Mine to Protect Chapter 62: BAD NEWS

*Hazel*

“You know what hurt me the most? Not the physical pain, or the fact that you were angry at me, what hurt the most was you believing in her over me, protecting her when you should have been protecting me. What is the purpose of the mate bond, if mates don’t trust each other, don’t support each other? I have no one left in this world but you, and today, you turned your back on me, Derek, you made me feel like I was alone, like I had no one else to count on, except for myself.”

He keeps his head low, doesn’t say anything for a while, and I start wondering if this is really the end for us; I just marked him the other day, and now we are already at a break point.

Then he finally lifts his head, I see a few tears have slipped from his eyes, making me strangely feel guilty.

“You are right, today I failed you, I failed you as your mate, as your family. I should have asked you what happened first, instead of going into a rage. Alice told me everything, I don’t know why Emma would act like that, maybe she is just too used to fight with experienced people, I don’t know, but I shouldn’t have reacted the way I have. She hurt you, and I will have a talk with her about this, I will make her apologize to you.”

“I don’t want her apology; I don’t want to see her ever again!” I say maybe a little too loud.

“Ok, then maybe we can anticipate your trip to your mom’s home, so when you’ll be back, the meeting will be over, and she’ll have already left,” Derek suggests.

“This way, I don’t get to take part in the meeting. Very convenient,” I reply sarcastically.

“It’s not like that, Hazel, even I don’t have the authority to have another Alpha sit out of that meeting. It’s either you bring your trip forward and avoid her, or you attend the meeting with her present.”

I think about it for a second, I don’t want to miss that meeting, and I don’t think Lukas would be ok in not attending either, so I guess my only choice is suck it and bear the bitch’s presence.

“I’ll attend the meeting. But if the bitch says or does anything to offend me, I swear I am going to burn both her arms off.”

Derek smirks at me like an idiot, it makes me want to bite him.

“My little fiery kitten, you looked both spectacular and terrifying in that arena, surrounded by white light, you looked like an angel of death.”

“If this is supposed to be a compliment, it’s quite a lousy one.”

He chuckles. “What would you like me to say? That you looked extremely sexy using your power like a Goddess? That I would have happily knelt before you, and worshipped you with my tongue until sundown? I can worship you now, if you let me, until you tell me to stop.”

His eyes blaze blue, and the smell of my arousal floats in the air between us. He sniffs the air greedily, licking his lips.

He turns us around, placing me gently on the bed, his body between my legs, then goes down on his knees, his face directly in front of my core, still covered in my panties and leggings. One of his fingers runs down from my clit to my ass, making me shiver in anticipation.

Then, a loud knock comes from the door, making us both jolt in surprise.

“Derek, open up, it’s important!” Damon’s voice comes urgently through the door. Why does he always have to spoil my fun?

Derek reluctantly goes to open up, and Damon barges into the room, tablet in hand, agitation clear in his features. Damon sits on the bed next to me, I am sure he can smell my arousal still in the air, and I expect him to come out with one of those stupid jokes of his, but he doesn’t, something is really wrong!

“What’s happened now?” Derek asks, running his hand through his hair, damn it, if Damon hadn’t barged in, I would be the one doing it, how I want to feel his soft locks on my fingers.

Derek smirks knowingly at me, but his smirk disappears as soon as Damon shows him his tablet screen, his expression replaced by one of shock and then of rage. I get up from the bed and come to stand beside Derek in front of the screen, and my jaw drops to the floor in disbelief.

The screen is displaying an article about me, entitled «21st Century Pretty Woman is a Werewolf», with a big picture of me pole dancing in class, only the background has been blurred, so that I could be pole dancing anywhere.

I read a snippet of the article, and I started to panic. The snippet reads, «Derek O’Brien, Alpha of the Crescent Moon Pack, Founder and CEO of Apogee Real Estate Corporation, ends his life as renown playboy taking a hooker as his mate and Luna. Hazel Channing, the new Luna, worked as a stripper at the Black Dungeon for years, before she met Alpha O’Brien, and shrewdly sank her claws in the prized golden boy. Word of this unlikely union is spreading fast, and it is already causing disruption in the companies owned by Mr. O’Brien, whose stocks are plummeting in an unprecedented free fall. Crescent Moon’s allied packs express their doubt at Alpha O’Brien’s love choices, and are even considering distancing themselves, before their image and economy are affected too as collaterals. »

How could ten minutes of dancing bring such havoc to our lives? I can’t wrap my head around it. I feel so sorry for being the cause of this, Derek’s business is being greatly affected, as will the pack which feeds on his income.

“I am so sorry, Derek. I never thought dancing could cause this mess. What can I do to fix this? I am ready to do anything.”

I look at him pleadingly, hoping he can see the truth in my words. I never wanted this to happen.

He doesn’t reply, just keeps staring at the screen, pure rage leaking from his feature and his posture. Not even his rage can take his beauty away, and I stare transfixed at this War God, remorse eating up at me, hoping that he will be able to forgive me.

*Derek*

Hazel is talking to me, but I don’t register what she is saying. I am too stunned, too angry. Whoever leaked this fake news is trying to damage her reputation and turn the pack and myself against her. But who would do this? And to what purpose? To make her vulnerable?

Her parents put their faith in me, they asked me to protect her with my life, but I am failing over and over, I need to do better, I need to make sure no one gets to hurt her again.

“Damon, call all the women that attended the pole dance class that evening, I want them in my office, I will interrogate them one by one,” I mind-link Damon, and he nods, walking to the door. Before he leaves, he turns to Hazel, who looks sad and mortified.

“Don’t worry Luna, everything will be all right,” he tells her with a gentle smile. Hazel replies with a half-hearted smile, and a nod of her head.

His gesture surprises me, he isn’t one for tenderness, I mean, he is good with women, but in a playful kind of way, mainly to get them in bed. But Hazel is different, he seems to really care about her, he is protective of her, and this makes me happy, knowing that she has another person on her side, ready to protect her when needed; it makes me a tiny bit jealous too, but I’ll get over it.

I need to hurry to find the culprit, having a traitor in the pack makes me worried for Hazel’s safety. If she can’t be safe even here in her house, where can she be.