Killer | Derek Hale

PLEASE BELIEVE ME

"I say we break out of here and kill her."

Everyone tiredly sighed as the suggestion rang out.

They were currently sitting in an old warehouse Argent had designed to contain werewolves. They were taken there by force by Maia, Roan, and Eric.

They'd been tossed into two cells that faced each other. Each one had been lined with mountain ash, preventing any thought of escape.

Derek, Stiles, Malia, and Lydia rested in one. In the other was Scott, Argent, Liam, and Kira. All of them were tired from both the fight and their emotional turmoil.

Malia was the first one to truly speak up, having suggested the break out.

"We're not killing her," Scott stated.

"Why not? She was clearly more than willing to kill you!"

"In her defense, she was trying to bring back her brother," Lydia argued.

Malia snapped around to the girl, "You're not seriously trying to justify her actions, are you? She betrayed us!"

Her argument was cut off when a blood curdling scream echoed through the building. They all flinched and their eyes traveled up the stairs to where the sound came from.

"Listen to that," Lydia commanded, "You think she would've willingly brought back a brother who tortured her?"

They all bowed their heads as another scream erupted.

Angry tears rose in Stiles' eyes. He tried to contain his emotions by clenching his fists. He was conflicted, feeling both betrayed and hurt for what she did. But a small part of him knew that her intentions had been well meaning, even if the means to the end was questionable.

Malia turned to her boyfriend, "What do you think we should do?"

He sighed and kept his head bowed, "I don't know what to think anymore."

The girl looked up at the alpha, "Scott?"

He sighed tiredly and shrugged, "I agree with Lydia. She was trying to bring back her brother."

"At the expense of your life!"

"You didn't see the look on her face!" he argued, "She was terrified."

Everyone's gaze snapped to him. They were shocked by the sudden outburst, but even more surprised with the level of emotion he had.

"She didn't want to do it," he whispered, "She said she was sorry and that she didn't want to hurt us."

"But she did," Liam reminded, "We're stuck in here as prisoners because of her."

"Because of Eric," Scott corrected.

Their conversation paused when the door to the basement flew open. Eric came down the stairs in a hurry, dragging Maia down roughly by the arm.

They all sat up straighter, a few of them walking up to the bars for a better look.

Eric grabbed Maia's chin and forced her to look at her friends. His tight grip threatened to break her jaw. She whimpered in pain and tears prickled her eyes.

"I want you all to see how pathetic she truly is," he announced.

Their eyes all flashed with conflict as he displayed Maia's beaten body to them. Her skin was burned and slashed. She had clearly been injected with wolfsbane, which was made clear through her lagging attempts to pry his grip off.

"Your big bad alpha queen is no more than a worthless werewolf who got lucky," he spat.

He used the claws on his other hand to draw a cut down the side of her face. She groaned as the blood dripped down.

"Stop!" Stiles shouted, banging against the bars.

"Stiles, don't!" she warned.

The boy's protest seemed to anger him more. He grabbed the back of Maia's head and took a fistful of her hair. He pulled back her head and used it to control her movements.

He tossed her into the bars of Stiles' cell. All the inhabitants inside jumped back, getting to their feet. Even Derek, who had been silent the whole time, shouted at the man to stop.

But the brother only shoved his sister's face against the bars, bruising it even more. Heavy tears ran down her face, creating smudged streaks after the liquid merged with the blood and grime.

"Take a good look," Eric advised, "Because she won't be around for much longer."

He tossed her to the ground, leaving her in a heap. He casually walked back to the door, slamming it shut.

Once he was gone, Lydia kneeled next to the bars in concern.

"Maia, get up," she pushed, "You need to get up."

The girl groaned as she pulled herself onto her hands and knees. She panted heavily and tried to catch her breath.

"I'm sorry," she whispered.

Everyone glanced at each other as the words registered. However quiet she was speaking, they could all hear it.

"Save it," Malia snapped, "We're all gonna die and it's gonna be your fault."

Maia nodded and got to her feet. She stumbled and clutched one of the bars on Scott's cell to steady herself.

"You're right. Once Eric brings back the rest of my family, we're all dead," she looked up at Scott, "I won't let him do that."

"How do you plan on stopping him?" Argent asked.

"I don't know yet." She winced and pressed her hand against her side, "But just trust me."

"Trust you?" Liam scoffed, "You stabbed us in the back!"

"I know what I did," she stated, "And I didn't mean for it to go like this. I thought it would be Colin, not Eric. I swear!"

Somehow, her argument made Derek angry. While he had also felt sympathy for her, he felt betrayed the most. He felt used, thinking their whole friendship was a lie. Because truth be told, he was fond of her. But she broke his trust, so he finally spoke up.

"How could you not know?" he snapped, "You've been planning this for years!"

"I've been hunted for years!" she retorted, "By my own kind. That didn't stop when I killed my family. Anyone who knew who I was turned against me and sought revenge. Roan was one of those people but I didn't know it. They thought I was too dangerous to walk freely."

"You are dangerous!" he shouted.

"I didn't used to be!"

Everyone softened slightly as her voice trembled. It was a new side of vulnerable they never expected to see.

And while Derek and Maia seemed engaged in watching each other, the rest of the pack thought they should back off. It was clearly a talk that needed to be handled between the two.

"I was just a kid when I turned, Derek," she whispered, "I was just a kid when my family deemed me unworthy of teaching control. They turned everyone I ever knew against me, and the people who are still alive today want me to pay for my actions. They wanted the alpha of the Arceneaux pack to be my brother. So they tricked me into reviving him instead of Colin."

She limped over to Derek's cell. She clung to the bars and got as close to him as possible. He could see the tears shining in her eyes and her face twitched in guilt.

"I swear I did not do this on purpose. Please believe me," she begged, "Please."

He moved closer and clasped the bars. He pressed his face between the bars as much as possible, towering over her. His face hardened and his voice detached,

"I don't."

Her face fell. Her entire body deflated as she watched him settled back down on the bench within the cell. Her tears threatened to fall again.

But she saw the pitiful looks on everyone else's face. So she sniffled and pulled herself back together. She peeled off the bars and stood as tall as she could,

"I'm gonna fix this...I promise."

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