Jacob

After getting a proper night's rest, I wake up with a plan for the day. I need to talk to Derek about Ana. My presence was helping Ana, but in the end, it wasn't enough to satiate her.

Ana hides her pain behind a well-masked wall, but he knows she is suffering. He can see it in her eyes. The way they misted over, trying to hide the pain, as she deals with it in her own way.

Derek is supposed to meet me for our meeting about the pack soon. I hope I can also use it as the perfect opportunity to convey my concern regarding Ana with him. Hopefully after the meeting, he will be more attentive and helpful towards her. Or officially reject her as his mate.

I had only been waiting in the office for a few minutes before Derek had walked in. His walk lacked its usual swagger, his eyes swollen, and his clothes wrinkled, his usually carefully styled hair was a mess. Derek's scruffy look shocked me. His usual cautiously composed persona was missing.

A tired and lost wolf stood before me.

"What the fuck happened to you?" I ask, hoping he was in a fight. I didn't want to think his condition was because of Ana's, but I already knew the answer.

"I can't sleep. I'm constantly exhausted. And when I try to close my eyes to sleep, it's not more than a couple of hours. My wolf is telling me there is something dangerous nearby, but when I get up to check, it's nothing," Derek says, a yawn escaping his mouth. He throws himself on the couch. His head is buried in the pillows as he just lies there.

"How long have you been battling to sleep?" I ask, already dreading the answer.

My head and my heart are torn. My head knows the logical solution would be to speak to Derek and get him to comfort Ana. Cementing their mate bond will ensure his Beta and Ana's Omega are at their best. But I know his heart belongs to Medeia and he would rather stay away from Ana. So, he won't like that idea. But he knows he can't do that to either of them.

"A week. The only time I get a few hours of decent sleep is when I see Ana. But even then, I wake up feeling rested, but I still have no energy," Derek states, as he turns to look at me with his head still resting on his arm.

I nod my head in understanding. Silence to fill the room as I think of how to discuss the matter with Derek. In the end, I decide the bold, direct approach is best.

"That makes sense considering she is your mate and needs you right now," I express, shrugging my shoulders as if to show how obvious it is.

My words grab his attention. Derek shoots up and gives me a deadly glare.

"Don't fucking remind me," Derek growls.

I stop, staring at him as I process his words and his annoyance at being bound to Ana.

"Well, if you hate her so much, why don't you reject her instead of putting yourself and her through all this pain?" I spit out.

Derek's avoidance of Ana and not wanting to reject her, has consequences. The consequences are catching up to them and the main consequence is going to be fatal for Ana, at this rate.

"I can't," Derek says, his hands combing through his hair as he looks away from me, avoiding eye contact.

"Why? Is it Medeia?" I question, trying to figure out the reasoning behind his refrainment. There had to be a reason.

"I just can't, okay?" he replies, standing up and walking towards the door. "If this is what you wanted to talk to me about, then I'm leaving," he adds.

"That's not a fucking reason. You are hurting her, Derek!" I reply, "She needs you right now. No one else can help her the way you can."

My words stop him dead in his tracks, and he just stares at the door. I see his shoulders become tense and his head moves from side to side as his frustration builds.

"I know, I can feel it. I don't know what to do because I need her as well, but I just can't be with her," he shouts at me. Turning to face me again, I see tears brimming his eyes.

"So, then reject her or claim her," I say, my voice calm. I know Derek needs a friend, not an Alpha at the moment.

"I can't love her; I know I can't," Derek says, his voice shaky. He can't hide the conflict between his heart and wolf any longer.

"Then reject her so she can heal and be okay!" I retort, malice lacing my words. I know I need to control my temper, but Derek's disregard for his and Ana's health, as well as their bond, is infuriating me.

He looks down, focusing on the floor as I see the battle waging inside him. He is weak and his mind and his body are tired. Most likely from dealing with the consequences of his and Ana's situation.

"Look," I say, my hand coming up to pinch the bridge of my nose. "Robert spoke to me and it's not looking good for Ana."

My words grab his attention as he looks at me, worrying about breaking through his weak facade.

"What do you mean?" he demands, his body still, and a sense of fear becomes apparent in his eyes.

"Apparently, she isn't sleeping. Her mind is always awake because her wolf is focusing on something else. So, whenever Ana can sleep, she doesn't actually rest. Her diminishing energy is being consumed by her restless wolf," I repeat Robert's words to him.

"Robert thinks it is because of her fast-approaching heat. Which can be fatal to Ana since you have not rejected or claimed her," I add, keeping my voice and face neutral.

My heart clenches when the words leave my mouth.

I watch the color leave Derek's face. His mouth was open and his eyes were wide in shock. He just stares at me as he tries to process my words. I let him take his time, knowing he needs to process what it means for him as well.

I hear him suck in a breath, his hands back in his hair as he pulls at it this time.

"So, what do you want from me?" he retorts.

His words send a shiver through my body as I try to control the anger rushing through me and subdue the need to punch him.

"I don't know. Why don't you fucking step up and be a man for once?" I counter, annoyed that he isn't thinking about the effect this could have on both of them.

"Why can't you just reject her and let her heal?" I ask, pushing him for an answer. I know he has a reason, but I don't know why he is keeping it a secret.

"Because I was there when you lost her, okay? I was there to deal with it," Derek says, his words shocking me. "I picked up the pieces, and I helped ensure the pack was okay on the days you couldn't get out of bed or the days you drank yourself to a stupor. It was me. I saw all the chaos and dealt with it," he continues.

A dull ache from his words replaced the usual agony I feel at the mention of her name and the events that followed her death. The dull ache is a welcoming change as I let myself feel it. Remembering but letting go of what had happened, moving past it.

"Derek, -" I try to talk, but Derek interrupts me.

"I'm not like you. I'm not strong enough to deal with that pain. Who is going to be there to pick up my pieces? Who is going to be there for Ana when she has to deal with it? I can't make her go through that alone. I can't do that to her," he continues.

Tears streaming down his face as he voices his concerns. I walk towards him, placing my hand on his shoulder, bringing him in for a hug to comfort him.

"Derek, I'm sorry you had to deal with me and my loss," I say, stepping back as I still try to process his words and what he had done for me.

I never realized what he had to deal with when I was dealing with my grief.

"Derek, I handled it wrong. I grieved in the worst possible manner because I had lost everyone. I was alone and couldn't deal with it. I was weak. If you think that was me being strong, then you are stupid," I add, recalling the dark path I had ventured down during that time and how long it took for me to recover, although not completely.

"Look, you need to decide if you want to reject her or not. I know you don't want to experience the pain I felt. And I don't wish that on anyone, but you have a bond with Ana and she needs you to help her. It's going to get worse from here. You need to do something, so neither of you continues to be afflicted," I end.

I understand Derek's concerns about having to endure that type of pain or inflicting that kind of pain on someone else.

Derek just nods his head. His shoulders aren't as tense, and he seems a bit relieved to have finally got the weight off his back.

"I don't want to hurt her, but I can't be with her," Derek says.

I just nod my head, knowing he loves Medeia, and he will fight his instincts to be with her.

"But I will try to be there for Ana. To be friends with her and give her some form of intimacy," he finally says.

I let the smile break out on my face from his words, a relieved sigh escaping me.

"That's something. I'm sure her wolf will appreciate it," I simply reply. Not looking at him. I know if I did, Derek would see the lies in my eyes.

I am happy to hear he will be there for Ana. The relief of Ana actually being okay is all I could ask for. But Derek needs to be prepared for the pull from his and Ana's mating bond. He won't be able to stay friends with Ana while she is in heat. Their wolves won't allow it. Derek is going to need to be strong to ignore that powerful bond.

And I doubt he can ignore that instinct.