Third person's POVTabitha remained silent. She hoped to slip free while Derek's attention was elsewhere, but the drug had taken its toll.Not only did she fail to break her bonds, but the effects left her feeling dizzy, nauseous, and utterly drained of strength.Derek swiftly assisted her in lying down, his voice gentle yet firm. "Tabitha, try not to move."At that moment, she lacked the strength to move, and each attempt only intensified her dizziness. The only relief she
Third person's POVDerek had barely dozed off when he heard a noise. His head snapped up just in time to see Tabitha falling toward the ground, and he swiftly caught her."Are you okay, Tabitha?"Even with her in his arms, Derek couldn't help but break out in a cold sweat.Tabitha's current condition couldn't be measured by ordinary standards. Even the slightest fall could cause irreversible harm to her fragile body.
Third person's POVNoticing his pause, Tabitha casually asked, "What's wrong?""It's nothing," Derek replied, his touch becoming even more delicate, as if afraid to apply the slightest pressure.Yet, strands of hair still fell away.Derek's mind wandered back to two years prior when Tabitha had been poisoned with wolfsbane.In the past, when she was at her weakest, he couldn't be by her side.
Third person's POVJenny was not far away. And when she saw the chaos here, she immediately dashed over and pushed Tabitha away.Before leaving, she stole a glance at Derek, feeling both helpless and annoyed, and thinking, 'What happened? It was all fine just a moment ago. What did he do to make her so pissed?'Alvin also stepped up and said, "Alpha Derek, you shouldn't be so hasty. Patient, OK?"Derek sighed, "I was just afraid that Tabitha would lose her will to live. I th
Third person's POVJust as Jenny wanted to say something, Tabitha waved her hand and said, "I wanna have some rest. Don't let that man in. I don't wanna see him.""OK."Jenny tucked Tabitha in and then left. Meanwhile, Derek was still outside the ward with Kyrian in his arms."Dad, I want Mom," Kyrian pleaded in a sobbing tone, clutching Derek's collar with a pitiful look.Kyrian would soon tu
Third person's POVTabitha replied lightly, "I guess she was really desperate. Who else would steal flowers from a hospital unless they had no other options?""I see too many oddballs these days, folks who've lost their moral compass. Ms. Hartley, you get some good rest now," the head nurse said as she closed the door behind her and stepped out.Before long, Tabitha felt her eyelids growing heavy, and she thought she heard the door creak open once more.She was swallowed by
Third person's POVKyrian now possessed independent consciousness and had learned to think for himself.His initial response to the slap was not to wail but to be perplexed.He couldn't fathom what he had done to warrant Daphne's slap.A handprint swiftly materialized on his small face, and his right cheek instantly swelled and flushed red.Once Daphne's fury subsided, she was immediately cons
Third person's POVChloe had been Daphne's side for years, yet she had never witnessed Daphne in such a state of humility and despair.Daphne's tears flowed incessantly as she sobbed, "I'm parentless, homeless, and I'll never rise again in this life. All I have left are these two children. If Derek finds out, he'll never let me see them."With a desperate grip on Chloe's pant leg, Daphne pleaded with a struggle that was palpable. Chloe could only muster a weak assurance, "This won't happen again."
Her long hair cascaded down, and as she leaned over, a strand gently swept across Derek's neck—a feather-light touch that sent a shiver of ticklish sensation through him.The familiar herbal fragrance snapped Derek back to reality. He turned to look at Tabitha.Though he could only see a hazy outline, a wave of familiarity washed over him.He replied, "I've got a splitting headache, feeling nauseous, and no appetite.""Open your mouth and stick out your tongue," Tabitha instructed, her fingers lightly touching Derek's chin.Her cool fingertips pried open his mouth.Derek sensed the blurred figure drawing closer, even feeling Tabitha's breath.She examined his tongue, then released his chin, her expression serious. "I need to check your body," she said.This time, Derek didn't resist.Tabitha's fingers began unbuttoning his shirt, one button at a time.The action, the sensation—it all felt like a trip d
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