Chasing the Moon (A Stiles Stilinski/Teen Wolf FanFiction) [1]

Chapter 7 - Who You Think You Are

We all stood in silence for a while. Derek kept trying to find words to say, but nothing would come out. I knew he was thinking. He was thinking about her. I wanted to hug him, tell him I was sorry and that I know he couldn't have been the one to kill Laura. But my limbs were immobile, glued to the ground and frozen in position. 

Finally, Derek spoke. "Without me, Scott will start taking lives too."

"I can help him." I stated, having to clear my throat first.

"Really?" Derek said, moving closer to me. "You can train him on how to be a werewolf? You can teach him how to control his anger and his thirst without getting yourself ripped apart?"

I swallowed hard. "I can sure as hell try."

He scoffed, nearly rolling his eyes. He shook his head before finally stopping only inches away from me. "And what if it's not you he tears to shreds? What if it's his friend, Stiles? How would that make you feel?"

I felt my hands begin to shake. I thought about the incident in the locker room, when Scott had nearly killed the both of us. What if I hadn't been there? What if Stiles would have been...I tried to push the thought out of my mind, but Derek didn't have the same idea.

"You think I don't notice how your heartbeat picks up when you're around him? In fact, it's racing now, just at the thought of him." He smirked as I laid my hand across my chest, feeling the pounding that told me he was right. "If you want to protect him, keep him safe, then you need me."

If anything ever happened to Stiles I would feel completely empty. After Mom and Zoe died I needed someone to cling to, and Stiles gave me hope. I thought that if he could get through his mother's death and turn out alright, that I could too. He has no idea what he does for me.

I took a deep breath, collecting myself. "And what do you want in return?"

"What makes you think I want anything from you?" He asked. I could feel Eric glaring at him from behind me. I would have some explaining to do about Stiles later.

"Because protection never comes free." I stated. 

Truthfully, I shouldn't owe Derek anything. Our families had made a promise with one another. My mother would give them information, legends and history of their kind, in exchange for protection. She knew that her knowledge put her at tremendous risk and they vowed to keep our family safe. Even after the fire Derek and Laura agreed that they would still watch over us. But they failed. Their end of the deal was broken when Mom and Zoe were killed. If anything, Derek owes me.

"You're right," he said. "I want him." He pointed at Eric. "If we're going to catch this new alpha, I'm going to need all the help I can get."

"Eric," I started.

"I'll do it," said Eric, cutting me off. "But just so we're clear, you're not my alpha. I don't have to follow all of your orders."

"You do if you want to live," said Derek. Once again I got the feeling that one of the two would lose their cool and pounce. My gut told me it would most likely be Eric, so I stepped in front of him.

"Look you two," I said, glancing from one irritated man to the other. "We're in this together, so now is not the time for a power struggle. You need to forget about your stupid egos and make decent use of yourselves."

They both looked to me, astonished at my outburst. Honestly, I was a little shocked too. Then again, I've been doing all kinds of uncharacteristic things lately. But it feels as though more things are changing than my social standings.

"And what about you, sis? Don't you have something you're keeping under wraps? Why don't you tell him...better yet, show him," said Eric. He indicated towards my lower abdomen. I couldn't believe he was throwing me under the bus like this. Derek looked at the two of us with a mixture of curiosity and confusion.