Chapter 361 Confide in me

My knees dug into the black soil. ’The golden orb is no longer with the corrupted witches, why is this place drained of life... does this mean if I don’t sacrifice myself this is what the future would look like?’My hands tightened into a fist as my mind wandered to Damon and the pack. I don’t want them to experience the same horror again, yet my heart squeezed painfully.

’Is this the only way?... there has to be another way.’ The ring on my finger caught my eye, my fingers trembled as I brought them closer to my face.

"Were my wishes too expensive to fulfill?" As the words left my lips, a drop of tears rolled down my cheeks.

The weight came crashing on my shoulders, the land was dying, and I believed I didn’t have the time I thought I had.

"Ember... It’s okay, you are not alone, I’m with you." Layla whispered in my head.

And those broke the dam of emotions I never realized I was hiding.

"Layla, we don’t have time, and... we just got engaged... we just got engaged." My voice grew fainter almost as if I couldn’t believe my eyes.

"You know, it doesn’t hurt if we tell Damon about it..."

"No," my voice roared out in defense. "Damon can’t know anything about this." My voice became softer again.

"You don’t trust him?" She asked, her shoulders dropped.

"I trust him, of course I do."

"Then why?"

"Because I don’t want him to feel sad... I don’t want to see him break over me again or try to save me his life... Layla, I love him so much, so much that I hate myself for it." I sobbed softly, clutching a handful of the blackened soil.

"He will experience it again if you don’t let him know, maybe this time he won’t be able to recover from it, after all he will blame himself for failing to protect you." Layla’s voice carried the weight of realism, sad and helpless.

"I know what to do." My lips stretched into a sad smile, my eyes grew distant. "This is for the best," I muttered to myself.

"I hope you won’t regret it," Layla said before retracting the farthest corner of my mind.

My gaze fell on the ring again, my heart clenched so tightly that it made it difficult to breathe.

After composing myself, I stared at the vast charred land one last time, my fist clenched tightly. I knew I was never a heroine, but I don’t mind giving my life if it means the people that matter to me would be safe.

I walked back to the spot we had spent the night, and this time a dazzling familiar figure stood gazing at the waterfall, his dark shoulder-length hair clung to his face forming soft locs from the water dripping from their ends.

He ran one of his hands through his hair making it more disheveled. His shirt clung tightly to his wet body, highlighting his well-defined chiselled body.

The sunlight basked on him like a demon god, his eyes were like the dark sheet covering the sky, yet deep in their depth, stars were shining brightly like the night sky, beautiful, alluring, and dangerous.

He was the man of my dreams, the only one I had ever wished for.

Damon turned towards me, the moment his eyes fell on me, a beautiful smile curved on his lips, his eyes squinting and sparkling in delight. It was the most beautiful smile I had ever seen.

"My love." He called out alluringly in that deep and husky voice.

"Babe," I replied, quietly brushing off the tears from my eyes. I smiled brightly before running into his arms.

The moment my frame landed on his, I felt a sense of comfort.

"Are you okay?" He asked, caressing my hair.

I nodded my head. "Let’s stay like this for a while," I whispered.

He hummed in acceptance, his hand folded around my waist pulling me in a tight hug.

The sound of his heartbeat was calming, and my hands tightened around him.

We stayed like that for a long time, the moment was so precious that nothing could compare to it.

"Is it enough now?" Damon asked with a teasing voice.

I nodded my head, forcing a smile on my face. "We should go now."

I turned to leave, afraid he would see my mask falling. However, I felt a pair of strong arms wrapping around my waist.

Damon hugged me from behind, his head resting faintly on my shoulder. "I know you are hurting Jasmine, and I know you don’t want to tell me what it is. However, I hope you would confide in me and let me share your burden. I love you so much, and I hope you’ll learn to see me as your other half. I love you." He said softly but his tone was serious.

My heart clenched tightly as if it was bleeding dry, Damon only called me Jasmine when he wanted me to know he cared for clarity and trustworthiness. After all, the name was a symbol for our new beginning.

I closed my eyes. ’How could I forget about the bracelet, of course he feels what I feel.’

I inhaled deeply, and I turned around facing him. "You are just overreacting, maybe you are feeling it wrong. And I would share any of my problems with you. And why would I be sad? Remember we just got engaged." I flexed my finger at him, showing him the ring.

He parted his lips to speak, but I grabbed his hand pulling him along. "Come with me, I’m hungry," I said dramatically.

We mounted the horse and headed home. I looked ahead, but strangely I couldn’t appreciate the beauty of nature. The most important thing to do is to take the enchanted bracelet off, although the witch said it would only come off when we both trust each other and there was mutual understanding, I can’t let him learn what was to come or my feelings.