Chapter 76 FANGS BENEATH THE SMILE
DEREK’S POV
The aftermath of the festival made a lot of mess especially on the stables and some of the buildings that were during the celebrations. As the Alpha, it was my duty to make sure everything was cleaned just in case we had visitors which we would most likely have and I didn’t want them to know me for a dirty pack. Already tensions were high as a result of what happened the last time and one small slip up could cause a lot of things for us, things I didn’t even want to imagine.
“Alpha, the pack house needs more hands.” One of the servants said.
I sighed even as my mind was on the piece of parchment I was reading. There were a lot of things that still needed taking care of but yet again, I was smack dab in the middle of it. I couldn’t get a break, that much I knew.
“Just tell the others who aren’t doing anything to get on with it. We don’t have much time, I need to finish everything before noon because I have another engagement to attend to.” I said.
He nodded, going to do what I said. My mind went to Amber and how she had reacted yesterday when I brought in the omegas. Clearly, she hadn’t expected that but I was quite glad I was able to do something like that for her, seeing that she was very stressed out from everything that had happened.
It wasn’t her fault, that much I knew but it was easy for me to blame her because Trent was her brother and what’s worse, her parents couldn’t even call him to order. I knew for a fact that we could never see eye to eye but I didn’t care. He wasn’t worth it, my time, or the energy he seemed to be obsessed with.
“Derek.”
I turned around to see my beta walking towards me, a piece of paper in his hands. Upon closer look, I realized it was a letter and it was addressed to Amber. I found this surprising because I knew what had happened the last time, but I had a feeling that this time was going to be different.
“What’s up?” I asked, ticking the last of the ticks I had already done.
“This just came in,” he said, handing me the letter.
I glanced at it, reading what was written on it and I realized it was for Amber. His name was written in bold, cursive writing with a seal I knew too well. It was from the Spirit Pack, a pack I was usually wary of. My heart raced when I thought about what this could mean not only for her but for me as well. No matter how much I tried to understand it, I couldn’t figure out why the Spirit Pack was even sending her letters to begin with.
I had a mind to open it and read the contents but another mind stopped me from doing that even as conflict rose within me at that moment. I hated to think that there was something going on I didn’t know about, something that had been kept hidden from me.
“Are you okay?” Damien asked.
“Yes, I’m fine… just thinking about something,” I said.
From the look on his face, he could tell that something was wrong but yet again, I wasn’t sure I wanted to divulge whatever this was to him. Despite everything we had passed through, Amber was still my mate even though I didn’t want her and I needed to protect her at all costs.
“I mean, it just feels like you’ve seen a ghost when you read the letter. I thought something terrible had happened.” He said.
I knew he was right. I had never been very good at hiding my emotions, given the fact that once I didn’t feel okay with something, it immediately showed on my face.
“I’ll be fine, just oversee the other things that need tending to,” I said.
With a firm nod of his head, he walked away, leaving me standing there, the letter still in my hands. The urge to read the letter came on strong again and this time around, I couldn’t resist it. Just as I was about to tear it open, something stopped me, an urge which was more like an inkling of what might happen if I do this.
“ I don’t think I can,” I murmured.
Instead, I pocketed the letter, keeping it safe for when I saw her again so I could hand it over to her. Later on in the evening, I made my way towards my chambers, the content of the letter still heavy on my mind.
“Hey, you’re back,” Amber said, giving me a warm smile.
“Yeah, I had a lot to do today, that’s why I am even coming by this time. How was your day?” I asked, handing her the letter.
She took it from me, a frown on her face as she tried to understand what this was. I couldn’t blame her, there were a lot of things that could go wrong from a pack like that.
“When did you receive this?” she asked.
“About a few hours ago, Damien brought it to me,” I said.
“And you didn’t open it…” she whispered.
“No, I didn’t… I choose to trust you this time around.”
She looked up at me, tears gathering in her eyes. It wasn’t one of sadness but of the fact that I believed in her and was choosing to honor her privacy. Not many people looked up to her but I knew I needed to. Whether I liked it or not, she was stuck with me and the least I could do was to make her comfortable around him.
“Thank you,” she smiled.
I shrugged, heading towards the inner room to take my much-needed rest. This was clearly a private moment for her and the last thing I would do was to intrude on it but despite everything, I wished she could trust me because that was
the only thing I needed from her.
NOT ALL THREATS SNARL