Luna

Chapter twenty-four

My hands were warmed by the steaming cup of tea between them, I watch the tea leaves discolour the clear water.

The ticking clock was the only sound that could be heard in the kitchen.

We were all sitting at the table in an uncomfortable silence, waiting for one to be brave enough to break it.

I felt their concerned gazes burning through me. It was clear that my brothers were waiting for me to speak up.

I had stayed up the whole night preparing for this conversation. It bothered me that I still didn't really understand how I felt about the whole mafia situation.

The only thing I was sure of is that if they would never hurt me, seeing their worried expressions only confirmed this.

I felt stupid for immediately assuming they were bad people after all they had done for me.

Instead of facing them and letting them explain, I ran away like the coward I am.

I did exactly the same thing what I feared they would do when they found out about Nick, I condemned them and left without looking back.

"We were worried when we found out you left without saying something," Cole said when he realized I was not going to talk first.

I looked up from my cup, his hair was a mess and his eyes were darkly surrounded.

Not just Cole, but everyone else looked like a mess, and it was all my fault.

Another pang of guilt shot through my body.

"It was an impulsive decision, I shouldn't have left in the first place." My voice was barely a whisper.

"You were overwhelmed, it's normal you felt the need to leave," Isaac reassured me.

"You must have a lot of questions," Ethan softly spoke.

"We promise we will answer them truthfully," Aiden added.

Where do I start?

I decided to ask the question that was bothering me the most.

"Do you hurt people?" I asked while looking Isaac dead in the eye.

"Yes, there are a lot of people who try to hurt our family. They pay the ultimate price. Their life. Also people who break the treaty, but never innocent people," Isaac explained.

I frowned while letting his words sink in. I don't know how I feel about them ending lives.

"What is the treaty?" I ask.

"It's a prohibition of human trafficking in our territory. We do a lot of illegal things, but our mafia doesn't participate in such things," Cole answers.

Relief washed over me.

"So you can promise me that not a single innocent person will ever be harmed?"

"Promise," they all said simultaneously.

"Why didn't you tell me? I understand that you didn't want to tell me right away, but I've been here for three months." I wondered.

"We decided to wait till you were ready. We never intended for you to find out in these circumstances, let alone witness Kayden's condition," Isaac said.

My eyes shot toward Kayden. I'm such a terrible person, instead of worrying about my brother's health, I walked away.

"I'm perfectly fine, it's just a bullet wound," Kayden said before I could ask.