Chapter 20 KEEPING HIM AWAY
DEREK’S POV
“What the fuck was that, Derek?! You shouldn’t speak to her that way!” comes Damien's scolding voice, which just aggravates me more as I watch Amber walk away without a word.
“I warned you to stay out of this, Damien, and who gave you the authority to raise your voice at me?” I ask, instantly standing up from the seat and leveling him with a stare.
“Your actions gave me the authority. What the hell is wrong with you? She has your child within her for the goddess's sake, and this is how you treat her?” he asks furiously.
“Her pregnancy is the only reason she’s getting these privileges. A dungeon would be better suited to someone of her kind,” I say, and I watch his eyes flash with rage while he fists his palm.
“She’s your mate!” He says, his voice dropping low in fury.
“Exactly. Which means she’s my business,” I say firmly, putting a lot of effort into keeping my anger at bay, understanding the reason behind his disrespect.
“She’s beyond your business, Derek; she’s the pack’s business, she’s my business. I was made specifically to protect her, and here you're posing as her first threat.”
“Your compulsion to guard her is the only reason I haven’t smashed your face into the ground yet, Damien. Where do your loyalties lie? To my temporary mate or to your Alpha?” I ask sternly, and he scoffs in disbelief.
“You must be delusional to think that you’ll get another shot at this. There’s a visible battle within you daily to keep this demeaning disregard for her up. How long do you think you’ll win over the mating bond?” he asks in mockery, and my jaw ticks in anger. “As long as she remains your mate, she’s my responsibility, and I swear, Derek, since you won’t take care of her, if any harm comes to her then you wouldn’t just have lost a mate but your beta as well,” he states fiercely, his eyes conveying his seriousness before he turns and walks out of the room.
I watch him leave, seeing red and barely able to keep my fury in as my wolf growls at his audacity in disrespecting me this way, but underneath the rage, my wolf agrees with him, which further infuriates me.
Everything he said was true, and I can’t punish him for being right. My mate's safety is his priority as my beta, and I’m fighting each day to lord over my thoughts and cravings for her. With the intensity of emotions I feel for her each day, my chances of finding a replacement for her are becoming nonexistent.
But all these don’t matter.
It would be a stain on my family’s legacy if I accept her fully as my mate; it would be shameful on my part if I let her in, and most importantly, it would be a dishonor to my mother’s memory if I settle with her as my Luna.
Being with her completely would be senseless on my part, and I would not dishonor my mother, the pack, and my family because of her, mating bond be damned.
With my resolve strengthened, I push the looping memory of the broken look in her eyes out of my mind and focus on getting fed as the hall starts getting filled up.
Breakfast goes smoothly as always, and I leave the room for my office once it’s over, ready to get work done.
For the past 10years, I’ve been completely in charge of running the pack while my father only retains the title as Alpha and stays in retirement until the night of the blood moon, when authority would be given to me.
I’ve put my heart and soul into keeping the pack afloat and growing while finding new ways to ensure absolute superiority of the pack over other packs.
Hence why I sent Damien on a one-month mission to find out about an ancient relic that is known to give ultimate power to a werewolf for a price. Having the relic would certainly assure our dominion, but its location is in a land that only a few make it out of.
For centuries, this relic has been searched for, and no one has successfully found it. Legends say it rests in the heart of Purgatory, and numerous werewolves have searched for it, but most of them have never returned from Purgatory, while the rest have been unsuccessful.
I sent Damien to get more information about the relic and also scout the entrance of Purgatory to decipher the chances of getting the relic, but he brought no good news, confirming that getting the relic is next to impossible.
So, now I have to brainstorm another means to ensure the superiority for absolute security of the pack.
My thoughts are interrupted when I hear a knock on the door.
“Prince Derek, a letter was delivered today,” the person behind the door says.
“Come in,” I say, and he walks in. “Who is the letter addressed to?” I ask.
“To the princess,” he says, piquing my curiosity.
“Give it to me,” I say, and he hands it over before I dismiss him.
I don’t hesitate to open it, considering there’s no trusting the spirit pack and their tactics.
Once I’m certain that the letter holds nothing that threatens the pack, I move to deliver it to her.
I stand up immediately, finding myself feeling eager to see her, but at the same time, uncertain.
I pass by the servants' rooms, to the last one at the end, which is her room, and just as I am about to knock, I hear voices inside.
“I’m fine, I promise,” she says softly, sounding drained.
“I cannot apologize enough, Princess,” I hear Damien reply, and I’m filled with annoyance.
But after a second of sound reasoning, I realized that there’s no keeping him away from her, because just like half the potency of the mating bond, a beta is drawn to his Luna and compelled to protect her.
Even with this realization, my annoyance grows, but I choose to do nothing, deciding to slide the letter under her door and walk away, settling that just like my unreasonable attraction to her is out of my hands, his loyalty to her is out of his.
For his sake, this better be the case.
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SPARKLE WITH TEARS