Disclaimer: I do not own the Darkest Powers. . .but I wish I did!

AN: Obviously, I'm in the mood to write. . .so here's chapter three. And thanks for the wonderful Reviews! Please Read and Review some more! Thanks- Anya.

Chapter Three

Inner Fight

Derek knew he should just leave Chloe alone for a bit, to let her cool off, but he couldn't. He wouldn't just let things be left like that, not when there had been so much left unsaid. He stood there in that tiny kitchen, coaxing himself to take deep breaths, the wolf was angry at him. . .he wasn't sure why exactly, but he could feel the wolf's rage. Come on, Derek, just go in there and demand she accept your apology, he told himself mentally, but already knew there was no point. You couldn't demand Chloe to do anything, he learned that from the very beginning. She was suborn, and he knew she didn't take orders well. Those thoughts annoyed him, but at the same time he couldn't help but grin, those traits that Chloe possessed, were also a big reason to why he was so attracted to her.

A low grow slid through his teeth when he felt the hand on his arm- pulling him out of his thoughts suddenly.

"Whoa, jeez, bro, don't go biting my arm off," Simon warned, giving his foster brother a strange look, as he shook his head at him.

Derek's growling seized immediately, and his gaze turned to Simon. "Thought you were sketching," he commented.

Simon raised an eyebrow. "Well, I was, but all that stomping and door slamming sort of broke my concentration. It's hard to draw with all that noise. What happened?"

Derek looked away, "Chloe and I had a fight," he mumbled lowly, knowing very well that Simon probably didn't catch a word he said, but at the same time, knew what he was trying to say. In truth, it embarrassed Derek. He wasn't any good with girls- not that any of that had bothered him before, but now it mattered to him, and having to admit it to his brother that he had absolutely no clue what he was doing, was humiliating.

"Yeah, I figured Chloe was mad at you. Why though?" He asked, walking towards the refrigerator, and opening it with ease, before ducking his head inside, scanning the contents with a critical eye.

It was even worse to admit to why Chloe was mad at him, because he knew that he had been wrong for snapping at her. Derek crossed his arms over his chest, and leaned against the kitchen wall. "She asked something I didn't want her to, and I snapped at her," he admitted lowly.

Simon looked over his shoulder at him, before pulling out a variety of cold-cuts from the fridge. "Lemme' guess, you tried to apologize and she didn't want to hear it, huh?"

Derek cursed his brother for knowing him all to well. "Yes," he grunted.

Simon grinned to himself, knowing very well what would set Chloe off, especially when it came to Derek. He arranged the deli-meats on the counter near the stove, and grabbed a loaf of whole-wheat bread. "So, whatcha' going to do?"

"Obviously, he needs to go apologize. . .again," Tori voiced, pushing off from the kitchen's entrance where she had been listening from.

"Thanks for the opinion, Tori, and for ease-dropping," Simon glared at her. "That was sure a long shower."

She rolled her eyes, and strolled up to him, before hip-bumping him out of the way, so she could arrange her own sandwich. "I'm just telling him what he needs to do so Chloe can stop being all mopey. She's acting like her dog died or something," she glanced at Derek with a smirk at her little joke.

Derek didn't find it too funny though. He didn't like the thought of Chloe sad, because of what he had done. He knew the whole thing was his fault, that if he could just be normal. . .act like other guys did around their girlfriends, then his and Chloe's relationship could be a whole lot better, would be a lot easier.

But he wasn't normal, he was a werewolf, with super-strength, and territorial issues. He was trying his hardest not to become too attached to Chloe yet, he knew that soon he wouldn't be able to stay away from her. There was this strange. . . need, to be with her all the time, to know where she was, and what she was doing. It drove him crazy when she wasn't in sight, or if he didn't know how she was feelings from the expressions on her face. He knew that keeping his distance was for the best, because soon his instincts would kick in over-drive, and he'd never be able to go back to how it was before once he crossed that line.

A part of Derek- a big part of him, knew very well exactly what Chloe was to him, what she meant to him, to his wolf. But he tried to block out those thoughts, and suspicions, it was just too much to handle at the time. He didn't want to be one of those guys- the ones who controlled their girlfriend's every move. He couldn't be that guy, but he knew it was hard to get a hold on, it was who he was.

He wanted Chloe to be near him, always, he ached when she wasn't in his line of sight- even at that very moment, as he stood there in the kitchen, watching Simon and Tori argue over a packet of turkey, he felt the loss of Chloe's presence by his side.

And the scariest part was that it wasn't just him that ached for her, it was the wolf too. The wolf was whimpering uncontrollably for her touch, her smile, and her happiness.

Derek knew what it meant. He wasn't stupid, he read the books on werewolves and how they eventually found mates. . .it was just hard to comprehend, to grasp that he had found someone. . . that he had found Chloe. He had never thought he'd ever want to be with anyone other than his dad and Simon. But now he did, he wanted her, needed her in the most desperate way.

Swallowing his pride, Derek left Simon and Tori alone in the kitchen to their bickering, while he walked out of the kitchen, past the living-room, and headed straight for Chloe's doorway.

Once he stood in front of the offensive plank of wood that kept him from seeing Chloe, he knocked on the door lightly, praying that she'd let him in.

After a minute of holding his breath, he heard Chloe's heart rate increase, and her light foot-steps. They didn't move closer to the door though, but farther away from it.

His hope sank, until he heard her quiet voice whisper ever so lightly, "Come in, Derek."

Derek placed his hand on the door knob, and turned it, pushing through the door slowly, knowing that he only had mere seconds to figure out exactly how he was going to explain to her what he needed to say.

ANN: So, how was it? I can't believe I'm updating so soon already, but I feel the need to write. . . because I seriously love Derek! Yep. . . I do, and I like Chloe and Derek together, because their adorable. . . So, anyway, I'm going to study for my Science exam, and then go to sleep. Night All. Please Review! Thanks again- Anya.