His Blue Moon Princess
Chapter 30

"When I came back to my senses, mother had stabbed herself, too. 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 really 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, and thank Moon Goddess it is, because I'm shaking. All those emotions are overwhelming me, and my wolf is loudly whimpering, too. My parents' death is like a big black hole in my heart; there is no way I can talk about it calmly.

But Alec is looking 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."

"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 Alec knows and makes it all plausible? But it can't be. I saw it with my own eyes, and I'm a hundred percent sure of this memory. Mother stabbed our dad, and I couldn't do a thing to prevent it.

Maybe that's it? Because I could not stop it? Because I came too late?

But 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 suddenly yells.

What? What is this now? This is.... just nonsense...

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, 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, visibly getting impatient, too.

Alec spits a bit of blood to the ground, probably because of Tonia's hit. She steps back to let him talk but still crosses her arms with a menacing look. Alec looks at Nathaniel then Tonia before his glare comes back to Damian and me. He starts talking, in a low tone. "Mom wasn't sick, 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 with the other children from their pack. Yet the only one mom ever loved was him. But they weren't fated mates. So, even if she tried, our father always eluded her, because he believed he might replace 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 hold it in. He annoys me, too, but I want to hear it. Damian's hand covers mine and presses it softly. His growling gets a little softer, but he is still glaring at my brother.

"But as years passed, it became clear neither of them found their mates, so eventually he agreed to start dating mom. A few months later, she got pregnant with me, and they eventually 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. So he wandered further and further into the North to bring back satisfying prey. 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...

"But 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? I can't be. They told me... I mean, I was sure I was born from Mom! And plus, I resemble my father!

I suddenly understand. Oh, no, no, no....

Seeing the expression on my face, Alec smirks.

"Do you start to understand, Nora? Mother took you in. After all, you were just a newborn baby, and your parents were nowhere to be found. When father came home, he agreed with it right away! How funny, huh? Mom had no idea back then. She started taking care of you, too, as her own daughter. After all, Dad loved you, didn't he? Do you start to understand, Nora? What sort of bastard our father was?"

I shake my head. No, I don't want to hear it. My dad didn't do that.

Alec sighs and smiles.

"So, years passed! Mom was fine letting you believe you were her daughter since it made Dad happy that way. Yet she slowly started to doubt, watching you grow. Because somehow, you looked like me. You looked like Dad. How amazing is that? Whenever Dad was away, our clueless, stupid Mother was left with the two of us and her doubts. Despite our three years difference, it started to show, Nora. Our nose, like Dad's. Our curly black hair. Even our voices. All those little, but intriguing, similarities. Can you imagine how much Mom started to think and wonder? What if? What if? What if you really were our Dad's daughter?"

Tears silently start running down my face. I wish he was lying. I wish this was all a made-up story, something twisted that Alec invented to hurt me. Yet why does it feel like this is the truth? The last, scary piece of the puzzle.

"Years and years to wonder, Nora. She never dared to ask. If she was wrong, Dad might get angry and leave her. That thought alone kept her silent for seven freaking years. Can you imagine what it does to the mind, Nora? All this time, every single minute, wondering if you are raising your husband's child, yet knowing it's not yours? But she loved him. Oh Moon Goddess, she still loved him so much she kept her doubts to herself for so long. Until that day."

That fateful day. And all this time I thought my mother just had gone crazy all of sudden... I had no idea she had to keep it bottled for so many years. How did she feel every time she looked at me? Did she despair inside, yet hide it? She never said a thing... Alec closes his eyes, and I suddenly see a tear among the blood on his face.

"One day, she finally asked him, Nora, she did. I was upstairs. I heard them yelling... When I came down, Mom was... she was crying. She kept asking him how could he do this? Have a child with someone else and leave another woman's baby on her doorstep? He didn't say a thing all these years, keeping the lie alive! But you know the worst, Nora?"

This time, we are both crying. Tears flow, and I can't stop. Alec doesn't care, he keeps talking, half smiling, half crying. He looks crazy again, and his tone keeps changing. Yet this time no one is stopping him. We are all listening to him, stunned by the truth unveiled today.

"He didn't even do it for her! It's not because he wanted to keep his marriage! Not even because he was afraid of leaving her, or because he wanted to stay with his family. He lied for you, Nora, all for you. He wanted his daughter to have a normal family, to be able to grow up with a mother and a father. With a Clan to protect her. All his lies, all he did, he did it for you!"

I'm crying desperately, shaking my head. I can't hear it. I can't believe it.

"You did it! Because of you, my father became this man! He drove my mother mad, and he lied to us! Just because of you, Nora! Because of you!" Yells Alec.

I can't hear him. I'm crying and sobbing hard, I don't want to hear this. My head is spinning. I want to leave this room, I want to forget this.

I hear Damian's voice, but I don't understand. Strong arms hold me, and I fight the dizziness to stay awake. I blink several times, trying to breathe to calm myself down. I feel a hand on my back, patting me. Tonia's voice finally reaches my ears.

"That's it, baby girl, breathe, slowly. Calm down, it's okay. It's okay."

"Nora, Nora..."

I hear Damian repeating my name, and I feel his arms around me. I'm in his arms again, but I still feel colder than ever. I close my eyes a bit to rest against his chest while trying to slow my breathing and stop my crying.

"She has a bit of a fever, boss, probably from last night..."

"Let's take her back."

"No!"

I don't know where I found the strength to protest, but I open my eyes and clumsily try to stand up again. Damian helps me, and I can rest on him while regaining my composure as I can. I turn to Alec.

"What about my mother, then? My... birth-mother."

He shrugs. "How would I know? I figure the b***h is dead... How about you join her?"

Bobo and Neal both angrily growl at him, and Damian turns to his Beta. "We're done with him."

"No, stop!" I yell.

After all this, Alec is a victim, too. What happened to our family was not his fault. He was just a kid, too, only ten! He loved our mother so much, and... after what happened, I can't blame him for hating dad and me. I know how awful he was to me, I didn't forget any of it, but... but I don't know what I'm feeling right now and I'm totally confused. Too confused to make any good decision. Yet I can't let Damian have him killed. That's not something wise to do at the moment, and I don't want to regret it later.

But Alec laughs at me again with a smirk.

"What, you want to save me, Nora? Play the nice sister? The pitiful one? When are you going to get it? I hate you! And I don't regret a thing I did to you! Every single time I hit you was f*****g worth it! I wish I had killed you that night!"

All of sudden, I lose balance and see Damian jumping on Alec. He's way too fast for me, and I'm still feeling weak. I see Bobo jump to stop him, but Damian just punches him away like he's a sandbag. Neal steps in a second later, but Damian runs into him with full force, and his Beta is projected against the wall.

Within a split second after shaking off the two brothers, Damian shapeshifts into a black wolf, his fangs ready to take my brother's throat.

I scream.