Chapter 96

Derek:

The evening before I was to meet with the rogue group came faster than I expected.

I had barely been unable to sleep and took to wandering the halls with abandon. I didn’t care about the looks of confusion or fear from my maids and guards, who probably thought I was acting so oddly again.

I circled the courtyard, and the kitchens, and even the portrait room that held many portraits of my ancestors and previous Alphas going down centuries.

Then at some point during the night I heard my mother’s voice.

“Are you unable to sleep too?”

I could tell there was concern in her voice and I turned to glance at her. She looked saddened at me, and I definitely didn’t like that.

“I’m fine,” i replied. She looked dressed for bed already and I had an inkling hat one of the maids had alerted her to my odd nightly movements around the house, and that was what forced her to get up.

“Go to sleep, mother,” i said to her, and turned away but stopped in my tracks when she spoke again.

“How much longe