Tabitha's POV
I felt zero joy, just fixing him with my cold stare, snapping, "As much as I hate to admit it, you're my kids' father indeed."
Derek's face lit up with a mix of happiness and shock in an instant.
Seeing that, I scoffed, "And you almost killed them just now. There's no way I'm letting someone like you be their dad."
"Tabitha, I'm sorry." Here he was. The same useless apology again.
"Not every 'sorry' can just swap for a 'no worries,' Derek. Look at my face! This slap wasn't from her; it was from you!" I shot back, leaning back in my seat, feeling completely drained.
After I got pregnant, my body had been through the wringer, and all that struggling took a toll on me too.
Right now, I was just so tired.
Since Derek seemed to have believed my words, I decided to stay silent, not feeling like explaining any more than that.
He opened his mouth like he wanted to say something but then stopped himself, taking in my exhausted face before gently wrapping his arms around me with a sigh. "Tabitha, I know you hate me, but no matter what happens, I can't bear to let you go."
I didn't respond or push him away, just silently shedding tears.
After quite a while, I finally whispered, "Are you really not going to let me go?"
"Never." He tightened his grip on me even more.
"What if I die? Would you be able to let go then?"
Derek quickly lifted my chin to meet his gaze, a flicker of panic crossing his eyes.
A while later, he firmly replied, "John's getting better, and you're pregnant now. You must want to live more than anyone else. How could you ever think about dying?"
I sighed, "You're right. No one wants to live more than me."
Despite that, whether or not that would happen was beyond my control.
Even though I'd made it for another six months, my life was still in danger. My condition could get worse at any time.
Once the wolfsbane completely merged into my blood circulation, even the Moon Goddess wouldn't be able to help me.
Derek held me tighter and tighter. Although I was right in his arms and carrying his pups, he still seemed insecure.
On the way home, I was oddly quiet like a doll, just letting him hold me while he put ointment on my face without putting up any fight.
I couldn't stop thinking about how Derek wanted to harm my pups.
After arriving home, I ran to my room and lay on the bed facing away from him, not wanting to see his disgusting face for one more second.
He stood silently by the bed for a while before speaking, "Tabitha, from now on, I'll have doctors come over for all your prenatal check-ups. You can't visit the hospital anymore."
I didn't reply, still ignoring him.
Then, he added, "This isn't about controlling you. You know my identity. I kept our relationship a secret back then mostly because I was afraid that if my cover was blown, you would be the first in trouble. By the way, I found the person who pushed Kyrian down the stairs."
Upon hearing these words, I shivered a bit.
After a pause, he went on, "That guy is an international hitman. He was once a member of the Black Wolf Guild. An internationally wanted criminal going after a kid? It just reminds me of my old enemies."
"Well, that's just my guess. Anyway, the masterminds clearly have their sights set on me. The last thing I want is for you to become one of their targets too. From now on, I will try to keep my distance from you. You need to stay vigilant as well, for our pups' sake."
I whispered under the blanket in a muffled voice, "I'll protect them at all costs."
"I'll try my best to keep you all safe," Derek promised word by word.
Inside my head, my wolf wondered, "Does he really mean it? Or is this just another lie?"
I didn't know the answer and didn't dare believe anything right now. At present, all I wanted was to protect my kids. As for the rest, I'd have to play it by ear.