A smile slithered across Melvina’s lips as she watched Derek stroll into the kitchen, with his two hands inside the pockets of his denim jeans. She had actually been expecting that he would take more time to recuperate emotionally, but it seemed that he will be fine. There was even an almost invisible smile on his lips. When she noted him walking to the kitchen counter, she smiled wider. Her son was hungry. She thought, even as she patted him on his arms, aware that the others in the kitchen were as astonished as she was.
“The food would be ready soon. You can try out some fruits in the refrigerator.” She said, and he nodded, turning away from the cooking pot to the refrigerator.
He opened it, and took out an apple. A bite into it, and he swirled around to face Anthony.
“As I was saying before, you had to do this for the pack. You don’t have to go deep with her, thereby toying with her emotions. No, not at all. Just be a good friend with a good listening ear. I am sure that if she is a spy, she would drop some snippets of information unconsciously. I know you would be able to grab information if you see it.” He said to Anthony, and the latter nodded whilst sighing, knowing that he had no choice. He was doing this.
“That’s even better. No one is hurt, emotionally.” Shane rasped out, nodding, happy to see and hear from Derek.
But now there was a tension in the kitchen. Everybody wanted to know Derek’s next line of action concerning Emma, but no one was brave enough to confront the topic, not wanting to risk upsetting him. Even in their individual thoughts, they were each happy just by seeing him out of his shell and room, and they didn’t want to send him back. They decided to wait it out till he brought up the issue himself.
Derek sensing their discomfort sighed.
“Guys, it is okay to talk about last night. Although, I’m sure that Anthony must have briefed you all on what had really happened, and why I had done what I did.” He said.
There was a little silence, during which Melvina turned off the cooker, and turned around to face the guys in the kitchen. A discussion was about to happen, and luckily for her, the food was done.
Curtis was the first to break the silence.
“I believe we are meant to be honest here…?” He asked, staring unsurely at Derek who nodded his head, egging him to continue. The coast was clear. He wouldn’t take whatever it was to heart.
“Okay. Well, for starters, I think you had gone too far in your denying Emma as your mate so that you can sustain the unity of the pack.” Curtis stated with a shrug, resting his back on the wall of the kitchen. He was directly opposite to Derek who was near Melvina.
“I know. I had gone too far.” Derek muttered, the events of the past night reeling through his mind again. He couldn’t believe that he had talked about his little witch like that. He had even called her slut. Oh goddess, have mercy.
“Why?” Shane asked, his face, a mask of incredulity. No matter the number of logical reasons he had tried to bring out as to what had been the cause of Derek’s outburst last night, he hadn’t been able to find one that would make him humiliate Emma that way. The girl was literally his life. So, why would he shoot himself on the foot? Why would he kill himself?
“Maru mentioned that it was the beast.” Derek replied, letting out a deep breath, as he rested on the kitchen counter.
Another silence in the room.
“I’m not really surprised.” Clem said. “But I had thought that the necklace had subdued it, together with his actions.” He cited.
“That’s what I had thought too. Seems it was not so.” Derek murmured, sinking his long slender fingers into his hair. It wasn’t tied in a pony tail, so it was just flowing, even down past his shoulders. It had gotten longer since his last shift.
“What else, Derek? What else had Maru said?” Melvina asked, wanting to know the full details of Maru’s gist.
“Well, since last night, Maru hasn’t spoken to me, until some minutes ago.” Derek started, looking into the eyes of the guys in the room, who were actually family, more than friends.
“… part of it had been because of the rejection and humiliation of our mate, and the other had been because I had disobeyed him. Last night when Dad had called me, and told me the situation of things in the pack, I had been annoyed, but I had chosen to obey him… which was necessary of course, at least in front of those other Alphas, including Uncle Arnold. But Maru had told me the exact words to say, he had told me to come down from the high reins of my anger before I would say what I never would want to say, he had even tried to calm me down, but I had cut him off in that anger, and had called up the beast to influence me. According to Maru, the beast was just subdued by the necklace, not killed. So, from time to time, depending on my moods and emotions, he could show up at any time. Negative emotions trigger him on, and then he influences me more than Maru would, since evil is his specialty. So, partly, the cause of my spontaneous outburst had been the beast. But still, I wished I had listened to Maru, and taken deep breaths to calm myself down before talking.” He concluded, muttering the last part, his eyes facing an abstract part of the kitchen, not wanting the guys to see the vulnerability and weakness in his eyes. He was an Alpha now. He might as well act like it.