Chapter 118 118

Chapter 118 118
LYKA POV

After Derrick angrily stormed out of the room, I knew it was only right for me to go after him. I had wronged him after all. Not only had I hidden the truth from him, but I had also lied to his face while pretending everything was fine.
I deserved the cold shoulder he gave me.
The guilt sat heavily in my chest as I stepped out of the room, the silence around me suddenly feeling too loud. My mind replayed the hurt in Derrick’s eyes over and over again, and each memory only made my stomach twist tighter.
“Where could he be?” I mumbled softly to myself as I walked down the hallway.
But finding him wasn’t difficult.
His scent lingered strongly in the air, familiar and comforting despite everything. And then there was the mate bond... a connection far too powerful to ignore. Even when he tried to distance himself from me emotionally, I could still feel him. His anger. His frustration. His fear.
Especially his fear.
I sighed quietly when I finally spotted his dark figure standing outside alone. The cold wind brushed against him, causing the edges of his shirt to sway slightly, but he remained still like a statue lost in thought.
For a brief moment, my chest softened.
He looked lonely.
I was about to walk toward him when another figure appeared from the side.
Zuri.
My steps halted instantly.
I narrowed my eyes slightly as I watched her approach Derrick with confidence, her posture annoyingly relaxed as though she belonged beside him. Thankfully, neither of them noticed me standing there.
Good.
I stayed hidden, curiosity getting the better of me.
At first, Derrick barely paid attention to her. His body language alone screamed irritation, and I almost smiled seeing how coldly he treated her. But then...
Everything changed the moment she mentioned Sheila.
I noticed the sudden tension in Derrick’s shoulders immediately. His expression darkened, and even from where I stood, I could sense the shift in his emotions.
“He could get this angry just from hearing her name?” I murmured under my breath.
That alone was suspicious enough.
The more Zuri spoke, the more agitated Derrick became, and honestly, I had seen enough.
That girl had far too much confidence for someone so weak.
Who exactly did she think she was to keep provoking my mate like that?
I finally stepped out from where I stood hidden and began walking toward them.
The moment Derrick noticed me, his entire expression changed.
Panic flashed across his face so quickly it almost startled me.
“Lyka, it’s not what you think!” he said immediately, rushing toward me. “Listen to me!”
The urgency in his voice caught my attention, but instead of reacting emotionally, I simply smiled at him reassuringly.
At least on the outside.
Inside, my curiosity was already growing claws.
“I came to get you because I was worried you were still angry at me,” I said calmly, keeping my eyes on him before shifting my attention toward Zuri. “But it seems there’s something I need to be informed about instead.”
I tilted my head slightly.
“And what exactly would that be, Zuri?”
I knew exactly what I was doing.
If there was one thing I had learned about women like Zuri, it was that they could never resist dangling secrets in front of people. She wanted attention. She wanted reactions.
And I was more than willing to play along.
“Oh?” Zuri mused with a mocking smile. “You’re curious? That makes me a little sad.”
I watched Derrick tense beside me immediately.
The troubled look on his face made something uncomfortable stir inside my chest.
Whatever secret existed between them… Derrick clearly didn’t want it revealed. And strangely enough, that made me even more suspicious.
If he truly had nothing to hide, then why did he look so uneasy?
“Looks like you’re suddenly not eager to tell me anymore,” I said lightly, pretending innocence as I looked at her. “Even though you looked very excited about it earlier.”
The woman practically fell into my trap.
What a joke.
Did she really think I was emotionally invested in whatever story she wanted to tell me? If anything, I only wanted to see how far she was willing to go.
“I don’t think I can tell you that…” Zuri dragged out sweetly before glancing at Derrick with a fake smile plastered on her face. “Or maybe we should ask Alpha for permission first. What do you think?”
Her voice dripped with calculation.
She had prepared this little game carefully.
“What are you talking about?” Derrick asked coldly. “I don’t even know what you’re trying to tell her, so why are you making this about me?”
I squinted slightly at him, trying to read his emotions through his expression.
But like always…
Nothing.