Chapter Eighty Two - Breaking Down - Damian's POV

I turn to face her, my heart beating a little faster than before. Tears are threatening to fall, shimmering at the edges of her eyes. She's still fighting them back, as if letting them fall betrays her. 'Scared of what?" I ask softly, stepping closer, but not too close to invade her space. 'Of everything," she murmurs, her voice cracking. 'Of you, of me, of this world I'm learning about. I feel like I'm drowning, and no one can pull me out of it." Her words hit me like a punch to the gut. Of course, I can pull her out. All she has to do is be willing, but I keep my mouth shut. I reach for her then, gently cupping her face. 'You're not alone in this. We'll do this together, if you'll allow it." For a brief moment, I feel her lean into my touch and the tension in her body eases enough to remind me that she hasn't completely built a wall between us. But just as quickly as it came, it's gone, and she steps back, shaking her head. 'I don't know if I can believe that. Look at how the packs are. Of course, I've only met the two rogues and now your father, but they can't even decide what the prophecy actually means. What if all of you are wrong?" I take a breath, steadying myself. 'Trust me when I say I'm not wrong. The meaning I have is the one from the original wolves after the curse is cast. It will take you and I to break this." 'Does your brother have the same requirement? Could it be him who needs a fated mate as the one bound by fate? What if it takes both of you?" She asks, the tears now streaming down her face. 'How can you be so sure that you're right or that they were?" I feel the tremble in her voice. It's like a crack in the dam she's been holding up and now there is no stopping the flood. Her emotions spill out, raw and unfiltered. She's terrified of it all. The prophecy, of the unknown, of everything that has been thrust upon her. And I can't say that I blame her. I feel like breaking down too. As I take a step closer, I see her flinch, so I stop and don't push her. I don't try to force anything. She's standing there, crumbling underneath the weight of it all and all I can do is be there for her. Let her feel what she needs to feel. Suddenly, she reaches up, wiping her face of the tears, but more keep coming. 'I can't speak for my brother, Maya. Honestly, I don't know what his role in this is, or what his path will be. But I know mine, and I'm the one who has to break the curse," I say as I step closer, keeping my voice low and steady. 'I know what the prophecy said and what the elders want. And I know that I'm bound to you. You and I, together, are meant to break this." Sadly, no, I don't know what my brother's role is or if he has to find a mate as well. I just know when I was young, one of the elders who had been alive for a couple hundred years pulled me aside and told me it had to be me. None of the wolves today were alive when the original curse was cast, so we can't ask or know for certain. But he seemed so sure. Her eyes search mine. I can see the storm in them, along with the doubt and confusion. 'I don't want your lives to end, but I'm scared to death mine will end as well. My gosh, I never dreamed that this would be my life. I am the daughter of a rich man with a brother who would take over the company. My destiny was to marry someone wealthy that my father saw beneficial for the family." She shakes her head and covers her face with her hands. I just stand there, my jaw dropping open in shock. 'Technically, you did marry someone wealthy, and he paid your father handsomely." The words come out too quickly, my attempt at humor falling flat in the tension-filled space between us. 'Do I even want to know why you are wealthy and live on such an estate when you were cast out?" I blink. That was not where I thought she would go with this. 'Do you really want to know or was that rhetorical?" 'Damian," she says with a huff as she turns to look at me, her hands dropping to her side. 'Tell me." I exhale, running a hand through my hair, suddenly feeling exposed. It's a conversation I wasn't ready for, but she deserves to know. So, I drop my shoulders, relenting. 'So, I might have swiped a few accounts on my way out and made sure that the pack I took would be taken care of. That's how I got the money," I say, letting out a short laugh, trying to lighten the mood. 'The pack knows how to make an income so we can survive, so we invest and do other things. It's not like we don't work." I watch her eyes flicker with disbelief as she processes my confession. 'I've never seen you work," she says, her voice flat as she eyes me up and down, her gaze drifting to the massive mansion looming behind us. Her expression falters, a hint of something caught between confusion and amusement flickering in her eyes. 'I don't know if I want to know the rest." I raise an eyebrow at her. 'Well, you've got to know, right?" She snorts, a shaky laugh escaping her lips. 'I don't know if I'll ever look at you the same. There are so many secrets and they keep coming out slowly. Just when I think I know it all, I find out I don't." I watch her stare at the mansion, her expression growing more conflicted. 'This is all too much." I step closer, this time, my hand instinctively reaching for her. Her hand slides into mine easily. 'I know it's a lot. But this life is not about money. It's about the pack and what is right. We've built something together, and I did what I had to do to make sure we will survive. I made sure we would stay safe."