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
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
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