THE ULTIMATE BETRAYAL
6 years ago
"This is crazy!" Ace exclaimed to his best friend, still processing that his brother-like figure is a werewolf.
"Ace, chill out, okay?" the Hale boy shushed, "I only told you because you're around, like— all the time, and because I trust you."
"I won't tell anyone, pinky swear." said Ace.
"If you do, I won't hesitate to claw your throat out." Derek joked, the two teenage boys placing their rucksacks at an outdoor table, getting ready to eat their lunch.
Ace took a bite out of his sandwich his mother had prepared him this morning, while Derek's gaze evidently drifted, peaking the Carter boy's interest. Ace turned his head over his shoulder, his eyes landing on a brunette girl, sat by herself at a table not too far from them.
"She's cute." Ace commented, turning back to Derek, snapping his friend out of his gaze.
"Uhh..." Derek said awkwardly, "Yeah, she is."
"You know her?" Ace asked curiously.
"No." Derek shrugged, taking a bite out of his apple.
"Good." Ace smiled shamelessly, "So you won't mind if i make myself known to her?"
Derek's face contorted in confusion, giving Ace a long hard look, telling him to elaborate.
"As i said," Ace continued, "She's cute, maybe I'll ask her out."
Derek's jaw fell open slightly, a little annoyed at the Carter boy, throwing his sandwich in his face.
"Not if I ask her first." the Hale boy countered, the two of them now becoming competitive like the hormonal teenage boys they were when they see a pretty girl.
Present
"They were there for two days, waiting. Hiding." Cora spoke to Stiles and Aspen as they gathered in the Hale loft, "That's what we're taught to do when the Hunters find us— hide and heal."
"Okay, so, is two days standard, then, or are we thinking Derek's on, like, some extended getaway?" Stiles asked with his usual sarcasm.
"Why do you care?" Cora countered.
"He cares because he has, you know, human decency?" Aspen retorted at the Hale girl.
"Exactly," Stiles spoke, beginning his rant, "over the last few weeks: my best friend's tried to kill himself; my girlfrie—" he cut himself off, his eyes glancing to his girlfriend who was giving him wide eyes,
"Scott's boss nearly got ritually sacrificed; a girl that I've known since I was three was ritually sacrificed; Boyd was killed by Alphas... I... Do you want me to keep going? 'Cause I can, all right? For, like, an hour."
"You think Derek can do anything about that?" said Cora.
"Well, since he's the one everyone seems to be after, it's more like he should do something about it, yeah."
"I don't know..." Cora mumbled, "There's something different about him now. He wasn't like this when I knew him."
"What was he like?" Aspen asked in curiosity.
"A lot like Scott, actually." came another voice, followed by descending steps, and Peter came into view, "A lot like most teenagers—unbearably romantic, profoundly narcissistic, tolerable really only to other teenagers..."
"Were you just eavesdropping on our entire conversation, waiting for a dramatic entrance?" Aspen crossed her arms over her chest, raising a brow.
"Maybe."
"So what happened?" Stiles asked Peter, "What changed him?"
Aspen shifted uncomfortably from where he sat, knowing what was about to follow.
"Well, the same thing that changes a lot of young men..." Peter spoke dramatically, as Stiles waits for an elaboration, "A girl."
Aspen grew more uncomfortable, now knowing what really happened to the poor girl that Derek and her brother both fell for. She had a feeling she was about to get another story time from Peter.
"You're telling me some girl broke his little heart?" Stiles scoffed, "That's why Derek is the way he is?"
"Do you remember Derek, before he was an Alpha, had blue eyes?" Peter spoke, "Do you know why some wolves have blue eyes?"
Aspen's interest was peaked, this being a part of her identity; the colour of her eyes, she's always wanted the answer to. Stiles also shot her a glance, thinking the same thing.
"I just always thought it was, like, a genetic thing..." Stiles said timidly.
"If you want to know what changed Derek," said Peter, "you need to know what changed the colour of his eyes."
6 years ago
Derek and Ace wander through the halls of the school, being followed by some of their teammates from the basketball team. Ace was bouncing the ball in his hand repeatedly on the floor, while him and Derek bantered boyishly about the girl they had both formed an instant crush on.
Ace continued to bounce the ball on the ground, making small talk with the rest of the guys, until a female voice snapped him out of it.
"Hey, do you mind?" said the brunette they noticed earlier, her eyes staring right into Ace's, as he was the one with the ball, "I'm trying to practice."
"We're trynna practice too." Ace raised his eyebrows and countered, holding the ball firm in his arms.
"Yeah, well, see, I was practicing in the music room, and I'm pretty sure basketball practice takes place in the gym." the brown haired girl countered, raising an eyebrow at the Carter boy.
"Well," Derek pitched in, taking the ball out of Ace's hand and taking a step towards the brunette, "I'm pretty sure basketball practice takes place anywhere you got a basketball..."
He then proceeded to demonstrate as he bounced the ball around a bit, even throwing it at Ace as the two of them proved their point.
"See?" Derek said to the girl with a cocky smile.
The brunette visibly got annoyed, rolling her eyes and getting ready to turn around, accepting the failed attempt, until Ace's voice stopped her.
"Hold on, hold on-" the Carter boy spoke, "if you can get the ball from us... maybe we'll stop."
"Yeah, come on sweetheart—it'll be easy." Derek added, clearly getting his flirting game on."
The brunette stepped forward, making an attempt to get the ball away from Derek, but then the Hale boy threw it to Ace, making the girl turn to try and get it from him, but again, failed. Instead of doing what they were orignally, Derek stopped including Ace in his little game, bouncing the basketball by himself, making circles around Paige.
Ace found himself getting annoyed, knowing Derek was trying to look cool in front of her, leaving him out while doing so.
The brown haired girl finally gave up, sighing as she turned on her feet, walking away and back into the music room.
"That serves you right, mate." Ace said to Derek, a little bitter.
The rest of the boys walked in the other direction, leaving Derek and Ace in the hall.
"Were you serious about you said?" Derek asked him, hoping it was a passing comment and that his best friend hadn't formed a quick crush on the girl like he had.
"Yeah, you?" Ace replied.
"Yeah." Derek sighed, annoyed with the answer he got.
"Well then," Ace sighed, wrapping his broad arm around Derek's neck in a playful, brotherly way,
"May the best man win, brother."
Present
"Wait, wait, wait..." Stiles paced the Hale loft, rubbing his fingers on his temples, "So Derek and Ace fell for the same girl?"
"Mhmm." Aspen answered him, her mood fallen even more somber after hearing Peter tell a story about the old Ace— the brother she remembered, the brother she knew and loved.
"So they were like, super close then?" Stiles tried to add it all up, earning another nod from his girlfriend, "That makes sense, I guess."
"Can I continue with the story, please?" Peter whined, "It's an entertaining one, so if you wouldn't mind shutting up."
6 years ago
Ace went and joined the rest of the guys, as Derek made up a lie that he was going to the bathroom and that he'd join him in a short moment.
Instead of going to the bathroom, he found himself walking into the music room to find the brunette playing her cello, admiring her.
"Sorry about that..." Derek spoke timidly, referring to the scene he and Ace made out in the hall.
"Whatever." the girl shrugged, fairly unbothered by it.
"Hey, what's your name?" Derek asked.
"I'm trying to practice, if you didn't notice." she replied irritably.
"Okay. I'll just leave you alone then..." said Derek "After you tell me your name."
"All right," she sighed, "I'll tell you my name... if you can play one instrument in this room."
"One?" Derek reiterated, his lip curling into a smirkish smile.
"Just one."
"Any of 'em?" he asked again, as she nodded.
Derek strolled around the room, desperate to find an instrument that was simple enough for him to play— and he found a triangle.
With a victorious smirk, he picked it up, and turned around to the brunette again, grinning boyishly as he made a 'ding' sound with it.
The brunette sighed, but couldn't help smile a little at the boy.
"My name's Paige." she sighed, giving in to his antics, "Now, please, go, so I can practice."
"My name's-" Derek tried to introduce himself, but was cut off by her.
"I know who you are." said Paige, "You and your friend."
Derek smiled proudly, knowing he was a step ahead of Ace, thinking he really would win Paige over than him.
"My friend..." Derek said with narrowed eyes, "Ace..."
"What about him?" Paige raised her brows, her cello bow in her hand.
Derek paused, considering what to say or ask, until he shook his head dismissively.
"Nothing." he replied, "I'll let you get back to your practice now."
Derek smiled, and Paige returned it, and Derek walked out of that room with a much bigger smile than he did going into it.
Present
"So this was seven years ago?" Stiles continues his questioning as Peter tells the story.
"Mmhm."
"And Derek was a sophomore?"
"Yup."
"So he was... sixteen?" Stiles sighs, "How old are you?" he adds, asking Peter.
"Not as young as we could have been, but not as old as you might think..."
"Is that some kind of riddle?"
Aspen scoffed at him, "I mean seriously, it's a simple, numerical question, Peter."
"How old are you?" Stiles turns his attention to Cora.
"I'm seventeen." the Hale girl answered.
"Wasn't too hard, was it?" Aspen scoffed at Peter, while pointing her index finger at Cora.
"Well, "seventeen" how you'd measure in years..." Cora adds, only confusing Stiles and Aspen.
"All right, we'll just drop it." Stiles sighed, "So what happened to Derek and the cello-girl?"
"What do you think happened?" said Peter, "They were sixteen— one minute, it's "I hate you, don't talk to me," the next, it's frantic groping in any dark corner they could manage to find themselves alone for five minutes. Their favorite dark corner was an abandoned distillery outside of Beacon Hills."
"Wait, wait, wait," Stiles interrupts, "What happened with Ace?"
"Same thing your girlfriend here went though." Peter taunts, as Aspen's brows contort as the couple both narrow their eyes at the man.
"He fell in love with someone who loved somebody else." Peter explains, purposely tanting both Stiles and Aspen with his comment.
Aspen wasn't necessarily insecure in their relationship, she truly did believe Stiles meant it every time he says he loves her. But Peter isn't wrong either— she spent an embarrassing amount of time loving him while his eyes were elsewhere.
Aspen wasnt the only one to shift uncomfortably after Peter made that jab at her— Stiles grew uncomfortable with guilt. No matter how many times they say 'I love you' now, he still feels guilty sometimes about how he went all those years hurting her unintentionally and worse— not seeing what it was doing to her.
They say keep the past in the past, but it's much easier said than done.
"How do you know all this?" Stiles gulped after a moment of awkward, uncomfortable silence, changing the topic back to Derek, "You just said that they were alone..."
"I wasn't just Derek's uncle, then." said Peter, "I was his best friend, his closest confidante. That's how I know."
"Sounds to me like Ace was his best friend, not you..." Stiles said like a slight jab, making Aspen snort in laughter a bit, while Peter rolled his eyes.
"Believe me," said Peter, turning to Aspen, "I knew a lot more about Paige and Derek than your brother did."
6 years ago
"I'm gonna go over there." Ace said with a giddy smile, his eyes setting on Paige, not too far away from where he and Derek stood.
"Wai- don't." Derek objected, holding him back, making Ace furrow his brows at him.
"What are you talking about?" Ace laughed off his confusion, "I'm allowed to talk to her too."
"I know, I know..." said Derek, his eyes flicking between Paige and Ace, "I just..."
"You just what?" Ace grew impatient, until his face fell with disappointment as he saw the look in his best friend's eyes, "You've already asked her out, haven't you?"
Derek, as competitive as he was, didn't want to crush Ace as much as thought he would. Three weeks had passed since Paige properly got on their radar, and both of them seem to have fallen extraordinarily fast. Derek saw the look in Ace's eye every time he talked about her— it was the same one he himself got just from thinking about her.
"Just rip the bandaid off, Der..." Ace mumbled in a sullen mood.
"You're right." Derek sighed, "Me and her are sort of..."
"How long?"
"Huh?"
"You make it sound like this has been a thing, so I'm asking how long?" Ace said irritably, unable to stop himself from getting annoyed with jealousy.
Derek hesitated to answer, because he didn't want to rub it in his best friend's face like he had predicted. He knew he cared about her just as much as he did. But he let out a sigh, pursing his lips, and looking straight into Ace's ice blue eyes with a hint of sympathy.
"Nearly a week." Derek confessed, watching as Ace's face dropped even more.
"A week?" Ace said, sounding betrayed, "And you didn't tell me?"
"You know I would've eventually." Derek tried to say, "I just know you care about her a lot too, I knew it was gonna hurt you."
"I don't need your pity, Derek." Ace muttered under his breath, his jaw hardening out of evident jealousy.
"I'm sorry." Derek said quietly.
"Whatever." Ace tried to play it off like he didn't care, protecting his ego, "It's fine, really, I didn't care that much anyway."
"Ace-"
"Really, don't worry about it, man." Ace plastered on a fake smile, "I just hope you know what doesn't get in the way of your little love story."
Ace was projecting. As much as he was trying to play it off like he didn't care, he was extremely jealous Paige had chosen Derek. In the past couple weeks, both Ace and Derek had their fair chances to woo her, and Ace really thought he was winning her over.
But his words made Derek's brows furrow, not knowing what he meant. Ace noticed this, and started to get spiteful to his best friend— purely out of envy.
"You know..." he said at a very low volume, making sure no one heard, "The whole werewolf thing."
"She's not-"Derek shook his head dismissively, "She won't find out—"
"Course she won't." Ace shrugged, hesitating for a moment before continuing, "I mean, she probably won't...."
"She's not gonna find out, Ace." Derek spoke firmly, not wanting to admit a part of him was worrying over the thought Ace was putting in his mind.
"I'm sure you're right." Ace smiled falsely, placing a hand on Derek's shoulder with a sense of support, nodding his head at him, "But you know... never say never..."
▬▬▬▬▬▬
"I wanna kill him, Asp." Ace sighed, planting himself on twelve-year-old Aspen's bed.
"What happened this time?" Aspen asked her brother, knowing he was venting about Paige.
"She frickin' picked him over me." Ace whined, throwing a tennis ball up in the air, stairing at the ceiling of Aspen's bedroom, "I mean, what's so special about him?"
"Are you ever gonna tell me who 'he' is?" Aspen asked, in the dark about who the mystery boy is who Paige chose.
"It doesn't matter." Ace sighed, dodging her question, "Never fall in love, little sister. It's miserable."
Twelve-year-old Aspen's mind drifted off to her best friend, Stiles Stilinski, and her stomach was immediately filled with butterflies, and the mere thought of him made her lips form a smile.
"Is it really all that bad?" Aspen asked her brother, who stopped throwing the ball in an instant after hearing her say that.
Ace turned on his side, looking at his little sister who had very evidently formed a little crush for her to say something like that.
"Who is he?" Ace immediately went into protective brother mode, narrowing his eyes at his sister.
"I don't know what you're talking about." Aspen played dumb, as she kicked her legs up on her desk.
"Sure you don't." Ace scoffed, "Come on, is it Scotty? I always liked that kid, please tell me it's him."
Aspen simply shook her head, surprisingly not finding it weird that she was having a gossip with her older brother. The Carter siblings were close, so this wasn't weird for them.
"Oh no.. it's the other one, isn't it?" Ace raised his eyebrows.
"Wha-" Aspen's jaw dropped defensively, "He has a name, and it's Stiles."
"Exactly." said Ace, "What kind of name is that?"
"It's a nickname, since he hates his real one." Aspen explained, defensive over the boy who she was crushing on.
"Fine, he's still a little weird."
"I like weird."
"Whatever." Ace sighed, standing up and slowly pacing around his sister's bedroom, "My point is, don't fall in love with him, because love is overrated. What you have right now is probably just some crush, okay? Don't let it become more than that, because it'll hurt like a bitch when he falls for someone else."
"Hey!" Aspen whined, "You're not supposed to say stuff like that."
"I'm just preparing you, because it will happen." Ace spoke, remaining the pessimist.
"Well, I mean..." Aspen said hesitantly, her mood turning more somber, "He has a crush on this other girl in our year, her name's Lydia, she's super popular and pretty and stuff. But I'm sure it's just a crush. He'll like me back soon enough, and then I'll be laughing in your face, saying 'I told you so!'"
"Just you wait." Ace said, still pessimistic as he headed for the door, "Watch him fall in love with this Lydia person, and you'll be forced to watch from the sidelines if you let yourself fall in love with him. Do yourself a favour and don't. Love is miserable."
"You did mention that." Aspen mumbled, her brother having dampened her mood.
"Because it's true."
▬▬▬▬▬▬
While Ace sat in his room that night feeling sorry for himself, Derek was off in an abandoned distillery, rendevousing with Paige.
"Why do you like me?" Paige asked, looking up at Derek with adoration.
"What's that supposed to mean?" Derek asked, like the question was the dumbest thing he'd ever heard.
"Why... do you like me?" Paige repeated her question.
"Why do you think I like you?" Derek countered.
"Honestly...?" Paige started, "At first, i thought you liked me as some kind of competition or something, you know, you and Ace?"
"So, now you're worried that now that I know you like me and not him, that I'm gonna stop liking you?"
"Not worried... " Paige said quietly, "Just wondering when."
"What if I never stop liking you?" Derek said flirtatiously.
Suddenly he caught the smell of blood, and his face contorted as he looked up above them, finding a red-stained rope.
"What?" Paige asked, noticing his change in expression, "Did you hear something?"
"Something happened here." Derek answered vaguely.
"What do you mean?""I caught a scent— it's blood." he said, then hearing more thuds, "...All right, now I definitely heard something."
"Derek, I don't hear anything..." said Paige.
"We have to go." Derek told her suddenly, grabbing her wrist gently, "Come on. Let's go."
Once Derek and Paige had gotten out of there, the distillery became gathered with all kinds of werewolves. Kali, Ennis, Deucalion, and many others. They were bickering about the Argents when they were disrupted by the sound of a howl. They all turned around to find a fully transitioned wolf approaching them.
They all watched mesmerised as the wolf slowly turned back into her human form— Talia Hale.
Ennis began to bicker again, arguing about fighting the Argents, something about how they murdered one of his pack. Deucalion's mind spaced off to something else, something more important to him than anyone else here.
The real reason he was in Beacon Hills right now wasn't to band together with all these other werewolves. In the grand scheme of things— he couldn't give a rat's arse about Gerard and his hunters.
He was in Beacon Hills for his son.
And years later, he would return for his daughter.
Present
"I don't get it— what does this have to do with Derek?" Aspen spoke up, after hearing a monologue about how Ennis was pissed about one of his pack members dying, and Derek and Paige sneaking off to make out.
"Everything." Peter answered like it was obvious, "It's never just a single moment; it's a confluence of events. Personally, I looked at Ennis' circumstances, and I saw a profound loss. Derek saw something different. He saw opportunity."
"Opportunity?" Stiles questioned, "To do what?"
"To always be with her."
6 years ago
"Why does she eat alone?" Peter asked, referring to Paige, as he invaded on Ace and Derek's lunch time.
"Because I steal all of Derek's attention." Ace mumbled bitterly.
"What are you doing here?" Derek sighed to Peter.
"I'm looking out for my favourite nephew!" Peter fakes enthusiasm, "And his best mate of course. Making sure no one has a crossbow aimed at your throat."
"I could get you banned from school grounds. You know that, right?" Derek scoffed, unimpressed.
"He hasn't done anything wrong, Der." Ace rolled his eyes, "Give the man a break."
"Thank you, Ace!" Peter spoke gratefully to the Carter boy.
"Any time, mate." Ace winked, "I actually happen to like your company more than this one these days."
"You're just jealous, get over it." Derek scoffed to his best friend.
"Doesn't she have any friends?" Peter asked them both, directing the conversation back to her.
"A few," Derek shrugged, "but she likes to study during lunch, and I kind of just don't think she likes my friends..."
"You can just say me, you know." Ace muttered irritably, "No need to beat around the bush, the bandaid was ripped off quite some time ago."
"She's perfect for you," Peter said encouragingly to Derek, making both teenage boys furrow their brows, "and perfect combinations are rare in an imperfect world. It would worry me, too, though. I'd probably be thinking about it all the time..."
"Thinking about what?" Derek asked, naive.
"Her finding out." Peter shrugged, and Ace shamelessly smirked, knowing that was one struggle Derek had to face that he didn't.
With any luck, maybe she would find out about him, and it'd scare her so much she'd dump him and realise Ace was perfect for her after all.
"I've already mentioned it to him, mate." Ace said to Peter, "Loverboy over here doesn't seem to give a shit if he goes all claws and fangs on her."
"She doesn't have to find out." Derek said defensively.
"But they always do... Especially when they're perfect for you." Peter said maliciously, putting Derek into panic.
"Suddenly I'm not too jealous of your situation, Der." Ace snickered.
"There's really only one way to make sure you'll always be together..." Peter said with an evil smile,
"Turn her."
Ace usually agrees with anything and everything Peter says. The two of them get along very well— sometimes better than Ace and Derek.
But this? Ace would have to object to.
He still loved Paige, whether he liked it or not— he didn't want her in harm's way.
"Hold the fuck up—"Ace scoffed at Peter, "No, she doesn't deserve that."
"Ugh." Peter said dramatically, "And here i was thinking you weren't a softie like him."
"She's an innocent girl." Ace argued, "If Derek here loves her so much, then he'll end things before she winds up hurt."
With that, Ace got up from the table, giving Derek a knowing glare, telling him he knows what he has to do, and then he stormed away from the table— his temper having gone from zero to one hundred by the mere mention of Paige getting caught up in all of this.
▬▬▬▬▬▬
"I have the perfect idea." Peter said to Derek in the locker-room.
"Go away." Derek said irritably.
"Laura told you about the packs being here, right?" Peter continued, ignoring his request, "There are more Alphas than I've ever seen in one place! Your mother would never do it, and these packs won't be here much longer. The time to do it is now. "
"Ace would murder me, literally." Derek pointed out, because he was actually considering this.
"Ace is just jealous of you, because she loves you and not him." said Peter, "Think about it, one little bite, and she never gets sick again. She stays younger, more beautiful. Think of how she'll be able to protect herself. Derek, the bite is a gift!"
Present
"Wait, what's an emissary?" Aspen asked, after hearing that word being mentioned somewhere in the explanation.
"They keep us connected to humanity." Cora said bluntly, "But, they're a secret, even in the pack— sometimes only the Alpha knows who the Emissary is. Derek and I had no idea about Deaton."
"Or his sister, Morrell." Peter added.
Aspen's jaw fell open, Stiles' too.
"She's an Emissary, too?" Aspen said in shock.
"Yeah, for the Alpha Pack." Peter nodded casually.
"Wha-" Aspen's jaw fell open again as she stood up from where she was sat, "Our guidence councelor?! That woman was trying to give me therapy about my dead brother knowing he wasn't actually dead?"
"When you put it like that..." Peter hummed.
"Yeah, and I shared some really intimate details with her!" Stiles freaked out over the revelation too.
"And did she give you good advice?" Cora asked him with raised brows.
"...Actually, yeah."
"That's what they do. That's what Deaton used to do for Talia."
6 years ago
"Paige!" Ace called out down the hall as he caught sight of the brunette. "Paige, wait up!"
Paige stopped, waiting for Ace to say whatever it was that seemed so important. Ace jogged down the hallway, catching up to her, with a worried expression all over his face.
"Ace?" Paige said awkwardly, not sure how to act around him, "Uh, what's wrong?"
Okay, maybe Ace was at least expecting a Happy Birthday from the girl, and maybe he tried to ignore the pang on pain when he realised she probably hadn't bothered to remember.
"You need to end things with Derek."
Paige scoffed, figuring the Carter boy was up to his usual jealous antics.
"You can't tell me what i can and can't do with him, Ace." Paige told him, "I'm sorry if i hurt you, but me and Derek are none of your business."
Paige turned on her feet to walk off, but Ace grabbed her wrist gently, stopping her.
"Paige please." Ace sounded desperate, "You—you have to, I-I can't say why, but you really, really need to-"
"Ace stop!" Paige snapped at him, "It's not your call."
Ace saw it in her eyes, it's the same look Derek wears, hell, it's the same look he wears. Paige was fully in love with Derek— telling her to stop seeing him wasn't going to work.
He sighed defeatedly, and Paige walked off, leaving him alone in the hallway. He just had to pray Derek would do the right thing like he told him to.
▬▬▬▬▬▬
After her music practice, Paige found herself walking through the empty school halls at night, it was dark, so when she heard noises from a building that was meant to be empty, she was immediately on high alert.
"Derek?" she called out, hoping it was him.
She made small, wary steps forward, getting more scared when she got no response.
"Ace?" she tried, but again got nothing.
Then suddenly, out from the shadows, emerged a beat-like silhouette of a man, with claws at his sides. Paige's heart-rate increased in trepidation as the man came more into light, showing red eyes and fangs.
Paige dropped the paper slip in her hand, and her breath got lodged in her throat as she turned on her heels and began to sprint as fast as her legs could carry her.
But she was never going to out run a werewolf.
All whilst Derek sat in the locker-room, a metter of meters away, knowing he was going to lose his best friend over this.
But as selfish as it may make him— he'd rather lose Ace than lose Paige.
Present
"Ennis?" Cora questioned Peter, "Why would he choose him?"
"Why not? " Was Peter's answer, "Ennis needed a new member for his pack. Paige was young and strong. Doing a favour for Derek meant Ennis would be in good with Talia—back then, everybody wanted to be in good with her."
"He doesn't remember it was Ennis, does he?" Aspen gathered from the story.
"If he does, he keeps it to himself." said Peter.
"So, then what happened?" Stiles asked, "Did he turn her?"
"...Almost."
Aspen's heart dropped slightly as she began to recall when she heard this story from Ace's point of view— she knew Paige didn't survive the bite.
6 years ago
"Well, today's been a crappy birthday." Ace sighed to his sister, today being the day he turned seventeen— but there hadn't been much to celebrate.
"You wanna do something with mom and dad?" twelve-year old Aspen suggested, "We could do some family stuff, go get ice cream or something like that?"
"Nah, I'm good, little sis." Ace smiled, admiring Aspen's innocence.
Just as he was about to start asking her how her day went like he usually does, his head began to found like a thousand migraines at once. He winced, peaking his sister's worry as his eyes squint shut.
"Ace?" she asked, "Ace what's wrong?"
"Nothing." Ace lied, though he had no idea what was going on with him either — he'd never felt like this.
The pain escalated so quickly, and though he hadn't had a clue what was happening to him— he knew he had to get away from Aspen. Without a word, he dashed out of her room, running down the stairs, ignoring the yells of concern Aspen shouted after him.
He ran through the living room, still wincing, ignoring objections from his mom and dad as he ran for the door.
He got outside, and his limbs started to ache— worst pain he's ever felt, but he didn't scream it out, fearful of causing too much attention.
His mind went to the worst place. For some reason, he found himself comparing this pain to those times Derek would tell him what it was like to shift. He described it as agonising, at least the first few times.
But Ace didn't think that could be it. He'd know if he was a werewolf, right?
It was like a gut instinct for him to find Derek right now. He tried to push through the ache, as he looked up at the sky and saw the full moon shining bright. Couldn't be a coincidence, he thought.
He took out his cell phone and began to run, trying to get as far away from his house as possible. He dialled Derek, who picked up after a few short rings.
"Derek!" Ace screamed into the phone, "I don't know what— what's happening!"
"Wai- wait, slow down," he heard Derek's voice through the speaker.
"It's a full moon!" Ace stated, "And I— I have that super bad ache thing, like everywhere, I've never felt like this before— it's bad- ahh!" Ace screamed in pain as his gums began to sting, and he held his hands up to his mouth, feeling two sharp fangs growing in, confimring his suspcion he begged wouldn't be true.
"Ace?!" Derek yelled through the phone, "Where are you?!"
"Where are you?!" Ace countered, "I need you, Derek, please!"
"I'm-" Derek hesitated to tell him where he was.
"I'm not messing around, Derek! Tell me where you are right now—"
"I'm at the school." Derek stated, feeling the walls crashing down on him as he realised how badly he'd fucked up with Paige.
"I'm on my way," Ace breathed heavily, "And Derek?"
"Yeah?"
"I'm really fucking scared."
▬▬▬▬▬▬
Ace hung up the phone, sprinting incredibly fast to the school this late at night, not even thinking to question why on earth his best friend was there. He was there in a matter of minutes— his speed being heightened.
He dashed through the double doors to the school, expecting to have to run into all different classrooms and locker rooms to find Derek, but what he found instead scared him even more than he already was.
At the end of the hallway was Paige, collapsed on the floor, with Ennis towering over her with his claws and fangs out.
Another door open, and Ace saw Derek dashing out of the locker room, a petrified look on his face. Petrified, but not surprised.
"What the fuck did you do?!" Ace screamed at Derek, his eyes now glowing with an embery yellow.
Derek didn't answer him, instead he charged towards Ennis, but was thrown up against the wall by the alpha.
Ace watched in horror and betrayal as Derek's body crashed to the ground. The Carter boy urned back to the end of the hll, where Paige was limply trying to get up the stairs.
He dashed towards her—not Derek.
Derek had betrayed him.
"Paige!" Ace screamed, running to try and get her to safety, but his pulse came to a halt as his eyes set on her stomach.
She had already been bitten.
"No, no, no, no..." he muttered, reaching towards her, but she flinched away from him, making his heart drop even more.
He looked down at his hand, seeing claws from the beds of his fingernails.
She was scared of him.
She thought he was capable of hurting her.
"Paige, please," he said in desperation, "I'm— I'm not gonna hurt you."
The brunette sobbed quietly, her hand flying to her wound in her torso.
Ace didn't try to near her anymore, not wanting to scare her further. So he shifted his attenetion back to Derek— as Ennis had now made an escape.
"I told you to end it before it came to this!" Ace yelled at Derek, "She's fucking innocent, now look what you've done!"
"I didn't mean to—"
"Save it!" Ace snapped, "You're a fucking traitor, Derek, you don't care about anyone but your fucking-self, not even her!"
"That's not true-"
"Go to hell, Hale." Ace spat.
He was about to go back to Paige, but he was suddenly pushed up against the lockers, feeling strong hands on his shoulders.
His eyes squinted in reflex, but when no hit or punch or scratch came his way, he slowly opened them, coming face to face with a man he'd never seen before.
He had dark blonde hair, a stern jawline, and the same icy blue eyes that he had. He may have never seen him before, but the man sure looked like he knew Ace.
"Nice to see you again, son." the mystery man spoke, making Ace's brows furrow.
"Who— who are you?"
"I'd love to discuss this somehow more civil, Ace, believe me." he said, "But right now you're just gonna have to listen up, okay?"
The Carter boy nodded, nervous and afraid.
"By now, you've figured out you aren't Maggie and James' real son, right?"
Ace hadn't actually put it together, but now that he thought about it— if he was a werewolf by birth, he'd never once seen his mom or dad like this on full moon's, and he's around them a lot.
Was this really how he had to find out he was adopted?
"Long story short Ace," said the man, "I'm your dad, and I've come back for you."
Ace was in a state of shock, his eyes glossing over with how overwhelmed he was with everything.
He looked back at Derek, who held Paige in his arms, but was looking at him with just as much confusion.
"What about—"Ace's voice shook with confusion and fear, "What about my sister?"
"She's mine too, but she's a long way off turning seventeen." he said, "She's of no use to me yet."
Ace processed this shockingly fast, probably so overwhlemed he didn't have the energy to question everything. But he knew one thing— he wasn't leaving Beacon Hills. He wasn't leaving Paige, or Aspen, or—even as mad at him as he was— Derek.
"I'm not going anywhere with you." Ace said to Deucalion.
"I was afraid you might say that." Deucalion spoke, then clicking his fingers, and seconds later, Ennis re-emerged, and when Ace turned his neck to see what was going on, Ennis had Derek in his grip, his claws wavering over his neck.
"No!" Ace yelled instinctively, trying to protect the boy he thought of as a brother— even though he'd just committed the biggest betrayal to him by hurting Paige.
"You come with me, son..." Deucalion spoke threateningly, "Or Ennis kills Derek, right here, right now."
Ace wanted to say he was conflicted here, his freedom or Derek's life, but he wasn't.
No matter how angry he was— he'd never let Derek die like that.
"Fine." Ace eventually spoke up, staring at Derek as he said it-- not Deucalion. "Just— don't kill him, please?"
Deucalion released Ace from the harsh grip, and signalled for Ennis to let go of Derek, and he did so.
Deucalion and Ennis began to walk out, and then turned around as they noticed Ace was not following.
"Just let me say goodbye." Ace choked out, feeling his entire life crumble beneath his feet.
Deucalion scowled by reluctantly walked off with Ennis— no doubt waiting outside the school for his son to reappear.
Once they were gone, Ace gave Derek the biggest glare he ever had— filled with hatred, resentment, and most importantly, no hint of forgiveness.
"Ace, you don't have to lea-"
"I'll never forgive you, Derek." Ace spoke in a calm manor, glaring at the Hale boy as he approached him with cold eyes.
"Ace, please-"
"Never." Ace cut him off with a spiteful tone, "I'll never forgive you for any of this. And if she dies?" he points to Paige who was struggling to stay conscious on the staircase, "If she dies, Derek...
you best believe I'll finish what Ennis started."
Derek felt like he was no longer looking at the Ace Carter he knew— but someone else wearing his skin.
"You can't hate me, Ace!" Derek said in desperation, "If you hate me, why are you sacrificing for freedom for me-"
"Because if you're gonna die, it's gonna bloody well be at my hands!" Ace screamed at the top of his lungs, like steam was pouring out of his ears.
And that was the end of Derek Hale and Ace Carter's friendship. Never to be the same again.
Present
"I still don't understand what this has to do with the colour of Derek's eyes?" Aspen asked Peter, wanting to know the explanation with that icy azule colour of her irises.
"I'm getting there." Peter rolled his eyes.
"So what happened?" Stiles probed, "Did Paige turn or not?"
"She should have." Peter said, "Most of the time, the bite takes. Most of the time..."
"Wait, when you offered it to me, you said, "if it doesn't kill you..."
"If." Peter pointed it out like the key word, making Stiles' face fall as he realised what really happened to Paige.
Aspen already knew, but her heart still ached for the poor girl.
6 years ago
Paige was dead.
Derek returned to his mother that night drenched in guilt. Guilt over Paige, guilt of Ace, guilt over everything. His hands were stained in the crimson of Paige's blood, him having killed her himself to relieve her of the agonising pain.
"Derek..." Talia said gently as she saw her son's state.
"I did something... Something terrible..." Derek spoke.
"I know." Talia continued to keep her voice soft, as her son approached her.
"My eyes." Derek said with sadness, "They're different..."
His eyes shone with a new icy blue colour, unlike the golden yellow they once were. And he knew what it meant, too.
"Different, but still beautiful..." said his mother, "Just like the rest of you."
Present
"Are you finally going to actually explain what blue eyes mean for a werewolf?" Aspen grew impatient with Peter.
"I thought it was obvious by now, but if you really need me to spell it out for you..."Peter said dramatically, as Aspen and Stiles stood in front of him, impatiently waiting.
"A werewolf's eyes turn blue when they take an innocent life."
Of all things Aspen expected to learn about herself and her identity—the fact that she had taken a human life and somehow erased it from her memory was not one of them.
She felt her heart drop as she realised someone out there was now not alive because of her. But it didn't make any sense?
Surely she'd remember if she had killed someone?
"But..." Stiles was the first one out of the pair to speak, "But Aspen's eyes are..."
"Blue." she finished the sentence, her eyes glowing as she said it, as Peter, Cora, and Stiles all stared at the blue irises.
Peter sighed, like he knew why they were like that— because he appears to know everything about everyone.
"Well..." the Hale man sighed, crossing his arms over his chest as he looked at Aspen, "You think you can handle another storytime?"