Page 16 of His Blue Moon Princess (The Silver City #1)

He nods, avoiding my eyes. “He beat anyone... any reason was good. Damian and Nate took most of the hits. They always protected me because I was younger. That just made our father even madder. Life with our father was hell. Damian stood up to him every day, despite still being a teen, and even his Beta couldn’t stand him. He fought with anyone like some mad dog. He always was crazy about gaining more territory, more power, killing vampires, fighting other clans...”

I didn’t know that. Back when I was young, the former Blood Moon Alpha was famous for being ruthless and extremely violent. Still, I never imagined he was even abusing his own children. I remember how people respected him a lot for chasing the vampires out of Silver City, years ago. But I guess none of them knew what kind of man he really was... No wonder Damian got as strong and fierce as he is today if he had to face this kind of monster since they were young. Liam growls and turns his head to me with a frown.

“Honestly, Nora, if your brother is the same kind of bastard as my father was...”

He sighs and shakes his head with a disgusted face.

I know. I think I finally understand Damian’s anger towards my brother. Moreover, he experienced all of my hardships through our bond, too... He can’t ignore it like that. Who would have thought our families had so many similarities?

I finish eating with Liam’s help. Apparently, he and Tonia will sleep here tonight. I wonder if Bobo is guarding my brother with Nathaniel. It’s a bit weird to not see that big brown wolf following me everywhere tonight. I guess I got used to his presence.

Despite my exhaustion, I have a troubled sleep that night. I have nightmares about drowning, Alec hitting me, and a young black-haired boy crying. Images of everything that happened today keep coming, more vivid and intense. When I wake up in a cold sweat, I am trembling and feeling more tired than I was before going to sleep. It is about five in the morning and still dark outside.

I know I won’t be able to go back to sleep. I used to have such nights back in the basement, it’s nothing new to me. Instead, I get up and head for my bathroom. I check my injuries while dressing up. Thank Moon Goddess, it does look a lot better than yesterday. I give up and leave my hair as it is after an attempt to brush it and put on a hoodie, as I’m still feeling chilly. Fully awake, I head to the kitchen as silently as possible. However, I didn’t expect to find Damian there.

His dark silhouette is standing still, facing the large window with a cup of what smells like dark coffee in hand. He changed clothes and even shaved. Seeing me enter, he frowns and walks up to me.

“Nora? Why are you up at this hour?”

“I could ask you the same thing. When did you come back?”

He sighs and puts his cup down to embrace me. Gosh, it’s only been a few hours, and I already missed being in his arms... It seems like his anger has dissipated. The question is, how...?

“Half an hour ago. I didn’t kill your brother. Neal called me on the way, convinced me not to. I went to the office to work instead.”

So, he just went to work? In the middle of the night? I hope nobody was around to receive his anger on the way to his office... I need to thank Tonia’s older brother later. I wonder what kind of Beta he is, but obviously, he knows how to handle Damian reasonably well.

“To work? You didn’t sleep?” I ask.

“I did, for about three hours. I have a private loft above my office.”

Of course, he does... I don’t even want to try thinking about how rich he must be. The less I know, the better. For now, at least.

He puts his hand on my cheek, examining me despite the darkness. I must look tired. It’s a bit embarrassing.

“How are you?”

“I’m okay. I just couldn’t sleep...”

All of a sudden, he lifts me up to have me sit on the kitchen counter, facing him. He is still taller than me, so I have to look up. Standing so close to each other like this, with him between my legs, is kind of embarrassing. But he doesn’t seem to care. Instead, he keeps his hands on my waist and lands a soft kiss on my forehead. Then, he retreats to look at me in the eye with a stern expression.

“Are you worried? About facing your brother?”

I just nod, biting my lip anxiously. I have to admit I am. It’s not like we will be thrilled to see each other... And we will have to discuss some really, really painful memories.

“I hope I will get the answers I’m looking for. It kills me to be in the dark, not knowing why Alec resents me so much, why he hated me all this time...Why he hurt me so. I just... I don’t know how I can find the strength to face him after everything that happened.”

Damian gently brushes my hair and leans to gently kiss my neck. I shiver slightly, but his lips keep going, flying like butterflies from my neck to my jawline, to my cheek, before he finally takes my lips for a sweet, long kiss. I answer his kiss, and a small fire ignites inside. Whenever Damian touches me, it’s like the most natural thing in the world. All of my anxiety goes away, replaced by this instinctive desire for my mate. Yet, I don’t want to let go of my human self, a bit shy and clumsy. I place my hands around his neck, looking to gather some self-confidence I don’t have. It’s like Damian’s strength is getting to me, and when our lips eventually part, I feel a lot better already.

He looks into my eyes and whispers, “Nora, I won’t let him do anything to you anymore. Don’t worry. I swear, I won’t let anyone touch you, hurt you, ever again.”

I smile at him and put my hand on his cheek. I love this man.

I don’t know when I realized it, and I don’t really care. I just know I do. The way he is so dangerous, yet so protective of those who matter to him. The way his silver eyes look at me as if he could capture me. His warmth, the feeling of his skin against mine, and how he kisses me, forceful yet so tender. It feels so dangerous, so wild, yet so right. It’s like I’m a different person, a version of myself I had yet to reveal. Being with Damian can be scary at times, but I still find myself wanting more.

Like this, when I lean to kiss him, despite blushing like crazy. It’s thrilling, and I feel a bit proud, being able to show my feelings, too. He smiles softly, obviously pleased by my boldness. Then he takes his turn to kiss me again.

“Oh please, can’t you guys get a room?”

I jump, surprised by Liam’s voice. Why can’t anyone sleep at this hour! He is looking at us with a disgusted face, with only his pants on and his hair all messy. Damian sighs and retreats a bit, leaving his hands around me but still watching his brother’s moves. Actually, Liam ignores us and walks to the fridge, opening it with a grumpy face on, scratching his bare stomach. He frowns and turns to me.

“Nora, you guys don’t have anything ready to eat here? I’m starving!”

Now that I think about it, I didn’t see him have dinner yesterday, aside from my almond cake. I don’t know who usually cooks for him, considering that he lives downstairs, but Liam is obviously clueless while looking at the fridge’s content. Damian sighs and lets me get down of the counter.

“I’ll make something if you can wait a bit.”

“Yes!”

He makes a winning gesture with his fist, and I just roll my eyes. I guess it’s okay to cook breakfast at five in the morning if everyone is up anyway... Tonia is still sleeping, but she will probably get up sometime soon, too, per usual.

Turns out I was right. An hour later, the four of us are sitting around the table, having breakfast while it’s still totally dark outside. Tonia turns to Liam as I’m serving orange juice. “What about the school, kid?”

Liam rolls his eyes and is about to say something, but then his eyes cross those of his brother. In a split second, Liam’s attitude changes and he sighs. “I... I’m going. After breakfast.”

I can’t help but smile. Apparently, Liam can be cheeky with others, but he won’t risk it in front of his older brothers... I already noticed it before with Nathaniel. He sighs, but Damian is just quietly enjoying his coffee. Now, Tonia is smirking while Liam is frowning at his breakfast.

I start drinking tea, absorbed by the first rays of sunlight, throwing orange and pink shades into the sky outside. Now that I think of it, we are on the 1st of December. It’s already been over two months since I met Damian, his brothers, and the siblings. My life really did change a lot in just a few weeks. So much, it’s almost unbelievable. I still feel like I could wake up at any moment, finding myself back in the basement and realizing this was all just a dream.

“What are you thinking about?”

Damian caught me daydreaming, and I blush a bit.

“Not much... When are we going?”

“It’s up to you, princess!”

I turn around. Nathaniel just arrived, looking very proper as usual. He walks up to us and helps himself with the coffee. Judging from the large cup, he probably didn’t get much sleep either.

“What about Alec?” I ask.

I was almost prepared to see him followed by my brother, maybe even Bobo, but he came alone. Now that I think about it, I didn’t even see them catching Alec

“It’s okay. Your brother is under tight surveillance and all ears for your questions.”

I frown. I don’t like the way he said this. He might be smiling, but I still don’t really believe it, not with his choice of words. I turn to Damian, hoping he did respect his promise, but he is eating his breakfast silently. I put my cup back and get up to face Nathaniel.

“Okay, let’s go see him now, then.”

Nathaniel nods.

About twenty minutes later, the four of us are in the familiar white car that I assume to be Nathaniel’s as he is driving instead of Tonia. Liam stayed home to finish his breakfast before going to school. While in the car, I feel the anxiousness rise again. I turn to Damian, but he is just looking at his phone, his hand on mine. It seems like he is reading emails, probably working.

I try thinking about something else instead. Looking at Nathaniel in the mirror, I suddenly remember the she-wolf from yesterday. She mentioned him specifically, even referring to him as “Nate.”

Aside from Liam, no one seems to call him that. Now that I’m reminiscing about her... something does feel familiar. No, it smells familiar! It’s her smell, I’m sure of it. Why can I smell it all over Nathaniel’s car...?

It’s a bit disturbing, now that I’m focusing on it. It’s definitely that she-wolf smell... Doesn’t that mean she comes in here often? But if she’s close to Nathaniel, why would she hide from him that she intervened last night to save me...? What could be between those two?

Moreover, her relationship with Nathaniel aside, I still have to understand how she could mind-link with me. That was my first time experiencing it for real, and it felt so natural, so clear. I wish I could hear her voice again. She said she would find me. How? She sounded confident, but I’m guarded non-stop by either Damian and his brothers or Tonia and Bobo. Is she okay contacting me with them around? Will she?

While I’m lost in my thoughts, the car finally stops in front of a large, modern-looking company building. We have arrived. For some reason, I was expecting something more secluded, maybe a warehouse, like in Tonia’s action movies.

Damian opens the door for me and takes my hand to guide me in the building. There’s even a middle-aged doorman, and he politely inclines when the brothers walk in. He’s not a werewolf though, is he? The building looks pretty standard, against all my expectations. We walk into a lobby, and two ladies welcome us from behind the reception desk. Gosh, this is a bit intimidating... Isn’t this an office building? I’m glad I dressed up a bit more than my usual hoodie. I’m wearing a white sweater and a pair of dark jeans, but I wish I had put heels on instead of my sneakers... Well, Tonia is wearing a jean ensemble and her usual sports bra, so I guess it’s okay.

There are a lot of office workers despite the early hour, but nobody really pays attention to us. Damian leads us into an elevator. Some people that were queuing to get in immediately step aside to let us through. Why does everybody turn so silent as soon as they notice Damian? It’s like he’s some mafia boss; we walk out of the elevator, and once again, a lot of people turn around or politely salute him wherever we go. It’s a bit embarrassing. Nathaniel and Tonia don’t say a thing, and Damian still hasn’t let go of my hand, caressing it with his thumb.

“Is this your office building?”

I finally ask.

“One of them,”

answers Nathaniel. “Damian and I work at the headquarters; this is just a secondary office. We have a dozen like this across the city.”

I had no idea... I should really start learning more about the Black Brothers’ businesses, I hate feeling so clueless like this. We are now on the eighteenth floor, which looks empty. It’s frigid, with grey walls, empty open spaces, and almost no decorations. Nathaniel guides us through several corridors until we finally enter a large meeting room.

I gasp. It’s reeking of blood here! I cover up my mouth, feeling immediately disgusted by the smell. But I have more to be concerned about.

The room is almost empty, except for chairs. There are three people already present. A large and tall guy, the exact same skin tone as Tonia, is leaning against a wall, playing with a knife. His hair is completely shaved, he has a ring piercing on his eyebrow, and with his black suit, he could be the protagonist of any spy action movie. He salutes Damian as soon as we enter the room. “Hello, Boss.”

Is that Neal? He looks a lot like Tonia and older. Plus, Bobo is there, too, in his wolf form as always, sitting in the corner of the room. He sees us come in but doesn’t move. Neal walks up to us, but I don’t care.

All I can see is Alec, sat up in a chair in the middle of the room, looking like he just came back from hell.

I’m not exaggerating. My brother has a lot of blood on his face and his clothes. As I noticed back at the mall, he’s a lot thinner than before. His upper lip and one of his eyebrows have significant cuts, still open and bleeding, and he has a black eye. His shirt is ripped open, and his chest shows contusions and large lacerations. He’s a total wreck. They even actually put a large plastic cover under his chair so all the blood wouldn’t stain the floor!

“You promised not to hurt him!”

I yell, furious.

I want to run to Alec, check on him, but Damian holds me back. I glare at him, but he won’t let go of my hand.

“Oh, Damian didn’t,”

says Nathaniel.

I stop and turn to face him. The second brother is smiling at me with a look I don’t like at all. He walks up in front, and he and Neal both raise hands.

“We did, princess. You can be mad at us, but we didn’t promise anything.”

Who are they kidding? They just took advantage of my own words! I glare and even growl at both of them, furious, but they obviously don’t care. Neal has a blank expression, and Nathaniel keeps his annoying smile on. They act like this is some funny joke, but I’m miles from being entertained right now!

“Stop laughing! I didn’t want you to hurt him!”

Neal rolls his eyes. “Oh, please. We were already nice, considering what he did to you and how much he struggled. If it wasn’t for you, this would be settled already.”

I know what he means by “settled,”

but I’m not scared by their words. I’m too mad right now. Are they telling me they didn’t go all the way to kill Alec for my sake? How is that supposed to be a proper explanation for his current state? Before I can add a thing, a laugh starts from behind them.

All eyes turn to Alec. My brother is laughing like a mad man while looking at me. “There she is... My precious little sister! What now, huh, Nora? Don’t you want to finish the job and kill me yourself? You must have wished for this all these years...”

Is that really my brother? I look at him, disgusted. He has that crazy look in his bloodshot eyes, in the way he stares at me that makes me really uncomfortable. But I can’t step back now. I’m done being intimidated by Alec or his words.

“Enough with this, Alec. I never wanted you dead.”

He scoffs and suddenly stops laughing. “Too bad. Because I want you dead.”

Damian immediately starts growling loudly while heading towards him, looking furious. I try to hold him, but it’s actually Neal that comes and stands between Alec and him. They struggle a few seconds, but with Neal and me holding him back, he eases up a little. Tonia is growling, too, less loudly, and Nathaniel is just staring at Alec like he’s observing some curious science experiment subject. Bobo stood up, also, and starts walking in circles around Alec. I know he’s ready to attack and kill him at any moment, though he doesn’t look agitated at all.

With nobody actually stopping him, Alec keeps talking.

“Mom should have just killed you in the first place. Too bad, she missed!”

“Stop talking like this!”

I shout back.

“Why? You don’t like it? But it’s the truth, isn’t it?”

“No. Mom was sick, she...”

“You made her sick in the first place!”

He suddenly yells.

I don’t get it! What do I have to do with our mother’s sickness and our parents’ death? Why is it my fault? How can it be my fault? I was six years old! I remember way too vividly what happened, and I had nothing to do with it!

I remember it all too well. It was the end of November, ten years ago. Our mother had started acting strangely for months already. She had always been a very calm and discreet woman. I don’t think we had many visitors, her whole life revolved around her father and us. She took care of the house, watched us, and didn’t work. Dad was the one always away for work, for days sometimes. I suppose that had to do with the pack, though I don’t really remember it.

Our mother never seemed unhappy, but she was clearly happier when Dad was home. I don’t think that she didn’t like us, but somehow, she was never a very loving and caring mother to me. It seemed more like a job, a mission she had been assigned on since we were born. Alec was the one always looking for mom’s warmth. I was okay with her passive attitude. She never scolded us or got angry. All she wanted was for our dad to be with her, look at her. When he was, it was like her whole world illuminated. The entire house was much happier then.

She was a pretty woman, with her long brown hair and dark eyes, but she was like a lifeless doll unless our dad was here. She would always make herself very pretty and tell us to behave when he came back. Those were the best days for everyone, as dad was home, and mom was nice and happy. As time passed, it somehow got worse.

She kept ignoring Alec and me, and always looked for my dad. Mother paid less and less attention to us, as she wondered how to look prettier for him. I remember her spending most days in front of her mirror, talking to herself. She couldn’t stand him being away. Sometimes, when he was away for work, she sat and blankly looked outside the window for hours, not hearing a thing around her. She could get confused about what time it was, or the date of the day. She asked where our father was a hundred times a day. She only ever talked about him. As children, it was complicated to understand what was going on, but Alec and I somehow got used to it. We spoke to her when we felt she needed it, or we didn’t. I was just a child then. I had no idea how bad it could go.

On that day, it snowed for the first time of the year, so I got home all happy. I loved the snow because the snow kept my dad home. I don’t remember where I was before that. I think I was with a friend... I can’t really remember. I just remember how I played in the snow on the way home, jumping around and leaving my little boot footprints on the white coating of powder.

As I walked closer to our house, I started hearing terrible screams. I recognized my mother’s voice right away and started running. I had no idea what was going on; I was just worried about my mother. I pushed our front door and followed where the screams came from, completely panicked. When I entered the room, my parents were there, loudly fighting and struggling. Mom, her hair all over the place, had a large kitchen knife in her hands and kept trying to stab my father with it. Dad was holding her wrists, yelling at her to calm down. Alec was there too, crying, begging her to stop. It was the most terrifying thing ever. I had no idea what was going on. Dad was yelling. Mom was screaming, tears running down her face. She looked crazy and... desperate.

I wanted to run away, but I was so scared something wrong would happen to my dad. I walked towards them. I didn’t even make it all the way. A slashing sound and blood covered my favorite white coat. I saw my father’s chest cut open, and his eyes wide open in surprise. His knees gave away, and he fell on his side, right next to me. I remember how my eyes slowly turned down to him. He was looking right at me.

He muttered my name very slowly. As if he had just realized I was standing there. For a second, the scene froze. My mother’s yelling stopped, and she looked at me in shock. I thought it would end, that she would realize what she had done.

The next second, a silver flash, and the left side of my face became horribly painful. My vision went completely red. I saw my mother branding the knife one more time. I am going to die, I thought.

I was pinned to the ground. My head hit hard against the floor. A dark silhouette had come over me at the last second. I cried from the pain, but the fear was even worse. The thing covering me wasn’t moving. I couldn’t see a thing. I could only listen to my dad’s erratic breathing next to my ear. Mom’s screams started again, and more slashing sounds followed. His body twitched over and over again.

I was so scared. The side of my face hurt, and I could hear terrifying sounds, yet I was blind. My mother kept screaming. Alec kept crying. It seemed to last for hours. I heard my father’s breathing stop right before I fainted.

I take a deep breath.

“When I came back to my senses, mother had stabbed herself, too,”

I say. “The knife was still there, right in the middle of her chest, and you were crying, Alec. Dad’s body was still on me, and I struggled to get up. I really remember it. We spent a long time there, both crying in silence. When you got up and left, without saying a thing, I just followed you. That’s how we ended up in the streets, and Vincent found us a few days later.”

“Oh, Moon Goddess, Nora... And you were just a kid...”

Mutters Tonia.

They are all looking at me with wide-open, shocked eyes. I can’t blame them. It’s my first time telling this story out loud, and it’s horrible for me, too. I really didn’t want to reminisce, but it’s time to clear this up with Alec.

Damian’s hand is still firmly holding mine, thank Moon Goddess, because I’m shaking. All those emotions are overwhelming me, and my wolf is quietly whimpering, too. My parents’ death is like a big black hole in my heart; there is no way I can talk about it calmly.

Alec stares at me with eyes of contempt, not moved in the slightest.

“Sorry, was I supposed to cry?”

“You can say what you want, Alec, but I did not kill our parents,”

I retort with a hoarse voice.

“Really? You think that’s it? You’re so clueless, it’s pathetic, Nora.”

“What?”

I want to believe he is the one who is acting crazy and making no sense, but for a second, he looks so composed and sure of himself that I can’t help but wonder. Is it really possible? Something I possibly missed in that memory? Something that only Alec? It can’t be. I saw it with my own eyes, and I’m a hundred percent sure of this memory.

Alec laughs at my confused expression. “Oh, you can stop thinking, Nora. You have no idea, do you? You’re so pathetic... You think you’re a victim, that you couldn’t have done anything wrong? But guess what, sis. You didn’t have to do anything! You did anyway!”

He’s crazy. His sentences make no sense. Why do I have to listen to all this? I shake my head. “Enough, Alec!”

“You were freaking born! Here’s what you did wrong!” He yells.

What? What is this now? This makes no sense... While I’m lost by my brother’s words, Tonia suddenly walks up to him and slaps Alec with all her strength. She looks furious.

“I’m done with your stupid word games! Spill it now, you damn junkie, or I swear I’m finishing you myself!”

“I said it! If she wasn’t born, my family would have been perfectly fine!”

“What do you mean?”

Asks Nathaniel, getting impatient too.

Alec spits a bit of blood to the ground, probably because of Tonia’s hit. She growls and steps back to let him talk. Alec stares at Nathaniel then Tonia before his glare comes back to Damian and me.

“Mom wasn’t sick,”

he says, “she was just in love. She had loved our father for many years since they were kids. They were from the same Clan, and they grew up together. The only one mom ever loved was him, but they weren’t fated mates. So, even if she tried, for years, our father ignored her. He believed he might find his mate someday...”

His eyes shift from me to Damian with a smirk. Damian growls again, but I put my hand on his chest to have him wait. Alec annoys me, too, but I want to hear it. Damian’s hand covers mine and presses it gently. His growling gets a little softer, but he still glares at my brother.

“As years passed, it became clear neither of them found their mates, so he eventually agreed to start dating mom. A few months later, she got pregnant with me, and they got married. Can you imagine how happy she was? The love of her life finally marrying her, letting her have his children!”

I don’t like how he makes it sounds...

“Father was one of the Clan’s hunters. He wasn’t very good at it, to be honest, and our grounds weren’t the best either. Father wandered further and further into the North, apparently to patrol. Every time he was away, Mom disliked it, as you remember. Yet there was another reason. As our dad went away, she started to wonder. What if he was still searching for his fated mate?”

Insecurity? Is that what it was? But our father never found another woman...

“Yet, father always came back home, and every time, Mom’s worries disappeared just as easily. For three years, she was all right. She just missed him while he was hunting. She soon forgot about her doubts, because no matter what, dad always came back and eased her. One night, while he had been gone for days, Mom was awakened by a baby’s cries. That’s how you came into our lives, Nora. A newborn baby, crying on our doorstep.”

Wait, what? It can’t be. They told me... I mean, I was sure I was born from Mom! And plus, I resemble my father! That’s when I suddenly understand. Oh, Moon Goddess, no, no, no...

Seeing the expression on my face, Alec smirks.