“They’re like you too.”
Silence.
“I know you can’t tell me, but I’m right, aren’t I?” Aria pressed. “That’s why . . . that’s why there hasn’t been an official police report or anything. Why didn’t you do that? Wouldn’t that help?”
“We can’t. They can only help so much.”
“What do you mean?”
“My people have been around for centuries and we have a different set of laws on top of the federal ones. The police force is too . . . local? I guess for a lack of better words that would be it.”
“What about the FBI or CIA?”
“They can only go so far.”
“So who do you report this all to?”
“The NAHC, but we’ve already turned in all of the information.”
“NAHC?”
“North American High Council. It’s like our government within the government.”
“That’s complicated.”
“Yeah, it really is.”
Aria made a face. “Did they tell you anything yet?”
“No, well, at least not to me.”
“You guys have rankings then?”
“We do. If the NAHC gives us any information, I wouldn’t be the first to know. It would be to whoever is on the high council which is basically our local leaders. Every alpha and beta of each pack would be considered to be a part of that council.”
“Where do you fall?”
“The son of an alpha; I’m just a successor.”
How fanfiction-y.
“So when will you get that information?”
“Whenever it trickles down, I guess.”
“You’re not on the priority list then.”
“No, I’m not exactly ready to take up the mantle yet so I don’t exactly need to know all of this.”
“When does that happen?”
He let out a stressed sigh. “Whenever I’m deemed worthy?”
“Sounds . . . interesting.”
“It is if you’re not in it.”
“I can’t imagine,” Aria mused then asked. “So, Mira either knew something so important about your people or she is one of you guys.”
He didn’t confirm or deny it.
“Who do I go to for answers?”
“I . . .”
“If I just go to Carmen’s place, do you think she’ll tell me everything?”
“It depends on—”
“Whoever is the alpha and beta, right?”
Adrian nodded.
“What about your dad? If I go to him, will he tell me?”
“He . . . might . . .”
Aria’s mind was doing mental gymnastics as she tried to figure out the best way to approach the situation. Obviously, she couldn’t just go barging in and expect answers, but then again, what other plans were there? She was just an outsider who was dragged into a situation that she can hardly understand.
“That’s a lot to think about.”
“It really is.”
She glanced back at him and wondered what he was thinking. There was a lot more complexity to his life than she could’ve imagined. The usual teenage angst and problems seemed miniscule in comparison to the life he’s been leading so far, and that made her feel guilty.
From what it looks like, Adrian was having a pretty crappy high school experience, and dealing with all these community matters didn’t seem to help. Not exactly something she’d expect from his usual cheery persona.
“What would you have done if we weren’t friends?” she asked, breaking the silence between them.
“I don’t know . . .”
“Why do I have the feeling that you do, but you won’t tell me.” Maybe she should also also sign up for the ‘Worst Friend of the Year’ award.
“There are just . . . so many things to think about, so I’d have to get over it probably.”
“What do you mean by that?”
“I told you, I’m the successor to my . . . pack. I can’t let something like this plague me forever. I mean, it might, but I still have responsibilities.”
“But didn’t you just say that your life wouldn’t be totally complete?”
“Yeah, I did. Like I said, it’s going to suck a lot, but I’m not going to guilt trip you into anything. That’s a whole new level of f*cked up.”
Aria understood that and she was a little touched that he cared about her well-being before he actually got to know her. Then again, where was his consideration for himself? From what she’s hearing so far, Adrian wasn’t even considering his own state of being. He was having a mental breakdown in his car because of how stressful the situation is.
Of course it also didn’t help that she was pushing for answers, but that wasn’t the main point. He made it sound like he was fighting everything on his own.
She wasn’t sure how all these ‘pack’ matters worked or who was actually involved, but she could take an educated guess. If Mira was involved
in this to the point where she got kidnapped then who else was dealing with this? From what it sounds like, with the exception of the NAHC, it sounds like they’re expected to deal with their community matters all by themselves.
The stress and anxiety of the situation that they can’t control trickles down to everyone, and Adrian was no exception.
It was then that Aria realized just how much Adrian was holding back. Not for his sake, but for everyone else. There was no way that she would’ve ever suspected something like this from him.
How dare she have the audacity to claim that she likes him more than a friend when she hardly knew him? Although Aria knew that she couldn’t beat herself up about it because this was out of her jurisdiction, there were probably some red flags she could’ve seen. She could’ve asked a few more questions or be a little more attentive. Maybe he wouldn’t tell her the root of his problems, but at least she could try and make sure that he knew that he wasn’t in all of this alone.
“You should think about yourself some more.” Was all that she could muster up.
