“It made me realize how much they have overprotected me, again. And this time, Nora, I’m not willing to let Damian make all the sacrifices by himself. I want to be the one to protect them, and I’m going to need your help with that. So please, don’t abandon Damian.”
Much later, I’m back in Elena and Daniel’s apartment, though the latter is now gone, off to spend the night with Bobo. I’m left with my cousin, who fell asleep a few minutes ago. I can’t sleep at all.
Everything Liam and I talked about today keeps circling in my mind, and I can’t shake it off. How many more hardships will the brothers have to face from now on? This war is coming... Damian, how is he going to face it? I keep seeing him, next to that woman. Remembering that scene still hurts, but I am a werewolf. I need to start thinking like one, and that includes everything that is going on for the Clans right now. I need to start taking decisions.
I get up silently, trying not to wake up Elena. In the living room, the clock indicates it’s one in the morning. It’s still pouring outside... I grab one of the blankets and sit in the kitchen. I take a few minutes, calming myself and observing the rain. This is going to be hard... I finally take out my phone and look for Damian’s voicemail to listen. He left it about two hours after I left yesterday. I take a deep breath.
For a few seconds, the message is entirely silent. I check several times if it’s really playing, but after a while, I suddenly hear some sounds. Oh my gosh, is Damian... crying?
I feel my heart tightening. It’s muffled, but I’m almost sure this is what I think. I feel my own tears running down my cheeks, hearing my mate’s pain. He breathes in, and finally, starts talking, slowly, with a broken voice.
“Nora... I’m so sorry, Nora... I’m sorry. I... I know I should have told you, I... I’m such an idiot. Nora, I never know what’s the right thing to do when it comes to you. Nora... I want to protect you so much. You’re the most important thing to me. I love you, Nora, I love you. I love you so much it hurts because I never know. I don’t know how to make you happy, and I don’t know how to protect you. I... That engagement, that woman, they mean nothing to me, Nora. They are nothing. I swear. You’re the only one in my mind, you’ve been the only one forever. I... I need you, Nora. I don’t care about any of the rest. My Clan, my people, my brothers... I can’t do this without you, Nora. I’ll go mad, and I... I can’t take it. I need you. I really need you. Nora...”
He breathes in, and I do the same, not holding my tears back anymore. But there’s more, Damian’s voice comes in a whisper.
“...I love you. I love your blue eyes, the way you look at me and make me feel like a better man than I am. I want you, in my arms, every single second that goes by. Nora... I don’t want to lose you, and I love you. I... I’m so, so sorry. Please, Nora. Don’t leave me, please. I... Can we talk? I want to explain to you. I know it’s late, but...”
He goes silent again, but I can hear his breathing, calmer than before. After a while, he chuckles.
“I’m a fucking idiot... And I’m always too late when it comes to you, aren’t I? I... I don’t want to lose you again,Nora. I can’t. I don’t know how long it will take, but... I just hope you will forgive me. Tell me what it will take, I’ll do it. I just want you back, Nora. I’m sorry. And I’m a dumbass.”
I can’t help but laugh between my tears when he says that. I never heard Damian pronounce that kind of word. A long silence, again, but I can hear his breathing, so I keep listening until he starts talking again.
“Nora... I hope you’ll listen to this. I don’t feel stupid, talking alone here. If I just imagine you are listening to this... I already feel better. I know I should feel bad, but I... Damn, I miss you already... I love you, Nora. I should have told you sooner, not in that stupid elevator, not like this... I told you, I’m always too late... But I’ll say it again. I love you. I’ll say it as many times as it takes, as many times as you want to hear it. I love you, Nora Bluemoon, I love you.”
I burst into tears, listening to his voice, whispering those three words again and again.
The next morning, I wake up on the couch. I fell asleep there, listening to Damian’s voice. My first reflex is to check that his message wasn’t deleted or anything, but it seems like my phone archived it on its own. It turns out the battery is almost dead because it stayed online most of the night. I use the last of it to listen to Damian’s message one more time.
It feels so unreal... Every time I hear it, I’m brought to tears. His voice breaking, his words, repeating how much he loves me. It takes me a few minutes to calm down. My wolf, too, is going crazy, begging to see Damian. I have a hard time taming her, and my heartbeat is going wild. Is the room spinning? And I feel hot suddenly...
I hear Elena’s voice, calling my name. What is wrong with me? I’m burning, and a bit dizzy... When I wake up again, I’m feeling cold. Elena is next to me, gently caressing my hair.I recognize her living room; I’m still on the couch... What happened? I’m so thirsty! She notices I’m awake when I try to sit up.
“Nora! How do you feel?”
She helps me sit up, but all I can think of is this hellish thirst.
“Elena, can I get some water?” I ask with a raspy voice.
“Oh, sure!”
She hands me a water bottle, and I start drinking like I haven’t had any in weeks. Once I’m done, I feel a lot better. Daniel takes the bottle away, and Elena smiles at me and puts her hand on my forehead like a doctor.
“You should feel a lot better now. Do you still feel hot?”
I shake my head, still confused. “Elena, what’s going on? What happened?”
“I found you there this morning; you looked very sick. I thought of taking you to the hospital, but it was just a slight fever. Too many emotions these days, huh?
I nod. I didn’t think I’d feel sick just from all that... Probably the rain from the other day, too... Elena sighs, “Don’t worry, we already gave you some medicine. It works great on werewolves, so you should be fine now.”
So that’s why I feel a bit cold instead of hot... I don’t feel my wolf either; it’s like she is half-asleep.
“Thank you, Elena”
She nods and gives me an extra blanket. “It’s alright. You can sleep anyway; it’s Sunday. Will you be okay about going to work tomorrow?”
Right, work... I can’t believe I have to go to work after everything that happened. It feels a bit surreal, but after all, I wanted this job. I nod. I may not be too happy with it for once, but I guess I must. And it’s not like Damian will come, anyway.
