Page 5 of His Blue Moon Princess (The Silver City #1)

I wake up slowly, feeling the sunshine on my skin. That is so amazing...

When I open my eyes, I realize I’m not in the hospital room anymore. Where is this? I sit up and try to analyze the room around me. Is this a bedroom? It’s even bigger! I’m in a ridiculously large canopy bed, with a dozen cushions. Two large windows illuminate the room, with some of the sunlight falling directly on me.

And the view! I can view the whole city from here, like from one of those skyscrapers. I get up to approach the window and realize I indeed am in one of those skyscrapers! This is insane. I step back and turn around.

Someone left a silk kimono on my bed, and I take it to cover myself. There are two large wardrobes, a dressing desk in front of my bed, and an entirely stored bookshelf. The book I was reading at the hospital has been placed on the bedside table. I open one of the wardrobes and recognize some of the clothes Tonia bought me, while some are clearly brand new.

I exit the room, a bit confused, and as soon as I open the door, I almost trip on some huge mountain of fur.

“Bobo!”

The big brown wolf gets up to greet me. Does he ever get into his human form at all?

“Bobo, what is this place? Where are we?”

Of course, he won’t respond, but he leads me to another room. I smell something burning as soon as we enter. In a big and modern kitchen, Tonia is busy cooking, with a frown on, but smiles as soon as she sees us.

“Hi, baby girl!”

“Tonia, what are you doing?”

The smell worries me, so I go over to where she is indeed burning some sausages. What a mess... I take over by reflex, and she only seems too happy to let me.

“Sorry, I wanted to make breakfast, but I really suck at this...”

“It’s okay, I can do it. Can I borrow some things?”

“You can take whatever you want, Nora, go ahead.”

I quickly grab a few things I can find in all the cupboards and the fridge and decide to make an omelet with mushrooms and the sausages I could save from Tonia’s attempt.

Bobo hungrily watches me through the whole process.

“If you start drooling, Bobo, I’m not cleaning!” Tonia says.

While the siblings argue, I can only enjoy this fantastic cooking space. Everything is brand new and top-notch material, too! I’ve never cooked in such a big kitchen before, though I’m only cooking for three. I’m done soon enough, and we can finally sit to enjoy it. I was kind of hoping Bobo would shift to eat on the table with us, but as usual, Tonia just puts his plate down on the floor for him.

“Go ahead, you piggy. Thank you for this, Nora. I knew you liked cooking, but I didn’t know you were that good! Where did you learn?”

“My father taught me when I was young. I just loved cooking with him, and after he passed, I just kept cooking for the pack, so...”

I drop my fork. The pack! How could I be so stupid and mention the pack now? I was so happy with my cooking, I forgot to stay on guard. Tonia looks at me, shocked.

“So, you do belong to a pack!”

I gasp, not knowing what to say. Of course, it’s too late to lie now. Gosh, I’m an idiot! Even Bobo stopped eating. He starts growling. At first, I think he might be angry at me, but then Tonia slams her fist on the table, making me jump. Why couldn’t I shut up...?

“What sort of pack is this! Nora, I examined you; you were abused for years! And your fucking pack never helped you?”

What can I say now? I just stay quiet and bite my lip, confused about what I should do. I can’t tell her that my pack was abusing me! She looks so mad, and I’m terrified about the consequences if Damian knows about this. But Tonia is all agitated now, and Bobo won’t stop scrutinizing me either.

“What’s the name of your pack? I got two words for your Alpha!”

“Tonia, I... I’m okay!”

“Okay? Don’t tell me you’re okay, Nora, do you have any idea how long your medical chart was?”

I shake my head. “It was because I was attacked the night before, Tonia. Otherwise, I’m okay, it’s just... I got scolded a few times, that’s it.”

She suddenly gets up and exits the room, not the slightest calmer. When she comes back, she has a couple of pictures in her hands, and she shows me. They’re pictures in black and white, and I recognize the entrance of the hospital I was at. The caption is yesterday’s date. Were these taken from surveillance cameras?

“Who is the guy at the help desk, Nora? He was looking for you; he gave your name to the secretary but ran when we arrived.”

I look more closely at the photos. That individual is wearing a dark cap covering his face, but I can recognize the cap itself. It’s my brother’s. Is that really Alec? The size and shape of the silhouette look about right. Alec was looking for me? Why? Was he concerned, or...? I shiver. Tonia is waiting for my response, and so is Bobo. I sigh and put the pictures down on the table.

“That’s my brother... I think.”

My answer surprises Tonia, but she calms down a little.

“Your brother? Oh, you did mention you had one. Well, it seems like he is looking for you. Do you want me to find him so you...?”

“No!” I screamed. The siblings were startled, but now they’re both looking at me with surprise. I don’t want Alec to find me. That’s the main reason I agreed to stay locked in this hospital room before–I was scared.

“Nora? Nora, what’s going on?”

“Tonia, I don’t want my brother to find me. I... I ran away.”

That’s not totally a lie, is it? At least I don’t need to tell them Alec was the one that tried to choke and kill me. Tonia looks a bit confused, and I can tell she’s thinking hard right now. She turns her head to Bobo, frowning, and after a while, I understand they’re arguing. But soon, Bobo starts eating again, ignoring her. Tonia eventually sighs.

“Okay, I get it. For now. To be honest, we moved you out of the hospital for that reason, anyway. We were worried about having some unidentified guy looking for you... I take it that you’re hiding from your pack then?”

“Yes... Sort of. Can we... just not mention it for now?”

Tonia frowns. I can tell she’s not happy with my response and is still thinking long and hard, but she doesn’t ask any more questions. So I just concentrate on eating my omelet, and that’s it.

After a while, I’m done, and we are both silently drinking -tea for me and coffee for Tonia- while Bobo finishes his third plate. It looks like his stomach doesn’t mind the burnt sausages.

“Tonia, where are we?”

“Oh, this is your apartment.”

I almost drop my cup of tea from the shock. What does Tonia mean “my” apartment? Did she make a mistake?

“What? Tonia, I don’t have an apartment. And surely not something as... impressive as this!”

I wouldn’t even dream of having such a large place to live in! The whole basement could fit in the bedroom alone, and everything looks so new and modern, and high-quality, and... And now I am enjoying some fragrant tea by a great glass-wall, with a full view of the city. A month ago, I was used by my pack like a slave, doing chores all day, and my brother was ready to sell me to cover his debts. I don’t own anything, nothing at all.

But Tonia just smiles.

“Well, you do now. The Boss arranged this place for you. The whole apartment is yours! Oh, of course, you can tell us if there is anything you don’t like, and we can always have it replaced...”

“Tonia, I can’t have an apartment out of the blue, this is ridiculous. You have no idea how poor I actually am. I really appreciate you trying to help me, but this is... This is too much.”

She rolls her eyes with an exasperated look.

“Nora, for someone so cute and tiny, you can be unreasonably stubborn, you know that? Listen now, baby girl. You’re the Boss’s mate. You got nowhere to go as far as I know, and for some unknown reason, you’re hiding from your useless pack. Now, the Boss is the most powerful man in this city, and trust me, buying an apartment like this is nothing for him. I mean it. Just consider it as him lending you a room, okay?”

It’s not okay, even if she says it like this, but... Indeed, I don’t have much choice either. Where would I go otherwise? I really don’t have anyone I know that I could trust...

But being here doesn’t feel right either. Everything is too... too much. I feel like I’m stepping in a shoe that’s way too big for me.

After breakfast, Tonia gives me a tour of the place that I’m now supposed to live in, temporarily, as I insisted. I’m glad there are not too many useless rooms like in those huge luxury houses. There are three bedrooms, the biggest one occupied by me, and one of the tinier rooms by Tonia. Apparently, Bobo sleeps wherever he wants, but I suspect he’s guarding my room, anyway. There’s a big kitchen where we had breakfast and a dining room for eight people. Then, Tonia takes me to another place: a study! With a desk, a computer, and more bookshelves! I can’t help but take a tour to see all the books, making Tonia laugh.

“You give her a latest-generation, super cool computer, and all she cares about are the books. You were born in the wrong century, baby girl.”

“I don’t really care about computers; I just love reading!”

“I can see that. Well, you can always use the computer if you want more. Come on, there’s one more room.”

The last room turns out to be... a living room. I stop at the entrance. There’s a large sofa with multi-colored cushions, a large TV, a game station, and even a stereo with a shelf full of CDs and DVDs.

“Oh yes, Bobo and I didn’t know what kind of music you like so... Nora, what the hell? Why are you crying?”

I just can’t stop.

It’s all coming back to me. I could never even step into the Jade Moon’s main house living room before! And now I have a full room I can use all I want?

“I’m... I’m okay. Sorry, Tonia I just got a bit... overwhelmed for a second.”

She looks at me suspiciously, but I’m just busy wiping off my tears. Bobo rubs his head against my leg, trying to cheer me up.

“Okay, Nora, stop crying. You’re making me want to punch some people, and I don’t have names yet, so I can’t. You know what you need right now?”

I shake my head, confused.

“What is it?”

“You, baby girl, need to sweat it out.”

Tonia makes me change into a workout outfit. This is my first time wearing one, and I’m surprised how comfy it is. After braiding my hair quickly, I join Tonia at the entrance of the apartment.

Apparently, the building has a gym upstairs for its tenants, and Tonia, having changed clothes too, takes me there. As usual, Bobo the wolf-bear follows us like a shadow, and once we’re in the elevator, I can’t help but ask him.

“Bobo, do you change into your human form sometimes?”

Tonia laughs and answers in his stead, “He likes his wolf form much better, actually. You know, he shapeshifted super early for the first time, when he was just five! I remember our mom thought it was Neal. She totally freaked out when we found out it was him, and he was big already.”

“I didn’t know we could shapeshift so young!” I say while looking at her brother.

Tonia shakes her head and fondly scratches her brother’s head. “Oh, this is a rarity! Most werewolves turn around ten or twelve for the first time. He’s a natural, I guess... But honestly, this doesn’t change much from where he’s on two feet. He’s not a chatterbox in his human form, either.”

I can’t really imagine what Bobo looks like as a human. He is so dog-like, it’s hard to remember he’s a werewolf sometimes.

“What about your big brother?” I ask, curious.

“Neal? No, Bobo’s the only one who thinks he is a house dog. Neal likes his human form. He’s a copy of Bobo, just a bit smaller.”

“And what about you?”

“Hm, I think I’m a tiny bit darker than the guys, and my size should be the same as Neal’s. We are still pretty big, anyway. The giant size runs in the family. I’ll show you sometime.”

I nod, a bit happy to know more about them. We finally reach the gym, and I suddenly remember a question I had in mind for a long time after meeting them, though I never actually dared to ask.

“Tonia, can I ask how old you are?”

“Twenty-four. Neal is twenty-six, and Bobo is nineteen.”

Wait, Bobo is still a teen? I thought he was much older than me! It turns out he’s not even two years older. No wonder Tonia treats him like a big baby! How funny. I’m looking at my bodyguard in a totally different light now. He doesn’t seem to care at all and leads the way in front of us.

The gym is empty, despite being so big. There are two rows of machines like treadmills and elliptic bikes, free weights disposed on shelves, colored mats, and a few punching bags.

“Come over here; let’s get started,” says Tonia.

She makes me run for twenty minutes, putting me on the treadmill. She uses another one right next to me and watches how I do. Compared to me, Tonia is incredibly fit. Now that she is wearing this kind of outfit, I can see she is slightly muscular, not a once of fat. How lucky. I envy her tan and tall body. When I look at myself in the mirrors, I just look... petite and skinny.

After what she calls the warming-up, she takes me to a boxing ring and makes me put on two boxing gloves. A bit perplexed, I search Bobo for help, but he has started a nap on one of the benches and couldn’t care less about what we’re doing. I’m pretty sure he’s snoring.

“Ok, baby girl. Now that you are better, it’s time to get back in shape. Punch this.”

She’s wearing some big, weird cushion-glove, waiting for me. I try to hit it, but she gives me an annoyed look.

“Nora, you call that a punch? Come on, girl, do it seriously. Again, and don’t hold back.”

I’m not holding back! I try punching a few more times, but every time, Tonia won’t budge. It’s like hitting some wall. She looks at me like I’m some fly. A very weak fly.

After a while, she rolls her eyes and asks me to stop.

“Nora, you’re holding up. Trust me. Even a five-year-old kid can punch harder than that.”

“I’m not used to this! I’ve never hit... anyone before.” I defend myself, blushing

I’m usually the one receiving the hits... Tonia shakes her head.

“That’s my point. Learn how to throw a good punch, and next time, you can defend yourself. Come on, try again. Get angry.”

I put my fists up as she shows me and go at it again. This time, I’m trying to get angry, as she says. It’s easier than I thought. I just think of all I’ve endured these last few years, how wrong and unfair it was, all of it, and it’s coming to me. More strength, more anger, and I put it all into my fist before I punch.

“Good! Much better. Again, Nora, keep going.”

One after another, I start punching harder. This time, Tonia has to use her strength to block me. I’m getting the hang of it. Tonia keeps directing me, and I’m sweating, but it surprisingly feels incredible. All this anger I never knew I had in me, all of it comes out and hits one punch after another.

Suddenly, my wolf starts growling. She’s with me, getting all her anger out, too. She’s being fierce and stands firm. I’ve never felt her this way before! I smile, happy to feel her.

By the end of our little seance, I’m feeling great. I’m all sweaty and exhausted, but it is such a thrilling feeling! Tonia seems happy, too. She even showed me how to stand and block to defend myself against an opponent, wolf or human. After that, she had me train on a punchbag while she exercised on the treadmills.

“How do you feel?” She asks.

We are sitting on the living room’s sofa after a well-deserved shower, and we both changed to new clothes. Tonia is wearing jeans and an oversized jacket over a sports bra, while I picked up a wrap midi dress from my wardrobe.

“Much better, thank you, Tonia. And, I felt my wolf a lot.”

“Do you not hear her usually?”

“Not always. Just when I’m really scared, or sad, or when... when Damian is there.”

I blush a bit while saying this, but it’s the truth. Tonia laughs and shakes her head.

“Don’t be embarrassed about it, baby girl. Anyway, it’s great you connected with her better. I’m going to keep training you. I feel like you need it.”

“I think so, too. I never really expressed myself before. I was always keeping it all to me.”

“You know, that could be part of the reason you’ve never shape-shifted, Nora. Our wolves are like our real selves. They reflect what we want and what we feel deep down. If you’re used to staying silent, never saying what you think and ignoring what you feel, it’s no wonder you don’t feel connected to your wolf.”

Could it be? It’s not that I never felt close to my wolf before. But she always seemed so... weak. I could only feel her in emergency situations, like when I got a beating or when I was scared. But it never felt like she wanted to take over, though. As if she always thought it was... worthless.

“Tonia... Where’s Damian?”

I’ve meant to ask all morning. I’m sure I fell asleep in Damian’s arms last night. It’s as if I can still feel his touch, his smell on me, despite the shower and all. It just lingers on me like some warm shadow. And it makes me want more. But Tonia just shakes her head with an apologetic look.

“He’s... busy for now. I’m not sure where he is exactly, to be honest. He didn’t stay long last night. He put you to sleep, and he left right after that.”

Why is it like this? Am I the only one craving his presence? It seems like he won’t stay every time we see each other. I felt so safe and serene in his arms... I want to see him again. So why is it that he’s never here? He’ll provide me a VIP room in some hospital, now a fancy apartment, but he just comes and go. We remain strangers.

I might be wary of his background, of his dark history, but whether I like it or not, he is my mate. All my instincts push me into his arms. My wolf yearns for her counterpart. At the hospital, he visited me twice, and I was half-sleeping. Now, when I thought he had finally come back, he just lands me here and leaves again?

I just stay close to Bobo and spend the afternoon watching a movie with him snoring loudly beside me. Surprisingly, Tonia went out for a couple of hours, saying she had to run a few errands.

When she comes back, I’m in the study, with Bobo sleeping at my feet. She laughs from the doorstep, surprised I’m using the computer instead of reading some of the books.

“Well, someone has remembered she’s living in the twenty-first century! I’m even surprised you know how to use it!”

“I’m not that clueless!” I protest, a bit offended.

“If you say so, baby girl. Now, tell me, what are you doing? Getting more books? You couldn’t have finished reading the whole library in one afternoon.”

“Stop making fun of me. I’m just looking at job offers.”

“Wait... You are looking at what?”

Uh-oh. Judging from Tonia’s expression, this is not going to end well...

She crosses her arms, looking visibly pissed at me. What, are we also going to argue about this now? This is ridiculous!

“Are you trying to make my job difficult? Why do you have to work?”

How can this be a real question! We agreed earlier that I was just... borrowing this apartment for now, but that also means I don’t intend to live here forever!

I must think about when I’ll have to leave eventually, and when that happens, I don’t want to be as hopeless as I was before. I almost died by the hands of my brother, and I let my pack step all over me. I’m not taking chances a second time. But I can’t tell her any of this for now.

“Tonia, I need a job, I need money. I told you, I don’t want to feel indebted or anything. Staying here is already too much for me.”

“Will you stop with this stupid money issue? You haven’t been here for 24 hours yet, and you’re already talking about leaving!”

“Because that is the correct thing to do, Tonia! I’ve never relied on anyone, and I don’t want to!”

Tonia lets out a growl of frustration, but I don’t care. How am I just supposed to accept this dream life and let myself be sheltered like a kid? Life is no fairy tale! I appreciate what Damian’s been doing for me, but I don’t want to stand back and do nothing. I’m done with fearing my own shadow. I need to learn to speak and live for myself. And it starts with getting a life on my own. And a job.

“Bobo, say something!”

I doubt her brother will step in to help her. He didn’t stop me when I said what I was about to do. Even now, he’s pretending to sleep under my chair, even though we all can tell he’s just ignoring his sister.

“Nora, I don’t think you realize your situation. You’re the Boss’s mate. From now on, you are going to be in danger 24/7. Do you think you’re here just because he is nice to you? Well, there’s that, but this is also for security reasons. I thought you wanted to get away from your pack. Just consider that now you have to avoid all the other packs!”

As far as security go, yes, I did notice the 200-pounds wolf following me around all day... But I bite my lip as I realize she’s a bit right, too. I know how far Damian’s reputation goes, and it’s nothing pleasant. If anyone wanted to harm him, they could try and attack me. We may not be an official couple or have mated -yet-, but what I’ve experienced of our link so far tells me we would feel it if something happened to the other. My wolf agrees, too, she doesn’t want to part with him or let her mate be hurt. I don’t think she cares about the “getting a job” part at all. That’s human stuff. I turn to Tonia.

“How many people know I’m his fated mate?”

She looks a bit surprised by my question and stops frowning to think about it seriously.

“Not many, for now. We tried to keep it to a minimum. Only like, ten or eleven people perhaps, including the Boss’s brothers and mine.”

So they’re basically concealing my existence. Not that it bothers me; I also prefer it that way.

“But nobody needs to know, right? Tonia, I could find a job far from my Clan’s turf, act normal, and no one would know I’m related to him in any way.”

“No.”

I can feel some tension in her voice, and somehow, I think there’s something else. Something she doesn’t want to tell me. But what could it be? Is it that I’m really in danger, more than I thought? But neither Tonia nor Bobo really seem to be on guard. And Tonia did leave us for a couple hours earlier, something she never did when I was at the hospital.

After a long silence, both of us doing our own thinking, Tonia lets out a sigh. “Gosh, when you were mute for a few weeks, I never imagined you could be that stubborn, baby girl. You know what? If you want to work, I get it. I really do. But please, talk to the Boss before doing anything. He’ll definitely be against it, and very mad.”

I really hope Tonia’s wrong. He wouldn’t get mad over something so trivial as letting me get a job, right...? I try not to think too deeply about it and just nod at her answer.

“Okay, then. I will ask Damian first, I promise. But do you know when I can see him again?”

She hesitates.

“I asked him earlier, but... he’s busy, Nora.”

The busy excuse again. I get that Damian is an Alpha and must be quite busy with such a large pack to handle, but I’m getting tired of it. He’s out there doing werewolf stuff while I’m stuck here cooking and reading books, and I hate it.

“I’m sure he’ll find time to visit you real soon,” says Tonia with a sorry look. “But meanwhile, no more talking about you getting a job, okay?”

“...Okay.”

I can see the relief on her face.

So, I did wait.