Tabitha's POV Derek walked into the room. He released the Alpha aura on me, and I immediately felt suffocating as if an invisible wall was pressing against me. I lifted my head defiantly, only to see him looking at Daphne with gentle eyes. "Are you OK?" he asked her. Daphne glanced my way, smirking with victory written all over her face. I clenched my fists in fury. Daphne leaned closer to Derek with a smile and said, "Derek, thank God you're here. When I walked past the Financial Office, I heard someone arguing, so I came in to see what was going on. I didn't expect to come across Tabitha trying to take money." "Miss Sutton, do you hear yourself? You're nothing but a mistress. Do you really think you're Black Thorn Pack's Luna?" I sneered. "You tryna take money?" Derek turned his head and asked me slowly. "No!" I said, biting my lip. "Tabitha's lying," Tiffany chimed in. "A minute ago, she ordered me to withdraw money for her, and I said no. Then she tried to force
Tabitha's POV I fixed Holly with pleading eyes, hoping that she would agree. But before she said anything, a voice I knew too well filled the doorway. "Seriously? You came begging at my house?" I stood up in disbelief and watched as Daphne and Derek walked in. Then I whipped around back at Holly. Holly smiled at Daphne dotingly. Then she told me, "Daphne is Mark's daughter. I was about to introduce her to you just now. You're about the same age, and I'm sure you can be friends." Talk about a cruel twist of fate. Daphne's father stole my dad's mate. And now, she stole mine. Like that was not enough, they saw me in such a sorry state. I was literally a clown in their ritzy life. Of course, Daphne wouldn't miss such a perfect chance to humiliate me. She walked over and said to Holly in an ironic tone, "Friends with her? Not gonna happen. She's a thief. You'd better go check if anything is missing." Hearing Daphne's words, Holly started to scrutinize me. "What's g
Derek's POV Holly actually slapped Tabitha right before me! While I stood there in silence, my wolf Leo roared in my mind, "Damn it, Derek! What were you thinking? How could you let her insult our mate like that?" Recently, I'd been forcing myself to spend more time with Daphne, which brought Leo's wrath upon me. Now, I could hardly contain his fury. I used to believe that all I left for Tabitha was hatred. I thought I had gotten over her. Yet I was wrong. The moment I saw her stubborn expression and reddened cheek, my heart ached. Yet before I could even speak, Holly raised her arm again. She wanted to give Tabitha a second slap?! The nerve of her! Enraged, I immediately grabbed her arm. "Alpha Derek?" Holly looked at me in disbelief. I took a deep breath, suppressing Leo's anger, and said, "Tabitha's still Luna of the Black Thorn Pack. How dare you slap her in front of me?" "C'mon, Derek. Why so serious? Holly was just punishing her for disrespecting me. B
Tabitha's POV Watching Derek ham it up, trying to stick it up for me with all his bullshit, I felt ridiculous. Just when I thought my day couldn't be any worse, I heard a baby's cry. The kiddo was literally a mini version of Derek, with big eyes, a prominent nose, and all the stuff. I felt like my heart broke into pieces. And my last bit of hope was shattered. I used to believe that Derek loved me, especially when we first tied the knot. I remembered once he gently caressed my cheek and told me that he would take me as his destined mate even if I wasn't. He promised we'd have a baby of our own, and he would go the extra mile to make it happen. Then when I really got pregnant, he killed our baby with his indifference. I used to be puzzled, wondering why he became a totally different person all of a sudden. Now seeing the baby boy before me, I finally realized that all the good old days I had spent with Derek were nothing but an illusion. No wonder he was so eager t
Tabitha's POV Shortly after I hung up the phone, a black car rolled up next to me. Two tall, strong men got out. One was Beta Alvin, and the other was Gamma Rolf. Both were members of the Black Thorn Pack. "Luna Tabitha." Alvin nodded at me, as politely as he always did. It had been quite some time since I was addressed as Luna. Lump in my throat, I asked, "Beta Alvin, I just came out from a friend's place. Can you take me back to the Black Thorn Pack?" They looked puzzled as if wondering why I didn't turn to Derek. "I guess you've heard that Alpha Derek and I are about to have the rejection ceremony soon. I wanna stay in peace with him until then," I quickly added. When I reigned the Black Thorn Pack as Luna, I got along well with Alvin and Rolf. So after hearing my explanation, Alvin immediately agreed. "Let's go then." "Can we swing by 32 Seaside Avenue first? I've left something there, and I wanna take it back." That was where Derek put Daphne, and it used to be
Tabitha's POV "That's right." I went straight to the point, and he was faster at it. "You jerk!" I felt desperate, tears streaming down my face. "How could you treat me like this? And how on earth did the werewolves of the Silver Moon Pack offend you?" Derek remarked, his tone icy, "Tabitha, if you wanna know the answer, go ask your dear father what he's done." "What did he do? Just fucking tell me!" I shouted hysterically. Derek stood there, looking nonchalant. "Go ask him yourself." "So, marrying me was never about love?" I asked, sobbing. I tried to find some trace of warmth in his eyes but I failed. "That's right. I plotted to get close to you from the very beginning. It's all about revenge." "You hate me?" "Exactly. Tabitha, it's what you gotta go through for being John's daughter. I want y'all to live in agony forever to atone for your sins!" With that, I heard a painful whimper from Crystal. She was trembling, getting even weaker. And my wound started h
Tabitha's POV 200,000 dollars was a small fortune. Now that I had it, I didn't have to worry about Dad's medical bills for quite some time. According to the werewolf's agreement, after Derek rejected me, he would have to pay me alimony, which could be used to repay the money. After paying the bills, I finally felt relieved. Stepping outta the hospital, I barely took two steps before my world started spinning. It seemed that there had been too much to take in on a single night. And the running just now drained my last bit of energy. After taking two wobbly steps, I blacked out. When I woke up again, I found myself in a ward. I was put on a drip, the cold liquid slowly seeping into my blue veins. And my wound had also been bandaged. The clock showed that it was already the next afternoon. Before I could say anything, Orson's gentle voice sounded. "As soon as I got here this morning, someone told me you fainted at the entrance last night. If I had known this, I wouldn'
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
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