Page 22 of His Blue Moon Princess (The Silver City #1)

“Our mother’s death accelerated things. Things got way with our father, and if we didn’t act, I was afraid he was going to kill us first.”

I nod. If Judah Black had no problem hitting his children when they were young, who knows what it would have been like once they reach adulthood... It’s a miracle they survived that far.

Once again, I find myself thinking about their mother. I can’t even imagine what she went through, being unable to help her children. Her sons, enduring her husband’s insanity. I imagine young Damian, Nathaniel, and Liam living each day in fear while their powerless mother was on a hospital bed. And yet all they did was protect each other and love her.

I silently make the promise to myself to never be as helpless as she was. Not only do I want to stand by Damian’s side even more, but I also feel like I should do what their mother couldn’t. I want to be that Luna, the one that can protect her pack and her children. I feel my wolf growling fiercely inside, and she’s more than up for that challenge.

While I’m thinking, so is Damian. He is frowning, and his silver eyes are fixated on his meat, though it’s evident that he doesn’t see it. I can almost feel his thoughts echoing mine. I can guess what’s on his mind right away.

“You are not going to be like your father, Damian,”

I say softly to him.

He raises his head, surprised, and this time I’m the one putting my hand on his and doing the talking.

“I know you are afraid of being like he was, because you are both strong Alphas, and I understand. But you two are different. You can control yourself. All you wanted was to protect Nathaniel and Liam. Even now, you are always trying to protect me. And you listen to your brothers, to your Beta. Your father didn’t care about anyone but himself. You are a fighter, but that doesn’t make you an evil person. Just a strong Alpha.”

He stays silent for a while, making me wonder if my words had any effect on him. But after a while, he finally smiles. Then, he brings my hand to his lips, kissing it while looking me into the eyes with a resolute look. “I will protect you, Nora, I swear to the Moon Goddess Mother. I’m not letting what happened to my mother happen to you; I won’t lose you. You have no idea how much I need you. I need you to keep me sane, to remind me what’s right and what isn’t. I’ve never been afraid to fight, but I’m afraid of losing you.”

I smile, but why do I feel like his words have a deeper meaning than what I hear...?

Before I can get any further into my interrogations, the waiter comes back. I blush a little, as Damian is still holding my hand and keeps kissing it shamelessly. He sends me playful looks, amused by my reactions. I feel embarrassed, but the waiter doesn’t say a word and takes away our empty plates.

Once he is gone, I click my tongue and try to have my hand back. Of course, he won’t let go so easily.

“Stop it...”

I mumble shyly.

But Damian ignores me, and instead gets up, leading me to do the same. He puts a hand on my waist and puts my hand he was holding onto his chest. I smile and wrap my fingers around his neck, brushing the baseline of his hair. He slowly starts dancing, small steps that I can easily follow.

For a while, we don’t say a word. I let him lead our little dance and rest my head on his chest while listening to the music. It’s like we are alone in the world, and for now, I love it. Surrounded by the sea, fairy lights, and Damian’s arms. I feel his fingers gently brushing my skin, and the shivers I get have nothing to do with the cold. Can’t we pause this moment forever? My eighteenth birthday is a dream I couldn’t have dreamt of myself.

Two songs pass, and we can’t separate from each other. I feel safe in those arms. Far from all the worries, the mysteries, the secrets...

And I find myself thinking about Elena’s words. What did she mean? Why shouldn’t I trust Damian? Moon Goddess wants us together, so why is it that I can’t trust my fated mate completely? It’s not just Elena’s words. Something tells me I’ve only scratched the surface. Getting him to talk about his past was already a big step, yet I still want more. Much more. He is always keeping me away from the real world. It’s like being trapped in a golden prison. I can’t go out as I wish, and I have no idea what’s going on outside. Why do I need to be so protected? It can’t just be related to our bond...

Just for tonight, I close my eyes, and I forget all about my questions. That can wait until tomorrow, can’t it? I don’t want to ruin this, my first date with Damian. He is gentle, loving, and just for tonight, he is all for me.

I feel him leaning slowly towards the side, and his lips gently land on my neck. Soft kisses, running with a small fire on my skin. Anything he touches burns, and it’s addicting. I blush again and close my eyes. Suddenly, I feel his hands leaving me, and I frown. What is he doing? Then, I see him put something around my neck, and I gasp. A necklace! He puts the thin platinum chain around my neck and helps me put my hair back around it. Oh, Moon Goddess...

“You didn’t think I wouldn’t give you a present, did you?”

I smile and grab the little pendant with my fingers to look at it. It’s a magnificent crescent moon, made of a myriad of tiny white diamonds. The design is so elegant and pure, I love it... Though the moon is not too big, it shines like a treasure against my pale skin. I can’t take my eyes off it for a few seconds, making Damian smile.

“You like it?”

“Damian, I love it!”

I jump to kiss him, standing on tiptoe and putting my arms around his neck. My gosh, why does he have to be so tall! But it does not matter, as I feel him smile against my lips and bend over to kiss me some more. I play with his hair under my fingers, and he suddenly grabs my waist and hoists me up, before putting his arms under my thighs to carry me while I face him. Our playful kiss goes on, with the two of us chuckling from time to time, trying to take over the other’s lips. It’s funny to stand a little higher than him for once, and I like the way he looks up to meet my eyes.

I hear the waiter coming back, and I’m red again as he sees me straddling Damian. I try to break free, but of course, the man won’t let me go and keeps holding me against him. I hide my face into his neck, too ashamed to face the young waiter. Can’t he be a bit more decent sometimes?

“Nora, look.”

I frown against his shirt collar. What does he want now? Is the waiter gone, at least?

When I finally turn my head, another surprise is waiting for me. A cake! A small cake is now on the table, with two lit 18-shaped candles on it. Damian puts me down so I can approach it. I can’t believe it! He really got me an Opera Cake!

I smile subconsciously, happy to see my favorite dessert. Someone even wrote down a “Happy Birthday”

in white chocolate on top of the cake and drew flowers with the icing and spread some gold powder, too. I bite my lip, not knowing what to say. My first birthday cake in forever, and it’s so perfect!

I finally turn to Damian, smiling from ear to ear. “You really got me that cake!”

“You can thank Nate for that, actually. I had to ask for his help. So, this Opera Cake you wanted so badly was just a chocolate cake?”

I laugh and shake my head. “Not just a chocolate cake! It’s several layers of almond sponge cake, soaked in coffee syrup, with layers of ganache and coffee buttercream! And it is covered in the chocolate glaze,”

I recite with assurance.

Damian looks at me, surprised. “Sounds like you could do it on your own.”

“Maybe I’ll try it sometime. I read the recipe long ago, and I always wanted to try it.”

“What, so this is your first time eating one?” He asks.

I nod and head back to my seat. I really want to have a taste of it now! Damian chuckles and joins me, putting his chair next to mine. The waiter comes back quickly to serve us some champagne once more. I take a new sip, feeling fine. I’m just a little bit light-headed, nothing wrong with that, and it might even not be to blame on the alcohol...

I lean toward the candles, and close my eyes, trying to think of a wish to come up with. I feel like I can’t ask for anything more than all that is given to me now... In the end, I just silently ask Moon Goddess Mother to watch over the people I love for this new year. I blow out the two candles quickly, and my fated mate puts a quick kiss on my head, wishing me a happy birthday once again.

Damian puts his arm around my chair while I grab the little forks. I decide to ignore the plates the waiter gave us and eat directly from the cake. Gosh, this is so good. I take another bite, a bit greedy. We are still facing Silver City, and I’m having an Opera Cake on a boat, with pretty clothes and a birthday present from my fated mate around my neck... If someone had told me that three months ago, I wouldn’t have believed any of it.

“Are you going to eat all that Opera Cake on your own, or do you intend to let me have some of it, too?”

I laugh at him with my mouth still full. I was so absorbed into my tasting that I even forgot to hand him his fork... Instead of giving it back to him, I take some of the cake with it and feed it to him.

He makes a frown as soon as he tries it. “Too sugary...”

“You don’t like sweet stuff, anyway! Why did you want it then?”

I ask, amused by his grimace.

“I was curious about what that cake you wanted so much tasted like...”

He grabs his glass and drinks some champagne, probably to take off the taste. Well, it seems like this cake is all mine then!

I keep eating happily, and Damian keeps drinking, watching me stuff myself with a smile. I know he still thinks I’m too skinny. They all do, though I’m pretty sure I’m not underweight anymore.

After a while, I finally stop eating, too full to have any more of it. I lean back and rest my head on Damian’s shoulder. “You didn’t smoke all night.”

“How do you know I usually smoke?”

“The smell. I’ve never seen you with a cigarette, but you always have this faint tobacco smell on you. How come you never smoke in front of me?”

“I couldn’t smoke at the hospital, and the Mura siblings hate it, so... I don’t need it that much, anyway.”

“Do your brothers smoke, too?”

“I don’t think so. Maybe Liam, but he knows we don’t want him to. Nate is more of a drinker, but I don’t think I’ve seen him smoke.”

I nod. I got that impression, too. And he works around kitchens all day, so I guess he would try to stay away from it.

When I’m about to ask him something else, I suddenly feel him tense up. He stays completely immobile for a minute, his eyes fixated on the horizon. I try to see what he sees, too. Isn’t there too much agitation at the north end of the harbor?

“Damian...?”

He suddenly gets up and runs to the back of the boat, yelling orders to go back to the bay. What’s going on? I focus on the mind-link from earlier, looking for her...

“Elena!”

“Nora? Where are you?”

“On the sea with Damian. What’s going on? There’s too much agitation at—"

“North End, I know! I’m headed there now, we’re under attack!

“Rogues?”

“No, damn vampires!”

A vampire attack now? That doesn’t make any sense! I thought the former Alpha Black had chased them far to the North? And Silver City is entirely dominated by werewolf packs now, so what’s the point of attacking us? It’s suicide for them!

Damian is still yelling orders, and the boat is now going back full speed to the harbor. He comes back to me just when I am holding the rail not to fall, looking furious. He walks up to me, having no problem to walk despite the boat’s speed, and puts his arms around me.

“I’m sorry, Nora,”

he says, “We have to go back. It’s a massive attack.”

“It’s okay, I know,”

I answer, nodding against his shoulder.

“You stay on the boat, I will...”

“No, Damian, I’m coming with you.”

“No!”

He yells, making me jump, though I expected a refusal. I saw it coming the second I decided to go, too. His silver eyes have turned into an ice-cold stare, as he is fixating on me furiously.

“You stay there, Nora, don’t you come an inch close to those blood-suckers. I’ll handle it.”

“You can’t put me aside, Damian; I want to go! And it’s not even your territory!”

“It’s not yours, either! You don’t have a territory, for now, Nora!”

Thanks for the reminder. Now it’s my turn to glare. I’m well aware that not having a pack makes me a target anywhere I go, aside from the Blood Moon Clan’s territory. But this is my city, and I refuse to sit while it’s attacked.

Damian realizes his words hurt me more than he thought and shakes his head. “Sorry. But I just want you to stay safe, Nora. You stay there, and that’s final.”

He walks off, taking off his jacket.

I bite my lip. I don’t want to stay back! I have to go. What if someone really gets hurt or worse, killed? Vampires might be weaker than us, but they are still dangerous! It took years to chase them all out of Silver City. My eyes go to the harbor, trying to get a hold of whatever is going on there.

“Elena, are you there yet?”

“On my way. But my friends told me there’s a lot of them. Really a lot.”

“Is your pack okay?”

“For now. The White Moon, is there, too, and some of the Sea Moon pack warriors joined, as well. But those damn vampires just keep coming.”

“The Blood Moon is on their way.”

“I figured so. Nate’s guys just arrived.”

“What about the other clans?”

“They have to watch out for the other sides of the city. This might be a massive attack. I just saw some guys from the Gold Moon and Rising Moon packs heading south.”

I didn’t think of that, but Elena might be right. Vampires are known to be smart— they haven’t been around for years for nothing. Those cunning creatures wouldn’t attack recklessly like that. Not only must they have an aim, but they probably have a plan, too.

Our boat reaches the shore, and Damian takes off his shirt. He comes back to me and quickly kisses my forehead before looking at me in the eye. “I’ll be back, Nora. Stay in the harbor. Bobo and Tonia are coming to get you.”

And with that, he turns around and shapeshifts in a split second. The big, jet-black wolf immediately starts running toward the North, growling furiously. Moon Goddess helps anyone who will stand in his way. The guy who served us dinner helps me out of the boat, but my thoughts are somewhere else. Elena’s words got me thinking.

Didn’t she say she could contact any Alpha? Then maybe I should be able to do so, too. But I only know one personally other than the Black Brothers... Gosh, I really didn’t want to make use of this, but this is an emergency. I ought to try.

I feel my wolf inside, ready anytime I need. She’s on edge, too. She felt the intrusion on the territory and doesn’t like it. She wants us to go and help our mate.

“I know, I want to go too, but there is something else we need to do first,”

I tell her. Then I call out: “Vincent.”

“What the... Nora?”

Gosh, it worked! And so quickly, too. I feel like I can almost see his brown wolf, and mine growls immediately, making him submit right away. I was afraid he might try to refuse me somehow, but he shows no resistance to the mind-link.

“Yes. Listen, there is a vampire attack in the North. Right now.

“I know, just heard of it. I was about to give orders for our warriors to—”

“No! Stay there and guard the East forest. The White Moon, Pearl Moon, and Blood Moon Clans are already focusing on the North, but these might be multiple attacks. Our territory is the first line of defense in the East of Silver City, we can’t leave it defenseless.”

He stays silent for a while, and I feel his wolf being restless.

“...Okay, it makes sense. I’ll do as you say and send more sentinels to the East. If something goes through, we’ll know.”

“If it happens, send a distress signal to the neighboring clans. Everyone is on the look-out, so they’ll help.”

“Got it. I just sent word to the Pearl Moon Alpha. She’ll definitely help.”

“Okay.”

Satisfied with that, I cut the mind-link. I can’t believe I just mind-linked Clark! And it went well, too. I feared he wouldn’t listen to me, but it looks like Vincent will keep his word.

I feel a bit better, knowing the other sides of Silver City aren’t defenseless. Out of all the big Clans, most are going to defend their position or help somewhere. Though the packs usually fight a lot among themselves, werewolves are quick to gather as one to fend off an enemy.

Still, I feel restless. This attack really makes no sense! The North is the easiest to defend, with the White and Opal Clans there, and they are close to the Blood Moon’s territory, too. They are bound to have reinforcement in a few minutes once they request help. Why would the vampires choose this spot to launch an attack? That is suicide! Or are there really many of them, like Elena said? Could they outnumber us?

I’m starting to feel worried. Why aren’t Bobo and Tonia there yet? I’ve been waiting at the harbor for a while now! Did they get held up somewhere? Are they okay? While I’m worried about everyone, Elena’s voice echoes again in my head.

“Nora! Some passed through our defense! They are running through the city!”

“What? Where are they aimed to? They’re targeting the humans?”

“I don’t know, but it doesn’t look like it. They are staying West on the Sea Wolves’ turf! Following them now!”

That’s just North to my position! I can’t stay there. I take off my heels, my jewelry, and my dress, leaving them on the ground. The waiter looks at me, standing in my underwear. Well, I’m a werewolf anyway, and I don’t want to rip this dress! And there is no time for shyness or blushing now!

“Okay, girl, time to shapeshift.”

I breathe in and let my wolf take over. It’s been a while, but it’s as easy as closing my eyes. She is only too happy to make her appearance. I’m in my white wolf shape within a few seconds and start running as soon as my paws touch the ground.

Gosh, this is my second time going to the Sea Wolves’ territory within a very short time. I hope they won’t mind because I can’t afford to fight them, too. I keep running as fast as I can, going up the shoreline. It doesn’t take long before I start hearing growls and sounds of fighting ahead of me. They got even further into our territory than Elena thought! When I arrive at the scene, about twenty wolves are ganging up on about a dozen vampires.

Those creatures are taller and thinner than humans, with blood-red eyes and pale skin. All of them are dressed in black leather, and some of them are even carrying daggers or swords. I see them glowing in the dark. Those are made of silver! It explains why twenty wolves are not enough to hold them, everyone is cautious because of those weapons.

I immediately jump on the one closest to me, who is about to stab a young grey wolf. Without the slightest hesitation, I bite off the hand that held a dagger. I may not be a warrior, but my wolf knows how to follow her instincts, and she won’t show mercy for bloodsuckers. He didn’t see me coming and screams in horror. The wolf that was under him seizes the moment and aims for the throat directly. With a third wolf joining in, we finish this creature off, tearing it to limbs. While the other two end the job, I look around. We still have the upper hand, and no one seems to care about me coming there. I need to talk to the Alpha.

It only takes a second to notice him among his own. He is dark-grey, bigger than the others, though he looks old and has a lot of scars all over. I try to focus on him while staying cautious of my surroundings, establishing a mind-link. I see him react, raising his head.

“ Wait... Oy, who is that? He turns his head around, searching for a while, and his eyes fall on me. The white wolf? What are you doing here, kid?”

“I came to help. More are coming.”

“I know. My wolves are watching all over the harbor. Those bloody vampires are all headed there. Bet they want to stay close to the sea.”

The sea! I didn’t think of it earlier, but vampires are excellent swimmers! They don’t need to breathe, and their eyes don’t mind the water, either. It will make a good escape route if things go badly for them. But then again, what is their aim?

I help another duo to fend off a vampire, and we kill it quickly. Even armed, a vampire is no match for three werewolves.

What annoys me is that they keep coming. How is that possible? I wish I knew how Damian and the others are doing in the North.