Tabitha's POV
I quietly stood behind the door, soaking in every word Derek was saying.
So, this was his so-called solution. He wanted to have both me and Elena back.
I couldn't help sneering. What made him think that I would still let him have his way after everything that had happened?
I remained composed, still being all friendly with Kyrian.
Busy with the matters of Poison and Wolf Shadow, Derek rarely came home.
Other than my loss of appetite, I appeared perfectly normal. So those who were ordered to keep an eye on me lowered their guard.
One day, I got a call.
"Hello, Klein," I greeted after picking up.
"Tabitha, I've had everything arranged."
"Thanks."
I slid into the car Klein had sent to pick me up, and sitting there was none other than Jasper, someone I hadn't seen in ages.
He must've guessed that I had known he was Matthew, as I saw a glimmer of guilt in his eyes.
"Tabitha," he broke the silence.
"Jasper, long time no see," I kicked off with a greeting to ease the awkward vibe.
He kept his head down, fiddling with his fingers like a kid caught doing something bad. "You figured it all out, right? You know I'm Matthew."
"Yeah."
"Sorry, I didn't mean to hide it from you. I—"
"I should have guessed it sooner. That time when I was kidnapped, someone made a phone call to the kidnapper. It was you, right? That's why you could easily find me and managed to take me away."
"Tabitha, it's all my fault. Blame me all you want. Hate me if you need to. I'm fine with it. But I gotta clarify one thing, I never intended to harm you," he explained.
"I know."
If he really wanted me dead, I wouldn't be standing here today.
But after everything I'd been through—being deceived and betrayed time and time again—I couldn't bring myself to trust anyone.
Little did I expect the friend I genuinely cared about was lying to me all along.
"Don't worry. Everything is fine with John. I'm going over to perform surgery on him now. I'll make sure he comes around," he reassured me.
"Thank you."
Perhaps stung by my cold attitude, Jasper frowned.
"Tabitha, I'm sorry."
I looked up at his guilty face and then said calmly, "If you really feel sorry, then tell me about Elena."
Upon hearing my words, he looked up at me in shock. I knew he must be wondering why I knew about Elena.
"Tell you what? I figured it out a long time ago. Just tell me for old times' sake."
He sighed, "Fine. I'll tell you everything."
He looked into the distance as he recalled the past.
"Tabitha, do you remember what I once told you? Some people are just inherently malicious? Elena is an example. She's a psycho."
"Psycho?"
"She was taken away by a few rogues when she was a child," Jasper began, his voice rough. "They brought her to a remote pack in another city, where they still had that breeder tradition."
"Breeder?" I was stunned.
Making someone a breeder was a serious insult. It meant that she-wolf was nothing but a baby-making machine.
"Yes, that pack was impoverished and benighted," Jasper continued, his voice filled with obvious disdain. "It was literally a living hell. She was chained up and even forced to sleep in a doghouse. Eventually, she managed to escape by setting the pack on fire. Sadly, she was disfigured because of it."
Speaking of this, he sneered. "She's really ruthless, even to herself. After she was disfigured, she didn't dare to go back to the Black Thorn Pack. By a strange twist of fate, she ended up in Poison and Wolf Shadow. She's spent years trying to get skin grafts just so she could return to Derek sooner.
"When she finally felt like it was the right time to return to the Black Thorn Pack, however, she found that Derek had mated with you. And she couldn't accept it. I think it's because she's twisted. She has a miserable life, so she hates to see anyone be happy.
"She drove a wedge between you and Derek, framed John, ruined your life, and even tried to kill you just so she could find comfort in your pain."
I clenched my fists, asking in a shaky voice, "To hurt me, she didn't hesitate to harm so many innocent lives?"
Jasper summed it up with a final line, "Anyway, she's a ruthless lunatic. Be careful when you meet her."