26 A COSTLY LIE

Derek was shut up in his thoughts as he ruminated on what had just happened.

Did his little witch just speak with his beta over the phone? He couldn't believe it. 'When had they even exchanged contacts? They all had left her place that day together; or did her go back?'

These questions assailed his mind so much that he could feel himself having a headache, even though it was nearly impossible. Their kind didn't usually experience that.

"He must have gone over to her place yesterday. That dork.." Maru said angrily.

Derek reasoned that it was so too.

He remembered now that he had asked Claire when she had visited him yesterday about her twin and she had replied that he had visited a friend.

He had queried further to know the particular friend, with the aim of going there too as he didn't want to spend a second with any girl that wasn't her mate but she had replied that she didn't know. 'He didn't tell me.' She had said.

"So he went to see my little witch." Derek said to himself, getting angrier at the thought, now recalling that Shane had told him that Clem had come back by 7pm yesterday.

'Did he spend the whole day with her?' 'What were they doing?' He thought. His nose flared in anger as a picture of his beta kissing his little witch crossed his mind. 'No no. she wouldn't do that.' He muttered, clenching and unclenching his fists; forgetting for a little while that he was in public.

"Hey, Can you hear us?" A voice asked, shattering his thoughts. "We are inviting you to our house warming party this Friday night.." It continued.

He looked over to see that it was one of the girls that had snagged his hands earlier, the one with a mole underneath her lips. She had a card in her hands. But that wasn't his business. He had to find his Emma.

He took his back pack, not minding the questioning glares and pouts from the girls, and strolled out of the class. With his augmented wolf's hearing, he could still hear their chatterings;

"Hey!!"

"He's so full of himself."

"I don't blame him. I would be if I was half as attractive as him."

"I hopes he comes to the party."

"I don't think he would."

"Why do you think so?"

"He didn't collect the card. So he wouldn't know the location."

"That's true. I guess I will have to try again tomorrow."

Derek tuned the girls off, as he stepped into the hallway. The human girls could be so desperate.

"…Except our mate." Maru chipped in.

"Yes, except our mate." He muttered in agreement as he remembered their first meeting. He smiled at the memory. His mate was sure as feisty as they came. 'Only if she was a wolf..' He thought dolefully.

As he walked down the block, towards the school's luxurious cafeteria, he saw his beta and his mate sitting on a bench under a fine tree which had a thick good shade. They were laughing like they had no care in the world. His heart tightened at this view.

"Perhaps, you should tell him that she is your mate." He heard his wolf say.

"He wouldn't believe that. We weren't suppose to know or have our mate till we are 18." He replied.

"Tell him the full story then." Maru said tiredly. "He's your beta. He would know how to keep it a secret from the others."

Derek pondered on his wolf's statement and agreed with it for the second time today. It was better that Clem knew that Emma was his mate to avoid his title being stripped from him.

He was about walking over to them when a hand drew him back. Turning back to see the airhead who had interrupted him from getting to his mate, he was shocked when he saw who it was.

Claire.

'What was she doing in school today?' He thought, staring at her. She had told him yesterday when she visited that she wouldn't be starting classes anytime soon; that she preferred to train.

"Claire, What are you doing here?" He asked finally.

"I came to see you. Are you not happy seeing me?" She said, battling her eyelids at him.

"I …am.." He stuttered. "But I thought you told me that you wouldn't be coming to classes anytime soon." He continued.

"Yeah, I know, but I changed my mind." She said, smiling widely at him.

Derek cursed inwardly. This wasn't good at all. He thought. If she was saying the truth, that means he would have to stay away from his little witch. He wouldn't want her to be a prey to Claire, when he wasn't around.

He turned away from Claire to look at his little witch. She was still talking with his beta. He wondered what they were talking about. 'Shouldn't she be doing her assignment.' He thought angrily.

"What is that dummy human doing with my brother?" He heard Claire say, and cursed again. She must have followed the movement of his eyes, and of course it had landed on the couple underneath the tree, oblivious of their surroundings.

"Who?" He asked, turning his eyes away from the couple, feigning ignorance.

"The human." Claire said, happy that at least Derek wasn't fascinated with the human, or so she thought.

"Oh, what about her?" Derek asked, still feigning nonchalancy. He was almost going mad with fury as he saw his beta holding Emma's hands. But he had to control it; it might get messier if he didn't.

"She's an asshole; so full of herself. I don't know what my twin sees in her. Can't he just wait for his mate? Our birthday is just two weeks away." She said in a beat.

"You are…" Derek tried saying and bit his lips, trying to rein in his temper. He had almost defended Emma.

"I'm what..?" Claire asked.

"You are right." He said finally, lying through his teeth. He couldn't believe he had agreed with the crap that his beta's sister just vomited.

"She's a dunce and a leech." He continued, ignoring for a second the alarm bells that rang in his head.

"So that's what you think of me?" A voice laced with hurt croaked out.