Moonlit Deceit

Chapter 4

Damian’s Pov

The sun had set already by the time we were done eating, so I decided to do the dishes, but my attention was constantly drawn to her. I watched as she absentmindedly traced the rim of the cup before her. I looked on with concern as she sat there with a vulnerability that tugged at my heart. Her long black hair cascaded in loose waves down to her waist.

She had Hazel eyes that had a hint of weariness in them, like a flickering candle in need of care. The way she sat there, her shoulders slumped, gave her an air of vulnerability that stirred emotions within me.

She wore my old oversized sweater that seemed to swallow her, making her look even smaller.

"Feeling better?" I asked as she raised her head and caught my gaze.

"Yeah, I feel much better. Thanks to you." She answered, offering me a small smile in return.

I chuckled softly at her response. "It was the least I could do. Passing out near the border didn't look too pleasant." I replied.

"You didn't have to help me." She said, staring down at the cup in her hand.

I dropped the rag I was holding and turned to face her. "You're right," I said, my tone gentle. "But there was something about you that made me want to help. Call it a gut feeling." I answered and continued with the dishes.

“Oh” was all she said.

We fell into a comfortable silence until she spoke again.

“Is that grace?” she asked, staring at a picture on the wall.

I lifted my head and stared at the picture she was referring to. It was the picture of my late wife, the only picture of her I had before she was taken away from me.

Looking at it brought out unwanted emotions I didn’t want to feel. “No, she isn’t Grace,” I answered, not wanting to discuss it further.

“Who is she then?” she asked again.

I was becoming irritated by the questions. “No one you should concern yourself with,” I answered. My tone has a certain edge to it, making me sound harsh.

The silence that followed this time was uncomfortable, and I felt terrible for raising my voice on her. But talking about my dead wife was not a conversation I was ready to have.

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Valerie’s pov

Hearing Damian raise his voice at me made me remember my time at Alpha Ryder’s pack, where he would shout and hit me for no reason. But seeing the Emotion on Damian’s face made me wonder who the woman was and where she was. Maybe it’s his sister, wife, or even his mother. I’m even saying she's too young to be his mom.

I was interrupted when the door swung open, and a woman entered. She had brown hair that was just above her shoulders. Her eyes widened in surprise as she noticed me.

“For someone almost dead for five days, you look healthy”, she said, dropping her medical supplies on the kitchen counter.

Damian turned to me. "This is Grace, my sister, the one I spoke about. Grace, this is... uh,"

I watched on in amusement as Damian voice faltered. He turned his gaze to me shyly, his cheeks red in embarrassment.

"Valerie," I answered with a chuckle, helping him out of his misery.

Damian let out a relieved laugh, shaking his head in embarrassment. "Right, Valerie. Grace, this is Valerie."

I watched as Grace's eyes darted between us, a playful grin on her lips. "Well, it's nice to meet you, Valerie. Damian doesn't usually bring home unconscious strangers."

I laughed in embarrassment at her comment. "It's nice to meet you too, Grace. And I promise, I don't usually pass out in the woods."

Grace's laughter echoed through the room as Damian joined in, the tension in the air dissipating completely. I couldn't help but feel grateful for the unexpected warmth and acceptance I had found in Damian's home.

“How are you feeling,” Grace asked after the laughter had stopped and everyone had settled down.

“I feel good,” I said, offering her a shy smile.

“Do you feel pains anywhere”. She asked, looking at me with concern.

“No, I don’t, I feel perfect”. I replied, staring at her.

“Well, if you don’t mind, I would like to examine your injuries to be sure you are okay?” Grace said, bringing out her equipment.

“Uhmm, okay”. I answered, feeling a bit uncomfortable. Although she had seen all my scars as she was the one who dressed them, it didn’t mean I felt comfortable with them.

“How can your wounds be healed already?” she asked. She was looking at me curiously after the plaster had been taken off.

I stared in disbelief as my injuries had healed completely. Although I still had scars, it was surprising because I had never healed this fast. I felt grateful but couldn’t help but feel that something life-changing was about to occur.

“Valerie, Valerie”. I jerked back to reality as I heard my name being called.

“Yes,” I answered, staring at them still in disbelief.

“You care to explain what happened?” Damian asked, too, in disbelief.

I didn’t know what to say to them as I did not explain what happened. “Maybe the injury wasn’t as deep as you both thought or maybe I just have fast healing abilities”. I shrugged nonchalantly as I walked to the kitchen to drop the cup in my hand.

Grace and Damian stared at me, doubts shining in their gaze. “In all my years of working in the medical field, I have never heard of a human with that degree of injury healing fast,” Grace said.

I was about to come up with another excuse when I started having this burning sensation all over my body, and it seemed to grow with each passing moment. I took off the hoody I was in, leaving me with a bra only.

“Wait, what are you doing,” they both said in unison.

“I don’t know,” I replied, “I feel so hot. Can you please turn on the AC?” I asked.

“The AC is on full capacity, Valerie,” Damian said, looking at me strangely.

“What time is it?” I asked

“It’s night already,” Damian answered

I panicked as I walked to the window, praying to whoever was out there that it wasn’t what I was thinking.

“Oh no,” was all I could say as I looked out the window.