Chapter 18: A Fragile Trust

The first sensation I experienced was pain. I felt a sharp, pulsing pain in my side, as though every breath I took caused the fire to lick at my ribs. The smell of herbs and something metallic—blood—filled the air as my fingers twitched against the rough fabric beneath me. My blood.

Wincing as the room's dim light sent sharp stabs of pain through my skull, I forced my eyes open. Above me, the wooden ceiling was strange, and the smell of pine and damp earth confirmed my suspicion that I was still in Redwater.

I was still alive.

Something moved close by. A pair of piercing golden eyes watched me from the other side of the darkened room as I turned my head.

Derek.

He was sitting on a chair by the fireplace with his huge body, one arm slung over his knee and the other against his side. His presence was commanding, even in fatigue.

"You’re awake," he uttered harshly, his tone emotionless.

I gasped as a sharp pain ripped through my side as I attempted to sit up. Without hesitation, Derek got up and took two steps to get closer to me.

"Don’t move," he commanded, keeping me down with a firm hand on my shoulder. "You almost killed yourself."

The battle, the silver-tipped arrow, and the rogue's blade digging into my side were all vivid memories that suddenly returned.

"Lila's forces..." I could hardly raise my voice above a whisper.

"Driven back." Derek's face grew serious. "For the time being."

I felt a wave of relief, but it passed quickly. Lila refused to stop. She would return stronger and better equipped. She would continue attacking and sending mercenaries until I had nowhere else to go.

Derek looked at me for a long time and then let out a sigh. "You're fortunate. You lost a great deal of blood, but the blade missed anything important. Had my healer not reached you in time—" He shook his head and interrupted himself.

I took a deep breath. "I am capable of managing myself."

He remarked drearily, "Clearly," as his eyes strayed to the blood-stained bandages covering my torso.

I ought to have been appreciative. I *was* appreciative. Derek had fought for me and brought me back, even though he had no reason to care if I lived or died.

However, I wasn't so gullible as to think it meant I was safe.

With caution and a raspy voice, I said, "Derek," "why did you save me?"

He clenched his jaw. "Because I don't allow people to perish on my property."

I looked for signs of softness on his face, but I couldn't find any. Derek was a stone and ice fortress, unreadable as ever.

I pushed, "You were willing to risk your pack for me," "Why?"

He paused. "Because you would have given yourself over to Lila if I hadn't. It would have been an error.

I scowled. "You're not even familiar with me."

"No," he said. "But *her* is someone I know." He darkened his golden eyes. "Claire, Lila doesn't simply murder her foes. She *shatters* them. She would have broken you, too.

I felt a chill go through me. Even though I already knew Lila was dangerous, it felt more real when Derek said it out loud.

Between us, silence descended, laden with unsaid words.

Derek let out a sharp breath after a long moment. "Claire, you must comprehend something. Now you're in Redwater. It's my land. My guidelines. His expression was unreadable as his eyes met mine. "I don't trust you just because I saved you."

The words hurt, even though they shouldn't have.

I muttered, "I don't expect you to."

After examining me for a while, Derek nodded. "Good." His tall frame threw a long shadow across the room as he straightened. "Take a nap. We'll discuss this in the morning.

Then, with a finality that chilled my spine, he turned and walked away, the heavy door closing behind him.

Derek's footsteps trailed off down the hall, and the room fell silent. With a slow exhale, I sank further into the bed as fatigue tugged at me. The pain in my body was insignificant in comparison to the mental turbulence.

Derek had no faith in me. That much was obvious. And why ought he to? As a rogue from a pack that had only caused him problems, I was an outsider. His people had suffered because of me; Lila's attack had cost him warriors and resources. Nevertheless, he had decided to keep me safe.

Why?

I had a response, but it wasn't satisfactory. Whether Lila broke me or not didn't matter to Derek. He was a seasoned Alpha, a leader who prioritised his pack. He wasn't naturally kind unless it was advantageous to him.

Why, then, was I still alive?

With a sigh, I looked at the candlelight that was flickering. I was unable to afford to settle in here. If I lingered too long, Redwater would pay the price for Lila's next attack. Before that occurred, I needed to determine my next course of action.

I wanted to sleep, but my mind wouldn't stop. I felt as though I was out of breath from the weight of everything—the betrayal, the struggle, and the uncertainty of what would happen next.

I tried to ignore it all by closing my eyes.

But the nightmares started as soon as I did.

I was sprinting.

Through the trees, the wind howled, ripping at my hair and clothes. The shadows were heavy and oppressive, and the forest was dark. Behind me, I could hear snarls, footsteps, and the sound of blades slicing through the air.

*They're on their way.*

I forced myself to move more quickly as panic gnawed at my throat. My lungs screamed, and my legs burned, but I was unable to stop. I would die if I stopped.

My foot got caught in something. I staggered, screaming sharply as I fell to the ground. My heart pounded against my ribs as I rolled onto my back, feeling a sharp pain.

Above me loomed a figure.

Golden eyes. chiChillynforgiving.

Derek.

However, there was a problem. He had his teeth barre,d and his face contorted in anger.

He snarled, "You led them here," "You did us all in."

"No," I shook my head and choked out. "I didn't—"

A hand encircled my throat.

Struggling against the iron grip, I gasped, but it didn't help.

Derek snarled, "You should have died in the woods," "Perhaps we would have had a chance then."

The world became hazy. It grew dark.

Then, through the fog came a piercing voice.

"Claire. Get up."

***

As powerful hands clamped down on my shoulders, I jolted upright, a gasp tearing from my throat. As I struggled to distinguish between dream and reality, my vision swam, and my breathing became laboured.

"Claire," Derek spoke in a grounded, firm tone. "It was only an illusion."

My heart continued to pound in my ears as I blinked up at him. His golden eyes watched me with something unreadable, his face closed. Are you annoyed? I was unable to tell.

I took a deep breath to regain my composure. "I—" My voice broke. I took a trembling breath and shook my head. "It felt real."

He didn't pull away even though his hold loosened a little. "What did you see?"

I paused. Telling Derek Blackthorn that I had a dream in which he *killed* me was the last thing I wanted to do.

I whispered, "It doesn't matter." "It was only a bad dream."

Although his eyes narrowed a little, he didn't press.

He said, "You were screaming," after a brief pause.

I winced. I was unaware.

Derek took a long look at me and then let out a sharp sigh. "You ought to make an effort to get more sleep."

I wanted to chuckle. Do you sleep? Then? Not likely.

Even so, I nodded, if only to cut the conversation short.

Derek got up and moved away from the bed. "We’ll talk in the morning," he said, returning to his typical sarcastic tone.

He started to walk away, but I spoke before he could.

"Thank you."

With his back to me, he paused. He remained silent for a long time.

Then he whispered, "Get some sleep, Claire," without turning around.

I was alone again as the door shut behind him.

I reclined and gazed up at the ceiling.

I didn't know if I had just made a new ally. Or ventured farther into perilous territory.