His Blue Moon Princess
His Sunshine Baby Chapter 63

"Yep. You're definitely an i***t, Damian."

I sigh. I may be on Liam's side on this one, but I still understand Damian's reasons. There are so many things to take into account, but as usual, our older brother is just thinking about one thing, his precious mate Nora. "I know what I'm doing, Liam. Stop making a fuss. It's nothing."

I exchange a look with our Betas, Neal and Isaac, standing on the side, who don't dare to say anything for now. This argument has been going on for way too long already. But it's definitely not "nothing" as Damian said. "Damian, I really think you should reconsider," I say. "This is wrong. For Nora and for you."

"I've already made up my mind, Nate."

"If Nora learns about this, Damian, she will..."

"She doesn't need to know!" He yells.

"Of course she will know!" Insists our little brother. "Seriously, Damian! Getting engaged to Alexandra f*****g King? Have you gone mad!"

"You know I have to!"

I sigh.

It's not like I don't understand. The situation is way too tense right now.

With our repeated intrusions on the Jade Moon turf, his mate taking their control, plus our surveillance on the White Moon and Sapphire Moon Clans, everyone else's been getting more wary of us. Everyone's afraid the peace will be disturbed by the sudden shift of strength. The Sapphire Moon's already taking every chance they get to bring us down, the Purple Moon Clan doesn't trust us, and the Gold Moon Clan is just trying to pull the blanket to them... The blanket, in that case, is my brother.

"Damian, please, reconsider. I know you think you can protect Nora this way, but she will never agree to you getting engaged to someone else!" I insist.

"Alexandra King is not someone to be trusted," adds Neal. "She's clearly holding the financial flows of Silver City tight in order to get her way out of this. If we back up too late, they may seriously put us in a rough position. All of our investors are already asking a lot of questions, Boss."

"Not just them, everyone is. Damian, if you agree to the engagement, we will have a clear alliance with the Gold Moon, that might trigger all the other Clans!" Says Liam.

"If we ally with the Gold Moon, we will be strong enough."

I roll my eyes. He is so damn stubborn!

"Strong enough against who? You're making your own enemies, Damian!"

"And I don't trust the Gold Moon either," adds Isaac. "Those pricks are great at farting higher than their asses. They are just going to drag us in the mud with them." "Agreed. Not with the wording, but... agreed," said Neal.

"No, everything will be fine. This way, I can protect Nora and..."

"Oh for Moon Goddess' sake, Damian, change your chorus! Nora is hella fine!" Yells Liam, exasperated. "She will be fine until the point when she learns about your f*****g two-timing!"

"I am not cheating on her! And you forgot there's some psycho out there looking for her! Until we replace him, I am not going to say no to any mean I have to protect Nora!"

"Excuse me, you think King is just going to have tea and biscuits with you? That woman is worse than a blood-sucker, Damian! I'm sure she's already got the leash and name tag ready for you!"

He's speaking to a statue. Damian is the most stubborn of us. Since we know Nora was almost r***d by that guy, and how much she's traumatized by it, he's literally freaking out. Half of our pack is looking for the man, and everything is a potential threat. Those pack matters just couldn't have happened with worse timing. The Sapphire Moon Clan did not appreciate us taking control of the Jade Moon territory, through Nora. And the Gold Moon chose this little spark to stir things between us and everyone else. We can't even discuss matters with the other Clans, everyone thinks we're ready to attack them anytime with the Gold Moon Clan backing us up... Even I feel guilty because of the surveillance I put the White Moon Clan under.

If only we had a way out of this mess, other than Damian getting engaged to the Gold Moon Clan's daughter...

Alexandra King is rich, smart, pretty and the problem is, she knows all that. Making her a mythic manipulative b***h. She probably fed up Damian with stories about how she would allow him to be with Nora and help him protect her in the first place. As if she was ready to share anything...

I exchange a look with Liam.

I know my little brother likes Nora too and wants to make things right, but Damian is in his own mess this time. He hates to rely on us or anyone else. If he thinks he can shoulder everything alone, he will. Which is why he thinks making a deal with the Gold Moon Clan is fine.

Of course, it's not.

"Damian, one more time, please reconsider. Everyone is asking you to. Do you even imagine what Nora will think?"

"Enough. We are done discussing this. Nora won't know, she doesn't need to know and the Gold Moon Clan will take what we give them. Neal, I want all those contracts, deals and our people secured. If things go wrong, I want our lawyers ready too." "Oh, like hell she won't know..." Grumbles Liam.

But right at that moment, my brother turns to Liam, furious like I haven't seen him in a while. He uses his Alpha aura, his ice-cold anger bursting the room. Our Betas take a step back, not feeling too great. I wish he would learn to hold back a little sometimes... "Promise you won't say anything to Nora, Liam," suddenly says Damian.

"What? But..."

"Promise!"

I see Liam hesitate for a while, we exchange a look, and he sighs.

"I promise on the Moon Goddess, I won't say a word to Nora about your engagement."

Visibly satisfied, Damian storms out, still mad. I leave out a big sigh. That's a lot of arguing for today... But to my surprise, Liam has a smirk on. Oh-oh. I know when he has that expression on. I walk up to him.

"You got something in mind, don't you?"

"Maybe. You gonna stop me?"

I take a look at the door where Damian and his Beta just left. I would feel bad about betraying him, but... I really don't want to see him trapped by this stupid engagement thing. He will regret it sooner or later, that's for sure. And I feel like we owe it to Nora. She's a great girl.

"I won't tell if I don't know."

"Good. Then I'm off!" Announces Liam.

"Where to, Liam?"

He waves goodbye without answering. Moon Goddess, my brothers exhaust me, both of them... I'm left with Isaac, who chuckles.

"Sometimes I forget who's actually the oldest between you and the Boss, you know."

"Not funny, Isaac. Damian is so crazy when it comes to Nora. I mean, the part when he chained her to the bed was already low, but now this..."

"Honestly, I kind of understand the feeling of wanting to do anything for your mate. And he's been through a lot already. She's been abused for what, ten years? No wonder he just wants to put her in a golden tower with an army of bodyguards... or in a Penthouse with Antonia and Boyan, which is pretty much the same."

"This engagement idiocy is going to come right back into our faces."

"Yeah, Neal is freaking out too. Problem is, more than half of our company executives are humans, and all for it. They only see the Gold Moon Clan's money... Anyway, we still got a bit of time. Isn't it the Princess' birthday, by the way?"

I nod.

Yes, it is. Nora's turning eighteen today, and I had to help Damian organize her perfect day. Even with everything that is going on, I hope she can enjoy their first official date. She's been through a lot, and she's still an awesome, brave girl. Which is also why I'm against this stupid engagement idea. Nora's not as weak as Damian still thinks, I've seen it with my own eyes. I may also be hoping she beats his a*s and gives him a wake-up call when she learns about it...

"... Any news from your pretty blondie?"

I reply with a glare. No.

I'm still f*****g blocked whenever I try to call or text Elena. I'm pretty sure it's her best friend's doing... I can't believe she's really been ignoring me for weeks now. Nothing, absolutely nothing from her. It drives me crazy. I've been overworking myself and focusing on other things to not think about it, but... I just can't seem to forget Elena. I hate how we split up on that stupid misunderstanding. If only she'd let me talk...

I got back to my office with Isaac, trying to get some work done despite all the craziness that's going on. Around 4 pm, I decide to go and drop by the restaurant where Nora is working.

I have to give it to her, she's really a good girl. She could stay at home, enjoying everything her billionaire mate has ready for her, but she fought long and hard to actually get a proper job. She knows the value of hard work, and she will not give in to Damian's overprotectiveness, which is quite admirable on its own.

The only problem is that Narcissa is her manager. I can't avoid my ex s*x-friend, even if I keep the topic to Nora's working performance only. However, it's easier than ever to ignore her intense stare and mannered attitude. Since I've been with Elena, no other woman has been able to make me feel anything. I'm f*****g numb to anyone but her...

At least, Nora's doing great. She's come a long way from the weak, malnourished and terrorized girl we found two months ago. Her smile enlightens the whole room, she looks happier than ever, talking to me about her new work and all her birthday presents. "Thanks, Nathaniel. And thank you for the birthday present, I loved the shoes! And yes, it went well! Thank you so much for letting me try this job, I truly love it. And the team is great too."

She's just smiling from one ear to another. From Narcissa, I knew she was doing well here and getting along with the team, but it's good to see her so enthusiast.

"I'm glad to hear it. Well, seems like everyone is happy so I guess we can think of making this a long-term position for you. Let's give it a week, see if it works well for you. You can discuss the details with Narcissa, she's basically in charge of this one. I come often, but I just oversee it and intervene if I'm needed."

Nora seems even more enthusiast, but all of a sudden, I see her expression change. She glances in Boyan's way, who's been waiting for her to end her shift in a corner of the restaurant.

"Ok. But will Bobo have to wait for me every time? It's a bit long for him, and Tonia has to drive me too..."

Damn, she has no idea how protective Damian really is... It's not just Boyan and Tonia, there are always at least three to five other wolves following them from afar or guarding her place when she's in.

"That's not for me to decide, Princess. Personally, I don't think you're at risk being here, but we both know how my brother can be overprotective. I would suggest you bring this matter to him yourself, but I wouldn't get my hopes up if I were you." That's an understatement. Damian is going to say hell no to anything she asks that would imply lowering her security. But she's welcome to try...

I know she's unhappy with my answer, but really, I'm not up to battle with Damian about Nora's safety, the thing he's most crazy about. Eventually, I manage to change the conversation topic back to her work despite Nora's stubbornness. Only when Tonia comes to pick her up can I leave the place too, and I'm too happy to evade Narcissa's stare as well.

I go to the port, checking one last time the details for tonight's date. Damian is one hell of a romantic, who knew. I set everything up perfectly, but he still calls me twice to check on things. He's like a teenager freaking out about his first date... Well, I guess it is their first.

I can't help but remember my own dates with Elena. I took her to dinner like this, too. She never loved fancy places, so I always struggled to replace the right balance between romantic and cozy. I don't know if I already was expecting something from her at that point. Maybe. Maybe I fell for her even earlier than I want to admit...

I'm lost in my memories when my phone vibrates.

"Hello?"

"Hey, Nate, meeting someone you forgot to tell me about?"

"What are you talking about, Isaac?"

"Guys just told me they spotted a blonde woman, in an oversized denim jacket, crossing our border a few minutes ago... Our border with the White Moon Clan, mate."

What the...? Elena is here? Now? I grab my car keys and almost run back to the parking lot.

"Isaac, where?" I yell in the phone, turning the engine on.

"She's headed to the third street, I got people following her."

The third street? Isn't that where Tonia was taking Nora for her afternoon preparations? I ask Isaac to keep me informed and try to call Tonia, but her phone's not responding. Shit... Tonia, where are you?

Busy fetching your annoying little brother again!

What? Are you kidding me, you're not with Nora?

No, I just told you, Liam is messing up and went to the Purple Moon territory again! Neal called me a few minutes ago to go get that brat back! But Nora's with Boyan at the Salon, it's cool!

No, it's not cool. Why is Elena suddenly showing up, and going to the same place Nora is? And right when Tonia isn't there, too? I may be paranoid, but that sounds like a weird coincidence... Is she going to see Boyan? He's in his human form for the first time in weeks, this could explain that.

Nathaniel, what's wrong? You're going to get Liam?

No, you go get Liam, I'm going to Nora. Where is the salon?

Are you kidding me? Why do I always have to... urgh!

She growls after me, but I don't care. I head right to the salon, which, as I expected, turns out to be Elena's direction too. I keep looking at Isaac's texts, trying to figure out what's going on. Why would she be back just to see Boyan? She didn't contact me at all, and when I try to call her, I'm obviously still blocked.

That woman is driving me crazy!

I finally park close to the salon, and Moon Goddess, I'm almost running there, my heart beating like crazy. Elena is there. For real. I haven't seen her in weeks, I didn't get a chance to talk to her since...

I walk in the salon, only to replace her facing Nora and Boyan. Why does she... She looks a bit different. Actually, how is she not surprised to see me at all? She doesn't even seem mad. No, wait, I should be the one being mad! Nothing in weeks, no call, no text, and she shows up here out of the blue? No, I'm not even mad at her, I'm just... I don't know what to think. I need to talk to her, my wolf is restless too.

My eyes go to Nora and Boyan quickly, both obviously surprised to see me, but who I'm really focused on is Elena. She's staring at me very calmly, and it's somehow worse because I can't tell what she's thinking. Is she still mad? Is she over me? I... I need to talk to her, but not here, not in front of Damian's mate.

I try to calm down. Come on, I got this. It's Elena, she's on my territory. Calm down, Nate, be an Alpha.

"Elena... What are you doing here?"