Chapter 50 - ANGERED BY HER FATHER'S WICKED ACT

Maya swallowed her spittle forcefully as she beheld the furious look on Derek's face. He was very angry at her, and she didn't like it one bit. It wasn't helping her cause, but then, she could also understand why he was so damn angry, with his nostrils flaring as he tried to stop himself from strangling her. He was annoyed at having being spied on; well nobody fancied being spied on.

Taking her eyes off her cousin who was boiling in rage at her misconduct and selfish act, she casted a long glance on Melvina, her aunt. The older woman was staring into space, her face devoid of any emotions.

Maya knew she was deep in thoughts, and she wondered whether she would be forgiven for this grave act. Well, she knew she wouldn't be forgiving her father very soon. He had crossed the limits, by almost depriving her of her mate; and for that alone, she spited him, not caring to please him again.

"You told him right?!!" Derek's loud question interrupted her thoughts.

She snapped her eyes away from her aunt, placing them on him.

"Answer me honestly." He said, growling slowly. "You told Arnold that I have a human mate. He knows it right??" He queried again, his voice rising with each question sentence.

"Yes, I did." She mumbled, bitting her lips and expecting the worse.

So she wasn't suprised, when she felt his strong grip on her neck; his eyes changing from its beautiful mysterious blue color to a darker cold shade, almost black.

"Derek..." She called out weakly, not wanting to fight him back; after all she deserved whatsoever he planned to do with her. She had betrayed him again. She thought too that perhaps it was better she died, after all her mate didn't recognize her. It was better she left the earth, than stay without her mate.

"Why Maya.. Why?!!" Derek shouted, shaking his head from the side to another, trying to control his wolf which was set already to gain control of him.

"She deserves to die!" His wolf, Maru, had howled out; before he found himself holding his cousin, tightly by the neck.

He had only come back to his senses a bit, when she called him by his name. She hadn't done that for seven years now; and it somehow managed to draw him out of that dark haze.

But still, he held her, angry that she had betrayed him again. And here he had been, trying to help her find a safe ground with her mate. He thought angrily.

"How foolish you are." He heard his wolf say.

But he ignored him, for he knew that Maru's anger was founded by his cousin's stupidity. It would have been better if she hadn't reported the news to her father.

Knowing that his uncle already knew about his little witch, brought chills to his body even as he loosened his hold on his cousin's neck.

"Our mate is in trouble." Maru whimpered, and Derek couldn't agree less. But he vowed never to allow his little witch come to ruin.

"Derek, let your cousin go." He heard his mother say, and sighed. Taking his hands off his cousin's neck, he casted a hateful glance at her even as she kept coughing and taking deep breaths. Her eyes were brimming with tears again.

Derek didn't know, if it was because of his tight grip on her neck, or remorse. He concluded finally, after a while, that the latter was impossible. His cousin was as wicked as her father, and he had been stupid to even think of helping her.

"Maya, are you okay?" Melvina asked, noting the hateful glances her son was giving his cousin. And although she understood his anger, she didn't think it would be a source of help now. Their main problem was Arnold, not his daughter. The young girl was just a pawn in his game. She doubted that the evil man even saw the beautiful smart girl as his daughter.

"Yes,I am." Maya replied, standing erect, after having some bouts of cough. As she stood at attention, she wondered what her aunt would say about the issue. Of course, she wouldn't be happy, but she wasn't controlled by anger either.

"You should stop listening to your father." Melvina stated. "I know you want to always please him, but he is not worth the stress. He would still choose Curtis over you, no matter how much of a competent leader you are." She noted.

"Yes,I know. I had been stupid seven years to have betrayed you all. I have been stupid again, spying on him." Maya said, nodding her head towards Derek as she mentioned him.

"I have always disliked his methods and I despise him, especially now that he has deprived me of my mate, using that evil potion." She continued, in conclusion.

"That's not the only consequence of taking the potion." Melvina said, finding it necessary to let the girl know of the full effects of what her father had done.

Derek scoffed as he heard his mother's statement.

"What other consequence is worse than being deprived of your mate, even though it is temporary?" He asked.

"Well, Your life span is shortened as of now and your immunity levels are low; which means that you wouldn't heal as fast as before if you're injured and you could die if the injury is very serious." Melvina answered her son's question, though she faced Maya as she talked.

Derek's mouth fell open at his mother's reply. It was really bad.

"Why was it used then?" He asked, bewildered by the fact.

"Well, People were desperate during the last pack war to find out what was happening in neighbouring packs, enemy or not. They couldn't trust anyone. They even used it more, when vampires became involved.. to hold their scent, and change their look." Melvina replied with a sigh.

"They willingly gave themselves up?" Derek inquired, finding the whole thing ridiculous.

"Some did, willfully; some were forced, threatened." Melvina answered, her mind rolling back to the pack war which had claimed her best friend and caused a total mayhem to the supernatural community at large. At a time, trolls and faires had been involved. She never wished for a day like that again; it had been disastrous.

Taking her eyes off her son who still look bewildered over what she had just mentioned; she casted a look on his cousin. The young lady was spaced out, not caring a bit about the tears that flowed freely from her eyes. And she felt deeply sorry for her, understanding her plight. She had been in the same shoes one time, until Peter had rescued her. Her father had been abusive, perhaps worse, ever since her mother had died while giving birth to her. The memory of sad events which happened years back, came back then like fresh happenings, haunting her.

She jerked out of thoughts, when she heard her son calling out to his cousin. Refocusing again, she saw the girl taking long strides like a wounded tigress out of the garden.

"Where is she going to?" She asked her son, her eyebrows knitting in worry.

" She is going to meet her father.." He replied.