Uncle Fridolf’s words hung in the air like smoke. Damon stood rigid, his hands clenched at his sides, his breath rough.
Damon finally spoke, his voice raw. "You think this is about me refusing to admit something? No, uncle. This is not about me lying to myself. This is about Belinda. She is not the person we once knew. My wolf feels it. Every time she comes near, I feel sick. Every time she tries to touch me, I want to tear her hand away. And why? Because she is false. She is poison now. My wolf knows it."
Uncle Fridolf tilted his head, his face calm, his eyes sharp. "Your wolf feels disgust?"
"Yes," Damon said quickly. "A deep disgust. She presses herself close, pretending, smiling, whispering, but it is empty. It is all a game to her. And when she does it, my wolf rises in fury. I can feel it in my skin. She disgusts me."
I folded my arms, watching him pace like a caged beast. "Brother, listen to yourself. You think this is about Belinda changing? No. It is about you. You accepted Lisa into your heart. That is why your wolf rejects Belinda now. Not because she is poison, but because you love another. That is all."
Damon spun on me, his eyes blazing. "No. Don’t twist this into romance, Rowan. This is not love sickness. This is truth. My wolf never lied to me."
I stepped closer, my voice low but steady. "And yet, do you forget how close we came to blood over Lisa? Do you forget how you looked at me like I was your rival, not your brother? You were obsessed then, and you are obsessed now. That feeling, your wolf’s rejection, it is not proof of Belinda’s crimes. It is proof of your devotion to Lisa."
Kael spoke then, arms crossed tight. "Rowan is right. I saw it too, Damon. You were not yourself when you started having feelings for Lisa. You clung to her as if she was the only breath left in the world. Belinda never stood a chance beside her. This hatred you feel now, it is born from that love, not from Belinda’s guilt."
Damon shook his head hard, his teeth clenched. "No. No, you are both blind. You have let her fool you. Belinda has twisted herself into your hearts, and you cannot see the truth. She used to be ours, yes. She used to be light. But power changed her. The crown changed her. She became Luna, and with it she learned how to bend and break people. She learned to smile and deceive. She is not the girl from before. She is not my Belinda."
Uncle Fridolf smiled faintly, folding his hands. "Your brothers have spoken well, Damon. And I will add my piece. I remember, more than both of them, how doting you were over Belinda. Do you deny it?" The source of thɪs content is 𝘯𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘭⚫𝘧𝘪𝘳𝘦⚫𝘯𝘦𝘵
Damon’s mouth tightened. "I do not deny it. Once, yes, I was hers. Entirely."
Uncle Fridolf nodded slowly. "You were not just hers, Damon. You were her shield. You would not hear a word against her. If anyone whispered her name with doubt, you cut them down. She was your pride, your treasure. You gave her every gift she asked for. You carried her burdens as if they were feathers. You adored her."
Damon’s face hardened. "That was before. People change. And she changed most of all. With power, with title, with influence, she grew into something dark. I saw it. I felt it. Do not pretend she is the same girl we once laughed with in the halls."
I stepped forward again, shaking my head. "No, Damon. You are the one who changed. You found Lisa. You gave her your heart. And now Belinda’s every word, every smile, tastes bitter to you because it is not Lisa’s. That is all."
Damon growled, his wolf flashing in his voice. "Do not speak to me as if I am blind. I feel the difference. Belinda is not only bitter in my heart, she is bitter in her soul. I can sense it. She hides venom behind her eyes."
Kael lifted his chin, his voice sharp. "And what if it is your own venom you see reflected back? What if it is not her, but you? What if you are the one pouring poison into every memory of her?"
Damon’s jaw flexed, his breath harsh. He turned to uncle Fridolf, his eyes burning. "You must see it. You, of all people. Tell me you see how she has twisted."
Uncle Fridolf’s calm smile never wavered. "What I see, Damon, is a man who once loved deeply. And men who love deeply also hate deeply when the love turns sour. Perhaps you are not wrong, perhaps Belinda has changed. But perhaps you have changed more."
Damon’s hands curled into fists. "You speak in riddles, uncle. I want truth."
Uncle Fridolf stepped closer, his voice even. "Then here is truth: once you adored her, and now you despise her. That is not only her fault. It is yours too. You let love for another shape what you feel. You call her poison now, but yesterday she was honey. Who changed more, Damon, Belinda, or you?"
Silence fell heavy. Damon’s chest rose and fell like thunder. His eyes darted from me to Kael to uncle Fridolf, searching, burning.
Finally, he said in a low, harsh voice, "Maybe we both changed. But I know one thing, my wolf cannot be fooled. My wolf feels the rot inside her. That cannot be denied."
I sighed, running a hand over my face. "Or perhaps your wolf only mirrors the rot you feel inside yourself. You cannot accept that you moved on. That you love Lisa. So you turn your guilt into disgust for Belinda. That is what I believe."
Kael nodded beside me. "Yes. And I believe it too."
Uncle Fridolf clasped his hands behind his back, his smile faint, his eyes sharp. "And I... I believe your brothers have spoken the truth well, Damon. You may not like it, but they are not wrong. You were once doting, you were once hers. Now you are not. That is the root of this storm. Not her crown. Not her power. You."
Damon stared at us all, his face torn between rage and something deeper, something wounded. His voice came out hoarse. "People change, uncle. People change. And Belinda... Belinda is proof of it."
Uncle Fridolf only smiled faintly again, his voice calm. "Perhaps. But so are you, Damon. So are you."