Monster. (Sterek)

Part 11: True Alpha.

~~~~~

It was early in the afternoon the next day when Lydia came back. "How are the two of you?" She asked with a knowing smile.

"We're both good," Stiles answered, Lydia almost pouted. She glanced at Derek, a question in her eyes. Derek gave her a small shake of his head. He knew she was rooting for them (she wasn't trying to be subtle) so was he, if he was being truthful. And he was; he'd given up lying to himself the moment Stiles had told him... the moment he burst into Stiles' room unannounced and found out that Stiles was a vampire.

"What have you found, Lydia?" Derek asked – he knew she must've figured something out. The look on her face spoke volumes. So did her slight bouncing.

"Remember that I said most of the characteristics mentioned in the book aren't physical?" Both Stiles and Derek nodded so Lydia continued, "Well, a few of the things Stiles mentioned about... what was her name?"

"Evalyn." Stiles spat, stepping closer to Derek who instinctively wrapped an arm around him. Feeling the incessant need to protect and hide Stiles from the vile creature that had hurt him so, so much.

Lydia rose an eyebrow but went on nonetheless, "Evalyn. Yes. A few things you mentioned about her: the extremely pale skin, her serpent-like attributes, and intense beauty – they all seem to point to one vampire type." She shifted.

"And that is?" Derek asked, nervous about Lydia's behaviour. She studied them both for a moment; analysing and curious. It made Derek even more uncomfortable, and if Stiles stiffening was anything to go by, Stiles was edging that way too.

"Ophidian. Its root word 'Ophidia' is Latin but it most likely originated in Ancient Greece from the word 'óphis' meaning 'snake'." She was stalling, Derek could tell. They didn't need to know this, but what was so bad that it got Lydia, of all people, to try to postpone telling them – blunt as she was. Stiles moved from foot to foot, hands dancing with each other. He gestured for her to go on. "You probably haven't shown all the physical traits yet because you haven't been a vampire for long enough."

"Lydia, what's the catch?" Stiles interrupted.

Lydia's face softened, "I read over the way to change an Ophidian back to human and it involves getting the blood from the one who turned you." Derek's stomach fell.

The Pack hadn't managed to kill many of the vampires. They had repeatedly succeeded in slipping through their fingers and running to safety. Which meant that Evalyn was still out there, wandering around killing and potentially turning others, with her coven. Derek had considered going after them but they had fled in the night and could have been anywhere by the time Derek was informed of their departure. He might have been able to capture their scent but it appeared as though they had split up and, since they had no longer really been a threat to his Pack, it didn't seem worth the chase.

Now, though, he regretted it. Maybe if he had caught her and her coven, she would've told them about Stiles and they would've saved Stiles a lot of internal turmoil – everyone knew he had been through a lot as it were. But Derek hadn't. And it was too late now.

How were they supposed to find her?

Lydia looked conflicted. There was something else that she wasn't telling them and Stiles seemed to notice too, as he said, "Lydia, what is it? We really need the whole picture here otherwise we can't fix me." Derek growled low in his throat and tightened his grip; Stiles was not broken, just in the wrong form. There was nothing to fix they just had to return him to his human self, "Alright, change me back, then."

"You need a bite... from a true alpha."

The silence in the room seemed to be mocking them. They stood, letting the words sink in, but it was like they refused to. Sitting on Derek's skin, singing with laughter. This could not be right. After Scott's betrayal and the tests and Stiles' panic attack and everything: this had to be some sort of mistake. Stiles didn't deserve this. Not this. He'd been through so much – too much.