SIXTY NINE

Derek:

Alisha was a lot relaxed as we walked back home in silence. Meanwhile I couldn’t help but feel like shit still. I should have protected her more, I thought. It seemed that having guards around her as a precaution was barely helpful.

Not for the first time since I became Alpha and began to deal with Gerard and Lila in my life, I hated my forced complacency in dealing with the issue. I should have done something more before this problem became something more. Now I had not just Gerard the cunning snake at my neck, but his banshee of a daughter too.

Derek? You’ve been silent all this while. Is everything okay?” She sounded so worried for me even now. It made me feel equal parts guilty and protective of her.

“I should be the one asking you that, love,” I said to her. “I’m sorry I couldn’t come fast enough.”

My words made her smile and lit up her face.

“You don’t have to apologize for not being able to control the actions of others,” she pointed out, letting out a small chuckle. “I