Never Let Me Go (Derek Hale Fanfiction Book #3)

Chapter Thirty-Six: Never Let Me Go

      “Who took them?” I demanded, my hands clenching tightly onto Derek’s biceps as he pushed himself up and let out a deep groan.

“The...hunters. The Spanish hunters,” he gasped out, another wave of blood rushing out of the open wound in his chest, and I felt Usher’s hands on my shoulders, pulling me back as he and Jagger quickly grabbed Derek and lifted him up. The color was rapidly draining from my husband’s face, and as worried as I was about Derek, I knew there was no way he would die from a knife wound. He was stronger than that. But our babies are out there, alone. They can’t protect themselves. That was ourjob. Tears sprinkled down my face, but I smudged them away angrily and followed Jagger and Usher back to the house.

        “Chris, what’s wrong? What’s happening?” Quinn shot at me as soon as I was through the door, and I glanced around the kitchen to see the entire pack gathered around the island, watching as Usher and Jagger sat Derek down on top of the breakfast table. He let out another groan, hands clutching at the gash in his chest as he once again struggled to sit up. 

“Why isn’t Derek healing?” Drake demanded, stepping forward. He’d been hard and closed off since finding out Gracie’s baby wasn’t his; I’d tried to talk to him about it several times, but it was like he’d shut off his humanity. Nobody wanted to even go near him, for fear he would lash out. He’d gotten into several fights with the other pack members in the past month alone.

“Um...he, uh…,” I trailed off, watching all of their expressions as they ranged from concern to confusion to just downright fear, and I slid my gaze over to Derek. Our eyes met, and I felt his silent grant of permission, saw the resignation in his green eyes as his head dropped and he waited for me to tell the pack. 

“When I was attacked, I, uh...I was dying. I would’ve died if Derek hadn’t saved me. Unfortunately he-”

“Look, we already know that he saved your life. What’s going on now?” Blake cut me off, his features sharp with a concern that bordered on anger. 

“I’m trying to tell you that. Derek gave up his power to save my life...and in doing so, he gave up his werewolfism. He’s human.” If I’d thought the moment was going to be dramatic and life-altering, I was sadly mistaken. A moment of silence passed over the group, before Brooke reached up and slapped a palm against her forehead, letting out a short, disbelieving laugh.

“Of course. Human! That explains so much.” 

“Oh my god, Derek...you’re not a werewolf anymore?” Cash asked quietly, stepping forward with a look of awe and disbelief settling on his features. 

Derek shook his head.

“And you haven’t been since that day? When Chris came home?” Jagger asked, and this time Derek nodded, not even daring to look up. I watched, muscles tense, while the pack slowly realized their Alpha was no longer an Alpha. Here goes.

“But that was months ago.”

More silence passed, and then Quinn said softly “Is there any chance you could get it back? Your werewolf powers?”

        Derek shook his head, finally raising it to look around at the pack he’d built, the rough-around-the-edges, work-in-progress mega-pack he’d been dreaming about since Erica’s death. This is Derek’s dream. I have to do something, say something to make them stay, I thought desperately as anger and betrayal began to register on some of their faces.

“You lied to us? You pretended to be a werewolf when really you were no stronger than Chris?” Drake boomed, his hands curled into fists by his sides, and Blake and Usher nodded along with him.