Imprinted [Sterek]

Chapter 40

Ω Two Weeks Later

"How are you feeling this morning, Stiles?" Chase asked, running a hand along Stiles' shoulders. "Do you think you're ready to do the ceremony, or am I going to punish you again?"

Stiles grits his teeth at the feeling of Chase's hands running along his mostly naked body. "I can't do it. I'm not what you think I am, whatever that is." Stiles stuttered, feeling Chase's hand grab at his inner thigh dangerously close to his crotch. Not that Chase hadn't been there many times in the past few weeks, that to Stiles felt like months.

"I'll make you into what I need you to be if I have to Stiles, don't tempt me." Chase sneered, digging his claws into Stiles' thigh drawing blood.

"Go to hell." Stiles spat, trying to pull his body away from Chase.

"Don't you realize that if you don't do this ceremony, you're already there, Stiles. This is a living hell until you complete the ceremony!" Chase shouted, dragging his claws along Stiles' leg, leaving large gashes. Stiles screamed out in pain, trying to grab for his shredded leg. Only inches away from his leg, Stiles' bound hands stopped due to the ropes around his wrists.

"How the fuck do you expect me to do your damned ceremony if I'm dead!" Stiles screamed.

"I told you before, I don't need you alive, but it's easier if you are. Don't worry; you'll heal. If not, it looks like I'll have to find someone to perform the ceremony for you. Your body won't go to waste; I'll make sure it gets back to the worthless pack of yours, at least you'll be with your mate, right? Dead, the rest will join you not long after. You'll all be together soon, Stiles, don't worry." Chase chuckled before leaving the room, the door locking behind him.

Stiles gritted his teeth together, looking at the metal bedframe, he wasn't a werewolf, he wasn't going to heal. He quickly began to saw the rope on his wrists around the metal of the bed frame, praying that it would soon weaken and snap. If he didn't stop the bleeding soon, he wasn't going to make it back to Derek. From what Stiles understood about mates is that if your mate dies, you'll feel it, Talia said it felt like your heart being ripped out of your chest. Stiles hasn't felt that way yet, only for a second he did, but the feeling went away, Derek has to be alive. Though when Stiles thinks about it, they aren't fully mated, hell Stiles couldn't even ask Derek to kiss him.

Stiles becomes sick at the thought of going back to Derek in the state he was. Another man forced onto and into him, not strong enough to fight back, beaten, and battered. Derek would reject Stiles the second he saw him. Who would want a mate who you didn't even get to claim, let alone one who's been with another even if it wasn't their choice.

No, Stiles, don't think like that. Derek will love you, no matter what. You need to get out of here. Think Stiles, figure out a way to get away from here, lie, fight, figure something out. Stiles thought to himself. He slowed his breathing and pulled one last time on the rope feeling it snap. Stiles turned to grab the bed sheet, ripping it apart and quickly wrapping it around his bleeding leg. He fastened it with ropes from his wrists and began looking around the room for any form of First Aid that he could find. If his leg got infected, he wouldn't last a day in this environment.

Taking care of himself was Stiles' first priority, his second with either complete Chase's crazy-ass ceremony or finding another way out. The only problem with that plan besides it wasn't a very good one, is that Stiles has no idea where he's at, he could be in a different country for all he knows. He's only been outside a few times, but it was into an indoor garden where he was trying to complete the ceremony. He's only had contact with Chase and a wolf who doesn't talk and does whatever Chase tells him. Stiles knew he was running out of time, how much he had left worried him.

Ω∆Ω

"Has anyone been able to gather any information on Chase or the Valentine pack? Where are they located, what they're planning, anything at all?" Derek asked, sitting at the table with his pack, waiting for someone to answer. "No one? Fantastic." Derek pushed his chair away from the table, leaving his pack sitting there with their heads hung low. He pushed the door of his bedroom closed behind him when he entered, sitting on the edge of the bed.

"Derek?" His mother's voice called from the other side of his bedroom door.

"Please leave me alone right now, mom. I need to rest." Derek sighed, laying back on his bed, grabbing one of the pillows pulling it into his chest. He let out a silent sob holding it as tightly as he could.

"We're going to find him, Derek. It takes time; we went months of not knowing where you were, Derek." His mother sighed, rubbing his back.

"This is different mom; Stiles was taken. It's my stupid fault that you couldn't find me, I was running around like a lost puppy thinking that you were all dead. I was scared even to come home if I even found my way. Stiles isn't lost in the woods; he's locked up by some insane alpha werewolf."

"That might be, but we're going to find him. You're going to find him, Derek. You need a little more time to heal." Talia smiled, pressing a kiss to the top of his head.

"I don't think I'm going to be able to mom. I can't even talk with my wolf, let alone shift." Derek sighed; he hasn't been able to communicate with his wolf since he woke up. His wolf has only like a fading presence inside of him for the last few weeks.

"You'll find Stiles and your wolf. Don't give up so soon, Derek. Allison and Theo are here to talk to you." Talia stood walking to the door.

"Why do you trust them? They showed up out of nowhere, claiming to be a part of the Valentine pack once before they were exiled. How do you believe that? And who has ever heard of a hunter being part of a werewolf pack? It's a little far fetched if you ask me." Derek rolled his eyes.

"They saved your life, Derek. You should be thankful for that; you wouldn't be here if it weren't for them. Deaton trusts them; I've already questioned them myself; they aren't playing some game." Talia snapped at her son. She quickly turned on her heel, leaving him alone. Walking down the stairs, she smiled at the pair who stood at the bottom.

"Knock before you go in, but I think he might finally talk to you. He means no harm; he's," Talia sighed.

"Lost. We get it. Thank you again for being so understanding, if we knew anything we would tell you." Allison, the girl with dark brown hair, smiled at the older woman. Talia liked her; she was smart and very talented.

"You're the best information we've gotten, and you've been a great help with trying to gather more. Your father's connections seem to be promising." Talia smiled back.

"We believe them to be. If not, well, I'll take care of what happens to them." Theo, the charming yet cunning boy, grinned. Talia was worried about him at times, he had a wicked side to him, but a good heart and she could see that.

"I trust that you would, Theo. If you'll excuse me, I have to send out the next search party." Talia gave a quick nod before leaving the pair. Derek was bringing down the pack with some of his actions, but she knew they all felt guilty for what happened to Stiles and Derek. She felt guilty herself, Talia knew that she should have never let Derek and Stiles leave that night, the pack needed to all stay together in case something like this happened.

Everyone has a reason to be guilty, maybe none more than Derek, at least that what he thinks. They never had a chance; they were outnumbered from the second the Valentine pack stepped into Beacon Hills. Whether the whole pack had been together, this outcome was still the most likely.

Where they were going to go from here wasn't clear. For Stiles, he didn't know long he had to live, let alone how to get back to Derek and the rest of the pack, he was forced to sit and watch the clock tick by. Derek was lost, he couldn't connect with his wolf, his mate was missing, he was falling apart piece by piece, and it was taking a more significant toll on him than anyone realized. Together, Derek and Stiles would be an unstoppable force. Apart, the mates were nothing more than bodies without a soul or purpose in them. An imprint is the only thing keeping them together.

End of Book 1