Chapter 121
A sense of unease descended upon my chest, causing me to spin and churn as my magic coiled within me like a live wire waiting to strike.
For as long as my mother had lived, there would have been a battle; it was unavoidable. For as long as she lived, she would not give up until she had taken the kingdom for her own selfish purposes, killing and maiming anybody who stood in her path.
Whether I wanted to fight or not, I was the only one who could stop her. She had instilled in me a sense of comfort with violence and made me live in it; now, instead of being the victim of her brutality, I would be the one using it.
The clearing beyond the force zone I'd erected stood still, as if nature were taking a breather before the carnage began.
The pack home was spared and protected from the impending onslaught by my magic, which, for the first time since I'd regained it, cooperated with my thoughts.
Somewhere in the background, I could hear Derrick gathering his men with the king's strength and cunning. His deep affection for both me and his people was tugging at my heartstrings through our mate bond.
What if I was unable to halt this?
What would happen if I gave it everything I had?
I was breathing heavily as I took in everything outside.
What if I lost the one thing I really wanted to live for and we won?
"You didn't get a chance to eat properly earlier; you'll need your strength soon." Derrick appeared by my side once more, serving me a sandwich wrapped in a serviette.
I looked up at him, his expectant gaze fixed on me, his love for me unwavering.
He wore his dread of losing me on his face, despite his obvious love for me. Instead of giving him my assurance that everything would be alright, I put my hand around his outstretched arm and pulled him towards me.
I leaned against him, pressing my lips against his; the sandwich he'd brought me was crushed between our chests.
I cherished the way his lips touched mine and reminisced of the slow, passionate way he pressed his lips against mine; kissing him seemed like an eternal gift. He took a long breath, taking mine and breathing it back into himself. I gasped as he took away my power and used it against me, pushing his tongue forward.
He let out a noise that was halfway between a growl and a moan as he kissed me more deeply, drawing me into a chasm where I could feel him losing all control.
I knew how this was going to end if it weren't for the impending danger we were in. In the same way that my brother was indifferent to manners, he was driven solely by primal necessity as he tore at my clothing and dragged me onto this muddy field.
I moved away from him and rested my forehead on his in order to inhale. We were extremely dependent on one another, but this kiss represented more than mere attraction.
We ought to have spent more time together now that our mate bond had fully formed, but I had given him too many kisses in the mistaken belief that they would be our last, and I was unaware of this. Although it wasn't a farewell kiss, it was rather close.
"I should bring you food more often." He looked again wistfully at my lips, and I giggled at his tone of frustration.
"I don't care about the food; I only care about you."
He sighed, "But I enjoy taking care of you, feeding you—spoiling you." Taking the crushed sandwich from his grasp, I chuckled again at the serious expression on his face.
I bit into it to satisfy him.
"When did you even have time to make me a sandwich?" He slipped his hand on my hip.
"I always have time to take care of you." He murmured, glancing momentarily over my shoulder.
He fixed his eyes on the tree line, feeling tense.
What he was thinking was obvious, and it was in line with what I was thinking.
There were a lot of ways things could go wrong.
"Derrick?" "Don't do something foolish if anything bad happens." I called him out of his reverie. He instantly scowled when I begged him.
Even in situations where he lacked the resources, he would stop at nothing to keep me safe. He was both strong and helpless at the same time, and my mother would always go for him first, as she knew that he was my only vulnerability when she saw me standing here with my magic pointed and prepared for her. I would use all of my strength to defend him, and when she saw that I wouldn't allow her to touch him, that's when she would turn to me.
"You and I have differing definitions of foolishness, it seems." His grip tightened around me, his wolflike protectiveness showing through.
I reached over to his face and smoothed the lines of his scowl with my fingers.
"Before I met you, I wasn't living much of a life, but now I wouldn't know how to live without you." I stopped and balled my fist around his shirt's front." So, please consider me before doing foolish things. I would immediately follow you if you were to leave me here on earth by myself, both in the present moment and in the immediate future.
"Neither of us is dying." He snarled. "Don't you remember that you promised me a family?" I sealed my lips to keep them from quivering.
"I love you," he said, smiling at my statement despite the dire situation.
"I know you do, but I love you more." Just as someone called out for him, he said so defiantly.
The pack bond ignited within us, causing my hands to tremble with a flurry of rebellion and revelation. Horror struck me as the warriors' words continued to reverberate in my head. A few of them had not returned from their patrol and instead chose to scout the area, despite being instructed to return to the pack house.
"They're not safe out there; they need to come back here where I can protect them!" Gabriel was approaching us when I started to draw away from Derrick, and my voice trembled.
The idea of causing harm to someone else was too much for me to bear." The far east has been moving, so they said, "I don't care; tell them to get back here right now!" My order roared through my mind and all around us. I sensed how their wolves' enthusiasm transformed into subjugation, and perhaps I would
have felt terrible if it hadn't been a matter of life or death.