Third person's POVDerek returned to the main bedroom and casually turned on the shower. Before the water could heat up, he stepped in.The cold water splashed on his body, but it was not as cold as the chill in his heart.He recalled the night two years ago when Tabitha was tied up in the bathroom by him, soaked by the cold water.The water was so cold. She must have been utterly desperate at that time.Thinking of Tabitha's current state, Derek was filled with regret. The harshness he had shown Tabitha in the past had all turned into blades stabbing himself.The more he loved Tabitha, the more he blamed himself now.His wolf whimpered in pain within his mind, "I can't sense Tabitha's wolf. They are very weak."Derek did not respond. He was aware.He would definitely agree to exchange his own life for Tabitha's now.Alvin hurriedly arrived and walked to the bathroom door. It was pitch black inside. But with the light from outside, he vaguely saw Derek sitting against the wall.He was
Third person's POVZander's situation was dire. After Tabitha was urgently taken to the hospital last night, Alpha Elliott was so enraged that he had an episode and returned to his previous state of confusion.Ambrose and Phoebe wanted to take him away, but Derek had given orders. The Greenwood family's guards refused to let them take Zander.Zander had fainted once. The doctor had revived him on the spot. He then continued his punishment of kneeling until now.He had been able to make snide remarks while watching the drama unfold last night. But after kneeling all night, Zander felt as if he wished he were dead.His knees were numb from the pain, and his head wound was only rudimentarily treated.He felt that he had lost sensation in his lower body.Exhausted, hungry, and sleepy, he dared not fall.He had fallen once in the middle of the night due to extreme sleepiness, and as a result, his body was covered in glass, causing him unbearable pain.In a daze, he saw Derek approach him.
Third person's POVAmbrose couldn't bear it any longer and stepped in between the two.He spoke with righteous indignation, "Enough. Why do you have to tear each other apart? At worst, from now on, Zander will give up all inheritance rights. Let me take him away. He will never appear before you again."Even now, Ambrose still spoke with a condescending tone, not realizing any fault of his.If Derek were a child, he would definitely be very sad. Now, he just slowly shifted his bloodshot eyes toward Ambrose's face.With a smirk that seemed more like a grimace, Derek spoke like a devil, "What of mine does he have to give up? Ambrose, if I were you, I'd get out of here and stop being a nuisance.""What?"In the past, Derek was still respectful to him. Now, his tone was disdainful and cruel.Clearly, Derek was not in the mood to argue.He looked down at Zander coldly, "You're not talking, huh? I have plenty of ways to make you talk."After saying this, Derek dragged him by the arm. Since Z
Third person's POVZander had passed out again.Rolf held him by the collar, lifting him up.Seeing Zander's weak breathing, Rolf sneered, "His wolf is trembling, not even daring to resist. Such a cowardly werewolf, not even as good as our Black Thorn's Omegas. I really don't know what Ambrose is thinking."Rolf felt it was unfair for Derek.As the future heir of the Black Thorn Pack, Alpha El
Third person's POVDerek stood there, stunned as if he couldn't comprehend what Tabitha was saying at first."Tabitha, I can explain. I never marked Daphne; we are not mates..."Tabitha didn't want to hear anything about Daphne from him. It only made her feel sick."Derek, I said I don't want to know what your relationship is with her. What I'm talking about is my illness."Derek, holding a gl
Derek's POVI dare not approach Tabitha anymore. The only thing I could do was watch from afar outside the ward."Alvin, arrange a DNA test between Tabitha and Kyrian immediately. Once Tabitha sees the results, she will definitely believe me," he ordered.A flicker of complexity crossed Alvin's face as he reminded me, "Alpha Derek, can you hear my thoughts?"I turned to him, my eyes filled with confusion.
Third person's POVTabitha lay on the bed, unsure of who would come next.She just hoped it wouldn't be Derek again.At that moment, the door opened.Orson entered with a meal box containing a vegetable soup and a box of grilled chicken breast."Orson, I can't eat," Tabitha said."You have to. You're very weak r
Third person's POVTabitha's gaze was calm as she asked, "It was his idea, wasn't it?"Her eyes revealed a kind of calmness after despair."Yes, he doesn't want to do nothing. The wolfsbane in your body is spreading rapidly. This is a desperate measure."Chemotherapy is like a high-stakes gamble. If you win, the tumor is effectively suppressed, but if you lose, death comes more swiftly.The mo
It wasn't until the bamboo flute's melody faded completely that Misha collapsed to the ground like a puppet whose strings had been cut.She felt as though she'd lost half her life force, every ounce of strength drained from her body.Initially planning to leave the next day, Misha fell ill that very night.Delirious and raving, she was swallowed by confusion.Back at their quarters, Rolf returned with a face flushed with excitement, eager to recount yesterday's events to Alvin in vivid detail.Gesturing wildly, he said, "You should've seen it—spectacular! Those snakes came pouring in from every direction, like something out of a horror movie. It gave me the creeps just watching."Alvin listened, his brow furrowing with each passing word.Recalling Alma's parting words— "See that you behave" —a nagging sense of unease settled in his stomach. Misha's illness felt anything but coincidental."What're you thinking?" Rolf asked, noti
Rolf was so focused on escaping that he barely had time to marvel at the spectacle unfolding before him."If this isn't a nightmare, I don't know what is", he thought, sprinting for his life.He knew if he fell, he'd be bitten to death by the venomous snakes.Never in his life had Rolf run so fast. He sprinted in the direction of the sound, desperation lending him strength.Up ahead, perched in a peach tree like a guardian angel, sat Hedwig.Her tiny fingers danced over a bamboo flute, its melody ringing in the charged air.To Rolf and Misha, however, the "ding-dong" notes felt like a death knell tolling ever closer.Snakes swarmed from all directions like a rising tide. Rolf knew if this kept up, they'd both end up as snake fodder.Panic clawed at his throat. Without a word to Misha, he unceremoniously dumped her onto the ground.Misha was still disoriented when she was roughly thrown to the ground. Before she could rea
"Agreed," Alvin replied. The memory of Hedwig's earlier glare at Misha sent a shiver down his spine.He had a foreboding that Misha might already be in Hedwig's crosshairs.Given that this was Hedwig's home turf, Alvin worried their group might not stand a chance in a confrontation.This added a layer of anxiety to an already tense situation.Meanwhile, Tabitha remained fast asleep, a serene smile playing on her lips.After a short play with the fawn, a pigeon flew in from outside the cave and landed on Hedwig's shoulder, cooing softly. Hedwig paused at the sound, glancing at Tabitha still lost in slumber.With a moment of hesitation, she quietly rose and tiptoed away, not wanting to disturb Tabitha's rest.Misha, who had always sailed through life with ease, had encountered her greatest challenge in the form of unrequited love.Ever since Derek had rescued her, she had vowed to marry him when she grew up.Throughout her
Hedwig nodded understandingly, her face lighting up with innocent joy.She carefully lowered herself onto the lawn and gently pressed a sweet kiss to Tabitha's cheek, her movements as delicate as a butterfly's wings.Her movements were incredibly gentle, for fear of disturbing Tabitha.Then, she sat quietly by the pool, watching butterflies dance around them—a scene so serene it could have been plucked from a masterpiece painting.Tabitha's exhaustion overwhelmed her, her eyelids growing heavier by the second until she drifted into a deep sleep by the pool's edge.Her long, silk-like hair cascaded down, and without her mask, her porcelain skin glowed.Compared to before, she seemed even more beautiful now, like a sleeping fairy, radiating an enchanting charm.Hedwig stayed by her side without disturbing Tabitha, quietly gathering herbs nearby with focused and skillful movements.The forest creatures adored her—a faw
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