Hunted Derick

Chapter Two - One Step Forward

★ Derick ★

I was freaking out. I looked from Jody to Carter, back and forth between them. Parker and I tried to figure out what the hell was going on. His earlier declaration of 'mate' was now in question. Jody laughed and my gaze zoned in on her, yet I felt nothing. Parker felt nothing. I guess she wasn’t my mate then. I turned my attention to the small and silent Carter and although I felt something towards him. I wasn’t sure.

“Sorry, if you will excuse me,” I said before rushing off into the woods. My mind was running a mile a second, trying to wrap my head around this confusion. Once I was sure that no one could hear me I fished out my phone from my back pocket and dialed Kaila. “Pick up, pick up,” I chanted as I listened to the ringing noise. I started pacing between two large trees as I waited.

“D?” she said as she answered.

“Finally! Listen K, I don’t know what the hell is going on!” I gushed out.

“Woah, woah, slow down! Tell me what is going on, slowly,” I took a deep breath and tried my best to explain things.

“I was going around, meeting everyone, including those that are joining the pack. I could smell his scent and Parker-”

“Who?” Kaila interrupted and I rolled my eyes.

“Parker, my wolf,”

“Aaah you named him, that’s adorable,” she cooed out and I sighed.

“Focus K, focus!” I demanded and I heard her giggle.

“Right, sorry, continue,”

“Anyway, so Parker picked up that he is our mate, but then he got confused. We stuck around but Jody is not our mate, is Carter our mate?” I knew I was rambling, but I also knew that Kaila understood every word.

“So, Carter is your mate?” when she repeated what I just asked, I thought that maybe Kaila didn't understand anything I was rambling about.

“We think so, but then again, we aren’t sure. I mean, I know he is a male and all, but I feel nothing, ok, that’s a lie,”

“What do you feel D?” she asked me softly and I slumped my shoulders and sighed. Again.

“I don’t know, I don’t feel romantically towards him, if that makes any sense,” we were both silents for a while. However, the more time that passed, the more frustrated I was feeling. “Explain to me how this is even possible?” I yelled into the phone. I continued to pace the small space between the two trees while I waited for her to answer.

“What do mean, D?” she asked, and I looked down at the device in my hand and growled out in frustration.

“Explain to me how he is my mate?”

“You mean because he is male?”

“Yes!”

“D, the gods mate us for reasons, not gender, not age, why are you freaking out about it?” she questioned, and I stopped to think.

“Because he doesn’t quite feel like my mate,” I tried again to explain it. “I mean, I feel connected to him, but not romantically. Parker and I are confused,”

“My advice is to just talk to him, see how he feels, ok?” I thought about it and then made my decision.

“Ok, I’ll do that, thanks, K,” we said goodbye and then hung up. I continued pacing around, gathering up the nerve to talk to Carter. It wasn’t the fact that he was male. Ok, who am I kidding? It is because he is male! However, the more I thought about it, the more I realized that my frustration had nothing to do with the fact that he is male. No, my fear came from a much darker place. Carter, I could already tell, is innocent. The frustration I was facing had more to do with this one simple fact: Did the gods truly believe that I even deserved a mate? 

★ ★ ★

I made my way slowly to the campsite and I spotted him immediately. He was sitting between Jody and Conner. My mind still hadn’t shut up, but I pushed aside all my doubts and fears and headed over to the small group.

“Um, hey, Carter, could we talk?” Carter looked up at me and nodded slowly as he stood up. I noticed the exchange between Jody and Conner, but I ignored it as I led Carter into the woods. Once again when I felt we were far enough, I stopped and turned to face him. He was so slim and looked so frail. His longish blonde hair framed his oval face perfectly. His soft blue eyes darted all over the place as he obviously refused to meet my gaze. “Carter?” he snapped towards me and I head the soft growl come from him.

“I..d-don’t t-think s-so…” he stuttered out and the sound of his voice did nothing to affect me. All I felt towards this young wolf was protectiveness.

“What don’t you think?” I asked him curiously.

“We are not mates,” he pointed out, talking slowly and carefully. Parker growled unhappily and I frowned.

“Why?” I wasn’t sure why I was asking him that, but I figured his wolf had to know something.

“Why? Why what?” Carter looked confused as to why I was questioning him.

“Why don’t you think we are mates?” I questioned. The frustration I had been feeling seemed to disappear but was replaced by curiosity. Why didn’t he think we are mates? Was he also freaking out about the fact that I was male? Or did he too, realize that I was unworthy?

“Because my wolf doesn’t…um, he doesn’t recognize your wolf in that way,” he finally explained and I tilted my head to the left, thinking.

“My wolf is confused,” I growled out and Carter flinched before dropping his gaze. I felt bad for making him feel uncomfortable. “I just don’t understand it, we picked up on your scent,”

“I did too, but we aren’t mates,”

“Then? What are we?”

“I am not sure,” he admitted. I felt somewhat relieved to hear that but another part of me was still confused by the whole thing.

“So now what?” I wasn’t exactly asking him, so when he didn’t provide an answer, it didn’t bother me.

“Maybe its because I am an omega and you are an Alpha,” he whispered. I nodded and then I did what I do best, I walked away. I didn’t want to deal with whatever the hell was going on. Mate or not, I wasn’t sure if I would accept it. Besides, I had a job to do. I had a pack to build and time waits for no one.

★ Carter ★

Watching Derick walk away was hard, but then again, I wasn’t sure why. I had meant what I had said. My wolf did not recognize him as our mate. Besides, Derick didn’t look too thrilled at the idea anyway. I slowly made my way back to camp; I was just in time to hear Derick and Gary explaining the plans for the pack village and packhouse. I shivered at the thought of having to do physical labor. I was not built like the other wolves. Hell, my twin, Conner, was a lot more muscular than me.

“Hey, everything ok?” Jody whispered as I sat down next to her. I nodded and folded my hands in my lap as I listened to them talk.

“So, Gary will go around marking the trees that need to be cut down for wood and then tomorrow we can start, ok?” Derick said and looked around at everyone. His gaze stopped on me and I felt myself blush. I wasn’t sure why I did but I had no control over it. He shifted his gaze and I felt the chills roll over me. Wolves stood up, ready to get started but I stayed put with the females. I was in no condition to chop down anything. However, Derick had other plans. “Carter!” he yelled out and I squealed out before rushing up towards him. “What are you doing?”

“Um…”

“Look, you may not have the muscle to chop down or carry anything, but you can assist Gary with marking of the trees, ok?” he said as he looked at me. I shifted uncomfortably and then nodded. I followed him into the woods where Gary stood with red tape. He was busy marking a tree. “Hey man, do you think Carter could give you a hand with that?” Gary looked over at us and smiled.

“Yeah, sure,” he handed over the roll of tape and I clumsily took it from him. Derick rushed off and I felt disappointed that he left. I shook my head to stop the silly thoughts and paid attention to what Gary was saying.

“…that one and then that one,” he looked over at me and I nodded. I had no idea which trees he had pointed out but luckily, he was patient and told me again. This time I paid attention and moved over to the first tree to mark it. This was boring but at least I was doing something to help, instead of just sitting around.

★ Derick ★

“Alpha?” I turned to look at Keith as he entered my tent.

“Hmm?”

“Everything is on schedule,” he announced proudly, and I nodded. He left and I sat down on the stretcher bed thing as I ran my hand through my messy hair. The pack village was almost complete. Ten houses of different sizes had just been finished. The great hall, as well as the market, had also been completed. The vegetable fields and animal stables had been set up as well. The whole farm basically. I still couldn’t believe we’ve accomplished so much in just two months. It was truly exciting and rewarding. Of course, we had been working night and day to get it done and now all that was left was the packhouse. 

“D-Derick?” I didn’t have to look up to see who was standing at the opening of my tent. The smell of his scent alone was enough.

“Is everything alright, Carter?” I asked him as I laid back on the bed. I closed my eyes as I heard him enter.

“Y-yes, I just…” he took a deep breath. “I just wanted to let you know dinner is ready,” he rushed out the words and I smirked. He was truly adorable. I sat back up and faced him. His blonde hair was sticking up all over the place, making him look younger.

“Thanks, Carter, I’ll be right there,” he nodded but didn’t move from his spot. Over the past two months, we weren’t any closer to understanding the connection between us. There still wasn't any romantic feelings. Yet, I knew without a doubt that I was protective over him. No one dared to even look his way without me being there to defend the young omega. Carter shifted on his feet awkwardly and I stopped myself from rolling my eyes. “What’s up?” I casually asked him.

“Do, do you think, I could…um,” he stopped and looked around the tent. I knew now that this was a nervous habit of his. Avoiding eye contact. “Could I sleep here tonight?” he asked so softly that I actually had to strain myself to hear it. That’s how soft he spoke.

“Why?” I didn’t mind if he wanted to crash here, sometimes Keith and Jody did. Sometimes he did too. Space was an issue, although now with the houses complete, he should be in his bed, in his room, in the house. Keith and Jody had already picked out one of the bigger houses. So, therefore he had a place to sleep and I frowned as I looked at him, waiting for his explanation. I still didn't mind it, in fact, I had other ideas when it came to Carter.

“Scared,” that single muttered word had my heart breaking in two. He was scared of what? I wasn’t sure but I decided not to push him.

“Sure, you can crash here,” I said as I got up. Carter blushed and I smirked. Adorable. “Come on, let’s go eat,” I placed my arm over his shoulder and led him out of the tent. Parker and I had already concluded that he is not our mate. No desires, no romantic feelings, and no lust ever arouse when we touched on him. None. Even when we shifted into our wolves for a good old fashion run, not even then. Protectiveness, check and that was it. Carter made me feel like I was his older brother and I needed to keep an eye on him. That was as far as our relationship went. In fact, I had even gone so far as to contact Kaila and discuss adoption with her. Not that I ever thought Carter could or would be an Alpha. He was far too weak for that. The runt of the litter. Poor little guy. However, I wanted to keep him close to me. Out of harm's way. We wandered over to the great hall and I smiled warmly at Jody, Susan, and Misty when we entered. The three of them were officially in charge of cooking and cleaning. My stomach growled hungrily as I looked at the massive plates, bowls, and pots of food that had been spread along the table. As usual, it looked delicious.

“Stew,” I heard his small voice whisper and I nodded.

“Two bowls of stew,” I said to Jody, who smiled as she dished up two bowls. One normal helping and the other filled to the brim. She handed the smaller one to Carter and the other to me. Misty came up with two plates, one with bread rolls and the other with salads. It wasn’t unusual for Carter and me to share. I graciously took the plates and Carter followed me to the bonfire. Wolves sat in groups on the stools made from the remaining logs. I was happy to see my pack members laughing and having a good time. Enjoying the evening and good food. I smiled as I sat down, many greeting me warmly. Carter eased himself carefully onto one of the logs and I sat beside him, making sure to balance one plate on my lap and the other on his. We ate in silence. Once we were done, Carter and I headed back to our tent for the night. I had no problem letting him take the stretcher. As we settled in for the night, I wasn’t surprised to hear Carter start talking to me. It was in these moments, these quiet moments we spent alone, that he would open up to me and talk to me about his life. One thing I had seen was how he clung to me, appreciated me, and admired me. Knowing that we weren't mates, allowed both of us to be open with each other. Although it had yet to be confirmed, we also didn't discuss it. That was one topic that was not on the table.

“Conner and I always fought, you know? He is stronger than me, in every sense of the word. I hated myself for so long," he started and I frowned. "I still hate myself,” he added softly.

“You shouldn’t though,” I interrupt him, I hate it when he talks down about himself.

“Well, I do. You don’t know what it is like to be me. Small without strength. I hate it, I hate everything about it,” he said harshly. I knew these words and I leaned up and looked over at him. Of course, I could understand what he was saying and he was right. I did not know what it was like to be him. Small without strength. However, I was not a born wolf. That alone says it all. “Conner has it easy, Candice too,” I frowned then. Who is Candice? I wasn’t sure but I didn’t think to ask any questions. “My parents just threw us away. Candice was already gone; she was three or four at the time. Keith’s mom took us in, raised us, and all that. It just never felt like home to me,” his voice trailed off and I laid back down, getting comfortable as I waited for him to talk. I enjoyed listening to him, although I didn’t always agree with his thought process, it didn’t matter. Carter was important to me. End of story. “But here, now, I finally feel home,” I smiled then. I felt the same way. After my own difficult life, I too felt this was home. “Goodnight Derick,”

“Night buddy,” I said before turning onto my side and closing my eyes. The last thing that I thought was: Who is this Candice he keeps mentioning?