A/N: I do not own TeenWolf or any character, plot piece, etc., from the TV series.
I walked through the tree line and looked at the burned house. Derek may have drove off but I wasn't done with our conversation. As soon as my foot made contact with the first step of the porch the door swung open to reveal a very sweaty, shirtless Derek sporting his usual scowl.
"What do you want?" His voiced pulled my eyes away from the beads of sweat dripping down his chest.
"I wasn't done talking to you." I pushed past him and into the house.
"Well maybe I was." He slammed the door, "Learn to take a hint."
"Why are you so sweaty? Are you in heat?" I laughed as I heard his familiar growl.
"You really think that's how you're going to get me to talk?" He jump up and grabbed onto the top of the doorframe connecting the hallway and what once was the living room. He starts doing pull ups. "Dog jokes?"
"Uh, um… Sorry" His muscles become more defined every time he finishes a set. "I'm a Stilinski, sometimes the sarcasm can't be stopped.
"What do you want, Macie? I'm busy." Oh sweet baby jesus can I see that.
"How did it go with Scott last night?" The tattoo between his shoulder blades ripples with his muscles. "Is he going to let you help him?"
He drops from the ceiling and starts doing push ups. "I'm going to try and help him whether he wants it or not. I need him so I can defeat the alpha." He places one hand behind his back and continues with his push ups. "There's power in numbers." I really was trying to listen to what he was saying but I was getting very distracted with the muscles and sweat and tattoo and muscles. Oh the muscles.
"Okay can you just stop with the workout for a minute. I can't deal with all the…" I trail off and just gesture to his body.
He jumps up with a smirk on his face. "Can't deal with what?" With every step he gets closer, I step back. My back hits the wall and he keeps approaching.
His face a breathe away from mine. "You are so confusing…." I whisper.
"Well maybe I just can-" His head snaps to the door. When his eyes leave mine I release a breathe I didn't know I was holding. His eyes close and he inclines his head towards the door.
"Derek what's wrong?" his eyes snap open and he drags me into what used to be the kitchen. He opens a door, I think it's a pantry, and pulls me in with him before pulling the door almost shut. "Derek?"
"Shhh." He pushes me against the wall with his body. The sound of a door slamming open makes me jump. A small sliver of light is shines across his face from the crack in the door.
"No one's home." It's a male voice I don't recognize.
"Oh, he's here." The floor creaks as the walk around. "He's just not feeling particularly hospitable." A women spoke this time. Derek's eyes widen when she speaks but only for a second. Now they are slits, a deep fury burning within them.
"Maybe he's out." It's a male's voice but different from the first man who spoke. "Burying a bone in the backyard." They must be hunters. I felt a shiver run down my spine. I leaned into Derek, he looked down at me and grabbed my arms. I swear I saw fear flash through his eyes.
"Really? A dog joke?" The women did not sound amused. "We going there and that's the best you got?" The footsteps get louder, closer. "If you want to provoke him say something like…. Too bad your sister bit it before she had her first litter." Derek's grip tightened on my arms.
A growl starting in his throat. I put my hand on his chest, bringing his attention back to me. "Please… don't…" I mouth the words to him.
"Too bad she howled like a bitch…" The woman yelled. "WHEN WE CUT HER IN HALF!"
Derek pushed away from me and then he was gone. A furious growl filled the house. I heard something that sounded like a fight and then something falling to the ground. Dereks growl filled the house again. More sounds of a fight. "Please be okay, please be okay, please be okay." Another sound of a body hitting the ground. It goes quiet for a second, "Be brave Macie. Be. Brave." I step out of the closet and peak around the corner. A blonde woman was facing Derek, her back to me. He had transformed, his fangs out as he growled at her. She has what looks like a police wand in her hand pointed at him.
Derek charged and as he got close she hit him with the stick, blue waves of electricity covering it just as she made contact. Derek dropped to the ground, writhing, causing him to change back to normal.
"Wow," The woman taunts him. "This one grew up in all the right places," Derek turned over onto his stomach, his eyes meeting mine. "I don't know whether to kill it or lick it." His eyes were begging me to run, but I couldn't move. He started crawling away from her, away from me, towards an old couch and pulls himself up. He goes to lunge at her but she shocks him again. He falls to the floor, his agonized growl ringing in my ears. I felt tears running down my face.
She laughs as he seizes. "900,000 Vaults. You never would good with electricity, were you? Or fire? Which is why I'm gonna let you in on a little secret. And well… maybe we can help each other out." Derek crawled to the corner of the room.
"Yes, your sister was severed into pieces and used as bait to try and catch you. Unpleasant, and frankly and little too Texas Chainsaw Massacre for my taste but quite true." Derek sat up leaning against the wall, I could see the muscles tensing in his jaw. "Now here's the part that'll really kick you in your balls... We didn't kill her." Derek gazed burned into her. "What? You think I'm lying."
"Would it be the first time?"
"Sweetie." She crouched down until she was at his level. "Well why don't you just listen to my heart tell me if I am." I couldn't take this anymore. I creeped around to the other side of the stairs, there was a man lying on the ground, dead or unconscious I couldn't tell. A gun on the ground in front of him.
Without even thinking I grabbed the gun and headed back towards Derek and that bitch. She was whispering in his ear. The look on his face made my heart shatter. His eyes were full of hatred and pain. She stood up and took a step back. "We found bite marks on your sister's body Derek. What do you think did that? A mountain lion?" She laughed as she put the electric wand back into its holster on her belt.
"Hey bitch." She turned and stared me down, Dereks eyes widened as he saw the gun in my hand. I fired multiple rounds right by her feet, Derek jumped up and ran towards me. He grabbed my arm and we ran out the back, gunfire ignited behind us. I was slowing him down so he tossed me on his back and took off into the woods. I kept looking behind us but no one followed. After a few minutes he stopped and let me down. He looked back towards the house, panting, grabbing two fists full of hair. I leaned against a tree and sank to the ground, trying to get a hold of my own breathing, wrapping my arms around myself. I can't believe that just happened.
"Who in the hell was that?" I asked between my gasping.
Derek whirled around, his eyes flashing bright blue. "What the fuck is wrong with you? Do you have a death wish? She could have killed you! You should have stayed in the damn closet!" His voice echoed in the empty forest.
"I was trying to help you! She had you cornered!" I hated the way he was looking down at me. I pulled myself up and squared my shoulders.
"I don't need your help or your blood on my hands!"
"My dad's the sheriff, I have been able to shoot since I was nine! I can take care of myself."
"She has at least two decades of training under her belt! If I hadn't have gotten you out there she would have killed without a second thought!"
"I couldn't listen to her anymore!" It was my turn to scream. "Everything she was saying about… Laura…" My voice shrunk back down to a whisper "I know that I didn't know her," Tears ran down my cheeks. "But I could only imagine if the she said those things about Sti- Stiles." A sob escaped my throat. "I just couldn't listen anymore."
Dereks face softened, he took two giant strides, closing the gap between us, he wrapped one around my back and the other in my hair and pulled me against him. I sobbed into his chest. His fingers played in my hair as I cried.
"Who were they?" I asked as I climbed into my room through the window. Derek walked me home and snuck me upstairs so I wouldn't have to see my brother. Neither of us had said a word since my little breakdown.
"Hunters." He closed the window behind him and leaned against it. "That women was Allison's Aunt. Kate Argent."
"Was she lying?" I looked at my fingers as I played with my nails, unable to look him in the eye.
"No, no she wasn't." I watched Derek's feet as he walked towards me.
"I'm so sorry Derek."
"Don't. Please. Just don't." He sighed as he sat down next me. "Now do you understand why you shouldn't be around me or Scott." There was no anger in his voice.
"This wasn't your fault, or Scott's. The hunters have attacked you guys twice now, completely unprovoked. You guys have done nothing wrong."
"You think this is the first time they have come after us for no reason?" His voice rising in anger, not towards me, but them. "This is what they do. I can't have a normal life and neither can Scott, not anymore. If they find out what he is they will come after him just like they did to me and my family. It doesn't matter what we have or haven't done. It what we are. That's all they care about."
"Derek…." I trailed off, not knowing what to say.
"And now she probably thinks you know what I am." He rested his head in hands. "She may come after you.''
"And that's on me. Not you. I'm the one that came to your house. I'm the one that picked up that gun and revealed myself. Me, not you." He raised his head capturing my eyes with his own. "Besides between Scott and my dad and…. You… I think I'll be okay."
"Hopefully." Sadness dripped heavily from his words. "As much as I hate to say this… Thank you" My head shot up in shock. "For earlier, as stupid as you were for doing it, I needed…" He sighed heavily and stood, "Just thank you."
I was the one that closed the gap between this time. It took him a second but he returned the embrace. "And I'm sorry I made a dog joke... I promise I'll never do it again." He chuckled as I released him from the hug. "Derek... you don't have to do this alone, you just have to let people on your side." Derek gave me a half smile as he climbed back out the window and disappeared.
I laid across my bed, my head was spinning. I shot at someone today. I shot at a hunter, one who was able to take Derek down without breaking a sweat. Derek's right, I do have a death wish. What if she does comes after me now? What if she thinks I'm a werewolf and shoots me with the same bullets she used on Derek. Are those even more lethal to humans than just a regular bullet. Derek was only shot in the arm and he almost died. My heart started raising. What if she followed us here. I jerked out of bed running to my window, locking it and closing the curtains. That's not enough, it's not enough. I ran to my door and locked it too. I leaned against the wall and slid to the floor, wrapping my arms around myself. What the hell have I gotten myself into?
The sound of someone slamming into my door made me scream. "Macie? What the hell! Open up! Since when do you lock your door?" Stiles yelled from the hall. I reached up and opened the door. Stiles falling in as it swung open. "What the matter with you?"
"Nothing, what's up?" I grabbed his hand and pulled myself up.
"There was a mountain lion at the school during the parent teacher confrence."
"Wait.. so was it an alpha attack?"
"No, like there was an actual mountain lion at the school. And everyone was freaking out and trying to get out of there. We gotta go, I just got off the phone with Melissa, Dad got hit by a car during all the chaos." I was running out of the room and down the stairs before he finished.
The ride to the hospital was quiet and fast. When Stiles gets quiet like this it's because he get so wrapped up in worrying his mouth stops working. I was too nervous to break the silence. I was worried about Dad and worried that I might say something about earlier and Stiles will get mad at me. Again.
Stiles barely had the car in park when we jumped out and ran into the corridor. I felt instant relief wash over when I saw Dad standing at the counter filling out papers and talking to Melissa. I don't think he saw me coming until I already had him in my arms. I felt Stiles wrap his arms around the both of us.
"I'm okay guys I promise." Dad rested his head on mine, "Only some minor cuts and bruises, I swear."
Stiles squeezed us tighter before letting go. " But you do have to take it easy for awhile, you're going to be pretty sore in the morning but I'm sure you will be able to handle it." Melissa said giving him a look.
"Macie, I'm fine. You can let go of me." I looked up at him resting my chin on his chest. "Mac, sweetheart, I'm okay." He gave me a warm smile and kissed the top of my head.
I released him but didn't leave his side. He started talking to Melissa again but I ignored them as I went over the paperwork in front of him. Bruised ribs and lacerations to the hip. Not the worst injuries he could have gotten but it still angered me that he even has them.
"Mr. Stilinski!" Scott ran into the hospital. "Are you okay? I'm so sorry! I saw it happen, I was right there but I was with Allison and-"
"I'm fine Scott." Dad chuckled and clasped his hand onto his shoulder. "Don't beat yourself up, there was nothing you could have done!"
Stiles grabbed Scott by the arm and started pulling him away from our parents. "Will you excuse us?" I say as I ran after them.
"Okay let me just get this straight here," A humorless laugh escapes Stiles lips. "You were right there when my dad got hit by car. Right there! And it didn't cross your mind to use those little werewolf powers of yours to I don't, try and push him out of the way."
"Stiles, it wasn't like that. I was with Allison and sh-"
"Oh right. Allison was there. Well now it makes perfect sense." Stiles voice dripping with sarcasm. "Why would anything else matter as long as you have Allison, right?" Stiles just shook his head and walked away.
"Stiles!" Scott called after him. He turned to me. "Macie.."
"Scott just go home." Without another word I followed after my brother.
These past weekend has been hell. Scott and Stiles were still on the outs. I was mad at Scott for not trying to help my dad too but Stiles was beyond furious. He has barely left Dad alone since he came back from the hospital that night. He follows him around the house constantly asking him how he's feeling or if he was in pain. Dad was so happy that we had school today he practically pushed Stiles out of the house this morning. Yes, I am worried about Dad but I had a bigger problem on my plate. I have been looking over my shoulder waiting to find an Argent. First Allison's dad saw me with Derek at the gas station a few weeks ago and now I've literally tried to shoot her aunt. It's only a matter of time before one of them corners me and I'm terrified.
"Macie… Hello anybody in there?" Stiles was waving a hand in front of my face. "What's up with you? You've barely said two words to me today."
"You do enough talking for the both of us." I pull my backpack off my shoulders as we get to our lockers.
"C'mon Mac. You think I can't tell when something is bothering you?"
"I'm sorry. I'm just worried about Dad… and our best friend is an uncontrollable werewolf and not to mention there is a killer Alpha on the loose." I shove my textbooks into my bag, "Excuse me if I'm not in good mood."
"Scott is not our best friend right now."
"Oh shut up Stiles, yes he is." I slam my locker shut and head to class. I see Allison heading down the stairs and I turn to go the other way but stop when Scott is standing in front of me.
A sheepish smile on his lips. "You still mad at me?
"I'm not the twin you should worry about, I don't hold grudges like Stiles."
"Good because I missed talking to you and I have to tell someone other than Derek about last night!" He says as he falls into step with me.
"You're talking to Derek? Are you letting him help you now?" I didn't mean to sound so excited but I couldn't help it.
"Yes, you were right. I need his help." I try not to let my smug smile show. "But anyway, I saw the Alpha last night."
"Oh my god, are you okay? What happened? Did he try and attack you?" I pull him into an empty classroom.
"No, no. I'm fine. That's the thing he didn't even try to go after me. Well he did trap me in my moms car but all he did was draw a spiral on the window and then ran off into the woods."
"A spiral? That's weird"
"Yeah, and when I told Derek about it, he knew exactly what I was talking about but he wouldn't tell me what it meant!"
"Derek being cryptic? That doesn't sound like him at all." The sarcasm filled words earned me a laugh from Scott. "Alright well, we gotta go to class, we can't afford to get into anymore trouble after skipping last week. I have study hall after homeroom so I'll see if I can put my google skills to use and I'll just text you what I find out, okay?"
"No, I don't have my phone. Derek broke it." We step back into the hall and head toward class.
"Of course he did. Well I'll just see you at lunch and we'll talk then."
As soon as I got to the library I started my research but I couldn't find anything useful. It didn't help that Stiles texted me and said that we had to help teach Scott how to control his shifts by the end of the day. It looks like those two have made up. When I asked why we had a time crunch he just told me that I needed to come up with ways that would make him so angry he would want to shift. I have a feeling today is going to be a long day.
When I met up with the boys for lunch Stiles had his lacrosse bag with him. "Fill me in. What's going on?"
"So Scotty boy here says that Derek is going to teach him how to control his shifts after work today, so we have until the end of the day to do it first." Stiles said with a smile. "Our time has come young padawan."
I want to tell him that he's stupid and we should just let Derek do it but I know Stiles won't listen. "Alright fine. How do you expect us to do that?"
He grabbed his lacrosse stick, "Derek said that you need anger so we are going to piss him off! Let's go!"
Scott groaned as we followed him out to the field.
"Okay," Stiles placed his bag on the bench and started rifling through it. "Put this on." Tossing something to Scott.
"Isn't this one of the heart rate monitors for the track team?"
"Yeah I borrowed it." Stiles retorted as he pulled a phone out of the bag.
"You mean you stole it." I say as I take the monitor from Scott.
"Temporarily misappropriated." Stiles glares at me. "Couch uses it to monitor his heart rate with his phone while he jogs. You are going to wear it for the rest of the day." Stiles said as he handed me the phone.
"Isn't that coach's phone?" Scott asked with a smirk.
"That I stole." Stiles grabbed a roll of tape out of his bag and sack full of lacrosse balls. "Well your heart rates goes up when you go wolf, right? When your playing lacrosse, when your with Allison. Whenever you get angry."
"Stiles you're a genius!" I turn back to Scott, "Maybe learning to control it is learning to control your heart rate."
"Like the incredible hulk?" Scott had a big goofy smile plastered on his face.
"Yeah sure kinda like the incredible hulk." Stiles tossed me the phone, grabbed his lacrosse stick and we headed onto the field.
"I'm like the incredible hulk!" Scott cheered behind us.
"Just shut up and put the strap on." Once we got in the middle of the field Stiles starting taping Scott's hands together behind his back. "Alrighty, now Macie, you keep an eye on his heart rate. Let us know when it's getting up there. Now Scott. You just stand riiiiight here."
Stiles and I walked about 15 feet away from him when Stiles grabbed his lacrosse stick and threw a ball that hit Scott right in the stomach. The heart rate monitor started beeping. 115. "Remember Scott. Don't get angry!" I tried to keep the amusement out of my voice.
"Guys, I think this is a really bad idea." Scott grunted in pain, but Stiles just laughed as he threw more balls at him, almost all of them hitting him. "Son of a bitch!" He yelled as one hit him in the face.
"You know I actually think your aim is improving." I laugh.
"You know what sis." Another ball hits Scott in the chest. "I'm gonna have to agree with you." As we laughed the heart rate monitor started beeping again. 197.
"Don't get angry Scott!" I called to him. He started mumbling to himself as Stiles continued his assault. The heart rate monitor reached 215 when Scott yelled for us to stop and dropped to his knees. "Scott?" Stiles and I both took a tentative step closer. Scott ripped his arms free of the tape and dropped to all fours. We watched him as the heart monitor went crazy but after a while the numbers started to go back down.
Once they went back to almost normal levels we ran up to him. "Scott, did you start to change?" Stiles asked.
"I was angry but it was more than that," Scott said between gasps. "The angrier I got the stronger I felt."
"So Derek was right, it is anger." I gave Stiles a pointed look but I don't think he noticed.
"Alright seems to me like the first lesson went well!" Stiles helped Scott up and patted him on the back. "I have to put my gear back in the jeep and then we'll figure out how to trigger it again."
"I'll take it. I forgot my economics book in the jeep so I'll just meet up with you guys in class."
We packed everything up and I headed to the parking lot. This is good, Scott did it. He stopped himself from shifting. I think next we have to figure out how he needs to control himself so he can shift when he wants. That way if the alpha shows up he can shift right away instead of uncontrollably.
I toss Stiles bag in the back of jeep and grab my textbook from under the seat. As I turn around I'm face to face with the last person I want to see.
"Hello Macie. I think we need to have a little talk."
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