His Blue Moon Princess
Chapter 28

After Damian's departure, I turn to the others, but a long silence follows for a while. "Don't worry," says Liam, "my brother never breaks a promise."

I wouldn't be so sure about that. He looked really, really angry. What do I do? I turn to Tonia, worried. What if he really kills Alec? I need him to talk! After staring for a while, she rolls her eyes and takes out her phone. "All right, I'll call Neal. But I can't guarantee the Boss will listen, Nora."

I nod, biting my lip anxiously. It's better than doing nothing... I haven't met Neal yet, but seeing how mad he was just now, I doubt even Nathaniel will be able to stop him if he really decided to kill Alec. I just need to talk to my brother. Why do I have to worry that Damian will actually slice him or something?

Tonia exits the room to call her brother, and I sit back on the bed, exhausted by all this tension. Liam comes to sit with me, pushing the tray towards me so I can finish eating.

"Your brother is a real piece of shit."

"He wasn't always like that... When we were kids he was nice to me. My mother never really liked me, but Alec and my dad did. He changed when she died." "Do you have any idea why?"

I shake my head and finish eating my pasta while thinking. Why, indeed? This is the biggest mystery so far. How did my brother come to hate me overnight? "He said something like it's my fault we are orphans."

"About your parents' death? But you said it's just your mom that went nuts. How could it be your fault? The police report Nate found was the same."

I sigh. I really don't understand either. I was there when our parents died, and that was the most horrifying thing I ever saw. Alec was there, too, we both saw the same thing. So why does it feels like I'm the one missing a piece of the puzzle?

Liam takes a piece of my cake, frowning. He really looks a lot like Damian when he does that. The three brothers really look a lot like each other despite their different personalities. Nathaniel is the only one who is blonde, but he has blue-grey eyes like Liam and is about the same size as Damian. Liam is obviously younger, and of a smaller build, but he will probably catch up in the future.

He notices I'm observing him and frowns again.

"What? Is it because I took your cake?"

I laugh a bit and shake my head. Liam can be really childish sometimes, despite being almost my age.

"No, I was just thinking. You guys are close."

He shrugs. "We had to. Our father was... He never gave a damn about us. He was obsessed with his Alpha stuff and never cared about his family. The only one he ever cared about was his mate, our mom, but he changed a lot after suddenly becoming the Alpha. He did nothing but work, and he didn't care for anything else anymore. And Mom... Our mom was sick for as long as I remember, but she loved us. She was the best."

Looks like Liam was really fond of their mother... I wonder what she looked like. Did they take after her? As for me, I didn't resemble my mother, nor did I ever felt close to her... She clearly always preferred Alec, but she wasn't cold to me either. Liam takes a new piece of the cake and keeps talking while eating.

"We took it hard when she died... But the worst was our father; he got even more violent. Her death really made him snap."

I frown and get closer. I know that look in Liam's eyes. I know it all too well. Could it be...? "He beat you?" I ask softly

He nods, avoiding my eyes. "He beat anyone... any reason was good. But Damian and Nate took most of the hits. They always protected me because I was younger. But that just made him even madder. Life with our father was hell. Damian stood up to him every day, and even his Beta couldn't stand him. He fought with anyone like some mad dog. He always was crazy about gaining more territory, killing vampires, even 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, but I never imagined he was even abusing his own children. I remember how people even 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. And he experienced all of my hardships through our bond, too... He can't ignore it so easily. Who would have thought our families had so many similarities?

I finish eating with Liam's help. Apparently, he and Tonia will sleep in the apartment 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 an agitated 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 almost 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, so it's nothing new to me. Instead, I decide to 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 decide to leave my hair as it is after brushing it quickly and put a sweater on since I'm still feeling chilly. Fully awake, I head to the kitchen as silently as possible.

However, I didn't expect to replace 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 properly. Upon seeing me entering, 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. Don't worry, I didn't go to kill your brother. Neal called me on the way. He convinced me not to. So, I went to the company's 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 fairly well. "To work? You didn't sleep?" I ask.

"I did, 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 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 serious 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 replace the strength to face him after everything that happened." He 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 is passing some of his strength to me, and when our lips 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 to him and put my hand on his cheek.

I love this man.

I don't know when I truly came to realize 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 the ways he kisses me, so 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 replace 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. But then he is the one 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, leaving his hands around me but still watching his brother's moves. Actually, Liam ignores us and walks to the fridge, with a grumpy face, scratching his bare stomach. But he frowns after a while 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 he ate on his own. I don't know who usually cooks for him, considering that he lives downstairs, but he 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 5 AM if everyone is up anyway.... Tonia is still sleeping, but she will probably get up sometime soon, considering she's a morning person. Turns out I was right. An hour later, the four of us are seating around the table, having breakfast while it's still totally dark outside.

Tonia turned to Liam as I was serving orange juice. "What about the school, kid?"

He rolled his eyes and was about to say something, but then his eyes crossed those of his brother. In a split second, the two of them exchanged a look, though they didn't say a thing. Liam sighed, and his attitude while answering to Tonia changed. "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 in the 1st of December. It's already been more than 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, replaceing 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 see them catching Alec at all. I hope he didn't fight and hurt someone. Though if Bobo was the one to catch him, I doubt he did anything bad to the big wolf... "It's okay. He's 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 this time, he is ignoring me and eating his breakfast without any expression. 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, since 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 looks 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. So why can I smell it all over Nathaniel's car...?