Chapter 43 RISKING HIS LIFE
DEREK’S POV
“How dare you?!” I growl, feeling a mix of emotions all cocooned by deep rage, the kind that makes a man want to slay an entire village.
Or maybe his best friend.
They both pause and turn to look at me, still not disentangling themselves, and this makes me even more furious.
“Derek,” she says in surprise, and her voice pierces my heart like a dozen arrows shot at the same time.
“Derek, calm down for a second, I can explain,” Damien says, immediately walking in front and putting her behind him, in a bid to protect her.
Protect my mate from me.
And in a flash, I’m in front of him and digging my claws through his chest.
“I should calm down?” Amber screams fill the forests once I twist my hand, holding his heart, and he coughs out blood, unable to move, or his heart will be ripped.
“Derek! Stop it! Please, you are killing him!!” Amber screams and cries, but her voice sounds distant and faint as I’m consumed by a bloodlust so intense it has my wolf taking over.
“You just had your tongue down my mate's throat, and I should calm down?” I ask Damien, ignoring Amber and applying pressure on his heart, and he sputters blood, as his breath shortens.
“De –” he says, but I apply more pressure, cutting him short.
“How dare you disrespect me this way? How dare you touch what’s mine?” I say, my voice gaining more depth and my eyes glowing with fury.
“Derek!!” Amber screams, but I ignore her, ready to squash his heart in my hand and end his traitorous life, but what she does surprises me. “Please, don’t kill him. We are yours, always have been. I know this, your baby knows this, you know this,” Amber says, her voice teary as she presses my hand to her stomach, and I turn to her, feeling my cocoon of rage tear open, and I acknowledge the sound of her voice.
“Please, I’m yours, no one else’s, just yours. I’m carrying your child, not his,” she begs, and my wolf listens, getting soothed by her words and assurance, and his anger reduces.
“I shouldn’t kill him?” my wolf directly asks her, surprising me, and I groan at the extent of influence she has over us as I feel my anger mellow as well.
“No, please, let him live. That was a mistake,” she says, and I know she’s simply saying this to pacify me, but my wolf eats it up easily.
I don’t blame him, one hand feeling our seed, has our senses drawn to its heartbeat – wait, heartbeats. This realization has me letting go of Damien instantly, and he falls to the ground, limp.
She doesn’t dare look at his body, but keeps her eyes fixed on mine as I slowly take back the reins of control from my wolf.
“You have two babies within you,” I say to her, and it takes a second for her to process it.
I don’t let her reply, I begin pulling her out of the forest, away from Damien’s limp body; he can die for all I care.
She stays silent besides her silent sobs as she follows me without opposition, and I don’t stop pulling her until we get back to our room.
“Take off those clothes, I’m burning them. Get into the bathroom and have a thorough shower,” I say and she doesn’t say a word in objection as she begins walking towards the bathroom, “and Amber, if I catch a whiff of him on you, I’ll personally bath you and go back to end him as I should have,” I say and she visibly shivers before nodding and walking away.
I can tell she’s scared, but I don’t care, I can’t care. This just proved that she can never be trusted.
Her betrayal doesn’t come as a huge shock to me. I don’t expect much from her with her family’s history, but, Damien, goddess, it stings.
He has been my right hand for as long as I can remember, and he did that to me.
I sit on the bed and patiently wait for her to come out, and once she does, I stand up and walk to her, taking in her appearance.
Her eyes look tired as though life has been drained from her, her face looks sullen, and her entire appearance screams grief.
I feel a stab in my heart that I’m somehow responsible for it, but I ignore it, moving to sniff her to ensure she’s free of his scent.
“How long has that been going on?” I ask her, once I confirm that she’s rid of his scent.
“I don’t know what you mean,” she says, standing in just her towel, looking drained.
“Don’t act dumb, Amber. How long have you been having an affair with my beta?” I ask again, my tone picking up strength, and she stares at me in disbelief before something flickers in her eyes.
“Since the day you consented to it,” she says, and my stare hardens.
“What the fuck does that mean?”
“I mean, since you decided to pass me on to your beta, since you couldn’t bother taking care of me,” she spits with fervor.
“What are you talking about?” I ask, my annoyance gaining heat.
“Don’t act dumb, Derek, you know exactly what I’m talking about,” she retorts, matching my tone.
“So, you are saying it’s my fault that I just saw you romancing another male?” I ask, in disbelief.
“I’m saying that if you hadn’t been so cruel and spiteful towards me, if you had just gotten to know the real me without attaching me to the sin of my family, this wouldn’t have happened. I’m saying that you are the Genesis of this situation,” she says, and I snap.
“Do you know what your parents did to my pack? Do you know how similar you are to them? Do you know how –” I start saying, but she interrupts me, yelling.
“I don’t know anything, because you never told me anything! I don’t know what tremendous sin that my family must have committed to make you and your pack despise them so much that you’d transfer it to me without giving me the benefit of doubt!” She says, and I punch the wall beside her in fury.
“Your family killed my mother! They incapacitated my father! They weakened my pack! They made me grow up with no knowledge of what my mother looks like besides paintings!” I yell at her, pouring out a depth of my emotion, one I haven’t addressed in decades, and she visibly shrinks as her eyes widen in shock.
I’m not surprised she has no idea about this; her family most likely buried this sin and kept her out of the loop, but that doesn’t mean she’s any different from them. Today is solid proof of that.
I get instantly distracted from my thoughts when she sways and falls with her eyes closed. I catch her before she can hit the ground as panic sets in, and I hold her unconscious body in my arms.
“Amber? Amber!” I call her, tapping her to wake her up as I get filled with terror at the thought of something bad happening to her or the kids.
LOVE OVER LOYALTY