Chapter 75 HE REFUSES TO SAY
AMBER’S POV
The ride towards the house in the carriage was filled with tense silence, silence I didn’t even want to breach. I didn’t need a soothsayer to tell me that Derek was boiling with anger, and with his continuous silence, this was the result. I wanted to talk to him, to even let him know that I was not fighting him but his silence just told me he wasn’t in the mood to talk, refusing to even look at me even though I had no idea why he was acting this way.
“Are you okay?” I ask, taking his hands.
He snatched his hands from my clasp, ignoring me again. I sighed, looking out the window at the dead land and some patch of greenery that some of the pack members farmed. I knew the fight was coming between Derek and Trent, I knew it from the moment my mother had said the reunion was taking place. I should have anticipated it, I did though but I hadn’t realized it would be this bad.
“I’m sorry, I didn’t know Trent would talk that way…” I said again, trying to appease him.
He scoffed, clearly affected by everything that had just happened. “You didn’t know or you didn’t care?”
I swallowed, fright and anger fighting for dominance within me. If there was anything I could do to ease the tension that had suddenly come on us, I would do that without batting an eye but at this point, there was little to nothing I could do about it.
“Stop it Amber… just stop it. You are only making it worse,” he said.
I remained quiet, my heart pounding over what he said. Is this the way I was going to live my life with him? One minute he was cold, then the next minute he was hot. No matter how much I tried to put a stop to this, it just seemed like I was wasting my time and he would never change his ideology about me.
Finally, we got home and as I collapsed on the couch, I felt a soreness I hadn’t felt in a long time. All my body ached terribly and I realized I had overexerted myself during the festival and the physical exhaustion that came with trying to separate Trent and Derek had taken a toll on me and a big one at that.
“What’s gotten into you?” Derek asked, a look on his face I couldn’t put a name to.
“I feel so tired and very sore. I don’t know why I am feeling this way but the stress of the whole day has taken its toll on me.” I said.
He paused for a moment, staring at me as I had suddenly grown two heads. He did the most surprising thing ever, walking up to me as he felt the top of my head, checking for a fever.
“I am fine, trust me… I just feel very sore, that’s all.” I said.
“Then I know what to do,” he said.
He walked out of the room, shutting the door behind him. I was left alone, staring after his retreating back. This was the first time in a long time he had acted in a semblance of kindness. I loved it but I was scared of the relapse, because for one act of kindness he showed to me, he meted out ten times more meanness and I didn’t think I was ready for all of that.
Just then, some women walked in, with pleasant smiles on her faces which was a sharp contrast to how everyone had been treating me in the pack. I didn’t know what this was and I was scared because they could very well be here to kill me and I wouldn’t be surprised. I had learnt not to overstep my boundaries when it came to this pack and seeing the women now, walking in all of a sudden raised alarm bells in my head.
“Is everything okay?” I asked, just as one of them walked towards me.
She mirrored what Derek had done only a few moments ago, checking to see if I was burning up but yet again, I wasn’t.
“Why do you look surprised?” Derek asked, walking in just at that moment.
“I mean, they came in all of a sudden without any prior notice so definitely I will be surprised,” I said.
He shrugged, seeming to agree with me. That was the second time he had shown any form of care ever since we got back. I had no idea why he suddenly had a change of heart which was a far cry from how he behaved back at the packhouse. I didn’t want to call it fate but it sure did look like it.
“These women are omegas and they are here to cater to you. I figured you needed a massage especially with the events that happened earlier today so this is the best time to get it now.”
There was a firm smile on his face. He wasn’t smiling but at the same time, he was, leaving me more confused than ever before.
I was dumbfounded and surprised all at the same time at what he did because I didn’t think after everything that had happened today, he would even do this for me. I didn’t want to test my luck by saying something that could break this jink I was currently in but I felt really lucky to even experience this.
“Thank you,” I said, finally.
“That still doesn’t excuse how your brother disgraced himself today. If care is not taken, I will banish him from this pack so he had better have that in mind. I am the Alpha and my authority stands, if no one would honor me, at least he should, seeing that he is going to be in power soon.”
I knew he was right and Trent too as well because Derek’s way of talking was oftentimes bad but I dare not say that out loud. This was a moment I thought I’d never enjoy but now that it was here, I couldn’t afford to ruin it but enjoy whatever change o
f heart he suddenly had.
FANGS BENEATH THE SMILE