A Gift from the Goddess novel Chapter 143

The time that elapsed after Sterling’s death was intense.

Both internally and externally.

Because the longer that went by, the more I began to wonder what the full implications of my actions would be. Already, my reputation in town had been dubious, being attacked once before for being a ‘Rogue Luna’. So just what would happen this time when word got out that I’d killed the Alpha’s brother?

I could hear Kieran saying something in a hushed voice from outside the room, leaving me to stare at the motionless corpse that may very well be my undoing. It seemed almost poetic that Sterling would find another way to potentially ruin my life, now from beyond the grave. Though I couldn’t blame him for dying. That had been entirely my doing.

In that moment, it had felt as if everything overwhelmed me all at once, vividly imagining what he would be capable of doing should he have been allowed to live. And though morally that wasn’t my decision to make, I couldn’t help but wonder what my life would have been like had he not been so greedy. Had I been allowed to shift normally and connect with my wolf as everyone else seemed to have.

But no matter how I looked at it, murder for the right reasons was still murder. And it was something that I was all too familiar with.

“Rae,” Kieran said, breaking me from my thoughts.

I tore my eyes away from Sterling’s lifeless stare to look up at him.

“Are you okay?” he asked.

I nodded.

“They’re getting things ready to move the body,” he said. “We can move your luggage into my room if you’d like.”

Since Kieran and I had become intimate, I’d spent my nights with him in his room anyway and only used this place as a glorified wardrobe. Moving my things there wouldn’t be that big of a change.

But as I turned to start packing my belongings, it was then that I heard footsteps rushing towards the room. Moving quickly with a sense of urgency, and I had a feeling I knew who it belonged to.

“Sterling?!” Victor’s voice boomed.

He stood at the entrance, his pace stopping the second his eyes found his brother on the ground.

“What’s the meaning of this?!” he demanded. “Who did this to him?”

A knot twisted in my stomach at the thought of telling him. Would he believe me? He was very clearly upset, as was to be expected.

But I swallowed back my fear… and stepped forward, knowing I needed to do this.

“Victor… I’m so sorry this happened,” I said gently, lowering my head. “I can’t imagine the pain you must be feeling but… the truth is… Sterling—.”

“Sterling attacked her,” Kieran interrupted, walking back over to my side. “He stalked her to this room and intended to force himself on her… to mark her as his.”

Victor’s eyes widened in confusion. “What…? Then who….”

And before I could get the words out, Kieran then spoke, his words instantly making me look sharply up at him.

“I killed him,” he said. “I… killed Sterling.”

…He was taking the fall for me. Lying to his father no less. Didn’t he realise what that meant? That he would be forever labelled as someone capable of killing their own family? The real reason behind his death wouldn’t really matter to some.

I knew too well how people could speculate and gossip… how they could twist the truth for their own narrative. If people wanted to believe something, they would, no matter how accurate it was. He was simply jeopardising his own reputation for mine.

“…You did this, Kieran?” Victor asked, the pain on his face contorting.

“He renounced his loyalty to Ashwood, intending to start a new pack,” he said calmly. “And after he admitted his disgusting intentions towards Rae, after he stabbed her right in front of me… I… I lost control.”

“…Kieran,” I whispered, grabbing his hand to hint he should stop protecting me.

But he wouldn’t look at me. He just held firm in his decision, never looking away from his father.

“The blood on your leg,” Victor then said to me. “That is yours?”

In amongst everything happening, I’d almost forgotten about the hole in my thigh. The entire situation we were in had made me feel numb.

“Yes… Alpha. A heel of a shoe embedded by Sterling.”

And he nodded his head in understanding. “Then you should get it seen to by a doctor immediately.”

Without wasting any time, he then gestured for an attendant to come over. “Please escort Raven to the hospital. Make sure she’s looked after.”

“I should stay with her,” Kieran said quickly. “She was just attacked by someone twice her size. It must be incredibly traumatic for her.”

Not that it wasn’t traumatic, but Kieran knew full well that Sterling wasn’t a match for me. It was a little odd that he was changing the story to this degree, even to the point of hiding my own capability. Would Victor assume it was me if Kieran told him I was able to fight?

…And, as I thought on it some more, I realised then that no one in the pack even knew I was skilled in combat. Kieran had made a point of ensuring our training sessions were always private. Was it just another archaic viewpoint to do with women? Or… was there another reason?

“You need to stay here until I can confirm what’s happened,” Victor said. “Take responsibility for your actions, Kieran.”

But Kieran didn’t seem to like that response, him already moving to argue again.

However, if he thought that I’d let him endure the entire scrutiny without helping, he was sorely mistaken.

“A letter,” I said loudly before Kieran could speak. They both turned to look at me. “It feels as though you want evidence and answers for what happened to your brother, Victor, and I completely understand that. So you should know that, when Sterling spoke of his plans to kidnap me, he mentioned already having packed a suitcase… and leaving a letter. You’ll find his luggage inside his car… and I assume the letter will have been left somewhere you frequent.”

And though his eyes were full of anger and pain, a moment of understanding seemed to wash over him as I provided him with what he needed… a way to accept that his brother truly was the despicable man he was accused of being.

“I’ll be fine,” I said to Kieran, pressing his hand in comfort. “Be with your father. He needs you more than I do.”

That was the last thing we said before we shared a meaningful look and I left for the hospital. Leaving Kieran behind to clean up the mess of my own making… to take the blame for my actions.

And, in doing so, potentially altering the future forever. Both mine… and his.

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Four days had passed since Sterling’s death.

The evidence was located, the record set straight, and his funeral was held two days after his passing. An event that was heavily contended by some given the weight of his alleged crimes, not to mention the fact he’d formally voiced his rejection of Ashwood. Nevertheless though, he was still the brother of the Alpha, son of the prior one, and, despite his actions, some were still saddened by his death.