"I don't want to talk about that," Raine whispered.
Killian exhaled slowly, dragging a hand through his dark hair. "You don't have a choice anymore. I know who you are. And I've kept bigger secrets than this, Raine. But I need the truth."
Silence stretched thick in the room. Outside, wind howled through the stone halls of the dormitory.
"He was my twin," she lied at last, her voice breaking and getting into an act."He died the night before the academy entrance trials. They… they killed him thinking it was me."
Killian's eyes widened, his entire body going still.
"They?" he echoed.
Raine nodded slowly, eyes distant. "A faction. I don't know who. My family… we were part of something bigger. Something dangerous. Like a cult. When I was born, there was a prophecy. The first-born daughter would destroy an empire built in shadow. My father was so after protecting his packs and legacy that he wants me dead. So they came for me. Only… they got him instead."
