Chapter 186: All your fault... Goldsmith pt 2

Aria’s POV (flashback)

My brother said the real presentation age is sixteen for everyone else, but I presented a few weeks ago and I’m thirteen.

Some of the caretakers in the orphanage are unhappy about my unexpected presentation. They said I made the alphas in the orphanage go mad. It’s not my fault, I can’t control my body or when my omega chooses to show itself, so they can take a stick and shove it up their asses.

I’m an omega now.

"What are you grinning about?" my twin brother, Lucas, asks and I roll my eyes at him. He also presented the same time as me. We’re the only young ones who are alpha and omega.

"Were you playing with mud instead of working again? Lucas, you’re an alpha now" I say with my noses scrunched, and Lucas wrinkles his nose in return.

"I’m still a kid and I’ll be a kid" he says.

"Alpha" I correct.

"Kid" he snaps.

"Alpha."

"Kid."

"That tall man is back in town by the way, it means we’ll see the Goldsmith family walking the streets to and giving him a tour" I change topic and Lucas rolls his eyes. He doesn’t really care about the Goldsmiths family, but I do.

Noah is so lucky. He has both of his parents, he gets to own nice clothes, he gets to show up on TV screen, and he even reads the pledge on holidays.

Maybe the goddess likes him because he’s really an angel. Even in the temple, he does everything so well. I mean, he used to be so playful and quirky, but since he got back from being kidnapped it’s as if he grew ten years older.

I kick a pebble out of my way and stare at my palms. My hands are still dark from picking herbs earlier. The adult complained about it being unpaid labor, and I understand them now.

Our life is hard and I hate it so much.

"Lucas?"

"Yeah?" my brother asks while trying to brush some of the dried mud off himself. He was asked to do rice duty, so he’s a lot muddy.

"Do you think anyone will bother looking for us if we ever get kidnapped?" I ask and Lucas makes a sound that annoys me.

"Pfft. Who would ever kidnap us? in movies, they only take rich kids" my brother says and I scowl at him. He’s too comfy with our life.

"We have values too" I say.

"Not enough value to get kidnapped for, Ari. Kidnapping us is like kidnapping an alley cat!" my twin brother starts to laugh gleefully and I side-eye him. I guess he’s not wrong. Actually, he’s not wrong at all.

If someone like Lucas and I get taken, I think the orphanage will be more happy than sad. They’ll have less mouths to feed.

"Aria! Kitchen duty" someone calls and I groan but drag my feet. They’re trying to make me pay for presenting too early by making me work twice as hard. But I can’t complain.

One day, when Noah is governor, I’ll tell him all about the mistreatment here and he’ll change the world. I believe in him.

"Aria!"

"I’m coming" I call back and run all the way to the kitchen. The orphanage’s most gossiping gossipers are in here. They’re giggling about something and they don’t bother lowering their voice when I come in.

"Julian Fletcher is the hottest human ever" one of them says and I make a face.

"He can pin me up against the wall and I’ll say, thank you daddy" they both giggle and I stare at them. Why would they like to be pinned against the wall...do they think they are coats or something? Bunch of silly people.

"He keeps visiting Winslow these days. There’s rumor that he’s leaving the Gods behind."

"Shh...don’t talk about those horrible people" the woman looks at back at me and I immediately turn my head, pretending not to be eavesdropping.

"Hurry up and go to bed, Aria" the woman snaps at me.

"Yeah" I say quietly.

When I’m done, I go up to the shared room and climb into my part of the bunkbed. My eyelids start to droop, and then my brain reminds me that I haven’t arranged the madam’s library.

"Ugh" I complain and sit up to get out of the bed, but just before my feet touch the ground, I hear someone pounding on the front door.

"What’s going on?" some of the kids I share the room with ask as they sit up. The noise is too sudden and too aggressive. "Guys, shhh" I shush the panicking girls and help them hide.

I put some of the smaller ones under the bed, put some in the wardrobe, and cover up one with the bed sheets. And just as I am about to hide, the bedroom door is forced open and I scream.

There’s a man with a black cloth over his face.

"That one smells of omega pheromones. Take her" he orders and I start to scream bloody murder. But before my scream can do anything useful for me, I am slapped across the face.

"Quick" someone snaps.

"Help! Help me! L-Lucas!" I scream but no one comes for me or responds. They put something over my nose, and everything goes black.

When I wake up, I’m in a dark place. I can smell other omega pheromones. I try to get out of here in panic, but I can’t because my hands are tied.

"Since when did we start kidnapping Winslow kids?" a voice asks from outside.

"Since now. Look, buddy, our life is going to be changed because of Goldsmith" a voice responds and I stop panicking so I can listen clearly. Did they just say...Goldsmith?

"Because of Goldsmith? He permitted this?"

"Yeah. When his kid got kidnapped, this was part of the clause he signed to bring the boy back" the first voice says causally and I whimper.

"Why not just kidnap the boy again instead and milk Goldsmith?"

"Because we can milk goldsmith by using these other kids to replace his child...uh...it’s an infinite pool of wealth. You’ll be surprised how many wealthy pigs like their omegas young" the first voice answers and my head starts to hurt.

We got kidnapped all because of...Noah Goldsmith? I get to be taken away because of some Governor’s kid?

"Help me!" I start to scream, but no one comes. No one is coming to save a kid like me.