Chapter Nine

Derek walked into the room Aiden had directed him to begrudgingly. He seemed so edgy about seeing the victim. Derek felt alike: every contact with these victims reignited his hate and determination to make these assholes pay. However, he didn't understand the reason for Aiden's palpitation.

He opened the door tentatively, the door hinges squeaking as he made his way through. The room like the other rooms was painted immaculately white, the porcelain ceiling shone brightly against the the pewter- coloured carpet. He didn't understand the reason for the carpet, mostly because of the repelling colour but that wasn't his main focus now. A mahogany wooden chest sat by the bed,a drip hanger standing behind it with a transparent tube running into an IV syringe in her hand.

A dark-haired girl lay underneath the sheets. The sheets almost covered her entirely, save for her bristled hair which shot up with every move she made. She was muttering to herself, appurtenant to the guise of a demented person.

"Canary, Canary, are you there?" She rambled on, sobbing silently. "Canary, please, please, come back!" She lingered on with her sobs." They couldn't have taken you away! Don't let him do it!!" She was yelling now, still under the sheets.

"She's been like this ever since she came here." A feminine voice spoke, breaking his intense gaze at her state. He turned around to find Mary Jane, his brother's ex. He didn't even know she was here.

A blonde, not a real one though. She dyed her hair a few months back and now the dye was coming off. Some exposed streaks of brown at the end of her tresses but didn't come off the least bit unattractive. Still pretty as always. Propped up in her crisp white nurse uniform, she wore a pair of sneakers,her hair tied up in a ponytail.

"A long time,"Derek answered, his eyes not leaving the girl on the bed."Where have you been?"

"A bit of here and a bit of there,"She answered, a smile forming on her lips. I went down to Vegas to see my mom. She's really doing well in the new club she just got-" Derek cut her off.

"Who's the girl?" His eyes finally landed on MaryJane, his eyes displaying a dour gaze. MaryJane stiffened, knowing that this was personal. Straightening up her posture, she got into her professional guise, picking up a clipboard from a table.

" Lavender Lain." She answered, flicking through the notes. "Some lacerations along her elbows, some minor scratches around her neck and thighs as a result of the struggle and some bad tears along her vaginal tissues." She went over the girl, adjusting her IV syringe on her hand as the girl tossed and turned in the bed. "Don't worry, I won't hurt you." She said, feigning a benign expression.

"Her scent's a bit odd, isn't it?" Derek observed out loud." Yeah, Dr. Elliot has noticed it too. He's researching and some tests have been conducted. No success so far."She replied nonchalantly.

Suddenly, the girl shot up,her blue eyes glassy, dark circles around her eyes with puffy bags sitting below her eyes. She faced MaryJane with a demurred expression. " Where's Canary? Have you seen her?! She's not talking to me!!" She shook the nurse viscously, leaving her with a blanched expression. Derek, moved by the scenario, stepped in between the duo, taking hold of Lavender by the shoulders. It seemed like she was losing it, bit by bit. Who the hell was Canary? "It's alright. Breathe."

She tended to visibly relax, her breaths becoming even. She looked up to him and he could swear he saw a glint of hope in her eyes. "Derek." She said looking at him intently, a sad excuse for a smile forming on her lips. She wheezed a little, her eyes returning to him.

"Derek." She called out again in a sore whisper.

Derek looked at MaryJane, a look of confusion written all over his face. Her expression mirrored his. "Derek,"He voiced his own name, bewildered as he held her hands in a bid to make her feel more comfortable. She called his name like she knew him on a personal level."Have we met before?"

She stared at his grip on her hands, looking back at him. "You don't know me, you've never knew me but I have always known you. And now you're here.... with me. Canary would been so happy-"She trailed off, looking away, tears falling off.

Was she some sort of stalker? He had pretty much of them. As the Alpha was old and was united with his chosen mate,he and Aiden were left in the limelight, girls seeking their attention,cause who didn't want to share a life with some of the most important people in the pack plus it didn't help that they were good looking either. Though it was more of Derek than Aiden,for everyone was terrified of Elena.

"Who's Canary?"

She continued like she didn't even hear him. "I would watch you on the podiums during the festivals when you gave speeches on behalf of the Beta or the Alpha. I even sent you some messages from my friend's phone but you never answered me. I don't have a cellphone, never had one growing up with my strict aunt. You never answered me? Why?" She asked with big sad doe eyes in a solemn manner.

Derek felt a bit irritated. This was just one of his stalkers. But that emotion was immediately overshadowed by pity- he felt sorry for her. But what he found weird was how she still made him a priority in her present situation.

"I'm sorry, I didn't notice. I barely have time for my personal life." He said, mustering the best benign expression he could.

She held onto the palm of his hand tightly, making small circular motions in it. Giving him a sad smile, she continued. "You know,there was this time when Aunt Whitney left the pack, I and my girls snuck over your courtyard and climbed into your room." She let out a soft giggle. "Lily picked your handkerchief while Emma stole your lip balm." She snickered a little, lingering on. "Don't be mad but I kind of got you on video,nude in the shower."

Derek scrunched his eyebrows in confusion looking up to MaryJane. She had perched herself in a stool, amused by the penitent confession. Was this girl just ranting or was this really true?

Though he could vividly remember an a day when he stepped out of the shower, the scents of different she-wolves swirling around the air of the his room. He rampaged through the entire house only wrapped in his towel, searching for signs of danger though the scents were only in his room, one could never be too careful. Brenda laughed her ass off while Diana stared at him incredulously. He didn't continue tracking down the scents once he realized they were fellow pack members and it made him seemed hysteric as Diana didn't pick any of the scents.

So he embarrassed himself for a bunch of mischievous she-wolves? He huffed a sigh of irritation inwardly.

"Are you mad? Please don't be, I promise I deleted the video right after-" Suddenly, she looked up to the ceiling,her eyes wide with despair and desperation.

"Canary...are you ther-"She removed her hands from Derek's, rubbing her temples,her eyes tightly shut.

Her blue eyes widened,a fearful and defensive look embedded in them. Derek closer to her in a placatory manner, to calm her down as he once did but she shook him off, kicking off the sheets and squirming into a ball, her hands holding her knees up to her chest.

"Don't touch me, I beg you!! Please don't.........get off me!!" She hollered hysterically, her screams resonating off the walls off the room. The IV syringe had been ripped from her hands amidst the frenzy,her blood appearing in splotches all over the white mattress.

"Don't, please, I beg you......" She repeated. MaryJane stepped in front of Derek,a syringe in her hands, containing a sedative. Lavender shoved her off, getting off the bed, picking a pair of scissors from the stainless steel tray on the chest besides the bed, pointing it at them ominously.

"You will never touch me again!! Canary's all gone,all because of you...... I'll kill you if you-"

Derek interrupted her, running to where she stood, slamming the scissors off her hands, coaxing her into his grip.

"Get off me, don't touch me!!" She continued hollering hysterically, making subtle attempts to escape his taut grip. The door opened, letting two male doctors enter. MaryJane regained her consciousness from being shrivelled from shock, stepped closer and injected Lavender with the syringe.

"I'm begging you....... don't-"Lavender whispered, sobbing. Her futile attempts became weak,her heavy eyelids shutting leaving her limp body in Derek's arms.

For him,it was a live, eidetic moment of when he got involved in all this shit. He lay her limp body into the bed and MaryJane stepped between them, cleaning her wounds before spreading new sheets.

"Derek, what the hell are you doing here?" A familiar voice boomed all over the room, making Derek snap to the owner. His brother, Leo Longwalk.

He was never like the rest of the children. A weird child he was indeed. He looked like the majority of them, tall with jet black hair which he always kept jelled,golden brown eyes but in the aspect of personalities, he didn't take after them except the fact he was mulish. He was younger than Derek and boy, how precocious he was........ having a scientific view behind every event. On the summers where the kids would ride their bikes and go on adventures like typical small town kids,he would stay indoors, analysing segments of the school's microscope which he borrowed from the Biology teacher who was just puzzled as he was......a nine year old boy who studied the microscope during the summer. Derek loathed his brother's quirky habits when he was younger, leaving him to play with Diana.

He ran a hand through his already disheveled hair, coming to face Leo."I just came to check on the recent victim."I'm sorry but I didn't get any sort of warning or appointment that you wanted to see my patient." Leo put in angrily.

"I have the right as the Gam-"MaryJane came in between them and cutting him off. " This is not the best place to argue, this is the hospital." She warned, gathering all her wits. Leo eyed him contemptuously, taking a few steps towards the door. "Nurse, I need you in room 52." He eyed his brother warily as he left the room.

"Sorry about him." MaryJane apologized sheepishly on behalf of Leo before frisking out of the door. He wondered how some people could be so frolicsome, putting on a smile no matter what..... just like his sister, Brenda. He swiveled around to find Lavender Lain.......

The other doctor was by her side, changing the drip bag he presumed. He left the room, head hung low. He raised his head to find Aiden with Elena by his side, engaged in a passionate kiss. Her normal pale skin was beet red as she ate harder at his face. Her black locks ran down her shoulders, ending at the small of her back. Aiden held her closely, not letting her go. Though she was pretty, when you think about it, Derek had always been wary of her. She seemed like the kind of woman who could only bring trouble and she was Aiden's girlfriend, he didn't want to have any head on conflict with her. He wondered why Aiden would and will always fall for this woman. Now he had found his mate, it would be a whole different problem. He could bet he hadn't told he hadn't told her.

"Hmmm ....." He cleared his throat. The duo immediately broke up with swollen lips and beet red faces. Aiden, however relaxed, his disgruntled expression melting into a merely bland one. Although Elena was here, Derek couldn't resist the urge to tease him a little bit. "This is the hospital not some make-out spot." Derek remarked,a cocky smirk popping on his face.

Elena swiveled around, glaring at him. Unlike normal girls who would blush or laugh about it and walk away out of embarrassment, she was glaring. If looks could kill, he would be dead by now.

"And how is it any of your business, Gamma?" She asked snidely, coming closer to where he stood. Her dark embers, burning fiercely pricked a tinge of anger within him. He knew Aiden could always do better than her.

"I don't think the Beta's personal affairs must bother you....or does it?" She asked,her glare ever burning,her dark eyes forming tornadoes.

"It doesn't." Derek replied motionlessly.

"I'm glad about that."

"Elena-"Aiden called out probably to correct her before Elena cut him off."Aiden, don't. I'm gonna see my sister. See you in the evening, I'm making dinner." She turned to face Derek glaring firmly. "Keep your snide remarks to yourself,"She said, her slid bridge nose high up in the air. "Gamma." She concluded, walking off, her five inches block heels making the click-clack noise as she disappeared.

Aiden came closer to Derek, placing a hand on his shoulders, his eyes expressing a corpulent apology.

"I loathe your fiancee." Derek breathed out curtly.

"That's understandable."

"So how did it go with Lavender Lain?"Aiden asked, his hands falling by his sides." Well the summary is ........." Derek let out a breath he didn't know he had been holding. "She is crazier than we thought." Aiden chuckled.

"The Alpha's waiting for us in the conference room. We shouldn't keep him waiting." Aiden informed, walking away from him. Derek trailed behind, following him in silence.

*******

"So you mean a group of your damned admirers came into our house, breaking into our privacy-"

" You mean my privacy. They only got into my room." Derek retorted rather coldly, his stoic expression not betraying any emotions. Diana shivered, actually stung by his words which made him regret his harshness at her. But mehn, she had to stop being a bitch.

"Is that what bothers you so much?"Ryan asked, a bit amused. A ludicrous warrior around his late twenties with lean muscles, brownish hued hair,sky blue eyes which always seemed to sparkle with glints of mischief, the only one who could make a smile creep on Diana's lips. It was rarely seen though.

"No, not really." Diana said,her vapid expression absorbing a bit of pallor.

The imperious Alpha sat in the midst of the symposia, his tiny spectacles perched on his nose. He always gave room for lucidness among his co-workers or partners particularly on meeting with such perilous agendas. Though it wasn't complete- Aiden, Derek, Diana, Ryan were all here but-

"Where the hell is Doc? We called out a meeting for thirty minutes ago!!"Aiden asked with a loud tone, startling everyone.

As if on cue, Dr. Elliot appeared, the door giving way for him, clutching a myriad of files, his stethoscope hanging on his neck. For being in a profession which was quite dynamic, he was an archaic middle-aged man, believing that most of the technologies today was not needed, mixing his scientific knowledge with a bit of alchemy with arrant belief his patients would be fine. And somehow, they still were. But the Alpha being the stubborn wolf he was, put an end to Dr.Elliot alchemist treatments, berating him to move along with time. That Derek quite supported. "I'm here."

Ambling his way down

to the table, the doctor slouched down one of the seats, dropped his myriad of files, insouciantly turning to face the Alpha.

"Good day, Alpha."