Mine to Protect Chapter 123: YOU NEED ME

*Hazel*

Derek is lying on the bed, a small distance away from me, he’s on his side, one arm tucked under his head, his eyes sparkling with mirth. But is his sweet smile that takes me aback, it’s the same smile I would find on his lips when he looked at me, before everything went bad. I miss this smile. Even the other evening at my apartment, he smiled a little, but it was just a tense smile, not like this one, this is the sweetest smile ever, the one that promises a lifetime of love and happiness. And I’ve lost it.

I must be dreaming, or maybe I am dead, and this is some sort of paradise made only for me, a paradise where Derek and I never broke up, where we would live happily ever after.

I inch closer to him, and when I am close enough, I run my fingers over his soft lips, making his smile grow, a smile so dazzling that makes me tingle all over. I close the gap and start kissing him softly, savoring the softness of his lips, and the minty taste of his mouth.

He tenses and doesn’t kiss me back, making me look up at him, to see what is wrong.

“Forgot how to kiss a girl, Alpha?” I tease him through the mind-link, and I see him relax, a full out smirk appearing on his handsome face.

He sneaks his arm around my waist, bringing me closer, our chests touching, and then he starts kissing me hungrily, his kisses wild and hot, he’s going so fast that I am struggling to keep up.

“Can’t keep up, little mate?” he teases back through the link.

I bite his lower lip in retaliation, and he growls lowly, I don’t know if in annoyance or out of pleasure. His hand slides down my back to my ass, and he squeezes it hard, making me moan with need. I feel my thighs become wet, that’s when I notice I am not wearing any underwear, but who cares, one less piece of fabric in the way of what I crave.

I hook one leg on Derek’s hip, while my hand combs through his thick hair, we are so close now that nothing can come between us. I missed him so much; and it’s a pity that we can be together like this only now that I am dead. Will he be upset for my death?

All of a sudden, Derek stops kissing me, he presses his forehead to mine breathing hard. He doesn’t let go of my thigh on his hip, he keeps caressing it with his calloused fingers, sending shivers directly to my core.

“As much as I want nothing more than to ravish you on this bed, I think we need to talk first.” His voice is serious, but still husky from our make out session, he sounds very much like the real-life Derek would.

Wait a minute, wait a minute.

I move back to take a better look at him, his arm loosens on my waist, and a puzzled look appears on his handsome face. He’s wearing a pair of grey sweatpants and a white T-shirt, definitely not something I would imagine him in, in one of my reveries. The room also looks familiar, it is the same style as the rooms in his packhouse. Crap!

I scramble backwards, covering myself hastily with the bed sheets, I am wearing only one of his T-shirts, without anything underneath, I am sure he can see the outline of my nipples through it.

I blush at the thought of being so exposed in front of him. We had sex many times, that’s true, but more than two months have passed, and after what happened, I feel a little estranged.

His puzzled expression disappears, replaced by an anxious gaze, I detect some sadness too, but I am too focused on how to get away from here, to pay too much attention.

He sits up, his legs crossed in front of him on the bed, his jet-black hair all disheveled by my hands running through it repeatedly. He looks incredibly sexy and boyish like this.

“What just happened? You were kissing me one second ago, and now you act like…”

I don’t let him finish, because he is right, it’s my fault, I am giving him mixed signals.

“I am sorry, I thought it was a dream, otherwise…”

“you would never have kissed me,” he completes my sentence, before I can finish.

I nod, unable to say the words out loud.

I see his face fall, hurt clear in his eyes, until he looks down, concealing his face from me.

I feel so guilty, I have hurt him again, I keep doing it, and it is not fair to him. He needs to move on, to find happiness without me.

“I am sorry, I shouldn’t have asked you to save me on that roof, I’ve been selfish. And thank you for coming to my rescue, even when you didn’t have to. I’ll be gone now.”

I get off the bed, I need to get out of here before anyone sees me, it would just make things more complicated. I will shift into my wolf and run back to the city; it won’t take too long.

When I get on my feet, I feel incredibly dizzy, and flop unwillingly back on the bed. Derek is in front of me in a flash, I can see he’s angry, but he’s trying to keep it under control.

“Hazel, you nearly died yesterday, the doctor had to reanimate you! Do you know how I felt watching you like that, on the brink of death, knowing that if I got there a moment too late, you would have been gone!? And now you think you can leave like this? Like nothing happened? You are not going anywhere, you are staying here, until I say otherwise.”

I must admit that he scared me when he said yesterday, I nearly died, but considering the wounds I have been inflicted with, that wasn’t much of a surprise. Anyway, my temper flares when he says that I can’t leave, until he says otherwise. Who does he think he is?

“You can’t make decisions for me, and you have no right to keep me here, you are not my Alpha!” I fire at him.

“But I am your mate!”

“Not anymore!”

“We went over this already, I haven’t accepted your rejection, ergo, we are still mates.”

“You still can’t take decisions on my behalf,” I say getting up on my feet again, heading for the door, but Derek is faster, and grabs me by my waist before I can reach it. He pulls me to him, my back flat on his broad chest, his arms tight against my ribcage, just under my breasts.

He lowers his head, his hot breath fanning my neck, making me shiver involuntarily.

“I won’t let you go out there, even if I have to keep you snuggled in my arms day and night.”

The truth is, as much as I don’t want to admit it, I want to stay snuggled in his warm embrace forever. His scent, his body heat, the hard ridges of his muscles, his low sexy voice, everything screams home, the only place I feel really safe.

I turn in his arms, this way our bodies are facing each other, while I keep my gaze lowered, unable to stand looking at him in this close proximity. My heart is speeding, and I am certain he can hear it too.

“So, what is going to be, little mate?” His voice is nearly a whisper, making him sound even hotter; I’d be swooning if he wasn’t holding me.