Genevieve

Chapter 15: Revelation

"Maed? Is that you?" Gen uttered as soon as she saw Damien and went up close. He kept looking away from Gen and avoided eye contact.

"Maed? Is that the name you told them Damien?" Clara interrogated Damien, but he wouldn't speak.

"So, which one of these two is your mate?" Clara continued and inspected Damien's face. "Judging from your expressions, I guess you don't know." Then she looks at the girls. "And they don't know either." She chuckled.

The girls were puzzled, but Bella tried to speak up. "You brought us here, right? You were so sweet and so kind. I know you're not a bad person."

Hearing that, Clara let out a sarcastic loud laugh. "So, I guess they don't know your true face. Do you want me to tell them? What a monster you are." Clara questioned provokingly.

Damien was in a tough spot. He hated how Clara taunted him, but he couldn't let his mate know his deepest, darkest secrets. Therefore, he had to succumb and give in.

"What do you want Clara?" Damien spoke.

"First, answer me. Why did you let them in? You know how much I hate humans. They are weak, filthy and dumb creatures." Clara uttered looking directly at Gen and Bella who were seriously offended.

"I'm sorry." Damien said and Clara smirked.

"You're so pathetic Damien. You know you don't have a chance. You know that I'm your best shot. Send them back as soon as possible, I don't want to see them in my kingdom." Clara ordered and then walked away.

The girls observed the entire ordeal quietly. They assessed the situation, and judging from their words and actions, they realized that Clara held the true power, and Damien was just a puppet. Clara had something very strong against Damien, which enabled her to blackmail him. They felt sympathy for Damien, but there wasn't anything they could do to help them.

Damien had a dilemma. His mate was finally in his kingdom, but he had to ask her to leave. His mate. His only chance. But he knew this place wouldn't be safe for her and he couldn't underestimate Clara. He felt mad at himself for being so weak in front of Clara. He knew he would regret his decision, but he didn't have any other choice.

"I'm sorry." Damien apologized and the girls could see the pain in his eyes. Damien felt hopeless, defeated, and worthless. He prayed internally that somehow, they wouldn't leave, but deep down he knew that he was praying for the impossible.

The girls went up to their room and contemplated. Everything going on in this kingdom was wrong. The humans were suffering, the queen was enjoying their suffering and the king couldn't do anything to stop their suffering. It was a cycle that would never break unless it was deliberately broken.

And they had seen the look in Damien's eyes. From the moment when he brought them in, till the time when he apologized, he was never the way Clara described him. He didn't seem violent or bloodthirsty. He was a little cold and spoke less, but he guided them and warned them about the good and the bad. They could tell that Damien didn't want them to go but going up against Clara was a huge risk.

"Are you thinking what I'm thinking?" Bella questioned Gen, and it was as if they could do telepathy, but they communicated without words.

"Are you up for it, Bella?" Gen questioned since she couldn't do it alone and really needed her support.

"I'm always by your side, girl." Bella responded with a fist bump.

"But we need someone else as well." Gen disclosed.

Damien was surprised to see the girls and expected it to be a goodbye. But what they said next came as a surprise for him.

"Do you really want us to leave?" Bella questioned, and he shook his head without wasting a second. The girls looked at each other and smiled.

"You promised you would protect us, right? Keep your promise." Gen spoke and then they made their way to Clara.

The girls spoke together with utmost confidence.

"We are not leaving."

And the expression on Clara's face was priceless. She was evidently angry, and she felt ridiculed as well. Damien was also taken aback, but also happy to hear the words. He understood why they asked for protection and felt elated that they didn't trust Clara's words and misunderstand him.

Clara thrived on fear and seeing the fearlessness in the girl's eyes made her nervous. So, she knew that arguing and fighting with the girls was pointless, and she needed another target.

"Are you enjoying this? You think that you can win them over by making them stay?" Clara moved to Damien.

"Is that all you can do? Mock him?" Gen attacked using her words. She was mostly a goodie two shoes, but she also had a mean streak in her.

"You know who is the coward here? The most pitiful in our eyes?" Bella asked rhetorically. "It's you."

Clara didn't sit still for long and charged at the girls for disobeying her and humiliating her in front of her pack. But Damien stood as a shield in front of the girls and blocked Clara before she could do anything.

Clara laughed hysterically. "Isn't it ironic how you're the one protecting them? When it is you who they need protection from?"

Clara was very strategic with her words. She knew what to say when, knew what would irk him the most, and all his weak spots. Damien couldn't help but be affected by her words because deep down he believed they were true.

But Gen knew this was a case of gaslighting. Clara had manipulated and convinced Damien through mind games and emotional abuse that he was a monster and that he was dangerous.

"Damien don't listen to her. You are not what she says. Don't let her blackmail you or pull you down. You are strong. Tell us what you've done. Trust us. We're here for you." Gen tried to console him, but Damien couldn't muster his courage. He was afraid of what his pack would think, and most of all, what his mate would think.

"He can't confess." Clara was fully confident. She knew Damien for years and she knew that it was his deepest and darkest secret. There was no way that he would say it out loud. He was afraid of being judged, left out, and being misunderstood. He couldn't be able to stand the criticism or the backlash.

Damien had the same thoughts as Clara. But when he looked into Gen's eyes, he saw hope, trust, and assurance. He felt that even if he lost everything and everyone, he would have her by his side and that she believed in him. All his fears were washed away, and he spoke with his newfound confidence, something which no one would've expected.

.

.

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"I killed my parents."