Chapter Seven

Autumn's POV

When we got home, I let Mickey run around outside for a bit so he could stretch after sitting beside my desk all day before calling him. He loyally followed me upstairs and then laid on my bed while I did my homework or at least what I could do.

It was starting to get dark when there was a knock on my door and my dad came in. "I brought you some dinner." he said and placed the plate on the edge of my desk. "Chicken at 10:30, mac & cheese at 1:30, and peas at 6. And don't give me that look. Peas are good for you." he said and ruffled my hair a little before leaving. "And don't give them to Mickey. They make him sick." he added, shutting the door behind him.

"Yeah, well, they make me sick too." I grumbled, sticking my tongue out after I ate at least one spoonful. 'At least I tried' I told myself as I finished everything else on my plate.

When I took my plate downstairs, I kissed my dad goodnight and went back upstairs to shower. Afterwords, I pushed Mickey over so he wasn't taking up the whole bed and laid down. Sleep didn't take long to take me and I was out like a light.

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I didn't know what time it was when I woke up again, but it was still dark out and Mickey wasn't pressed against my back anymore. Sitting up, I felt around at the end of the bed and on the floor next to the bed, thinking he might've gotten too warm under the blankets and decided to sleep on the cooler floor.

When he wasn't there, I began to worry. It wasn't like him to wake up in the middle of the night and leave the room. I decided I should probably go look for him and threw the blankets off. I didn't like being alone and Mickey was usually always within earshot.

Carefully making my way downstairs, only missing one or two steps on the way down, I made it to the bottom of the steps. Feeling my way to the kitchen, I kept calling for the dog, keeping quiet so I didn't wake my dad.

I turned the light on and looked around, trying to make out the shape of Mickey.

Nothing.

Except the back door was open. Damn him for learning how to push down the latch and nose the door open. And of course it was the one time dad forgot to lock the deadbolt. Groaning, I felt around for the coat rack and grabbed my jacket. It was starting get chilly out and I didn't want to get a cold just because the dog decided he wanted to go for run in the middle of the night.

I slipped my shoes and left the house, leaving the kitchen light on and shutting the door behind me.

"Mickey, where the hell are you?" I called, taking small steps so I didn't trip or step on anything. Once I made it to the edge of the woods, I hesitated. The woods weren't someplace I usually went without Mickey. Who knew what was lurking in there! There could be spiders! Shuddering at the thought, I swallowed my fears and used the trees to navigate through the pitch black.

"Mickey!" I kept calling, hoping he'd hear me and come running like he always did. I stopped when I heard leaves crunch somewhere in the distance. "Mickey, that better be you." I threatened, but it even sounded weak to my ears. This just wasn't my night! Not only was I lost in the woods with no guide dog, my sense of smell was useless because of the change in season.

"You shouldn't be out here." came a familiar male voice and before I could scream, I was pushed up against a tree and a hand placed over my mouth. "Don't scream! I'm not going to hurt you." he said and slowly removed his hand. "You shouldn't be out here. Especially tonight." he went on and the grip on my shoulders lightened some.

"What the hell is going on?" I asked, starting to get pissed as I pushed at the broud chest in front of me.

"I should be asking you the same question." he growled, his grip tightening slightly again.

"I was looking for my dog!" I snapped, starting to loose my temper. "And who the hell are you!?" I practically yelled, frustration getting the better of me.

There was a long pause before he answered me. "Derek."

Great. This really wasn't my night. I was going to get eaten by a werewolf!

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Third Person POV

She shouldn't have been out here. Especially when there was a full blown full moon out. If Peter found out about her, there was no doubt in his mind that he'd kill her. And he didn't want that to happen. She was harmless. Or at least she didn't seem harmless.

It wasn't until he began to smell fear coming off of her that he realized when she must've been thinking. Letting go of her arms, the werewolf took a tentative step back and took a deep breath to calm himself. "I'm not going to hurt you." he said again, his voice sincere.

"Where's my dog? Did you eat him?" she asked, her voice shaky despite putting up a brave front.

The brunette couldn't help but roll his eyes at her question and sighed. "No. I didn't eat your dog. He's probably just running around in the woods. The full moon can sometimes affect dogs as well. Especially if there's a pack nearby."

"Will he be okay? I mean, he isn't going be eaten by someone else is he? I kinda need him." she asked and Derek felt concern roll of the shorter teen.

He didn't know what came over him, but that feeling from a few days ago came back. It was the same feeling he got when he thought of something bad happening to her. He hated to admit it, but she'd been on his mind a lot since he sought her out. It didn't help that she'd become extremely close to Scott and Stiles. And that thought began to anger him.

"Damnit! Why do I want to protect you so much?!"the brunette growled out, frustrated and confused. Not a combination he enjoyed.

There was a long pause while the blonde wrapped her head around the question and realized what he was asking. "It's part of my defense mechanism. My body throws off a certain pheromone that causes people to want protect me instead of kill me. Being blind also helps with the whole 'completely helpless and harmless' aspect." she explained and the she became angry. "Wait! Is that the only reason you're not ripping my throat out?!"

"Yes. I mean no!" the werewolf said and began to panic, something Derek Hale wasn't accustomed to and would never admit to. "I don't know! I can't seem to think straight when you're near me!"

A/N: Sorry for not updating for a few days. School's been a bitch! Anyway, I hope you enjoy the interaction between Derek and Autumn. I'm sorry if Derek seems a little OOC, but what the hell. He can act differently around certain people. We all do (don't deny it lol). So, leave a review and tell me what you thought!