Alpha Damon (Sienna) novel Chapter 238

Delilah:

I found her on the back porch, arms crossed over the railing, eyes fixed on the trees like they held all the answers. The sky was darkening, the wind carrying the scent of storm and sorrow. This whole place felt like sorrow. It felt like pain, and I knew that it was filled with it. No matter how hard they were trying to hide or deny it, I could see it in their eyes.

And I, for one, knew what it was to be in pain. You knew what it was to try and hide everything that you felt for the sake of others, for the sake of protecting yourself against those who opposed as your enemies.

She didn’t look at me when I stepped out. I didn’t expect her to. She’s been bearing too much, and as a Luna who was trying to play her part, that was a lot more than she could be asked to do.

“Hey,” I said, voice low.

She didn’t move. Nor did she turn to face me. It was as if I knew that she wanted me to leave, but I was not going to. If we were going to play the role of family, then I might as well play my part. And right now I knew that she needed this more than anything, even though she was not going to admit it.

I walked up beside her, keeping a slight distance. The silence sat between us, heavy and cold.

“You don’t have to keep checking on me,” she said after a long pause. “It is not like you were in my life in the past for you to be thinking that you should do so.”

I scoffed. “And you don’t have to keep pretending you’re okay. While I was not in your life, I think that you know that it was not by choice. Just as I am checking on Lysandra, I would be checking on you.”

She looked at me then, finally. Her eyes were tired. Not from lack of sleep, but from the weight of everything crashing down around her. “I know that you might want me to step back, but right now I’m not going to do so. You can talk, or you can just stand by my side, but I’m not going to leave you to handle your pain alone, just as you will not leave those that’s around you to handle theirs on their own.”

“I’m trying to hold it together,” she whispered. “We lost Caleb. Damon’s barely holding on. The whole pack feels like it is going to fall apart and I have a daughter to protect and keep safe of everything that we are going through. I don’t have time to fall apart, Delilah. Nor do I have time for me to be able to play the role of little sister.”

I nodded slowly. “That’s why I’m here. I want to help. While I know that you might not want me to help, I am here to help you. I’m not here to help with the pack.”

“You want to help now? After everything that has happened between us, after all the hate and all the anger, you send anyone to help me?” Her voice rose, sharp. “You saw me as an enemy for years. You wanted me dead. Do not get me wrong, the two of us are on one side right now. But don’t expect me to think that I want to believe that you want to help.”

I flinched.

“You think I haven’t wanted that?” I snapped back. “You think I haven’t wanted to feel like I had a family? You talk about falling apart, I did. A long time ago. I just didn’t get the luxury of anyone putting me back together. I had to do it on my own. Everything that I was supposed to stand up to, I had to do by myself, because if I did not, I would have been long dead.”

Her jaw clenched. “I didn’t mean it like that.”

I froze for a second, then slowly let myself lean into it.

After a moment, she pulled back. Her expression was still guarded, but softer.

“You should be ready, I don’t know what is going to hit us.” she said, her voice firm again. “With Caleb gone… this isn’t going to be like before. There’s going to be a war. And we can’t afford to be uncertain. And we cannot afford to have ourselves being weak or to give in to emotions that are too wrong with a man like him being our enemy. He’s not going to stop.”

“I’m not,” I said. “And I don’t expect him to stop. I want him to keep going to the very end because this war has started and this is not going to end unless we are all on one side and he is on the other dying.”

“Good,” she replied, already turning toward the house. “Then stand with me. Because it’s only going to get worse from here.”

And somehow, that was the closest thing to I need you I’d ever hear from her.

“Don’t worry, I’m going to be by your side until the very end…