Chapter Twenty Three - It's Real - Damian's POV

I stand there, watching the fear in her eyes and the way her body presses into the headboard like she might melt into it to hide. Her fingers clutch at the sheets, knuckles white from how tightly she grips the fabric, as if it's the only thing anchoring her to reality. This definitely wasn't how she was supposed to find out. This was never in my plans, yet here I am, trying to figure out why I'm here and why my wolf lost control. I rake a hand through my hair as I catch my breath from shifting. My entire body aches from the rapid transformation. The shift is never completely painless, but doing it this fast without meaning to leaves my body raw and trembling. I hadn't meant for my wolf to take over like this nor for him to disappear right before her eyes, leaving me exposed in more ways than one. Maya stares at me with wide eyes as she searches my face for answers. Her pupils are large and her body seems frozen. I can smell the fear still radiating off her in waves. It makes my chest tighten at the thought that I have scared her. I take a step toward the bed, keeping my movements slow. But the second I move, she flinches, shrinking further into the mattress. It shouldn't bother me, yet it does. 'Maya, I can explain," I say with a sigh, forcing my voice to be calm. She doesn't respond. Her eyes are locked onto my chest now as if she is too scared to look anywhere else. I can tell she's now going into shock and her mind is still trying to piece together what she just saw. I don't blame her because I just shattered her entire reality in a few seconds. Though I've known for a long time that the other person in the prophecy would be human and I would have to explain this, I didn't exactly plan for it to happen like this. I wanted to ease her into it, to prepare her, and to make her understand everything before I showed her. She's human, and she isn't prepared for the things lurking in the dark. And now I've thrown her straight from the unknown into the fire. 'You were never supposed to find out like this," I repeat, feeling guilty. No response again. I risk another glance at her as her expression shifts. Now, she's angry. 'Find out what exactly?" she asks, her voice sounding strained. 'That you—" She gestures at me, at where I stand, bare from the shift. 'That you turn into a wolf?" I nod once, slowly. That is one way to put it. 'Yes." A bitter laugh escapes her lips, hollow and disbelieving. She finally looks away, shaking her head, one hand pressing hard against her temple. 'Of course. This has to be a dream. I must have hit my head when I slammed the door. That's it. This is a concussion, and I'm hallucinating." I take another step forward, but she presses harder against the headboard. She doesn't trust what she's saying. 'If this is just a dream," I murmur, tilting my head slightly, 'then why are you flinching? Shouldn't you be fearless?" Her gaze snaps back to mine, anger flickering beneath her fear. She doesn't trust me. That thought buries itself deep in my chest, a cold weight pressing against my ribs. I open my mouth, then shut it again. I don't know how to fix this. So I do the only thing I can. I tell her the truth. 'Maya, I know this is a lot to take in," I say, keeping my voice low, steady. 'And I know you're scared. But I need you to listen to me. What you just saw is real. I'm a werewolf, or a wolf shifter, if you prefer. And this world… this world is nothing like the one you know." She lifts her chin slightly, a spark of defiance in her eyes. 'Are you trying to tell me that you are the lesser of two evils?" I hesitate. My throat tightens, my instincts screaming at me to say yes and to tell her I would never hurt her, that I am not the monster she sees me as right now. But I don't know if we're there yet. I don't know if she'd believe me even if I did. So I say the only thing I know to be true. 'I am the only thing standing between you and them." Silence fills the air for several seconds . Her brows furrow, her breath seems labored, and everything seems to be sinking in. I watch as confusion flickers across her face, followed by a little understanding. Her fingers loosen slightly from the sheets, though she looks ready to bolt at the slightest bit of movement from me. 'Who?" Her voice is quieter and more hesitant than before. 'Who are they?" I let out a long exhale as my shoulders sag with the weight of what I'm about to tell her. 'There are people who will come after you. I don't know their names, but I know what they are." She swallows hard as her gaze once again searches mine. 'I'm trying to protect you and it's hard considering the space between us." She lets out a breathless laugh as she shakes her head. 'Well, I don't know what to say. Everything in me says I should scream and run away from you, but some small part is telling me not to be scared of you. It says you won't harm me, but I don't know what to believe." Maya exhales sharply, then shifts slightly on the bed, some of the rigidity leaving her posture. She still doesn't trust me, not completely, but she's talking now, so that is something. 'Can you accept that I can't tell you everything yet and that I will as soon as I can? Can you at least trust me to protect you?" She bites her lip, considering. I can see the war inside her, the logic screaming at her that this isn't possible, that none of this is real, fighting against the undeniable truth of what she just witnessed. After a long moment, she exhales and meets my gaze. 'I don't know if I can." It's not what I want to hear. But it's not a no.