GRANITE

011

CHAPTER ELEVEN
TRUTH REVEALED

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FREYA AWOKE TO A LOUD THUD, HER BODY GOING INTO OVERDRIVE IMMEDIATELY.

She glanced over to see Eve, absolutely trembling in fear curled up on the ground. She wanted to run to her aid, especially at the sight of Aron b-lining it to her side.

"Please, please don't hurt me!" Eve cried as Aron took her face between his hands.

Aron. Her stomach curled with the memories of the night prior, flashes of serrated teeth and deep black for eyes. Her heart and head were throbbing in sync, her body weak with dehydration. She watched the interaction with baited breath, absolutely terrified for her best friend at the monster that held her so close.

"You're okay. No one is going to hurt you. I'm sorry." Eve put up a fight though, doing everything with the little power she had to pull away from him. "Please.. listen to me."

"Eve." Desmond's voice boomed around the room, echoing in Freya's skull. "Come sit."

Freya watched Eve search Aron's eyes, her own softening as Freya assumed she saw no threat in that moment. After a few moments, Eve carefully made her way back to the couch and sat as told. Freya's mind was buzzing like a hot wire, grasping for anything that made any sort of sense and would calm her nerves.

"I know this is.. Not ideal. You're both probably so confused," Camren started, shaking his head. His eyes were pinned to the trembling figure of Freya, who currently refused to look in their direction.

"We expect that you have a lot of questions," Liam added, his voice grating in her ears as she pieced together the connections of his odd behavior the previous morning. The room sat in silence for a few seconds that seemed eternal.

"Yes," Freya broke her silence, saying the first words she'd said at all this morning. Her voice was hoarse, her throat screaming at her with the word. She felt every set of eyes in the room fly to her, awaiting for her to ask what she wanted. The first person to be graced with her attention was Aron, her eyes as sharp as knives as they pierced his form across the room.

Nothing could better describe the volcano bubbling inside of her other than betrayal. Years now of talking and forming a familial bond tighter than she could have imagine with the man before her, only for it to be shattered by some big twisted secret and overall lie. Her breathing grew more ragged as she clenched her fists as her side, her trembling that was once fear twisting into pure unfathomable rage.

"Did you lie to me?" Her voice elevated in volume with each question and she struggled to keep herself still in her seat "Are we even related? What the fuck is going on?" Her hands angrily went in the air in frustration. Eve stared at Freya in bewilderment, her body still screaming in fear of what the four "men" before them could do. Fear and disappointment twisted Aron's features as he let out a deep sigh.

"Yes, we are actually related. Although.." he paused. "It's very, very complicated. I had to lie slightly, as we all have to." He raises his hands to his comrades that stood beside him.

"Last night was completely unexpected. Neither one of you were ever supposed to know." Desmond said, making his attempt to clear the air. "That amount of blood was unexpected, and we'd been drinking.. our self-restraint wasn't what it usually is."