Eleanor's POV
I saw the look on their faces. The sheer, stunned relief that I hadn't pushed them away. That I was still here, even though they knew I didn't have the full picture.
But the truth I already knew was enough. It painted a clear enough story. These men had endured things that had scarred them down to their souls. They'd been taught that trust was a weapon and affection was a lie. Getting mad at them for being cautious, for having secrets… it felt like punishing a wounded animal for flinching.
And honestly, I couldn't make it a huge deal for another reason: my own secret.
If I demanded they share everything, I'd have to share my everything, too. The Shadowmere name. The evil queen's blood in my veins. The legacy of hate I carried. They would find out one day—they were too smart, too connected not to—and if they discovered it on their own, after I'd demanded their full honesty, it would be the deepest kind of betrayal. That wouldn't be fair to them.
