He seems to calm down, and without being able to refrain myself any longer, I lean in to kiss his lips. Gosh, I missed this taste... I retreat, and he stares at me, surprised.
“I’m still mad at you,” I clarify. “...But I listened to your voicemail. That, and I talked to Liam, too.”
“My message... I didn’t think you would really listen to it...”
“Well, I did.”
He nods and sighs. He looks really tired... Don’t tell me he hasn’t gotten any sleep since Friday night? It can’t be...
“I meant everything I said. I’m so sorry, Nora... I should have talked to you.”
“Damian, we can’t keep going like this.”
He frowns and looks at me in the eye. I need to say this now because I can’t take it anymore. I take his face in my hands, talking very seriously now.
“Don’t hide things from me. I know you want to protect me, but this is just hurting me more. I don’t want to have to learn things from others again. Tell me, Damian. Anything I’m involved with, everything I need to know. You should have told me about the issues with your Clan and this engagement sooner. I can handle it, okay? Stop protecting me so much.”
He shakes his head. “I will never stop protecting you, Nora. I don’t want you to suffer or be caught in any of this mess.”
“You are making me suffer more with those secrets! Damian, I love you too, but if I can’t trust you, I can’t stay with you.”
Damian suddenly grabs me by the waist, bringing me closer to him with an anxious expression I’ve never seenbefore. I’m straddling him, but we are both too agitated for any other thoughts right now.
“Don’t leave me, Nora. I don’t want to go through this ever again,” he says, looking more serious than ever.
I put my hands behind his head and look him right in the eye. “Then promise me. No more secrets, Damian. About me, about you, or the Clan. Don’t deliberately hide things from me again.”
“What if you don’t like it?”
“I can handle it. I’m a big girl, Damian, not a defenseless pup.”
I see him hesitating, frowning. He is thinking so hard, it’s like I can hear his inner turmoil from here. He closes his eyes and rests his head on my shoulder. I instinctively start caressing the base of his hairline, brushing his short hair with my fingertips. His arms slide around my waist, hugging me close.
“...What if you don’t love me because of what you are going to hear?”
“Damian, I came back after hearing you were engaged to another woman. Unless you have a wife and kids somewhere, I should be able to handle it.”
He chuckles, and I slap his shoulder, annoyed. It’s not funny! I’m still mad about this whole engagement thing...
I feel him sigh against my neck. “I’m a fighter, Nora. I’ve killed people before, and I will do it again if needed. Not only my own father, but I have a lot of blood on my hands. You are so pure and innocent, sometimes I’m scared all this darkness will scare you away.”
I know that. I knew from the start that one doesn’t become Alpha in a city of werewolves just with relations and money. We live in a world filled with violence. The Black Brothers are not just the three nice young men I know. Theyhold the lives of hundreds of people in their hands, and many more depend on them. It’s a scary world hiding in their shadows. Even if Liam is a teen like me, he is a fighter. Nathaniel, too, fully supports Damian. Lastly, Damian is the King of this city, the most powerful man and the most dangerous wolf. I never forget that. Even now, when he is in my arms.
“You won’t, Damian. I promise.”
He raises his head and kisses me without warning. A loving, tender kiss. I respond to it, unable to resist. I’ve missed him so much for those two days... His strong arms holding me, the touch of his hands in my hair and on my waist. His body heat and smell melting with mine. After a few seconds of getting drunk on his lips, I gather whatever is left of my self-control to push him away.
“Stop kissing me, Damian. You didn’t promise. Please.”
He sighs, playing with my curls between his fingers. When he speaks again, he looks at me in the eye, very seriously. “No more secrets, Nora. I promise.”
I smile. Finally! Now that I have his word, and I hope he will keep it, I have to ask a question that has been on the back of my mind all weekend. Truth is, I’m a bit scared. I really hope he will give me the answer I need to hear. I take a deep breath and ask him very seriously.
“Damian, that woman... Did you sleep with her?”
I can’t even describe how scared I am right now. It’s like my stomach is filled with ice.
For a second, Damian looks perplexed by my question, and after a while, he sighs and gives me a faint smile. “No.I swear, Nora, I’ve never even kissed her. I don’t love her, Nora, you’re the only one for me. You’ve always been the only one.”
