Chapter 116 116

Chapter 116 116
DERRICK POV

I stormed through the hallway with fury burning beneath my skin, every step heavy enough to echo against the walls. My jaw was clenched so tightly it hurt, but even that pain was nothing compared to the chaos raging inside my head.
Phoenix was still inside me.
The truth replayed itself over and over again like a curse I couldn’t escape from. No matter how many times I tried to deny it, no matter how badly I wanted to believe things were finally okay, reality kept dragging me back down.
He was still there.
And this time… I might never be able to separate from him.
My chest tightened painfully at the realization.
What was I supposed to do now?
For a moment, after everything we had gone through, I had truly believed fate was finally giving Lyka and me a chance. I thought the worst was over. Thought we could finally breathe without looking over our shoulders every second.
But fate had never been kind to me.
And maybe it never would be.
“This is frustrating,” I muttered under my breath as I pushed through the large doors leading outside.
The cold air hit my face instantly, sharp winds brushing against my flushed skin. Usually, the breeze would have calmed me, but today it only made the turmoil inside me feel louder. I exhaled heavily, dragging a hand through my hair while staring into the distance.
Everything was falling apart too quickly.
The thing I had been desperately trying to prevent was happening right before my eyes, and I could feel my restraint slowly cracking apart.
“How could she be so stupid?” I snapped bitterly. “How could she think she could control something like this?”
The frustration in my voice startled even me.
But I was terrified.
Terrified because Lyka didn’t understand what Phoenix truly was. She didn’t understand the destruction he carried within him. She thought love and trust were enough to keep the darkness contained.
They weren’t.
My fists tightened at my sides as memories of the letter resurfaced in my mind. I had finally been able to read it completely, and every single word inside it had felt like a blade sinking deeper into my chest.
The contents were horrifying.
The prophecy.
The warning.
The ruin.
A shiver crawled down my spine despite the wind already freezing my skin.
Am I really going to bring destruction to this world?
The thought alone made my stomach twist violently.
“Seeing you this deep in thought makes me wonder if a part of you actually wants this to happen.”
The voice behind me made my expression darken instantly.
I turned around sharply and saw Zuri approaching me slowly, her arms folded across her chest while her sharp eyes studied me carefully.
I immediately looked away.
“Go away,” I breathed out coldly. “I don’t want to talk to you.”
But one look at her stubborn expression was enough to tell me she had no intention of leaving me alone.
“I can’t go away, Alpha,” she replied calmly, though there was something probing in her tone. “The moment you returned, I knew something was wrong.”
I scoffed quietly.
“She announced that a rogue had your mate,” Zuri continued, narrowing her eyes slightly. “Does she have something on you? Is she threatening you? Did she manipulate you somehow ... ”
“Stop getting on my nerves!” I barked suddenly, cutting her off.
The anger exploded out of me before I could stop it.
“Just leave me alone!”
My voice came out harsher than intended, echoing across the open space around us. But I didn’t care. I couldn’t deal with this right now. Not when my mind was already hanging by a thread.
Why was it so hard for her to understand that?
I turned sharply, deciding to leave before I completely lost control of myself.
But then ...
“I don’t think you should disregard me like this.”
Her voice stopped me in my tracks.
“It’s not something you should do to me.”
The taunt hidden beneath her words made irritation flare inside me again. Slowly, I turned around to face her properly.
“What are you talking about?” I asked darkly. “Are you seriously trying to provoke me right now?”
Zuri hissed softly, clearly unimpressed by my tone.
“I’m going to tell her.”
The words struck me like lightning.
I stared at her.
“What?”
“I’m going to tell her everything.”
For the first time since she arrived, genuine alarm flickered through me.
The look on her face told me she wasn’t bluffing.
“What exactly are you going to tell her, Zuri?” I asked carefully, my voice quieter now.
A slow smirk spread across her lips as she walked closer.
“I’m going to tell her what I saw that night,” she said. “What you did to Sheila.”
My heart skipped violently against my ribs.
For a second, the world around me seemed to go silent.
What?
How did she know about that?