And yet he keeps smiling like some mischievous kid. I really don’t like his attitude! He is acting like I’m so gullible! Who said I was going to forgive Damian so easily? He got engaged to another woman, for Moon Goddess’ sake! Whatever reasons he had, how am I supposed to get over this, and it hasn’t been two days, either!
While I’m fighting with my emotions, my wolf is fidgeting, too. She wants to see our mate badly. She is angry, but she misses him a lot also.Can’t we go see him?I want to tell her to shut up, but I know she is me, too. A part of me that longs for her other half.
I’m still thinking it over and over when Nina comes to take our empty plates away. This time, Liam chooses the desserts for the two of us without even looking at the menus, and I don’t mind it. I’m too busy fighting my inner turmoil to argue over desserts right now.
“Talk with Damian.”
I glare at Liam, annoyed at him.
“I’m serious, Nora. Talk to him, at least. You two love each other.”
I hate that look he is giving me right now. Why does he have to be always right? And so sure of himself, too.
“I still don’t understand how I can help Damian.”
“Nora, you are much stronger than you think. You don’t realize it yet. I know you; you are not going to let that girl get Damian.”
My wolf starts growling.Hell no, he is our mate, ours!It takes me a few seconds to calm her down. I wish I were better at taming my inner wolf, but that whole fated mate thing doesn’t make it easy.
Nina brings our desserts, crepes topped with fruits and chocolate, with two hot chocolates covered with marshmallows. Gosh, how can Liam eat so much? He practically jumps on his dessert like he hasn’t eaten in three days.
I sigh. “Okay, I will talk with Damian. I don’t promise anything else.”
“Mm,” he replies, his mouth full.
I start eating my dessert, too, and though it is delicious, my mind is still lingering somewhere else. What am I supposed to say to my engaged mate? Liam just gave me a lot of information about whatever was going on, but I really need to hear it from Damian. Last night, I lost all trust I had in him, and now, it’s like picking up the pieces of broken glass. It’s sharp and painful, and I know the cracks will remain. I don’t want to go through something like this ever again.
“I’ve had enough with all the secrets.”
Liam raises his head, and I realize I subconsciously used my wolf’s voice to talk. He smiles and puts his spoon back on the table. His eyes wander outside, watching the rain and the sea.
“You know, I overheard my brothers’ last secret recently,” he says.
What is he talking about now? He keeps talking, his eyes still looking outside.
“There was a reason my father hated me, why I was the one he always wanted to beat up. Our mom... She got sick because of me.”
Because of Liam? They never gave me details about whatever their mother suffered from, but I know she died slowly, very weakened. Liam’s eyes are undecipherable, but he won’t stop gazing outside.
“Our father already fought a lot before I was born. Mostly against vampires. There were several Clans here, in Silver City, a few years ago, constantly fighting with us werewolves. One day, he attacked the wrong one. He killed a vampire’s loved one, so... that vampire took revenge on him.”
“...He attacked your mother?”
Liam nods. “Vampire bites are poisonous to wolves. Usually, we can survive if we don’t get too much of their venom, and our wolf form will heal it for us, but when that vampire attacked our mom, he wanted to kill her. Our mother was a strong wolf, though. She should have been able to fight him off, but... From Elena, you probably know that pregnant werewolves can’t shapeshift, right?”
So that’s it... Their mother didn’t die of sickness but from a vampire’s venom, because she was pregnant with Liam and couldn’t shapeshift to take her wolf form. Hence, she had no choice but to get poisoned. Past a certain level of venom, our wolf abilities can’t do anything; it’s too late. Their mother was infected…
“You didn’t know?”
He shakes his head. “I just thought our mom was sick. They never said a thing, and neither did she. It does explain a lot of things.”
It really does... Even their father’s hatred for vampires, why he chased all of them out. I think about Liam, and his brothers, hiding him the truth. Why they did it...
“It wasn’t your fault, Liam.”
He nods. “I know. I already had that talk with Nathaniel. He and Damian chose not to tell me so I wouldn’t be hurtor feel guilty. My mom probably felt the same, too. It doesn’t change the fact that our father was a monster, but...”
He turns to me, and grabs my hand, looking at me very seriously.
