Chapter 74 074
DERRICK
I was still deeply unsettled by Morgan’s sudden arrival.
It didn’t sit right with me... nothing about it did.
That was exactly why I had sent Scott to the Soreen clan, instructing him to find out what was really going on. There was no way Morgan had shown up in my pack out of concern or coincidence. Whatever story she had tried to feed me earlier… I knew it was fabricated.
Carefully constructed.
A lie.
“There is no way that woman could be worried about me,” I muttered under my breath, my voice low and laced with certainty as I paced slowly across the room.
My steps eventually led me toward the safe.
The letter.
Even standing before it, I hesitated for a brief second before opening it, as though some part of me already feared what I might... or might not... find. Still, I reached in and pulled the letter out, my fingers tightening slightly around the edges as I brought it closer.
I exhaled slowly.
Then I forced myself to look.
My eyes scanned the surface of the paper, searching... hoping... for something new. I tried to pick up from where I had last stopped, expecting the usual unsettling phenomenon…
But nothing had changed.
The words remained exactly as they were before.
No new lines.
No hidden messages revealing themselves.
Nothing.
A frown settled on my face as unease crept into my chest.
“Does that mean the transformation has stopped?” I asked quietly, more to myself than anyone else.
But instead of relief, the realization only made my heart feel heavier.
That couldn’t be it. It was too easy. Too convenient.
The prophecy had already been set in motion... etched into fate itself. Something like that didn’t just… stop. Not without consequence. Not without reason.
So why had the letter gone silent?
‘I don’t know if this is a good sign… or if it’s a warning for us to hold onto this body tighter,’ Charles grumbled from within, his voice unusually tense.
I didn’t respond immediately, but I knew he was right to be concerned.
If the darkness ever fully consumed my soul…
He wouldn’t just disappear.
He would lose himself.
At the very least, he would no longer have control over his own mind... just like me.
The thought alone was enough to send a ripple of discomfort through me.
“What if I’ve actually been doing a good job controlling... ” I began, trying to rationalize the situation.
But then I stopped.
A whisper. Faint.
Barely audible, yet unmistakable.
My body stiffened instantly.
He was still there, he hadn’t left, he had just… gone quiet.
Watching. Waiting.
The sudden silence wasn’t comforting... it was worse. It made me wonder if he wanted me to lower my guard… to forget… to become careless.
I shook my head sharply, trying to clear the thought before it spiraled further.
No.
I couldn’t afford distractions right now.
I quickly shoved the letter back into the safe just as the door to my study burst open without warning.
My head snapped toward the entrance, my instincts kicking in immediately.
And then I saw her.
Lyka.
A flicker of surprise crossed my face.
After Morgan’s earlier outburst, I had been certain she would avoid me... keep her distance, at least for a while.
But here she was.
Standing in my office like she belonged here.
“What are you up to?” she asked, her tone sharp and suspicious.
I sighed softly, leaning back slightly.
That was… an interesting question.
And not one I was particularly eager to answer.
What exactly was I supposed to say?
Instead, a smirk tugged at my lips.
“I’m fine down there... even though you’re not asking,” I replied casually, winking at her.
Her reaction was immediate.
Confusion. Irritation.
She looked at me like I had completely lost my mind.
“Can you stop acting like a clown when the whole pack is under fire?” she snapped. “Do you even know what your betrothed and the girl you were sleeping with have been up to?”
My brows lifted slightly.
What?
The girl I was sleeping with?
Where had that come from?
For a brief moment, I considered questioning her further... but I knew better than to get dragged into unnecessary mind games with her.
“I don’t,” I said simply. “But feel free to enlighten me.”
I reached out, tilting her chin up slightly, trying to hold her gaze... but she immediately slapped my hand away.
Our fingers brushed for the briefest second.
And that was all it took.
Something shifted. I felt it instantly.
The presence in my mind stirred.
Awakened.
Or had I imagined it?
No. I hadn’t.
It was real. And somehow…
It reacted to her. To Lyka.
That realization sent a flicker of surprise through me.
“They’re both conspiring against me,” she continued, her voice tight with frustration. “Isn’t that absurd?”
I nodded slowly, though in truth, I was only half-listening.
My thoughts were elsewhere.
Still caught on what I had just felt.
“Conspiring?” I echoed. “What exactly do you mean?”
She shook her head, clearly unimpressed.
“You’re unbelievably clueless,” she said. “How do you even rule a pack with this little information?”
I exhaled quietly, choosing not to rise to her provocation.
Instead, I listened as she explained.
Zuri.
The rumors.
The accusations being spread about her... about how she was being framed as the one who orchestrated an attack against rogue wolves.
I wasn’t surprised.
Zuri had always been like that... focused on results, not methods. If spreading rumors served her purpose, she wouldn’t hesitate.
But something didn’t add up. Why now?
Why act on information she had supposedly known for a while?
And then there was the other issue.
There had been evidence pointing toward Lyka.
I wanted to bring it up.
To ask her directly.
But I stopped myself, cornering her wouldn’t help. Not now.
“Don’t worry,” I said instead, my tone calm. “I’ll take care of it.”
She scoffed immediately.
“You?” she said. “That’s laughable.”
I raised a brow, stepping closer.
“Are you doubting me?” I asked, lifting her hand slightly as I searched her expression.
She sighed, her gaze locking with mine.
And for a moment…
I saw something different. Something deeper.
Her eyes weren’t just angry... they were conflicted. Torn. As if she were struggling with something far more complicated than she was letting on.
“Doubt?” she repeated. “No. I don’t think that emotion applies here.”
She paused.
“What’s there to doubt when I don’t trust you in the first place?”
The words hit harder than I expected.
Sharp, and precise.
Like a blade sliding between ribs.
For a brief second, I felt it... something tightening in my chest.
Burning.
But what had I expected?
Did I really think she would say she trusted me?
“Of course,” I replied, masking the reaction quickly. “I wasn’t expecting you to trust me. I don’t trust you either.”
Her eyes darkened at my words, though she quickly hid it.
“Whatever,” she said dismissively. “I didn’t come here for that.”
I gestured casually.
“Alright. Sit down… or do you want to sit on my lap instead?”
She shot me a sharp glare.
“Don’t get me mad,” she warned.
I chuckled, reaching out to tug lightly at her cheek.
“Relax,” I teased. “You’re too tense.”
That only earned me another glare.
But then her expression shifted.
Serious, focused.
“What happened that night your Luna was murdered?” she asked.
Everything in me stilled.
The air in the room seemed to drop instantly.
My eyes darkened as the question sank in.
Without thinking, I stepped back... putting distance between us.
That question…
Of all things she could ask…
“Why are you asking that?” I said, my voice colder now. “It has nothing to do with you.”
I paused briefly.
“So I’m not telling you.”
She stepped closer. Too close.
Her expression softened slightly, her lips forming a small pout.
For a split second, I almost laughed.
Was she seriously trying to use that on me?
“Are you really not going to tell me?” she asked, her fingers brushing lightly along my jaw.
The contact snapped something in me.
I grabbed her wrist and pushed her hand away.
“If that’s what you came here for…” I said, my voice rising sharply.
“Then get out.”
The force in my tone filled the room, leaving no room for argument.
She flinched.
And for a moment… Silence followed.