Mine to Protect Chapter 132: BACK AT YOU

*Derek*

The explosion goes off in seconds, and we are thrown down the stairs by its powerful blast; luckily Hazel is quick to act, and puts her shield around us, before we smash to the landing below, at the same time protecting us from the debris that are falling on us from above.

We scramble quickly to our feet, and Hazel gasps when she notices the state of my back.

“Derek, you’re hurt, the explosion, it burnt your back. I am so sorry, I should have listened to you, this would never have happened.”

Hazel is already in tears, guilt drifting to me from the bond.

“Kitten, I’ll be fine, we need to get out of here now, before they catch us; we are only two, and with these injuries I don’t think I can take on a whole squad of those mutants.”

Hazel nods in agreement, good kitten, and we speed down the stairs, mixing with the residents who are fleeing to the main entrance, trying to escape the terrorist attack they think is going on.

Being fully naked, we do get a lot of stares, but we don’t really care; as soon as we are out of the building, we hide in a sideway alley and we shift into our wolves, then we start running at top speed in the direction of my pack, trying to keep to the shadows, and attract less attention as possible.

When we are on the outskirts of the city, the pain in my back is unbearable, making it impossible to go on, so I crouch down behind a low wall, trying to conceal myself from any wondering eyes.

“Derek, oh no, why aren’t you healing? Your back is in a terrible state,” Hazel says, sounding panicked.

“Don’t worry for me, run back to pack and find Damon and Alice, they will help you…”

“Do you seriously think I will leave you here like this? No fucking way!”

“Hazel, you need to go.”

“No, this time, you listen to me! I think I know why you aren’t healing properly, your wolf, like mine, has been weakened by the rejection, and although I’ve revoked it, I haven’t marked you yet, thus the bond is not complete. I think that if I mark you, you might get your full strength back.”

I would rather she went to safety immediately, but what she is saying kind of makes sense, and I believe it is worth a try.

I shift back to my human form, the wounds on my back aching even worse in this form and offer my neck to her.

“I am all yours, kitten.”

She shifts back too, a hesitant look on her face. She kneels between my legs, her gaze still not meeting mine.

“Are you sure of this? I mean, even after the ads and messages, are you sure you want to be my mate? Don’t you feel ashamed of me?”

“Ashamed of you? Never! I am only angry that other people got to see what was supposed to be only mine, and I think the person who put those private photos online should be ashamed of himself.”

She dares a small look at me, but then shifts it back again to her knees.

“Are you having second thoughts, and you are just finding excuses to bail on marking me?” I ask pouting and faking sadness.

She shakes her head, her hands gripping my shoulders.

“No, I was just thinking that you may accept me, but your pack, probably will not. I don’t want you to lose anything because of me.”

“You should have more faith in me, Kitten, I am a capable man, I will find a way to clear your name. Now, no more excuses, place your beautiful mark on me.”

I spank her ass for good measure, and she pokes her eyes at me, but then she lowers her head to my neck, and she swiftly sinks her fangs into the juncture between my neck and right shoulder. It stings a little, but then pleasure engulfs me, and I feel a connection building between us, a surge of power running through my veins, taking away the excruciating pain in my back, replacing it with just a mild ache.

I find Hazel staring at me in awe, her lips slightly parted.

“What’s wrong?” I asked her.

“After I bit you, you glowed with a white light, and your eyes have changed color, now they are blue with specks of gold. They are mesmerizing. Did you feel anything out of the ordinary?”

“I did feel a surge of power, and I can feel that my injuries are nearly healed.”

She checks my back and confirms that the burns are nearly healed already.

“Maybe the Goddess blessed you with some powers too,” Hazel suggests.

“Or maybe, some of your power transferred to me through the bond, to help me heal. Whatever it is, it’s not important now, we need to get back to the pack, only there we’ll be safe.”

Hazel nods, we shift back to our wolves, and run all the way back to our pack, luckily without encountering any difficulty.

Damon is at the pack entrance, pacing back and forth, most probably worried about our sudden disappearance. As soon as he sees us, he runs in our direction and crouches down to hug Hazel’s wolf, who licks him on his face in greeting.

“Hey, how come you greet her first, am I not your good friend and Alpha? Plus, after your comments on those pictures, I’d rather you keep your dirty paws off her,” I mind-link him.

“I am happy to see you both alright, next time let me know what’s happening, I’ve nearly got a heart attack when I saw the news about Hazel’s apartment been blown to dust, I was worried you two were in there. I’ve even sent Alice and a team to retrieve you.”

“Call them back, it’s dangerous there, they put a bomb in the apartment, and I bet they were watching it closely,” I say, worriedly.

I see Damon trying to mind link, until his face becomes as pale as a ghost.

“I can’t link Alice, or any of the warriors,” his panicked voice comes.

“I’ll try, maybe they are just too far,” Hazel says, trying to appease him a little, but she gets the same result, her expression turning to one of panic.

My heart drops in the abyss of the ocean, something must have happened to them, to Alice.

“I didn’t feel any pack-link break, so they could have been taken and drugged.”

My voice doesn’t even sound like my own, I feel like I am going to run out of my skin any moment; how could something like this have happened? Not Alice, fuck!

Damon is losing it, his eyes are becoming black, the color they assume when he shifts into his wolf, and he’s trembling with unconcealed rage.

He suddenly shifts, emitting a terrifying roar, and starts running at top speed towards the pack’s gate.

“I am going to take her back,” he says with determination.

“I am coming with you,” Hazel exclaims, running hot on his heels.

“No, you are not, you are staying here while we go see if we can find any lead,” I say in my serious voice, hoping that she listens.

“Oh, so you can go when you are injured, while I should stay home, because?” comes her snarky reply; I shouldn’t have expected anything different.

I don’t even bother replying, I know it would be hopeless anyway, I will have to make sure that she is safe, even when she’s running straight into danger.

I feel pack-links snapping on our way to the city, and I know that we are already too late. Damn it! Hazel can feel them too, and she stops in the middle of the road, emitting a powerful howl, that resonates through the land. We continue on our way no matter what, in the hope that we can find some of them still alive.

When we get outside Hazel’s apartment building, still besieged by police, fire fighters and paramedics, we try to find some clues of their disappearance, but among the chaos of people is very difficult to find anything, until we reach the side of the building, the narrow alley Hazel and I escaped from. Here, the smell of fresh blood is sickening, and on a dumpster, in red letters, is written PAYBACK.