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
Third person's POVOnly now did Tabitha realize that the cold-hearted man had never changed.Aboard the ship years ago, he had feigned innocence, drinking the medicine to appear kind and selfless. Later, he had tried to force her into an abortion. Despite his life-saving grace, she had chosen to forget all he had done.He had never changed—he cared only for himself, indifferent to the lives of others.To achieve his goals, he would stop at nothing. In essence, he was no different from Elena.Tabitha's heart ached as she watched Derek, now surrounded by snakes, leap into the pit.Derek.The man she had loved, hated, and strived to save was now meeting his end in the snake pit under the bright moonlight.In mere minutes, a living person would be reduced to bones by the swarm."Alpha Derek!" Spike, too, was stunned by the sight.His leg injury had slowed him down, and he had never witnessed such a scene—s
Third person's POVHedwig promptly scrambled out of bed and followed the little deer out of the room.Derek gradually slowed his steps. Although Spike's voice echoed through the empty mountain forest, Derek also distinctly heard Tabitha's voice nearby. She seemed to be in trouble, incessantly crying out for help, "Help, help me...""Tabitha!" Derek shouted loudly, but there was no response.In addition to Tabitha's cries, Derek could also hear the hissing of snakes, and the sounds were coming from multiple directions, indicating the presence of more than just one or two snakes.At this moment, Derek sensed someone standing not far away.Even though he couldn't see, he could feel the person's presence—it was Jasper.Jasper stared coldly at Derek, whose appearance was quite disheveled from his falls.The resentment in Jasper's eyes was unmistakable. He thought to himself, "Derek, you should have died long ago."Now w
Third person's POVIn the distance, Tabitha was chasing after someone.Derek quickly descended the stairs, following the direction of the noise.Along the way, he fell several times but, as if impervious to pain, he picked himself up each time and continued to run.The sound seemed to beckon him, now near, now far. Worried for Tabitha's safety, Derek shouted her name, "Tabitha, where are you? Are you alright?"Tabitha jolted awake from her dream. Had she just heard Derek calling her name? Was it a dream?For some reason, unease began to creep into her heart. She decided to check on Derek despite wanting to go back to sleep.After ensuring Hedwig was snug under the covers, Tabitha got out of bed. As she came downstairs, she noticed Derek's door was wide open. What was he doing up at such a late hour?Tabitha swiftly entered Derek's room. The only light came from a flickering candle, and the single bed appeared empty except for t
Third person's POVDerek fumbled his way down the stairs with the railing, when suddenly, Hedwig tugged him away from the scene.Once his figure disappeared from sight, Jasper, twirling a comb in his hand, remarked coolly, "So, are you planning to change your mind?"Tabitha shook her head. "Jasper, I can't stand by and let Derek die. Despite everything he did to me before, I just can't.""Have you forgotten what he did to you all those years ago?" Jasper pressed."Not a day goes by without remembering," Tabitha replied, her voice steady. "I'm doing this out of selfishness—I can't bear the thought of the children losing their father. At least with him alive, even if they're with me, they still have a father to hold onto. What if something happens to Kyrian? What would become of the child?"Jasper asked, "Do you still love him?""Would I have gone to such lengths to escape him and hidden from him all these years if I did?" she ret
The firewood in the stove crackled, illuminating Derek's momentarily pale face.He stared at the tips of his leather shoes, seeing only a blur of gray.The sensation of Tabitha's fingers grazing his collarbone that morning suddenly became vivid.How can a blind man compete with others? The thought stung his heart like a venomous needle. He clenched his pants leg fiercely, nails nearly piercing his thigh.A small hand suddenly covered his, Hedwig's thumb pressing gently into his taut tendons.Her palm, warm as a jade pendant, reminded him of nights when Tabitha would rest her feet on his stomach for warmth during her pregnancy.Derek took a deep breath and found a plump pea pod. As his nail pierced the pod, releasing its sweet juice onto his knuckle, Hedwig raced to the wooden bridge with her bamboo flute.The wooden planks resonated with her footsteps.Derek heard the rustle of her skirt as she sat and the soft inhalation befor
Jasper's voice carried across the room, "Alpha Derek, your words are quite ironic. If you truly loved her as you claim, how could you have hurt her? Isn't that contradictory?"Derek heard Jasper's footsteps approaching.When Jasper finally stopped, he leaned close, every word deliberate: "In my eyes, Alpha Derek, you're a hypocrite. What you had wasn't love. If I loved someone, I'd treat them like a treasure, never letting them get hurt. Alpha Derek, am I wrong?"Derek knew Jasper spoke of Tabitha. His past actions had given everyone ammunition to criticize him.Even if he had once doted on Tabitha, all people remembered were his wrongs.On this issue, whatever Derek said would backfire.Seeing Derek's silence, Jasper continued, "Don't think a few kind words can erase your past misdeeds. Life isn't that easy."Derek's fists clenched under the table.Knowing Jasper's identity and the weight of his words made them cut deeper.