Red Like Your Eyes
Notes: AU with some uncomfortable topics. Be warned, feels ahead.
The last few months had been calm. The pack was strengthening and getting along, even listening to his directions which was a relief. Things started feeling normal, or whatever normal was, given the circumstances and now the rain, which had decided to pour bucket upon torrential bucket down upon Beacon Hills, had left the whole town quiet and indoors.
He was halfway through a set of arm curls when he heard it. In the distance he listened to the sound of a car losing control in the distance, his ears picking up the swerve of tires skidding against slippery asphalt, followed shortly by a scream and then a sickening crash. Without a second thought, his inner wolf alerting him that this was something important and of the essence, he rushed out of his front door and into the wet undergrowth. He followed the source of the sound, a car horn blaring out into the night, his chest reverberating with the thudding of his heart.
As he approached, he saw a grey jeep that had seen better days practically split down the middle by the trunk of a large tree. Like a siren song, the car horn slowly quieted itself and died off in a pathetic series of ear splitting squeals. Derek approached quickly and opened the passenger side door, which even with his strength, took a few pulls. Inside he saw two dormant figures; in the driver's seat lay a slim male no more than twenty years old with several dark bruises on his face. One particularly nasty contusion on his forehead where he must had made contact with the steering wheel had already turned the color of a ripe eggplant. The young man's heartbeat was slow, but steady indicating that he would live. The small girl in the passenger's seat looked to be around five or six years old, with blonde curls that ran down her back. She was in far worse shape, the indented hood of the jeep embedded in her abdomen resulting in her breath being shallow and waning. He could tell that her heart beat was fading quickly and smelled the sweet coppery scent of fresh blood which was pooling at her feet.
Derek pushed the intruding metal away, the jeep letting out a harsh grinding sound as its insides resumed their original position. He looked over the young girl, locating the deep gash where the blood had blossomed red across her white sweatshirt and jeans. Derek slowly extricated her from the wreckage and then retrieved the young man, laying them side by side in the bushy undergrowth. He returned to the jeep and shut off the engine and looked in the distance to see if help was arriving. The rain poured down incessantly, the large drops making splattering sounds as they hit the asphalt, and he knew no one would pass through for the remainder of the night. His stomach knotted and his wolf bristled in frustration. He returned to the pair and balked when he saw the young girl's body surrounded by a fresh pool of red. Derek looked sadly at the pair and listened as the girl's breathing slowly gave way, his mind racing, searching for a proper conclusion. The girl gasped out a breath and her heart gave one last beat before silencing itself completely. Without thinking, Derek rolled up the girl's sweater, revealing her pale torso and bit down with intention.
He stepped back and watched as the girl's body remained immobile, her pale skin already draining of any remaining color as her body became a corpse. The alpha looked away dejectedly, his wolf howling in despair. This was the part he hated. Derek returned to the road, letting the water calm him down, brushing the hair out his face. He returned to the jeep in hopes of finding any personal affects to identify the pair and as he reached into the car, he heard it. The slow but steady rhythm of a restarting pulse. When he returned, he saw the girl breathing in deep gasps and her wounds slowly healing on their own. She was reborn a wolf.
XXXXXXX
Stiles woke up with a headache the size of China and a sharp, throbbing pain in his side. He rolled over slowly in the comfortable bed and warm blankets with a groan. Stiles blinked open his eyes expecting to see the sterile white ceiling of a hospital and went still when he saw wooden beams instead. When he rose slowly, trying to stifle the cries that were threatening to escape his lips, he realized that he was only wearing his boxer shorts. His nipples hardened against the cold air outside of the thick blankets though the cold woke Stiles up quickly, allowing him to survey his surroundings. The room was large and sparely decorated. There was a large cabinet and a bedside table. A lamp and a large rug served as the only other furnishings alongside a chair where his clothes were folded neatly in a pile.
He walked slowly towards the chair, each movement bringing their own set of discomfort. Stiles was about to reach for his pants when the door opened slowly to reveal a tall, muscular man with dark hair. He entered holding a tray filled with eggs and bacon accompanied by a cup of steaming coffee. A bottle of Ibuprofen sat on the edge of the it, alerting Stiles' aching body to a source of tangible relief.
"You're up." Derek spoke with an assessing smile.
"Where's Gracie?" Stiles asked edging away from the man like he was a serial killer.
"She's in the other room." Derek continued slowly putting the tray on the cabinet.
"Where am I? Who are you?" Stiles spouted.
"You're in Beacon Hills and my name is Derek. What's yours?" He responded, his eyes landing on Stiles pink nipples.
Stiles thought quickly, and replied with "Grant."
"I brought you breakfast. If you need anything, let me know Grant." Derek finished
"I need to see Gracie" Stiles asked quickly.
"Of course. Get dressed and eat first though. You need to get your energy up."
Stiles nodded as Derek closed the door behind him. He quickly shucked on his pants and t-shirt, pulling the sleeves down around his fingers, grimacing when he realized that Derek had probably seen the cuts on his wrists. He pushed his feet into his shoes and began eating, his mind speeding at a million miles a minute. He frowned in pain and took two pain pills with some coffee.
Hi remembered the horrific event that had landed them in their present predicament. Gracie had begged him not to drive in the rain but they had no choice, they were already in trouble and staying longer in the last town would have got them found out.
His plan was totally screwed up now. He needed to find Gracie and get out of there stat.
TO BE CONTINUED…