Tabitha's POV
Everything happened in the blink of an eye. I stood in situ, facing the brown wolf that was about to pounce on me. His claws were sharp and gleaming with cold light. Time seemed to freeze at this moment, and I could see the horror in his eyes clearly. In this tense confrontation, I met his eyes, and all of a sudden, I knew. He was Aiden. He must have jumped out in a rush, and now, he couldn't control his movements in time. Just as Aiden was about to pounce at me, I saw Derek again. Derek held me close and protected me with his body. And that left his back fully exposed to Aiden's claws. Aiden's claws left several blood marks on Derek's back. In the next second, Aiden quickly leaped away so as not to cause further harm and landed on the ground. Alvin and Rolf quickly surrounded him. Rolf commanded, his voice carrying authority and control, "Shift! Now!" Aiden's body began to change visibly. His body graduaTabitha's POV I looked at Noah in surprise. I never expected him to make such a speech. "You cannot hide it if you truly love one. If you don’t love Tabitha, you wouldn't go out of your way to come here for her; neither would you see Lucian as an enemy. Even I as a kidnapper know that if you love someone, you should give her all your affection; if not, you don’t get to hurt her. When you hurt her, don't you feel hurt yourself?" Derek put Kyrian down and walked towards Noah. As he approached, Noah did not take a step back. My heart jumped faster as I felt nervous for Noah. Derek was tall and slender, standing half a head taller than the skinny Noah. The overwhelming aura of Alpha loomed over young Noah. "Want me to be at your call?" Derek sneered coldly. The next second, his gun was aimed at Noah's head. "I can spare him if you insist, but you’ll have to die on his behalf." "Sure! Go ahead and kill me." Noah agreed readily. There
Derek's POV On the helicopter, I tried to talk with Tabitha. But she was very careful with her words now, afraid of offending me. Realizing this, I leaned towards her. But she looked at me with alerted vigilance. After the helicopter landed, I took her off the plane hand in hand. Through peripheral vision, I saw her legs trembling. She was like a stray dog in the wild, particular wary of humans after experiencing their abuse. Whenever I looked at her, I would see fear in her eyes. Just like now, I didn't do anything. But her body shuddered when I simply gave her a glance. Although she was back now, she became even more sensitive and timid than before. She checked my expression carefully and no longer spoke out her ideas freely. I was annoyed by all of this. As soon as we arrived home, Chloe had taken Kyrian away to play. Tabitha followed me upstairs. As soon as she stepped into the bedroom, the door was closed behind h
Tabitha's POV I widened my eyes. I had imagined numerous scenarios about what Derek would do to me after he found me. It was just... I had never thought about what was going on now. He was like a traveler in the desert, longing for water. And finally, he found a pool of clear spring water. He kissed me carefully. My heart was pounding. Her long eyelashes trembled lightly in the sunlight, hiding the expression in his eyes/ I couldn’t read his mind at the moment. He was showing me the long-lost tenderness again. I was about to immerse myself in his tenderness. Then he suddenly muttered "mate". Crystal responded excitedly in my mind. I then realized that we were each other's second chance mate. Derek sniffed my neck. His breathed heavily around my neck. His sharp fangs lightly grazed my skin, causing a shiver through me. Crystal was longing for him. I realized that he was about to mark me. Bu
Tabitha's POVAlpha Obadiah's voice came through the receiver."Tabitha, finally. How are you? You OK?" he asked, his tone filled with concern.Leaning against the wall, I said softly, "Yes. Thanks, Alpha Obadiah."He seemed to sigh softly and then continued, not that anxious anymore, "Glad to hear that. Alpha Derek reached out to me after you disappeared, wanting me to help find you, but then he suddenly stopped me from getting involved. Seems he's found you."Then he paused for a moment before asking cautiously, "He didn't give you a hard time, did he?"Upon hearing his words, I immediately thought of that beautiful island.Swallowing the bitterness, I said, "No.""Oh, about that Ethan you asked me to look into? I've got some leads." Obadiah's voice became serious again.I focused at once. "He was the one who showed up at the werewolf hospital, wasn't he?""Yes. Witnesses confirmed that he was at the hospital. But what's weird is t
Derek's POVAs the wheels whirled through the night, I drove away from Black Thorn Pack and headed for 32 Seaside Avenue.Leo was not at all quiet. He roared with discontent in my mind."Why did we leave her?" he asked. There was an obvious complaint in his tone."She needed time," I said, trying my best to sound calm."Time? We almost finished marking her!" he retorted. "She's the mate we chose. We can't leave her alone there!"I tightly gripped the steering wheel and didn't respond.I knew Leo was right.When Daphne called, I didn't wanna go.But she threatened me that if I didn't come to see her, she'd ask the Amber's Eye Pack's Alpha to talk to me.I didn't give a damn about Daphne, but the Amber's Eye Pack was one powerful pack.Mark had already left the Amber's Eye Pack because of Holly.But I knew the Amber's Eye Pack's Alpha never really gave up on Mark. After all, Mark was his son.So, I had to say yes to Daph
Derek's POVI came back after dealing with Daphne, thinking Tabitha would be waiting for me in the living room.It was always like this. No matter how late I came home, I could always see her in the living room, sleeping on the sofa.She always kept a light on for me.But today was an exception. When I pushed open the front door, the room was dark, and Tabitha wasn't on the sofa.In the past, Tabitha would have met me by this time, grumbling and helping me with my clothes.She would nag and nag non-stop, but I liked her like this the most.Yet now, though the room was filled with warm air, I still felt cold.As I pushed open the door, through the light outside the bedroom, I could vaguely see a lump on the bed.Tabitha had already slept.I walked to the bedside and gently lay down beside her.Her unique scent lingered on the tip of my nose.I couldn't help but reach out and hold her in my arms.When I heard her wake up
Tabitha's POVUpon hearing Derek's words, I closed my eyes quickly.The next morning, I woke up in his arms.It had been ages since we slept together while hugging each other. The second I opened my eyes, I saw his handsome sleeping face.I suddenly felt that time had gone back three years when I could see him whenever I opened my eyes.He closed his eyes tightly. With a few strands of hair softly resting on his usually smooth forehead, he no longer looked that cold and aloof.There was a faint stubble on his tightly clenched jaw, and even in his sleep, he was still frowning tightly.I instinctively raised my hand to smooth his furrowed eyebrows.Yet after I lifted my hand, I realized that we were no longer mates. I was about to retract my hand when he opened his eyes at that moment.Our eyes met, and I saw fine dust flying in the air.My hand froze in mid-air. Either putting it back or leaving it there seemed a bit awkward.Whi
Tabitha's POV"Shut up!" Derek shouted angrily.My words pissed him off."Leo's in pain," Crystal said in my mind.I didn't have time to dwell on her words.Out of anger, I blurted out, "Derek, my family was ruined, Silver Moon Pack is on the verge of dissolution, and my dad has been in a coma. Everything happened because of you! Who gave you the balls to make me such an offer?"Derek pulled me out of the wardrobe with one hand, and I took the chance to punch and kick him hard."You think I'm gonna give in just because it's the second chance? No! And I won't be marked by you! Forget it!"After I finished speaking, I felt Crystal let out a painful whimper in my head.I knew the feeling well.Meanwhile, I saw a hint of pain flash across Derek's eyes.In the next second, he became even angrier. His face turned red, his eyes were filled with anger, and he raised his hand, about to hit me.I roared with fury, "Hit me! Better yet
Third person's POVTabitha closed her eyes and took a deep breath, as if trying to calm her emotions. After a while, she opened her eyes again and asked, "Were you also involved that night on the boat?""Yes," Derek replied without hesitation."Is Wilmot your man?" Tabitha's voice carried a hint of doubt.Derek paused for a moment, a flicker of hesitation in his eyes, before slowly answering, "Yes, I was just too worried about you, so I had him go to protect you.""Then do you know what we..." Tabitha's words were cut short as Derek suddenly slammed on the brakes, bringing the car to a stop on the side of the road.He turned to look at Tabitha, his eyes filled with sincerity and urgency, and said, "Tabitha, I am very clear about what happened that night. He was there to help you."Tabitha did not believe Derek's words. Her eyes were filled with anger and disappointment as she shouted, "Wilmot disappeared as soon as he came back. Forrest told me last night that he was dying. Was that y
Third person's POVDerek never expected that as soon as Tabitha returned, he would receive a call from Gloria.On the other end of the line, Gloria's voice came through, "Tabitha wants to see you."Hearing this, Derek's heart sank, and he sighed, thinking to himself, 'I knew it. I couldn't hide it from her.'On an evening with snowflakes drifting down, the sky was shrouded in gloom, and the snow fell gently, covering the entire world in a silver-white veil.Tabitha wrapped her coat tightly and saw Derek again.Since her staged death, Tabitha had only seen Derek through news reports.Now, as she approached him, she was surprised to find that he had become much thinner, his figure appearing particularly frail.Derek was dressed in a black coat, leaning quietly against the car. In just a minute, snowflakes began to fall on his head, accumulating a thin layer of white snow.Tabitha took a deep breath, calming her emotions, and then walked towards Derek.Looking at Derek, her eyes carried
Third person's POVGloria held Helios on her lap, skillfully peeling a grape and feeding it to him, her experience with children evident."Feeling better now that it's out," she said, watching the child play quietly nearby.Tabitha casually inquired, "Why did you hold back on the day we met, only to tell me today?"Gloria had her excuse ready, responding, "You had just returned to the States, and I didn't know your situation. I was afraid it would cause you trouble."Tabitha peeled a few more grapes before setting them aside when Helios indicated he'd had enough.She then looked at Gloria and said slowly, "You weren't afraid of causing me trouble. You were afraid I would leave, weren't you?"Gloria was taken aback, about to argue, but Tabitha saw through her, "Every time you lie, you subconsciously avert your gaze, fearing I'll see through you."Gloria, in a fit of exasperation, covered her face with a blanket, "You two are tru
Third person's POVDerek's face contorted with pain as he continued, "After Tabitha faked her death, I suspected what had happened. I was torn at the time, wanting to bring her back, but I also understood that doing so would only repeat past mistakes. So, I protected her within my control and waited silently. Gloria, I swear, I won't hurt her again."A hint of pleading appeared on Derek's face as he went on, "I'm asking for your help not out of selfishness. Tabitha's illness isn't fully healed, her body hasn't recovered, and with two children in tow, she wouldn't be able to protect herself if danger arises."Gloria had never seen Derek so humble.She remembered how Derek had always approached her with a condescending attitude four years ago.Derek continued, "You are Tabitha's friend, and your starting point should be considering her safety, right? If I wanted to harm her, I could just bring her back directly, so why would I go through the trouble
Third person's POVThe two children were a blend of their parents. The girl resembled Derek, while the boy took after Tabitha, which was quite different from their brother, Kyrian.Derek thought to himself that if Kyrian knew he had two younger siblings, he would be thrilled.But when he considered his relationship with Tabitha, he sighed deeply, filled with regret for his past actions.At that moment, Alvin approached swiftly and reported, "Just received news from the island. Noah is taking Ayla away, and Lucian's direction also leads to the island. He plans to take Tabitha away."Derek, with his hands behind his back and a furrowed brow, spoke with a melancholic expression, "Lucian intends to take more than just Ayla—Tabitha as well. She has always sought opportunities to leave me, and this presents her with an excellent chance.""What should we do? Should we stop him now? Otherwise, with his capabilities, if he truly takes Tabitha a
Third person's POVPlans... Tabitha's original goal had been to find her two children and Jasper.The children were found, but Jasper was without a trace.However, she couldn't search aimlessly without a target.Thinking of Derek's anxious appearance last night, it was clear he still had feelings for her.Gloria's text warning Tabitha to be careful of Derek came to Tabitha's mind again.Tabitha felt she had overlooked some subtle details. What exactly had she missed?It seemed a key point was missing, and once found, it would connect all the events."I don't know. I just wanted to find the children, but I didn't expect to court death. And Derek's attitude towards me is ambiguous. Outside this cabin, I don't know what awaits me," Tabitha said, her face full of entanglement.Seeing her struggle, Lucian took a big gulp of mineral water and mustered the courage to say, "Have you severed ties with him?"Tabitha nodded,
Third person's POVDerek had painstakingly built up Tabitha's trust by posing as Wilmot.He knew that if she ever discovered his true identity, her anger would be immense, and the trust he had spent half a year constructing would crumble entirely.Derek continued, "Send someone to discreetly protect her without revealing themselves. Ayla is still on the island. Tabitha will go to see her."Rolf nodded in agreement, "Understood."Derek added with caution, "Remember, Lucian has a strong ability to detect surveillance, so do not get too close."Rolf responded, "Yes, Alpha Derek. We will handle it immediately."Turning to Alvin, Derek instructed, "Investigate the identities of those deceased men thoroughly."Derek pondered whether Tabitha's survival had been leaked, perhaps when she was seen on the boat.The assailants had been ruthless, and if not for Lucian's timely arrival, Tabitha could have been in grave danger. He had
Third person's POVForrest's voice was laced with worry, "Ms. Hartley, where are you now?"Tabitha had already settled her wages with Forrest before sending the children to the island. She couldn't fathom why he would contact her at this juncture.She couldn't help but feel puzzled.Tabitha inquired, "What's wrong?"Forrest replied, "Wilmot's had an accident. You need to come see him."Tabitha was still trying to make sense of Derek's appearance at the bar when she heard about Wilmot's predicament, and her heart immediately filled with worry.She quickly asked, "What happened to him?"Forrest explained, "Wilmot was already ill recently, and he drank a lot tonight. He's suffered from alcohol poisoning and has been taken to the hospital. He keeps asking to see you, Ms. Hartley. Where are you? Can you come to see him?"Tabitha thought to herself that even if she knew her current location, she couldn't just tell anyone.
Third person's POVTwo more gunshots rang out, the shooter's aim dead on as two more men fell to the ground.Tabitha saw a tall figure standing deep in the alley, shrouded in a cloak, making it impossible to discern who it was.Tabitha's mind raced with questions. Was he a friend or foe?The man removed his hat, revealing the distinctive totem mask beneath.Tabitha stared in disbelief and uttered, "Lucian, why are you here?""Long story. Come with me," Lucian said, grabbing Tabitha's hand and leading her away.They didn't get far before Tabitha glanced back to see Derek and Leopold rushing out of a bar together.Surprise washed over Tabitha. How could Derek be here?Her blood seemed to freeze. 'When did he return?'Lucian pulled Tabitha into a dilapidated black car that passed right in front of Derek.Leaning against the car window, Tabitha gazed at Derek, lost in thought.'If Leopold had arranged to