*NEW* Chapter XXXXI

Lydia's POV

I woke to the sight of a man standing by the window, shirtless, a bunch of bandages across his torso and arms.

"You are not good at listening, are you?" he said before turning his gaze to me.

For a moment, I thought I was dreaming. I shook my head and wiped my eyes with the sleeves of my sweater. "You shouldn't be standing," I said. "You were in bed form."

He scoffed. "My orders were clear, but nobody ever seems to listen to me."

I stood up from the bed and moved closer to him, his body towering over mine by a good twenty centimeters. He wasn't intimidating to me—he was just hot. Oh my god, what am I even saying? Wasn't he my mortal enemy just weeks ago?

"I'm your mate," I reminded him.

His retort was quick. "Exactly. Which is why you should trust me. But instead, you do everything opposite to what I say."

I showed him the mark on my skin. "You're the one who marked me. I don't even know what's going on. Do you think you can just lie in your deathbed and I won't feel a thing? You did this to me—you have to take responsibility for it. You trapped me. It's hell."

His expression softened, but his voice remained steady. "I did. That's why I was trying to protect you. Can't you trust me, just once?"

I met his gaze. "Can you trust me too?"

His jaw tightened. "I can't trust you. You never listen."

I shook my head. "I won't listen. Not if your life is at stake. I won't listen. You're trying to save everyone, but who's trying to save you?"

"My pack has my back."

I let out a sharp breath. "Well, Alpha Derek, I'm part of your pack. This freaking mark should tell you that better than I do. I love you, for god's sake!"

He froze. His eyes flickered with something unreadable before he demanded, "Say that again."

I blinked, momentarily confused. "What?"

He cupped my face in his hands, forcing me to look directly into his eyes. "Repeat the three words you just said."

"You mean... 'I love you'?"

A deep laugh rumbled from his chest.

"Stop laughing! I'm serious!"

Before I could say anything else, he kissed me—so deep I lost my breath. By the time we pulled apart, we were both panting.

"I loved you first," he murmured against my lips.

We kissed again, lost in the moment, until the door swung open.

There stood Vanessa and Fabian... Caleb peeking from behind.

Time seemed to pause for them.

Vanessa grabbed Fabian by the arm and pulled him outside before shutting the door again.

Derek walked to the door, smirking. "You can come in."

Vanessa practically jumped through the doorway. "I knew you'd recover fast!"

Derek's eyes narrowed. "Who brought Lydia here?"

Vanessa and Fabian immediately pointed at each other.

"I came on my own," I interjected.

That started an argument about whose fault it was, until Derek rolled his eyes and kicked the two of them out.

He turned back to me, half a smile playing on his lips. And suddenly, nothing else mattered.

Fabian's POV

As I left the room, I heard Caleb behind me having a go at his wife. They were the most opposite poles there could be; Caleb was stable, serious, and righteous, very mature, while Vanessa was an eternal princess—outspoken and a tad reckless. I still remember Caleb's face when he found out who his mate was. He cussed at the four winds and swore there must have been a mistake. We all laughed at him, including Derek. Back then, she was way more annoying and snobbish than now.

Now, there's only me left. All alone in the world. The emptiness of solitude is devastating. Life has only taken, taken, taken from me.

I snapped back to the present when a voice called for me. Turning, I saw Vanessa looking at me, concerned.

"Are you okay?" she asked.

I forced a smile. "I'm happy to have our alpha and my longtime friend back."

But we both knew what she meant. It was about Lydia making out with Derek.

I didn't want to feel this way. I thought I was over it. But seeing them together like that woke a pain inside of me, one I hadn't felt in a long time. It hit me—I knew they were mates, but I had never seen them together. Maybe I was relying on the fact that Lydia didn't want anything to do with Derek, that she still said she wanted me, even after being marked. Some faint piece of hope in my heart still believed in us.

When I was fighting, I was fighting for her.

I came all this way for her. And now I was just standing here, wondering—when did she fall for him? When did their relationship come to this stage? What had happened between them? I didn't even want to imagine that they had made love. Her mark was still the same, so they hadn't mated yet. But I knew it could happen any moment.

And then she'd be gone forever.

Should I accept it?

I saw Lea leaving her room. I had told her off after she spoke to Derek like that, and she had said she would leave. She looked ready to do so now.

She glanced at me briefly but didn't say anything. She was about to walk past me when, in an impulse I couldn't explain, I grabbed her arm and kissed her.

At first, she seemed like she was going to fight me off, but within a second, she started kissing me back.

I broke the kiss, completely stunned. Why did I do that?

She looked at me skeptically. "What was that about?"

I stuttered, unable to bring myself to answer. But to my surprise, she kissed me again.

I was still stunned, not knowing what to do, when she suddenly shoved me against the wall, her arms wrapping around my neck as she kissed me hungrily. It was messy, uncoordinated, heated.

When we noticed people coming across the corridor, I simply opened my room door, and without a second thought, we slipped inside, leaving her luggage standing outside.

Everything was happening too fast, and I could barely think. But that's exactly what I needed—to not think. My thoughts lately left me depressed, and this woman... this woman smelled so good. Her skin was so soft. Her kisses were messy, yet so damn good.

When we least knew it, our clothes were all over the floor, our bodies moving against each other on the bed, rhythmically in sync.

Spontaneity made it all the more perfect.

We didn't know each other's likes. We didn't know each other's bodies. So we did whatever.

And somehow, it was perfect like that.

Her giggles, her teasing comments calling me her alpha, her soft screams. My moans against her throat. Our warm bodies igniting steam.

For the first time in a long time, I wasn't alone.