Derek cast a furtive glance around the sitting room, down to the other entrance that led to the wide kitchen, but he didn’t see his Beta. Which only meant that Clen might have gone into the rooms.
Quickly, not thinking the ‘why’ of his action, he left Anthony who was still taking pictures of the map-like drawings on the wall, and strolled toward the passageway which led to the two rooms in the house.
The first room he walked into was that of Emma’s of course, and just as he thought, there was Clem standing right in the middle of the room, holding something in his hand.
“What is that? What are you holding?” Derek asked Clem without preamble, and without wasting any more time, stalked towards Clem, to see properly what the latter had been so engrossed in looking at.
He stood before his Beta the next second, his eyebrows furrowing when he saw the small book in Clem’s hands. It looked like a diary.
“Didn’t you hear me come in or speak?” He questioned, taking the book off Clem’s hands.
Clem, a bit startled, looked up and sighed when he saw it was Derek right before him. But his relieved face tensed up when he saw that small book was now in possession of Derek.
And of course Derek noticed it.
“What is it?” He asked, darting glances between the face of Clem and the book. The book was just a small journal, with a bland surface of dull brown. Had something implicating be written inside? Could it be Emma’s diary? He wondered, turning the book over in his hands.
“A diary perhaps…” Clem stuttered, looking away from Derek.
“If it is a diary, should you be looking inside it?” Derek queried, feeling hot. For some reason, he wasn’t pleased that Clen had touched and read Emma’s diary.
Why had she left it here in the first place? Shouldn’t she have taken it away or had she forgotten? Had she been in such a hurry to leave him that she had forgotten such important detail? He wondered, unaware that his face had become a board of sorrow following the thoughts of his departed mate.
Clem, seeing the crestfallen look on Derek’s face, shifted uncomfortably on his feet. “I’m sorry…” He muttered, his head bowed down, regretting his act of checking Emma’s diary. The results had not been worth it all.
All he had gotten was wistful thoughts about the delay in his mate’s coming- for what he had read had consisted of Emma’s longings for Derek and her pure love and the joy that had come with it. And now, he was on the bad side again of his friend. At this rate, he was heading for a bad path.
“You are sorry???” Derek asked, lifting his eyes from the dairy which was now fisted in his right hand, and gazing angrily at his Beta.
“Should I do the same? Should I go through your paintings, and then apologize later? Or you don’t think I and Shane get curious about what you draw? But do we disturb you about it or check it out without telling you? Do I take advantage of my position to ask for your drawings? No, right? And do you know why? That’s because I respect your fucking privacy, Clem!! You should return the favour to others!” Derek shouted, not bothering to think that perhaps he was overreacting in the situation.
“I…I…” Clem stuttered, opening his mouth and shutting it; not actually knowing what to say, and when he saw Anthony walk into the room, he almost sighed in relief but for the thought that Derek might get wind of it and give him a punch.
“Derek, that’s alright. He is sorry. Besides, you are overreacting about the issue…Clem is…” Anthony was saying, but Derek interrupted him harshly.
“You think I am overreacting Anthony?! And why is that? Eh!” He asked, his voice all over the place, his rage surprising Anthony.
Was there something else that was grating on his brother’s nerves? Anthony wondered, staring at a fuming Derek right in the eye, his own eyes clouded with shock and confusion.
“You shouldn’t blame him. I might react worse if I was in his situation. He has just lost his one true mate. Do you know what that means? He will continually live in penury, sadness and rage till he finds her. You have to get used to the fact that he would be susceptible to varying mood swings and unstable emotions.” Loki, Anthony’s wolf pointed out, causing Anthony to let out a tired sigh. This was going to be a problem. He thought.
“Derek…” He called out in a soft voice, the emotions of shock and confusion in his eyes replaced by that of compassion and empathy. ” Please brother calm down. Everything will be fine. Okay? We will find her. I will do anything at all, within my power to find Emma, and bring her to you. Okay?” He started, stepping closer to Derek gingerly, before dropping his right hand on Derek’s left shoulder.
Anthony’s thoughtful action conquered Derek’s anger and rage such that Derek bowed down his head, his shoulders drooping down even as tears began to fall from his eyes.
Anthony, quickly, without much ado, hugged Derek to himself, patting him on his back gently even as he signalled Clem with his eyes to leave the room immediately.
Clem mouthed a ‘thank you’ to Anthony before quickly exiting the room, absolutely relieved of his anxiousness.
***
“You will be fine…” Anthony kept muttering, until Derek stylishly removed himself from the embrace.
“Thanks Anthony.” Derek said, not meeting Anthony’s eyes, a bit embarrassed that he had broken down this way in front of his brother.
But Anthony waved it away. “This is nothing at all. Stop making it a big deal.”
Derek nodded, before taking a look around the room, checking if he would see something else that belonged to his little witch but he found nothing. The room was quite bare except for the structures which her father had available for the beautification of the house.
“Let’s go. Mother just mind linked me. Father is awake.” Anthony mentioned, causing Derek to remember that his mother had called on him earlier on the same issue. He would definitely be hearing it from her when he got back home.