Disclaimer: Obviously I'm not affiliated with Teen Wolf in any way, I don't own it.
Shout out to: If-We-Burn-You-With-Us123, you're excitement got me excited about this story again, thank you!

"We've seen our share of ups and downs
Oh how quickly life can turn around
In an instant- Creed"

Haunted: [2]

Aeyden went down willingly, onto her knees in submission, as Kate placed the gun to her forehead.

"You always loved him didn't you?" Kate laughed, her face twisting up into her sick version of a smile.

"And he never saw it. He was too occupied by the thought of me in his bed, to worry about you, let alone hunters. Too blinded by what he wanted to see that he missed all the warnings signs, falling right into my trap. The irony of it all, it could keep me going for a lifetime."

Aeyden bit back a growl, her stomach twisting in a rage. Kate was baiting her, that much was obvious. She offered no retort, much to Kate's disappoint. Clenching her fists tight, digging her now extended claws into the her palms to keep from fully shifting, as she silently weighed her options. She could easily break the hunter's neck and get out of there, but at what cost? Surely that would raise suspicions, make the others ask the question why she had waited so long to break free if she had been able to do so all along. No. She had to keep the focus the on her, she had to make them believe they'd won, long enough for him to get away.

But Aeyden wasn't stupid. She had no doubt those bullets were laced with wolfsbane. And it didn't matter how strong the wolf, a wolfsbane bullet to the brain, that wasn't something you came back from.

But this was for him, this was for Derek.

Aeyden exhaled sharply, a breath she hadn't realized she was holding as she pushed her forehead flush against the barrel of the gun. Her gaze never wavered, she may have been playing the submissive role, but she had the power here, and she would never give Kate the impression otherwise. Aeyden heard the hammer of the gun click and couldn't help but wonder why a trained hunter wouldn't already have their gun cocked. Had she planned something like this, hoped for it maybe?

She knew Derek was nearby, she could feel him. So with his smile on her mind and his voice in her ears she finally closed her eyes, using her last breath as a final plea. "Forgive me."

The shot rang through the woods. Derek knees hit the forest floor, his head in his hands, as if the bullet had echoed . And maybe it had.
His family was gone, her family was gone, she was gone. He had nothing left. Derek was alone.

"Forgive me." She had said.

Forgive Me.

Derek's shot up in bed, reeling from the same nightmare he'd had so many times before. Forgive Me. The words haunted him, still ringing through his ears even now.

He had hated her. Hated her for not finding another way, hated her for having to be so infuriatingly heroic, but most of all he hated her for leaving him. It had taken him years to stop being angry with her, for him to understand what she had truly done for him, why she had done it. Aeyden had sacrificed herself for him, had taken a bullet for him and unknowingly done so for Laura and Cora as well because he was her mate. And with her dying breath she had begged his forgiveness.

Derek heaved a sigh, shoving his face into his hands trying to quell his restless mind.

"Derek?"

His head shot up in the direction where the voice had came from, only to find Aeyden leaning against the door frame to his bedroom. He tilted his head at her in a questioning manner, still finding it hard to believe she was actually here, that she was in fact alive. She fiddled with her hair, pulling the half braided mess back into a bun at the nape of her neck,before crossing her arms.

"Your, uh, heartbeat was erratic. I, uh-"

She trailed off, sending him a worried look, before crossing the threshold, making her way over to the bed and sitting beside him. Derek couldn't help but lose himself in the sight before him, he had so many questions, so many things he needed to say, but where did he even begin? He was brought out of his internal struggle by her shifting on the bed. His breath caught in his throat as she leaned her forehead against his own. He sighed, leaning into her, astonished at how the simple gesture put him at ease. Whether that was the mate bond or just her, Derek didn't know, he suspected it was a bit of both.

"You dreamt of the fire."

Aeyden hadn't meant it as a question, that was evident by her tone. He thought about denying it, but all his resolve flew out the window when he finally met her eyes. Her eyes had always been the subject of talk, at school the kids would whisper about the weird girl with the demon eyes, in the streets mothers would tuck their children into their sides as she passed. But Derek had only ever seen them for what they were, beautiful, just like her. But the eyes that he found staring back at him tonight were different, they didn't seem to catch the light like the once had, the red spilling into the gold more than he ever remembered, threatening to overtake it.
They were haunted, just like his own.

"How did you know?"

"Because every time I close my eyes, I can see them burning."

Derek swallowed hard, pulling her body flush against his, wrapping her up safe in his arms. Aeyden understood his pain, she had always understood his pain. She saw him, she knew him.

"I see you." He confessed. "And I swear I can still hear the gunshot ringing in my ears when I open my eyes."

Her hands clenched into tight fists around Derek's tank top, pulling him closer to her, whispering her remorse into his neck. Derek's body stiffened at the amount of guilt she seemed to harbor, pulling back from her ever so slightly, so that he could see her face.

"Hey, Aeyden look at me." He said sliding his index finger under her chin, tilting her face so he could see her eyes once again.

The expression he was met with successfully extinguished any anger left residing in him over her past decision. It was clear to him now it wasn't just him her death had left broken. Until now he had never thought of what it must have been like to have been the one staring down the barrel of the gun, knowing those were your final moments. Was she afraid, had she found relief? But in the end she hadn't even been able to find peace in death.

"There's nothing to forgive." He said, kissing her forehead before promptly lowering his mouth on to hers.

There was a sense of urgency to the kiss, a hunger, as if to say 'I'm not losing you this time.'
Derek let out a growl against her lips, his wolf swelling with pride that his mate had not rejected his advance, only to receive one from her in return. He felt her smile against his lips before pulling back and placing her head on his chest. Derek brought his arms back around her, placing his chin on top of her head, as he laid back against the headboard bringing her with him.

"Besides." Derek voice suddenly broke the silence, causing Aeyden to lift her head up from his chest to look at him. "I would have done the same."

Aeyden offered him a small smile before returning to her previous position, closing her eyes with a sigh.

"I know, Derek. I know."

A/N: This one was all sorts of heavy, sorry. So what did you think of Aeyden's 'infuriatingly heroic' (as Derek likes to put it) death?
Thank you all so very very much to those of you that reviewed, followed, and faved, it means a lot!