Monica had offered to give me a ride home, but I didn’t feel like sitting around by myself while Derek was pissed at me. So I gave her directions to his place instead, and when she pulled up in front of his looming mansion of a house I stepped out into the cold, unsure of what my own intentions were.
“Thanks for the ride, Monica,” I said, waving as I closed the passenger door in her adorable yellow Mini Cooper and watched her back down the driveway, disappearing down the shadowy street. I sucked in a few breaths, suddenly uncharacteristically nervous as I fumbled for my keys and let myself in. I’d been in this house a million times, walked through this very door at least that many, if not more, times. I knew this place, and I knew its inhabitants. So why the hell are you so nervous? Oh that’s right – cause they’re all werewolves and it’s a full moon and every single person in this house could kill you with one swipe. That’s why. The house was dark, but that was what I’d been expecting; it was the first full moon for the pack, and Derek had been struggling with the predicament of locking them up all week. I knew he’d be furious that I was here, putting myself in imminent danger, but I didn’t care. I had to make things right with Derek, find out what’d been bothering him lately. Even if I had to wait for Erica and Isaac and Boyd to wolf out and almost kill the both of us to do it.
I crept down the basement stairs as quietly as I could, because I could already hear snarls and growls coming from the wall on the right, where Derek had them chained up. I rounded the landing and gasped out loud like a heroine in a bad horror movie, because that’s what this scene looked like: a bad horror movie. All of their wrists and ankles were chained to the wall, and Erica had a complicated contraption secured around her head, with a huge nail jutting straight through her skull. It looked like a medieval torture device, and I could tell it was painful by the way Erica shrieked and thrashed around.
“Derek!” I called, running down the remaining few steps and rushing out to where he stood, adjusting a chain across Isaac’s chest. He turned around so quickly all I saw was a blur, and then Derek’s hands were clamped tightly around my shoulders and I was being propelled backwards towards the stairs.
“What are you doing here, Chris? I told you it was too dangerous,” Derek hissed, dark clouds rolling across his features and his eyes flashing red. That was my first sign that he was seriously pissed and losing control. He never let his eyes go red in front of me anymore if he could help it, not now that he knew it freaked me out so much.
“I’m sorry, but you acted so weird earlier I just wanted to make sure everything was okay-“
“Well, clearly it isn’t! These bonds aren’t strong enough to hold them, at least not for very long. You have to get out of here.”
“But what about you, Derek? You can’t fight all of them by yourself!”
“Oh and you’re going to help me?”
Ouch. “I can help you restrain them.”
“No you can’t! Chris, they’re not themselves. They will kill you.”
“Well how do you stay in control on the full moon then?”
“I have an anchor. Something to focus on and keep me in control.”
“Then teach them that! Help them find their anchor, Derek,” I exclaimed, throwing my hands up in the air and gesturing towards where Erica and Boyd were practically ripping their arms off to escape. Their eyes were glowing yellow, their fangs were out, there was hair on their faces – the whole deal. Isaac was calmer, but even he was wolfed out.
“I can’t! None of them can possibly have an anchor strong enough to keep them in check,” Derek yelled back at me.
“Why the hell not?!”
“Because Chris…you’re my anchor.”
That knocked the fight right out of me, that’s for sure. I stood there, breathing heavily and staring at Derek as he looked down at his hands in frustration.
“What?”
“You’re my anchor. Our love is strong enough to bring me back, remind me who I am. None of them have that, or anything even close to that!”
As much as I wanted to, I couldn’t burst into tears of joy and kiss Derek passionately. What he’d just confided in me was so sweet even my disgustingly-romantic mind couldn’t handle it. I did throw myself forward, kissing him quickly but softly and whispering “I love you, Derek” quietly before I broke away and ran over to Erica. Derek may not be aware of her relationship status, but I was. And call me a fool, but I was pretty damn sure what she had with Mr. Byrd wasn’t just a student-teacher affair. He must’ve really loved Erica to sneak around and be with her, because what they were doing could get him fired. He loves her. I’m sure of it.
“Chris, I don’t know what you’re planning to do but it won’t work-“
I cautiously approached Erica, who was spitting and howling and almost free of her binds. She looked like a rabid dog, fighting to escape its cage by any means possible.
“Erica! Erica, listen to me! You need to focus, okay? Think about Mr. Byrd. Think about your relationship with him. How do you feel when you’re with him?” I said as gently as I could, not daring to reach out and touch my friend. Derek had crept up behind me, and he was watching me silently, ready to snatch me out of harm’s way if my plan failed. So far, I hadn’t gotten much of a reaction from Erica. She stared at me with wild eyes, not comprehending what I was saying to her.
“Vincent,” Derek suddenly supplied, stepping forward to take a stand beside me. “Think about Vincent. The way he looks at you. His touch, his smell, his voice. The feel of his lips against yours. The sound of his voice saying your name. Hold onto that, Erica. Never let it go.”
And just like that, Erica’s violence ebbed away like somebody had hit the ‘off’ button on the full moon’s effect on her. She fell back against the wall, panting and shaking and looking up at us wide-eyed.
“W-what happened? How’d you do that?” she gasped.
“That’s your anchor, Erica. Mine’s Chris. Yours, apparently, is Vincent Byrd, your history teacher.”
“H-how’d you know about…?”
“You and Vincent? That’s my doing, actually, sorry. I saw you two kissing in his classroom one day after school and sorta figured out the rest. I was waiting for the right time to tell you I knew,” I offered, stepping closer to Erica and smiling softly. She nodded, smiling gratefully back at me. Derek’s hand closed around my upper arm, and he pulled me over to the side while Erica tried to shake off the full moon’s influence.
“How’d you know what to say to her?” I asked immediately, crossing my arms over my chest. I’d thought I was onto something with the whole lovers-anchor thing, but in the end I’d still needed Derek to help me out. He sighed, running a hand through his hair and then placing his hands carefully on my shoulders.
“Because that’s what I think to myself to stay in control…that’s what I think about you,” Derek said quietly, and I leaned in to wrap myself in his embrace and plant a gentle kiss on his mouth. I was reminded again of how much I loved Derek, and how much he loved me, and I realized all the jealousy crap meant nothing when it really came down to our feelings for each other.
“I’m sorry, Derek. I know things have been-“
“Sorry, Chris, but can we do this later?” Derek interrupted, looking over my shoulder at Isaac and the others. Growls and snaps were floating over to us, and I cringed at the thought of what could be going on back there. They need Derek’s help. Let him go. He’ll be okay.
“Yeah, but are you sure you can handle them…?”
“Positive. Just get upstairs and I’ll be up as soon as I can.”
“Okay. I love you,” I said, backing away and turning to jog up the stairs as Isaac broke out of all but one of his chains and Derek ran over to restrain him. I watched in mounting unease as Isaac slashed Derek across the face, and then landed a kick square in the middle of his chest, sending Derek to the ground.
“Chris, run!” Derek yelled, panicked, as Isaac leaped for the bottom of the stairs, his eyes glowing yellow and his teeth snapping…at me. He was like a wild animal, bloodthirsty and out of control. Erica was calm, trying to break out of her chains so she could help Derek, while Boyd was even scarier than Isaac. His restraints were broken, but he was clawing and biting at Derek, who was putting up one hell of a fight. I let out a scream, sprinting up the stairs, into the kitchen, and out the front door as fast as my wobbly legs would take me. I brushed my hair out of my face, turning this way and that in my flustered state. I had no car and no way to get home…but I knew if I stayed here I’d be in danger. I was just running out of ideas when someone behind me shouted my name.
“Chris! Chris, it’s okay, I’ve got Isaac and Boyd under control!” Derek called from the doorway, gesturing for me to come back inside. I ran back across the lawn and right into Derek’s arms, relieved to be safe again. He held me snugly against his chest for several heartbeats before letting me go. I was reluctant to put space between us, but I knew my time to snuggle with my boyfriend would come later tonight; I just had to be patient and keep it together for a few more hours.
“Now I’ve gotta get back down there – you sure you’ll be okay upstairs by yourself?”
“Yeah. Yeah, I’ll just take a nap I think. I’ll see you later,” I said to Derek, who nodded and planted a kiss on my forehead before taking off in the direction of the basement door. I climbed the stairs slowly, fatigue overwhelming me. When I reached Derek’s room, I fell facedown onto the bed and was asleep within seconds.
*** *** ***
Ding dong. Ding dong. Ding dong. The high-pitched ringing of the doorbell jerked me out of my slumber, and I sat bolt upright in bed, disoriented and mildly alarmed.
“W-what?” I mumbled, sitting up and running a hand through my knotty hair to push it back off my face. It was pitch black outside and only slightly lighter in the room – the glows of the television box and the bedside iPod dock provided the only illumination. I slid off the bed quickly, assessing the situation and taking note that Derek was not in the room. I scampered down the stairs in my bare feet, shivering slightly as I flung the door open, expecting one of the wolves or Scott, or even the Argents. But the person who stood, arms crossed and scowling on the other side of the door was not supernatural in any way. Or so I’d thought.
“Loni?”
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Hello readers! I finally managed to update early :) So what did u think of this chapter? Did any of u guys predict the twist? (I hope not cuz then my plot twist was totally pointless! lol) I'd really appreciate any feedback and just for my personal enjoyment, I'd be interested to hear what u think Loni's purpose is in all of this - for those of you who mightve forgotten (shame on you!) Loni is Chris's older sister who's in college. She was last seen in Chapter 5 i think. Anyway, best of luck trying to figure out my latest twist! *cue evil laughter* MWAHAHAHAHA No I'm just kidding guys, all of this will be immediately explained in chapter 34! So stay tuned! :) Thank youuu