The dining room settled into a calm silence. I sat across from Damien at the small table. A simple meal had been laid out between us, but neither of us had much of an appetite. I picked at my food, my thoughts scattered after the conversation I'd just had with Xavier. He was away, currently doing his work as the Beta of Moonlit Pack.
Damien, usually composed and in control, seemed quieter than usual. I glanced up at him, studying the hard lines of his face. Damien always seemed so strong, so unshakable. But tonight, there was something in his eyes that I hadn't seen before.
"Are you okay?" I asked softly.
Damien's gaze remained fixed on his plate for a moment before he finally looked up at me. There was hesitation in his eyes, as if he was debating whether to answer honestly or not. But after a long, drawn-out silence, he sighed, running a hand through his dark hair.
"I've been better," he admitted quietly.
I tilted my head slightly, feeling the tension radiating off him. "You seem... different tonight. Like something's bothering you."
Damien let out a low chuckle. "You could say that." He leaned back in his chair and folded his arms across his chest. His gaze drifted away from me.
I waited, sensing that he was on the edge of opening up but unsure if he was ready to take that step.
After a moment, Damien exhaled slowly, his eyes returning to mine, softer now. "There's something I've never told you," he began. "Something that... I don't really talk about."
I leaned forward slightly, my attention fully on him. "What is it?"
Damien's jaw clenched for a moment before he spoke. "I have a younger brother..." He cleared his throat. "His name is Caleb."
My eyes widened slightly. "Why are you telling me this?"
"You must know." There was no room for argument in Damien's voice. "I'm your mate."
My lips parted. "So… what happened to him?"
Damien's gaze dropped to the floor. "It was years ago. We were so close. Closer than anyone, really. He was always following me around, always wanting to be like me. I was the older brother, the protector, the one who was supposed to keep him safe."
He paused. His throat tightened as the memory resurfaced. "But I failed him. One day... we were out in the forest, training, pushing each other like we always did. I was careless. Too caught up in proving myself, showing off my strength. I told him to do something dangerous. Something he wasn't ready for."
My heart clenched as I watched the pain deepen in Damien's expression.
"He didn't make it." Damien stammered. "I thought I could save him. But by the time I reached him... it was too late. He…"
I gasped and immediately reached for his hand over the table. "Damien..." I whispered. "I'm sorry."
He shook his head. "It was my fault. I pushed him too hard, expected too much from him. And because of that, I lost him."
"You couldn't have known," I assured. "You didn't mean for it to happen."
Damien stared at my hand for a long moment. "But it doesn't change the fact that I was responsible. After that... I couldn't bear to be around anyone. I shut myself off. Isolated myself from the pack, from everyone. I was so afraid that if I let anyone else get close, I'd lose them too."
He looked up at me, his eyes filled with a deep sadness. "That's why I've been distant. Why I've always kept people at arm's length. Because the thought of loving someone, of caring about someone again... it terrifies me. I don't think I could survive losing someone else."
My heart ached for him, for the guilt and pain he'd carried for so long. "Damien, you can't keep blaming yourself. You were both just kids."
Damien shook his head. A bitter smile formed on his lips. "Maybe. But it doesn't make it any easier."
We sat in silence for a moment. My hand remained on his, offering comfort in the only way I knew how.
"I think... Caleb would've wanted you to live, to love again."
Damien's eyes softened at my words, and for the first time that night, there was hope in his eyes. "You think so?"
"Yes," I replied firmly. "I'm sure Caleb would want you to have that. He would always be proud of you, wherever he is."
Damien looked at me for a long time, as if my words were sinking into him, slowly breaking down the walls he'd built around himself. Finally, he nodded and smiled. "Moon Goddess was right," he murmured. "About choosing you for us…"
The room was bathed in a soft, dim light as I sat by Magnus's bedside, my thoughts swirling after the conversations I'd just had with Damien and Xavier. They had both opened up to me in ways I hadn't expected, revealing pieces of themselves they kept hidden from the rest of the world.
As I stared at the quiet rise and fall of Magnus's chest, I wondered if I really belonged here. Could I truly be part of their world? Did I really deserve their loyalty? Their love?
Magnus groaned, his eyes fluttering open slowly. I straightened. My heart throbbed as his gaze found mine.
"Magnus," I whispered as I leaned closer. "You're awake."
He blinked, and his lips curved into a faint smile. "Looks like it," he rasped. "But assure me I am not dreaming."
I smirked. "You are," I said, and Magnus laughed heartily. I was already reaching for the glass of water on the nightstand.
"Let me get Doctor Alexander, just to make sure—"
"No," Magnus interrupted softly, catching my wrist with surprising strength despite his condition. "I'm fine, Little Wolf. Really. Don't bother him. Any of them."
I hesitated for a moment, but his mesmerizing eyes held me. It made me relax. "Alright," I murmured, setting the glass down. "But if you feel worse, you have to tell me."
"I will," Magnus promised. "Though I have a feeling I'll be okay as long as you're here."
I felt a flutter in my chest at his words. But realization flooded my thoughts and I looked away. My hands twisted nervously in my lap.
Magnus noticed the change immediately. "What's wrong?" he asked.
"I…" I hesitated, biting my lip. "I don't know if I deserve any of this. Any of you."
Magnus frowned, pushing himself up slightly in bed despite the strain it caused him. "What do you mean?"
"I've been talking to Damien and Xavier," I admitted. "They told me about their pasts, about everything they've been through. They've suffered so much, and here I am, being brought into your lives, causing chaos, almost getting myself, and all of you, killed. I don't know if I deserve to be part of this... part of you."
Magnus's eyes softened as he listened. He exhaled slowly, leaning back against the pillows. "So, they've told you their stories."
I nodded firmly and cleared my throat.
Magnus was quiet for a moment. "I suppose it's my turn, then."
I looked at him, surprised. "Magnus, you don't have to—"
"No," he interrupted gently. "You deserve to know. If you're going to understand us, you should know everything."
Magnus's jaw tightened as if he was bracing himself for the weight of the memories. "I wasn't always with the Moonlit Pack. I didn't grow up here."
My heart quickened as I just listened carefully.
"I was born into a pack far from here, in the northern mountains," Magnus continued. "We were small, but strong. My parents were the Alpha and the Luna, and they were respected by everyone around us. I was their only child, and they were raising me to take over one day. Everything was good. Peaceful, even. My future was secured, or so we thought."
I could sense the change in his tone.
"But that peace didn't last," Magnus said and gritted his teeth. "One night, we were attacked. A rival pack, much larger than ours, came for us without warning. It was a massacre. My parents... my entire pack... they were slaughtered."
I could see the pain etched into every line of his face, the old wounds that had never fully healed.
"I was the only one who survived," Magnus continued, his eyes distant as if he was seeing the horror unfold all over again. "I was just a boy, barely old enough to shift. But I ran. I hid. I don't even know how long I stayed in those mountains, all alone, before the Moonlit Pack found me."
My heart broke. I couldn't even imagine the trauma he must have endured.
"They saved me," Magnus said. "They took me in. The pack raised me as one of their own. But the anger, the pain of losing everything... it never really went away. It made controlling my wolf... difficult."
I reached out, my hand covering his. "Magnus, I had no idea..."
He gave me a small, sad smile. "I don't talk about it much. I've spent most of my life trying to keep it buried, keep it under control. But... being with you, Andra... it's different. You calm me in ways I can't explain."
I felt a lump form in my throat. "But why me? I'm just... human. Not like you."
Magnus squeezed my hand gently. "Because you make me feel something I haven't felt in a long time. Peace. Hope. Like maybe, after everything, there's still something worth fighting for."
My eyes welled up. I didn't know what else to say. "Magnus…"
"You don't even have to be like us," Magnus continued. "You don't have to prove anything to anyone. You're enough, Andra. Just as you are."
I stared at him, my heart swelling with surging emotions. "I... I'll try," I whispered. "I'll try to believe that."
Magnus smiled softly, his eyes brimmed with warm tears. "That's… all we ask."