Tabitha's POV
As the silence stretched, even the air around us felt like it was frozen solid.
Derek suddenly asked in a hoarse voice, "Tabitha, what if I told you I never betrayed you? What would you think?"
"Never betrayed me?" I scoffed, my eyes filled with doubts and distrust. "Then what about Kyrian? He's like a mini version of you. You wanna claim he's just some mud doll Daphne made based on your looks?"
Actually, he's..."
Just as he was about to spill some explanation, an exclusive ringtone cut him off. The one that belonged to Daphne.
It used to be the most terrifying sound to me, for whenever it rang, Derek would drop everything and rush to that bitch.
I shot him a look full of sarcasm. "Why aren't you answering? What are you worried about? I'm no longer your Luna now. I don't give a damn if you wanna pick it up."
Derek dismissed the call and once again held my hand, saying earnestly, "Tabitha, listen, this is important. I kept it a secret from you because..."
Before he could finish, his phone rang again.
He checked the caller ID and then turned to me, saying, "It's Chloe. If she's calling at this hour, something must be up. Sorry. I have to take this."
I just shrugged.
"What's the matter?" he said after picking up.
Since I stood next to him, I could hear Chloe's anxious voice on the other end of the line. "Alpha Derek, Kyrian's hurt. Where are you now?"
Derek froze. "What happened?"
"Miss Sutton wanted to see the kids, so I brought Kyrian and Reid over. When I stepped away to grab something for Reid, Kyrian somehow managed to sneak out and fell down the stairs..."
Chloe sounded like she was on the verge of tears.
Hearing that something went wrong with Kyrian made my stomach twist with worry.
I hurriedly asked her, "Is he okay?"
"He's fainted. I've rushed him to the ER. Alpha Derek, I'm sorry. It's all my fault," Chloe kept apologizing through the phone.
Derek hung up, an apologetic look on his face. "Tabitha, I'm really sorry, but I can't stick around to watch the meteor shower tonight. I gotta go check on Kyrian right now."
"Go ahead," I said flatly, feeling ridiculous that I was worrying about Daphne's pup.
"I'll have someone take you back," Derek offered, looking at me with a hint of concern in his eyes.
"No need. I wanna stay here. Maybe I won't get another chance to watch a meteor shower," I replied, knowing that wolfsbane would kill me sooner or later.
Derek ruffled my hair gently. "Don't worry, we've got a lifetime ahead of us. Next time, I'll definitely watch it with you."
Then he hurried off, leaving me alone in the valley.
I watched him disappear into the night, catching a whiff of his lingering scent.
I tossed his jacket and then quietly settled back at the picnic table.
Apart from grilled food, there was also picnic food especially fit for a Seattle night on the table: hamburgers, hot dogs, chips, and ice-cold coke.
I popped open a can of coke and enjoyed the calm of the night all by myself.
With the Seattle breeze blowing and the crickets chirping around, I felt a long-lost sense of freedom.
Ever since I found out about the wolfsbane in my bloodstream, I hadn't enjoyed food like this.
I thought I'd really miss it, but when I bit into the burger, I realized that I no longer had the same passion for the food I once loved.
Setting the burger down, I got up and grabbed the jar of fireflies. I then walked to the edge of the valley, twisted off the lid, and set them free.
They belonged to the wilderness. They shouldn't be trapped in a jar for some show-off.
I tilted my head back to the sky, watching the fireflies dance. Suddenly, a bright streak lit up the horizon—a shooting star zipped across the night sky out of nowhere.