A Gift from the Goddess

Book Two-Ch#. 34

!!!AUTHOR NOTE: Apologies again for the recent issues with Chapter #33, the one where Ch# 32 and #33 were published within it. This should now be fixed so, if you still haven’t done so already, please double-check you’ve read Chapter #33 before reading this #34 here.

For those who already unlocked the chapter, you may need to ‘sign out’ and sign back into your Good Novel account or, if that doesn’t work, “Clear Cache”) for your local phone copy to be updated. Both of these options are found in the app’s ‘Profile’ tab -> “Settings”. However, keep in mind that Chapter #33 IS THERE, but you just needed to scroll down in order to read it. People unlocking it new from now on should only see the one chapter; #33.

Really sorry again that it happened. I was rushing to publish it that day and then I didn’t have the power to edit it once published. Unfortunately, G don’t work on weekends either. Thanks to everyone who commented to bring it to my attention. I’ll do my best to ensure this doesn’t happen again. 1

“…What? …What did you just say?”

I instantly looked up at him, unsure if I’d even heard him right.

Because he didn’t just say what I thought he did… right?

“I’m in love with you, Rae,” he repeated.

…No, he’d definitely just said it.

My heart thumped loudly in my chest.

“I want to spend every morning waking up next to you… every night kissing you until we fall asleep,” he continued. “I love your eyes, your smile, your laugh… I love the way you make me feel as if I matter. Not just because of my position or the mate bond, but because of me. Of who I am.”

I felt frozen in place, unsure how to react.

Because I had strong feelings for him as well, of course I did. But… there was another thought in my head. More important than anything else.

Because did Kieran even love me? Truly? Or did he just love the girl I’d been pretending to be this whole time?

I was unsure if he still would have said this to me if he knew the truth. The whole truth.

…Including my dark past.

“…Kieran… I’m not, ah…,” I started.

How do I tell him I’m not as perfect as he probably thinks? …That, up until recently, my day job was espionage and murder?

“…I’m not… as great as I might seem,” I said slowly. “I’ve loved every moment spent with you, every single minute you’ve given me. In fact, I struggle to think about what my life would be like without you now. But… the truth is….”

I shakily inhaled, forcing myself to do so since it felt as though I couldn’t breathe. This was something I’d been putting off for so long now that I couldn’t believe it was finally happening.

Everything was about to come crashing down… but I didn’t want to lie anymore.

And so I closed my eyes for a second, accepting it had gone on long enough.

“The truth is… I’m not who I seem,” I finished, meeting his gaze again. It was hard to keep a strong face. “I’m not a good person. And… I’m sorry. Sorry for keeping it from you… for leading you on… I’m sorry for letting myself become so wrapped up in wanting to be with you that I selfishly ignored it.”

“What…? I don’t understand what you mean.”

“I mean… I’ve done truly horrific things,

Kieran,” I said honestly, my eyes beginning to water with tears. “I was raised to handle the dirty side of my father’s business, no matter what that entailed. Sterling’s death was just a reminder of how that side will always be a part of me.”

“Don’t say that. Sterling tried to assault you. That doesn’t make you a bad person

“-But Killing more people than I can count probably does though.”

The words left my mouth too quickly to stop them… and they hung in the open between us.

“… You deserve better, Kieran. So much better,” I said quietly. “…Better than a rogue.

He held my gaze for a moment and it was the first time I’d ever seen such confliction in them. A look I never wanted to see. Not from him. Never from him.

“Rae…,” he started.

But then he sighed, rubbing a hand across his forehead.

…Rae, your past doesn’t matter to me,”

he finished. “It never has. When I brought you here, I made a vow to keep you safe and protect you from those who wanted to hurt you. That included your father, someone who I had already assumed had you doing some shady stuff.”

“But that past is still a core part of who I am. You can’t just… ignore it,” I said.

is just crimes your father forced you to do, then I think we’ll be fine. No one in a right mind would blame you for that. In fact, if I had it my way, I would have already confronted that monster for what he did to you. The fact he’s still allowed

did all those things,”

just wanted to please a man

my head. I didn’t even know what I wanted. At what point can I say it was no longer ignorance but simply innate nature to do what I did? That I’d been dangerous

good person and I had never even tried to

me a reason to do better but… if we’d never met? I would have

that really the kind of woman

matters to me is who you are now. Who

touched my cheek, the warm sparks no longer

you want to be. And I promise I’ll accept whatever your decision

breath caught in my throat, constricted

my voice trailed off.

of

done. I should have already left and returned back

Mission success.

we were fated together and how this was some fantasy dream of saving me from my old, terrible life. A prince raising a girl from the ashes to lead as his queen. A Luna. A’

was no queen.

death… just as I

no room here

I thought I did, then perhaps the kindest thing I could do would be to leave. Because maybe the next time I brought trouble here, it would be far, far worse than simply an uncle who had it coming. That sometimes people are born as something they can’t

I

But… I’d told myself I was done lying to him. And the truth was that I really didn’t know what to do… or

don’t know,” I repeated, firmer this time. “I’m sorry, Kieran.”

wish I could have burned from my memory the way he then looked at me. A look of hurt and pain, and one that instantly made

“I’ll be waiting for you. I always will be. There

words like that which only made this more

a paperwork error by their Goddess.

tense, my head was pulsing with a headache, and everything felt… wrong. And as the night

clear just how dependent on him I really was now. A dangerous thing for someone as conflicted

truly deserving of someone like Kieran? Was

old habits one day, unable to distinguish

complete acceptance of my past did prove one thing to

was a genuinely good person, through and

I would

I awoke feeling

bed empty, I was left to dwell in my own thoughts, the sheets feeling colder than I

I would

to erase that part of me? To start fresh with no

to be ‘Rae’ for Kieran’s sake, but what if that was also just a

my head

hurt both of us. Clearly, he was just as determined to fix my past as he was to fix my wolf-shifting problems.

said, catching me

daze as I did so. I hadn’t even

said quietly, giving her a small

her head tilted in innocent confusion, her sweet

“Did

about… just. tired, I guess.”

good enough of an answer as she pressed for

to do with Kieran?”

at her more attentively. ” How…?”

this morning,” she

Oh.

a little to hear that. The last thing I wanted was to hurt him. All of this stress was because I was trying to avoid that very thing from happening one day, though far worse in the future,

she said. “A little

“I’m not sure that’s going to fix this, Allison. It’s a bit…

it’ll be good. Plus, I’m sure you’ll enjoy it too. There’s no way you’ve never been curious about

“What…?”

instead of answering, she merely held out her hand for me to take.

me eye it

on, Raven,” she

hand as she then led

are we going?”

a special