I'd gone a few days without seeing Derek, as much as it was killing me to be a part from him. I couldn't shake what I had seen. How torn up he looked when he brought Cora's limp body back to the loft. The images that ran through my mind when I thought of how she and Boyd could have killed him, because he was trying to save another woman, who he didn't even know. I knew it was because of the type of person he was, but I couldn't help but let my jealousy come through. Knowing that this woman was now going to look at him with high gratitude if she wasn't too scared from what she saw.
I couldn't go another day without seeing him or making sure that Cora was really alive and alright. Smoothing out the pleats in my dress I stared in the mirror at my reflection. My soft curls were pulled off to the side in a ponytail. I fixed my locket and took a deep breath before exiting my room. "Hey, where are you headed?"
Stopping I looked at Avery who was sitting on the couch watching some television. "I'm going over to Derek's place."
She eyed my outfit and raised an eyebrow, "booty time?"
Blushing I smoothed out my dress again nervously, "No, I just really need to talk to him. Do you think I look alright?"
"I think that there won't be much talking going on once he sees you." I smile and grab my keys before leaving without another word.
Lifting my hand I go to knock on the large door, but I stop and drop my hand. Afraid as to what I am going to find. What if my running away ruined everything? Taking a deep breath I reach up and knock on the door. "Come in," Derek's deep voice yells from the other side. Pushing the door open I walk in and find Derek with his arms crossed in the middle of the room. He has his eyes focused on something else. "Stop," it sounds more like an order than anything else. "You're not done healing."
"Yeah, well I'm done lying around." Cora. My eyes move away from Derek for the first time since I entered the room I watch as she drops from the large bar and goes for the ground.
"Then sit."
"Are you going to help me go after them?" She begins to do push-ups. Neither of them seem to even acknowledge that I am there. Continuing to watch Derek he walks over and kicks her arm out from under her.
Jumping up she begins to throw punches that he deflects until she yells, "come on fight back."
"Cora," I say stepping forward.
She throws a look over her shoulder to me, "No, Lee." She turns back to her brother, "I came back for this? I can't believe I got my ass thrown in a vault for three months for you. All those rumors I heard. Powerful new alpha, one of the Hales. Building a pack. Do you know how long I waited to hear something like that? Do you have any idea how it felt to find out you were alive?"
My heart pulls for the two of them. Thinking how close they used to be. How much she looked up to her brother and now being reunited after all of this time. "I'm sorry to disappoint you."
I open my mouth to speak, but am interrupted by the loud sounding of an alarm and Derek's head lifts towards the door. Cora is the first to speak, "What's that?"
"Trouble. Everly I want you to go into the other room."
"Derek?"
"Go," he yells. Listening to him I run into the other room just as I hear the door opening. Pressing myself against the wall I hear the sound of growls. Then Derek yelling at Cora to wait. I feel tears building up inside. Covering my mouth I try and not make a sound when I hear Derek's pained growl.
I stand quietly listening to everything with my eyes shut. Wishing it was over, hoping that Derek and Cora are alright. My eyes open when I hear Cora yell, "you're killing him."
A female voice answers her, "Not yet little sister, but I could. Who knows if it is five minutes or five hours before it is too late to take this thing out, but to be on the safe side, Duke you may want to get to the point." Tears break the surface and I slide to the ground. It took everything in me not to run out to Derek.
For a while longer I remain silent holding my sobs in until I hear the pipe that had been shoved through Derek hits the ground and I hear Cora run over to Derek. The three other people must be gone. I run out and see Cora crouching over Derek who is lying next to a pile of his blood. I run over to the two of them and drop to my knees, "Derek." I lift his head and place it in my lap.
Cora and I share a look as I smooth my hand over his face as she clutches to his arm. "What was that?"
"Deucalion, he's the head alpha of the pack." Cora explains.
"Head alpha?"
Derek coughs and I look down to his pained face. His eyes are closed, "It's an alpha pack." The sound of that let alone scares me to death.
"You did what?" I ask Derek while sitting on his bed with my legs crossed. He thankfully has fully healed and leans against the table. "He has nowhere to go, Derek."
"I know."
Cora sits on the couch watching us, "he's protecting him. Pushing Isaac away will only insure his safety."
I look at the siblings. "Where did he stay last night?"
Derek walks over and sits on the bed, "I'm not sure. I'm hoping he went to Scott. He trusts him. More than me sometimes." I crawl over and wrap my arms around him burying my face into his neck.
"Well," Cora said standing. "As much as I would love to watch this. I'm going to go."
"Where?"
"Out, just for a while." I lift my head and look to her, "maybe we can catch up?"
I nod my head quickly before she leaves the loft. Derek turns around to look at me. "Do you now understand? This is why I wanted to keep you away."
Leaning in I kiss him softly, "you can only protect me by keeping me as close to you as possible."
A small smile forms, "you're not going to leave?"
Wrapping my arms around his neck I straddle his lap, "I'm here as long as you want me."
He cups my face, "Well that is going to be a long time then because I love you." He kisses me roughly and I lay back allowing him to show me how much he loves me.
"Have a nice day," I say passing the bag to the woman in front of me.
When I hear the bell of the door I look up and see Cora standing in front of me, I smile at her. "So, you and my brother? You finally got him." I smile walking around the counter, "is it everything you wanted?"
"Yeah, it really is. Why did you stay away for so long?"
She lifts a small photo frame and places it back down, "I guess I was scared. I watched my house burn to the ground with the people that meant everything to me left inside. I couldn't handle knowing that there were people out there that wanted to kill me."
"You could have found me. Cora, you're my best friend."
Cora walks over and runs her finger across a lamp shade, "I found you in New York a few years ago." I lean against the counter, "I saw you were okay and that was all I wanted."
"Why didn't you talk to me?"
She shrugs playing with another antique on the table, "what would I say? We hadn't spoken in what five years? You thought I was dead. I didn't want to freak you out. I know the whole wolf thing is scary enough." She smiles at me, "I mean obviously not too scary if you're hooking up with my brother."
I blush looking down at my shoes, "yeah." I raise my head, "I'm just glad you're alive. I've missed you so much, Cora."
She walks over and takes my locket between her fingers, "Derek gave you our grandmother's locket."
"Yeah, before he and Laura left back after the fire." I open it and show her the picture and she smiles, "it's from the summer before everything happened."
"Wow, look how young we are. We didn't have any cares." She drops it from her fingers, "I guess things have really changed."
"How are you? I mean with everything."
She shrugs and lets out a laugh. "I was locked up for three months and then I tried to kill my own brother. I'm just fantastic." She fidgets with her hands, "But we're both alive and I have my brother and you back. I'll be okay."
"I think we'll all be okay." She nods, "So, I know that you were under the influence of the full moon and I don't really know how that works, but I was wondering if you saw that teacher Derek saved."
Cora laughed and crossed her arms, "why? You think my brother is going to go off and fall in love with a teacher?" My cheeks heated, "you know he never liked school. Plus his type is more of the independent business owners." I let out a laugh and she smiles, "he loves you. Don't second guess anything that he feels for you."
"Thanks, Cora."
She waves her hand, "don't worry about it. Now tell me what I can do to help. This store looks like it could use a hand." Laughing I shake my head, my best friend was definitely back.