Chapter 30

Stacey's POV

.

I felt someone touching my head, and I quickly opened my eyes to look at the person doing this. It was Mom, and she was looking at me with concern.

"I didn't know that you drink so much.", She said, counting the number of empty bottles which were lying all around me. Wow! I ended up finishing all my father's stock.

"Mom…I…" I didn't know how to explain this behavior of mine.

"Let me get you some medicine and a black coffee for your headache.", She said when she saw me lost. But instead of sitting there, I followed her like a lost pup and then sat on the kitchen stool. I sat there holding my head because of the headache and feeling sorry for myself. I knew I had hurt both Scarlett and Derek. Scarlett being a kid, spoke everything to my face giving me the reality check, but Derek didn't. Though I knew that no matter how much he denied it, he felt bad, I was there to spend time with them, not to flirt with someone else.

What did I think when I gave my number to Jonas, one of my old acquaintances!!! We were close to each other after Adams left me. We used to spend time together in the pub until he left the town for some family issues. When he called me last night, I clearly asked him to never call him ever again.

I didn't know why I said something like that to him, but I knew that it had something to do with Derek. It was also not that I was going to sleep with Jonas; it was just dirty talks and phone sex, probably. But after Derek's silence, I realized that it was not just sex between us but was more than that.

The last time I was affected by someone's silence was Adams.

My chain of thought was broken by mom when she spoke, "I can't believe that Adams still affects just in such a way that you kept drinking the whole night."

"No, Mom. I was…not drinking because of Adams.", I corrected her, and at the same time, I realized something else as well. "It was Derek's silence that was affecting me.'

Damn it! How could I realize earlier that if he was affecting me, then somewhere, I had started feeling something for him?

I just didn't like him or want him for sex, but feelings were broughten inside me for him. That was why I wanted Lucy to stay away from him. He might have…might have felt in the same way that was why he was not happy by listening to my conversation with Jonas.

'I'm glad that you realize this fact without delaying more time.', Alicia happily chimed in.

'You know about it, don't you?' I asked.

'Of course, I do. But I didn't want you to force you to feel the things which I used to feel for Rex and Derek.'

I came out of my thoughts when mom placed my black coffee in front of me along with the medicine. I looked up at her, and she had a smile on her face.

"Mom? You're smiling."

"Knowing that my daughter finally moved on in her life. Yes, I'm happy.", She said with a smiling face. "So, when are you going to propose to him?"

"Mommm?"

"What? Are you waiting for my fifty anniversary to propose to him?"

"Gross! Mom!" I groaned and started sipping my coffee after having medicine. As for now, I knew that I had to see him and his daughter and try to make it up to them. After finishing my coffee, I finally pulled my hungover ass off the stool, heading through to grab a quick shower and get ready before going to see Derek and Scarlet. More than Derek, I was scared of Scarlett's reaction because she wouldn't mind putting me in my place in her innocent way.

I remembered her asking me for a new laptop or desktop. I knew it was too much for a kid of two years, but then she was smart, and she needed all the facilities to increase her knowledge. She wanted to learn new things from all over the world and gain as much knowledge as she could.

'Everybody is a genius. But if you judge a fish by its ability to climb a tree, it will live its whole life believing that it is stupid.'

In the same way, Scarlett was a super-genius, and excepting her to behave like a kid of two years was something stupid. For a while, she could put this act in front of the outside world, but inside her own hours, she should deserve everything she wanted.

After getting ready, I went directly to get the desktop at the pack's shop, which had opened it early than the other days because I had asked dad to get this work done. I wouldn't have disturbed him, but then I couldn't mind linking everyone in this pack; even dad was the Alpha of the pack.

"Alpha Stacey!", The shop owner greeted me the moment I entered inside by bowing his head.

"I'm sorry for disturbing you this early."

"No. No. It's fine! Moreover, I should be happy because it's not every day that you visit my shop. Now, please let me know what your requirements are so that I can show you the products accordingly."

"I'm buying this for a kid of age…seven or eight years old. So, suggest me something anything keeping that fact in requirement."

"Oh, okay! What would you prefer for that kid? Laptop or Desktop?"

"Desktop will be fine until she grows up a little older.", I responded, thinking of every pros and cons for both. She was a kid, and just like other kids, she would keep herself busy with the new things for a week or month until they got new things, and obviously, no one would want to use the laptop in the living room. So, it would be better to have a desktop so that she could sit in one place instead of roaming here and there in the house, carrying a laptop in her hand.

After buying a desktop, he personally placed it in the back seat of my car. I sighed, realizing this was for Scarlett. Now, what about her dad?

I decided I would stop by the florist shop and get a water lily for him along with a lot of chocolates for Scarlett again. I didn't know whether it was enough or not, but at the same thing, I wouldn't get the answer to my question until I reached there.

Once I got everything, I needed, I made my way toward his place. I checked the time; I was sure that his father would be at the training ground at this moment and wasn't sure about his mother. I rang the doorbell after taking a few deep breaths. No one opened the door for a minute. I could sense Derek and Scarlett's presence in the house but had no idea what was happening inside because of the spell which was put around the house so that no outsider werewolf could hear about the things that were happening inside.

I rang the doorbell again.

'Derek,' I mind linked him.

'I'm in the shower. Just wait for a while.', He responded. A part of me was telling me that he ran into the shower after sensing my presence. After waiting for a little more minute, finally, he opened the door.

"I'm sorry that I made you wait for this long.", he apologized quickly while I walked inside the home.

"It's fine. Because it is nothing compared to the time I took to bring the ice cream.", I said and forwarded the flower toward him. "These are for you.", I added when he looked at the flowers in confusion. "To say that I'm truly very sorry for yesterday."

"Stacey!", He sighed before taking flowers from my hand and placing it into the vase by taking out the older one and then turning around to look at me again, "This was not necessary. I told you this yesterday, and I'm repeating it again that you're single and you are allowed to do whatever you want. It's not that we are in a relationship. Moreover, I don't understand that why you are even apologizing to me in the first place?" he asked, furrowing his eyebrows.

"I'm apologizing because you felt bad, Derek. I know that you are not admitting it. I also know that we are not in a relationship or we are seeing each other, but at the same time, we don't want each other to see someone else too."

"What..what do you mean, Stacey?", He asked, getting nervous as if I had caught what he was hiding from me. I reached near her and placed my hand on his heart softly.

"Derek, I want you, and it is not just in a sexual way. In fact, I want you is not the right word. To be honest, I like you, and I like you more than I had thought. And I also want to choose you as my chosen mate.", I confessed directly without beating around the bush.

"You mean to say that just me and you? As a pair?" he asked to confirm, on which I nodded my head. "What changed?" he asked, narrowing his eyes.

What did I expect? Just because I would say about the part of chosen mate, then he would happily say YES because I was Alpha's daughter.

Nope.

He was different.

"I realized.", I muttered. "I realized that how much you affect me." I said in a low tone. "I promise myself that not to think about all things until I come to know about your thoughts about me being infertile. I wanted to know you in a better way first, but it seemed like I ruined my chance to know you in a better way after yesterday's incident. I know that no matter how much I will make up the things, I won't be able to until and unless I tell you my true feelings for you. I promise I won't repeat something like I did yesterday even again in my life. I'm genuinely sorry, Derek." I apologized and waited fr his reaction, but he didn't say anything for a while, nor did he react anything.

"Say something."

"Oh. Okay"

That was it? I was expecting a little more than that from him. I would be lying if I said that his words didn't sting even a little. I shook my head, soon regreeting to damaging everything with my own hand. I took my hand away from his heart and was pulled back by him in a fraction of seconds.

"I like you too, Stacey. And I don't give a damn to the fact that that you can't conceive because with a pup or without a pup, you are valuable, you're whole, and you matter to me."

"So you want me too?"

"Of course, damn it! Why do you think I was upset? Though I knew I had no right to be mad at you, at the same time, I couldn't stop myself from getting upset or…say jealous.", A smile broke on my lips after hearing him.

Obviously, our bond was not strong as fated mates, but someday even that part would be changed when we would mark each other.

Fine! We discussed this topic as well. Everything between us is sorted.

What now?

Yes, I had to ask him to get the Imac which I had brought for Scarlett. I opened my mouth to speak when I saw him staring at my lips. Was he waiting for Twilight's next part to kiss me? If he wanted to kiss me, then he could do it right now, right here. It was not that he had to take my father's permission. Sensing that he would take ages to kiss me, I acted before he could, leaning up the distance and crashing my lips against his with a moan.

His arms instinctively wrapped around me, pulling me closer to his hard muscular frame. My arms snaked around his neck, and my fingers clutched his hair to deepen the kiss. His tongue lapped against my lips, wanting entrance. Instead of fighting for dominance, I let him take the lead by parting my lips and letting him invade my mouth.

We didn't realize when our kiss turned into a heated one, and we were ready to tear each other clothes until we were caught red-handed by his parents.

The click sound of the door was both of us, but we didn't get time to adjust our hair and dress till the moment they walked in.

Not to forget, they could also smell our arousal.

Their eyes were wide open, and I ignored them and waited for a magic wormhole to come and suck me away from this embarrassing situation I got myself into.

"You too can get a room if you guys want to continue.", Mrs. Randell said in a teasing tone.

Damn!!

"It's not like that, Mom." Derek tried to explain, but no matter what he would say, the damage had been done.

"Yeah! Explain that to your little member."

"I can't believe you.", he exclaimed and held my hand to drag me out of that situation. Once we were out of there, we looked at each other, and after staring for a while, we both burst into a fit of laughter.

"That was…" he started.

"...so embarrassing.", I ended. Between our laughs. After a while, when we finally stopped laughing, I continued, "By the way, I have brought something for Scarlett too."

"What? Flowers?"

"No. Not that. I have brought Imac for her."

"What?", This 'what' was not a question but a shock.

"She asked something from me for the first time yesterday, and I kind of promised her that I would buy her a laptop or desktop."

"But, Stacey…"

"Don't tell me that you were not planning to get one for her? We both know that you were also planning to get one for her. So, how does it matter if I got it for her?"

"Yeah! Fine." he nodded. "Let's take it inside. She will get so excited after seeing Imac for her.", he suggested.

"To be honest, I'm too scared for her reaction.", I said truthfully. "What if she wouldn't forgive me then?" I asked, unlocking the car. Derek opened the back door of the car to take out Imac from there.

"You're overthinking. Come on! I'm sure Mom would have woken her up, and right now, she would be whining just like other kids to let her sleep a little more.", he said, shutting the car's door after taking Imac out. I nodded and followed him, and just like he had said, Scarlett was hiding her face with the pillow so that she could sleep a little more!

"Scar, see what is here for you?"

"No. I'm not going to fall into your trap, daddy.", Her muffled voice came behind the pillow.

"I'm not trapping you, sweetheart. It's just that Stacey had brought you something. Something that you had asked from her yesterday."

Scarlett threw the pillow away, and seeing how far the pillow went; I could say that she was a lot stronger than a kid of her age. Not to tell, even werewolf pups are not this strong until they get their wolves.

"Did she bring a desktop or laptop for me?", She asked, getting excited. And the moment her eyes landed on the box. "Yayyyyy" She jumped off the bed and ran in my direction with her very little tiny legs, opening both her hands. I crouched so that I could come up to her size, and in no moment, she hugged me. "Thank you, Stacey. Thank you so much."

"You're welcome, sweetheart.", Saying this, I picked her up in my arms and kissed her forehead. I was glad that she didn't had held any grudge in her heart.

"Daddy, hurry up! Install it, please, so that you can teach me how to use it."

"No!" he said strictly. "Freshen up first, and then after breakfast, I will help you with it.", he added, on which she pouted and looked at me.

"Daddy is right, darling. You just can't skip the other morning activities." I said the same.

"Fine then! Put me down so that I can go to freshen up!", She grumbled, and I did what she said. I saw her walking, going into her room and taking out her clothes on her own, and then going into the washroom.

"No one is going to help her?" I asked in surprise.

"No. She kicks everyone out.", Derek said nonchalantly, shrugging his shoulder after keeping Imac on her bed as for now.

"Stacey, you are staying here for breakfast. And I'm not requesting.", Mrs. Randell said, on which I agreed immediately because I was feeling damn too hungry. I didn't have eaten anything last night and also hadn't had my breakfast in the morning."

"Only if you let me help you in the kitchen."

"Sure! I have heard that you're an amazing cook.", She complicated, looking at Derek. He might have told her about my cooking skills.

"It means I'm going to eat something nice after ages.", Mr. Randell joked.

"What did you say?" Derek's mom asked angrily.

"Nothing. How can I say anything?", The old couples started arguing. Well, more than arguing, they were enjoying it. I looked at them keenly, and a small smile broke on my lip, thinking, 'will my future with Derek is going to be similar to it?' But then he never fights with me. My eyes moved to Derek, who was looking at me already.

'What are you thinking?' he asked through mind link, raising his eyebrow.

'That whether we will fight like this in the future?'

'Maybe. We will have to get married to figure out about that part.', he teased. I shook my head and looked on the kitchen counter to see what Mrs. Randell was going to prepare. Oh! She had already made preparation for the omelet. An idea came to my mind to prepare an omelet in a new style, and for that, the moment I broke the eggshell, I felt like I would puke immediately after the smell of egg hit my nose.

I quickly dropped the egg at that place and looked at Derek, who understood that something was wrong.

'Washroom?'

"This way."

I couldn't stop myself from running toward it because all of a sudden, a wave of nausea attacked me, and I wanted to throw up. Thankfully, I made it to the washroom just in time to empty my stomach in the bowl of the toilet after opening its cover.

All my black coffee and some amount of alcohol were out of my system. I felt my back being rubbed softly, and I didn't have to lift my head to check who that person was!!

.

#TBC