Chapter 3 – Coming Of Age
Before Derek could defend himself, rough hands were on him; gripping his clothing tight whilst hauling him to his feet before dragging him to their vehicle. He turned his head quickly as one of them was stood beside them, firing shots at the oncoming attackers, one and then two of them stumbling to the ground.
"Get him in there!" one of them shouted as he continued to shoot, when more began to emerge around him, his voice almost drowned out by the gunshots and loud snarls reverberating around them.
Someone had planted a hand on his back as he was shoved into the backseat, lying on his side, before slamming the door behind them. "We got him, now let's go!" another shouted, a female voice.
It was all chaos around Derek, he'd landed awkwardly on the ground as he struggled to move his legs properly, grunting and wincing as he slowly sat up. Derek peered up beneath his lashes, eyes catching with another pair in the rear-view mirror, hooded, calculating and cautious, before tearing his gaze away to focus through the window; trained on the scene in front of him as a woman yanked the door open.
"Darren!" She yelled as she clambered in, sitting in next to Derek, indifferent that he was scowling at her and watching her every move before the other guy – which he caught his name was Darren - hurled himself into the passenger seat, glancing a swift look at Derek behind him.
"Johnson, drive!"
In a blink, the engine revved and roared and the tires screeched as they were all pelted forward in their seats by the sudden start, the hood colliding with several werewolves that ran straight for them, sending them to the ground instantly with a pained howl.
Derek glared at the onlookers suspiciously as they inspected him, their eyes trained on the crimson that soaked through Derek's shirt, but he already knew it wasn't his.
"Good thing Johnson spotted you." Rita side-eyed him, remaining stoic as Derek waited for her to continue. "As much as we all want to know, we'll the interrogation to someone else"
"Oh, I don't know. I have a few conditions that need to be settled." Darren spoke lowly as he shot a pointed look at Derek.
"Not now, Darren."
Derek glanced between them as his eyebrows furrowed. "How do you know me?" Derek didn't sound surprised.
"I believe it takes at least more than a month to forget someone, least of all you."
The drive was filled with an eerie and awkward silence that had also sounded too loud in Derek's sensitive ears as he glanced outside every now and then as he processed what had occurred previously. They had saved his life – or so he thought – and now they were taking him somewhere, somewhere deep in the Preserve - he guessed as after a thirty minute drive, they still hadn't caught sight of a town, or their driver had managed to confuse himself.
A sinister looking building appeared behind the trees as the car pulled to a stop, all eyes on him as he instantly recognised the building as his house. Derek winced as he clambered out of Jeep, swiping his arm away when someone had tried to assist him. He couldn't help the frown of displeasure that crept across his face as an overpowering stench hit his sinuses as his feet landed on the damp ground with a squelch; leaves instantly clinging to his feet as he slammed the door behind him before cautiously approaching the house, oblivious to anything else around him. As his focused wavered, he noticed several tents set up around the perimeter, surrounded by a wired fence and barricade, dim torch lights flickering on and off in the tents as he heard distinct rustling noises.
"You think he's getting all nostalgic on us?" Darren mumbled with displeasure as he approached. He shoved Derek from behind forcefully and Derek planned to retaliate when Rita interfered.
Rita scoffed as she approached them, shooting them a look between them before making her way to the bottom of the porch, avoiding the glare Derek shot her as she knocked on the wood. "Hey, get out here! We recovered something…" she smirked, as she gave Derek a knowing look.
Derek straightened himself and inhaled sharply as he heard thuds of footfalls coming from inside -obviously he was about to be confronted by their leader. If this meeting was to turn against him, he wouldn't stand a chance.
The footsteps were louder now as a solitary figure appeared in the doorway; sighing harshly as he stood with a sense of power and dominance. "It had better be something useful. This incompetence is driving me insane." He spoke calmly, but there was a threatening tone to his voice that made Derek tense.
He finally emerged from the shadows as he cleared his throat, wearing a scowl that had probably remained there for months on end, almost like it was sculpted into him, but it soon moulded into an expression that could only reflect shock as his eyes met with his.
"What the –"
Stiles.
"Stiles?" Derek's eyebrows shot high on his forehead as his disbelief flooded his voice. His eyes raked over him. He wore completely black; shirt and jeans, hunting boots that stretched up to just below the knee, a thigh holster located on his left leg and a black leather jacket that looked worn. But what caught Derek was how different he looked through his eyes; he could feel the pain practically oozing out of him.
Derek broke out of his gaze when sudden screeches and growls invaded his ears. Others had sounded distant, but there were some approaching their location quickly as he heard rustling noises nearby.
"Get him inside" Stiles instructed as he launched himself into the house, grabbing for their weaponry that hung on the wall or stored in the crates. As soon as Derek's foot crossed the threshold, he froze as he eyed the weapons scattered around the room; this was evidently their armoury.
A woman's head peeked out from one of the nearest tents. "What's going on?"
"Werewolves. You know the drill" Rita addressed her calmly as she gave her a nod of assurance. The woman nodded back as she disappeared into the tent grabbing a knife from underneath her pillow before clambering out to join them, dragging someone behind her.
Derek hadn't realised that he had paused for so long until they were all making their way towards him.
"Move it!" Darren barked as he barged past Derek to join Stiles in the armoury who was setting up his crossbow.
"They must have tracked you here. What did I say about a low profile?" Stiles seethed as he spoke lowly, lifting his head for his amber eyes to bore into Darren's as he waited for an answer.
Darren didn't reply as his jaw tensed and stared right back. He exhaled as he reached across the table to grab his machete before swiftly exiting the house, slowly making his way down the porch, his machete slung over his shoulder as he addressed the camp. "No they're gonna come in from that direction, so I say we split up, that way we can take them out quickly."
Stiles readied his last arrow and planned to join them when Derek blocked him. "Stiles –"
"You stay here. We've got this." Stiles stated as his jaw tensed. He avoided eye contact as he made his way passed Derek.
"Stiles –"
"I said stay here! It's a simple instruction, or do you want it to be an order?" Stiles snapped as she shook his head before turning away from him to join the others as he spotted several werewolves began to enter the perimeter, snarling and gargling as they thrashed about.
Stiles instantly sprinted passed the tents before crouching to his knees behind their barricade. He listened intently to the trudges of footsteps approaching them, shortly followed by ragged breaths and pained noises that sent a shiver down Stiles' spine. The creature must have been pacing, almost like a caged animal searching for an escape route, as it walked to Stiles' left, only to turn back to his right. Stiles glanced around him only to spot Darren creep up behind one on the other side of the barbed fence, giving him a short nod of affirmation as he reached under the wire to grab an empty wine bottle.
Darren launched it overhead with one big swing of his arm. It was faint, but Stiles' heard the sound of the bottle shattering when it collided with a nearby tree, which alerted the werewolves surrounding the camp, their attention trained in its direction for a valuable second, before Darren sensed an opportunity. He lunged for it, wrapping his arm around its neck as he jammed the blade straight through its abdomen. It gasped and gargled before it dropped to its knees.
Stiles overheard the rest of his group, clearly they had taken out a few, but he prayed a whole pack wasn't waiting to strike at the opportune moment. He couldn't take any more casualties.
He shifted his weight slightly as he peered over the barricade; spotting his target hobbling straight towards him, but it didn't seem to acknowledge him yet. Stiles silently raised his crossbow, training it solely on the creature's head, following its movement, but Stiles' arm began to tremble. It was only a matter of seconds before it would finally pick up on Stiles' scent and charge for him, setting the others off as well, like a chain reaction.
Stiles growled irritably to himself as he lined up again, cold hands clutching the crossbow with more force than necessary as he finally released an arrow, sighing with relief as it collapsed to the ground; limp.
Everything had fallen to a dead silence after that, which more or less made him uncomfortable, like it was the calm before the storm and he loathed always expecting the worst. He found Daryl again and gestured for him to follow as he planned to assemble his group.
"Everyone alright?" Stiles asked.
"Close call but, our group is still intact, we don't have any reports on anyone being bit or scratched." Rita replied, looking them all over, hands on her hips.
"Good."
"I don't understand how they found our camp though, we don't draw attention to ourselves – much"
Stiles brow furrowed as he became deep in thought, "That's what I'd like to know"
Darren appeared beside him as Stiles nodded at them both. It could have gone a lot worse, but they by no means wanted to think about that. Stiles returned to the house, nudging the door open ajar, surprised to actually find Derek sat on the staircase, frowning at him. Stiles expected that reaction, though.
"I didn't think you would actually follow my instructions…"
"What the hell was that?!"
Stiles arched an eyebrow, "Werewolves, genius. It was just an attack; we handle it like we always do."
Derek's eyes narrowed, "You could've let me help, rather than expect me to stay here with my tail between my legs."
Stiles rolled his eyes, shrugging his shoulders before glancing at him in disbelief. "After you being brutally injured and disappearing for a whole month, you weren't looking at good odds for yourself."
Derek slowly rose from his sitting position, still standing on the bottom step as he wondered what the hell that meant. "What?"
"I didn't want you to intervene, only to get hurt again-"
"No, what do you mean I've been gone for a month?" Derek asked, watching as Stiles' expression shifted into defensive anger and confusion, looking at him with so much disbelief like he was the most ignorant person he'd ever met.
"Did time not pass where you were?! Well, bully for you, now, I've been looking high and low for you. Getting my ass kicked, skipping sleep because I wanted to look for you. When I was on patrol, I would always ask Darren to cover me as I snuck out. Hell, I even had an anxiety attack once, and yet you act as if you never disappeared…Dammit, I should never have sent you on that mission." Stiles swallowed forcefully as his jaw tensed, "I should've come with you…"
Derek was silent for a moment as he tried to process everything Stiles had just blurted. He was honestly stumped of any words forming on the tip of his tongue.
Stiles remained silent as he avoided Derek's eye contact, his feet shuffling uncomfortably as he scoffed loudly.
"What mission?"
Stiles head snapped up at that, and now it seemed that anger had come flooding back. "The important one I set you to do." He frowned harder when Derek didn't answer him. "To get a location on their next attack, you dumbass! That was your assignment in the first place"
"Who's next attack?!"
Stiles shook his head as he dragged a hand down his face. "Alright, you have some serious explaining to do."
"I'm not the only one."
"Don't pull that on me…" Stiles warned. "'Cause I don't understand, am I not phrasing the questions properly or something?" he was in turmoil, he was starting to panic as Derek remained indifferent to what was happening here. "Where the hell have you been, Derek?! And why can't you remember anything-"
Stiles paused as he stared at Derek in shock; taking a step away from him as he felt his breath had been sucked out of him.
"Oh, god." Stiles gasped to himself as he fled the house immediately, adamant to Derek's calls behind him. There was one answer behind this. Just one.
Derek had flopped on the worn couch in the living room. It had been 10 minutes since Stiles bolted, but it had felt like a long, lonely hour. He'd just looked at him in horror that honestly made him cringe. Stiles had never looked at him like that, surprised and shocked maybe and sometimes disappointed, but never with horror.
Everything about this world was wrong, and he desperately wanted to leave it behind and forget it all, but it was much easier said than done. Derek hadn't been here for a full day and it was already affecting him majorly.
He heard rushed footfalls outside and approaching the hallway and he instinctively rose to his feet and stood in a defensive stance, only to find Stiles and another woman appear in the doorway, but he could sense others behind him. Stiles had practically brought the entire group.
"What is this?" Derek asked, glaring at the others cautiously.
"For now, I'll do the questioning…" Stiles jaw tensed again, as he took a step closer. "What do you remember?"
Derek silenced, as his memories of moments before he was sent here was a haze. He couldn't remember anything clearly.
"Derek, do you remember anything that happened before you disappeared?" Stiles took another step, eyes fixated on him, like they were the only two people in the room. "Anything?"
Derek noted how Stiles' voice cracked. He looked so pained and tense, like he was screaming out to him from the inside. There was something here Derek was missing and whatever it was, it was breaking Stiles down.
Stiles shuddered a sigh as he dragged a hand down his face again; trying to conceal his emotions that were running riot inside of him. He refused to crumble right here, right now, only to be witnessed by his group. He nodded his head in acknowledgment as he turned to Rita.
"This is more than a case of amnesia isn't it? You think they could've messed with his memories?"
"Probably. I mean he was working with us right under their noses. Who knows what they could've done to his head" Rita replied, folding her arms assertively.
Stiles clutched his hair as he took a sharp intake of breath, "What the hell have they done to you?"
"They haven't done anything. Nothing is wrong with me!"
"Oh, there is. You've obviously been hijacked or brainwashed or something"
"Stiles –"
"But you know what, we're gonna hunt those bastards down before they can reach us again.
"Stiles, what the hell is happening here?"
"We're in the middle of a war Derek, that's what's happening!" Stiles shouted.
They all jolted as several shots were fired outside, followed by frantic shouting. Stiles knew instantly what was out there. He cursed under his breath as he lunged for his crossbow again, heart pounding in his chest as he fumbled with the arrows, growling every time he failed to load it correctly as his hands were trembling.
"Now what?!" Derek snapped his head to the side, eyes trained on the door as he overheard every detail of the chaos outside. He heard new voices but Derek failed to recognise any of them from the campers, and there were no traces of snarls and growls either, which put him on edge. "Wait –"
"I'll explain later, but right now, I gotta defend my camp."
"Stiles, you're not gonna tell me to stay put again!"
"Well, tough shit! I don't want them to find you. I'm gonna come back alright?" Stiles stated irritably.
"And if you don't?!..." Derek quipped sharply as his eyes bored into Stiles' amber ones.
Stiles' stare lingered and he sighed harshly before joining the others outside; leaving Derek alone with his persistent and thoughts once again. He couldn't tell whether Stiles was imperious or just delirious.
Derek tensed as he braced his arms on the surface of the table, palms holding his weight and nails carving into the wood as he listened intently to the world around him. With a huff, Derek released the table from his grasp and marched outside, slamming the door behind him, adamant that he would sit out on this again.
Derek leapt off the porch and charged straight for what resembled a hunter, trying the penetrate the outer fence. He somersaulted over it effortlessly, managing to avoid the barbed wire that stretched across as he landed to his feet. He roared and snarled viciously as his eyes beamed a striking, bold red, which definitely seemed to frighten the guys as his eyes grew wide.
"Oh my – Guys! We got a live one here!" He trembled as he raised his weapon, only to leap to the ground as Derek tried to slash him, but he avoided him purposefully. "The guy's fuck-buddy's a freakin' Alpha!" He yelled again as he tried to raise his gun again shakily.
Derek extracted his claws for show as he snarled again, sprinting for the tree stump in front of him before leaping off of his for extra height, striking the hunter straight in the throat as he fired the shot.
The bullet had missed but the sound reverberated around them as the hunter fell on his back, choking and gasping for air as he scrambled around on the damp ground, but Derek stopped him by placing his foot on his chest.
Derek noticed Stiles call his name in panic and agony as he heard him running in their direction.
"Go on then, kill me or turn me. That's all you guys do isn't it?" The hunter sputtered, catching Derek's attention again.
He didn't answer him as he continued to stare at him in disgustedly.
"How long before buddy-boy over there gets turned, you ever think of that? I'd give you 'till the next full moon." He seethed.
Derek growled again as he gave more pressure to his foot on the guys chest, before removing it completely. He turned to see Stiles through the fence, wide-eyed and panting harshly as he recalled Stiles' words before.
He knew he would have to face another tirade from Stiles later.
"That was a real dumbass move back there, you know that?" Stiles trekked around the living room area. Obviously, Derek didn't want to broach the subject as he remained stoic. Stiles sighed in defeat.
"Some of them got away, which means we can't stay here any longer. We don't usually stay in one place for too long, 'cause hunters and bandits will eventually spot us, but, I guess I was optimistic. We'll move out by dawn."
"Hunters? You mean the guys earlier?"
"Not the ones like Allison and her father, they still keep to their new code surprisingly enough. I mean the ones that pretty much destroy everything they come across. Groups like ours, with people like me and you. Seriously, we've been ambushed so many times by these guys – lost so many members of my group – along with our supplies, food, pills, treatments, ammo –"He paused. "I guess we've all become desperate right?"
"How did this happen?" Derek asked quietly.
"We don't know" Stiles answered a little too quickly, which made Derek suspicious as he narrowed his eyes slightly.
"You've got to have some notion. This sort of thing doesn't happen overnight."
"Not overnight, but I know several werewolves can be turned in a short period of time…" Stiles shot a pointed at look at Derek, and he knew instantly what he was referring to; when he recruited his pack shortly after becoming an Alpha. "…evidently."
Derek suddenly felt very defensive of his actions. "That was different."
"Whatever…" Stiles scoffed as he rolled his eyes.
Derek didn't want Stiles to turn his own actions against him now; he felt his chest constricting and it like he was suffocating. "Stiles –"
"You think I can't loathe your kind just a fraction, for this?" Stiles asked incredulously, waving at the campsite.
Derek avoided that comment as a thought suddenly sunk in; something that had been bothering him since he arrived.
"Where's Scott?" He noticed something shift in Stiles as he slowly turned his back to him, rubbing the back of his head as he spoke reluctantly.
"Scott's gone."
"Gone? As in –
"He's gone, he left." Stiles was being vague on the details for a reason and as much as Derek didn't want to press the matter, he still needed to know.
"But why would he –"
"He left our group. He just – He said some crap about wanting to make things right…and I haven't heard anything since." Stiles head still remained lowered as he stared at nothing, arms folded, knowing full well that Derek could hear it in his heartbeat that he wasn't telling him the full truth, but he refused to discuss it now.
"Alright? Meeting over" Stiles stated as he rushed to the door, trying to leave before Derek could think up a hundred more questions concerning Scott and his whereabouts.
"It is far from over, Stiles" Derek protested as he reached for his arm, but Stiles retaliated; swiping his arm out of his contact.
"Then we'll do this later, but right now, I have business."
"Wait –"Derek protested as Stiles was already gone, but he followed him instinctively, only to see him round his group up in a huddle, obviously initiating a plan of action. He noticed that his group was not as big as he originally thought and Stiles had mentioned that he had lost so many; which made him wonder just how many people were involved, how many people's lives he had on his shoulders.
Stiles didn't seem surprised or even irritated at Derek's presence; he had probably expected it, judging from the quick smirk and scoff that escaped his lips as he shook his head lightly at him. All the attention was directed at Derek, almost second guessing his presence and he felt they were all staring right through him.
Stiles turned to him and chuckled a humourless laugh as he ducked his head, "Well, might as well refresh your memory" he emphasised and Derek noticed the wince that flashed across his face before he continued.
"I know they've saved your ass on a few occasions. This is Darren" Stiles gestured in Darren's direction and watched as he sternly bobbed his head in greeting, frowning with displeasure and he couldn't help but roll his eyes. "…Rita, Jared, Gale, Lee, Amelia and the guy who's just unloading the jeep is Johnson."
Derek scanned them all, feeling slightly awkward to the fact that they all knew exactly who he was, but he was completely oblivious to who they were.
"Though, fair warning…I'd be wary of these two…" as he gestured towards Lee and Amelia who were eyeing him curiously, "…they're in each other's throats and groping at every passing moment"
I short cough came from behind Stiles before they started to chuckle quietly. Lee scoffed loudly as he glared Stiles' down as Amelia folded her arms disapprovingly.
"Just like you, Stiles." She shot him a pointed look, the corners of her lips twitching into a knowing smirk.
Stiles' breath hitched and he suddenly felt heat flush to his cheeks as he tried to remain indifferent. He tried to think of a snarky come back but kept tripping over himself when he noticed Derek studying him curiously. "Shut it, Amelia. You're on watch first" he snapped lowly as he reached into the large safe box next to him with the loaded ammo and tossed the sniper at her chest, followed shortly by the tripod and the trail of bullets as Amelia struggled to keep her balance as she caught them.
Amelia continued to gape at him as she shrunk to the ground to retrieve the trail of bullets she'd dropped onto the muddy ground. "Totally, unfair. But I'll do it" She huffed as she turned swiftly, her blonde, messy hair following her movement as she began to trudge towards the lookout area, with Lee following close behind her.
Stiles groaned as he watched them disappear into the deep parts of the woods, instantly regretting his decision.
"I just hope they actually keep watch." Jared mumbled behind Stiles.
"Yeah, you and me both" Stiles sighed, before something suddenly crossed his mind which he scolded himself for, this sort of thing shouldn't be overlooked. "Damn it, I should've – Gale, you're heading in that direction after aren't you?"
"Yeah"
"Could you pass this onto them…"
"Pass on what?"
Stiles looked at his group then, planning to address them all. "You expected this, guys. We can't stay here any longer. A few of those guys got away and it only takes one person…one person to know of our location and we're attacked again. You know we never settle in one place for too long and now, well, that's our only option. We move out at sunrise." Stiles gestured at Derek to follow him back into the house.
He heard the involuntary groans and sighs behind him as he made his way back into the house, eyeing up all the weaponry. He heard Derek come up from behind him.
"I'm gonna need some help shifting these"
Derek watched him as he made his way to the collection of safe boxes as he carried one over to the table, slamming it down with a grunt of effort.
"I understand the decision to leave, but where exactly do you plan to go?" Derek emphasised as he tried to meet Stiles' eyes.
"Well, uh – First I plan to meet up with another group tonight. Someone I know from them; Maurice, he owes me some favours." Stiles continued to load the weapons, locking them away and moving onto the next one.
"Meet up, why?"
"To trade. Weaponry, pills, food. We're running low on supplies and if we're lucky, we could join up with them."
"Are you sure about that? How do you know they don't plan to kill you on sight?"
Stiles didn't reply. He just sighed as he continued to load them, shooting a glance at Derek. "You gonna help me with these?"
Derek sighed deeply as he closed his eyes for a spilt second before helping Stiles load the weapons, struggling to disassemble them as he has never had any experience with fire-arms, he was always on the receiving end of them. Stiles noticed his incompetence and chuckled lightly to himself - so only he would hear - as he grabbed it from him and pulled it apart far less than subtly and slowly so Derek would understand, earning him a scowl before he resumed.
With the instructions from Stiles, Derek began to load the vehicles with the safe boxes, carrying a couple at a time due to his supernatural strength, earning a look of jealousy from Stiles' part as he struggled to carry two at a time. He stopped to assist him.
"I got it…" Stiles grunted as he continued to trudge towards the black pickup truck, Derek rolling his eyes before returning for another load.
Darren walked past Jared, and was unable to ignore the lack of supplies he was actually carrying. "Don't strain yourself, Jared" Darren shot him a concerned look before it soon turned into a smirk.
Jared balanced the boxes on one arm, to give Darren a hard shove at his shoulder that had no effect on his balance whatever as he chuckled to himself. He loaded the tents, closed the tailgate and dragged the thick blanket to cover everything as he noticed Stiles standing silently opposite him.
"I presume you're riding with Derek." Darren cocked an eyebrow, fingers tapping against the truck as he awaited Stiles answer which he probably already knew.
"Yeah" Stiles replied bluntly as he turned on his heel.
"Hey!" Darren called after him, finally getting Stiles' full attention, looking puzzled. "Don't get ahead of yourself" He watched Stiles shake his head at him before Darren leapt onto the rear bed, sitting next the gear, grasping his crossbow while the others clambered inside.
Derek leant against the jeep as he watched Stiles stalk towards him, twirling the keys around in his grasp as he spoke, "You're riding shotgun" he kept his focus on him as he made his way to the other side before he climbed inside, oblivious to Derek's watchful gaze.
It hadn't taken as long as Stiles expected, but they were losing valuable hours as the last few essentials were loaded in the three vehicles, tied and strapped so nothing would come loose. Stiles was adamant to let Derek out of sight as he made sure he and Stiles shared a vehicle together as they began to head out, the Hale house shrinking in the distance as they found the road finally.
Something was ominous about the entire thing, as Derek had already witnessed the state of the human race which had supported Stiles' warning that no outsiders were to be trusted. So, naturally, Derek was wary, as he was going to make sure Stiles wouldn't come to harm. Not again. Not this time.
The first, faint rays of sunlight began to peek through the trees as they drove. Stiles and Derek took the black jeep and were currently leading the party. The silence became too loud for Derek's ears, feeling a sense of awkwardness as he caught Stiles side-eying him a few times before they flickered back to the road. Clearly Stiles was being evasive, but the questions were still close to spilling out of Derek anyway.
Stiles reached for the car's radio, trying to tune in, but all the response he got was feedback. "No radio." He sighed as he slunk back into his seat, head resting on his fist. "We're doing good." Stiles drawled sarcastically.
Derek continued to stare out of the window, watching the movement of the trees as they passed by, and the sunrise beginning to peep on the horizon as he took a long, deep breath of fresh air.
"I know what you're thinking."
"Really" Derek sighed as he cocked a single eyebrow at him; not entirely convinced.
"Along the lines of, 'This guy sounds dangerous, why are we risking it? Why are we doing this? You're not thinking this through'…you know, I get it. But this is something I have to do."
"How do you know this…Maurice?" Derek grimaced.
"Well, I once ran into his little malicia group when scavenging, it was their base camp and before any of them could take a shot, a whole pack of those werewolves ambushed us. I instinctively helped them out, even though I knew I would be their next target, but their leader; Maurice he – he spared me and we started talking, negotiating and before I knew it, we suddenly began to trade. Ammo for food, food for medicine - It sort of became a routine and I suppose - it has been one of the main reasons why me and my group are alive." Stiles still didn't look at him as his eyes drifted down to the steering wheel, still deep in thought.
Derek eyed him sceptically as he tilted his head, "There's something you're not telling me"
"I don't know what you're on about –"Derek noticed Stiles clutch the steering wheel even harder, it was subtle, but Derek's eyes were focused on his every movement.
"Don't lie to me, Stiles. What are you not telling me?"
"Nothing you already know."
"Yeah? Enlighten me" Derek pushed as he continued to watch him, waiting for an answer that trembled on Stiles' lips.
"You know what they say; 'There are always enemies amongst allies'." Stiles stated as he suddenly made a turn in through the overgrow of trees that created a tunnel.
Derek tried to process Stiles' last comment before his attention was focused on a long road, leading up a hill to a warehouse. It appeared sinister, but the area seemed highly secure – high fences with barbed wire surrounding the perimeter, with a tall structure standing next to it, he assumed it was a viewing tower.
In that moment, Stiles felt a little envious of Maurice's group, but he remained focused. The road seemed to never end; cutting through open fields that stretched for miles, fields that Stiles predicted would be swarming with werewolves, but it was so silent and so still, almost as if frozen in time and it made Stiles shiver.
Derek's eyes roamed the warehouse intently as they drew up, the other two vehicles behind them pulling to their side, out of view.
Stiles leaned over to Derek, "You're waiting here until I –"
"Oh, for the love of –" Derek sighed irritably.
"Derek. I'm serious, if they spot you, you're dead."
"I don't understand why you have so lack of faith in me, but whatever this is, you worry about yourself 'cause I can protect myself." Derek growled.
"It won't come to that." Stiles stated as he slammed the door behind him as he cautiously approached Maurice who was waiting for him in the darkness of the warehouse. A couple of Maurice's men emerged from the shadows, clutching their guns to their chest, watching him, almost like they were sizing him up. Stiles frowned and followed their movement cautiously as Darren and Gale came up from behind him, as if silently giving him reassurance. Their meetings were always inconspicuous and the accessible weaponry was usually just for show, but there was a thick tension in the air that would make any onlooker anxious.
Maurice finally stepped forward into the faint sunrays of the early morning that resembled spotlights as he wore a forced smile, hands shoved in his pockets. He was a fairly built bloke; anyone would think he was part of the Mafia as he did hold that murderous look in his eye whenever anyone was willing to make eye contact. His brows furrowed slightly as he scanned Stiles for the third time.
"Stiles. I was starting to think you called it off."
Derek couldn't see from his position but he could still listen to the conversation, easily distinguishing Stiles' voice from Maurice' as he listened intently.
"And why would you think that?" Stiles asked, remaining stoic.
"'Cause you're so unpredictable. As usual." Maurice smirked.
Stiles huffed out a short laugh as he dipped his head before scuffing his foot along the ground, "You should give yourself a little credit"
"Meaning?"
"A couple of hours ago, my camp was attacked…" Stiles paused, lifting his head slowly with his own murderous look in his eye that he may have seen Maurice flinch slightly, but it was too dark to tell otherwise. "…and I reckon you would know something about that, 'cause it was a bit of a coincidence that not long after, a few of your men show up and try to eliminate my group."
Maurice was silent for a few stolen seconds and Derek picked up on the jump in his heartbeat before he started chuckling, the low rumbles of his voice echoing around the warehouse. Derek had wondered why Stiles was tense on the drive and why he was hiding something from him and now it was clear that Stiles had his suspicions, but seemed confident that the group that attacked them back at camp was Maurice's group. Something inside Derek warned him that this confrontation would not end well; his instincts were dominating his doubts as he was severely tempted to go inside.
Darren and Gale shared a look between, clearly puzzled by Stiles' sudden accusation but he had seemed so certain of it that they restrained themselves from questioning him as they clutched their weapons tighter, when they noticed Maurice's men direct their attentions to them, almost challenging them to make a move.
"What makes you think they were my men?" Maurice sounded so innocent that it made Stiles sick to the stomach.
Stiles' glare intensified, "You're the only one who knows of our location, Maurice. Whenever you were present, I noticed how your attention was always on our stock. I mean, it's not like it's been the first time you've planned against me." He seethed.
"So, you think we drew those werewolves to your camp?" Maurice' voice was thick with disbelief but his breath hitched when Stiles stalked closer, eyes fixated on him, looking like a predator about to pounce on its prey.
"That's exactly what I think." Stiles' voice was so low and menacing that a shiver trickled down Derek's spine as his own heartbeat sped up.
"I know I would have sensed an opportunity to lure them, then get in there and take out the survivors before stealing everything they have." Stiles' eyes narrowed as he stalked closer, voice quiet and threatening, "We formed an alliance for a reason, Maurice."
Derek knew something had snapped in Maurice as his heartbeat practically roared in his ears, but with wide fear and panic as he seemed to struggle to form words. "Stiles, let's at least talk about this…" Maurice pleaded.
Stiles' cold eyes raked over his trembling body, a sneer creeping across his face as his fingers brushed his gun. "We got nothing to talk about" Stiles said sharply as he swiftly pulled his gun and shoved it just underneath Maurice's jaw before pulling the trigger, a few droplets of blood spattered across Stiles' face as he watched Maurice's lifeless body collapse at his feet, still holding the same terrified expression on his aged face before the last few breaths were sucked out of him. Stiles lifted his head to spot several bullets coming his way.
As soon as Derek heard the gunshot, he hurled out of the car and ran straight inside, heart pounding in his ears and feet moving faster than he could keep up with that he surprised he didn't stumble.
"Stiles!"