Lunar Clock

~Chapter 13: The Pack~

CPOV

I felt my feet land on dry peat moss, and my eyes made contact with a complete and horrible display as the trees were pushed back, and a clearing came into focus.

"Derek!" I screamed, breaking from Liam's grasp and running like mad. Derek never even looked up, his body was doubled over, and he was convulsing repeatedly not just once a minute like last time, but more like once per every few seconds. He was pure black, the only way I could distinguish him was by the grey hoody he always wore. As I came closer I noticed the pant legs of his jeans were split and he was shoeless. I called again, but still he never raised his face, maybe he didn't want to... to let me see it.

I heard his nose sniffing, and he let out a huff.

"Chloe...what are you_?" I heard a barely intelligible Derek utter.

"I came to be here for you." I almost snapped with surprise that he was still able to talk, I heard him rumble a growl at my answer. After a long pause- and not to mention a few more convulsions later—I decided to add a voice to the silence. I needed to do something!

"Derek I_"

"I want you gone, NOW!" I thought I heard him say, but from where I was standing, it sounded more like a growl than anything else.

"I am not leaving you like this," Then I felt a small laugh appear through my lips as I knelt down to him. "I don't know how many times I have told you that, 'cause honestly I feel like I have repeated myself at least a dozen times so far."

"I want you gone, so..." His spine jutted up to that unnatural height it, and I heard the bones popping and cracking under the pressure. Derek let out a small whimper as he was grasping at the already mangled earth underneath his claws trying to find comfort. "Please... just," I saw his body raise, and his head shot up and a howl that could wake the dead engulfed my ears.

I fell backward and Liam caught me. Birds encircled the sky as they fled from Derek's cry, black crows began cawing from above and the moon was hidden by all the dastardly ravens who took to the air.

When I looked back down, I saw a flurry of black fur and clothes being torn apart in sharp sabre-like fangs that glinted like jewels in the shadows. A long black tail swung around and then I realised he was going to run.

Oh no you ain't getting away that easily!

I leaped at him, my arms wrapped around his neck, my face dug into the space between his shoulders and I smelt the scent of Derek, not a wolf at all. We crashed into the ground, and Derek helplessly squirmed underneath my weight which took me a second to figure out. He was very weak; he could have probably of gotten himself free from my grip easily if he was not so exhausted from changing.

"I'm not letting you go idiot, so there is no point in trying to escape!" he huffed a growl, and then raised one of his glimmering green eyes to me. "Are we understood?" he looked back to the spot in the bush he was going to run into, then just let out a whimper and plopped his head down to the ground in defeat.

"I knew you would see things my way." I said with a smug little smile. I motioned one of my hands to a crook behind his ear and started scratching, his tail was pumping and I knew he liked it. Then he halted when he realised what he was doing. He sent a growl up my way and I just laughed it off.

"Well," Liam said, coming and kneeling in front of Derek. "In all my years I have never seen anything like it." I looked at him from between Derek's ears, and saw how intent his eyes were on him. "In all my life I have never seen a girl willing to hold back a wolf, Derek, I would have to say she is definitely a keeper." Derek growled, and I could feel it vibrating from his neck.

"Now come on Derek, let's head back to the house." He whimpered and shook his head, and I felt his back stiffen. I never realised how much a posture could tell you about what a person was trying to say."You don't want the others to see you like this?" he huffed and nodded his head.

"You know, you could be a wolf whisperer, Chloe?" Liam said, standing up and grinning at me.

"I don't think I want to give up my day job just yet, but thanks." I sat up and looked down at Derek, then back up to Liam. "How long will it take for Derek to change back?" he shrugged his shoulders.

"Beats me, some kids don't even make it this far so_ who knows?"

"WHAT?" I said with Derek echoing me... but well, with a whimper instead of words.

We decided to make a fire and camp out till morning, by then hopefully Derek would change back and we could get out of this god forsaken forest! Boy, Derek could be stubborn some times, but I couldn't get mad at him for it, I honestly never knew how sensitive he was about his appearance?

When Derek began nodding off Liam unfolded the sleeping bag he had strapped to his back pack, I helped him move Derek into it, and we sat there silently for a while just looking at the fire. After a while I saw him get fidgety, and I couldn't help it anymore.

"Why is it your being so nice to Derek now all of a sudden, you're acting like he is your little brother or something?" Liam sat back and looked up at the billowing smoke.

"Well, he kinda' is." I choked up on a breath of air, coughing.

"What are you_"

"He's not my hereditary brother, but he is from my pack, that makes us family, and it's an unwritten rule to look after your own."

"He is? Does that mean he is from the pack up near Syracuse?" He nodded, throwing another log onto the fire.

"I could smell it on him; he has the smell of the alpha alright! And he is the right age to be one of the last litter born to the pack. Unfortunately I have never recovered any other of the 3 of his siblings though."Derek had siblings, somehow this all seemed way too unbelievable. Then I remembered the other 'subjects'.

"What happened to them?"

"Kidnapped a few weeks after they were born, never to be seen of again... well, until now that is." The other subjects, they must of been his brothers. I pulled my knees up to my chin. They are gone, all because of the Edison Group.

"You should give up your search before it starts, you won't find them." A piece of wood crackled.

"What makes you so sure, if I found him, then maybe the others aren't as far away as I thought?"

"You won't, they're dead." A log broke in half, and the rest of the burning debri came tumbling down further into the fire.

"How_"

"The Edison Group, this organization that tests experiments on supernatural children took them, and when they did not respond to the treatment, they were t_t_terminated." He let his glowing werewolf eyes fall on me, and I knew that he wanted to hear more. "Derek was the only one to survive; he was kidnapped by a man and his son and made their legal son. But now something...happened, and now Derek and I and a few other supernaturals have been on the run from them."

"That's it." I looked up from my knees.

"What's it?"

He laid down and rolled onto his side, away from me.

"Get some rest, cause tomorrow I am taking you all to a real safe place to hide." I looked at him, wanting to say something, so I blinked back my nervousness and opened my mouth.

"Where is this place?"

"On the pack turf, Goodnight." I put my head back down on my knees, the pack...he was going to take us there?

Goodnight he says, what's honestly so good about it? Then I laid myself down too, and tried to nod off.