Derek’s POV

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I checked all the files multiple times and then sighed in relief before knocking on my Luna’s door. I was not sure in what mood she would be in today.

‘Well, I guess, I know.’

“Come in, Derek.”, She said.

I made my way into her office and saw her working on the laptop. She was sitting on the couch, instead of her chair today. I made my way over to her desk and kept the files in alignment so that she would read them on a priority basis.

“Have you brought all those files which I had asked for?”, Luna asked and finally looked at me.

“Yes, Luna.”, I replied and looked at her. She looked like she hadn’t slept for nights. Well, that’s the truth. She spent her nights in pubs and clubs, partying hard to forget all her pain. She wasn’t always like this. Her mate left her for another Alpha female about two months ago, just because she couldn’t be pregnant. And after that, she was not the Luna that everyone knew.

“You don’t look good. Can I get you anything?”, I asked.

“Yes, please. Strong black coffee.”

“Sure, Luna. I will mindlink, Shaily.”, I said and mind linked one of the trusted Omega of the pack. “Now, Luna! I would like to leave. I have to check the patrolling routines at the pack borders.”

I was about to walk out of the room when I heard her voice.

“Derek, you lost your mate in a rogue attack. How did you handle that pain? And how did you get over it?”, She asked.

I slowly turned back around to face her. She looked like a broken woman. She used to be happy, full of life but now….now happiness was farther away from her. She had now darkness to her and seemed like she had lost all her hopes.

“I don’t think I'll ever get over the pain of losing her. I just learn to deal with it, hoping that one day, I will find someone that will take all my pain away from me.” I replied.

“Well, that was not the answer I was looking for. Anyway you can leave now.”, She said with no emotion in her voice.

***

“Are you telling the truth?”, Tobius asked.

“Obviously! I spent approx an hour with Luna last night. But my bad luck that she didn’t agree for the sex. I think Alpha Adam was a fool to leave her. Because she is such a sexy chick.”, Commented Asher.

My wolf started growling in anger after hearing these types of words for my Luna. They were speaking rubbish about her and we couldn’t do anything about it.

Why?

Well, that’s because Luna was giving them the chance to speak rubbish about her.

‘Should we talk about it with Luna?’, My wolf asked in hesitation. I was not sure whether that was a great idea or not.

From that moment, she had started going to pubs and bars and flirting with the men. Almost all the unmated males wanted her under their bed with the hope of becoming alpha of this pack. I am not bluffing about my character but I was the only one among all who was not inserted into becoming the Alpha of this pack, at least not in that way. Moreover, I never looked at Luna in that way. Yes, she was a beautiful and sexy woman, no one could deny that, but to me, it would be wrong.

“Don’t you guys have anything else to do? Or should I recruit someone else as a warrior?”, I asked them strictly.

Gasped, they looked at me in shock.

Stupid, they were so busy gossiping like women that they didn’t even acknowledge my presence.

“Sorry! Sorry, Beta Derek!”, They apologized in a low tone.

I kept my expression serious for a while. “What’s that in your hand?”

“I...I don’t know. The postman just delivered it.”, Tobius asked and passed the envelope in his hand toward me and quickly left from there.

I saw the Lun’s name on the envelope and made my way to her office, knocking lightly and waited until she told me to come in. I saw that the color of her eyes was changing frequently, which means she was talking with someone over the mindlink. I kept the envelope on her desk and was about to leave, that’s when she held my hand and pointed to grab a seat in front of her.

After ending the mindlink, she leaned back on her seat, looking at me with an intense look on her face.

“What happened, Luna?”

“I need to ask a huge favour?”, She said, her words were a little shaky and she was also nervous about what she was going to ask me.

“A huge favour? What kind of favour?”

“You always accompany me wherever I go, don’t you?”, She asked.

“Yes, Luna. Because that’s my duty. I have to keep you safe with everything.”, I said, not sure where she was going with this.

“I need to be my pretend love interest on Sunday for the party that I have to attend.”, She said and opened the envelope, which contained the invitation card for the party.

‘Us? As her pretended Love interest? But Why?’, My wolf asked.

‘I would have answered you if I had any idea about that.’, I replied sarcastically.

“Why me? There are plenty of werewolves that would happily go with you to act like you want.”

“Exactly! You don’t lust after me because of the person who I am. That’s why I need someone who can be by my side with whom I can feel safe even when I won’t be in my senses, someone who won’t try to end up with me at the end of the night. It is only for one night. Moreover, Adams will be there with her and I don’t want to show up alone taking a puppet. So, you are the best option among all.”

“You do realize that I and Adams don't go well together. Generally, all the Alphas and Betas have great bonding but in our case, he hates me!”

I couldn’t understand his reason for hating me. I mean I never did anything bad to him. I remembered the former Alpha introducing him as Stacey’s mate and future alpha. And from that moment, he started hating me. He even tried to appoint someone else as his Beta when he knew that I was the best choice for the Beta position not just because my father was Beta but also I was well trained in all the way.

“I know, another reason I want you to come, to piss him off”

“I never understood why he hated me?”

“He was jealous of you. He was afraid that if we both got to know each other then we might fall in love with each other.”

“Why would she think that? Everyone could see that I loved my mate whole heartedly, even though I lost her years ago. Also everyone could see he was the only one for you. You treated him like a King, though he never deserved that. I wonder why he used to think that way for you?”

“Because you were everything that I wanted in my mate. I mean, isn’t it lucky to have a mate who keeps loving you even though you are dead.”, She said, her voice breaking as she spoke.

I could never understand why he did that to her? Just because she couldn’t get pregnant?

What’s the big deal? He could have adopted one.

She gave him everything, loved him, and trusted him blindly. But then he left her proving her blind. I mean no disrespect but the current woman he was dating was nothing in comparison to Luna Stacey. I don’t mean only in the looks, I mean in every way.

“I know you will be there for my protection of course but this time, will you please pretend as my love interest?”, She asked, showing me her hopeful eyes.

“Luna, I don’t think that is a good idea.”

“Please Derek? You are the only one I trust. One time, One night, Please?”

I wanted to tell her, no, but the desperate look in her eyes was making it hard for me to do that.

“Okay. Just for one time and one night.”

“Thank you. I owe you this, Derek.”

I gave her a quick nod before heading back to my pending work. I was hoping agreeing to this was not going to make things difficult for me.

#TBC