A/N: And she's back! Woo. Right this has to be my favourite chapter so far!

Its a lot longer than the others so be warned but it is the best chapter in my opinion!

Ahh, i hope you all like it!

love me xxx

*DISCLAIMER*
*Standing in the middle of the forest alone*
Me: Hmmm i wonder what i can do for the plot to the Reckoning... *Grins an Evil Grin* Muahaha.
Everyone: GET HER!
Me: What no, get off me, hey, im sorry, I DONT OWN DARKEST POWERS leave me alone!
Everyone: Oh, right. Off to go get Kelley Armstrong then as she is the RIGHTFUL OWNER OF DP.
Me: *Left rocking back and forth in the middle of the forest, alone, again* Someday, one day.

Chapter 7: Finally Some Answers

Chloe's POV

I woke up to the sound of rain thundering against the window of the study, I looked over to see Derek but he was nowhere in sight, where was he? I decided to get up and wander seeing if I could find him. I walked through the kitchen around to the back door. Where the hell has he gone? I opened the back door to find Derek slumped against the wall by the door.

"What h-happened Derek?" I crouched beside him and swept his hair from his face, he was hot real hot. His eyes were glazed over, he was getting closer to changing I knew it.

"Chloe, I'm sorry I left, it's just the heat, I couldn't stand it" He looked sincere but he was just being a pain in the ass.

"Derek, come on your close to changing lets walk" with that he decided to get up and walk towards to forest's edge.

We didn't get very far before Derek doubled over, on his hands and knees convulsing and heaving what was left of his empty stomach. I sat quietly next to him knowing that he needed me there with him, the last time he'd fallen asleep holding my ankle.

"Chloe, go" He grunted between heaves, but I wasn't going to listen to him anytime soon.

"No, I told you I'm not going anywhere Derek." I put my hand on my back and started rubbing circles not sure of what else I could really do, I could hear the bones in his back cracking and shifting in to place, it was much faster this time than the last two, he'd only been there a few moments and yet he already seemed to be taking the form of his wolf self. With hair sprouting then retracting, his hands and feet shifting to paws, his ears moving along his head stopping at the top then changing into wolf ears, his face grew long with his bones protesting as they formed a long muzzle. Right before my eyes Derek was changing and I knew this one would go all the way, as soon as I had blinked I realise it was not Derek now lying on his stomach in front of me but the wolf he had become. That's a bit stupid really I knew it was still Derek but it was his wolf form not his human form.

The wolf was beautiful, like an image out of a comic book. Long black fur that felt like a rug underneath my hand that was still on Derek's back, it wasn't a dull black like the colour of my hair, but a black you would associate with velvet almost. The wolf looked up and I could see that although the face didn't look like Derek's there were his eyes, an emerald green staring back at me. I smiled and he seemed to understand that I wasn't afraid; I was quite the opposite really. Derek got up, turned, laid on his belly and flopped his face in my lap staring up at me, I knew he'd be yelling at me later telling me I shouldn't have been there that he could of hurt me but I didn't care, because he was beautiful and nothing that beautiful would intentionally hurt anyone. As soon as his head had reached my lap was there soft snores grumbling in his chest. I sighed; it was easy being with Derek when he was like this. He was beautiful; I had to pinch myself repeatedly to make sure I wasn't dreaming. It was getting dark and it was getting colder, my thin jumper did little to keep me warm. Well at least my legs were warm with Derek laying on them. I looked around me locking my eyes to the left of where we were into 6 pairs of very bright blue and green eyes.

"Derek" I whispered, shaking him gently, "Derek wake up please" but he just snored gently into my calf rolling over onto his back. All this time I didn't take my eyes off the pair of blue eyes that crept forward. The light of the moon was shining through the trees and I could just barely make out the form of what look like a very large wolf.

I couldn't move I was frozen to the spot; fear took over my muscles keeping them paralysed just like they had every other time I had been in a situation like this. It was an automatic reaction, my brain just stopped functioning. Just as a tear was escaping my right eye did a very large man step out from behind the wolf in front of me. "Don't worry none of us will hurt you. What is your name?" He came closer and I flinched. "It's ok; honestly we're not here to hurt you. We're here to help you. Andrew called us last night. I'm guessing by the bruises and the fact you have a very large newly transformed werewolf snoozing on your lap that you're Chloe? Correct?"

I nodded I couldn't do anymore; I couldn't speak in fear that if I did, the tears that I had been keeping in would not just spill over the edge but that they would become hysteria. I didn't want to cry, I had cried enough over the past month or so, I wanted to be strong, brave Chloe that Derek wanted me to be so, I kept with the head signals. That was about as much as I could manage.

"Ok Chloe, my name is Steven" I nodded again, I looked around and now that the moon was fully shining through the gap in the trees I saw that there was about 6 very large werewolves sitting in a semi-circle around the guy who had just introduced himself as Steven. Several seconds later before my eyes the wolves changed back to their human forms, not in the way that Derek changed, none of the bones cracking or the vomit spraying everywhere, but it was almost graceful. The way they changed was almost magical, if I had blinked I would have missed it all, their fur had disappeared not like it had been grown but just that it had changed a different colour, their faces just morphed. I didn't have another word, it was like one second they had a wolf face the next it was human. They stood on their back legs as a wolf and their hands and feet just appeared. It hadn't looked as merely as painful as what Derek had been through. Is this what the Edison Group had done to Derek? Altered his genes so much that he couldn't change properly, that surely enough if he did change the first time involuntary that he would never want to go through that pain again, therefore they had a werewolf that didn't want to change. Is that what they had wanted, their own personal superman to bend to their will, to do their dirty work for them? I looked down at Derek lying on his back, still snoring softly and I couldn't help but feel helpless for him, but there was also another feeling I couldn't place. I had such longing to just hold Derek and not let him go, ever.

"Chloe, this is my pack" He gestured to the now half naked human men still standing in a semi-circle around Steven. He motioned from left to right "This is Craig, Aaron, Dylan, Christian, Sam and Jacob." They all grunted, wow I guess werewolves really are moody and suddenly I was laughing. Steven looked at me as though I was going mad, "Chloe are you... ok?" I was still laughing, but I stopped just in case I would wake Derek up. Suddenly I didn't feel so frightened anymore.

"I'm fine, I was just laughing at... e-erm something... t-that..." Ok I couldn't tell him I was laughing at them being grumpy; I didn't want to piss of 7 werewolves standing in front of me "It was nothing, really." I smiled and he smiled back at me.

"How long have you and the wolf been out here for?" He looked at me curiously and I think I may have blushed.

"His name's Derek and not long he'd only just changed when you arrived." I looked down at him, he was still snoring lightly. He seemed so peaceful.

"Chloe was Derek adopted?" this question bought me up short. I shot my head up and nodded. "Chloe how old is Derek?" Another question, why did it matter how old Derek was?

"H-he's sixteen." His face seemed to light up but he quickly shook it back.

Suddenly Derek shot up, moving in front of my sight, growls rumbling then exploding from his mouth. Sharp snarls filled the air, his teeth bared with saliva dripping from the side of his jaw, it was only then that I realised Derek really could be terrifying if he wanted too, but I wasn't scared, I should have been running and screaming but I knew that he would never hurt me. I realised that the werewolves were now nowhere to be seen and only Steven was left standing in front of me and Derek.

"Derek, its ok they're here to help us." Derek turned his head and growled at me. "Do not take that tone with me Derek Souza" I got up to leave he turned around and nudged my leg as if in apology looking up at me then looking at Steven again growling. "Really Derek they are here to help. Andrew called them." With that he stopped growling, he didn't relax his stance between me and Steven but I knew that I would be chewed out later.

"Steven, do you mind if we meet you back at the house?" I asked not sure if Derek would really relax until he was gone.

"Sure, see you there Chloe." With that he darted towards the house, I watched him go, after a few seconds I could no longer see him, I turned back round to see Derek, in human form stomping around picking up the rest of his clothes. Pulling on his trousers it started.

"Chloe what were you thinking?!" Derek was now shouting as he pulled his ripped t-shirt over his head. "They were werewolves do you know what they could have done to you?" He turned to face me coming up to my face; making me back up so I hit my back against the tree. I winced I was still sore from what happened. "Chloe will you answer me god damn it, what were you thinking?!" His breathing was heavy now, I could feel a tear escaping my eye, and I wiped it away before it rolled down my cheek.

"They weren't going to hurt me Derek" my voice was small, I hated when he shouted at me. I was being brave that is what he wanted to me to be and I was why couldn't he see that?

"You don't know that Chloe, for all you could have known they could have ripped you to shreds and I'd be left clearing up the pieces as usual! Then I'd have to find seven werewolves and rip their heads off for hurting you, do you not care at all what trouble you get yourself into?!" He was right up against my face now; I could feel his breath on my cheek. His breathing was still ragged.

"I don't need you saving me all the time Derek, I can take care of myself" I was shouting now, he didn't need to save me all the time, "You don't have to save me Derek, I can save myself!" There were hot new tears rolling down my cheek now. "Maybe you should have left me with Liam and Ramon then you wouldn't have to save me anymore would you, you probably regret saving me then you wouldn't have to worry if I got in trouble anymore would you." The tears were flowing now, through the anger I could see Derek being taken back by my last statement.

"Chloe, I..." He didn't say anything he just stood there staring at me still as close as he was when he was shouting at me. "Is that what you think? That I... regret saving you?" A scowl was on his face but his eyes were shouting confusion. "Chloe, I save you because I don't want you hurt" He was still shouting but not as harsh as he had been. He let out a long breath. I was silent I hadn't meant to say it but it came out anyway. It stayed silent and we stood there for a few minutes me looking at him, him arguing with himself

"N-no I don't think that but what do you wa-" he put his finger on my lips, he was still arguing with himself. Then he kissed me. Oh my god, Derek is kissing me; his lips were soft on mine. The feeling that rushed through my blood was not anger or frustration anymore but something warm. Something beautiful, I couldn't put a name to something that felt this good. His hands leaned against the tree either side of my head. His lips were moving so softly in sync with my own now, my hands found his shoulders. He moved his hands from the tree to softly pull my face from his, the kiss ended sooner than I would have liked. What did I just say I liked kissing Derek? He placed his forehead on mine.

"Chloe, I don't hate saving you, I just wish you would be more careful." He wasn't angry anymore. He kissed me lightly again. I kissed him back, replacing my hands on his shoulders, wrapping them around his neck. I was happy, everything that had happened so far this was the first time I was in perfectly happy the way things were. I melted blissfully into that perfect kiss.

A/N: *SQUEEEEEEEL* Was that good for you? To make up for hurting Chloe yes?

Muahaha, i do love a good bit of Romance, *Swooon*

Little button below is your friend, if you click it, he will give you a box to write lovely things about my story in *GRINS*

Pleaseee, ill put a Derek on-top... shirtless... maybe a little less (^_^)

love me xxxx