ONE

Chapter 28

"It's your father " was all it took him to say for Derek to take off into a sprint towards his father's room , regardless of his feelings towards him. And believe me when I say that my heart broke into a million pieces for him when he saw his father's lifeless body lie on his bedroom floor. Sure, I've never been a big fan of king James and he wasn't the best person but to Derek , he was all he had left. To him, that was his father lying there...

"Get doctor Edgar ! Now !" He yelled as he tried to look for a pulse while I stood idly by. It broke my heart to see him this broken up and to know there was nothing I could do. Even when Doctor Edgar confirmed what we all already knew , Derek refused to accept it , that broke me even more.

I watched as everyone left the room while Derek sobbed over his father's body while I sat in the corner and watched him. I so badly wanted to reach out and hold him,but I knew from experience that he didn't want comfort just yet. Just grief. When he finally stood up and wiped his face I took that as my chance and embraced him.

"I'm so sorry..."

"He's really gone... and I never even apologized. " he said with regret underlying his tone.

"Derek, I'm so sorry. Is there anything I can do ?" I said, letting him sit on the bed.

"No , just hold me. Please. " He said as we sat like that for another 2 hours , as the sun started to rise . "Everything's different now. I'm the king. The only heir and ruler. I have to do good Elena. For my dad. " he said looking at me.

"But you still want to make a change , right?" I said worried that the death of his father would turn Derek back into him.

"Of course I do baby. I just mean , I'm the only one left now and I have to do good. I have a responsibility now more than ever to be a fearless ruler to our people. And I'm going to need your help ."

"Of course. What do you need ?" I said placing my hand over his.

"I need you to keep me from becoming my father. Closed off , cold and ruthless. I told you I wanted a change, and I'm afraid the loss of my father will get too much and I'll end up being exactly that." He said looking down at me as I watched his eyes search mine.

"I promise. Do you... want me to call Penny? I mean , are you ready ? He was her father after al-"

"Call her. She deserves to say goodbye too." He said taking me by surprise as I left to get Penny. When I came back , I watched as she cried over his body while Derek didn't stay to see her again , not that I could blame him. He needed the rest after everything and he insisted I stayed and comforted Penny instead.

"Are you okay?" I said , placing my hand on her back as she kneeled at his side.

"Of course. I-I've got chores to do. Excuse me ." She said running out -trying to act tough and not bothered- but I could see the tears falling down her cheeks as she ran out.

Walking back to our room , I instructed Cade to take care of everything while I went back to bed. Seeing Derek fast asleep ,cuddled in bed made my heart yearn for him to be okay again. To see the joy in his eyes and the love in his touch, but I also knew he needed me now more than ever.

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When I woke up for the second time today , I've already skipped over breakfast and lunch while the staff were all rushing around preparing dinner. I've never dreaded going to dinner more than I did now... the other times it was purely out of fear and distaste towards king James but now , it was the fear of what his absence was going to mean... and what came along with it.

I watched as Derek pushed his potatoes across his plate from side to side , while he glanced over at his father's empty seat every few minutes. I could see he was deeply hurting and feeling so guilty...

"Hey ..." I said , placing my hand over his as his eyes shot up to meet mine. He watched me with dead eyes that held no emotion. It was like he was an empty shell and went numb. Like he was looking at me but not really looking at me. Taking his hand , I slide it down to my belly as the baby kicked right where his hand was , snapping him back to reality.

"Did you feel that ?" He said while I pushed my chair back, not believing it myself.

"I did if you did. " I said with a smile looking back at him while I saw a little bit of colour come back to his eyes. "Elena , I love this. You , our family. I really wanna be okay after losing my father but I realize that shutting down from the world around me wasn't going to make any of this easier. I need you. To be here with you, in the moment. Cause you're all I have left. You and this little guy. And I don't wanna lose you too."

"Derek... I love you too." I said , realizing that I JUST admitted to loving him. I never thought I would or could after everything, but maybe time was all I needed to see what a great guy he actually was underneath all that rough exterior.  Seeing the sparkle return to his eyes , I stood up as I leaned down and placed a kiss on his lips. Pulling back I see him smile from ear to ear before he pulled me down and returned the favor.

I wasn't sure how I wanted this one to play out ... but I'm mildly happy with how it turned out. Any thoughts? Leave them down below. Thank you so much for reading. Until next time, keep howling my wolves ❤🐺