He turned away again, his shoulders tense, his hands balled into fists. I could see the struggle in him, the way he was trying to hold himself together, to keep that stoic mask firmly in place. And then, just as suddenly, he laughed, a low, bitter sound.
“You really are a fool,” he muttered. “You don’t even understand what you’re getting yourself into.”
“Maybe I don’t,” I said softly, taking a step closer. “But I know how I feel about you. And I know that I’d give anything to see you happy, Damon. Even if that means… even if it means being nothing more than a memory to you.”
He was silent for a long time, his gaze fixed on the ground. Finally, he looked up, his expression unreadable. “And you think this would make me happy?”
I felt a lump rise in my throat, but I forced myself to meet his gaze. “I think it would give you a future. A legacy. And that’s all I want for you.”
He exhaled slowly, his eyes softening for just a moment. And for that brief instant, I thought maybe, just maybe, he could see me for who I was. Not just Kierra, the daughter of the Moonstone pack’s Alpha. But Kierra, the woman who loved him with everything she had.