Derek's POV The moon's round orb shone high in the sky, casting its velvety light on the Black Thorn Pack's turf. It was bedtime, but I couldn't sleep, my mind in turmoil. As long as I closed my eyes, Tabitha's face would haunt me. Her stubborn look, the agony in her eyes... Every detail was etched in my mind. I gotta admit, restoring her rights as Luna was quite a relief, even if it was just to chill Leo out. After staying up all night, I got up early the next morning, spending the whole day dealing with pack biz. Hopefully, it'd distract myself from all the mess inside my head. My phone kept ringing, but the sight of Daphne's name killed my urge to pick up. After a while, I heard a knock at the door. "Come in," I grunted, rubbing at my forehead. Then the door swung open and in walked Daphne. Not expecting her presence, I asked with a frown, "What are you doing here?" She walked over, grumbling, "I rang you up a few times, but you didn't answer. Got a bit worri
Tabitha's POV The guy's kiss on the back of my hand gave me goosebumps. Then I realized, even though I had given up on Derek, I still couldn't stand other guys getting close to me. Having no vibes to chill at the club, I left with Gloria. We came on foot, so we decided to walk back, too. The cool night breeze was like a balm for all the drama. Suddenly, my phone rang. It was Alvin. "Good evening, Luna Tabitha. Alpha Derek asked me to inform you that the reject ceremony's set for tomorrow morning at the Council of Elders," came Alvin's apologetic voice. The news took me by surprise. But soon, I figured out why. Since I felt pain due to Derek's intimacy with Daphne, he must've felt the same when that guy kissed my hand just now. As someone with a big ego, he surely couldn't stand it. With a wry smile, I paused my tracks a sec before answering, "Got it. Thanks." "What's wrong?" Gloria asked with concern when she saw me hang up the phone. I shook my head and smile
Tabitha's POV Right now, the big deal for me was to chase down the beef between my dad and Elena before my health further deteriorated. I gotta arrange everything first. So, I took a cab back to the Alpha Villa of the Black Thorn Pack, the place that belonged to me and Derek. Derek decked out everything in the house, so moving house just meant grabbing a few key bits of mine. The only thing I couldn't let go of was the nursery that I personally designed. I didn't want Daphne's baby to move in there when she became Luna. So I took down all the decorations. It took only a few hours to erase what took sleepless nights to build. Standing at the doorway of the villa, I recalled how thrilled I was first coming up here. How naïve. Back then, I never saw it coming that one day Derek and I would end up like this. Snapping back to reality, I decided to call someone to pick me up. Alvin and Rolf followed Derek to 32 Seaside Avenue, so they weren't available. The other member
Derek's POV Kyrian's disappearance almost drove me insane, so I had to tell Tabitha to put off the rejection ceremony. Watching her lose control in anger, I had to release the Alpha aura to calm her down. Holding her, I suddenly realized she'd lost a lot of weight. What had I done to the mate I used to love wholeheartedly? Was this really what I wanted? But then, the image of Elena's cold, lifeless body popped up in my mind. My guilt immediately vanished, and I resolutely pushed Tabitha away. Hearing her talk about splitting up, all disappointed, Leo wailed with pain inside me again. But Kyrian's missing got me too wrapped up to dwell on that agony. After Tabitha disappeared from my sight, I headed toward the car, instructing, "Alvin, let's go!" Going a few miles, I finally couldn't put up with Alvin's slow driving, so I told Rolf to take his place. Finally, we arrived at 32 Seaside Avenue after half an hour. I barged in, and before I could say anything, Daphne rush
Derek's POV "Alpha Derek, are we going back to the Council of Elders?" asked Rolf after we left 32 Seaside Avenue. I glanced back and said, "Nah, we're heading back to the pack." With that, I got in the car. Before closing the car door, I heard Rolf muttering, "Aren't they supposed to hold the feet; rejection ceremony today? We didn't waste a lot of time here. Maybe we'll be able to catch up with Tabitha..." To my surprise, postponing the rejection ceremony was a relief to me. But I was too cowardly to think why. "Where's Tabitha?" I asked. Alvin immediately replied, "She should be with Gloria now." It made sense since Gloria was her bestie. To keep tabs on all of Tabitha's moves, I had Alvin follow Gloria on social media. Alvin fished out his phone while speaking and scrolled to Gloria's latest I*******m post, where I spotted Tabitha beside her straight away. The two seemed to be celebrating something, as Gloria captioned it with "A new beginning." My grip on the
Tabitha's POV I hung up the phone and took a taxi to the hospital where Orson was. Sitting in the backseat, I watched as the view outside the window raced past me. For the first time in ages, I was craving to stay alive. Not just for Dad but for the Silver Moon Pack too. Just as I was lost in thought, my phone rang. It was Alvin. "What's up, Alvin?" I asked calmly. "Luna, Alpha Derek wants you to come back to the pack immediately," Alvin said respectfully. "I can't. Got something to do." "But..." He paused for a second. "Alpha Derek needs you back for the rejection ceremony." "He can leave me at will but I gotta go when he needs me? What am I, his pet?" I cut him off. "Tell him that I'll come back after I'm done here. Leave me alone before that." Then I hung up before Alvin could say anything in reply. A few hours ago, I would've returned to Black Thorn Pack in a heartbeat. But now, I had more important things to do. "Orson, I need your help." Orson sat down
Tabitha's POV To my surprise, the person I missed the most till this point was still Derek. Memories came flooding back, overwhelming me. I recalled us running together in the moonlight after we shifted. Back then, we had just confirmed we were each other's mates, all thrilled. Even after all this time, his face that night was etched in my mind. And after he marked me, he was so gentle and considerate, taking care of me like no one else. Our love used to be the envy of all. And we had thought it would last forever. But now, he was with someone else, even having a kid of their own. I had to remind myself again and again of his betrayal and ruthlessness, trying my best to forget about the good old days. In intense pain, I gritted my teeth and told myself that I gotta hang tough. There were truths not yet dug up, so I couldn't just die. The cold moonlight shone on my wound, the skin beneath my fur warming up. As time passed, the pain turned numb. By dawn, I shifted b
Tabitha's POV Stunned, I asked, "What are you talking about?" Derek's face twisted with madness. "I used to think divorce would be the best punishment for you, but I've changed my mind," he hissed, his voice icy and piercing. Had it been half a month back, I'd have been over the moon if Derek refused to divorce me. Yet now, I had already learned the truth, so it only disgusted me even more. "Let go! Derek, I want a divorce. Now!" I yelled. He lifted me up easily, ignoring my request. "Let me down, Derek. Have you lost your damn mind?!" I roared at him, hoping to bring him to his senses. But he remained unmoved. Being weak, I couldn't resist him at all. A deep sense of despair overwhelmed me. He put me in the back seat of his car, and I asked with difficulty, "Derek, what the heck do you want?" "I want you to pay for what John did! So no way am I letting you date another guy at will," Derek hissed with an evil grin. His cruel words shattered my heart into a million p
Tabitha was deeply focused on listening to Derek's heartbeat. Irritated by his question, she simply hushed him with a "Shh" and said, "Don't talk." Her attention was entirely on his heart rate. She had no intention of being distracted by others.After finishing with his heartbeat, Tabitha gently pried open Derek's eyelids for a closer look.His pupils were dull and lifeless, making it impossible to assess the internal damage with the naked eye.It seemed that only after administering the antidote and conducting a professional examination outside could they determine the extent of the eye damage.Tabitha silently resolved that if they could just detoxify him, there would be hope for the gradual recovery of his other organs.At Tabitha's "Shh," Derek obediently fell silent.Despite feeling as though he were in a dream, he cherished this fleeting moment, thinking that even an extra minute with Tabitha would give him more memories to hold onto i
Derek clung to Tabitha like a koala to a tree trunk, refusing to let go.His voice was urgent and filled with longing as he declared, "Tabitha, you have no idea how long I've been searching for you! Every day, every night, your image haunted my thoughts. I was such a fool. If I had known you would vanish completely, I never would have let you go."Tabitha's heart skipped a beat at his words.Recalling her departure, she realized how strange it had been—how smoothly she had left.Back then, Tabitha had barely left when someone came chasing after her. Had Derek known of her plan from the start?If he had wanted to stop her, he could have nipped her plan in the bud."Why did you let me go, then?" she asked.Derek, lost in the joy of their reunion, poured out his feelings unreservedly. "I've always felt guilty for the wrongs I did you. I wanted to make amends."Tabitha gazed into Derek's eyes, noticing the red marks on his face.Despite his usual handsomeness, these marks added an air of
Third person's POVThis was why Tabitha had chosen Alvin over Rolf.She adjusted her waterlogged mask, now nearly peeling off, and swiftly exited the scene.Rolf muttered behind her, "Alpha Derek, don't go around hugging people. What if she gets clingy? Tabitha's still out there—what if she sees this and makes you wait another decade?"Derek remained silent."But seriously," Rolf continued, "the doctor's build and height are identical to Tabitha's. Just the face is different."Derek seized on this. "What did you say?""I said she looks like Tabitha, except for the face. Alpha Derek, don't get carried away—it's not like Tabitha to pop up just because you're poisoned. You've looked for her for three and a half years with no luck."Derek rubbed his temples, chalking it up to longing-induced hallucinations.Tabitha retreated to her room, exhausted from the sleepless night of brewing and changing medicines.
Third person's POVDerek loosened his grip slightly, allowing her to breathe. "Sorry, I can't see. No idea what's going on," he muttered."You're in a tub. No dialysis here—just using heat to sweat out the wolfsbane. I was checking your condition," Tabitha explained, her tone flat.Derek realized his mistake. "Apologies.""Now that you're more lucid, let's do a quick check-up. How do you feel?""Body's burning. Blind as a bat. Hearing's there but muffled, ringing in the ears. Headache, chest tightness, shortness of breath, weak limbs...""Your entire body's under toxin attack. Recovery will take time. Don't stress. You're in good shape—should bounce back faster. Can you stand? Let me see your condition."The tub's dark liquid hid Derek's nudity, so Tabitha didn't push him to move.Derek suddenly realized something. "Wait, I'm naked?""Yep."Silence.His face twisted in discomfort."I'm a
Third person's POV"Are you serious?" Tabitha frowned. "This is life or death. Do you want him to die?""You don't get it," Alvin said quickly. "That woman isn't really Alpha Derek's fiancée. She made it up to convince Mrs. Atkinson to help. Derek's got someone else—someone he loves. If he finds out she fed him the medicine, he'll lose it.""So what? It's just medicine. I can't exactly summon his 'someone else' here," Tabitha muttered."Everything else is negotiable, but Alpha Derek's stubborn about this. He's loved Tabitha his whole life. He won't let another woman touch him intimately. I can't make that call for him. Any other ideas?"Tabitha froze. Tabitha? She hadn't heard that name in years."Since he loves Tabitha so much, where is she? Why isn't she here?""Tabitha left over three years ago. Derek's searched everywhere but couldn't find her. This time, he got distracted because someone hired a Tabitha look-alike. T
Third person's POVAlvin froze, panic rising. "Sorry, Alpha Derek's delirious," he blurted, terrified of offending Doctor Venessa."Get his clothes off and put him in the tub," Tabitha instructed, turning away to sort herbs."Fully?" Alvin asked, unsure."Fully," Tabitha confirmed, her voice flat.Alvin hesitated, then stripped Derek bare.Tabitha's mind flashed with memories of Derek's body—the same one she'd once known intimately.Compared to when she'd left, Derek's physique was more muscular.When she'd gripped his waist earlier, she'd distinctly felt the elasticity and definition of his muscles.Now, with his clothes removed, several new scars were visible across his chest.She'd watched him from afar over the years, always avoiding contact, always ensuring she remained invisible to him.Several times over the years, Derek had nearly crossed paths with Tabitha during missions. Each time, she deli
Third person's POVTabitha was used to Alvin calling her by name. Hearing him call her "doctor" made her wince."Use a different name," she said."May I know your name, Doctor?""Vanessa."Wait, what?Alvin nearly choked. "You're Vanessa? The all-around physician?"An "all-around physician" was a rarity—doctors usually specialized.But Vanessa wasn't just rare. She was legendary.Alvin had first heard her name last year when she became one of the few surgeons capable of performing interdental artificial cornea surgery.The procedure was so complex it required collaboration across dental, ophthalmological, and radiological fields.Yet Vanessa, a twenty-something newcomer, pulled it off.Media swarmed, patients flocked—but she vanished.Then came a high-risk heart surgery, again under her name.Another worldwide sensation.Reporters chased shadows. She remained elusive,
Third person's POVA cold female voice cut through the tension, "One more tear and you're out. You're deafening."Misha's open mouth froze mid-sob, the comical expression plastered on her face.She glanced around, finally noticing the unfamiliar woman in the room. "Who is she?" she demanded."This is the miracle doctor who can save Alpha Derek. Show some respect," Rolf warned, wary of Misha's infamous temper flaring up again.Despite her pride, Misha's love for Derek was genuine.She quickly composed herself. "Of course, Doctor. I entrust my Derek to you," she said, the possessive words slipping out before she could catch them.Rolf's eyebrow twitched. Since when was Derek "hers"?Alma appeared in the doorway. "You're back.""Yes," the woman replied, her tone neutral."Let me introduce everyone. These folks are here for treatment. The young man's poisoned—Nine-Heart Wolfsbane, nearly dead. The hysterical one
Third person's POVRolf's eyes were red and puffy from crying. "What's Alpha Derek trying to do?" he blubbered."Let him have this one last moment of freedom," Alvin said, holding Rolf back.The mountain wind chilled their tears, but Derek couldn't feel it anymore.His knees shook with every movement, each step draining what little strength he had left.Still, he didn't give up, gritting his teeth and forcing one foot in front of the other.The child stood bathed in sunlight—just a few steps away, and he could hold her.What should've been a quick stride took dozens of seconds, maybe longer.Hedwig stood with her back to him, pigeons swirling around her. A speckled one landed on her finger, cooing.Hedwig's eyes lit up—her mom was back!She spun around to see Derek lurching toward her, unsteady and lifeless yet driven by sheer will.He reached out, fingers trembling, when his body swayed dangero