Moonbound Betrayal

You're Too Weak

Damian's Pov

"No, I'm fine." I shook my head, preventing Ember from checking it out. It was not something she should be worried about anyway.

If it was not for the fact that she had ignorantly trespassed that Moose territory, it wouldn't have attacked her. The Moose was one of the animals I had dared not to kill, not because I couldn't, but because I was too weak to do it.

Because of the poison restricting my powers, there were many things that I couldn't do. But then today Ember had forced me to use more than the normal percentage I was supposed to use which made my arm go black as it increased the flow of the poison.

"Let me see." Ember frowned as she tried to grab my arms.

"I told you I'm fine, there's no need to bother." I frowned rather annoyed at her persistence when she was the cause of what had happened.

"Fine," Ember muttered.

I could feel that she felt defeated but I could care less. The arm would go back to normal as soon as I had forcefully suppressed it once again.

Just as I had thought, in about a minute, my arms went back to normal and then I focused on skinning the Moose. I didn't think I would have killed it if it was not for Ember trespassing on its territory.

I had been in the forest for over three years and the Moose had been there since before my arrival, but I never touched it. Well, it was because I was too busy dealing with the poison and looking for the right herbs to suppress them and prolong my life.

At the very least, I had to live well even though I knew that I had just a few times left. Well, that shouldn't be it. Now that I had company, I suddenly felt awkward as I didn't know what to say. I had been used to being all alone for a long time.

"Why was your arm black earlier?" Ember's voice drifted into my ears bringing me out of my train of thoughts.

"Well, it's quite complicated." I smiled as all the grievances I had towards her had vanished into thin air.

"Tell me, I'll understand." Ember smiled while looking at me excitedly.

"No," I shook my head.

"Why?"

"I'm not in the mood to talk about it."

"I see," Ember muttered. I could hear the sadness in her voice but I could care less about it. There was no way I was going to tell her what had happened.

"So tell me, do you still wish to leave after you've recovered?" I frowned as I suddenly thought of something.

"Yes." Ember nodded without a second thought.

"I can't put you in trouble. You'll be implicated if Alpha Asher finds out you saved me." She continued.

"And who told you I'm afraid of being implicated." I shrugged as a smirk appeared on my mouth.

"Besides, how powerful is this Alpha you talk about?"

"He's the Alpha of the Ironclaw Pack," Ember replied.

"The strongest Pack in the past three years," I smirked as memories poured into my head.

If only... Well it was all in the past, there was no need to dwell on it, all I needed was to focus on the present.

Even if Alpha Asher were to attack now, I was confident I would be able to escape in one piece. He's not yet up to the level where he would be able to keep me back.

"Why are you smiling? Is it funny?" Ember frowned as she glared at me.

"No, it's all fine." I shook my head focusing back on the huge meat.

"So tell me, if you leave, where do you intend on heading to?" I frowned looking at Ember with a smile on my face.

"I..." Ember shuttered not knowing what to say.

"So if I had allowed you to leave earlier, where would you have headed to?" I smiled as I continued to ask.

"Probably the nearest pack." Ember shrugged, making me smirk.

"And which pack is the nearest from here?"

"I don't know?" Ember replied.

"That's fine, Let's say you got to the pack successfully, How do you think the Alpha of the pack would treat you?" I continued with my question while still focusing on the moose.

"I..." Ember shuttered again as she couldn't find the right words.

Well, you can decide if you want to leave or stay." I smiled as I continued.

"Huh?" Ember froze.

"Yeah you heard me well, You can decide if you want to stay or not." I smiled, repeating my words.

"But didn't you say that you'll allow me to stay till I recover fully?" Ember frowned as she asked slowly.

"Yeah, I did say that, It's your choice to leave or stay," I replied, turning around to look at her.

At that moment Ember's face black with worry as she didn't know what to say. I knew that with the series of questions I had thrown at her just now, she was confused and didn't know what to do.

She didn't belong anywhere, and she was probably going to be maltreated in the pack that she'd headed to. Besides, the pack closest to the forest was not one to be trifled with.

"Can.. I stay..." Ember shuttered as she looked at me.

"Yeah, that's if you wish to stay." I shrugged, focusing on the moose once again.

The meat of the moose should be able to last a month so I needed to preserve it rather well or it would go bad which was why I was yet to be done skinning it. Besides, the moose was very large and it was unlike one I had seen before.

"Would you let me stay?" Ember asked, looking at me and I could sense her nervousness which made me chuckle slightly.

"Since fate has brought us together, you can stay." I smiled, deciding not to tease her any longer as I could tell that she had been through a lot which made her quite emotionally unstable.

"So tell me what I should do?" Ember smiled as she looked at me excitedly.

"Sir over there and watch me skin the Moose." I smiled pointing at the pavement right in front of me.

"Why?" Ember pouted as she looked at me.

"Shouldn't you give me work or something?"

"No, I can't," I shook my head.

"Why?" Ember grunted.

"Because you're too weak." I smiled, "Besides being too weak, your body is not in any state to do any sort of work."

"Then can you teach me to be strong?" Ember smiled as she looked at me with pleading eyes.

"Teach you to be strong? Isn't that ridiculous?" I chuckled.

"No, it isn't, You're very strong and I want to be as strong as you?" Ember argued.

"Are you sure I'm strong?"

"Yes, if not you wouldn't be able to kill the moose and carry it back." Ember nodded like a child who was promised to be rewarded after doing something good.

"You're wrong, I'm not strong." I smiled, shaking my head.

"No you are," Ember argued.

"If that's the case, then tell me why you want to be strong?" I smiled looking at Ember.

But just as I asked that question, Ember's smile receded almost immediately and her face became gloomy with tears threatening to stream down her face.