Mine to Protect Chapter 53: SERIOUS TALK

*Hazel*

Derek follows suit. “What’s wrong now?” he asks anxiously.

“I was standing naked in the middle of the corridor, and you didn’t think to tell me!” I say irritated.

“How would I have known that you didn’t know you were naked? Plus, it’s no big deal, I have covered you with my body, haven’t I?”

“So that hug was not to comfort me, was to cover me up?”

“Both?” he replies tentatively, then approaches me, rubbing my arms with his warm hands. “How are you feeling? You have been out for five days; I was worried you would never wake up.”

“Five days?!”

“Yes, and you stayed in your wolf form the whole time, meaning I had to sleep hugging a plushie version of yourself for five long nights. I prefer your human self, less fur, meat in the right places, and no smell. Even if werewolves are not wolves, we still do smell like animals,” he states, wrinkling his nose.

“I shifted and stayed in wolf for the whole time?”

“Yes, I think your wolf wanted to protect you from your agony. Although, she couldn’t choose a worse time to shift, half of my warriors saw you, including the human guards we took prisoner and the warriors sent by the Court of Alphas, who came right at that moment. Word of a white wolf sighting is spreading like wildfire; you are in danger now more than ever.”

My heart thuds at his words, what have I done? All the work my parents did to keep me hidden, wiped out in one moment of weakness. I let them down, I am not making them proud even in their death.

“Hey, kitten, don’t be sad, everything we’ll face, we’ll face it together; you are safe with me, I promise, I won’t let anyone hurt you,” Derek promises in a gentle tone, grabbing my chin between his thumb and index finger, making me look at him. His expression shows nothing but love and assurance.

I smile at him, and hug him tightly, without saying anything, just relishing his scent and the warmth of his hard body, while he hugs me back, equally tight.

I can’t just rely on others to win my battles, look what it did to my parents, I don’t want the same happening to Derek, or to his pack, I need to become stronger, learn to fight, to harness my powers. I need to be able to defend myself.

Determination filling me with new purpose, I move back from the hug and go to the walk-in closet. “Do you think Alice will have time to train me today? Also, I need to find out which pack my mom came from.”

“Kitten, hold your horses. I don’t know what brought this sudden personality change, I swear, I need to pick out a name for each of the different persons who live in your head! That said, there’s more we need to discuss and do before I’ll let you out of this room,” Derek says seriously, giving me a pointed look, letting me know that he is not kidding.

I raise my eyebrows at him, hinting at him to go on.

“You better sit down; this news is not going to be pleasant.”

What else happened now? I don’t know how much more shit I’ll be able to handle.

I sit down on the bed, and Derek drapes the bed sheet over my shoulders. Yuk, it smells of wet dog, he was not kidding when he said our wolves don’t smell like roses. I will have to change the bedding and air the mattress.

I push the blanket down my shoulders, not wanting it on me.

“I am not cold.” I offered an explanation, worried he would feel hurt at my gesture.

“The purpose was to keep you covered, really, your nakedness distracts me, I find it difficult to gather my thoughts. All I want to do is ravish you in every possible way,” he states seriously, his eyes never leaving my body, like he’s eating me up with his gaze. I swallow hard, sexual tension rising between us.

I clear my throat, then put the sheet back in place.

“Ok, tell me the important stuff first,” I tell him, subtly implying that we can have some playtime later.

He catches on my hidden meaning, a smirk playing on his lips, but it’s gone quickly, as he pulls his mind back to the news he needs to deliver.

“First, your parents’ funeral. I have been holding out for it until you woke up, and now that you have, I think we could arrange it for tomorrow afternoon. We’ll do it the werewolves’ way, if it is ok for you. I am not sure what they would have wanted.”

A lump forms in my throat, making it difficult to reply. I need to be stronger than this, for them, I need to toughen up. So, I swallow hard and reply.

“I am not sure either, but they never believed in the human’s Gods, so, I think the werewolves’ funeral would be their first choice.”

“Ok, then this is settled. Second thing, the members of the court of Alphas, and the Alphas of some allied packs are gathering here this week to have a meeting regarding what we have found out at that hidden facility. Some of them have already arrived, like the guy you met just now, his name is Lukas Walker, Alpha of the Moonlight Walkers Pack; others will get here in the next few days.

I want you to keep your distance from them. I am not familiar with all of them, and so I don’t want to risk it. Lukas is an old friend, you don’t need to be wary of him, but the others, they can’t be trusted.”

“Am I going to take part to the meeting too, right?”

“No. You are going to stay as far aways as possible from that meeting room. We gathered enough intelligence from the prisoners we caught, we have enough information to share. And I will tell you the plan we’ll come up with, so that you’ll be aware too.”

“That’s it? I just need to be «aware»? They killed my parents, Derek, they tortured me nearly to death, don’t you think I have a right to be there, a right to fight alongside you? Of course not, because in your eyes I am just a useless pup who’s good to nothing!” My temper gets again the best of me, but it is difficult to accept being left out, when this is really my fight, not his.

“You are not useless, kitten, far from it. But the truth is they did nearly kill you, you don’t know how desperate I was, feeling you suffer, and not being able to anything about it! I will never put myself in this position again, so my word stays, you are not coming to that meeting.” His voice is resolute, not open to discussion.

“I could be able to provide more information that you might have missed, or that the prisoners purposely hid. Just give me a chance, Derek, I won’t say anything during the meeting, I will just listen, and if you decide to go on the offensive I will stay behind, but please, let me be a part of this,” I plead with him, hoping the soft approach will work better then hard one.

He pinches the bridge of his nose, exhaling to calm his own temper.

“Ok, you can come to the meeting, but you won’t utter a single word. No fraternizing with the other attendants. OK?”

“You have my word!” I promise with a bright smile on my face.

He slides his palm down his face, muttering something that sounds very similar to “what did I get myself into”. Hey!