After Clem’s pronouncement, Derek looked at him warily, remembering the last time the beta had chosen family over the pack by trying to cover for his family when they had tried hurting Emma on he and his sister’s birthday.
Would he make the same choices again? Derek wondered, staring at his beta. He was unsure of what the next choice might be. But he was sure that he wouldn’t take it lightly with the latter should he say something out of place to Emma once they got to her place.
“Okay then.” Anthony muttered, before turning aside to glance and nod at Derek.
We should give him one more chance. Anthony mind linked to Derek, knowing that his brother still had misgivings about the latter. After all, he had unseated the father, and had rejected the sister.
Derek agreed with his brother, but he still did nothing. Rather he turned around, toward the exit of the pack, and continued walking down the path, his thoughts consumed with anger.
Remembering the past was upsetting him greatly. Especially as he noted that Clair had done the same thing at his birthday party, just that this time around, he had aided her in bullying his little mate and had even done much worse.
He had called her a whore for fudge’s sake!
He didn’t think he would be forgiving himself anytime soon for betraying his own mate.
He swore that he would uncover all those that had a hand in the plot that had ruined his birthday party, and probably with his life, starting from Esther and Leonarya.
To think he had vouched for the witch at one time…
He scoffed, thinking on the matter.
Behind him, Clem and Anthony were making small talk about the situation of the pack at the moment.
Derek couldn’t care more about that. His heart and mind were already unsettled concerning his little witch. Mari wasn’t saying anything either. He was beginning to take it as a bad omen.
Quickly, he looked down at his chest region, the necklace was still hanging in place.
Then why was his wolf silent?
Maru? He tried calling again, but still no response.
Was his wolf still annoyed? He thought, but shook his head after some time.
This was because Maru had still spoken to him when he had pursued Emma out of the pack that night. His wolf, though angry, had still spoken to him.
So, what could be the problem?
**
“Did you say that the people are thinking of leaving our pack to neighboring packs?” Anthony asked Clem, as they walked slowly behind Derek.
Anthony was sure that his brother needed some time alone.
“Yes, some of our warriors that had been deployed around the surrounding areas of our pack had mentioned so. There is really panic among the people.” Clem replied.
Hmm… Anthony sighed.
The matter kept getting out of hand. How would they resolve this? He wondered, his eyes sticking themselves on Derek’s broad back. He believed that his brother was too young to shoulder all these problems. And there was the fact that he hadn’t even spent two days on the Alpha’s seat!
Anthony only hoped that Emma would forgive Derek and the rest of them, or else there might be a problem with Derek.
He prayed earnestly that she would then, even though for some reason he couldn’t explain, he felt uneasy thinking about it.
Had something happened to her?
He hoped not. Derek might go crazy if that would be the case.
“I know you and Derek are skeptical about trusting me in some issues, but I seriously vow that I won’t choose my family over the pack again.” Clem promised.
“Okay. Time will tell though.” Anthony mentioned, increasing his walking pace when he noticed that Derek had also increased his.
Clem soughed at Anthony’s words, before looking ahead, praying again that Emma would easily forgive his friend and come back.
***
The first thing Derek noticed as they walked through Emma’s street was that it was eerily quiet, as if no one had ever lived there, and at the same, as if some pairs of eyes were watching them.
It was creepy.
He wondered if the eyes which he thought were staring down at him and his colleagues belonged to his history teacher. Aiden, and the other two of the vampire kind which had been around Emma and Freya.
Freya. He was sure that she was Emma’s sister. But how was that possible?
Even Emma had had a hard time believing it.
But boy, do they look so much alike?? He pondered, letting his eyes roam across the street and yonder.
“Do you feel watched too?” He heard Anthony ask, and nodded.
“I think it’s the vampires though. The one that had come with Freya.” He answered, taking note of the sheen of fear that had crossed Clem’s eyes at the mention of vampires.
His beta was afraid??
Derek would have laughed and taunted Clem but for the seriousness of the situation.
Not that he would be forgetting it anytime soon though.
As the trio neared Emma’s house, they noticed that their pack members living in the houses on the street weren’t around.
Had they left already because of his little witch? Derek wondered, feeling the heavy load of guilt again. He also found out that the creepiness of the street had subsided. It was now normal. Had it been orchestrated all along?
“So, this feeling of creepiness surrounding this place had been composed all along?” Anthony asked, voicing out Derek’s thoughts.
“I think so.” Clem replied, looking around him. He still felt uneasy about vampires.
“That means Emma is fine then.” Derek muttered to himself and Maru, rather than his friends.
But they still heard it all the way.
“She should be.” Anthony concurred, despite still feeling uneasy about Emma’s condition.
They were just a few steps away from the house, when Julius materialized right in front of them.
Clem jerked back with a small shout, whilst Derek and Anthony stood still before Ava’s mate, knowing that the latter could not hurt them.