Shepherd [Sterek]

Chapter 23

Derek floated in the darkness for what was beginning to feel like days at this point. Every so often, small memories would appear; all were Stiles', but none of them led to him. The memories were beginning to run out, meaning the Shepherd was winning.

Clicking caught Derek's attention; he began spinning in circles to locate the sound. "Where is it?" Derek hissed, swimming through the floating memories.

"What do you think of this Beta?" Stiles' voice rang through the void. Derek stopped, his heart breaking when realizing what this memory was. But this was his chance to bring Stiles back.

Derek pushed his way into the memory, stepping into the cabin's living room. Stiles sat alone on the couch, not even Derek's wolf sitting at his feet as he should have been. So, I'm meant to take my place, I see. Derek sighed, taking a seat next to Stiles; he listened as Stiles read the passage he was working on.

"I don't know about assassins," Derek chimed once Stiles finished.

"What would you use then?" Stiles scoffed, not realizing that Derek had answered him.

"Hunters." Derek leaned closer to Stiles, hand resting on his knee. "They're called Hunters, Stiles. Werewolf Hunters." Stiles stopped his keystrokes, still not registering Derek sitting next to him.

"Stiles, wake up. If you don't wake up, you'll never finish the story, you'll never know how it ends. You won't get your happy ending." Derek whispered, his lips grazing the lobe of Stiles' ear. He trialed his lips along Stiles' jawline, kissing gently on the edge of his lips.

"D-Derek?" Stiles stuttered. The room changed, and they soon floated in the darkness, Derek holding onto Stiles for dear life. "Derek, where are we? What happened to Chase and Emberly?"

Derek's jaw hardened at those names, but he didn't have time to care. "Stiles, the Shepherd, took over; whatever you did to Chase, it brought the spirit out and took over your body, pushing you out. If we don't get you out of here soon and you don't fight the Shepherd off, it'll take over completely, and you'll no longer exist." Derek pressed a kiss to Stiles' forehead, happy to hold him in his arms again.

Stiles was quiet, which only caused Derek to worry, "What's wrong?"

"If we didn't go back, stuff like this would never happen to us." Stiles didn't catch Derek's gaze.

"Stiles, we have to go back. The pack, our friends, our family, they've all been worried sick about you and still are. It's a miracle that I'm even here, Stiles, because I almost didn't make it after losing you. I have to go back, Stiles, and I'm not leaving without you." Derek flashed his red eyes at his mate.

"Right, the whole Alpha thing," Stiles sighed. "I still don't know how to fight the Shepherd; there's a good chance I won't win."

"I think I might know someone who can help with that." Derek grinned, grabbing tightly onto Stiles' hand, beginning to swim through the darkness, looking for a memory from someone he had never met.