“Is he… Still mad?” Payton asked quietly, shivering a little.
Derek shook his head, closing his eyes. It wasn’t a reply to the question. It was misery, disappointment, and disbelief. It was pain, and that told us enough.
“So things are getting really bad with the clan?” I asked.
“He’s turned into a bully. A drunk bully. He’s only screaming to us about the money we owe to Grant. There’s nothing else going on in his head. He’s forcing us all to steal as much as we can, but it’s not easy. We’re not welcome anywhere anymore,” Derek explained.
I glanced at Lucas swiftly, but the mafioso acted like he wasn’t listening while he cleaned the wounds. Derek saw it, but he didn’t seem to care that the mafioso was there.
“Everyone is scared of him. He’s even meaner to the omegas. He’s throwing our food into the fire if he sees us sitting down even for a moment. We’re even hiding our water from him. It’s… It’s bad. I’m trying to keep everyone out of his way, but… I can’t be everywhere at once,” he continued.
“You should leave the clan,” I said. “You should stay with us.”
It was against the rules, I knew that, but I didn’t care, but Derek only shook his head, giving me a sad smile.
“I have to protect the clan,” he said quietly. “We have almost enough to pay the debt. Maybe… Maybe things will go back to normal after that.”
“You know it won’t,” I said quietly. “Something changed Kent. Something evil got into him.”
“Or he’s just afraid,” Derek argued. “We’re now on our own with no friends left in this city. The other clans are all we have left. We need to get back on Grant’s good side. Then everything will be fine again.”
“It’s the other clans that got us into this mess,” I said sternly. “You need to leave before it’s too late for you.”
He shook his head again. “I can’t. That clan is my family. It’s my home. It’s all I have left. I need to protect them and make sure they’ll be fine.”
It was my turn to shake my head. “Things won’t end well for the clans.”
“Then I’ll go down with them. But I’m not leaving them,” Derek said.
I let out a deep sigh. I knew how he felt. That clan had been my family for years, and I was still in pain after losing them. I just wished I could force Derek to understand nothing would be the same anymore.
Maybe he just had to see it for himself. Maybe then he’d change his mind.
“Stubborn alpha…” I mumbled, and smiled a little to show him I wasn’t mad.
“That’s me,” he said and returned that smile.
“You’re always protecting everyone… I just wish you’d protect yourself as well,” I muttered.
“I’ll take care of myself, don’t worry,” he said softly.
“You did so much for us, too. Without your help… I don’t think we would’ve survived that first night on our own. I just wish you’d let us take care of you in return,” I continued.
“Joni…” he spoke my name sternly, but gently, letting me know this was the end of discussion.
I sighed again but gave up. “Just remember, we’ll always be here for you, okay?”
“I will,” he said with a smile.
But I could still see pain in him…
Maybe he secretly wanted to stay with us…
Lucas was done cleaning his wounds, so while he put new, clean bandages around his arm, we talked a little more about what Payton and I had been up to.
“All done,” Lucas finally said and started cleaning the table. “I’ll give you some painkillers if you need.
“Thanks,” Derek said, and gave him a friendlier look. “And thank you for taking care of my little ones. They deserve so much better than what our clan can give them.”
The way he called us his little ones nearly broke me… And I knew Payton was feeling the same. We didn’t want him to leave, but what could we do…?
“No, no, they are being punished for their crimes,” Lucas corrected him.
“Yeah, yeah…” I said with a chuckle.
“Right,” Derek said. “So? Am I free to go?”
“Sure,” Lucas only said. “Don’t talk about this meeting to anyone, and we’re good.”
“Yes, sir,” Derek said, stood up, and turned to me and Payton. “I’m so happy to see you two are doing well now. You got out! You’re off the streets now,” he said cheerfully, but there was something fake in his voice as well.
“You could have that too,” I tried one more time, but he shook his head.
“My place is with the clan,” he said quietly. “And I… I should get going. I’m needed back at home, and you two… You have a new life to go back to. And I want you to enjoy that life to the fullest and forget all about us. Do all the things you always dreamed of doing, okay?”
Why was I suddenly almost in tears…?
“Why would we ever want to forget you?” I whispered.
Derek smiled and touched my cheek gently. “You are better off without us, and me, but whatever happens, you two will always be my family. Remember that.”
Maybe because this suddenly felt like the final goodbye…
I couldn’t speak. Instead, I hugged him and buried my face against his chest. Payton followed my example, and I could feel his misery and sadness, too.
“You’ll always be my little ones,” Derek whispered as he held us gently. “You guys will take care of each other, right?
I nodded, but I didn’t want him to leave… I had the horrible feeling I was going to lose him, after all. Not because of mafia’s rules, but because Kent would get him jailed, or worse… He didn’t deserve that…
“You will take good care of yourself, right?” I whispered.
“Of course,” he promised.
But I didn’t quite believe him…
“Right, one more thing,” Lucas suddenly said, interrupting us.
I tried to keep myself together when I stepped back. I wiped my cheeks dry and heard Payton sniffing a little before we faced Lucas, who was watching Derek.
“I need you to come back after two or three days so I can check those wounds,” the mafioso said.
“I can do that myself, thanks,” Derek told him a bit coldly.
Lucas shrugged. “I’ll just have you kidnapped again then,” he said, and turned back to his kit.
We all stared at him for a brief moment, but then I had to laugh. Was Lucas…? Was he doing this for us? To make sure Derek couldn’t leave us? I almost started crying again, but from relief and happiness this time.
This mafioso…
“I guess we’ll see you in two or three days?” Payton asked Derek, smiling through his happy tears.
He let out the deepest sigh. “I guess I don’t have a choice…”
But when he looked at us, he had a happy smile on his face.
“At least next time you know why you’re getting kidnapped,” I said with a chuckle.
“Yeah…” he said, and hugged us again. “Take good care of each other until we meet again, okay?”
“Yes, sir,” I said, rubbing my nose against his shoulder. “We already miss you.”
“Then I’ll make sure to get kidnapped in two or three days,” he promised tenderly.
“Good,” I murmured, and reluctantly let go of him. “See you soon.”
“See you soon,” he said.
I was still sad when Derek left, but at least now I knew we’d get to see him again in just a few days. I already missed him, and I was worried about him. As long as he was staying around Kent…
“You ready to go back home?” Lucas asked us.
“Yeah. And thank you,” I said with a smile.
“For what?” he asked almost absentmindedly.
“For treating his wounds,” I said, stepping closer to him. “And, you know, for the kidnap.”
“Yeah, it means a lot to us,” Payton said, his eyes still gleaming a little. “I think he was going to abandon us…”
“I just want to make sure his wounds are healing well,” Lucas said, but with a playful spark in the corner of his eyes.
“Right,” I said with a smile.
“So? Ready to go?” he asked.
“Yeah,” I said, and patted Payton on his back. “Let’s go home.”
“Yeah,” he said, smiling as well. “I already can’t wait to see Derek again…”
“Me too,” I said as we followed Lucas out of the room.
And while we walked to his car, I couldn’t stop thinking about what Sabine said… But I still couldn’t understand why she thought I wouldn’t want a sweet man like Lucas.
Because now I was falling for him even harder than before.
*****
[Psst, there are now two bonus chapters in Derek’s pov up on my Ream for my subscribers, and don’t forget, my subscribers can always read the next chapter in advance :3 The monthly subscription is 6$, and includes hours and hours worth of bonus content and exclusive stories from my both pen names, Shaded Sin and Dolly Grand]
Comments (0)
See all