Dahlia

By the time I woke up, Laila was beside my bed. Her bleary eyes were moist with sadness, and her face was worn out by stress. The battle must have been horrific if the future Pack doctor could be this heavily drawn out, too.

“Oh…thank goodness you’re awake!” She held my hand in between hers, stroking my skin softly. “How are you feeling? Is there pain anywhere?” She tried inspecting me, but I was enveloped in worry for another cause entirely, and I didn’t care about the pain that lingered around my neck.

“Wh-what ha–ppened? Where’s Derrick?” I looked around the room devoid of Derrick’s presence. Somehow, I could feel his wolf in deep pain through our bond.

“Dahlia…” water toured down her cheeks like a gentle stream. The sadness and pain reflected in her eyes slowly pushed me to sit up on the bed. Something happened. My husband…

“It’s Alpha Christoper,” she cracked.

“What?” I gasped as a whirlpool of angst twirled in my stomach.

“We won the war but…Alpha Christoper…” she sniffed as those eyes sparkled with another ball of water. “H-e-e di-ed last night. His injuries were too heavy…”

My jaw dropped to my bed. My ribs constricted, stripping me of the ability to breathe, think, let alone digest those atrocious words from her.

“I don’t believe you,” It came out of me as a whisper, and she responded with a gentle squeeze.

“I’m sorry–”

No! I refuse to accept this! I tried to swoop out of my bed, but she pressed me back.

“Dahlia, wait!” She groaned at my insistence, which only ended the moment the door opened for Derrick. His eyes were tired and rimmed with red, telling how much despair had consumed him. Hair was as messy as a bird’s nest, and the smell of blood still reeked from him.

Even if I didn’t want to believe Laila, Derrick’s countenance told the ugly truth. The one man who cherished me so much like I was his daughter had died. And what was more wrenching was the fact that I wasn’t there for him in his last moment.

Who should I blame? The rogues? Or myself?

“Alpha…” Laila greeted him, and a lump clogged in my throat. It really happened. There’s no more Alpha Christoper. “I think I should excuse myself.”

She rose from the stool before easing out of the room. Derrick didn’t take a step further, as if being close to me would kill him. But he was at least kind enough to check me out.

“How are you?”

That same tone. That gruffiness. Except that the potency was sharper this time.

“Is it true?” I foolishly asked, even though I knew the answer. “Father…”

“He’s gone,” his throat bobbed, and his gritted teeth outlined themselves against his skin. Guilt. Pain. Despair. Those three screamed the loudest in just two words, and it made my heart shrivel. It shattered me to see my mate consumed by this energy. I tried to leave my bed to comfort him. Even if it's a hug at least, he stopped me with a gesture of his hand.

“I’m fine,” he grunted.

“You’re not fi–”

“The official coronation ceremony as Alpha is in one month,” he cut me off abruptly. “Let’s get divorced, Dahlia.”

I blinked like a zillion times, but the iciness in his eyes remained resolute. My ears rang deaf. My thoughts wiped themselves like a formatted memory card as a chilling sensation shot straight to my spine. Am I in a nightmare, or is this my ugly reality?

“You can’t be my Luna.”

My palms grabbed a fistful of the sheets as tears itched my eyes.

“You don’t deserve to.”

Pain twinged in my heart, incapacitating every muscle and nerve.

“I only married you because of my father, and now that is gone—”

“Camilla, right?” her name barrelled out of my mouth with enough hate. His chest heaved up for a moment, and then he relaxed. Back to his default settings. Even his wolf, I couldn’t feel him. Derrick had deliberately shut me out.

I’ve been nothing but a fool. All this time, he only put up with me because of his father. Does he hate me that much? A day hasn’t even passed since his father passed, and he’s already dropping the bombshell. What makes me so inadequate? What makes me so undeserving of his love? Why her?!

“You…do you love her?” How I didn’t shatter letting that question roll out of me was a mystery.

“She’s the woman I was supposed to marry before you invaded my life.”

Invaded?!

“I’m your mate, Derrick!” tears fell recklessly to the sheets.

“And I never wanted you. I have always wished for Camilla to be my mate, but the moon goddess just had to fuck up everything,” he spouted. If only he knew he had just left a million holes in me with his stabbing words.

“You–” my lips pressed into a thin line to stop my venom, yet my wolf made me lose control anyway. “You really are a dick, Derrick. A fucking big one.”

His eyes exclaimed with shock, but I didn’t care. I was angry, rightfully so. I gave him my all, I sacrificed everything just to be with him. Just so one day, we could be happy, have a family, and this is what I’m rewarded with? He didn’t even let me grieve for my father-in-law. What kind of bastard is he?!

He didn’t talk; he simply watched me as I crumbled like a broken dam.

To think my father warned me against marrying Derrick. As his only child, he wanted me to settle for someone else in the Pack. To produce an heir so I can claim my inheritance as the next Luna in my Pack. But I chose Derrick instead. I foolishly did. Mates are supposed to love each other; that belief grounded me to believe that I could win Derrick’s heart someday. That he would finally be mine. Instead, I almost died because of him.

Last night, he chose to save Camilla over me, the moment I needed him the most. I was blind, too blind to see that I was never his priority and never will be. This is the man I gave up my whole life for!

But it shouldn’t be so! My wolf spoke up. Why should my life fall apart all for a man who doesn’t give a damn about me? I should just move on. I can’t lose on both sides. I won’t let him destroy my life. I’m going to return to my Pack, claim my inheritance, and be the Luna where I’m actually needed.

“I’ll give you time to think about it. Any amount you want, you name it–”

“I accept,” I cut him off, wiping off the messy trail on my cheeks before wearing the straightest face my muscles could offer. “Let’s get divorced.”

“Good,” he nodded, breathing in relief in fact. “I’ll get the papers ready tomorrow.”

I scoffed, “You’re that desperate to get rid of me, huh?”

“You got yourself in this mess in the first place,” he replied with the same straight face. “You chose to stick with me even when I made it clear to you.”

“You don’t need to remind me,” I curtly answered.

“Saves us both the stress. Get some rest,” he was about to turn away,

“Just give me one month, and I’ll sign the damn papers.” I chirped, his brows furrowed with the speed of light.

“Can you be any less pathetic? You’ve tried for one year. A month is not going to make a difference, Dahlia. You can never have me.”

That’s the thing, I don’t want him anymore either. But I need to give birth to an heir if I want to claim my inheritance. I don’t want to share my body with another man, nor do I have any love in me to give out to any man again. Derrick has made sure of that—to shatter me into pieces beyond recovery.

“I need time to sort myself, and it will be too sudden if I leave just after your father died,” I lied, and my body turned rigid as Derrick squinted at me like he could see my soul.

“Fine,” he grumbled. “Just one month and you are out of my life for good.”

Yes, Derrick, all I want now is to mate with you. Get pregnant so I can claim my inheritance in my Pack and leave your life for good!