A Gift from the Goddess

Book Two – Ch.# 36

“Rae… What’s happened?” he asked.

I opened my mouth to reply but the words wouldn’t come out. My body was running on pure adrenaline for survival now and I was doing my best to push through the overwhelming urge to cave into my emotions.

“I… I’m…,” I fumbled.

My eyes were trying to water but I gritted my teeth against it.

I didn’t want to fight Kieran… I didn’t know if I could live myself if I were to see the look of hatred in his eyes. Anything but that.

“Rae?”

“I… Kieran, someth-.”

But before I could finish speaking, I was suddenly cut off.

“RAVEN!” Allison’s voice shrilly screamed.

And I cursed. She was here. Probably at the staircase looking for me.

This was game over.

Kieran frowned but turned around to investigate, walking towards my only available exit. One now manned by his insane little sister.

“Kieran! W-wait… don’t….”

However, as I futilely trailed behind him, I was further stressed by seeing that Allison had recruited help. Help in the form of Daniel, the Beta heir.

“Hand yourself over, Raven,” Daniel said, stepping cautiously forward. “Let’s not drag this out any longer than we have to.”

“What the hell is going on?” Kieran demanded.

“I’m sorry, man, but she’s been lying to you,” he said. “Allison said that she admitted to being one of them. Called herself by a name that belonged to The Council of the Silver Mist. She’s a Knight. Rheyna Knight.”

But as Daniel enlightened him to the situation, it was Kieran’s reaction that was the most unsettling.

Or, lack of, to be precise.

Because there was no shock or surprise that crossed his features at all. Just… remaining completely silent as he held Daniel’s gaze.

Almost as if…

Almost as if he knew.

“…Kieran?” I whispered. “Why aren’t you….”

And his face then confirmed it, closing his eyes in guilt for a moment.

Everything made sense now. Why he kept our training sessions private, why I was never allowed to talk about my health problems publicly, why he’d said those words to me last night. They’d struck me as odd, but I’d had more important things to worry about at the time. But his phrasing had been weird.

publicly is just crimes your father forced you to do, then I think we’ll be fine.”*’ That was what he had said. ‘Biggest issue’ being my past. Because he

know? Let alone keep this from me? Why bring me

out about the silver suppressors,” he said. “You kept up with me during a fight whilst taking them, Rae. It meant you had to be from a powerful pack, one stronger than even Ashwood by a considerable margin. Of which, there was only one other in modern history. But… I thought you didn’t remember anything about your birth family. I thought

and kept it from me, knowing full well that this might happen one day. That it was

felt myself sink deeper inside, the last shred of

we’d both been keeping things from each other. Secrets that had dire consequences. Perhaps our

bewitched you, Kieran!” Allison chimed in. “She’s a descendant of the Siren. Manipulation is

I brought her here. She didn’t even know what werewolves were. She was an orphan of war, somehow surviving long enough to still be tortured by our pack despite her situation. Sterling was selling silver

tracks, believing her fabrications,” she said. “Now I’m starting to wonder if Sterling’s death was really as justified as you claimed. She probably had you kill him as

and listen to what I’m trying to tell you. Raven isn’t a devil like

Sterling,” I said quietly, my voice cutting through the room. “It wasn’t

it was me. I killed him.”

“Rae!”

right,” I said. “Whether it’s because I’m a so-called ‘Devil’ or due to my past crimes, I’m no innocent, Kieran. Pick a title; Rogue or Devil. Because the same meaning still applies. I don’t

wasn’t… and exhausted of now defending myself

I was done.

cried out over hearing my confession, tears starting to fall down

is literally admitting that

he interrupted. Stalked her to her room and tried to force his mark on her. If she hadn’t of killed him, I would have. He overstepped a line and was trying to abandon Ashwood, breaking our rules in the process. He was a bad

interjected before she

finished the job. Because that’s what he was. What you were too. A job, Kieran. You really think I was allowed to come

“What…?”

finally, Kieran looked surprised.

back my emotions. “You always were, even from the very beginning when we first met. I was sent to retrieve documents once in possession of a smuggler I’d killed, believed to be handed over to Victor Lycroft. Documents that I then discovered Sterling knew the whereabouts of. After he attacked me, I turned the tables on him and tortured him into admission. This shouldn’t be a shock. I already told you that I’m

“Rae-.”

a lie.

making me want to take

“You wanted to stay here with me, I know it. I saw it in your face every day we were together. I promised to protect you, and I still intend to do that.

me push him away was only making this harder.

bubble of frustration and sadness surfaced all at once, a cumulation of both the revelations

ME, KIERAN,” I

isn’t something you

kind and genuinely good person, believing the best still exists inside me,’

not there. It never will

It must have made him uncomfortable, unsure probably if I were about to perform some other devil magic. Whatever the hell

fight, and I sighed. I was letting my emotions seep in again, something that was a snowball that would probably end badly. Right now, me leaving as soon as possible was the

only problem now was…

utilise a window escape. I

take her to

him decide what to do

looked… pissed. Probably rightfully so

swear to the Goddess, Daniel…,”

killed your mother? Our other pack members? So many died in that war because of them.”

Rae’s mother? Huh? Her father? Siblings?” he argued. “Because her entire family is dead because of us. Did

…I hadn’t.

right. This

if it weren’t for Ashwood, perhaps I would have grown up