Chapter 122: ¹²²: serious problem

"Are you awake, Miss Roosevelt?" I heard the words first thing in the morning, pulling me out of the hazy darkness of sleep. I struggled to open my eyes as the sunlight streamed through the window, falling directly onto my face and making me squint against its immense brightness.

It took me a few seconds to remember where I was. The unfamiliar ceiling above me, the wooden walls, the faint scent of herbs lingering in the room, I was in Damian’s guest room.

And then I noticed the person standing beside my bed. My eyes widened slightly as I finally realised Damian was already in my room so early in the morning.

"What...?" I mumbled, my voice still heavy with sleep. "What are you doing here?"

Damian immediately placed a hand over his heart, his face twisting into an expression of hurt. "I stayed here, taking care of you, making sure you are fine, and this is how you greet me?"

His dramatic expression was so unexpected that I simply stared at him for a moment, my mouth opening and closing as I tried to figure out what I was supposed to say.

I couldn’t exactly deny what he had said.

Damian had been the one who found me that day in the stream, saving me when I had been in a terrible state. And this time also, despite everything that had happened, he had still followed me back to my pack and brought me here when I had collapsed.

If not for him, I didn’t even know whether I would have been able to make it back from my pack alone in the state I had been in.

And then there was last night.

When I had felt as though I couldn’t breathe and everything around me had started closing in, it had been Damian who had stayed beside me. He had given me water, and remained there until I finally calmed down.

He had already done far too much for me. It was becoming another favour I didn’t know how I would ever repay.

"I am sorry," I whispered, lowering my gaze slightly. "I didn’t mean it like that."

"Hey!" Damian immediately leaned toward me, his exaggerated hurt expression disappearing as quickly as it had appeared. "I was just kidding. Why are you getting so serious?"

I glanced at him, still feeling uncomfortable with how easily he had brushed it off.

"No, I should not have been so improper to you," I replied quickly, keeping my head lowered. "You have helped me too much until now. Even last night, it was you who helped me through that sudden panic attack. I should not be rude to you."

Damian’s expression changed at once. "I didn’t do anything last night!" He shook his head quickly, almost as if he wanted to stop me from giving him credit for something he believed wasn’t his to take.

"When you fainted, I called Mother to check on you again. She said you were fine, so she told me to let you be. But she was worried you might have a nightmare or something like that, so she told me to sleep on the couch and make sure you were fine."

As he spoke, Damian pointed toward the literal small couch in the corner of the room.

A small blanket was still lying across it, slightly crumpled from where he had apparently slept.

I stared at the couch for a moment before slowly looking back at him.

Only then did the guilt hit me again. "Sorry," I murmured, my voice quieter than before. "Because of me, you had to sleep there."

Damian looked at me for a few seconds before letting out a small sigh. He seemed almost amused by how guilty I was becoming over something so insignificant to him.

"Why are you so quick to apologise?" Damian said in return, shaking his head as he looked at me with a mixture of amusement and helplessness.

I looked at him silently, still not entirely convinced.

He gave me a small smile before straightening himself.."Besides, that couch isn’t as bad as it looks."

I glanced toward it again. It was, in fact, exactly as bad as it looked.

Damian followed my gaze and seemed to understand my thoughts immediately. "Okay," he admitted, rubbing the back of his neck awkwardly. "Maybe it is a little bad. Now get up. You are getting late."

It was only then that I remembered I had to go to Mother Elena’s clinic early in the morning. My eyes widened as I suddenly remembered the appointment.

I quickly looked up at Damian, panic flashing across my face. "What time is it right now?" I asked hurriedly. "Am I late to go to the clinic?"

"Don’t worry!" His carefree response immediately made me pause. "You woke up at the perfect time. It is still early." He waved his hand dismissively, as if my sudden panic was completely unnecessary. Then he pointed toward the little table in front of the couch.

"Mom has kept some clothes for you there. Get ready and then I will take you to the clinic."

I followed the direction of his finger and finally noticed the neatly folded clothes sitting on the small table.

"Oh..." Before I could ask him anything more, Damian had already turned around.

He walked toward the door and, within seconds, disappeared from the room. I stared at the closed door for a few moments before letting out a quiet sigh.

That man really didn’t give anyone enough time to respond.

I shook my head, pushing the thought aside before slowly getting out of bed. My body still felt somewhat weak, and I instinctively placed a hand over my abdomen when a faint ache travelled through the wound.

It was nowhere near as unbearable as it had been yesterday.

Still, Mother Elena’s warning echoed in my mind. I had already pushed myself too far once. I wasn’t going to make the same mistake again.

After taking a careful breath, I finally moved toward the bathroom to take a shower and change into the fresh clothes Mother Elena had prepared for me.

. . ...

"Are you ready?"

I heard Damian’s voice the moment I stepped out of the room after getting changed.

I looked toward him and nodded. "Yes." Then I glanced around the small house. It was strangely quiet. "Is Mother Elena already at her clinic?" I asked, wondering when she had managed to leave without me noticing.

Damian nodded. "Yes, and she has also left some light breakfast for you herself. It is her order for you to eat that before you go to the clinic."

He said the last part with such seriousness that I almost smiled. Before I could respond, he walked toward the little dining table near the kitchen.

A small bowl was sitting there with a lid covering it. He picked it up and carried it toward me before pulling out a chair "Come on."

I followed him and sat near the dining table while Damian carefully moved the bowl toward me. He then took the seat opposite mine, apparently intending to wait until I finished eating.

I lifted the lid. A warm aroma immediately reached my nose. The simple broth inside looked light and comforting, exactly the kind of food someone in my condition probably needed.

I picked up the spoon and took my first bite. The warmth spread through me almost immediately. "It is good," I said after tasting it, my voice softer as I looked down at the bowl.

"Of course it is delicious." Damian leaned back in his chair with a proud smile, as though he himself had prepared the entire thing. "After all, my amazing mom made it."

A small smile appeared on my face at his expression. "Yes, your mother is indeed amazing."

I took another sip, allowing the warmth of the broth to settle inside me before my gaze wandered around the quiet house again. Something suddenly crossed my mind.

"Is Luna Selene not here?" My hand paused around the spoon. After everything that had happened last night, I couldn’t stop thinking about her reaction.

The moment I had told her my name was Athena Roosevelt, something in her had changed.

And when I had told her about the silver wolf, she had looked almost as though she had been struck by something she had spent years fearing.

There was clearly something she knew. Something about me, something about the strange people who had entered my life.

And knowing that she might actually have answers brought two completely opposite feelings into my heart.

Relief...And worry. I desperately wanted her to know something that could finally help me uncover the truth surrounding everything that had happened to me.

But at the same time, I couldn’t stop wondering what that truth could possibly be. What if it was something I couldn’t change? What if it was something far worse than Harry’s betrayal?

"Grandmother was behaving strangely since last night," Damian finally replied, pulling me out of my thoughts.

I looked up at him. He no longer had the playful expression from earlier. His brows were slightly furrowed as he continued. "She even went to our sacred temple early this morning."

He paused for a moment, glancing toward the door as if he could somehow see the temple from there.

"Which is quite strange because she only does that when it is a really serious problem."