“Derek, do you have any idea where Leo is?” Maya asked Derek immediately he stepped into the large family sitting room.
She was sitting beside Curtis on the longest sofa in the room. “We have not seen him since yesterday night. Did you send him on an errand or something?” she questioned, her eyebrows furrowing in slight worry when she saw the unsure gazes that were exchanged between Derek and Anthony.
“Guys, what is going on?” That was Curtis. He had noticed the movements too and was beginning to believe that something was wrong. Something that obviously involved Leo.
“Well…” Derek started, wishing his mother had followed him here to do the explanations he wasn’t sure how to go about. She had taken a detour to Eva’s room to see how the latter was doing.
Maya grabbed her thigh tight, unable to stop herself, hoping that whatever news that Derek was about to break didn’t go in the lines of ‘I’m sorry, but Leo is dead, or kidnapped…’
“Leo isn’t around.” Derek finally said, shrugging his shoulders, his gaze centered on Maya’s who looked more confused by his declaration.
“What do you mean by he is not around? Where did he go to?” Curtis inquired, finding Derek’s statement ambiguous.
“Well, Leo left the pack, with the prisoner from the white sted pack.” Derek answered, letting out a bout of air from his nostrils.
“You mean that the prisoner has somehow managed to escape and took Leo with him?” Maya asked, refusing to believe that it was the other way round.
“No, Maya.” Anthony replied. “Leo released the prisoner, and absconded with him. Currently, he is MIA. We think he was a spy.”
“But that is not possible. He has been here, in this pack, like forever. He…” Maya stuttered, as tears began to slip down her eyes.
Why would the goddess choose a spy to be her mate? Was history repeating itself again? Was this a test to see whether she would choose her mate or her family when the war starts? She wondered, anger beginning to rise from the deep pit of her belly.
Fuck this! She cussed mentally, standing up abruptly from the chair, and walking out of the room, ignoring Derek’s calls. She wanted to be alone. But then Derek has never been obedient.
Asking Anthony to call for the pack meeting, and telling Curtis to put his departure on hold for a while, he ran after Maya, not wanting his cousin to harm herself for any reason.
“Maya, open the door!” he shouted after three trials of knocking gently on her door. “Maya please…” He pleaded. “Let’s talk this out.”
“There’s nothing to talk about Derek. He betrayed me. Perhaps this is karma. You know. This could be the goddess paying me back for betraying you seven years ago. Was this how you felt, Derek, when I betrayed our friendship and family? When I worked with my evil father to divide the pack? Was this how it felt?” she asked him, shouting at him for a response when Derek kept mute.
“Derek, talk to me! Was this how you felt?” she asked.
“Yes.” Derek answered, slightly heaving. “But maya..” he was saying, when he heard the door’s lock being opened.
Maya stepped aside after opening the door, bidding him with her wet eyes to come in. immediately he stepped in and she locked the door, he opened his arms, sighing in relief when she walked into them, and released the torrent of tears.
“I’m sorry Derek.” she kept muttering, but Derek shook his head. He had forgiven her of course, and wouldn’t wish this kind of calamity on her. But what was wrong with Leo? Even if the latter wanted to betray the pack, shouldn’t he have considered his mate? Or was he like those heartless wolves who didn’t care a shit about their mates?
But he hadn’t seemed like that. Derek thought, tightening his grip around Maya’s back.
“Stop beating yourself up over the past. It is gone. Over. and I have forgiven you. About Leo, he will surely regret it. You are one of the greatest women I know. Don’t let some cheapskate make you think otherwise.” he muttered, and she nodded, though still unable to stop her tears.
“Now, wipe off your tears…he doesn’t deserve it.” he said, withdrawing from the hug a little, holding her face in his hands and gently wiping off the tear on her face. “Don’t cry Coz. If he is so fucked up, the goddess will grant you a better mate.” Derek mentioned, and Maya nodded, aware that her heart was breaking into a thousand pieces.
So, this was why they had kept it away from her last night. It was so painful that she was sure she wouldn’t have been able to sleep last night if they had told her. Damn Leo! She cussed, hastily cleaning off the tears that had remained her face when a knock sounded on the door. It seems the pack meeting was about to start.
“Let’s go. I think they are waiting for us.” Derek muttered, and she nodded, placing her hand in his slightly outstretched one, thereafter walking toward the door and opening it. Shane was at the door.
“Has the meeting started?” Derek asked Shane, whom he thought looked so shaken about something.
“What is the matter, Shane?” he heard his cousin ask. It seems it wasn’t just obvious to him alone.
“Well, yes, the pack has commanded, but something else has happened, or rather some people have happened.” Shane replied, ruffling his hair with his right hand.
“What do you mean by that?” Derek asked, furrowing his eyebrows, hoping that they weren’t being attacked or something along those lines.
“Do you remember Aunt Sheila, your mother’s friend?” Shane asked Derek.
“Yes, of course, we remember.” Maya replied. “That’s Melvina’s best friend. What about her?”
“Well, she is back. And more, she is with a girl that looks just like Emma, only that her eyes are grey.” Shane replied, shocking Derek and Maya out of their senses.