Chapter 34

Clara

Things went downhill rapidly after that. Damon and I stopped speaking entirely. Everyone noticed, and Damon didn't even pretend otherwise. He seemed genuinely done with me, and I didn't know how to react.

Worse, he was barely home, and when he was, he had a different woman on his arm every day. It infuriated me. I felt like I was nothing more than a meaningless sexual conquest to him.

"Don't mind my brother," Delilah said, frowning at me. "He's complicated." Everyone knew Damon brought different women home, but no one could stop him. His father had tried, but it hadn't ended well, so he never tried again.

They were clearly disappointed in him, but there was little they could do. It seemed they all feared him.

I offered a small smile and shook my head. "I'm not worried, and I don't care. He can do whatever he wants," I murmured. Her frown deepened; she knew, as did I, that it affected me deeply.

Over the past few days, Damon and I had grown closer, so his inconsiderate behavior was devastating. I even stopped working for a while because I couldn't concentrate.

"I'll talk to him. I'll try my best…"

"You don't have to," I murmured. "I know you're all afraid of him." She froze slightly before sighing.

"Who wouldn't be? I guess you don't know your husband," she murmured. Her words intrigued me because she was right. I didn't know my husband.

"What else is there to know about him?" I asked. She was quiet for a moment before sighing.

"I have to assume Damon didn't tell you because he didn't want you to know, so I can't tell you everything, okay?" she said. I nodded slowly.

"Have you ever heard of someone called Death Viper?" she asked. My eyes widened. Who hadn't? I felt like I'd heard that name since childhood.

"Don't tell me…" I trailed off. She nodded, confirming my suspicion.

"My brother used to be Death Viper," she confessed. I gasped so loudly I felt the whole pack might have heard me.

"That can't be true! I've heard that name since I was a kid. How can that be him?" I muttered, remembering vividly Liam's father telling stories about Death Viper when he was alive.

"My brother began his killing spree at age eight. He was unstoppable, killing anyone or anything that dared to question him. He hated laughter and happiness, rejoicing only when someone was crying. My parents noticed early signs of this behavior when he was six—he laughed at my grandmother's funeral—but they dismissed it until the killing spree began," she paused, ensuring I was following. I gulped and nodded.

"My brother didn't always kill innocent people. He targeted anyone who annoyed him or threatened his family. One day, when I was sixteen, an Alpha came to our pack wanting me as his bride. Mind you, he was already married to his mate and had children. Damon didn't say anything, but that Alpha never woke up again. His head was placed on a pike as a warning to anyone who tried to mess with his family," she said. I gasped.

"How old was he then?" I asked.

"He was nineteen, but with the number of enemies he had, you'd think he'd lived for centuries. Everyone loathed Death Viper and wanted him dead, but no one could kill him. He was the stealthiest killer known to exist. There were countless assassination attempts, poisonings, and direct attacks, but nothing could defeat Damon. That was until he and my brother fell in love with the same girl, and Damon ended up killing her," she revealed. I was shocked.

"Why would he kill her? What did she do?" I asked. She shrugged.

"I don't know. Neither of them would say a word. We only know Damon killed her because he was holding the knife while she lay on the ground with stab wounds. After that, Dominic left, and we never saw him again, even though they texted daily. Damon stopped killing and focused his energy on something more productive. We still fear him because he could revert to that persona anytime. So, we try not to get on his bad side or anger him," she explained. I nodded slowly, processing everything.

"You're probably wondering why Damon is always rude to our parents. It's because they didn't support his 'hobby' and tried to kill him, but failed. Because of his killing spree, everyone turned their backs on the Alpha King, weakening my parents' power. Damon can never forget or forgive them for that. He's warmer now; you should have seen him before. They couldn't be in the same room without arguing. It was because of Damon that everyone got their individual mansions," she explained. It all suddenly made sense.

I was about to speak when a girl giggled her way into the dining room. She paused when she saw us; her cleavage and buttocks were fully exposed.

"Oh? Sorry for intruding. Damon wants to kill me," she murmured, sitting down. I frowned. Damon? She was on a first-name basis with him now?

Damon entered seconds later and sighed when he saw Delilah and me.

"Samantha, go back to your room," he muttered. She shook her head and hiccuped; she was clearly drunk.

"You want to kill me," she murmured. I groaned, abruptly standing. Without acknowledging him, I walked past him and went to my room, fighting back tears.

"Why am I even crying over that jerk?" I muttered, furiously wiping away my tears. Since Damon started acting this way, my wolf hadn't spoken a word except for a few whimpers. He was hurting her, and he didn't care.

My phone rang. Seeing the caller ID, I sighed before answering.

"Clara," Liam said. I sighed.

"I know you'll say no, but I'll keep asking, Clara. Please go out with me, just once. It doesn't have to be a date; we can just catch up," he murmured. I was about to refuse, but then I thought it over. If Damon could be with whomever he wanted, I could do the same without feeling guilty.

"Okay, Liam. I'll go out with you."