Tabitha's POV
Derek said, "I see. I won't hurt him, I promise. And I'll have my men looking for John. I'm sure he's fine for now. Don't worry."
I nodded, and he gently stroked my cheek.
"Tabitha, believe it or not, I never wanted us to end up like this. From now on, I won't hurt you ever again, I swear," he promised in a gentle voice.
I scoffed and changed the topic. "If it wasn't my dad who killed Elena, what would you do?"
He scowled as soon as he heard it.
"Tabitha, even if there's someone messing with my investigation, it doesn't make John innocent. I've kept the evidence in my safe. If you still have doubts, you can check it when we get back."
I fell silent, disappointment written all over my face.
Yet, he just ignored it and continued, "No matter how it shakes out, I'll handle this thing fair and square."
With that, he stepped out of the cabin.
Hearing the door click shut, I finally let my guard down.
As I unclenched my fists, I noticed that my palms were covered in sweat. I couldn't help shaking my head, an ironic smile curving my lips.
Since when did I become so guarded with him?
I couldn't even find the right word to describe our relationship.
Well, whatever. As long as he was willing to let Jasper off, I could put up with him for now.
Derek's POV
Standing in front of Tabitha's room, I fixed my gaze on Jasper, who was drenched in the storm.
As his eyes found mine, he straightened up, showing no signs of yielding.
To be honest, I always despised guys like him. Sheepish and naïve as if they would believe in anything you said.
But now, I gotta admit that I had underestimated him. Behind his meek façade, he was, in fact, brave and cunning.
If it weren't because of that nightmare, his plan might've worked. By then, I'd have no way to track down Tabitha.
After we locked eyes for quite a while, he broke the silence. "Alpha Derek, how are you gonna deal with me?"
"I promised her that I wouldn't hurt you, so I'm letting you go."
Seeing no fear in his eyes, I couldn't help feeling surprised.
Either he wasn't afraid of death, or he had guessed that I wouldn't hurt him.
Anyway, his reaction just ticked me off.
Suppressing my rage, I said, "I heard that you were injured. Come inside, and I'll have someone re-dress your wounds."
His eyes widened in disbelief as he asked, "You serious?"
I snorted, "I'm dying to throw you into the sea and get rid of you for good. But I don't wanna upset her."
Alvin made an inviting gesture. "This way, please."
Jasper quietly complied. When he walked past me, he stopped and said, "After putting her through hell, now you wanna play the affectionate mate? Alpha Derek, do you really love her, or you're just putting on an act to make yourself less guilty?"
Just as he finished his words, Rolf gave him a hard push from behind. "Get moving! If you keep blabbering, I'll feed you to the sharks."
Jasper just gave a sarcastic laugh.
I clenched my fists, trying my best to control my temper.
It was undeniable that what I had done in the past two years traumatized Tabitha.
But I was determined to make it up to her for the rest of my life. As long as I tried hard enough, I believed she'd get over it eventually and fall for me again.
Time was the best healer, wasn't it?
***
Instead of returning to Tabitha's side, I leaned against a wall in the corridor and lit a cigarette.
That nightmare of her jumping into the sea had been haunting me.
Every time I looked into her eyes, I would be overwhelmed by a deep sense of guilt.
I knew she no longer loved me, but I couldn't live without her, even though our staying together would be sheer torture.
Just then, Alvin and Rolf came to report to me, snapping me back to reality.
"Alpha Derek, the jerk has been sent back to the harbor as per your instructions," said Alvin.
I nodded before asking, "What about his injury?"
"It's caused by some weapon. But the battle that day was intense and almost everyone present shifted. It would make much more sense if his wound was caused by a wolf's claws or fangs."
I rubbed my jaw, my mind racing. "What did the doctor say?"
"Just like you guessed, Alpha Derek. The angle and the depth of the wound all suggested that it was intentional. It doesn't look like something one would get in a fight."
Rolf piped up, confused, "But why would he cut himself? Was he out of his mind?"
"Maybe he was doing it to make Tabitha pity him."
Rolf snapped, "Geez, that's sick. So he cut himself to get her attention?"
I analyzed in a low voice, "He's up to no good. Remember how he shifted after he drank that spiked beverage at Kyrian's birthday banquet? I bet it was intentional, too.
"After all, there were too many coincidences that day."
Alvin chimed in, "So he drank it even though he realized it would make him shift? What a lunatic!
Rolf replied, "If Alpha Derek was a minute late, he might even violate Tabitha. Moreover, he could just pin it all on the drink and get away with it. Man, I'm getting goosebumps!"
Alvin nodded. "Considering what he's done, he's definitely into Tabitha!"
My brows knitted as I cut him off, "How's it going with the thing I asked you to do?"