Chapter 125: Before I Fall 

Ruby’s POV 

The house was warm, as always. 

Luxurious enough by Beta standards, yet cozy enough for a small family to build a life in. Beta Mikael’s home had always been a place filled with laughter and grounded simplicity. And now, as I watched Anna run from the car to the front door, yelling for her twin sister, I felt a spark of joy at seeing my beloved little girl so excited. 

“Alice! Hey! You won’t believe what happened!” 

“It was the coolest thing I’ve ever seen!” 

The front door opened even before she reached it, and there stood Alice, her ponytail messy, eyes wide with curiosity. 

“Huh? What do you mean? Did you get ice cream without me?!” 

“Way better!” Anna beamed, her chest rising and falling as she panted. “There was a real vampire. Can you believe that? And then this super cool hero showed up! He was this really brave man! And he killed the vampire and saved everyone!” 

Anna shook Alice’s small body. “Mama saw it too!” 

Alice’s eyes widened like an owl’s. She looked from me to Anna, her tiny mouth hanging open in shock at the story being spilled. 

“No way!” 

“Did you just call me a liar?!” Anna pouted. 

Alice tilted her head. I could see the gears turning in her mind. I smiled in amusement at the sight. I gave her a small nod; letting her know Anna was telling the truth. That alone caused a drastic shift in her expression. Alice immediately grabbed Anna’s hand. 

“Tell me everything again, quick!” 

They rushed inside, their footsteps pounding across the floor, voices overlapping as Anna began recounting the story in the living room like it was a scene from a movie. I followed behind with the same eagerness, watching Anna’s little performance unfold. 

She puffed out her chest and raised her doll in the air like a weapon. “And then he stood there like this, whoosh! His eyes were glowing, and the vampire turned into ashes, Alice. It was so cool!” 

Alice squealed in delight. “Like the stories Uncle Jay used to tell us?” 

“Even better! Too bad he didn’t come with us. He’s a werewolf too, you know! His name is…” She scrunched her nose. “Um, I forgot. But he was really handsome! All the princes I’ve seen in storybooks are nothing compared to this hero!” 

I couldn’t help but let out a soft laugh at that. They were so full of life. Completely unaware that the enemy they were talking about was incredibly dangerous. Vampires weren’t bugs you could squash under your heel. Yet to them, my daughters treated them as such. 

My eyelids lowered, a touch of melancholy behind them. Watching them reminded me of what I was fighting for. I wanted to stay hidden forever and never reopen the wounds of my past. Not just for my own sake. But for this family. I didn’t know if the Killian of now was truly different from the version he used to be. I remained cautious, unwilling to let history repeat itself. 

“Hello!” 

Mikael’s voice came from the front door. He stepped in from outside, shrugging off his jacket and brushing the dirt from his boots. His eyes landed on the girls first, still animated and buzzing with the retelling of the vampire slaying. 

“What’s all the commotion about?” 

I gave him a small, weary smile. “Anna met a vampire today. And someone saved her.” 

Mikael’s expression shifted sharply in an instant. He crossed the room and stood beside me. 

“Wait, what did you just say?” 

“It’s alright, I reassured him, patting the man’s chest. “It was handled. He saved us before anything worse could happen.” 

His brows furrowed in confusion. “Who?” 

I cleared my throat quietly. “Killian.” 

Successfully unlocked!. 

Mikael froze. His jaw tightened, his eyes drifting back to the girls. Twinced at the look of displeasure on his face the moment I said that name. He wasn’t angry at me, but he always carried a quiet grudge against that immortal king. 

“I suppose there’s no other Killian but that bastard, huh?” 

I nodded, shifting uncomfortably. “Yeah. That one.” 

1/2 

Chapter 125: Before I Fall 

His hand moved to gently rub my arm, a silent reminder that this was where I belonged. And still, even with the distance between past and present, that name left a sting in my chest. Mikael pressed a kiss to my temple, whispering soft reassurances even as a low grumble escaped him at the thought of facing the man he despised. 

I turned away from the girls, my voice quiet. “He still didn’t know it was me.” 

“Are you sure?” 

“I think so. He looked at me like I was just some ordinary woman.” 

“Leonidas didn’t tell him?” Mikael asked. 

“No.” I shook my head. “He wants Killian to heal first. That’s what he said.” 

A bitter taste crept into my mouth, the pain stabbing my chest with a thousand poisoned daggers. The panic I’d buried for weeks; lulled into dormancy by the rhythm of normal life had been stirred back awake today. 

It’s not easy to look at someone you once loved, your mate… and your killer. It was like dying all over again in slow motion. My throat burned. 

“I still dream about it. Sometimes, I just can’t take it anymore, Mikael. The execution. The scent of the prison. The crowds,” I choked out a sob. 

Mikael moved without a word, placing both hands on my shoulders. He gently wiped the wetness from the corners of my 

葵 eyes. 

“I thought I could handle it. The truth?” 

“Ros, my love. You got this far because you can handle it,” he said softly. “You’re just hurt. That’s all. And I understand that, in my own way.” 

But Mikael’s words did nothing to ease the crushing pressure in my chest. The walls felt closer, the air thinner. And then, my knees gave out. 

“Mom?” 

Anna’s voice snapped me back for a moment. I blinked hard, but my vision was blurred. The room tilted. Mikael’s voice faded beneath the ringing in my ears. The girls rushed over, their laughter gone replaced with wide, worried eyes. “Dad! Mom, are you sick?! Answer me, Dad!” 

Alice and Anna took turns bombarding their father with questions. Mikael did his best to answer while supporting me. His strong arms caught me just before I hit the floor. I heard his voice shouting something to the girls. 

“Girls,” he said, breathless as he lifted me onto the couch, “get some water. A towel. Anything.” 

“You’re not answering us, Dad! We’re worried!” Anna cried. 

Alice nodded in agreement with her twin. “Anna’s right, Dad. I’m scared Mom’s going to leave us!” 

“She just needs to rest,” Mikael said, forcing calm into his voice. “Go. Help me.” 

I wanted to tell them I was okay. That it was nothing. But I felt trapped between two timelines. This one, and another, where I was bound in chains and dragged to my execution. Metal. Cold. Killian’s eyes as the blade came down. 

“Mama, wake up!” 

Tiny hands gripped mine. Little faces hovered above me. They look desperate, afraid. 

“I’m calling the healer,” Mikael said, already reaching for the phone. “Stay with your mother. Let her talk.” 

Anna climbed up beside me, wrapping her arms around mine. “You’re going to be okay, right, Mom? You’re just sleepy, right?” Alice leaned close to my ear. “We’ll protect you from the vampires!” 

I smiled weakly, blinking through the fog in my mind. My daughters were so brave. Braver than I felt. I loved them and I hoped I would always be able to keep doing so, all the way until the end of my days. 

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