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's POV He grabbed a fistful of my hair and pulled my head back. "You still haven't answered my question..." His eyes were golden and wild, a sign that he was losing control of the wolf inside him. "What are you gonna do, Derek? Torture me until you get what you want?" I shook my head, even though it stung to do so. He tightened his grip around my hair. "I used to be confused, wondering why you changed all of a sudden. But when I saw that kid who looked just like you, I figured it out—I've been waiting for someone who would never come back. Derek, I'll let you go. Please let me go, too, OK?" I begged. He jerked back as if I had burned him. I could see his arms flexing, his hands balling into fists, his knuckles turning white. He was furious. Then all of a sudden, the study door swung open, and in walked Daphne. Noticing what we were doing, she stepped back, dumbfounded. I struggled to break free from Derek's grip and mocked, "I don't get it. Why wouldn't you
Tabitha's POV I totally pissed Derek off. "When are you gonna reject me?" I asked, looking at him undaunted. It was the only thing on my mind today. "It's up to me!" he growled, and then he left, slamming the door shut. When I was left alone, the pack's Omega immediately came in and tidied up the room. I pulled myself together for a shower. My newly healed wound hurt a bit, and I tended to it carefully. From Derek's reaction just now, I could tell he was still hung up on me. Awesome. By the time he learned that his cruelty killed me, he would definitely be devastated. My death would be my revenge for how he treated me. I'd make him drown in regret forever! Pity that I wouldn't be able to appreciate the look on his face then. It'd been a few days since Derek locked me in this room. Every morning, he asked the same question. "What's your relationship with Orson?" Every morning, I asked the same question. "When is the rejection ceremony?" Then he shut up, lea
Tabitha's POV It'd been forever since I had such a good night's sleep. The injury I got from fighting off the rogue attack at the Silver Moon Pack was killing me. Every night, I'd been tossing and turning from the pain. Finally, I could have a sweet dream tonight. I figured I gotta thank Derek for it, cuz I wouldn't be feeling any pain for a few hours. Derek's familiar scent wrapped around me, his warm hug had me let my guard down. I dreamed of a green lawn. As I walked along, the clean earthy aroma wafted through the air. Soon, a tree rocked up in front of me. And a white wolf was curling underneath. It was my wolf. "Crystal?" I called out softly, moving closer. Her fur was kinda yellowish, but she was breathing fine. Seeing her in pain broke my heart. I knelt and caressed her, trying my best to bond with her. Suddenly, she let out a soft whimper. Though she didn't respond, I could tell she was on the mend. Soon, the scene started going dark, my vision blurring
Tabitha's POV I immediately sat down, my mouth watering as I gazed at the golden pancakes. They even got the sweet scent of vanilla! With expectant eyes, I shove a piece into my mouth with a fork, the sweet taste of maple syrup blowing my mind. Finally, I convinced myself that it wasn't a dream. Lifting my gaze, I saw Derek placing a latte in front of me, his lips pursed up. When he noticed I was eyeing him, he just flicked a glance my way. I was kinda glad that he didn't say anything to kill the vibe. We polished off breakfast in silence just like that. For the next several days, it was the same drill. Derek would be out dealing with the pack biz during the day. And at night, he'd come home to dine with me. We barely talked. But I could feel that he wasn't as hostile and cold to me as before. At some point, I felt like we were back to those good old days when Daphne hadn't shown up. We were still so crazily in love, our mate bond as strong as ever. Then the wou
Tabitha's POV The minute Derek finished speaking, I felt Crystal growling inside me, hysterical and livid. A chill ran down my spine. Turned out he did more than weaken the Silver Moon Pack. He even planned the attack that almost killed me. How impressive! It suddenly dawned on me that the wolfsbane on those rogues' claws was probably part of his scheme, too. Feeling ridiculous, I let out a bitter laugh. "So you want both my dad and I dead, huh?" I muttered under my breath. Derek, all caught up in his emotions, didn't hear a word I was saying. He stood up, looking down at me like I was some ant. "I grew up with Elena, and I liked her as much as Zack. If it weren't for this shit, she could've been my Luna. Even if she wasn't my destined mate, I'd treat her like a family. But look what John's done to her? He not only killed her but got her disfigured to cover his tracks! What kind of monster would do that?!" "He's way too emotional, and so is Leo. I can't communicate
Tabitha's POV "Are you outta your fucking mind?! That was your flesh and blood, too!" I grabbed his collar with both hands, feeling my wolf's fangs punch through my gums, sprouting out. Sensing my rage, Crystal roared inside me. Derek's words tore my heart into pieces. Losing the baby had always been the biggest regret and trauma. And he was the one behind it? How could he do this to me? Faced with my anger, Derek unleashed his full Alpha aura, forcing Crystal to curl up. But I wasn't scared at all. Trying my best to resist, I snarled, looking him in the eye, "I'll never forgive you!" "Same." With that, he took his Alpha aura back and strode out. Once his scent was gone, I collapsed onto the ground, completely drained. It clicked why Derek'd been capricious for the past year. And why he sometimes looked at me as if I was a stranger. All these reports scattered on the ground were the result of Derek's efforts this whole year. I bet his initiative motive was to prov
Third person's POVIn the auction venue for living "merchandise," the atmosphere is always more heated and agitated than in those for inanimate objects.The guests had collected their entry number cards early and stepped into the venue with anticipation, each secretly speculating on what kind of "prey" they might acquire today.Their eyes gleamed with greed, excitement, and curiosity, as if they were about to participate in a grand and thrilling carnival, rather than a sinful transaction.On the eve of the auction's commencement, Matilda suddenly received a message from her subordinates, informing her that someone was attempting to prevent the auction from starting.Matilda immediately guessed who was behind this mischief, a disdainful sneer curling her lips.She whispered, "He arrived quite promptly. Ignore it, proceed with the plan."One of her subordinates, hearing this, showed a worried expression and cautiously advised, "He seems
Third person's POVWhen Tabitha uttered those words, her heart was filled with bitterness and helplessness, as if a dense cloud of gloom shrouded her soul.She could never have imagined that the person she once despised so much, wishing never to see again, would now be the one she invoked to try to escape danger.It was a tragic and absurd reality."If you don't believe me, look it up online. If you let us go, I'll pretend today never happened, and I promise I won't pursue this," Tabitha said, forcing back the humiliation inside and trying to make her voice sound calm.But the slight tremor in her tone betrayed her anxiety and fear.Matilda's henchmen, upon hearing Tabitha's words, began to persuade Matilda cautiously.One of them spoke tentatively, "This woman really seems to have some background. Maybe we shouldn't mess with her. Those rich folks are not to be trifled with. Once you get entangled with them, it's hard to disentangle
Third person's POVAfter being injected with some drug by Matilda, Tabitha felt as if all her strength had been instantly drained.Her body was limp, like a pile of mud, making it extremely difficult to even stand.Overwhelmed by intense drowsiness, she felt groggy, her head unusually heavy, her thoughts mired in a dense fog, and her reactions severely slowed.She could hear Matilda speaking clearly, but her brain, like a rusty machine, took several seconds to respond with effort.In her heart, she was screaming, wanting to escape this terrifying place, but her limbs seemed to be under a spell, refusing to obey.She was deeply worried. If she had been injected with drugs, she didn't know what had happened to Ayla or where she was.Had those perverts done something terrible to her?Tabitha was roughly dressed by several rude individuals in a gorgeous yet humiliating outfit.Then, someone meticulously applied makeup to her
Third person's POVDerek's health had shown a marked improvement over the past two days.With the ship about to dock in Seattle, all matters had reached a critical juncture.Following Derek's instructions, Rolf and Alvin had discreetly disembarked.Their mission was twofold: to swiftly return to the company with the various contracts Derek had meticulously signed aboard the ship and to handle the backlog of internal affairs, ensuring the company's operations proceeded smoothly and efficiently.And secondly, Derek, in his thoroughness, knew arrangements had to be made in advance to prevent Tabitha from suspecting his identity once she disembarked.Everything had to appear natural and reasonable.In the days leading up to this, life had been as calm as a tranquil sea without a ripple.Forrest, as usual, delivered meals to Tabitha on schedule, and the process had gone off without a hitch, with no errors or mishaps.But just
Third person's POVIt was a beauty that commanded awe, with Tabitha wearing no makeup to enhance her skin, no contouring to sculpt her features, and no lipstick or eyebrow pencil to embellish.Her skin was as pure and delicate as snow, and her soft lips seemed to possess an innately delicate hue, naturally red without any color.Her eyebrows were thick and natural, as dark as ink, without any need for grooming.Her nose was high and straight, and her facial features, under the meticulous carving of nature, presented a profound and three-dimensional beauty, as if she were God's most prideful masterpiece.Even as Tabitha stared at her with cold hostility, Matilda, being a woman herself, couldn't help but be struck by Tabitha's beauty.She inwardly marveled at how outrageously beautiful she was.Matilda considered herself to have seen countless beauties. In her perception, she couldn't think of anyone who could compare to Tabitha in a ba
Third person's POVTabitha felt a bomb about to detonate in her head, a sense of extreme foreboding spreading rapidly within her like a torrential tide."Have you seen her? Where is she?" Tabitha's voice trembled with anxiety.Her eyes were fixed on Mathilda, her gaze a complex mixture of despair and hope.Mathilda crooked her finger slightly, beckoning Tabitha with a smirk on her face. "Follow me. I'll take you to her."However, in Tabitha's mind, her words were like the devil's tempting yet deadly lure.She knew that if Ayla was truly in her possession, she wouldn't go through such trouble to say she'd lead her there.She would just hand the child over.Instantly, Tabitha realized a terrible fact: besides Alya, she herself was likely one of the targets.Could it be the one who had been hiding behind the scenes?No, probably not. If it was that, they wouldn't use such an indirect approach. They would be more dire
Third person's POVAlya was gone! She had slipped away stealthily during the gap in her exercise routine!Immense terror gripped Tabitha's heart.Ayla had always been so well-behaved. Tabitha never imagined Alya would venture out alone to find Wilmot.She was well aware that this ship was no ordinary place, harboring far too many hidden dangers and darkness.Her mind conjured up various dreadful thoughts.How many psychologically twisted perverts lurked on this ship?Ayla was so young and adorable, like a budding flower. If targeted by ill-intentioned individuals, what kind of misfortune might she encounter?There were far too many wealthy individuals with twisted psyches committing heinous acts, and the consequences were often more terrifying than mere threats.For instance, some perverts were obsessed with specific parts of a woman's body, such as legs or hair.They would post nefarious tasks on the dark web, an
Third person's POVDerek still coughed intermittently. After escorting Tabitha to her door, he stopped in his tracks.With a slight bend in his waist, his gaze was tender and concerned as he looked at Tabitha, his voice hoarse with a hint of a rasp, "Ms. Hartley, once you're back, you must rest well. Remember to cover yourself with a blanket when you sleep. Don't catch a cold. The wind on this ship is strong. Both you and Ayla need to take care of your health."After speaking, he looked at Tabitha deeply one more time, as if to etch her appearance into his heart, before turning around and slowly leaving.Derek was well aware that Tabitha's constitution was much weaker than that of an average person.His illness hadn't fully recovered, and in this poorly ventilated environment, germs could spread easily. If he were to infect the child and Tabitha, the consequences would be unimaginable.For the sake of their health, he decided to return to th
Third person's POVBefore Tabitha could figure out how to respond, Derek seemed to fear causing her too much distress.He hastily added, "Ms. Hartley, you really don't need to be too troubled by this matter. I like you, and that's ultimately my own affair. I will, as before, try to make myself as unobtrusive as possible and not interfere too much in your life. However..."Pausing for a moment, Derek's eyes betrayed a hint of stubbornness.His tone became even more resolute, "Liking you is also my freedom. Even if you grow tired of me because of it, even if you feel burdened by my feelings, you couldn't stop me from continuing to like you, not even if you took my life."Tabitha listened to his straightforward and fervent words, feeling her ears burn and her heart race like a rabbit kicking inside her chest.She couldn't help but wonder to herself, how had the once seemingly honest and simple him changed so completely?His unreserved ho