Derek heard the first knock, the second and the third knock, but it didn’t spur him out of his bed. He felt so weak and tired that movement would be a huge responsibility at the moment. He just wanted to stay on the bed, without being disturbed by anyone.
He wanted to cry ever since last night, but the tears refused to come out, but his heart bled, his wolf has been silent too. He was alone in this misery. Perhaps, if he was an ordinary human, he would have thought of committing suicide. But he wasn’t that. He was now an Alpha with a pack to run, and he had denied his mate for the sake of the same pack.
Was it worth it? He thought, rolling to the other end of the bed, hoping for a way he could stop the pain in his heart, especially as he remembered the words of Emma last night. She had of course known that she was his mate, and she had gone ahead to reject him. But he didn’t really blame her. He had denied her first, and not just privately, but in public. Who does that? He wondered, hissing when he heard two knocks on the door again.
Haven’t they gotten the message that he wanted to be left alone? He was mourning, even though there were no tears.
At that moment, he wished he had an ear pod. That way he wouldn’t have to hear the knocks or hear their murmurs. He wished he could block his hearing, at least for this bleak period of his life.
“You betrayed our mate.” His wolf, Maru, suddenly said, and he jerked up from his lying position on the bed.
“Maru…” He called tentatively, to be sure that it was his wolf that was really talking, and not the subdued beast. His wolf hadn’t spoken to him since he had denied Emma as their mate. The last time he had heard his voice had been when Maru had been chanting ‘bad idea, don’t do it, you will hurt her’ when he had climbed the podium at the large hall to speak about the mating issue.
“Yes, it’s me. You didn’t think I would abandon you entirely like you had done to our mate? I’m not you. Even if we are bonded.” Maru stated, and Derek let out a large gush of air out of this mouth. So, this was how it was going to be now. He thought worriedly. He was not happy with the idea of being at loggerheads with his wolf.
“I’m sorry for my actions last night. I’m sorry for denying and humiliating our mate. I’m sorry for disobeying and disappointing you too. I promise that I won’t do so again.” He said, meaning every word.
“If you say so. And about your actions last night, I think the beast had a hand in your overzealousness in hurting our mate.” Maru pointed out.
“I don’t understand. What do you mean?” Derek asked, piquing up his eyebrows, astonished at this new discovery, although not really surprised. Replaying the scene that had gone down last night, the one that had involved him pushing his mate out of the pack with his words, he couldn’t believe that he had said such hurtful words, that he had talked and acted so rashly. Could all that be the handiwork of the beast? He thought, cocking his head one side, whilst waiting for an explanation from his wolf.
“You are possessed by a beast. And yes, you are wearing the necklace that subdues it and keeps it tamed, but that doesn’t stop it from influencing your actions, especially if your emotions are very high, bad emotions to be precise. The alferic beast loves chaos, loves anything wrong… so, you have to be careful when you are feeling really bad, angry or frustrated. You are calling unto the beast, not me. Of course, I would try to deter you from acting rashly, but the beast might have the upper hand in that area since he is the chief in the area of evil. So, last night, when your father had told you to deny our mate, he had just expected you to make an announcement that says that their notions about Emma are wrong, and that she is a friend, nothing more. A simple announcement, that wouldn’t drive our mate away. And even though she might have still gotten upset, she would have waited till you were alone to demand an explanation. But then, the beast was still in you. After your father’s order, your anger had been spiked so high that the beast had been involved. I had tried my best to warn you, but his influence had been higher. That had been why you had talked so rashly without thinking, a haze that had disappeared once our mate had rejected us. So, as I have mentioned before, be careful whenever your bad emotions run high. The beast is still in you. It’s not dead, just subdued.” Maru stated.
“Wheew, I think that is the longest I have talked.” He whined, sighing when he felt Derek’s sadness.
“Don’t worry. We will get her back. I don’t think she has left the county yet.” He cited, trying to comfort him.
“She won’t forgive me.” Derek said, feeling the tears roll down then. He had messed up. Beast or not. He should have known.
“You don’t know that until you try. You have to visit her today, and explain things out to her. I’m sure that our mate would understand. She is a very understanding person.” Maru pointed out.
“You think so?” Derek asked, feeling a flicker of hope already.
“Yes, I’m sure. But you have to eat first, and let me out for a run. It’s suffocating sharing your body with a beast of the dark.” Maru whined, and Derek smiled, for the first time since the party.
“Okay, I will. I’m sorry for the lack of space in my body right now. I promise I will kill Leonarya with my bare hands. She is the reason we are like this.” He muttered vehemently, and Maru sighed in agreement. The witch had to die. She has done enough.