Page 12 of His Blue Moon Princess (The Silver City #1)

I can’t believe my own eyes. He looks thinner and messy, but it’s my brother, Alec. And he is staring at me, too. What is he doing here, of all places? Is he looking for me? What do I do? He doesn’t look like he wants to approach me. More like... He is glaring at me.

I run back into the café, panicked.

“Bobo, Tonia, my brother’s here!”

Both jump on their feet and follow me outside. But Alec’s gone. I run to the place I spotted him, but there is no one. Damn! Where did he go now? I look down at Bobo.

“Did you pick up his scent?”

“He’s not sure. There are too many different smells, it’s a public place after all... Nora, are you sure it was your brother?”

“A hundred percent sure. Alec was definitely standing there, and he saw me, too, he was watching me.”

“You think he was the one watching you earlier?”

I wouldn’t be too sure about that. The feeling was... Different. I shake my head, looking at Bobo, who is still sniffing every inch of the floor. Tonia asks me how he was dressed and picks up her phone to give out orders. She is sending out people to look for Alec, but I can’t help but feel nervous. I keep looking around, hoping to spot him somewhere among the crowd. I don’t like the way he was looking at me, so full of hatred... Even worse than before.

I shiver, and it has nothing to do with the temperature. Bobo notices and comes to lean against me. My wolf tells me he means it’s okay, not to worry. I just nod, too anxious to speak. Why do I feel so nervous all of a sudden? I don’t like this situation. Something’s off.

“Nora? You okay?”

Tonia comes to put a hand on my shoulder, but I shake my head.

“I want to go home. Now.”

I say, staring where Alec stood.

“Okay. Let’s get back to the parking lot, then.”

I don’t say a word for the whole trip back. I know Tonia keeps glancing at me, but I ignore it. I just feel anxious for some reason, and I can’t shake this weird feeling off. I really wish Damian was here. I’m nervously playing with my phone, but I can’t bring myself to call him. I know he’s busy, and I don’t want to bother him for something so trivial. Maybe it’s just me being paranoid.

Once we are back at the apartment, Bobo is stuck to me. I know he is trying to reassure me, and I’m thankful for that. For a second, I wonder what to do, but I decided to go change into one of my gym outfits and grab my boxing gloves from my room. Without asking Tonia anything, I just head to the gym upstairs, Bobo following me as usual.

I don’t like this feeling. I try to punch it off on the sandbags, irritated. What is Alec planning? He clearly wanted me to see him, so what now? I never know where to stand with my brother... Alec has never acted like a sibling to me. He was the worst back when we were still in the Jade Moon pack, and showed no remorse hitting me. Yet I could never wholly resent him. Because he is my brother and I know what happened to our parents messed him up a lot. Maybe I was blinded all along.

I remember the last time I saw him. He was ready to let Marcus rape me and to kill me. He would have if Bobo and Tonia didn’t intervene. I throw a couple more punches, with all my strength. What is wrong with him? Why does he hate me so much? I feel like I’m missing something here, and I can’t let it go anymore. I need to settle things with my brother for real. For good.

I keep the punches coming and even fail to notice Tonia entering the gym. I only realize she’s there when she starts talking.

“I see someone needed to blow off some steam.”

“Did you find him?”

I ask, panting.

She shakes her head and hands me a few black-and-white pictures. I take off my gloves to look at it while she puts my hair into a ponytail.

“The surveillance cameras caught him at the west entrance of the mall, but that’s all we could gather. What do you want to do?”

This is the first time she is asking for my decision. I take a while to think, but I already know what should be done. I give her the pictures back.

“I need to find him. I need to talk to my brother seriously. You have his full name, and we know he’s still in town. Without a Clan, I doubt he would go anywhere on the other Clans’ turfs, and I think he is watching me. He’s probably somewhere in the Blood Moon Clan’s territory.”

My wolf agrees with me, though she wants to go find him herself. But that would be reckless, and I promised Damian I wouldn’t do anything dangerous. Somehow, I feel Alec is up to no good following me, and I just can’t leave it like that. Tonia nods with a big smile.

“Now that’s an Alpha talking!”

I roll my eyes. Since we discovered this whole mystery about my secret birth, Tonia and Nathaniel have been going on about my hypothetical Alpha genes whenever they get an opportunity. I don’t really want to have to think too deeply about it. This whole matter about my non-recorded existence is already enough of a headache as it is. But, as a matter of fact, I also believe my brother may be able to enlighten me about that. Even more reasons to get ahold of him.

A couple more days pass without any sign of Alec.

It’s nerve-wracking. I try to chase my worries away by keeping myself busy, switching between my studies and workout sessions, but it’s no use. We can’t confirm Alec’s location. I have no idea what he wants, but I really want to ask him some questions about our parents and the mystery surrounding me.

Damian barely has any time to call me at all. It seems like he really is as busy as Tonia said. I only manage to have him on the phone a few minutes a day. Apparently, they are about to reach an agreement with the Gold Moon Clan, making the neighboring packs uneasy, and thus, some conflicts are bound to rise.

“My brother said you made your decision,”

says Damian the next day I have him on the phone.

“Yes. I’m not sure this is a good idea yet, but... maybe it’s worth trying. I need to end things once and for all with the Jade Moon Clan.”

I’m sitting on the couch, brushing my hair with my fingers while holding up the phone. It’s almost midnight, and Bobo is sleeping like a baby against my legs. Damian sounds dead tired, yet he gave me a call, as promised.

“You can do it, Nora. Put that scum back into his place, or I’ll come and do it for you.”

I can’t help but smile. I’ve noticed Damian is more straight-forward and less polite when he is tired.

“I’ll do my best.”

“We’re still looking for your brother. He really knows how to stay under the radar. Nathaniel even gave the word to our allies, but no one has spotted him yet.”

I have been thinking about this matter a lot. Recently, I had an idea about how to get ahold of Alec, but I’m not sure this will work.

“Damian, I think I know when we can catch him.”

“Tell me.”

“I think he will be there at the duel against Vincent. Alec is rancorous. Peter and Vincent banished him, so I’m sure he will want to be there to see the Alpha being demoted. He will definitely find a way to see the fight, we will have a chance to catch him.”

“We can have people watching the grounds. Two days is more than enough to prepare; I’ll ask Nathaniel to take care of it.”

I leave out a sigh. If Alec has been watching me recently, why is he so cautiously staying away? Does he already know my connection to the Blood Moon Clan? I haven’t told anyone that Alec was the one who tried to strangle me that night, and I’m not sure if I should say it. Damian might seriously kill him if he knows...

We discuss a bit longer about what preparations should be made to be sure to catch Alec, but I still feel uneasy. What if we do catch him?

“Damian, can you promise me something?”

“What is it?”

“When we catch Alec... Promise me you won’t attack him.”

“Nora, what is this about?”

I know he suspects something. He probably wonders why I would be worried about him hurting Alec, but I can’t tell him the truth. I can’t even be sure that Alec won’t talk and spill the beans. Moreover, my brother is always so harsh while talking to me, and Damian is not the most patient person... I must be sure he won’t lose patience before I get my answers.

“Just promise me, please.”

He stays silent for a while.

“...Okay, I promise.”

That’s one last thing to worry about, at least. I sigh, tired by all the anxiousness. I rest my head on the sofa and close my eyes for a second.

“I miss you,”

I whisper.

“...Same here.”

“I wish I could see you right now.”

“Same here.”

I chuckle a bit. He really is tired.

“Are you just going to keep saying that?”

He stays silent for a while, and I’m thinking we should hang up to both catch some sleep, but I hear his voice before I can talk.

“...I want to come all the way over there and kiss you again.”

I blush, embarrassed, and hide my face with my hair even though he can’t see me.

“...Same here.”

I whisper.

The next day is the last one before the duel against Vincent.

To be honest, I’m not as worried over the duel as I am about Alec’s matter. It feels like my brother has all the answers I’m looking for, and I’m afraid we might miss him again. Even the siblings feel my anxiety and stay next to me all day. Tonia helps me train for a few hours, though it doesn’t help me relax.

However, when we get back to the apartment, to my surprise, both Nathaniel and Liam are there. As elegant as ever, Nathaniel is standing still in the kitchen while discussing with his younger brother. Liam is lazily lying on the couch but sits up when I walk in. He casually waves at me.

“Hello, princess,”

says Nathaniel.

“What are you both doing here?” I ask.

The two of them coming to the apartment doesn’t seem like a simple, friendly visit. And I know I can’t trust Nathaniel’s smiles. Liam rolls his eyes and leans back on the couch, leaving the explanation to his older brother.

“We just wanted to come and see you before the duel. How do you feel?”

“I’m fine,”

I answer honestly.

It’s true. I’ve been living away from my Clan for a whole month, seeing things differently. Now, Vincent doesn’t seem as threatening as he once was. I’m not overconfident about my fighting abilities, given that I have only shape-shifted a couple of times before, but I don’t intend to hold back and act scared either. I just wish to settle things for good.

“Good! Well, Liam and I will be there tomorrow, as well. Damian wants to make sure his princess doesn’t run into some... unnecessary trouble.”

He means if the Jade Moon Clan meddles in. They could try to hurt me before the duel, or even find someone else to challenge me again and again if I win over Vincent. Moreover, during a fight for the Alpha Position, a Clan is usually weakened, making it easier for Rogues and other packs to attack. However, none of the local packs will dare to do such a thing if the Blood Moon Clan is there. With Liam and Nathaniel Black present, the Jade Moon pack members will have no choice but to acknowledge the duel’s result.

“Thank you. Did you talk to Damian?”

I’m sure the two of them already discussed the matter of Alec. Nathaniel nods with a smile.

“Yes. Don’t worry. We will prepare accordingly to be sure to catch your brother.”

“Just focus on your duel, Nora. Trust me, we won’t miss him,”

adds Liam.

I feel better knowing the Black brothers will be there. As expected, Damian most likely won’t be able to come, but I know I can trust these two. Even if no one from the Jade Moon Clan will be on my side, they will.

“What of Marcus Sickels?” I ask.

No one dared to bring back that matter on the table for a while, but I need to ask. I’m sure Nathaniel was on it, and I need to know if there is a chance he will show up, too. But he just shakes his head.

“Still no trace, sorry, princess. We are still looking into it.”

If I stabbed him, he couldn’t have gotten very far without help. And I remember how much blood there was, it was no light wound!

Well, for now, I should just focus on the upcoming duel with Vincent. While I go to sit on the couch next to Liam, Nathaniel keeps talking.

“Your birth matter is still a blur, too. Your parents were indeed part of the Gold Moon Clan, both of them. It’s a pack we are on good terms with at the moment, I got some info. Apparently, the Blackwoods got married in their mid-twenties after your mother got pregnant with your older brother. They shortly bought a house to start their family, and it seems like they got less involved with their Clan after that. More importantly, no one remembers them having a daughter.”

“To be honest, I don’t remember living among another Clan before the Jade Moon, either,” I admit.

It’s not so rare for young werewolf couples to detach themselves from the matters of their pack to focus on their family. Especially those with young pups.

“What happened to them, then?”

Suddenly asks Liam.

All eyes converge on me. I bet Nathaniel already knows... He probably already told Damian about his findings, too. But now that Liam is asking me, and with the siblings there, I can’t really hide it anymore. I really don’t want to say too much, and my memory isn’t too good either. I might as well keep it to what Nathaniel should know, as it is all in the police report. I take a deep breath to answer as calmly as I can.

“They died. About ten years ago. When I was six, my... my mother killed my father and then took her own life.”

Liam and the siblings look at me, dumbfounded. Only Nathaniel acts very calmly, going to the kitchen to grab drinks for everyone. Liam is the first one to react after a minute of heavy silence.

“Wait, what?”

“It’s as I said. Our mother was... mentally unstable. She was often depressed or anxious. She had been ill for a few months before it happened, and she had a sort of... crisis. She went mad and... aggressive. She stabbed my father.”

“The police report did mention that Alice Blackwood was under serious medication for her mental health.”

I just nod. I really don’t feel like reminiscing any further, so I’m not going to give any detail. This is the darkest memory of my six-year-old self, and I don’t want to linger on it any more than necessary. It seems like Nathaniel already dug up all that there was. I take a cup of tea Nathaniel prepared and drink from it, letting everyone stay silent for a while. Bobo and Tonia are looking at me, but I don’t want to seem pitiful. Liam, however, is frowning with an odd expression.

“What’s with your last name, then? You told us you were named Bluemoon. Isn’t that odd you don’t even remember being called Blackwood at all? What about your brother? Did you guys ever use either name at all?”

“I never had to. Since Vincent picked us up, I... I spent all my life in the main house. I never had to do any official documents; I just assumed everything already was in order, or that Vincent or Peter took care of it for us. Before Nathaniel brought it up, I never imagined there was absolutely nothing about me!”

“What about the school, then?”

I shook my head.

“I never went to school. The pack just gave me tasks, one after another, and no one ever brought it up. I knew how to read and write, I assumed it was enough. I just studied whatever books were in the basement with me.”

They look at me, clearly shocked.

I remember spending hours reading old books no one wanted, like Wuthering Heights , Metamorphoses , or Hamlet . Treasures of Literature with beautiful covers, yet no one ever looked at them. No one cared for the dusty, massive bookshelves since screens and video games were available upstairs. There were also full collections encyclopedias and dictionaries, and I just read them all to complete my vocabulary. I would even pick up history books when I was bored or couldn’t sleep.

“...Lucky you.”

Mumbled Liam, but Nathaniel gave him a tap behind the head

I can’t help but chuckle over his grumpy teenager's face. I wonder if Liam skips school often. It feels like his brothers are keeping a close watch on him, and I can’t help but feel a hint of jealousy. Nathaniel turns to me.

“I can’t believe they didn’t even bother to send you to school... It is intriguing, however, how the Jade Moon Clan also never cared about your legal existence at all. I wonder if they know anything about your origin.”

“I doubt it... Vincent found us in the streets. I guess he was only too happy to find a useful pair of orphans.”

“But he never treated your brother like you?”

I brush my hair with my fingers, absentmindedly, trying to remember our first days with the Jade Moon pack.

“A bit, at first... But Alec just pushed all his chores onto me and seeing I never complained, Vince didn’t really care. My brother blended more easily into the Clan, I guess. Vincent scolded him once, and Alec tried running away. He couldn’t get past the warriors, but after that, Vincent officially admitted us into the Clan so we wouldn’t try to leave anymore. Alec was ecstatic to have joined the Clan, and I... I was compliant, so that was it.”

Liam growls, visibly pissed.

“I can’t believe you submitted to such a weak Alpha... You should have just let me kill him the other day, Nate.”

But his brother shakes his head.

“Don’t be so reckless, Liam. After all, Nora needs to get back at him for all she endured. Let her give him what he deserves herself.”

“You better kick his ass tomorrow!”

Says Liam.