Suddenly though, another sound caught my attention, as I realized that Louise had burst through the room. I jumped away from Derek, turning to see that she had brought her gun, aiming and taking fire. "No!" I shouted, but not before the gun had gone off. I watched as Derek yelled in pain, the shot having buried itself in his chest. He fell to the floor, unconscious, but not dead. "Derek!" I said, kneeling beside him. A small pool of blood had seeped around the wound and soaked into his chest. But I could tell that his flesh had begun to heal around the bullet. "I need to get the bullet out." I said, looking up at Louise. "What the hell is going on?" She asked. "Louise, do me a favor, and don't ask any questions; at least not yet. Get the first aid kit: I need a knife, rubbing alcohol, and tweezers." I told her. She seemed reluctant to do much else except stand and watch him with wide eyes. "Now!" I yelled. She flinched, moving quickly out of the room, to get the supplies I asked of her.
I lengthened my nails as they formed razor sharp talons, tearing his shirt off of him. The wound had already begun the surface healing, and I could tell he would come too at any moment. I dragged him onto the bed, lying him along the length of it. Louise came back then, holding the first aid kit along with the rubbing alcohol. She set them on the bed next to him, stepping back and watching for a moment with wide, round, and obviously confused eyes. I opened the first aid kit and pulled out the small knife we kept in it along with a piece of gauze. I uncapped the rubbing alcohol, cleaning the knife, and the area around the wound. I watched his face, noticing his eyes beginning to flutter. "Damn it." I muttered. If he woke up now, this would be a lot more painful than if he were asleep. "Derek," I said, talking to him though he seemed only vaguely aware of the situation. "Listen; you got shot. And your body healed around the bullet. So I need to take it out now, okay?" I asked. His eyes lulled in his head before his eyelids fell shut. He was incognizant, and obviously hadn't understood what I said. After a moment, I took the knife and made a small incision where the bullet wound had begun to close. He sucked in a sharp breath, his eyebrows furrowing together.
Blood seeped over his chest from the wound. I quickly picked up the tweezers and pushed them between the open flesh in his chest. He let out a growl of pain as I began searching around for the bullet. His nails became talons as he gripped the bed sheets, clenching his jaw. After a moment, I found the bullet, pulling it out and wrapping it in a small piece of gauze. "Done." I said, my hands covered in his blood, along with his chest. I watched as the bleeding ceased and the wound closed up. After a moment, his talons returned to normal, his grip loosening on the comforter. He'd left rips in the fabric from his claws. I looked up at his face to see he had passed out again. I sighed, relieved he was okay. I cleaned the blood from his chest with the rubbing alcohol, Collecting the bullet and the bloody tools, leaving the room for a moment. I heard Louise follow me into my bathroom as I dumped everything into the sink. "Okay, who the hell is he?" She asked angrily. I sighed, having wanted to avoid this. "He's another werewolf." I said, throwing away the dirty gauze and turning on the sink. "A werewolf?" She asked. I nodded. "He's an alpha. And before you ask, yes, there are other werewolves, and other hunters here." I said. I looked at her in the mirror to see her eyebrows rise. "And you just forget to mention all this to me?" She asked.
Sighing, I washed my hands, drying them on the towel before turning to face her. "Louise, you've sacrificed everything to protect me. I wanted to protect you. If you didn't know anything, you were less likely to get involved." I said. Her jaw clenched in anger, and her eyes narrowed. "How am I supposed to help you if you don't tell me the truth!" She yelled. I sighed. "Oh, and would you care to explain what exactly it was that I walked in on back there?" She asked, her eyes burning angrily. "Look, that's the least of our problems, okay?" I said. She seemed confused when I said this. "What d you mean?" She asked worried. I sighed, not wanting to drag poor Louise into this. But I didn't see any other choice. "Look, remember those old stories I told you about when we were little? About those creatures and stuff?" I asked, trying to ease her into this She nodded silently. "Well, remember that one I told you about, called the Kanima?" I asked. She nodded. "You mean that lizard thing?" She asked. I nodded. "Well, it's not just a legend." I said after a moment. I stared at me as if I had ten heads. "Your kidding, right?" She asked with a slight smile, suspecting some kind of lie. I remained silent, watching the smile die out of her. "Oh, c'mon, Selene. You can't be serious." She said, crossing her arms in deference. I stood silently. "Okay, how do you know this thing even exists?" She asked. I glanced back toward the bedroom for a moment. "Derek told me." I said after a moment, turning back to see a look of skepticism in her eyes. "Right, because we know he's such a trustworthy source-" "He saved my ass, okay?" I asked. She was silent for a moment. "It was hunters. They were by the school." I explained. She didn't say anything for a moment. "Besides, I would have been able to tell if he were lying. Werewolf or not, your pulse has a tendency to tell the truth- even if you aren't." I said. She glanced at him through the doorway. I looked to see that he was still unconscious, though he looked more like he was simply asleep. His breathing was level, and I noticed his eyes moving under their lids.
I dried the knife on the towel, pulling a facial cloth out of the cupboard and rinsing it in cool water. "Look, just… wait till I'm done making sure he's okay? Then we can talk." I said. I carried the knife and the cloth into my room, setting the knife on my work desk. I sat on the edge of the bed and cleaned some of the excess blood from the now healed wound, unable to help but notice his chiseled chest and abdomen. After I'd cleaned away the excess blood, I gently blotted the cool cloth on his warm forehead. His eyes opened for a moment, searching the room before they found me. He blinked for a moment. "What the hell happened?" He asked. I sighed. "It's a long story." I muttered, setting the cloth on my desk. He sat up for a moment, scratching his head and looking down at himself. "I got shot.." He said after a moment. I nodded. "Like I said- It's a long story." I muttered, setting the cloth on my desk. He sat up for a moment, scratching his head and looking down at himself. "I got shot.." He said after a moment. I nodded. "Like I said- It's a long story." He nodded after a moment. "I'll be right back." I said, getting up and heading downstairs, as Louise followed me into the kitchen. I grabbed a glass from the cabinet and filled it with cold water, before turning to look at her. "Okay, so this Kanima, thing? It's real? And it lives here, in Beacon Hills?" She asked. I nodded. She sighed, shaking her head for a moment. "Then we need to go. We need to get the hell outta dodge." She said.
I shook my head. "No. I can't leave him and his pack alone with a couple of other werewolves to try and fight this thing. Not to mention the hunters." I said. She glared at me as if I were insane. "Selene, I don't know what you've been smoking, but it's obviously gotten to your head. We need to get the hell outta Beacon Hills, tonight." She said. I stood and looked at her. "Fine. Go. I'm not leaving." I said. It was the first time either of us had considered splitting up. But she laughed. "There's no way in hell I'm leaving you here on your own." She said. I was quiet for a moment. "I'm not alone." I said. She stayed silent. Then, it were as if the light had dawned on her. "No. Selene don't tell me your in his pack." She said. I was silent. "Damn it!" She said angrily. "What the hell Selene?" She asked furiously. "Look, I'm not going to be some beta. That's not how this is going to work." I said. "Oh, is that so?" She asked. "Yes, it is. You know me- I've never been the type to take orders from anyone. And I doubt Derek expects me too either." I said. She sighed. "Fine. If you're staying, then so am I." She said. I nodded, taking the glass of water and heading back to my room. As I entered my room, I saw Derek sitting on the edge of my bed. He looked up as I entered the room. "Hey." I said, sting next to him and handing him the glass of water. He took a sip before setting it on the desk. "Thank you." He said after a moment. I nodded.