Murphy's Law

Chapter 1

You Know Me Better

It didn't take long for the words to sink in. He said them as if it was nothing. Like the rest of my life wasn't going to be determined by what I said next. And then he said it again, "Do you want the bite?" He was giving me that same piercing look that seems to spear straight through my soul leaving me vulnerable and afraid.

"Why?" was my ever so brilliant response. Perfect academic record since kindergarten and all I can manage to say when someone offers to turn me into a werewolf is "Why?"

"I see you Stiles. I actually see you, unlike most of the people in your life. None of them see who you really are. Everyone takes advantage of you. Uses you for there own purposes and when they are done they never thank you. The girl you love doesn't know you exist. And deep down you feel a sense of loneliness so strong that it threatens to consume you," He was still looking at me with those eyes and I couldn't fight what he was saying. It was all true. I was lonely. All the time. Even with my friends I couldn't help but feel alone, even worse now that Scott and Allison are together. Even though they are pretending they've broken up they still seem to spend all there time together. When they aren't together and I actually get some time to hang with Scott she is all he talks about. It took me weeks of begging and bitching at Scott to get him and everyone else to the ice rink and well that turned out great didn't it. The truth is no one really pays attention to me.

"What does any of that have to do with you turning me into a werewolf?" Just because he knows everything I've never told anyone doesn't mean I should let him turn me into a creature of the night.

"Look at who I've turned so far. Issac was being abused by his father," I could see Issac over Derek's shoulder and he let his face fall for just a second before regaining tight control over it. "He was weak and defenseless. Now he is stronger than he ever could have been. Boyd was alone. Much like you, but even more so. He had no friends. No one that cared. He's been sitting alone at lunch since elementary school. Now he has a pack. He has a group of people that will always care for him and will always be behind him." Boyd was also behind Derek and for the first time in probably ever I actually saw him smile. "And Erica," my attention snapped back to Derek as he reached out his hand and Erica walked from behind me to take the offered hand. "She had a illness that made her a social pariah. She was constantly afraid of her own body. Never knowing when it was going to attack her. Not remembering it afterwords but always knowing that she could have died before truly experiencing life. But now look at her. Look at all of them," he let go of Erica's hand to gesture at his pack. "They are all strong now. They have the power to fight against this world that has been against them from the start. And if they ever find themselves lacking the strength they need, they have the rest of the pack to pick up the slack. They are no longer lonely. They are no longer weak. They are more themselves than ever before and you can have that as well. You will never be alone. You will have the strength to fight. You will never have to run again. You will never be ignored. You will be free, Stiles. Free to be everything you were meant to be. All you have to do is say yes. Become one of us,"

I didn't know what do to. I'd forgotten how to move and how to talk. Somehow my soul had been bared before these people without me having to do a thing. And again all of my intelligence was nowhere to be found. But there was one thing that I knew, Derek always had a motive. Everything was strategic with him. He was building himself a small army of wolves. And if he wanted me to join there had to be a reason beyond making me feel better about myself. In the few months I've known Derek he wasn't shown that he cares about my feelings so why would he start now? I repeated my thoughts back to him, albeit less intelligently.

He stepped closer to me, much closer, and looked me in the eyes harder than he ever had before. "I care Stiles. Unlike most the people in you life, I care about you. This world is unsafe and dangerous and the best way I know how to protect you, other than to lock you away from the world, is to give you the bite. This way you can have the strength to defend yourself when I can't be there to defend you,"

"So you want to protect me, but you send Erica to distract me by hitting me in the face with a piece of my car?" I raised my voice a little before I realized I was alone in a strange place with four people who were capable of eating me.

"I apologize for that. Erica has already received her punishment and nothing like that will happen again. Will it Erica," he looked back at her and she shook her head no and dropped her eyes to the floor. He turned his attention back to me, "You have nothing to fear from my pack. We will never hurt you. We will only protect you,"

"And what do you get out of this Derek," I was getting tired and this conversation was starting to hurt my head.

"All I want is you Stiles. I want you to be in my pack. Not just as a member of it but I want you at my side as I lead it. I want to be with you, and I want you to want to be with me. But more than that I just want you to feel safe and cared for," for a moment there Derek actually looked...vulnerable. I didn't know that was possible. Even if it was I never thought I would be the one to witness it.

Before I had the chance to reply, which would have taken me a while anyway, Derek was speaking again, "You don't have to answer me now. The offer is there. If and when you choose to take it I will be here waiting for you." And were exactly was here anyway? I don't even remember getting here. I was at home working on my homework and I woke up in this strange room filled with strange things that don't seem to go together. And was that an old bus? I really hadn't had the time to look around but the more I did the stranger the whole situation was. I was so caught up in my surroundings that I didn't notice Derek stepping away from me and Erica stepping closer with a rag in her hand. The last thing I noticed before I blacked out was the bed inside the old bus. That must were Derek sleeps.