Because I've gotten so many requests to continue this, I've decided to. I have no idea where it's headed. It'll take me a while to write chapters, because of school and figuring out what happens next, but you guys got your wish. So, onto the second chapter of Anchor.
"When did it happen?"
Her voice was quiet with a slight tremble. It brought to mind the abused teenage girl he used to know. The one that was afraid to cry in front of him, so she held back. But he always heard it in her voice. She could never hide the quiver. She was strong now, but she still couldn't disguise it. Even as she bowed her head, staring down at the floor of the abandoned subway train, Derek knew that Amber was trying to hold back tears.
Derek held onto the bar above his head, putting most of his weight on it. He shrugged, looking out of the window of the subway car. His grip tightened on the metal for a short moment. His walk had been forgotten about with Amber's surprise appearance. Just one look in those blue eyes and Derek wasn't going anywhere.
Derek was silent. All he did was let out a deep breath. He looked away from her and shrugged. Amber looked up at him.
"Don't do that, Derek," she demanded sternly. Derek looked at her, unaccustomed to her forceful tone. "Don't withdraw to push me away. I got enough of that when I asked you to go to New York with me. Remember that?"
Awkward didn't properly sum up how the last few months had felt. The days went by as they normally did. Laura went off to work. Derek and Amber went to school. Their last year of high school and, quite frankly, neither of them really wanted to do work. They sat through their classes; if Derek struggled, Amber came to his rescue. They sat together at lunch. Derek drove them home in the afternoon. They worked on chores and homework; Amber made dinner.
But something had changed.
Derek was being distant. He wasn't as responsive when they talked. When she kissed him, there wasn't much of a return from him. If he wrapped his arm around her, Amber noticed he was restless. His arm was tense or twitched every so often. Amber started to regret inviting him to move to New York with her. But what else could she do? It'd be rude to just leave and not invite the man she loved, right?
It was like that until the school year ended and continued into the summer. Even Laura had started to notice and she was rarely home. But now, she had two days until she was leaving and no answer from Derek. They hadn't even discussed it since that night.
Amber leaned against Derek's doorway, arms crossed over her chest. His back was to her as he worked out on the floor of his bedroom. She was silent as she watched him do his nightly push-ups, his biceps rippling. Her eyes stopped on his back where the triskelion tattoo rested, muscle moving beneath it. The triskelion that matched the one on Amber's right wrist, another connection for them to share.
There had been nights when Amber would sit on his bed, watching him, and the two would just talk. It didn't matter what about, but they would talk and Derek would always find a way to make her laugh. But that hadn't happened in a while.
She let him finish his push-ups in peace. He stood up and turned to grab his towel. Hand on the towel, he paused, catching Amber in the corner of his eye. He continued picking it up, wiping the sweat from his brow.
"How long have you been standing there?" he asked, not looking at her. Amber shrugged in response. Like him, she didn't look in his direction. Her eyes trailed over his room. There wasn't much to it. He hadn't bothered to get too comfortable in their small apartment. Then again, Derek had never been the type of guy to put posters on his wall. One time, when Amber had asked why, he gave her some cheesy line about preferring to stare at her all day. She'd smiled. How could she not?
"Few minutes," Amber answered shortly. She rested her head against the door frame. Derek wiped down his arms, occasionally stealing a glance at her. Was there something she wanted? Sure, there had been a time when Amber would stop by his room just to look at him, but recently, it was a rare occurrence.
They were silent for a long time, neither teenager looking at the other.
"So, I take it you're not coming," Amber finally said. Derek looked at her directly this time. He let out a breath, but didn't respond. Head still tilted down a bit, Amber looked up at him through her eye lashes. Derek noticed her posture. Usually, when she crossed her arms over her chest, it was a sign of her sass and confidence. But that wasn't the case now. Her shoulders were hunched over and the way her arms were crossed made her look like she was hugging herself.
Derek shrugged.
"God, I hate when you do that," Amber mumbled. Sliding against the doorframe, she stepped over the threshold of his room. She started down the hall, but a hand gripped her just above the elbow. Tight, firm, strong. Amber looked back at Derek and he noticed the tears in her eyes. Her jaw was tense which meant her teeth were clenches and she was fighting the tears.
Derek pulled Amber back into his bedroom. Despite being reluctant, Amber didn't fight him; she sort of just dragged behind him. They stopped just inside his room. Derek reached behind her, closing his door, before running a caressing finger over her arm. Amber stared up at him, waiting.
She finally got what she wanted when his lips pressed against hers, gentle as always, but she could sense the animal desire just beneath the surface. Now that she had a beast of her own, his was much easier to recognize. She kissed him back, her hands moving to his shoulders. It was the most intimate they'd been in months. Well, ever, actually.
They didn't discuss what happened the following morning. Amber came down to the kitchen table in her pajama shorts and tank top, her hair a curly mess. Derek hadn't even bothered to put on his sweatpants from the night before. He only put on his boxers and followed Amber down five minutes later. They sat across the table from one another, both showing signs of sleep deprivation.
"So, your last day here," Laura said, approaching the table with two plates. She set them down in front of the two teens. Amber smiled, looking down at the plate of pancakes, sausage, and eggs. Her favorite. She looked up at Laura gratefully. The older wolf returned with her own plate, taking a seat at the head of the table. "We better make the best of it, eh?"
For a flash of a moment, Amber noticed Derek smile smugly down at his food. Her eyes narrowed curiously at him, but she couldn't help the smirk that crossed her own face. Yeah, they'd made the best of it.
Well, maybe not the best.
Instead of spending all day in the apartment, the pack went to the mall. Amber had made it a mission not to buy anything. All of her stuff was packed for her flight tomorrow. She didn't need to add more luggage to what she already had. Still, Laura had insisted on buying her a new bag. It was definitely something Amber would carry. Leather, small, dark, a bit like a backpack. Amber swore she'd carry it on the plan with her.
They spent the night doing activities they'd done when Derek and Laura's parents were alive. Despite the summer heat, they roasted marshmallows, though they had to do it over the stove. They watched werewolf movies and made fun of every cliché and stereotype they could find. They made jokes and laid around the living room, talking until they all fell asleep on the living room floor.
Standing at the airport, Amber suddenly regretted having to leave. Laura and Derek were her family. They were all she had left. Now the pack was splitting up, something they had never planned when the fire happened. Amber had thought the three of them would always stick together. The Three Musketeers. But she was going to school in New York. Laura was leaving after the next moon. Who knew what Derek was going to do?
"If you need anything, just howl. I'll come to you," Laura said as she hugged Amber. The younger girl held on tight to her, smiling. Laura had always treated her like a sister. It was as if she'd always known Amber was a part of the pack even when she wasn't.
"You know I will," Amber replied with a nod. She pulled away from Laura, taking in her appearance. Her brown hair, her blue eyes, that straight nose she shared with Derek. She looked a lot like Mrs. Hale. Amber had no clue this would be the last time she'd see Laura.
Amber moved in front of Derek. They stared at one another for a long time, sad smiled on their faces. Amber was the one to make the first move. She wrapped her arms around him, resting her head on his chest. This was the end of them. Or maybe it was a hiatus. She didn't know. But, for now, they were done and it took all of her will not to cry.
Derek put his arms around her, squeezing. He rested his cheek on top of her head. Amber closed her eyes, committing the moment to memory.
She didn't know how long the hug lasted, but she finally pulled away, forcing a smile on her face.
"Guess this is it," she said. There was nothing more to say. Right?
Derek nodded, his own smile plastered on.
"Yeah. Guess it is," he replied. Amber nodded. She fixed the bag Laura had bought on her back and grabbed her suitcase. The rest of her stuff was being shipped to New York.
Amber backed away from the Hale siblings.
"I'll be seeing you," she told them before turning and walking toward the airport entrance. Amber grabbed her sunglasses from her pocket and put them on, hiding her tears. She'd always thought she'd never have to cry again after all the time her father abused her. Amber had never expected she'd have to leave Derek Hale behind, though.
Derek sighed again.
"Last year. She was murdered last year," he answered. Amber looked at him with wide eyes.
"Murdered?" Derek nodded. Amber sighed, shaking her head. "She was right. Someone was after us."
"The police arrested me when they found her body on my property." Derek left out the part about Laura being chopped in half. She didn't need every detail. Laura was dead. There was no bringing her back That's what Amber needed to know.
"Wow. Does Sheriff Stilinski know nothing about you?" Amber replied with a bittersweet laugh.
"Peter killed her."
"Uncle Peter?" Derek nodded. Amber looked slightly to the side. "Damn. Guess you were a liable suspect. Why'd he do it?"
"He wanted to be Alpha," Derek answered.
"And now you're Alpha. Which means you…" She didn't finish. Derek moved closer and crouched down in front of her. He reached for her hand. When he did, Amber could see a large, black beast in front of her. Beneath her. Blood spurted from its neck in one swift moment.
Amber drew her hand back from his with a gasp.
The two wolves were silent, not sure what to talk about. There were plenty of things to discuss, though. What they'd been up to while the other was away for five years. Why Amber had ignored his calls. Why she had suddenly come back. What it meant now that she was back. Did they stay friends or return to the way things were?
"Where'd you find the pups?" Amber asked before Derek could say what was on his mind. He looked up at her, noticing that her gaze was focused on the other side of the window. Isaac and Boyd were wrestling, training. Erica was still sitting on the stairs, watching the fight, but occasionally glancing toward the subway car.
"Beacon Hills High School," Derek answered.
"Oh, no," Amber laughed. "The old alma mater, huh?"
"You mean what should have been the alma mater."
"Yeah, well…" She shrugged. She continued to stare at the three teenagers. She swallowed hard, feeling something stir in her. She didn't know how to explain it. It wasn't like when she stared at Derek. She easily described that as an overwhelming fire. It was heat. But with these kids it was something different. Similar to how she'd felt around Laura, but stronger. Her eyes landed on Isaac and lingered. The feeling pulled strongly.
"Isaac is the curly haired one. Boyd's the bigger one. And Erica… Well, if you can't figure that one out," he teased. Amber smiled. "There's one more, too. Well, kinda. Scott."
"I feel connected to them already. It's weird. Especially Isaac," Amber said softly.
"The two of you have a lot in common," Derek admitted. Amber looked at him, curious. Her brows furrowed, forehead creasing.
"How so?" she asked.
"I'll let him tell you that story. So, what are you doing back in Beacon Hills?" Derek said quickly. She wasn't escaping that question. Not tonight. He needed to at least know that. Everything could be answered later.
"I'm opening a boutique here. You didn't hear about that?" Amber asked. He shook his head.
"Been rather busy."
"Mmm. Well, speaking of the boutique, I need to get going. I have a meeting early tomorrow morning. I'll see you tomorrow?" she said. Her question sounded hopeful and that made Derek smile, whether he wanted to or not. "Nice seeing you again, Derek."
Amber stood up and went to leave the car. Derek stood as well, watching her. As she reached the door, he called to her again.
"The boutique's not the only reason you came back." Amber stopped walking. "Why'd you really come back?"
Amber bit her lip before looking back at Derek with a smile.
"That's a story for another time. Later, Derek."
And with that, she left.