Kyra
Kyra had not anticipated the amount of distress that Derek would be in.
Of course, she knew exactly what had happened.
When Derek had asked her for privacy, there was no way she wasn’t going to eavesdrop. She’d barely gone ten feet into the woods, and thanks to her enhanced hearing, she had heard exactly what the man on the phone call said. Derek's friend Jesse had not been killed by natural causes or his own bad decisions.
He died because of a vampire. In Canada. Was it possible that it had been someone from her coven? And what was the incentive to harm Jesse? Unless he was willing, very willing, he was not a good candidate to convert to their cause; he was far too old. The best candidate was someone in their early teens, not someone in midlife.
Maybe he had seen something and started asking too many questions.
She had to do something. She had to find a way to help Derek. Even if their relationship was doomed from the start, she couldn’t let him just keep crashing about the woods. He would end up hurting himself or someone else. And then he would never forgive himself.
She had a bad feeling though. Her coven was ruthless and wouldn’t hesitate to eliminate someone who had displeased them. She didn’t want that to be his fate. Part of her was still hoping that she could find a way to include him in the coven’s plans.
He’d never allowed anyone to be harmed, but maybe if she could sell the hybrid thing as a benefit, maybe he’d listen? She doubted it, but it would be worth a try at the time.
She had to catch up with him before he did something he regretted. He was obviously out of his mind with grief. She’d known he was close to Jesse, but she could tell Derek’s reaction was more than just grief. He felt like he’d failed Jesse somehow. She’d heard him mention it several times over the last few days. He felt like if only he’d done more for Jesse, then he wouldn't have been so alone in the world.
“But I thought he was like you,” she’d said, confused. “You like wandering around, traveling the world.”
“Yes. I do. But he had a darkness inside of him that I couldn’t touch.”
She took her clothes off and folded them up, stashing them on a tree branch. She took off after Derek, running as quickly as she could. He moved fast. By the time she caught up with them he was thirty miles away. She was exhausted. She did go out for runs, but without a pack to run with on a regular basis, she had no real motivation to push herself. The vampires did not exercise, at all.
She finally found him, still in wolf form, sitting next to a cliff. He was gazing out at the expanse of wilderness. She shifted into her human form and sat down beside him. She panted for a minute trying to catch her breath.
Hesitantly, she put her hand out, letting it land on his back. Gently, she stroked through his thick fur. She'd never taken a moment to just realize what a big wolf he was. His fur was a dark gray color and it looked shiny and sleek.
"I'm sorry. I'm sorry about Jesse,” she said, hoping she could get through to him. “I really thought you might have a better outcome."
He turned his head toward her, gently nuzzling her leg. But he still did not shift. That was okay. She would sit there with him.
At that moment, she could not allow herself to think of how this development might benefit her cause.
Or it could end up hurting her cause. If he was even more suspicious of vampires, they might be on the lookout. She needed to go home and talk to Victor. But right then, she was going to enjoy just being with Derek. She could feel the tension radiating from his body. Even the long run had not been enough to expel all of his emotions.
Abruptly he shifted and then a man was sitting next to her. Her handsome shifter.
"I know you could understand me earlier, but I really am sorry." She threaded her fingers through his, looking down at his large hand that dwarfed hers.
"So you know that he’s dead?” he asked. He looked over at her. “You heard that much? I really don’t remember at what point I lost it. How much did you hear?”
She nodded. “Just that he’s dead. That’s all.”
“You didn’t hear how he died?”
“No. I missed that.”
He exhaled. He would tell her, just not yet. “Thank you for saying you’re sorry. I'm really not surprised that he's gone. He's never been away this long, without getting in touch with me. I know I should be grateful that he didn't take his own life."
She nodded again. She didn’t feel like being mercenary, but this could be an opportunity to find out more information. "Did they say what happened?"
"He was murdered.”
“Oh no.”
“Jesse had his hands in a lot of different businesses. He might've been poking his nose where it didn't belong. And he got caught up in the wrong place at the wrong time."