Mine to Protect Chapter 77: TOGETHER

*Hazel*

“I did. We went to school together, before I moved to the Moonlight Walkers Pack. She would be very proud of you.”

I smile at him, and I nod my head yes.

Yes, if she could have seen me today, she would have been proud of me. The thought fills me with happiness, and I know I have changed, I am not the scaredy-cat I was before, now I am strong and a badass, I only wish she was here to fight alongside me.

“I am Hazel, by the way,” I say, extending my hand for a handshake.

“Derrick,” he replies smiling, grasping my hand in a warm and firm shake.

It feels good to have someone else on my side, our team is expanding, and it makes me feel positive for our future.

“Are you done with your female stuff? Derek is awake, come to room 52,” Damon mind-links me.

“When is cleanliness become a female thing?” I reply rolling my eyes, even if he can’t see me. And I rush in search of room 52, excited to see Derek and frantic to make sure that he’s ok.

I finally find the room and burst inside, startling the doctor and the nurses. I murmur a few apologies, and stand to the side, waiting for them to finish their check-up, my eyes fixed on Derek, who’s lying on the bed, an oxygen mask covering his mouth, but his eyes are alert, and they are fixed on me, swirling with a brilliant blue, that looks just like the sea illuminated by the rays of the sun.

The doctor is talking about exams to take and possible aftereffects of the poison, but I can’t concentrate on any of that, my mind is only focused on Derek and Derek alone.

As soon as the hospital staff is out of the way, I run to his bed, and cup his face with my hands; I kiss his forehead, then press my forehead to his and close my eyes, relishing in his rich scent and his closeness.

“Never, ever do something that risky again! I thought I’d lose you; I can’t live without you.”

I open my eyes, and find his sparkling blue ones gazing at me, full of emotions and affection.

I want to kiss him so badly, it feels like an eternity since we last kissed or touched, but I am afraid of hurting him, he’s covered in little tubes and his face is half covered by the oxygen mask.

Derek probably picks up on my emotions through the bond, because the next second, he’s pulling his mask off, and pulling me down by my nape with his other hand to meet his inviting lips.

He kisses me slowly and tenderly, not hungrily like he usually does, I don’t know if it is because he is still too weak, or because he wants to show me his love in his own way. Anyway, I am loving every second of it, and wish we could stay here forever, just him and me.

We kiss for a few moments, then Derek let’s his hand slide down my back to my ass and squeezes it hard making me moan.

“Hey! Hands up there, let’s keep it under-14, ok? Also, Alpha you are getting blue, you better put that mask back on; we haven’t saved you to let you die for a kiss,” Damon says out of the blue. Has he stayed here the whole time watching us?

His words scare me though, so I break the kiss hurriedly and notice that Derek is indeed lacking oxygen, he’s not blue yet, but he’s on the right path. So, I immediately put his mask back on giving him a scolding glare.

“Why didn’t you say something?” I asked him in disbelief.

“It would be a good way to go. And you look so sexy in those scrubs, like a wet dream,” he replies, his voice feeble and distorted through the mask, but still sounding incredibly sexy.

I smile involuntarily at his silly words. “I honestly hope I’ll look better than this in your wet dreams,” I state dramatically, making him smile.

“Whose wet dreams? Why do I always miss the good stuff?” Lukas’ voice comes from the door, a cute pout on his lips.

“I thought you’d be too busy to come here?” Damon tells him.

“I was eager to see how Derek is doing, and I have some information to share with you. Plus, Hazel asked me to fetch something for her, so, here you go, little wolf.”

He handed me the bag containing Nora’s diary, he found it! I am so happy that I jump up and hug his neck, yelling happily, “Thank you, thank you, thank you!”

A low growl travels through the room, and I remove my hands from Lukas, to see where the noise is coming from. It is Derek, who is now sporting a deep scowl.

“Possessive much,” Lukas comments, getting another growl in response from Derek.

To appease my jealous Alpha, I get to his bedside, take his mask off, and kiss him ardently, feeling him relaxing immediately at my touch. Once I am done, I put his mask on, and whisper to him, “Be good.”

He doesn’t reply but at least his scowl is now gone, and he seems calmer.

“On no, don’t start that again you two!” Damon complains.

“No one asked you to stay and watch,” I reply with my eyebrows raised.

“Well, actually, Alice asked me to tell her every glory detail of you two patching things up together, so I have to stay. Plus, I need to make sure you don’t kill our Alpha of oxygen deprivation with all your kissing and tongue playing.”

“Hey!” I protest offended.

“Why don’t you all keep your tongues to yourselves and listen to what I have to say before going on with your bickering and sex dreams sharing?” Lukas interjects in his usual playful manner.

I roll my eyes at him, which is now practically my standard way of replying to his comments, and keep silent, waiting for him to start talking.

“After you left, I had my men test the bullet which Derek has been shot with, and other bullets we found still intact on the battlefield. I was curious, because I had been also hit by their bullets, but I didn’t get the same reaction as Derek. My men found out that the bullets contained different substances, the ones I have been shot with contained wolfsbane, while the one that hit Derek contained a mix of silver, wolfsbane, belladonna and poison hemlock. Those ingredients mixed together create a poison that makes the body shut down its vital functions and makes it impossible for our wolves to heal us. That bullet was meant to kill, if you had been a common wolf, you would be dead by now.”

“That bullet was meant for me,” I say, making them all shift their attention to me. “Derek jumped in to protect me, they wanted to kill me. They are done playing.”

“That’s what I thought at the beginning too, but then, I asked myself, if their aim is to kill you, why not use those bullets from the start? When they had us alone?” Lukas asks, making me confused. Why?

“And what do you think the reason is?” Damon asks Lukas, his tone somber.

“I think they are testing Hazel’s abilities, the extent of her powers, what can affect her and what can’t.”

My heart jumps in my throat at his words, was it really just a test? A test for what? What are they going to do with this information?