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.

issue we ever have to face 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.

know? Let alone keep this from me? Why

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.

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

felt myself sink deeper inside, the last shred of hope

from each other. Secrets that had dire consequences. Perhaps

chimed in. “She’s a descendant of

anything, Allison!” Kieran snapped angrily. “She couldn’t even shift before 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

really as justified

isn’t a devil like we were always told. She’s just a girl, an innocen-.”.

said quietly, my voice cutting

it was me. I killed him.”

“Rae!”

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 belong here. I never did. There is nothing I can do to suddenly

exhausted of now defending myself against something I couldn’t change. My body felt numb to

I was done.

hearing my confession, tears starting to fall down

literally admitting that she’s evil.

tried to force his mark on her. If she hadn’t of killed him, I would have. He overstepped a line and

I interjected before she

I finished the job. Because that’s what he was. What you were too. A

“What…?”

finally, Kieran

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 not who I seem. I’m… not a good person.”

“Rae-.”

a lie. She doesn’t

jaw tensed as he looked at me, making me want to take it all back. But even if it hurt, these

in your face every day we were together. I promised to protect you, and I still intend to do that. You’re still my-.”

letting me push him away was only making this harder. Too

cumulation of both the revelations today and

CAN’T FIX ME,

my birth family nor change my past. This isn’t something you can mend like my poisoning or shifting. Stop trying to

trying to always be such a kind and genuinely good person, believing the best still exists inside me,’ I added in my

there. It never

Daniel stirred as I finally raised my voice in anger. It must have made him uncomfortable, unsure probably

seep in again, something that was a snowball that would probably end badly.

now was… how.

Daniel and Allison were still guarding the stairs, yet we were too many floors up for me to safely utilise a window escape. I

her to your father,

decide

having that. He looked… pissed. Probably rightfully so given

and I swear to the Goddess,

really want to defend her? A child of the monsters who killed your mother? Our other pack members? So many died in

Siblings?” he argued. “Because her entire family is dead because of

…I hadn’t.

This went both

weren’t for Ashwood, perhaps I would have grown up normally. I