Maya swallowed her spittle forcefully as she took in the furious look on Derek’s face.

  She noted his nostrils flaring, and figured he was struggling to restrain himself from strangling her.

  But she understood this emotion; she would have strangled herself if she were in his shoes.

  Tearing her gaze away from him, she cast a long glance at Melvina. The older woman stared into space, her face carefully blank, devoid of any visible emotion.

  Maya knew better. Her aunt was deep in thought.

  She wondered—quietly, fearfully—if she would ever be forgiven for this grave act. She already knew she wouldn’t be forgiving her father anytime soon.

  He had crossed every limit imaginable by almost depriving her of her mate. For that alone, she despised him now, no longer caring to please him or earn his approval.

  “You told him, right?!!”

  Derek’s loud question tore through her thoughts, shattered the silence.

  She snapped her gaze back to him.

  “Answer me honestly,” he growled, his voice low and dangerous. “You told Arnold that I have a human mate. He knows it, right??” His voice rose with every question, anger spilling through his control.

  “Yes, I did,” she mumbled, biting her lip as she braced herself for the worst.

  She wasn’t surprised then, when his grip closed around her neck—strong, unforgiving—his eyes shifting from their familiar, mysterious blue to something darker, colder… almost black.

  “Derek…” she rasped weakly, making no attempt to fight him. She didn’t deserve to. She had betrayed him again.

  A bleak thought crossed her mind then—that maybe it would be better if she died.

  Her mate hadn’t recognized her afterall. Living without him felt unbearable. Perhaps it was better to leave this world than remain in it so utterly broken.

  “Why, Maya… why?!!” Derek shouted, fighting his wolf clawing for control.

  “She deserves to die!” Maru’s howl thundered through him, and for a moment, Derek barely realized how tightly he held her.

  “Drek…”

  He only came back to himself then. She hadn’t called him that in over seven years. Somehow, it pierced through the haze.

  Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

  Still, he didn’t release her immediately. Anger burned hot—she had betrayed him again. And yet here he was, trying to help her with her mate troubles.

  How foolish you are, his wolf sneered.

  Derek ignored him. Maru’s fury mirrored his own—rooted in Maya’s reckless stupidity. It would have been far better if she hadn’t told her father anything.

  The realization that his uncle already knew about his little witch sent a cold chill down his spine, even as he loosened his grip on Maya’s neck.

  “Our mate is in trouble,” Maru whimpered.

  Derek couldn’t deny it. Albeit he swore he would never allow harm to come to her.

  “Derek, let your cousin go,” his mother said firmly.

  He sighed and withdrew his hand.

  Maya coughed violently, sucking in deep breaths, tears brimming in her eyes again, when Derek shot her a hateful glance.

  Derek couldn’t tell whether they were from the pain of his grip or from remorse. After a moment, he decided remorse was impossible. She was just like her father. He had been stupid to think otherwise.

  “Maya, are you okay?” Melvina asked, noticing the poisonous glares her son kept sending the girl.

  She understood his anger—but this wasn’t the time. Arnold was the true problem. Maya was merely a pawn. She doubted the man even saw the intelligent young woman as his daughter.

  “Yes, I am,” Maya replied after several coughing fits, standing upright again. As she steadied herself, she waited—anxiously—for what her aunt would say next.

  “You should stop listening to your father,” Melvina said calmly. “I know you want to please him, but he isn’t worth the stress. He would always choose Curtis over you—no matter how competent a leader you are.”

  “Yes, I know,” Maya admitted, nodding. “I was stupid seven years ago to betray you all. And I was stupid again, spying on… him.” She gestured toward Derek.

  “I have always disliked my father’s methods though I despise him—especially now that he has deprived me of my mate with that evil potion.”

  “Yet, that isn’t the only consequence of taking the potion,” Melvina said gravely.

  Derek scoffed. “What could be worse than being deprived of your mate—even temporarily?”

  “Your lifespan has been shortened,” Melvina replied, facing Maya. “Your immunity is weakened. You won’t heal as fast as before, and if the injury is severe enough… you could die.”

  Derek’s mouth fell open. It was far worse than he’d imagined. “Why was it ever used then?!”

  “Desperation,” Melvina answered with a sigh. “During wars, especially the last war, no one trusted anyone. With vampires involved, they used it to suppress scent and alter appearance.”

  “They volunteered?” Derek asked, incredulous.

  “Some did. Others were forced,” she said quietly, memories flooding back—war, death, chaos. Trolls. Fairies. Devastation. She never wanted to see such days again.

  She turned then to Maya. The girl stood there, eyes distant, tears streaming freely as if she no longer noticed them.

  Melvina’s heart ached. She understood that pain too well. She had lived it—until Peter saved her. Her own father had been cruel, worse even, after her mother died giving birth to her.

  She snapped back to the present when Derek called out: “Maya!”

  Startled, she saw Maya striding out of the garden like a wounded tigress.

  “Where is she going?”

  “She’s going to confront her father.”