Crying Silently – The best love stories are always the ones where they don't see it. You're sitting on the edge of your seat just wishing they would see it. Sigh.

Lena WhiteWolf – Thank you! I'm glad you like it!

Crixtine – It's all good. It was just a few sentences, so I'm not surprised you missed it. I had to go back myself and make sure that Simon mentioned it. Haha. All I can tell you right now about Coe is that he's conflicted (which you will read more of in this chapter.) Tori and her husband have yet to make plans with Simon yet. And, as for Derek's POV, I like the idea of him thinking about it while he's stuck in his jail cell. I'll give you a preview of Derek's wedding day in this chapter. Lastly, I never thought about my DP stories have continuity, but you're right! How funny. And I promise that I will be updating After the End in the near future. (:

alliycat1301 – You'll have to check back to see… that is, if they ever do. (Evil laugh.) (:

The Darkest Powers Series belongs to Kelley Armstrong.

10: Disregarded

Derek

I closed my eyes and rested my head against the wall. My days consisted mostly of sitting there and wondering where I had all gone wrong. Every single day, I sat there and wondered what Watson wanted with me and my family. I wondered if my days were numbered, and I wondered if my kids were safe. But most of all, I wondered, worried, about my wife. Thanks to Liz, I was now positive that she was in the room right next to me. But I didn't know much else. Liz had said that she was fine, but that had been hours ago. Something could have changed.

Chloe could have lied.

I bit back the urge to pound on the wall. I was sure that she could hear it… maybe. And if she could, she could talk back to me, right? But it would just tear me apart even more, knowing that she was right there. The wolf inside told me that I needed to do everything I could to protect her and take care of her. The wolf inside said that she was helpless. I knew that wasn't true, but my protective side seemed to have a mind of its own. I had to wrestle with myself to keep from jumping up and hitting the wall with as much force as I could muster.

Chloe wasn't helpless. I'd seen her raise the dead. I'd seen her look directly into a skeleton's pocketed eyes and command it. My little mate could stand up for herself. She'd stood up to me on more occasions than one. Of course, I was putty in her hands. I'd do anything for her. My biggest worry was that other people could get past those eyelashes and that smile.

I could remember the very first time I saw her. I thought that she'd be perfect for what I planned. Simon, the chivalric chauvinist, as I liked to call him, needed to get out of the Lyle House. He refused to leave without me. I was determined to get him out of there without me. The only way I could come up with was to present him with a damsel in distress. And, to my chagrin, the entire plan had worked. It had worked so well that I had ended up escaping with them. Part of it had to do with the pre-Change that had racked through me. The other part of it had been that Chloe had seen me, really seen me for what I was, and she had stayed. She wasn't a damsel in distress. She could handle herself. But from that point on, I was determined to protect her. She had almost immediately wormed her way into my pack, and she had stayed there ever since.

From that moment on, it was ingrained in me to watch her. If not for the need to keep the wolf satisfied, then to keep Simon's love interest alive. Simon had always been chasing after girls. And since she had given me the out to get Simon out of the Lyle House, I owed it to her. And, strangely enough, she'd proven to me that she was more than just a movie-obsessed necromancer. She was someone with an attitude and a brain. She wasn't stupid and clueless like others that had been part of Simon's conquests. She was capable.

I couldn't – and still can't – pinpoint when my feelings towards her became less pack-like and more romantic. I had been so blind that I hadn't even seen it until that day when Simon had finally finagled a date out of her. I'd been so mad when I'd seen her walking back towards the house by herself. I'd immediately thought that she'd ditched Simon. She was smart enough that she wasn't constantly falling at his heels, begging for his attention. It could've been that, for once, a girl had pulled one over him. But when she'd looked up at me, tears in her eyes… I'd broken right then. My emotions took a wild turn, from annoyed and angry to concerned. I'd put every blame on her until I'd seen her eyes, and then all of a sudden it was Simon that was to blame. And when she told me that Simon assumed that she was interested in someone else, namely me, it had hit me.

I'd always been an analytic person. Simon and my adoptive father were the only people that I'd ever let close to me. They were the only ones that I could trust. But in that instant, I realized that I trusted Chloe just as much as I trusted my brother. And to make matters worse, I liked her. Instead of holing up with an advanced math book, I was spending my free time "innocently" thinking about her. In the past, it had always been chalked up to the wolf. But now… now it was me.

Who would've thought that I could win the girl?

Our relationship had taken a turn for the better. It hadn't taken me long to fall completely in love with her. It hadn't taken long for my wolf to claim her as its mate. And, after five years, I asked her marry me. It was probably one of the most unromantic things ever. It had just happened, not long after I turned twenty-one. She'd only been twenty. And yet, at our young age, I knew that we were going to be together forever. If she'd lasted with me for that long then she could handle the rest of our lives, right? I couldn't ask for more commitment from her. She was the one who had been ready to make it official before I was. And so, I turned to her and pulled her close. I'd kissed her and whispered that she should marry me. I didn't have a ring. I hadn't gotten down on one knee. I hadn't gone all out and gotten a band to play some sappy love song, and I hadn't even thought of a creative way to ask her to spend the rest of her life with me.

And the most amazing thing was that she agreed to it without missing a beat.

And, within months, I was standing at a makeshift altar. It hadn't been grandiose, but it had been enough for the two of us. Tori, of course, had gone out of her way to make things obnoxiously wedding-like. It had actually come to a surprise to me, even though she had managed to make herself our friend over the years. Simon had stood next to me, looking extremely nervous. In all the time that Chloe and I had been together, I'd been shocked that he'd never accused me of stealing his girl. Not once. I guess that could be explained now – he had a string of girlfriends, and it didn't look like he was planning to settle down anytime soon.

But that day had been one of the best days of my life. I'd stood at that altar, scared to death, and looked out at my father and Chloe's aunt. I knew she was heartbroken that her father couldn't attend her wedding, but we had kept up with the charade of keeping him as far away as possible. His involvement with his daughter would've led to problems in the future. He didn't even know he had grandkids. Maybe, if we ever got out of this, I would change that.

I closed my eyes a little tighter, recalling in almost perfect memory the way Chloe had looked. Tori had marched down the short aisle with purpose. But beyond Tori, hiding behind a door in an extravagant white dress, was my little Chloe. She held a bouquet in front of her, nearly covering her face with it as she stood there nervously. Even from my distance away, I could see that she had her eyes glued shut. I struggled not to smirk at her. I knew that her emotions had to be out of whack. I was the stoic one, and my emotions were bouncing off the walls like a hyper child that had eaten too much chocolate.

And then she had opened her eyes, and I'd seen the gleam of tears from where I stood. But they weren't sad tears that I had seen that night when I'd discovered my love for her. They were happy tears, ecstatic tears. And I couldn't help but grin like an idiot when she'd started walking down that aisle to a limp rendition of the wedding march. And the only thing I could think of in my head was that nothing could be better than seeing her walking towards me, promising her life to me, just like I was about to promise my life to her.

Chloe had stepped in front of me and turned to look at me. I wanted to kiss her right then and there, but I knew that Tori would've blamed me for ruining the wedding. I figured that I could just wait until the time was right to avoid the wrath of a genetically-altered witch. I'd said my vows, and I watched as Chloe's smile slowly grew. And then it was her turn, and she stuttered on her words. I couldn't help but smile, knowing that she was so excited and nervous for this that she resorted to stuttering, a habit that she had all but gotten over in the past years. I brushed my thumb over her cheek and slid her ring onto her finger. It wasn't worth much, but it was a symbol of my eternal love for her. It was a relief to put it on her finger and know that she was mine, forever. And then I'd leaned in and kissed her….

My head was still wrapped up in memories of my wedding day when the door to my cell banged open. I jerked away from the wall, my muscles immediately tensing. And the only thing running through my mind was the thought of kissing Chloe.

# # #

Whitney

Uncle Simon was leaving today. He was going to New York, to break my mother and my father out from the jail they'd been put into. And I was stuck here, in Georgia, hoping that everything went fine. Apparently, he thought I was just going to sit around and file my nails or watch stupid television shows. All I wanted to do was go with him. I wanted to help. What else was I supposed to do anyway? They were my parents, and I was determined that I was going to help them. I wasn't going to just let everybody else do something that was partly my job.

"You kids know where the money is. Whitney, make sure you call your grandfather every week. He's talking to Rick, who's going to stay behind and make sure all of us are connected somehow or another. Tori, Liz, and I will get your parents out." He said. I didn't do anything to show that I acknowledged his words, and he sighed. "Please, Whitney. Everything will be fine." He said. He continued on without talking to me, saying a quick goodbye to Zander and Coe. Coe gave him a handshake and Zander had given him one of those manly hugs. There was something wrong with seeing my uncle man-hug, but instead of saying something snarky I just turned my head and ignored them.

Uncle Simon gave me one last look before he nodded to the guys. He picked up his bag and headed for the front door. I leaned against the wall and waited, listening to the sound of his footsteps on the porch stairs. I heard his car door slam shut, and then the sound of his engine turning over. I chewed on my lip as his car rolled out of the driveway. I didn't want to seem too eager, but I was planning on hurrying up. I didn't want Uncle Simon to get to New York and make plans before I could get there myself.

After a good five minutes had passed, my nerves had me practically shaking. I was so hyped up that I had just wanted to go. My duffel bag was still mostly packed. I had Aunt Tori's address and, now that Uncle Simon wasn't here to catch me, it would be easier to go up into his studio and print out a map. The only problem was my brother and Coe. The latter was keeping a closer eye on me than I would've liked, and honestly, he wasn't being very sly about it. It made me think that he'd been put up to it, because Coe didn't seem like the type of person that would stand there and stare at me so blatantly without a reason. And I'd seen the way Uncle Simon had looked at him so pointedly. There was something going on with them that I didn't know about, and I didn't like it.

But it didn't matter, because I fully intended to go after Uncle Simon. Honestly, what could he do to stop me? I was fully capable of getting to New York by myself, even if it meant having to scour the area around Buffalo until I found it. Liz was more use to me than to them – they'd have to be in the nearby vicinity of paper and pens or something of the like to communicate with her. It wasn't like Zander would stop me because I had always gotten my way when it came to him. He was my brother, and he was determined to keep me from getting hurt. It was sweet, but it also worked in my favor. I could talk him into anything.

The only person who would dare to stop me would be Coe. I didn't know him well enough to know his weaknesses. I wasn't sure that I could sweet talk him into seeing my way. I had the feeling that he'd already made a pact with Uncle Simon, and if that was true then I was in trouble. He seemed to respect Uncle Simon, and I didn't think that he would break any promises with him. I had to admit it, though, it was nice that he intended to do as he said he would.

After standing there for what seemed like forever, I stepped away from the wall, heading towards my bedroom. I would have to get my things ready so I could go the moment I decided that it was perfect. Coe, though, seemed to get that I wasn't going to stand around and do nothing. Maybe he'd been tipped off by Uncle Simon.

But what I hadn't expected was Zander immediately stepping forward. "What are you doing?" He asked. His blue eyes searched my face, as if he could see the emotions underneath. I worked to keep my face straight as I stared back at him, cocking an eyebrow. He kept the stare-off going, and instead of pretending like it wasn't a challenge, I took it.

"Nothing, Zander," I said, forcing myself to keep from blinking. He stared back at me. I was determined to win this one, since the last time I'd had a staring competition I'd been distracted by Liz. And, to be honest, I was sure that Coe still counted it as a win on his part. I would've counted it as a win if he'd been the one that had seen her floating around in the back corner.

"I know that look, Whit." Zander replied. His blue eyes were so much like our mothers that it reminded me of those times when I'd argued with her. Now, I regretted all of those moments. I'd do anything to know that she was sitting at home, waiting for us. I'd never realized how much I took my mom's presence for granted until she wasn't there. And my dad was a different story. While I'd fought with him all the time, having him not there was so wrong.

"I'm not giving you any look." I told him.

"That look, right there!" Zander said, pointing at me. "That defiant look that says you're going to do whatever you want. You gave mom the same look when she said you couldn't go to that stupid concert last year that you snuck out to go see!"

I could feel a flush crawling up my neck. I'd gotten in so much trouble for that, and he knew it. It was still sort of a sore subject between me and my parents. Mom had been angry, sure, but dad had nearly blown a gasket. He'd spent a good hour yelling at me for putting myself in danger, for being stupid, and for not thinking about my safety. Mom had sat off to the side for the first five minutes, and then she'd tried to step in. But dad had gotten his way, and I'd been grounded for a few months. It was still referred to as the biggest blow-up in the house.

I opened up my mouth to shoot off something sarcastic when Coe stepped in between us, blocking our connection. Zander took a step back, as if he didn't like being so close to him. I stood there, defiantly putting my hands on my hips. "Guys, stop it." He said calmly. He rubbed the back of his neck and shook his head. "We're all just a little bit high-strung right now. Go take a breather or something."

I glanced at him, narrowing my eyes. I could practically see my posture changing – leaning forward a little bit more, eyes going squinty, nose wrinkling, chin rising in defiance. "What makes you think that taking five minutes will change anything? Uncle Simon's just left us here because he doesn't think we can handle it." I told him sharply. I went to move past him. He stepped directly in front of me, blocking my path. I went to move around him, and he moved with me. Coe reached out and grabbed my arm. Behind him, Zander let out a low warning growl. Coe ignored it, probably because we all knew that if it ever got into a fight between him and Zander, Coe would win. He was the full-blown werewolf. He probably had extensive training and out-classed Zander. And thanks to the slight age difference, he probably had more experience. If his life really was as rough as he'd made it out to be, then there had to be actual fights in his past. Zander's only fights had been against me or dad and they'd all been obviously faked.

"Let go," I hissed, trying to pull my arm away. I still couldn't see Zander over Coe's shoulder. He'd given the other werewolf a warning, but he wasn't exactly leaping to my defense. I couldn't tell if I was thankful or annoyed. At least he thought that I could handle myself. But I didn't want him to be so blinded that he couldn't see when I actually needed help. If I actually needed help, that is.

"What are you planning, Whitney?" Coe demanded.

"What does it matter to you?" I asked just as harshly. I tried to pull my arm away again, and he didn't answer me. "Fine!" I yelled out. "I'm going after them. I'm going to help them, and you can't stop me. Now let go!" I ripped my arm away from him. I had the feeling that he sort of let me go, but I ignored it as I stomped past him, slightly annoyed at myself that I'd spilled out my plans.

I'd been worried that I wasn't going to be able to get past him. But clearly, I needed to worry about the fact that he had so easily gotten past me.

# # #

Coe

Simon had been right. He hadn't even been gone for an hour and she was planning ways to get out of here and follow him. It was going to be a lot harder than I thought it was going to be. I had imagined that she would want to leave and go after her parents. I could understand the notion. I was the only "idiot" son left standing in defense of my father. Whitney obviously held some sort of twisted need to take care of her parents. It was usually the other way around. Parents wanted to help their kids. Whitney tried to pretend that she was tough and strong. She pretended that she could handle anything. But honestly, she was pretty selfless. She was throwing herself in the line of danger to help her parents. Maybe she hadn't been thinking about that, but my father had always said that there was more in actions than there were in words.

She pushed past me. Her elbow shoved into my side, and I wasn't really sure that it was an accident. It was clear by the way she was acting that she knew something was up. She wasn't stupid. She was bound to get that Simon had asked me to watch her. After he'd asked it of me, it wasn't really that surprising to me, either. I should've seen it coming.

I heard Whitney's door slam shut. She was bound to be getting ready for her breakaway. I glanced over at Zander. He didn't like me. That was obvious. I figured that it had to do with his wolf. I'd always fought with my brothers, and I'd even fought with my father on several occasions. But there was always a sort of respect between him and me, like an alpha to an omega. But with Zander and I, it was two wolves that were on the brink of leaving home and becoming adults. He wanted to have authority over me, and I wanted to have authority over him. I tried for a smile. Zander looked at me in the eyes for a few seconds, then he glanced away just a few seconds short of a real challenge. I'd seen that challenge with his sister. She'd done the same thing to me. It was sort of honorable, really. Wolves took challenges very seriously. And girls didn't get the werewolf gene, but it was clear that some things were different were Whitney. I figured that it was because her dad was supercharged. But even then, she knew the repercussions and she still walked into danger with her head held high. I'd never seen anybody else do that with such ease.

I found myself completely respecting her. And liking her just a little bit more. I'd been floored when I'd woken up that morning after she and her brother had come in. I'd smelled their scent and warned Simon, thinking that someone had come up the walkway. I was always worried that someone would find us. Simon said that the only reason anybody would be after him was because of his past or because of his connections. The study that Whitney's parents had been in had worked for Simon. All of his abilities were lessened, which I knew he had to hate.

Even then, he'd just laughed at me and told me that it was just his niece and nephew. I hadn't expected to see a girl that was so stunning. Sure, she was pretty, but her attitude could be a complete turn off. Yet I found myself drawn in just a little more every single time she fought me. Every time she'd glared at me, challenged me, or told me that I couldn't stop her from doing anything, I found myself liking her a little bit more.

And that had to be dangerous.

I'd been interested in girls in the past. I'd dated girls in the past. But they were all meaningless. I knew about the mates. I'd always been worried about imprinting on someone like that when there seemed to be so many problems in my world. It was wrong to bring someone who was blissfully oblivious into a world where they had to watch their back. But Whitney was already immersed in that world, and to be honest, she was probably causing some of the tension in it. But I still didn't want to like her. I'd only met Derek briefly, but he was a pretty big guy. He sort of reminded me of a Cain – huge, ,but he wasn't hideous and he definitely wasn't stupid. But he could probably knock me down in an instant. I didn't want to be the one to face his wrath.

Maybe Simon really had made a mistake by putting me in charge of making sure that Whitney stayed here. I had the feeling that, if I wasn't careful, she'd be able to get me to let her go. She had that sort of devious mind. And it was obvious by the way I reacted to her simple shove that she had a little more pull over me than I liked.

Sorry for the long wait. (At least, it seemed long to me.) My computer got infected, but it's all good now, so here's your update! Yay!

As always, leave me a review, and thanks for reading! Peace (: