "I forgot to ask," she says after a while. "How did you get to know Zoé and Gustave? Zoé mentioned she is in your pack."

"Yes, I hired her when I found out how smart she is. As an orphaned omega, my father made her quit school and work in the kitchen."

Aurelia frowns, clearly not liking what she hears.

"It's not how I think it should be done," I reassure her.

She smiles at me. "I know." A pause. "And Gustave?"

Oh great. I'm starting to realize my list of failures is pretty long. "He was one of my bullies in school," I say.

"What?" she exclaims.

"He was more of a bystander," I admit. "But still…"

"I can't believe it." She furrows her brows. "I didn't suspect it at all."

"It's okay," I reassure her. "It's not like we are friends now, but he is smart, and he at least tried to apologize."

"Tried?"

"I didn't really want to hear it," I admit.

She grins. "I like that. Let him stew in his juice. Besides, you don't need to forgive anyone. It's completely up to you."

I let out a breath of relief. "Honestly, I was scared everyone around me would force me to make up with him."

"Say," Aurelia says after a while. "When is your birthday?"

"Somewhere in April," I answer.

"Somewhere in April?" She chuckles. "Can't be any more specific? Or do you celebrate the whole month?"

"No, I'm sorry," I groan inwardly for being awkward, again. "I haven't celebrated my birthday a lot, but it's on the 14 th of April."

Dad's never been too keen on celebrating me or my birthday. Vander and I always congratulated each other and got each other stuff, but there were no big parties for either of us. I just got used to it.

To my surprise, Aurelia doesn't inquire further, just looks at me. "We need to make sure we'll have a beautiful birthday tradition for each of us."

"Hm," I hum. "Like taking a trip out of town or something like that?"

"Yes, or even something smaller like making sure to go for a birthday drink." She beams. "We can even make it a birthday week."

I wiggle my brows at her. "Does the birthday kid get anything they want for that week?"

She smacks my arm and laughs. "You know it goes both ways?"

"I don't mind." I let go of the wheel for a moment, taking her hand and kissing it. "Tell me more about your friends," I say when I realize the restaurant is coming closer.

"Of course. So, Nox is my beta."

"He is the one with the dark hair and scar," I verify. It makes sense; he stuck out the most and was very protective of Aurelia without giving me weird vibes. "And the blond guy?"

"That's Lionel. We call him Lion. He is strong and a bit gruffly sometimes but very nice." She pauses. "Listen, I won't lie to you. He and I dated very briefly when we were fifteen. That was before he started to live in my pack. I never dated anyone in my pack."

"I don't hold it against you," I reassure her, thinking of Coralie. "I dated someone, too. And unlike you, I wasn't so smart to choose someone outside my pack."

"I don't mind that you have a history before me," she says.

"We broke up shortly before you arrived," I admit. "But it was just a fling. We both were waiting for our mates."

"Listen," she says. "You don't need to explain yourself, Arden. I'm not a virgin either."

Oh fuck, another point on my list that sticks out negatively. "But I am," I say, deciding to get it over with and not lying to her.

She looks at me surprised.

"Does it matter?" I ask nervously.

"Not at all." She squeezes my arm. "Actually, ever since I met you, I kind of wished I would have waited, too."

Waiting for my mate wasn't really a conscious decision. It's just that no one wanted to date the bullied kid, well, aside from Coralie, and she had ulterior motives. "It's not like I am such a noble person. It's just that I wasn't too popular," I say evasively, deciding not to lie but also not to say it out loud.

"Our first time will be amazing," Aurelia says, her voice carrying a seductive timbre that sends shivers down my spine. Yes, it will be! I can't wait for her to be in my arms, to see her naked, and to touch her.

I clear my throat. "And the others?"

Aurelia smiles. "Jazz is Val's best friend."

I nod. "Valerie told me about her. She is a witch-werewolf hybrid and fated to another woman?"

"Yes, to the beta of her pack," she explains. "Then, there are the twins, Tori and Terry."

"Right, they looked like siblings," I say, recalling the young man and woman.

"Tori is very sweet and kind. She sometimes talks before thinking, but she never means ill. She ranked omega. And Terry is also very kind. And head over heels for Marilou."

"Marilou must be the one with the red hair?" I ask.

"Yes, she lives in my brother's pack, together with Jazz. Her strong point is cooking. She is great at it and wants to have a career in it." She smiles. "And you know Val already."

"She is the best," I say before inwardly biting down on my tongue. Cato shoots me an annoyed glance. "I mean, in a platonic sense."

Aurelia grins. "Don't worry, I agree."

Thanks to Aurelia, I don't have difficulties telling any of her friends apart and also have a bit of an inkling about their personalities. It makes it so much easier to interact with them. It helps that Aurelia, Eric, and Val are around, and as usual, Eric instantly keeps the talk running.

Once inside the restaurant and seated at our table, Tori eyes me curiously. "You are a prodigy, right? I've never met a smart person before." When the others laugh, she clasps her forehead. "Oh shoot, I didn't mean to say that the others aren't smart."

"Don't worry," Marilou reassures her. "We know what you meant."

"Tori's mouth works faster than her mind sometimes," Terry jokes.

For a split second, Tori looks a bit awkward, casting her eyes away. Her brother seems to have caught it, too, because he eyes her in surprise. His eyes gloss over as he mind links her. Meanwhile, Jazz is glued to Val most of the time, the two of them sticking their heads together a lot, giggling and chatting about everything.

The guys don't talk a lot, but Aurelia told me in advance that neither Nox nor Lion are too talkative. Nox is quiet but very polite. Lion, however, seems to be a bit distanced. I wonder if it's because of me; he has a history with Aurelia after all, but I can't detect any weird interaction between him and her. I'm not good at reading cues, so I've always tried to learn more about body language, and I notice he doesn't look at Aurelia constantly or seek her touch. In fact, he actually seems to be a bit more relaxed when he talks to Nox, her, and me, while he is a bit tense when he talks to Marilou, Terry, and Tori.

Maybe they had a fight beforehand.

I really need to work on my people skills if I want to be a good help to Aurelia.

Cato projects an image of me standing beside Aurelia, wolves around us. She suggested for us to be co-leaders, but I'm not sure what kind of role would fit me. I know what he wants to tell me now. You are right. I need to work on my confidence to lead a huge pack with her.

My father and my schoolmates broke a lot of my confidence, but Eric has always supported me. And Aurelia sees me as capable as well. I want to prove to them that they aren't wrong, that I can support my alpha mate or become her lune.

*MEG*

"Don't cry," I tell Opal, helping her into a nightgown. She is still here; they haven't sent her away yet.

PJ sometimes eyes her with interest, but Night has forbidden anyone to touch any of his gemstones. There was someone working here a while ago. He touched me once and kissed another girl. Night was furious. He beat me and the girl before going for the guy. The next day, the guy disappeared, and I was cleaning a bloodied floor.

"How old are you, sweetie?" I ask her.

"Fourteen," she whispers.

I shiver. She's younger than all the others before her. Not as young as I was from what I remember, but she is still a kid. "Just try to follow their orders," I say. "They won't hurt you if you behave."

"I'm scared," she sobs.

"I know." I brush her hair.

"My name is Annette, but they call me Opal. I told them I'm Annette, but then the dark-haired guy got mad at me and hit me."

I take her hand, gently writing her name with my fingertip on her skin. "Your name will always stay with you," I reassure her. "Let them call you how they like, but you and I both know the truth." I pause. "Annette."

I just hope that Night doesn't hear me, but judging by the silence around us, we are alone. There are several rooms next to each other, all of them barricaded with a heavy door. The tiny windows are closed firmly, but at least we have a bed and bathroom to share. Junior sent me here to make sure Opal calms down, threatening me with beating her up if she doesn't stop crying.

"Are they also wolves?" Opal… or rather Annette asks.

I nod. This was probably the most shocking truth I learned here. Of their existence and of what I truly am.

"What are they going to do with me?" she whispers while I tuck her into her bed. "Aunt Luise will miss me."

"Aunt Luise?"

"She is my nanny," she explains.

A nanny? "You are not an orphan?" I ask.

Most of Night's gemstones are orphans. Sometimes they bring someone who still has a family connection to someone, only a loose one, though.

"No." Annette looks confused. "Why do you think that? Papa has been very busy ever since my mother died."

Night probably thought she was on her own for that reason. Weird. He normally researches better.

"Are they going to hurt me?" Annette asks.

I make sure to put the blanket around her and stroke her hair. "Just make sure to obey them," I whisper. "Don't ask questions. And they won't hurt you."

I hold her hand, not sure what else to tell her that wouldn't be a complete lie. I don't know what they do with the gemstones once they leave this place. I've asked Night once, only once. He gagged me and tossed me into a completely dark cell for two days. I didn't hear or see anyone. I never dared to ask him again.

To my relief, exhaustion wins over Annette, and she falls asleep. I get up, moving to one of the chairs and wait. Eventually, I hear a door opening further away and low voices, then footsteps come closer. The door opens, and Night's dark figure is hovering in the doorframe.

He gazes towards Annette's sleeping form, then gestures for me to come with him. I follow him, closing the door behind me quietly. Night doesn't say anything, but once we reach the kitchen, he sends PJ and Junior away. Then he pulls me closer, making me sit on his lap, before handing me a tasty-looking salmon sandwich. "You did well with Opal," he praises me. "Eat, then you can go to the library."

My eyes widen in surprise. I make sure to eat my sandwich, relishing in the saltiness of the salmon. Night sometimes gets me these treats, sometimes even chocolate, when he is in a good mood. He doesn't do that for anyone else, just me. And, whenever I do particularly well in his eyes, I can go to the library to read and learn.

Once I've eaten, Night indeed leads me to the library. On our way, we walk past a heavily guarded room. I see a young woman and man inside it. The man's face is bruised while the woman clutches her hand to her chest.

"New gemstones," Night says with a dreamy smile, narrowing his eyes, though, when he sees the roughed-up state they are in. He doesn't like anyone laying their hands on them if it isn't him.

A new man is in front of the room, talking with PJ.

"That's the guy I've been talking about," PJ tells Night. "His codename is Sky."

Night just eyes him over. "I like my gems to come in mint condition," he growls.

PJ shrinks back a little, but the other man remains confident, although he bears his neck to Night. "I apologize. It wasn't me but one of my contacts. I will deal with him."

"PJ said there are more where you come from?"

The man casts a glance at me, but Night interrupts him before he can even say anything. "Azurite belongs to me," he says. "She helps us."

My heart aches when he says these words. I help them with whatever it is they are doing. It can't be good, yet I am an accomplice.

"Yes, there are more. I have an alpha as one of my contacts," the man says. "He is interested but probably needs a little push."

Night gestures towards PJ. "Are you vouching for Sky?"

"Yes," PJ says. His voice shakes a bit, but other than that, he seems to be confident in his choice.

"We'll talk about the details later," Night says before grabbing my elbow and, finally. leading me to the library. He opens the door for me, letting me step inside. The door closes behind me, and I'm alone with the books surrounding me. For a split second, my thoughts linger on what I just heard, but then I hurry to the books, never knowing how much time Night gives me here, and wanting to make as much out of it as possible.