Mine to Protect Chapter 151: MINE AND ONLY MINE

*Derek*

For a second, time seems to still, everyone is petrified in place, not moving an inch, then Damon breaks the silence saying, “What the fuck?”

Which causes Hazel to scream in horror and fall from my lap, she crouches down behind the chair I am sitting on, snatches the blanket from the floor and tries to cover herself with it.

“Ever heard of knocking?” I say irritated that they have broken my dream and that they have seen Hazel in a way I should only be allowed to.

“You two are always making out, even now that she is dead! I can’t fucking believe it!” Damon continues ranting on.

“You have a mate now, go make out with her instead of spoiling other couples’ fun. Actually, if you were a normal person, you would have been doing just that right now. What’s wrong with you?” I shot back.

“Nothing is wrong with me, you jerk, I was just worried for my friend and Alpha, seen that he’s just lost his mate. We heard strange noises and decided to check on you. Guess you didn’t need my help, so keep doing what you were doing with your corpse bride.”

He’s about to turn around and storm out, when Hugo stops him, grabbing him by his shoulder.

“Sons, I might be old and a little senile, but that doesn't look like a corpse to me. Maybe, Hazel can explain what is going on?”

Hazel looks up at me from behind the chair, her face is still completely flushed in embarrassment, but she clears her throat and stands up, clutching the blanket to herself.

“Ermm, I am back, surprise!” she says smiling, like it’s some kind of birthday party.

No one smiles back, everyone just keeps staring at her blankly, making her smile slowly drop to a flat line.

“Not in the mood to celebrate, I see. Emmhh, there isn’t much to say, really, I died, and went into a lonely dark place for a while, with only my thoughts for company, which turned out to be just too boring, then I started crying because I missed Derek, and the Moon Goddess somehow got into my head and told me that I cried too loudly, then she told me that she only killed me temporarily to enrage Derek, so that he would have enough momentum to kill Alpha Jackson, and then she sent me back here. End of the story. If I may, I’d say she is a Mean Goddess not a Moon Goddess, making people suffer like that, it’s just unfair.”

Everybody keeps staring at her dumbfounded.

“Guys, snap out of it, you are creeping me out!” she complains with a scold.

What the actual fuck! She is really back. All that blabbering and that nonsense about the Mean Goddess, only Hazel could come up with something like that.

Damon is the first to register her words, and in a flash, he’s crossed the room and enveloped her in a tight hug. Hazel is still clutching the blanket with both hands, so she settles for resting her head on his chest.

“Welcome back,” he says smiling, releasing her, and squeezing her shoulders.

“Thank you, it’s good to be back.”

Next, it’s Hugo’s turn, he brings Hazel into another cozy hug.

“I thought today I have lost the two most important women of my life, but I am so happy to see that you are alive, it’s a miracle.”

“I am sorry for Melissa,” she whispers with sincerity.

“Thank you, honey.”

Their bringing up mom’s death makes my heart sink with sadness and guilt, sadness for her early demise, I hoped we would have had an opportunity to settle things between us, but fate had other plans for her, and guilt, because I have been so absorbed with Hazel’s death, that I haven’t even spared one thought for my mother, the woman who has raised me, and for my father, who is now suffering for the loss of his mate.

I stand up from my chair and approach them, I put a hand on my father’s shoulder, squeezing it, letting him know that I feel for him, and that I will be here for him. We have never been good at communicating through words, but sometimes, small gestures and being there for each other, speak louder than words.

He seems to get my meaning, because the next moment, he releases Hazel, and hugs me instead, patting my back in consolation.

“Not to ruin the cathartic moment, but just one thought out there, why didn’t we feel the pack link snap back into place? I can’t feel any Luna through the link,” Damon points out, looking puzzled.

We all focus our gazes back on Hazel, waiting for answers, but she just looks as puzzled as us, and she shrugs her shoulders in response.

Then I notice it, and my heart sinks low in my stomach.

“Your mate mark, has disappeared.”

Hazel looks startled, she touches her neck on the spot where the mate mark should be, but of course, she can’t feel it with her hands, so she cranes her neck to see that particular spot, but she can’t get a view, starting to panic.

Here, Damon gives her his mobile, so that she can see it through the front camera, and she pales.

“There isn’t anything on you either,” Damon points out again indicating my neck.

I snatched the phone from Hazel and look for myself.

What the actual fuck! My mate mark has disappeared, just as Hazel’s, what fucking game is this?

“Maybe the bond broke when she died,” Hugo tries.

“I did feel the mate bond snap when her heartbeat stopped,” I admit, a little disheartened.

“Does it mean that we are not mates anymore?” Hazel asks in a small voice.

“No! You are my mate, and no one else’s!” I roared in outrage, my wolf surging through me. No one else is going to put his mark on what is mine!

“Ok, I think it is better if we leave you at it,” Damon says, while retreating from the room.

“Congratulations on your new mating,” Hugo says fleeing too.

“Hey, wait! What if I don’t want him to mark me again? Maybe this was the Moon Goddess giving me the opportunity to find a better mate!”

I roar in outrage and warning, how dares she? No one is going to be a better mate than me.

“Well, good luck with that, no one is going to put himself between an angry Alpha and his unmarked mate,” Damon says smiling wickedly, before he winks at Hazel, and shuts the door again, locking it from the outside.

“Traitor!” Hazel utters, stomping her foot.

Now she has nowhere else to run, no one to save her from me.

“I am going to make you mine again, little kitty, this time for forever.”

Because you are my mate, my love, the air I need to breathe, you are my everything, and you are mine and only mine to protect.