Mine to Protect Chapter 78: SECRET TALK

*Hazel*

“Look, the attack was certainly meant for Hazel, and they had it planned out for a while. I would even go as far as to say that they knew in advance of her arrival, I don’t know if it was Preston or someone else who snitched, but someone told them the location and time.

The first bunch of creeps to attack us was weaker than the second bunch, like they were in different stages of experimentation, and Hazel beat them quite easily. The second bunch was stronger, and they had the deadly bullet with them. They used that bullet only on Hazel, I think because they wanted to know how much it could weaken her.”

As soon as his words are out, I know in my heart that he is right. Everything that happened in that lab comes back to me like a wall of bricks, the way they sneakily tested my mom’s abilities, they know of her resistance to wolfsbane, they most certainly want to test the same with other substances.

My heart rate picks up in fear, I feel like I am suffocating, unable to breathe air in properly. Why aren’t they leaving me alone? What do they want from me? I can’t let them get me again, I can’t get through that again.

Derek grabs my hand strongly in his, and I turn to look at him, his eyes filled with concern for me. He pulls me towards him, sitting up in the process, tubes and wires being ripped off by his sudden motion, the machine beeping sounds going haywire.

I find myself seated sideways on the bed, Derek’s strong arms wrapped tightly around me, his cheek pressed against mine.

“I’ll never let them touch you again, kitten, I promise. They won’t get anywhere near you,” Derek tries to soothe me, but even I know he can’t control that, they are too powerful, and the idea of him going against them makes me even more scared, makes me terrified to lose him.

Two nurses’ barge into the room, alerted by the beeping machines.

“What are you doing? You must lie down!” one nurse shouts, gaining a loud growl from Derek in response, which makes her cower in fear.

“Aren’t you all growly and irritable today? Alpha, listen to the nurse, you can’t protect our Luna if you are reduced to a vegetable,” Damon tries to reason with him.

“Damon is right this time, you need to rest Derek, I need you back in shape as soon as possible. Your pack needs its Alpha, and I need my mate,” I say trying to push him back to lie on his pillow. He doesn’t fight me, but his eyes are still filled with worry.

“Don’t worry, your Luna can kick some serious ass now, they won’t dare come after her so soon,” Lukas says playfully, trying to ease up the atmosphere.

“You need to get out, visiting hours are over, your Alpha needs to rest,” a nurse orders.

“I am not going anywhere,” I say stubbornly. There’s no way I am leaving him when I just got him back, let alone when he is defenseless like this, what if someone tries to attack him.

“Me neither,” Damon states, eying the nurses suspiciously.

“As you wish, but be quiet and let him rest, he needs it to recover,” one of the nurses says irritably, before they both leave.

“I’ll go talk to the doctor; to tell him about the substances found in the bullet, it might help him figure out a better treatment. Hazel, can I have a word in private?”

I nod my head yes, a little surprised by his request, and follow him outside.

We walked down the corridor and into an empty room.

“Sorry for asking you to talk here, I just didn’t want to get Derek worked up again,” Lukas says seriously, his playful demeanor completely gone. “We managed to catch Moon Shade’s Luna; Preston apparently left her behind when he fled, and she admitted under Alpha command that Preston had a secret business connected to someone important in the Court, something related to human trafficking. And I think it is all connected to what they are doing in those labs.”

I look at him astonished, Lukas is showing up to be much more resourceful that what I thought. His playful attitude is just a mask to fool others, underneath hides a man with strong wit and outstanding capabilities.

“Don’t look at me like that, like you just discovered I have a brain too,” he says flatly, feigning feeling offended.

I can’t help laughing at that, he can be cute when he wants to.

“Look, members of the Court of Alphas are powerful, they have eyes and ears everywhere, so you must be very careful, at all times.”

I nod my head yes to his warning, and then pick up the courage to ask him a question that is burning on the tip of my tongue.

“About the Moon Shade’s Luna, what are you going to do? She’s your mate.”

Lukas looks the other way, not wanting me to see the emotions crossing his features.

“She means nothing to me, she rejected me, remember? And she is a traitor of our species, I have no feeling or any kind of respect for a woman like her.”

I frown at the harshness in his words, it’s clear that he harbors a lot of anger towards this woman, which makes me think that in reality he still has feelings for her. I want to say something, give him some kind of advice, but he speaks before I can.

“I need to go back now, to sort out the mess at the Moon Shade, but I will leave Derrick and Jade with you, they are trusted friends and skilled warriors, they will protect you.”

“I don’t want other people to put their lives in danger because of me. Look what happened to Derek!” I exclaim frustrated, I don’t want other people’s blood on my hands, I can’t be the cause of their deaths.

Lukas grabs both my arms and looks me straight in the eyes, “Stop being silly, you are our only chance to win this war, we all know that, and you need protection, so get your head out of your ass, and stop being difficult.”

I feel offended by his harsh tone, but I know that what he is saying is right, so I shut up and just scowl unhappily at him.

He surprises me by kissing my forehead and then caressing my cheek with his big, calloused hand, “Be careful, little wolf.”

Then he leaves the room without another word, leaving me there completely dumbfounded.

What happened there? It felt too intimate, like more than just friends. I hope Lukas is not harboring any romantic feelings for me, he knows my heart is taken, it would only lead him to heartache.

I push these thoughts out of my mind, and hurry back to Derek’s room, missing him already.

I find him asleep, Damon seated on a chair beside his bed. I caress Derek’s hair, and watch him sleeping soundly for a few moments, then drop into a chair next to Damon, feeling completely dead beat. My treacherous stomach growls loudly, and I suddenly feel ravenous, like I could eat at least 20 burgers in a row. Thinking about it, I haven’t eaten anything since breakfast, and now it’s already two in the morning, I’m starving.

“I’ll go to the cafeteria to get something, I need to make a few calls anyway,” Damon says while getting up.

“Thank you, Damon, you are an angel,” I tell him gratefully.

He scoffs in reply, and says with a sexy smirk, “Werewolves are no angels.”

Typical Damon, always hiding behind that bad boy façade, when in reality he has a heart as big as a house.

Now that we are left alone, I feel an impelling need to stay closer to Derek, feeling his skin against mine, reveling in the warmth of his hard body.

I get up from the chair, and carefully lie down next to him on the bed, paying attention not to tear off any wire or tube. I snuggle into him as close as possible, the steady rhythm of his heartbeat sending calming waves through my body, and before I know it, I am drifting off into a deep slumber, next to my mate, who I have nearly lost today.

All our previous arguments and quarrels seem unimportant now that we have been faced with the bugbear of death. From now on I will cherish every second of our time together, because you never know when it will come to an end.