Derek cussed again and again as he walked steadily towards the door leading to the front porch. He didn't understand his little witch again. It was like she knew that something was really going on, and had expected him to tell her by himself; his avoidance of that, had then upsetted her much to even dodge his kiss.
What does she think is happening? Who does she think I am? Why the sudden question? He thought, turning the knob, to open up the door.
His cousin, stood by the door with a black polyethene bag.
"What's sup." She said, stepping into the living room.
He shrugged in reply, getting a furtive glance from his cousin.
"Okay. Out with it. What happened?" She asked, sitting on one of the couches. "How is she?"
"She is okay." He replied, taking a seat near her.
"Then what is wrong? Why is your face like poop?" She asked, reclining properly on the couch, whilst tapping her fingers on the arm rest.
"Well, she is acting weird." He answered, his face scrunching in confusion, as his thoughts assailed him.
"That's expected. Her house had just been raided since whenever by a person or people she know nothing of." She replied, with a shrug.
"I know. But that's not it." He stated.
"Then what?" Maya asked, sitting up straight in the couch, now curious about what her cousin had to say.
"She asked me who I was." Derek replied, looking at his cousin, as he spoke his thoughts.
"I don't understand. Did she lose more memories?" Maya asked, hoping it was not so.
"No." Derek answered.
"Then how? Make me understand." Maya said.
"We had been kissing, after I had dropped her meal on the table, when all of a sudden, she backed away, and asked me who I was, and if I was hiding anything from her." Derek summarized.
" Hmmm…" Maya sighed, rubbing her forehead tiredly. "And what did you say in return?" She asked, narrowing her eyes at him.
Derek shrugged, keeping mute for a while, before talking up again.
"I feigned anger, and asked her how she could say that. I told her that there were no secrets between us at all." He replied, tapping his fingers rhythmically on his thigh.
"Oh, Derek.." Maya muttered, trailing her fingers along her hair.
"What?" Derek asked, wondering why she was looking at him like he had done something wrong.
"Well, you did something wrong." He heard Maru, his wolf, say.
"What did I do? I'm trying to protect her here." He linked back.
"That's a wrong way of doing it. You should tell her about us, before someone else does." Maru opined.
"Tell her? And then what? She runs away; worse, maybe even into the hands of her enemies." He replied.
"She won't run away." Maru stated.
"And how would you know that?" He asked.
"Because she is our mate." Maru answered, causing Derek to scoff.
"You're forgetting that she is a human." He mentioned.
"A human that is attracting the attention of witches. Have you ever reasoned out why? She is useful, somehow. That's why they want her." Maru said.
" That's why I'm trying to protecting her." He stated, wondering why his wolf was not getting his point.
"By keeping her in the dark? You're doing her more harm, than good." Maru pinpointed bluntly, causing Derek to tune it off.
He refocused his sight on his cousin, who knew that he had been conversing with his wolf.
" Done?" She asked.
"Yeah." He muttered. "Maru thinks that I should have told Emma the truth." He said.
"It is right. You should have told her about us." Maya stated.
"But she is a human." He mentioned.
"Your mate, and highly sought-after by the witches." Maya replied.
"I will tell her. But not now." He concluded. " Perhaps after the pack war."
" It might be too late then." Maya opined.
" It won't be." He stated.
" I hope for your sake, that it is true." Maya said.
" So anything else?" She asked.
"Yes." Derek replied, thinking of the strange presence he had felt in Emma's room, some minutes ago.
"Hit me.." Maya stated, readjusting herself on the couch, her hearing antenna up high for the incoming gist.
"You know I had left Emma in the room, to prepare fastly a meal for her, since there was a high probability that she was hungry." He started.
" Uhuh.." Maya hummed, encouraging him to continue.
"When I was done with cooking, I had been coming back to her room with the food in my hands, when I heard her talking, more like whispering, as if to someone else. But I had discounted it to perhaps, her muttering to herself, since I couldn't hear distinctively what she was saying, neither did I hear anything from the 'another person' in the room.
But when she had finally opened the door after I had knocked, and let me in, I could swear that someone or something had been there..I had felt a presence Coz, an icy presence." He summarized.
"An icy presence?" Maya asked, befuddled by the statement.
"Yes. The temperature was lower in the room for a while." He responded.
"Hmmm.." Maya sighed again. "You sure it wasn't another witch?" She asked, saying the first thing that had dropped into her mind at her cousin's report.
"I don't know Coz. I don't know. This is getting stranger and complicated everyday." Derek muttered, bowing his head and resting them within his palms.
"You told Mom about the break in and necklace?" He asked, lifting his head from his hands.
"Yes. She wants us back at the pack house with Emma by tomorrow morning." She replied. "We could use Clem's birthday as an excuse to convince her in leaving the house." She added, referring to Emma.
"Okay." Derek said. " What's in the bag?" He asked, pointing at the black polyethene bag on the centre table.
" Your clothes. I thought you would want to change." Maya answered.
"Thanks Coz, you're the best." He stated, standing up to collect the bag.
" And Derek.." Maya called, causing Derek to turn back.