Chapter 119

"I'm so sorry, this is my fault. I accidentally blurted it out when we were talking about you. I feel terrible," I murmured as Delilah cleaned Luca's wound.

"Don't be. I'm glad he found out because we were both scared to tell him. I just wish he hadn't lashed out at Luca like that. Why can't he understand? Why does he want to control us? Who gave him the right?" Delilah cried, tears streaming down her cheeks. My guilt doubled. Why couldn't I keep my mouth shut?

Luca weakly reached out and wiped Delilah's tears. "Enough now. You don't need to cry; my wounds will heal," he said softly, but this only made her cry harder.

"Why would he do this to you? Why give you such an ultimatum?" she asked. He tried to smile, but winced. "Because he cares about you and me. Damon's a child who doesn't want to be left alone," Luca explained.

Delilah scoffed. "He has Clara, doesn't he? He spends most of his time with her anyway. What's the problem?"

"No one knows what goes on in his head. Maybe you should just try talking to him," Dimitri suggested. Delilah frowned.

"Damon's very stubborn; he wouldn't listen. He always does this," she murmured. Dimitri nodded. "That may have been true in the past, but now we have someone who can reach him, even in this state." They both turned to me, and my eyes widened.

"Me?" I questioned. Dimitri nodded. "You're the only one who can reach him. So, if you want to make amends for revealing their secret, you'll talk to him. Now, if you'll excuse me, the prodigal son must go," he said, turning and leaving.

"You don't have to do this if you don't want to. I know how difficult my brother can be," Delilah said, caressing Luca's cheek. I walked over, took her hand. "I put Luca in this mess, and I'm going to try my best to get through to Damon. It's either he listens, or I divorce him. I'll give him an ultimatum too," I said. She giggled, and I smiled.

"Okay, I'm counting on you," she said. I stayed a while, helping her with Luca before returning home. I was surprised to find Damon wasn't there. He must have gone to the meeting without Luca. Was he serious about replacing Luca? I freshened up and fell asleep waiting for him.

Damon's soft touch on my face woke me. "You're mad at me, right?" he asked softly as I opened my eyes.

"You know what you did was wrong, don't you?" I asked, sitting up. He sighed. "I didn't mean to hit him that hard," he murmured. I sighed, grabbed his hand, and frowned at the bruise on his knuckles.

"Is this from punching him?" I asked. He shook his head. "I might have punched a wall on my way to the meeting. Everyone kept irritating me," he admitted. I sighed, got up, and fetched a first-aid kit.

"There's no need; it'll heal," he said as I returned. One glare from me silenced him. "You need to work on your communication skills and your anger issues," I said, cleaning his bruise.

"They should have told me."

"How could they tell you, knowing you'd react that way, Damon? Luca and Delilah are in love; they've been in love for a long time, but Luca suppressed his feelings because he prioritized yours," I explained. He frowned. "How do you know so much?"

I rolled my eyes. "Because, unlike you, I'm actually approachable. You should listen to them before lashing out. If you keep behaving this way, no one will ever come to you for anything, and you won't like that."

"I would actually…"

"Damon," I said sternly, and he chuckled, pulling me onto his lap. I finished bandaging his knuckles, resting my head on his chest.

"I don't want what happened to me to happen to either of them," he revealed. I froze. "They're not fated mates, Clara. What if Luca finds his fated mate one day and leaves my sister?"

I smiled. So, all this time, he was just worried about them? I pulled away, turned to face him, and cupped his face. "Not everyone's story will be like mine, Damon. Give them the benefit of the doubt," I murmured. He frowned.

"The mate bond is very strong, Clara. Even if they try to fight it…"

"They're old enough to decide for themselves; you don't have to worry. Yes, the mate bond is strong, but true love is stronger. Just talk it out with them, okay? And don't yell or fight when they're trying to speak," I said. He smiled, nodded, and kissed me.

"I never said I was worried, but I'll do whatever you say, my little devil," he murmured. I rolled my eyes, smiling. He lifted me onto the bed, lying down beside me. Talking to him was easier than I expected. I thought he'd be stubborn. Every day, I discover how much he's changed.

"Why don't I fill that womb with my sperm so you give me babies?" he asked, climbing on top of me. I gasped, my eyes widening. "Damon!"

Note: I removed the website watermark. I also replaced some informal language ("p**g") with a more appropriate word ("irritating"). The ending is abrupt, as the original text was cut off.