Chapter 140

Chapter 140
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I looked up at him, trying to read any deception in his expression but I saw none. He seemed so sincere
I knew that I’d been warned about him by nearly everyone, but when it was just the two of us like this it was difficult for me to remember why I wasn’t supposed to trust him.
“I just have a lot on my mind… the rumors about this messenger thing are getting worse and,” Thesitated before finishing the thought in a rush. “And I’m starting to wonder if they’re right.”
“What?” Kieran looked surprised by my words. “You think that the goddess is actually speaking to you?”
“I don’t know, I just… I’ve been having these strange dreams for weeks now. It feels like there’s some deeper meaning to it but I can’t make sense of it. It makes me feel like I’m losing my mind, but maybe that’s because I’m fighting it. Maybe it’s time I stop hiding from myself
I let my words trail off as my mind returned to the boys once again. I was hiding so much.
Kieran must have noticed the shift in my expression because his brow furrowed. “What is it?”
I took a shaky breath. I hadn’t planned to tell him—not this soon, maybe not ever- but the words were there, pressing against the back of my throat until they spilled out.
“There’s something you need to know before this marriage thing… before anything goes further between us.”
He straightened slightly, his focus sharpening. “All right.”
“I have children,” I said quietly.
For a long time, he didn’t react. His eyes searched my face as though waiting for the punchline to a cruel joke. When he realized there wasn’t one, the color drained from his face.
“Children,” he repeated, the word catching in his throat. “As in—?”
“Twin boys,” I whispered. “They’re alive. They’ve been safe with Cassian this whole time.”
The silence that followed was deafening.
Kieran ran a hand through his hair, exhaling sharply. “Ellie… how long have you-why didn’t you tell anyone?”
“Because it wasn’t safe.” My voice cracked, the weight of my secret pressing down on me all over again.” Because if anyone found out, they’d become targets. You don’t understand how dangerous it is for them-for all of us.” 10
He stepped forward, lowering his voice. “Does Nolan know?”
I shook my head quickly. “No. And he can’t. Not yet. Please, Kieran-you can’t tell anyone. Swear to me you won’t.”
His jaw clenched, the conflict clear in his eyes. For a second, I thought he might argue, that his loyalty to the Alpha Council or to his own ambitions would win out. But then he nodded once, slow and deliberate.
“I swear it,” he said quietly. “No one will hear it from me.”
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Relief crashed over me like a wave. I hadn’t realized how tense I was until my shoulders began to shake,
He hesitated, then added, “Ellie… if you’re afraid, if you think something’s coming- you don’t have to face it alone. Whatever this is, I’ll help you. I’ll protect you.”
I wanted to believe that too. I wanted to believe that there was still safety
somewhere, that trusting someone new wouldn’t destroy everything I’d built.
But as I met his gaze, something inside me whispered a warning. The same quiet voice that had been echoing in my dreams.
Nothing is what it seems.
Still, I nodded, forcing a small smile. “Thank you, Kieran.”
For now, that was all I could give him. The illusion of trust.
And maybe, just maybe, it would buy me enough time to figure out what the goddess was trying to show me.
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