Chapter 74 - Clara

Delilah slept beside me that night, and afterward, Gwen and her brothers' attitude toward me softened, though they remained cold. I couldn't focus on them, however, because my longing for Damon intensified. Luca, Aunt Amelia, and Damon's parents visited to check on me. Despite their efforts to cheer me, I felt empty.

At breakfast, I whispered, "Can't I see him?" Silence fell. The Alpha King responded, "You can't, and frankly, I don't think you would want to." I frowned. "Of course I would! That's all I want," I muttered. Damon's mother said, "Dear, eat your food; it's getting cold." I pushed back my chair, stood, and said, "I'm not hungry," then started to leave. Luca grabbed my hand. "You have to eat, Clara. If Damon were here…"

"But he isn't, and you won't let me see him! Why?" I asked, looking at his parents. His mother bowed her head; the Alpha King sighed. Before he could speak, I said, "I'm leaving," and walked out, despite Aunt Amelia calling my name.

Luca and Delilah followed. "What should I understand? I just want to see him! I need him, and you don't care! I need my mate!" Tears streamed down my face. Delilah said, "You can't see him," and I scoffed. "Why? Because he's in isolation? I just want to see him once…"

"It's not that, Clara. You wouldn't want to see him," Delilah murmured. I frowned. Aunt Amelia, emerging from the dining room with Damon's parents, asked, "What do you mean? Why can't she see him?"

The Alpha King replied, "She just can't." Aunt Amelia said, "I don't mean to offend, but you're hiding something. Can't she see her mate, even for thirty minutes, before he continues his punishment?"

Silence followed. "What's wrong? Is something wrong with Damon? Why are you so secretive?" I shouted. Luca and Delilah exchanged a look. Luca looked at the Alpha King, then back at me.

"Damon isn't in a good position to be seen," Luca said. "Why? What's wrong with my husband?" I demanded. He sighed. "He's in the abyss," he whispered. My breath caught. The abyss wasn't just isolation; it was where wolves who committed horrific acts were sent. It was like hell for a wolf's mind, due to a spell on the cave. Wolves emerged insane or brutally injured, often self-harmed or suicidal.

"What?" I whispered. Luca said, "Clara, calm down."

"How can I calm down when Damon is harming himself?!" I yelled. He sighed. "This isn't the first time. He…"

"What?!" I screamed, turning to Damon's mother. "How could you let them send him there knowing he'll suffer?" She frowned. "Because what he did was wrong, and he must pay. He slaughtered innocents, Clara. I know he acted out of anger, but if we overlook this, he'll never change." Though she made sense, I was too angry to see it.

"Take me to him," I said to Luca. The Alpha King said, "He cannot; Damon must complete his punishment." Ignoring him, I stared at Luca. He sighed and nodded. "I'll take you," he said.

The Alpha King objected, "You will do no such thing without my permission!" Luca and I turned to him. Luca replied, "You may be the Alpha King, but my loyalty lies with my Alpha—and in his absence, with his wife. Punish me later, but I must obey her. Shall we go, Clara?" I nodded, and we left. Delilah joined us.

The drive to the abyss felt torturous, though it only took an hour. I jumped out of the car and ran toward the cave, but Luca stopped me. "He's not himself; he might hurt you," he said. Then we heard a scream from inside.

"Damon!" I screamed, pushing past Luca and running into the cave. The guards tried to stop me, but Luca apparently told them not to. Seeing Damon, I sobbed. He was on the ground, screaming, holding his head. He was covered in self-inflicted scratch marks; his clothes were torn.

"Damon, it's Clara!" I yelled. He paused, turning to me with wide, red eyes. "Clara?" he asked, uncertain. I nodded, fighting back tears. "Yeah, it's Clara," I whispered. I reached for him, but he snarled, bared a claw, and lunged. Luca pulled me away, getting scratched.

Before he could speak, I pushed him aside, ran to Damon, and hugged him tightly. "It's me, Clara, your wife!" I yelled. His body stilled. "Clara?" he whispered, and hugged me back. "It's me. I'm sorry I'm late, but we're leaving together…"