No Better Than The Beasts

Chapter 32- Lovey-Doveyness

(If you ever want to know what my personality is like, this is Patton Sanders (the one with the blue shirt and glasses) and he is me.)

(Also, I realize that the more recent chapters have fewer readers than the older chapters (ex. Chapter 20 has like more than 100 and the more recent chapters have around 13-40) I know most people would be worried about that, but I'm just happy for those who've stuck around ❤❤ <3. I love my readers so much <3333)

Derrick realized that he had made a habit of showing his vulnerable side towards Jake, and he did not think he liked it. He showed Jake his attic, cried next to him, and even said "I love you too," which was a miracle for Derrick. He knew that Jake wouldn't judge him and that the werewolf would comfort him, but he was still wary of showing the softer side of himself after so many years of hiding it.

Plus, Jake hadn't left him alone since.

Well, except when he used the restroom and taken a shower. 

It had been four days since he had discovered that Jake's mom had killed his mom, and the prince was surprisingly okay. However, he now had a hatred for the wolf, and probably would not be able to restrain himself next time he saw her. Plus, he now knew that there was a war coming, centered around his soulmate, and while he was worried, Jake didn't seem to care.

When he asked Jake why he was so calm, Jake simply replied, "Hunters have been killing us off since I was little. Why should I be afraid of a couple of Aswangs?"

Derrick didn't believe that "a couple" were going to start a war, but he didn't voice his doubts. Plus, these things sounded more dangerous than a bunch of clueless humans on horses. 

Derrick was noticing their bond getting stronger. Not their soulmate bond, but their relationship in general. Over the days, Jake just smothered him in attention: giving him pecks on the cheek, putting his hand on the small of his back while walking, and even sidling up right next to Derrick when they sat on the sofa. Plus, Jake grabbed Derrick's hand every chance he got.

At the beginning of their bonding, Derrick was shy to Jake's touch, but as the days went on, Derrick sometimes didn't even notice Jake's hand was holding his, or that Jake's face was buried in the crook of his neck while he was reading, or that Jake's arm had snuck behind his back on the sofa. Derrick actually began to like it. Once even, Nathan walked into the library to tell them that David's birthday was coming up soon and found Derrick reading a book to Jake while the werewolf was laying on his shoulder and rubbing soothing circles into Derrick's arm. Derrick wondered why Nathan was smiling so big until he realized that Nathan had just walked in on a "lovey-dovey moment," as Nathan called them. And guess what? Derrick didn't even care. He just continued letting Jake do his thing and asked Nathan what he wanted.

If you told original Derrick that he was going to be snuggling with an overgrown child-man and half-wolf, he would have probably said something snappy and extremely rude. Back then, he didn't think that was possible. Love wasn't possible. But now, Jake has awakened a nicer, more peaceful side to him. All of his insults have no sting to them now because now he doesn't really mean what he says.

"Hey, Derrick?" Jake said one day when they were alone in his room.

"Yeah?" Derrick asked, turning to Jake, who was snuggling into him while Derrick was on the bed, writing a letter to another kingdom. It was another assignment given to him by his father in order to prepare him for his future role as king. Derrick and Jake were both on the bed.

"You look stressed," Jake noted, looking at the concentration in his soulmates eyes.

"Well, Spain is offering us slaves if we provide them money for their journies over to the New World, but we don't have slaves in this kingdom, we have paid servants. So, that deal isn't going to work out. Plus, it will drop our finances down quite a bit, so that's a non-starter. I have to politely decline their offer without enraging them and starting rivalries, and then hopefully think of a compromise that will keep us a dependent ally. I have declined their offer so far, but I can't think of a compromise that will better benefit our situation equally and justly, " Derrick ranted, and although Jake didn't understand all of what Derrick said, he got the gist.