Kael looked at me then. There was no anger in his eyes now, only regret. “I know. And that is why I cannot pretend anymore. Everything my father built was shaped by fear. I see it now. The same fear that made him kill your kind is the same fear that would have let me die tonight rather than ask for your help.”
The truth of it hurt enough to make my throat ache. “You defended his legacy,” I said. “You looked down on me because you still believed his lies.”
Kael’s eyes hardened, but not in pride. “I did. I thought mercy was weakness. I thought dominance kept order.” He shook his head. “I see now that it only breeds silence and hate.”
I stared at him. “You expect me to forgive that?”
“No,” he said simply. “You don’t owe me forgiveness. I only owe you the truth.”
The honesty in
