CHAPTER 7

 

There had only been one person who could make me feel unworthy, and that person was my father. But the moment my eyes collided with my supposed Mate, who is also my father’s killer, standing in front of me, his eyes were scanning through mine, hoping I didn’t just hear him call me his Mate. I have never felt so pathetically insecure, entirely unworthy, and hopelessly unsure.   

At least when it comes to my father, I never had to endure his cold and intrusive stare for a long time because it was always immediately accompanied and overpowered by his equally cold and harsh words.

    Words were just words, and although they harbored the power to hurt if that was the intention of the person wielding them, for me, I often found comfort in them and the distraction they provided as long as I did not have to endure my father’s insufferable gaze any longer. But with nothing but silence to accompany Derek’s gaze after he just called me Mate, it held me captive, and I just had to accept the feeling of unworthiness as it quickly invaded me from within.

  As the feeling continued to tear me apart from the inside, I dropped my gaze to the cold, hard floor. What was I thinking—he was going to call me his mate, and everything that happened would vanish, and we would be together? I hissed at my foolishness.  

He went rigid all over, his hands stiffening and his fingers curling into fists. His jaws buckled, his eyes becoming guarded as the look of bitterness returned. 

  "Do you really think I would accept you as my mate?" He growled. I had expected his voice to be cruel, but there was no trace of anything harsh enough to terrify me. It would have been better if I had been terrified; maybe it would shake me back to reality and make me realize that the man in front of me didn’t only destroy my park and kill my father but also cause Mel’s death and that my remaining pack members are locked up too. I don’t even know his plans for me yet, but I am not terrified.

  "Since you deprive me of your gaze," His voice was low now. Let me just let you know why I am here. From tomorrow, you won’t have the luxury of sitting around doing nothing but eating, sleeping, and waking up. He turned and faced me now. I wonder if he has two personalities. The way his expression goes from homely to rage is something I can’t comprehend. Right now, he was looking at me with so much disgust, and I couldn’t help but wish the ground should open up and swallow me.   

If it was any other person—any other stranger—I wouldn’t have felt the way he made me feel. So I remained silent. However, on the inside, my heart was racing a mile while thoughts wreaked havoc in my head. 

  "Why are you doing this to me?" I finally let out. With baited breath, I waited for his reaction. But nothing came. I heard the sound of his footsteps retreating away from the dungeon he had locked me and my people in. I only saw his back as he walked away, not looking back for even a few seconds. I wonder if I asked the wrong question. But I really want to know why fate decided to treat me like this.

DEREK’S POV  

Scott!!  

My eyes landed on the figure in the archway. A figure I haven’t seen in weeks. Laura let out the loudest shriek that instantly made me wince as she took off towards the figure.  

The person was none other than my best friend Scott, the only person after Laura I trust and look up to.  

Scott!! Laura squealed as she launched herself into his arms. I stayed back as the two greeted each other. I had sent Scott to disguise himself and enter the smaller packs, so he could monitor if they were planning revenge for the massacre we did at the feast. I didn’t expect him to come back so soon. I missed him. 

  "Look who decided to show up." I teased him as they came to a stop in front of me. We laughed, and he fist bumped me, almost knocking me down. 

  "How was your journey like?" Laura asked, and I was curious too.  

"Hmm.. Let’s go inside and talk; besides Derek, where is your fiancée?" 

  "Athena," I corrected him quickly, "is obsessed with preparing different concoctions and looking up new herbs now." She will be back soon.   

"That’s good; at least you won’t have to worry about getting hurt, since Athena is so good with herbs, you lucky fellow." He teased me this time.  

"Let’s go in; we need to talk." "You look so much tanner now since you left for the smaller pack territory." I was concerned.  

"Man, the sun is hot over there; I miss the cold over here," Scott complained.  

"Poor Scott, don’t worry." "Since you are back now, I would prepare a very large meal and a cold bath for you." Laura said, grinning badly and showing all her teeth.  

"What about me?" "You haven’t cooked for me since a long time ago." I quizzed. 

  "You have Athena!" They both laughed and walked inside, leaving me behind. I hurriedly followed them, my boot stomping on the wooden floor.   

After we got inside, Laura left me and Scott and rushed to the kitchen. With us alone, I had a lot to ask him.   

"So how was your journey to the small pack?" "How did you blend in with them?" I queried as I pulled out one of the chairs at the table, and he settled in too. 

  "Everyone knows each other at the small packs when I arrived, so it was easy to blend in, but once news of the massacre reached all over the villages, everyone started getting suspicious that we had come over to their territory, so wherever I went, people asked me questions like where I was from and which family I was from because they hadn’t seen me around." "I had to leave and went down the mountain side; that’s where I slept."

  "Oh, so what information were you able to gather?"  

"Yes, I went to the Midnight territory; they were the ones who got hit the most; they lost most of their powerful fighters, but I heard they have a female Alpha Maria; she has the same powers your mom has."

  "What powers?"

  "I heard their howl can control other werewolves around them; I wish I could do that."  

"Oh, really, she is that powerful?"  

"No, they said she hasn’t found her mate, so she isn’t strong like our Luna."  

"Our Luna," those words pinched at my chest. I miss my mother. I didn’t know she was so strong because she didn’t use her powers all through her days of living. Then I remembered on the day of the fire incident, she howled and everybody came running towards me, pulling me away from the fire.   

"Okay, what of the Silver Pack?"  

"They had the tightest security around their territory; most of the other packs believe they lost their strongest Alpha."

"I heard you fought with him."

  "Peter?" I clenched my fist just thinking of how he almost became Lydia’s husband.   

"Yes, I am not sure if he is dead, but the Silverpack are scared of the other pack knowing what’s happening inside their territory."

"I couldn’t even collect more information about them, but they have three other Alphas in the park." I held the side of the ribs; the part they tore at throbbed a little, but thanks to Athena, it’s healing slowly. 

  "So they are not planning to attack us?" 

  "The Midnight Pack are the only ones pushing for others to come together to attack us; they can heal very fast, so they didn’t lose most people." "But they have the smallest pack; they can’t attack without the help of others."

  "We need to prepare then, in case they attack!"  

"No, they are not going to attack anytime soon. They have lots of internal issues right now. I went to drink at an inn. I heard they are suspecting the Silverpack of wanting to seize over the Whitewolf territory and kill the remaining Whitewolf packs alive because they caused them to attack us, and now we have retaliated and killed some of their strong ones. "I fear for the remaining balance of the small packs." "Everyone is suspicious of the other one." Scott shook his head, while I lost myself in thought.

  "So where is the Alpha Midnight and his daughter?" 

  "I killed him already!" I hissed. 

  "Good! "What of his daughter?"   

"Lydia.. She is in the dungeon with the rest of her pack.  

"Take me to her; I want to see if she is truly as beautiful as everyone says." He joked. I cleared my throat; after she asked me that question yesterday, I couldn't bring myself to look at her. I don't understand what she is doing to me. 

  "I am tired; I lied." Tomorrow she is going to start working as a slave around here, and you will get to see her. I hope he stops talking about Lydia.

 

  "Lydia, just her name alone tells me she will be trouble. Laura and I will go tomorrow to the dungeon to bring her here." 

  "I am going to punch her once I see her." Laura hissed, and I was surprised she had returned to the room with Athena. 

 "Hey Scott." Athena greeted Scott, walked up to me, and pecked my cheeks.

 

 "Athena, will you follow us tomorrow to pick up the Princess?" Scott joked. Athena rolled her eyes as she sat down too.  

"I would pass; I might just rip her face off if I see her. She then turned to me and she squinted her brows."  

Why is she staring at me like that? I instantly looked away, my heart hammering against my ribs. I didn’t want her to know what was between Lydia and me. Tomorrow she will start working around here, and I will have to try my best to avoid her.