Page 216 of His Blue Moon Princess

Neal just entered the room and is looking at us with panicked eyes. Damian laughs, but his Beta is not really happy.

“No, no, no, don’t you dare! Do you have any idea of the mass of work that we have? You already took a couple of days off, and the Company is going nuts!”

“Nate can take over for a while. As I recall, he’s drowning himself in work these days— you may as well have him use his position as my second for once.”

They start to argue about Damian leaving his position for a while, and Isaac jumps in to protest against Damian switching position with Nathaniel as well. Funny enough, everyone else finds their argument amusing since both Betas are almost begging Damian not to do it. While they keep bickering, Sean comes to a seat next to me, looking a bit awkward.

“Luna, I wanted to thank you for inviting me.”

“No, it’s nothing. I wanted to thank you, too. I’ve heard that you’ve been... looking after my brother Alec.”

“Yes, he sends his… best wishes to you.”

“Thanks, Sean.”

He nods, a bit awkward, and doesn’t dare add anything else.

Alec is probably the one which, surprisingly, changed the most during those past two years…

According to Sylviana and Tonia, my brother is now totally clean from drugs. After he was done with rehab, he kept up his psychological evaluation while trying to repair his past mistakes. That will probably take a while…

Alec chose to leave the Jade Moon pack, and Damian welcomed him in the Blood Moon Clan, under Sean’s command. My brother is now working in the slums and entirely devoted to taking care of the orphaned children, who, like we did ourselves years ago, end up in the streets without a family to care for them.

I have yet to face him, though. He sent me two letters that I have yet to find the courage to open and read. I think I’m going to need time to be able to forgive him and face him again. Even if he saved my life two years ago, my brother has left scars behind that won’t heal so quickly. No one here asked me about anything about it, but I think they already understood.

Sylviana and Angie finally bring the argument to an end when everyone joins for dinner. I wish I had been in a condition to help with the cooking and enjoy all the equipment my brand-new kitchen has to offer. Still, our good witch and Neal’s wife did a terrific job by themselves. Everyone around the table eats and chats happily.

I find myself thinking that I want to have this kind of Christmas every year. Next year, maybe, Elena and my niece will be joining us, as well as my own child with Damian...

A few hours later, the children are happily playing by the fireplace, and all the adults are enjoying coffee or tea in the living room. It’s a heart-warming sight. Sylviana comes backfrom the kitchen and comes to sit by my side. She has a mysterious smile on, intriguing me.

“Nora,” she whispers. “Liam and I will be going home soon, but before that, I have a little gift for you.”

I frown. A gift? But before I can even ask, she suddenly puts her hands on my temples and closes her eyes. I don’t even realize I’m in the dark until a second later.

When I open my eyes again, a woman is suddenly above me, smiling at me. She looks young and tired. I can’t move, I’m... wrapped up in something smooth and warm. I try to say something, a bit confused, but the only sound that comes out is a baby’s squealing. The woman smiles, and I notice her beautiful sapphire eyes.

“Hello, my little princess...”

The more I look at her, the more I see how much she resembles me. She’s younger than I am, but her sapphire eyes, her pale skin, and those soft traits are the same as mine. I notice her freckles and long chocolate brown hair when she leans to kiss my forehead gently.

“Oh, you’re so beautiful, my baby... My little Eleanora...”

She hugs me tenderly, her eyes shining with infinite love.

“Nora?”

I suddenly come back to my senses. Sylviana is facing me, smiling. Damian is holding my hand, looking worried.

“Love, are you okay?”

“I’m... fine...”

I look at Sylviana, still in shock from what I just saw. I realize I’m crying, flooding with emotions.

“That... that woman... That was my...”

“Your very first memory I could find,” explains Sylviana. “She was beautiful.”

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