Tabitha's POV I totally pissed Derek off. "When are you gonna reject me?" I asked, looking at him undaunted. It was the only thing on my mind today. "It's up to me!" he growled, and then he left, slamming the door shut. When I was left alone, the pack's Omega immediately came in and tidied up the room. I pulled myself together for a shower. My newly healed wound hurt a bit, and I tended to it carefully. From Derek's reaction just now, I could tell he was still hung up on me. Awesome. By the time he learned that his cruelty killed me, he would definitely be devastated. My death would be my revenge for how he treated me. I'd make him drown in regret forever! Pity that I wouldn't be able to appreciate the look on his face then. It'd been a few days since Derek locked me in this room. Every morning, he asked the same question. "What's your relationship with Orson?" Every morning, I asked the same question. "When is the rejection ceremony?" Then he shut up, lea
Tabitha's POV It'd been forever since I had such a good night's sleep. The injury I got from fighting off the rogue attack at the Silver Moon Pack was killing me. Every night, I'd been tossing and turning from the pain. Finally, I could have a sweet dream tonight. I figured I gotta thank Derek for it, cuz I wouldn't be feeling any pain for a few hours. Derek's familiar scent wrapped around me, his warm hug had me let my guard down. I dreamed of a green lawn. As I walked along, the clean earthy aroma wafted through the air. Soon, a tree rocked up in front of me. And a white wolf was curling underneath. It was my wolf. "Crystal?" I called out softly, moving closer. Her fur was kinda yellowish, but she was breathing fine. Seeing her in pain broke my heart. I knelt and caressed her, trying my best to bond with her. Suddenly, she let out a soft whimper. Though she didn't respond, I could tell she was on the mend. Soon, the scene started going dark, my vision blurring
Tabitha's POV I immediately sat down, my mouth watering as I gazed at the golden pancakes. They even got the sweet scent of vanilla! With expectant eyes, I shove a piece into my mouth with a fork, the sweet taste of maple syrup blowing my mind. Finally, I convinced myself that it wasn't a dream. Lifting my gaze, I saw Derek placing a latte in front of me, his lips pursed up. When he noticed I was eyeing him, he just flicked a glance my way. I was kinda glad that he didn't say anything to kill the vibe. We polished off breakfast in silence just like that. For the next several days, it was the same drill. Derek would be out dealing with the pack biz during the day. And at night, he'd come home to dine with me. We barely talked. But I could feel that he wasn't as hostile and cold to me as before. At some point, I felt like we were back to those good old days when Daphne hadn't shown up. We were still so crazily in love, our mate bond as strong as ever. Then the wou
Tabitha's POV The minute Derek finished speaking, I felt Crystal growling inside me, hysterical and livid. A chill ran down my spine. Turned out he did more than weaken the Silver Moon Pack. He even planned the attack that almost killed me. How impressive! It suddenly dawned on me that the wolfsbane on those rogues' claws was probably part of his scheme, too. Feeling ridiculous, I let out a bitter laugh. "So you want both my dad and I dead, huh?" I muttered under my breath. Derek, all caught up in his emotions, didn't hear a word I was saying. He stood up, looking down at me like I was some ant. "I grew up with Elena, and I liked her as much as Zack. If it weren't for this shit, she could've been my Luna. Even if she wasn't my destined mate, I'd treat her like a family. But look what John's done to her? He not only killed her but got her disfigured to cover his tracks! What kind of monster would do that?!" "He's way too emotional, and so is Leo. I can't communicate
Tabitha's POV "Are you outta your fucking mind?! That was your flesh and blood, too!" I grabbed his collar with both hands, feeling my wolf's fangs punch through my gums, sprouting out. Sensing my rage, Crystal roared inside me. Derek's words tore my heart into pieces. Losing the baby had always been the biggest regret and trauma. And he was the one behind it? How could he do this to me? Faced with my anger, Derek unleashed his full Alpha aura, forcing Crystal to curl up. But I wasn't scared at all. Trying my best to resist, I snarled, looking him in the eye, "I'll never forgive you!" "Same." With that, he took his Alpha aura back and strode out. Once his scent was gone, I collapsed onto the ground, completely drained. It clicked why Derek'd been capricious for the past year. And why he sometimes looked at me as if I was a stranger. All these reports scattered on the ground were the result of Derek's efforts this whole year. I bet his initiative motive was to prov
Tabitha's POV Kyrian's fondness for me threw me for a loop. He was the baby of my foe, but I just couldn't bring myself to hate him. So I simply grimaced to spook him. But he wasn't afraid at all. Just giggled his heart out. "Mommy," he called out again, reaching out like he wanted a cuddle. Just as I was on the fence about it, hurried footsteps sounded from behind. "What are you up to?!" I spun around and saw Daphne. With a wary look, heading straight for the stroller. Then she scooped up Kieran real quick and checked him from head to toe. Kieran, hating her touch, batted his chunky arms right in her face. I swore I saw a hint of impatience flash across her face. Seriously? Call herself a mother! After handing Kieran over to the Omega beside her, she scolded, all worked up, "Alpha Derek asked you to care of Kieran, and now look what you've done? Why the hell did you bring him here? If some creep hurt him, Alpha Derek's definitely gonna banish you!" The Omega expl
Derek's POV I strode out of the pack house, leaving Tabitha behind. For I knew if I stayed for one more second, I would take her in my arms. Just now, she looked so heartbroken and desperate. It brought a lump to my throat, and Leo was on the verge of a breakdown. Before I knew it, I walked to Zack's old place. It'd been empty for ages, but I had the pack's Omega clean it regularly. So it was still looking neat. Planting myself at the table, I fixed my gaze on the old family photos of Zack's. It was the only way I could beat down the huge guilt I felt about Tabitha. "Fuck! Derek!" Leo was losing it. "I had to," I told him. "Our mate's all that matters, you idiot," Leo growled. "Why did you lie to Tabitha? You didn't mean to kill her baby. Why not spill about what went down that day?" "Enough, Leo..." I sighed in my head. "I want her to hate me. I did hurt her, no?" "But you love her, and you never want to hurt her," Leo's spirit seemed deeply wounded, so it got listle
Tabitha's POV In the cab, I covered my abdomen the whole time, trying to stop the bleeding and avoid arousing the driver's suspicion. Finally, I returned to the Black Thorn Pack. Thank God I had put on a jacket when I left home. Or the pack guards'd definitely notice the blood on my shirt. Biting back the pain, I rushed to the Alpha villa. After taking off my coat, I walked to the bathroom with a first-aid kit. Good thing that my wound had been healing fine, so this attack only caused minor bleeding. I didn't need to go to Orson. I rinsed the blood off my clothes real good before tossing them into the washing machine. After handling all that, I threw myself on the bed, trying to get some rest. The dull pain in my abdomen got me a bit agitated. Well, not exactly. Vilda was the real cause. Just when I was onto a clue, she came out and rendered all my effort pointless. Damn it! I couldn't help recalling Vilda's image. Her clothes were all ragged and wrecked. If s
Misha watched Tabitha and Alma walk away, her anger flaring up again.She glared at the back of Tabitha's head and instinctively touched her red cheek.Growing up, she had never been treated like this. The humiliation filled her heart with resentment."Once Derek's poison is neutralized, I'll make them pay", she vowed silently.Alban, seeing the hatred in Misha's eyes, felt a chill.He knew Misha's background—her family's influence was no secret. He'd brought her here out of concern for Derek's blood type.Having watched Misha and Derek grow up, he was well aware of their temperaments.Given Misha's current state, he feared she would cause more trouble.So, he tried to persuade her again, "Look, things are under control here. It's not proper for a young lady like you to stay. I'll have someone escort you out.""I'm not leaving, Dr. Weaver. I'm staying to take care of Derek!" Misha said stubbornly, turning her head
Misha's eyes welled up the moment she saw Derek awake. She lunged toward him, crying, "I've been so worried!"Derek sidestepped her embrace instinctively and said coolly, "I'm fine. I've delayed you long enough. I need to stay for treatment; you should head back."Misha's jaw dropped in shock.Misha had traveled so far and gone through so much, only to hear Derek tell her to leave as soon as he woke up."I need to care for you—your eyesight's impaired. I've already taken leave," she pleaded."You'll be fine. Rolf and Alvin are here. It's not convenient for you, a young woman, to stay," Derek insisted.Misha stamped her foot in frustration. "What's inconvenient about it? You're not married, and neither am I. Remember when we were on missions together? We took care of each other then, didn't we?"Alma happened to pass by and overhear the conversation, finally realizing that Misha had been the one making advances all along.
Derek jolted awake after an hour of sleep.In a daze, sensing someone beside him, he instinctively pulled them into his arms, exclaiming, "Tabitha, you came for me."Alvin sighed, "Alpha Derek, it's me."Derek fumbled blindly in the air, urgency lacing his voice, "Where's Tabitha? Where did she go?""You were dreaming again," Alvin explained patiently."A dream?" Derek frowned, confusion washing over him.But why did the dream feel so real? So real that he could almost feel the give of Tabitha's skin, recall the touch of her body, and even remember the warmth of her flesh. Her voice still seemed to linger in his ears."Tabitha's probably miles away. She couldn't be here," Alvin added.Derek's heart sank, the joy from moments ago replaced by emptiness. It felt as though he'd found his most precious treasure, only to realize it was just a dream.He bowed his head, a bitter smile tugging at his lips. "Right, how could I rea
At Derek's words, Tabitha was suddenly reminded of his words from years ago, when he had said the person in his dreams was her.She couldn't help but wonder what exactly this scoundrel had done to her in his dreams."Tabitha, hold me," Derek pleaded like a petulant child.Tabitha recalled the early days of their marriage. Back then, Derek was reticent and self-absorbed in bed, rarely showing any emotion or expressing his feelings.She often doubted whether he even liked her, if not for the fact that his actions left her bedridden the next day.Derek had locked all his emotions in an airtight box, allowing no one to peek inside.But over the years, their dynamics had done a complete turnaround.Now, Tabitha buried her feelings deep within, becoming cold and distant, while Derek had transformed into someone unrecognizably vulnerable and open.At this moment, Derek was like an overly affectionate, enthusiastic dog, intimately fami
Tabitha was deeply focused on listening to Derek's heartbeat. Irritated by his question, she simply hushed him with a "Shh" and said, "Don't talk." Her attention was entirely on his heart rate. She had no intention of being distracted by others.After finishing with his heartbeat, Tabitha gently pried open Derek's eyelids for a closer look.His pupils were dull and lifeless, making it impossible to assess the internal damage with the naked eye.It seemed that only after administering the antidote and conducting a professional examination outside could they determine the extent of the eye damage.Tabitha silently resolved that if they could just detoxify him, there would be hope for the gradual recovery of his other organs.At Tabitha's "Shh," Derek obediently fell silent.Despite feeling as though he were in a dream, he cherished this fleeting moment, thinking that even an extra minute with Tabitha would give him more memories to hold onto i
Derek clung to Tabitha like a koala to a tree trunk, refusing to let go.His voice was urgent and filled with longing as he declared, "Tabitha, you have no idea how long I've been searching for you! Every day, every night, your image haunted my thoughts. I was such a fool. If I had known you would vanish completely, I never would have let you go."Tabitha's heart skipped a beat at his words.Recalling her departure, she realized how strange it had been—how smoothly she had left.Back then, Tabitha had barely left when someone came chasing after her. Had Derek known of her plan from the start?If he had wanted to stop her, he could have nipped her plan in the bud."Why did you let me go, then?" she asked.Derek, lost in the joy of their reunion, poured out his feelings unreservedly. "I've always felt guilty for the wrongs I did you. I wanted to make amends."Tabitha gazed into Derek's eyes, noticing the red marks on his face.Despite his usual handsomeness, these marks added an air of
Third person's POVThis was why Tabitha had chosen Alvin over Rolf.She adjusted her waterlogged mask, now nearly peeling off, and swiftly exited the scene.Rolf muttered behind her, "Alpha Derek, don't go around hugging people. What if she gets clingy? Tabitha's still out there—what if she sees this and makes you wait another decade?"Derek remained silent."But seriously," Rolf continued, "the doctor's build and height are identical to Tabitha's. Just the face is different."Derek seized on this. "What did you say?""I said she looks like Tabitha, except for the face. Alpha Derek, don't get carried away—it's not like Tabitha to pop up just because you're poisoned. You've looked for her for three and a half years with no luck."Derek rubbed his temples, chalking it up to longing-induced hallucinations.Tabitha retreated to her room, exhausted from the sleepless night of brewing and changing medicines.
Third person's POVDerek loosened his grip slightly, allowing her to breathe. "Sorry, I can't see. No idea what's going on," he muttered."You're in a tub. No dialysis here—just using heat to sweat out the wolfsbane. I was checking your condition," Tabitha explained, her tone flat.Derek realized his mistake. "Apologies.""Now that you're more lucid, let's do a quick check-up. How do you feel?""Body's burning. Blind as a bat. Hearing's there but muffled, ringing in the ears. Headache, chest tightness, shortness of breath, weak limbs...""Your entire body's under toxin attack. Recovery will take time. Don't stress. You're in good shape—should bounce back faster. Can you stand? Let me see your condition."The tub's dark liquid hid Derek's nudity, so Tabitha didn't push him to move.Derek suddenly realized something. "Wait, I'm naked?""Yep."Silence.His face twisted in discomfort."I'm a
Third person's POV"Are you serious?" Tabitha frowned. "This is life or death. Do you want him to die?""You don't get it," Alvin said quickly. "That woman isn't really Alpha Derek's fiancée. She made it up to convince Mrs. Atkinson to help. Derek's got someone else—someone he loves. If he finds out she fed him the medicine, he'll lose it.""So what? It's just medicine. I can't exactly summon his 'someone else' here," Tabitha muttered."Everything else is negotiable, but Alpha Derek's stubborn about this. He's loved Tabitha his whole life. He won't let another woman touch him intimately. I can't make that call for him. Any other ideas?"Tabitha froze. Tabitha? She hadn't heard that name in years."Since he loves Tabitha so much, where is she? Why isn't she here?""Tabitha left over three years ago. Derek's searched everywhere but couldn't find her. This time, he got distracted because someone hired a Tabitha look-alike. T