Chapter 18

AURORA

I was deep in sleep when something jolted me awake. My eyes fluttered open, and I felt an odd chill, the kind that made the hair on the back of my neck stand up. Blinking, I scanned the room, my vision adjusting to the dim light, and that’s when I noticed it. The window was open, allowing a soft breeze to drift in.

I knew I hadn’t left it open, so who had opened it? I thought maybe it was the breeze, since I did not hear anyone come into the room. I swung my legs over the bed, feeling the cold floor beneath my feet as I walked over to close it. As I moved, my mind drifted back to the pain that I was sleeping to forget. I wished that I did not even wake up right now and had slept more. I needed this out of my system.

The cool air and the loneliness in this room all felt like a reminder of the distance between us. The harsh words he had uttered to me still lingered, making my heart ache. As I reached for the window, the hairs on my neck prickled again. I turned, my breath catching as I saw a tall, dark shadow against the wall. Instinctively, I took a step back, my heart pounding. My scream barely escaped my lips before a large hand covered my mouth, muffling the sound.

“Shh, it’s me, Aurora,” a familiar voice whispered.

I froze, my eyes widening as I looked up into the face of the last person I expected to see. Damian. His green eyes glinted in the dim light, intense and filled with urgency. I could not even believe my eyes. I had to blink twice until I was fully convinced that he was the one standing in front of me.

“Calm down,” he whispered, his hand still over my mouth. “Please. I’m not here to hurt you.”

I pulled away, shoving his hand off as I stumbled backward, my voice trembling with shock and anger. “What are you doing here? How did you even get into the pack, let alone sneak into my room?”

He held up his hands as if in surrender, his gaze steady. “Aurora, just listen. I came because I needed to talk to you. It’s important.”

I shook my head, still reeling. “You broke into my room, Damian! Do you have any idea what could happen if Ethan finds you here? If he thinks I had anything to do with letting you in—”

“I know,” he cut in, his voice low. “But I didn’t come here to cause trouble. And I am glad I came now because I can sense something is wrong with me. I can still feel it. I do not think the mate bond is severed yet.”

I let out a bitter laugh, crossing my arms as I glared at him. “Oh, now you notice when something’s wrong with me? You didn’t care for years, Damian. Why should I believe you care now?”

For a moment, his face softened. There was something in his eyes like regret that made me want to laugh harder. He couldn't be damn serious,. “I know I wasn’t kind. But things were different then.”

I clenched my fists, forcing down the memories that threatened to surface. The hurt, the rejection I faced every day in his hands while he was with Evelyn and the years I’d spent in silence, enduring his bullshit. “Don’t try to act like this is some misunderstanding, Damian. You hurt me. You ignored me. And now you think you can just walk in here and what, make amends?”

He looked away, his jaw tightening. “Aurora, I made mistakes. But you don’t understand everything that was going on.”

I scoffed, crossing my arms as I took a step back. “You know what? I don’t want to understand. Just leave, Damian. I’ll scream if I have to.”

He winced, glancing at the door as if expecting someone to barge in any moment. But then his gaze returned to me, sharper, more intense. “There’s something you need to know about Ethan.”

I narrowed my eyes, anger flaring in my chest. “Really? That’s what you came here to say? You think badmouthing Ethan is going to win me back?”

“It’s not like that,” he said quickly, his voice low. “I know I’ve hurt you, but this isn’t about me. It’s about your safety.”

I shook my head, letting out a bitter laugh. “My safety? Damian, I’m safe here, far safer than I ever was with you. You don’t get to waltz back into my life and act like you’re concerned.”

“Aurora,” he said, his voice soft but firm, “you don’t know Ethan like I do. He’s hiding things, things that you should know before you get too close to him.”

I felt a wave of anger rise within me, hot and undeniable. “You don’t know anything about him. And even if you did, why would I believe you? You have been nothing but a bad person in my past. You have traumatised me beyond repair and now you expect me to believe everything that comes out of your mouth. I had never trusted you so why should this be any different?”

He looked down, a flicker of hurt crossing his face. But when he looked up again, his eyes were blank, filled with a seriousness that made me hesitate. “I don’t know the full story yet, Aurora. But I’m going to find out, and I’ll tell you when I do.”

I rolled my eyes, the bitterness pooling in my stomach. “So you broke into my room, risking everything, just to tell me you might have some vague story about Ethan? That’s all you’ve got?”

He took a step closer, his eyes intense. “Aurora, this isn’t a game. If I’m right about Ethan, you could be in serious danger.”

I glared at him, resisting the urge to shove him back. “You know what’s dangerous, Damian? You being here. If Ethan finds you in my room, I don’t even want to think about what he’ll do.”

For a moment, we stood there, locked in a silent standoff. His expression softened, almost pleading, but I didn’t let myself waver. He had already caused me enough pain, enough confusion. I wasn’t about to let him drag me back into his mess.

“If you care so much, then do us both a favor,” I said coldly, taking a step back. “Leave. And don’t come back.”

Damian opened his mouth as if to say something, but then he closed it, a resigned look settling over his face. “Fine. But know that I am never going to let him do something to hurt you. I care about you, Aurora..”

“Ten seconds, Damian,” I said, my voice low. “If you’re not out of here by then, I’m screaming.”

He hesitated, his gaze searching mine as if looking for something he’d lost. Like he thought I wouldn’t do it. But when he saw the resolve in my face, he turned, slipping toward the window.

“Three,” I said, my tone firm, counting down.

Damian looked back once, a strange sadness flickering in his eyes, but then he was gone, leaping silently out the window and disappearing into the night. I stood there, listening to the stillness, waiting until I was sure he was really gone.

Slowly, I walked over and closed the window, my heart pounding in my chest. I took a deep breath, trying to steady myself, but my mind was racing with questions. How had he managed to slip past Blackwater’s guards and sneak into the palace? And what was he really trying to accomplish? His claims about Ethan sounded absurd, a desperate attempt to sow doubt. Yet, the intensity in his eyes, the urgency in his voice, a tiny part of me couldn’t shake the feeling that he’d meant what he’d said.

But no, I wasn’t going to fall for his games. Not again. I was finally building something here, a life away from him, a life with people who valued me. Damian was my past, a closed chapter I’d left behind. But as I lay back down, pulling the blankets over myself, I couldn’t ignore the lingering chill. The look in Damian’s eyes haunted me, as did his words. Ethan isn’t who you think he is.

I closed my eyes, willing the thought to fade. ‘This is just Damian being Damian,’ I told myself. ‘He can’t stand to see you happy. Not with him and definitely not with someone else.’

I lay awake for hours, replaying the conversation, every word, every expression, until sleep finally claimed me. But even then, my dreams were filled with a pair of those intense green eyes watching me from the dark.