Victoria's POV
"Derick!" I blurted out and quickly got out of bed. I rushed out of the room and hurried downstairs where I found Aidan building a tower with his toys.
"Where is Alpha Derick?" I asked the first male servant I met in the sitting room. "He went out, my Luna," he responded, and my heart clenched in my chest.
"Mate in pain," Beatrice, my wolf, howled loudly, sending a wave of panic through my entire body. "Where is Tony?" I asked.
"He also went out with the Alpha," he replied, and before I could respond, I felt a sharp blow to my chest that sent me tumbling to the ground, unconscious.
I could hear familiar voices whispering around me, and on impulse, I forcefully opened my eyes. The first thing I saw was the ceiling. "She's awake," I heard Jane's voice, and I turned to see her sitting beside me. "Jane... you..." I stammered in pain and felt an intense ache in my chest.
"Alpha Derick, where is he?" I asked in a panic as I sat up on the bed, staring at the people in my room—my aunt and Jamal. "Where is he?" I asked in a panicked state, but none of them responded.
With panting breaths, I closed my eyes and tried to establish a mind link with him, but his signals were silent. "No!" I spoke in panic and tried again, only for my wolf to respond with a mournful howl.
"No, no, no!" I yelled and got out of bed. "Derick!" I cried out and stormed out of the room, ignoring Jane's calls. I quickly took the stairs to the sitting room, only to find Beta Tony and the gammas seated there. The moment I saw them, my heart sank into my chest.
"Tony, where is your Alpha?" I asked as I hurriedly approached him. I watched him rise to his feet and hold my gaze with an unreadable expression. "Where is he?" I yelled.
"He is dead," he announced, and my heart skipped a beat. "He… is…"
"He is dead, and his body was burned along with the car," he said, and I fainted once again.
Slowly, I opened my eyes and realized I was back in my room, but this time only Jane was there. "You're awake," she said with a weak smile, her eyes filled with tears.
"Jane, I think I'm having a bad dream," I mumbled, but Jane shook her head while tears streamed down her cheeks.
"It's not a dream, Vicky. Alpha Derick is gone," she sobbed, and I stared at her in disbelief.
"Is this one of his pranks? But it's really not funny," I murmured, but Jane shook her head. "According to Beta Tony, they were attacked on their way to the meeting venue. The killers weakened them with wolfs bane, killed Alpha Derick, and burned his body inside the car," she explained, while I remained numb in bed, unable to believe her words.
"Vicky, Alpha Derick is dead," she announced to me again, and this time I stood up and left the bed. I hurriedly descended the stairs to the sitting room, where I found it filled with Alphas and lords.
The moment they saw me, their eyes flickered with pity and sympathy.
"Victoria," Alpha Gabriel, a close friend of Derick, approached me with a solemn look. "I am so sorry for your loss. Derick was a great Alpha, and he will be deeply missed."
His words hit me like a wave, crashing against my already fragile emotions. I struggled to find my voice, my mind overwhelmed with grief and disbelief. "No... it can't be true," I whispered, my voice trembling. "Derick ... he can't be gone."
"I know it's hard to take, but you have to..."
"Leave!" I yelled with anger burning in me. "Leave before I set you all ablaze." I threatened and unleashed flames of fire from both my hands.
The Alphas and lords noticed my outburst and all stood up. I watched each one of them leave, throwing hateful glares at me.