Chapter One
Heartbreak & New Beginnings
"So- what brings the mighty alpha wolf here to grace the presence of the lowly peasantry?" Stiles questions shifting his gaze to Derek giving him a leave me the fuck alone face. He'd been sitting atop a wooden bridge near the forest by the Hale residence; his legs swinging off the ledge with his arms were crossed resting on the bars of the bridge. "Don't you have more- I don't know wolfy things to do than to stand there and watch me sulk?" Derek lets out a frustrated sigh. He'd been jogging around the forest when he heard someone crying the familiar scent lead him to this stubborn person next to him. Derek knew Stiles would never admit to crying especially to him. So he didn't question the puffy red eyes Stiles was currently sporting.
"It's unusual", Derek starts, "To see you sulking I mean. Usually you're this epic mess of flailing limbs and stupid pointless banter." Stiles glares as Derek decides to sit next to him mimicking his position. Derek sits there next to him and listens to Stile's breathe the younger boy still trembling in sadness or in anger? Derek couldn't discern.
"It's unusual", Stiles starts mockingly "to see you giving a damn that I'm sulking here. Just- let me sulk in peace okay?" he says tossing a rock into the stream anger clearly written on his face a few moments of awkward silence pass by before Stiles begins to open up. "I just-" he sighs frustrated,"I don't know any more man, I feel… lost". Derek remains silent but listens, "before I knew exactly where I stood in the world, I was Scott's goofy best friend the smart super cool detective friend. The one who's head over heels in love with this amazing girl that didn't even know I existed until Allison forced her to come with me to the formal. But for once I thought; this is great I have a chance with the girl of my dreams, you know?" a girl huh Derek contemplates memories going to Kate. "But now she's back with Jackson and it seems like they are more of an intimate couple than ever before and it just sucks dude. It sucks!" Stiles tosses another stone into the water. "Bet you don't have these kind of problems" Stiles scoffs turning to face Derek. Derek frowns spotting the bruise on Stiles right eye and cheek a small fragment of concern reaching its way up.
"What happened to you?" Derek questions patting Stiles' shoulder awkwardly. Stiles forces a sarcastic laugh. "Stiles-", Derek calls out his name sternly gripping the younger boy's shoulder staring intently into his eyes and Stiles stops laughing and frowns.
"Jackson happened" He Starts, looking down at his other bruises "he was being a bitch to Lydia again and then I punched him he punched me back" Stiles softens his expression "Then Scott- Scott stopped us. Did I ever tell you how much stronger u guys get when you turn? It's too unfair dude I can't even fight Jackson on fairground now." Derek eases up his grip letting his hand fall back to his side.
"Yeah it is pretty unfair, sometimes we can't help it though." Derek says returning his frown to the stream. "Usually you're smarter than to pick a fight like that." A faint smile curls its way onto Stiles' lips at the small compliment "So tell me, what makes this Lydia of yours so amazing you would fight someone you know is way stronger than you for her" Stiles' smile changes back to a frown, he closes his eyes and nods his head to the railing.
"Lydia-" He starts. "She's the most beautiful girl in my eyes. She's smart, confident, commanding, her presence makes me feel happy, I'm not sure how to really explain it. But I really just want her to be happy you know? It feels like someone is ripping me apart when I see her sad and when I see her with that asshole I get so angery I just-" He lets a heavy breath out "I mean it doesn't matter if someone is stronger than me when they are hurting someone I care about- it doesn't matter. I've liked her scince third grade dude she means everything to me. God I'm so corny I bet you think I'm even more of a looser now huh?" Stiles laughs but to Derek it sounds like crying.
Derek returns his attention back to Stiles' face "Being in love with someone you can't have- I know. I know what that's like" he patts Stiles on the back and smiles empathetically. Derek gets up dusting himself off, "C'mon lets go down to the stream- throw some rocks it'll de-stress you"
Stiles looks up at him like he's a crazy person surprised at the gesture that the most cold emotionally crippled person he knows is trying to be nice "Its strange…" Stiles says, "You Being nice I mean It's so out of my vocabulary; Derek Hale and nice just never seemed to fit together haha. Man I must be a wreck if you're trying to empathize with me." Derek gives him a glare and Stiles laughs. "there, that's more like you mister angry sour wolf face." Derek turns away and starts walking briskly away in mock anger. "Dude wait, I was kid—I was kidding!" Stiles yells after Derek running up next to him chuckling "It's like you're on constant pms dude, I thought I was the one who needed cheering up."
"Last time I'm ever going to be nice to you." Derek Glares down at Stiles who has a small smile now. They stand at the rocky shoreline tossing pebbles and rocks into the steam as the sun sets "You have to yell when you toss it makes you feel better, maybe even let out a howl?"
"Dude that sounds retarded" Stiles says quirking a brow at Derek but tries it anyway Stiles howl sounds like a kitten getting thrown against a wall and Derek chuckles "Dude you can't tell me to do something then laugh at me when it looks and sounds as retarded as I said it would be." Stiles laughs throwing a handful of pebbles at Derek.
"You feel Better though, right?" Derek says still chuckling a bit.
"Yeah, yeah, your idea worked for once hurray." Stiles mocks, howling again and again each time sounding more terrible than the last. "Gods we're lame."
Derek walks Stiles back to his jeep. "Thanks dude" Stiles says. "Wow did we like just totally have a friend moment back there?" Stiles says bewildered and laughs "does this make us friends now Derek? Sourwolf?" Derek Glares at him but smiles when Stiles smiles through his bruises.
"Maybe" he replies earning an over exaggerated gesture of heartbreak from Stiles.
"Dude im hurt, crushed even and here I thought we were breaking new grounds in our detective human slash psycho werewolf relationship" Derek just shakes his head but keeps smiling. "C'mon were totally friends now dude, don't make me start singing cause I will-"
"Fine, fine- Friends" Derek says as Stiles starts reciting the lyrics to Randy Newman's 'You've Got a Friend in Me'. "Just- Stop that horrible singing" they smile at each other as Stiles gets into his car.
"This is the beginnings of a reborn friendship Derek Hale!" Stiles yells from inside his car "A super cheesy Friendship!" Stiles screams as he drives of reciting the song again. Derek Waves his hand unconsciously. Stuck there waving into the darkness even after Stiles' jeep vanishes from view and his super hearing can't hear the rumbling of the jeep or the horrid singing. He stops confused at how good he feels at that very moment.
"Friends… huh…" Derek says to himself smiling not used to the concept.
A pair of red eyes glow dimly behind him in the darkness of the forest watching, learning. The sun had nearly set leaving a faint bluish grey haze over Beacon Hills. Derek walks back towards his home oblivious to the eyes following him. The scent of another werewolf nearby gets him alert but he ignores it when Peter's scent fills his senses. The eyes move swiftly a vicious motion fast angery and full of murderous intent It isn't a werewolf. Derek changes quickly hitting the creature in the face with a roundhouse punch. The strange being has fur like a werewolf but it has wings leathery wings like a bat and vicious fangs and long terrifying claws. It readies itself for another pounce and just as it is about to fly at Derek a leg comes flying out of nowhere kicking the beast hard in the chest. It screeches out a high pitch noise like a bat as it slams into a tree. Peter was there now he lets out a whistle walking up to a creature. "Naughty little devil, where's your master?" Peter Asks it breaking the wings and pinning its claws to the ground. The creature howls in pain. "C'mon now you little freak, where's your master? Who sent you here?"
"What the hell is that!?" Derek asks Peter and the creature just growls like a mindless beast.
"A little minion", Peter replies struggling to hold it down. "Well…. Maybe not so little. I noticed its scent getting closer to you so I came over. Strange that you didn't notice it"
"It smelled like a werewolf and then your scent overpowered it so I just assumed it was you. Why did it try to attack me?" Derek says as he leans over taking a closer look at the bat like creature.
"Who knows" Peter starts "It doesn't seem to know how to talk though, time to kill it I guess no sense keeping a monster that wants to kill you alive especially when it doesn't know how to talk-"
"DEATH to HALE" the creature growls out "End comes for you halflings"
"So you can talk" Derek says glaring at the beast. "What do you want?"
"Death to HALE!" The creature howls "Death to all you halflings!" It starts to laugh, a spine chilling hair rising sound its eyes glow brightly and the creature melts into the shadows and vanishes from Peter's grip but not before Peter snaps it's neck.
"Well that was pleasant" Peter jeers.
"Is it gone?" Derek asks staring at the dark forest listening and smelling for traces of it but it's as if it just vanished into thin air not a scent left behind not even on Peter's bloodied hand it just smells like sap the tree sap from the trees around them.
"Looks like it's retreated for now" Peter says "I made sure that it won't be doing anything else tonight it should take it about three days to recover from those injuries"
"What was it? You said someone sent it?" Derek questions as peter cleans himself off.
"It's a Vesperilio Adsignatos, bat minion. Its claws are similar to the Kanima's toxins it doesn't completely paralyze you it just messes up your sense of direction kind of like having temporary vertigo and it can fly. If you get clawed by it there's no way you can fight it while it's flying. Kind of the reason why I broke its wings first. And like the Kanima you can't kill it. You can paralyze it, you can slow it down but it'll keep coming back as long as its master is around."
"Great" Derek Says dryly. "Another freak we can't kill with a master that wants to kill us all again. Lovely"
"You should probably warn the others" Peter says immediately "Wouldn't want the Hale pack to get any weaker than it already is, especially with the Alpha Pack moving into Hale territory." Derek Glares at Peter. "You know it's true, Look I don't want the Hale pack to become a bunch of weak unorganized omegas as much as you may think that I'm trying to kill you I want what's best for the pack." Peter looks him dead in the eyes and Derek doesn't pick up any lies from his words. "You're the Alpha now Derek, a leader, it's time to start acting the part and lead." Peter turns to walk away "if you don't have what it takes to be an Alpha there are other ways for me to take that responsibility from you besides killing you. I won't tolerate weakness Derek especially if it's from my alpha."
"Is that a threat?!" Derek shouts at him
"No", Peter says to Derek "It's the harsh cold truth Derek my dear nephew what creature would allow itself to become the underling of a weaker being? It's the way of nature. Survival is what's most important for creatures like us don't you ever forget that." Peter drifts off into the shadows of the forest leaving Derek in the blue haze.
Chapter 1 End
