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Jeremy’s eyes trembled after hearing my question, like he was on the verge of breaking.
“If he had not come for me, he might have returned unscathed. It’s my fault. To bring me back, Deryl fought off the rogues. and saved me from the torture chamber,” Jeremy explained, his voice heavy with guilt.
Apparently, Jeremy had resisted his captors. in Grimfur Pack, leading to his placement in an impenetrable torture cell. But Deryl, ever determined, risked everything to save not just Jeremy, but all the Alphas.
“But from what I have heard from the healer, he has passed the critical stage. He just… he just hasn‘ t regained
consciousness yet,” Jeremy added, his voice faltering.
“I will visit him,” I replied, keeping my tone
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casual, though inside, my emotions were a
storm.
Rage, fear, hope, and helplessness swirled within me. I knew Jeremy was not entirely to blame, but if Deryl did not survive, I knew I would seek out whoever was responsible for his suffering.
Jeremy moved closer, trying to help me stand, “Let me take you.”
I shook my head firmly. “No. We aren’t anyone to each other anymore, Jeremy. I don‘ t want to hurt Alexa the way you hurt Let’s just end this here. From now
- me.
on, we are strangers.”
With that, I left the room, my mind spinning with thoughts of Deryl. I wandered through the clinic, past the rows of injured warriors being treated, but he was not among them.
My heart raced as I asked a nurse, who led me to a VIP room.
“Are you worried about him?” Keena, my
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wolf, whispered in my mind.
I swallowed hard. “Of course, he is my
friend.”
Keena’s voice softened, “He’s more than just a friend to you, isn’t he?”
I did not have time to question her as the nurse opened the door, and I stepped
inside.
The moment I saw Deryl lying there, pale and motionless, something inside me shattered. Without warning, hot tears. poured from my eyes, surprising me.
I sat beside his bed, my hand trembling as I gently held him.
“Hey, Deryl,” I began, forcing a laugh through my tears, “I mean, Alpha Deryl. Uh… That sounds so strange. When
you wake up, I will ask you if it is okay for me to call you just by your name. After all, you always call me a troublemaker.”
My laugh faded as I continued to talk to
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him, filling the quiet room with my voice. “You know, they call me a troublemaker here, but I don’t really get it. Sure, I caused a few problems at the academy and when I was a scout, but that’s still normal, right?”
I snorted softly, imagining his reaction. “You would probably scold me if you could hear this. You would say something like,
‘How long do I have to keep bailing you out of trouble, Ev?‘ But you always did, didn’t you?”
Memories of our childhood together came rushing back. Deryl had always been there, defending me, saving me. Even when I get into the worst kind of messes, he would show up like a knight, his face stern but his eyes soft.
“I’ve been lost for six years,” I whispered, squeezing his hand tighter. “Thank you for bringing me back, for saving me… again.”
At some point, the exhaustion of the day caught up to me, and I fell asleep by his
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side, my head resting on the bed, my hand still clutching his.
Hours later, I stirred at the sensation of a gentle touch, a hand stroking my hair. Slowly, I opened my eyes to the soft light of the moon illuminating the room. And there, gazing down at me, was Deryl, his eyes deep and steady, filled with warmth.
My heart skipped a beat as Keena’s voice echoed in my mind, loud and clear, “Mate! I feel our fate mate, Everly.”
Groggy and disoriented, I muttered, “Huh? Who?”
Keena’s excitement echoed in my mind, overwhelming me. “Mate! Mate!” she cried, her voice dancing with joy.
“I’m glad you‘ re my mate, Everly,” Deryl said softly, his hand gently rubbing my head. His touch sent a ripple through my
entire body, igniting something deep inside
- me.
At first, I could not believe it. My mind
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wanted to deny what I was feeling, but my body knew. Every cell reacted to him, recognizing the bond that had formed between us.
“Come,” Deryl whispered, inviting me to sit next to him.
It was not an Alpha’s command, yet I found myself obeying without hesitation. There was something about the way he spoke, the way his presence drew me closer, that I could not resist.
As I sat beside him, a strange, thrilling energy coursed through me. It was unlike anything I had ever felt. The connection between us pulsed with life, growing stronger with each passing second.
So, that was what it felt like to experience a mate bond? It was powerful, intense, completely different from anything I had ever known, even different from when I accepted Jeremy‘ s proposal.
That was something deeper, something
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extraordinary.
**
By the time I became fully aware of my surroundings again, everything had changed. Deryl‘ s lips were still on mine, kissing me with an intensity that made my heart race.
But the room looked like it had just survived an earthquake. Chairs were overturned, the curtains had been torn down, and the air itself seemed to buzz with energy.
“Oh my Goddess, what just happened?” I gasped, pulling away from Deryl, my hand covering my mouth in shock. But the
moment I looked up at him, my shock only deepened.
Deryl was naked. And when I glanced down at myself, I realized with growing horror that I was in the same state.
Heat flooded my cheeks, and my mind scrambled to piece together what had just
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happened.
The air between us was charged, like something primal had been unleashed.
Had we lost control?
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