Derek didn’t know long he had stayed in his mother’s arms, he didn’t actually care, not until he heard movements in the passageway, movements that told him that someone or some people were coming to his room. He didn’t put it past his friends. What were they coming to meet him for? He thought a bit annoyed, as he reluctantly disengaged from his mother. He had told them that he needed some alone time. So much for alone time. He thought, aware that his mother was staring at him.
He stared at her steadily as she stood up from the floor and crossed her arms across her chest.
“Seems you will be having visitors very soon. I don’t think they would like to see an Alpha crying in his mother’s embrace.” She said, and he smiled, knowing that she was teasing him.
“Not my business. By the way, thanks mom. You are the best.” He stated, standing up from the floor too, not surprised when his mother dropped a short kiss on his forehead.
“You will be fine, Derek. I trust that you will always find your way, no matter how difficult the situation is. You will be a better leader than your father.” She said, more like whispered.
“I don’t think that father would want his mate saying that.” He pointed out with a chuckle, laughing outrightly when his mother rolled her eyes.
“I believe he will understand. That actually should be the earnest wish of every parent. That their children would achieve more greater deeds than they themselves had done. So, don’t worry. I am safe.” Melvina mentioned, laughing too, turning towards the door the next second when a knock sounded on it.
“Take a guess.” She said to her son, still facing the door.
“Shane and the others.” Derek replied with a shrug, thinking that his friends were back again, perhaps with Curtis and Clem this time around to convince him on why he should be on his way to Emma at the moment.
A few minutes passed in silence. The door creaking slowly the next second had Derek rethinking his thoughts. His friends would have just barged in by now, or knocked harder since he hadn’t said a word of permission.
A head popped out of the space in between the wall and the door.
Eva.
“Eva…” He called slowly, reasoning that if his little sister was here, then Maya wouldn’t be far behind.
He was about to ask the little girl why she was looking so sullen, such that she hadn’t even ran into their mother’s arms yet, when Maya suddenly stepped into the room. She had the same look on her face too. She wasn’t alone either. She was with Ava. and from the looks on their faces, he could tell that the visit hadn’t gone well, and that alone was causing his heart beat faster than usual. Did Emma ask them away? Has she traveled already? What had she said? Had she reinforced concretes on her former rejective statements? Has she already found someone else? He wouldn’t be surprised if she had. She was damn beautiful, and he had been stupid to let it all go. But he wouldn’t deny that having this train of thoughts was hurting him badly.
Derek was so embedded in his thoughts that he hadn’t been aware that his name was being called by his cousin, until Melvina dropped a knock on his head.
“Aww, Mom… what was that for?” He asked, sinking his fingers into his long hair, as if to massage the spot that had been unlucky and at the mercy of his mother’s knuckles.
“For acting deaf when you are not. Maya has been calling out your name for a while. You literally zoned out on us. Had to get you back to the present. It seemed that there were pressing issues to handle.” Melvina replied, smirking. A smirk which disappeared when she again, beheld the sullen looks on the faces of the three girls.
“What is wrong? Why are you all looking dejected?” She asked, before Derek could ask up the same question.
“Emma is really leaving. She said she won’t be coming back, at least not anytime soon. Derek, you have to get her back. I still need her help with my assignments, and i know you like her too. You told me that you wouldn’t let her go if she comes back to you last night. But now, look! She will be off tomorrow.” Eva cried out, walking fast to Derek, holding him by his jacket.
“You promised. You have to stop her from leaving.”
“Eva…” Melvina called, wanting to pry her away from Derek, but the little girl seemed to be hell bent on making Derek see reasons her own way.
“She is right. Emma would be leaving tomorrow. You have to stop her before she books the flight.” Ava stated, folding her arms across her chest.
“She was so sad, even if she had tried to keep up a happy facade. What had you been thinking of running her through the mud? She didn’t deserve that, not after the risk she had gone through to save you from the beast.”
“Ava…” Melvina called exasperatedly, not wanting her son to resume the beating up himself process that she had just led him out from.
“Luna, did you know that Queen Zipfarah had told Emma that she was going to have her heart broken like never before if she was to come back here?” Maya asked out of the blues, citing the statement that had hung on her mind since Ava had mentioned it to her whilst they had been returning back to the pack house. It turned out that whilst Emma had been preparing at Ava’s house, she had unconsciously dropped the information while she had been talking about her experience at the witches’ community. And although she had tried to retract the statement, Ava had been fast enough to grasp the full meaning.