She stood before him atop the nemeton bathed in a soft purple glow. Derek never thought he would see his mother again. Seeing her now sent his heart tumbling through a hundred different emotions. He suddenly felt as though he were a child again instead of a man seeing the spirit of his mother that had resided within her claws, the only part of her to survive the fire.
"Mom?" Derek said in a small voice. She was in her wolf form, eyes glowing alpha red. He reached out to her, half expecting his hand to go through her. Instead his fingers curled into her soft, warm, fur. He closed his eyes and tears escaped from beneath his eyelids. Suddenly instead of feeling fur, it was skin. He opened his eyes and his hand was now resting upon his mother's cheek as she smiled at him.
"Derek." Talia said. "My Derek. You were a little one when I left you. Now look at you. You've grown into a man in my absence." She smiled at him with pride in her eyes and beckoned for him to sit atop the great tree stump with her.
Derek climbed onto the nemeton and sat with his legs crisscrossed in front of him, the way he used to when Talia would come to tell him stories before bed. Seeing is mother again, looking into her eyes made Derek feel a strange ache in his stomach. He felt as though he had let her down after her death. He had allowed Peter to kill Laura and rise to power. He had let himself believe that Cora, his baby sister, had been dead. When he finally became the alpha, he had failed to bring power back to the Hale family. He had done things out of selfishness and found himself alone. An omega. The only one left out of a family of many that were killed in minutes.
"Derek, what are you thinking about? You've got that sour look on your face as though you've done something wrong."
"I've failed you and dad. I'm not the wolf you guys always wanted me to be. I don't know where to go or what to do anymore…Everything has changed."
"Talk to me." Talia looked at her son intently. They looked uncannily alike in some ways. They had the same dark hair, the same smile, and the same eyes.
Derek took a deep breath and told his mother everything that had happened. He told her about Kate. He told her of Laura's death and discovering Cora's survival. He told her what her brother, Peter, had done. Then he told her about the nemeton, about Jennifer, about the new threat, the nogitsune. As he finished his story, his mother continued to study him fixedly until finally she spoke:
"Derek Hale. You take on too much responsibility. The world will be reshaped throughout your entire life and tragedy will strike repeatedly. Beacon Hills has never been a place of peace. Old battles have bled into the present and now you have decided that it is your responsibility to change things and put them right. But, Derek, who said that you had to do everything alone?"
"But, I'm the last Hale in Beacon Hills…I tried to be the alpha that I needed to be and I failed…and now I don't know what to do. I've gotten people killed, I've trusted the wrong people…"
"Listen to me. Making mistakes is a part of growing up, Derek. You have a good heart. You always have! We sometimes place our faith in the wrong people for reasons we ourselves don't even understand. Some mistakes are bigger than others, but they allow us to learn from our past. What have I always told you? We cannot learn how to build a better future if we don't learn from our past… You are used to being a part of a large pack, Derek. Until you were 15 you were surrounded by people who loved you and cared for you. We will always be a part of you, no matter what. You live in a different world now, but what do we do? We adapt. You must adapt Derek and stop pushing people away."
"But, I don't have anyone anymore." Derek said, eyes dropping to his lap. His mother gently tilted his chin up with her hand, forcing him to look at her again.
"You are not alone, Derek. Family doesn't always mean blood. Sometimes your family is made up of the people that you love and care for and wish to protect, blood relation or not!"
"But, I haven't protected anyone! I told you, I tried to be the alpha. I'm not anymore."
"Derek, you don't have to be an alpha to help or protect people. Scott is well on his way to being an excellent leader and alpha, but he doesn't know everything he needs to. He needs you, Derek. And you need him. "
Derek looked at his mother and allowed her words to sink in. It was true that he could be of help to Scott. And if there was anyone that Derek would wish to follow it would be Scott. Scott was a person who cared about people, not power. Scott reminded Derek of himself when he was younger, except perhaps less confident, or cocky really. He smiled to himself at the thought and said to his mother, "I've only ever known this life. Being a werewolf, trying to be a part of a pack, working to become an alpha…I thought that was who I am or who I'm supposed to be."
Talia smiled and shook her head. "Derek, you silly boy, you wonderful man. Being a werewolf is part of who you are, but it isn't all you are."
Derek looked at his mother, his brow furrowed, unsure of exactly what his mother was trying to say.
"You are a man and a wolf, yes. But, you are also a son, a brother, a teacher, a friend… Your being a wolf is no different than having blue eyes. It is engrained in your DNA. It is a part of your very existence, but it doesn't define who you are as a human being. You have grown so much. The Hales lived in Beacon Hills to protect it, and that's what you're doing. It doesn't matter that you're not the alpha. It doesn't matter that you're a part of a pack that isn't made entirely of wolves. I'm so proud of you, Derek. There is no such thing as a concrete path we should follow for our lives. Circumstances change and people change, Derek. You have to decide what to do for you and the people you love. You choose the path that is right for you. No one can make that choice for you."
"So where do I go from here? What do I do, mom?" Derek looked at his mother as he had many times as a child, eyes imploring, seeking to understand. Derek had always been told that he reminded others of his mother. He took it as a high compliment. Talia Hale was a fierce woman and leader. Derek had watched her make many difficult decisions while sitting in in a plush arm chair in the living room. He had watched her do the right thing when others refused. She had settled disputes and held her pack together. For the first time in his life, Derek believed that maybe he could be like his mother without being an alpha at all…
"You go back to your friends, your pack. You do what's right and you fight for the people you care for. Be yourself and find the strength within you to keep going. The Hales didn't just live in Beacon Hills. We protected it to the best of our ability. That's what you're doing now! I'm so proud of who you have grown into." Tatiana Hale looked over her son once more and smiled. "I love you, Derek. I love you so much."
Derek reached to hug his mother tightly. "I love you too." He responded. "I'll try and make you proud. I promise."
"You already have…" Talia whispered.
With a gasp, Derek surfaced with Peter's claws retracting from his neck, feeling more determined and more sure of himself than he had in years.