Chapter 10: Instinct
Scott's POV
My mind goes blank, not knowing how to react. Feeling like a deer caught in headlights, my eyes widen as my body presses further into the wall. Momentarily, my body freezes as I focus on the guy in front of me. He bares his teeth allowing a snarl to escape. His grip tightens on my shoulders making me wince at the sudden pain. My collar bone shifts under his vice-like grip. "Connor," I hear a voice call out. I glance over Connor's shoulder, my eyes land on a 6'1 muscular-frame male with dark brown hair. His hair is short on the sides and longer on the top giving him a military feel. Feral growls snap my attention back to the prick named Connor. Anger boils within me as I take in the situation before me. I should have listened to Derek but you know what. He should have known better than to bring me here. I mean, who does that? Who in their right mind brings a teenager around four volatile werewolves, hmm? A fucked up individual, that's who.
Adrenaline rushes through me as my wolf pushes through the surface. My body starts shaking violently causing Connor to release my shoulders. My vision becomes sharper, my fangs extend, and claws replace finger nails. Swiping my arm at the bastard in front of me, he catches my movement and jumps back but not before my claws slash through his tender flesh on the side of his lower abdomen. He clenches his jaw as he reaches for his side, pulling his hand back. He looks at the blood before bringing it to his mouth. His tongue licks the blood off seeming to enjoy the taste. Oh my God. His eyes narrow on mine making me cringe. "You're trespassing. You will submit," he growls out. His voice causes a cold chill to run up my spine to the base of my neck. Who the fuck does this asshole think he is? My mom? My mate? My Alpha?
Eyeing Connor, my body tenses as I take in his stance. His legs slightly spread apart, knees bending, rigid straighten shoulders, fists clenching, anger rolls off of him in waves almost suffocating me. Finally, my eyes travel to his face. Our eyes lock, staring each other down, daring the other to make a move, tantalizing the other to attack. Yeah, that's right. I'm not some punk ass bitch that's going to roll over just 'cause you think you're a badass. His lip curls upwards exposing his fangs; a snarl leaves his mouth warning me to submit. Psh, that's not happening. I tilt my head to the side, a smirk forms on my face. Does he really think I'll submit to him? He's smoking crack or something if he honestly thinks that. Anger flashes in his eyes as I refuse to break my stare. "That's not happening," I darkly growl out. Challenging his dominance, I step away from the wall causing the tension in the room to rise.
Circling around each other, I size him up looking for any weaknesses while snarls fill the room. Stopping, I take a menacing step towards him. Connor starts pacing back and forth in front of me, indecision clearly on his mind. I'm not going to stand here and wait for him to attack me. I lunge for Connor, tackling him to the ground. Straddling his stomach, I bring my hand back. My fist connects to his nose. Hearing a satisfying crunch, the feeling of bones shattering underneath my fist makes a smirk appear on my face. Blood gushes out of his nose sending my mind into a haze. The last bit of control I have slips out of my grasp as my fist repeatedly lands on his face, hitting his broken nose, splitting his lips, and dislocating his jaw. Blood covers my red swollen knuckles but I don't feel anything. My wolf demands retribution. Raising my hand again, fingers spread, eyes focusing on his throat. Movement catches my attention. I reluctantly tear my eyes away from my prey. The military-looking guy from earlier rushes out the door mumbling curses under his breath. What the …
Connor uses this temporary distraction to push my body off of his causing my hand to fall against his cheek. Claws rip through delicate flesh, his eyes change in to a deep amber color with reddish tint in them. My body hits the floor. Before I can blink, he stands over my body. A spine-chilling growl erupts from his chest vibrating throughout the cabin. Awe shit. Windows shake from the force of the sound. I'm fucked! My body cringes in fear. Suddenly, the air rushes out of my lungs, pain spreads from my left side. "What the …," I gasp out only to be cut off by sheer blinding pain as my ribs snap in different places. Only then do I realize that Connor is kicking the shit out of me. Automatically, my body tries to curl around itself. A sadistic laugh comes from Connor as his kick sends my body flying into the wall. A loud thud noise fills the room as my body crumples to the floor.
Feeling my shoulder dislocate, my body screams in agony while Connor advances towards me. He continues to kick me with no intention of stopping. His kicks increase in violence and intensity making me involuntarily shudder. Oh God, I'm going to die. Coughing, my body shakes as blood pours out of my mouth onto the hardwood floors. He's going to kill me. He's not going to stop until I'm dead. Feeling my ribs puncturing my lungs, I start panicking, my lungs refuse to work. Seeing black dots invade my vision, opening and closing my mouth trying to fill my lungs with much needed air, I struggle to get away from him. Using my hands and arms, I feebly attempt to drag my body across the floor trying not to wince while my body feels like it's on fire. Every move I make sends sharp stabbing pain throughout my body causing me to bite my lip to stifle the whimpers that are trying so desperately to escape my mouth. Seeing me struggle, he stops his assault on my body. Oh, thank God.
Relief and confusion fill me causing me to glance up at his face. Amusement dances across his features. The scent of satisfaction and dominance wafts into my nostrils. Un-fucking believable! He gets off on this shit. Sick fuck. Without warning, his foot connects with the side of my head. My skull hits the corner of the wall, a sickening crack echoes throughout the room. My vision goes blurry. Warm liquid gushes out of my head and trickles down my neck. Nothing but the scent of blood fills the room, my blood. He grabs my neck, his claws pierce my flesh, and his grip tightens around my throat almost crushing my airway. Images of my mom, Stiles, and Derek flash through my mind. "Fuck," I lazily drawl, my eye lids become heavy with sleep. My head starts spinning, black dots dance across my eyes, burning in my lungs from lack of air, and thick warm liquid pools in the back of my throat. I'm tired … so … so tired … just need … Light headedness takes over. My eyes roll in the back of my head as I feel myself drift away into darkness.
Derek's POV
Jogging back to the house, thoughts of Scott enter my mind. Scott's soft lips on mine, his warm moist tongue massaging against mine in a battle for dominance. Our warm breaths mixing with one another's as we both refuse to let go. The way Scott's naked body felt underneath me. The way his soft delicate skin felt under my hands. How amazing it felt having his body pressed against mine, the warmth that lulled me to sleep with my mate in my arms. The feeling of knowing that he's safe with me, in my arms sends a shiver down my spine. Ugh! It doesn't matter anyway. He's a child. He's not ready for any of this. I know what it's like to be young and reckless, to blindly follow your emotions without question. People get hurt. I won't make that same mistake again. I won't let my emotions lead me. I won't let him break down my walls. I won't allow him to break me. No matter how much my wolf craves to feel, to touch, to taste, and to claim him, I can't … because I won't. I will never claim him as mine. I won't be responsible for messing up his life. I just need to stick to the plan.
Focus on training Scott so he can help me take down that murdering psychopath of an Alpha. Humph! That's IF I can train him, if he'll listen to me, if he actually follows directions. There's a whole bunch of ifs when it comes to teaching Scott. That's why I came here. Back home. Back to my pack. Tyler and Jason are born werewolves. They know as much as I do. Ryan was bitten but his wolf isn't as dominant and volatile as Scott's. So, that leaves Connor. Scott's and Connor's wolves are both equal, in a sense. Both wolves are turned, aggressive, violent, dominant, and animalistic. I know Connor will help me. He's in my pack and pack is family and family helps each other. I just hope Scott gets his head out of his ass before meeting Connor. If not, their meeting will be like watching two nuclear missiles violently crashing into each other scorching everything around them leaving nothing but rubble and ash in their wake. Okay, maybe I'm being a tad overdramatic but it will be bad. I'd be torn between my wolf's mate and one of my own, who is like a brother to me.
Suddenly, my vision becomes blurry and unfocused as sheer blinding pain explodes from my side causing my knees to buckle. I drop on my knees. My arms hold my body from hitting the ground. What the fuck. Air pushes out of my lungs as my chest constricts. Pain continues to slice through me like hot daggers causing my muscles to tense. My breathing becomes heavy almost panting as I struggle to regain control. What the fu- I haven't felt like this since … Oh God … Scott. The sound of someone running towards me pulls me from my thoughts. My head snaps up, my eyes narrow on the direction the sound is coming from. Tyler runs towards me, worry clearly on his face, the scent of concern sets me on edge.
"Derek, did you bring anyone with you," he quickly asks. A feeling of dread settles over me. Please, tell me that he smelt him. Tell me that Scott did not leave the room. I nod my head, slowly, not sure if I want to hear the rest. "Shit," Tyler groans under his breath. Hair rises on the back of my neck, my body tenses even more. Pushing myself off the ground, I close my eyes and brace myself for Tyler to continue. Un-fucking believable. He doesn't listen. He never listens. Damn it, Scott. "It's Connor … he and the boy … it's bad," he rushes out causing my eyes to snap open. Goddamn it. My wolf rises just underneath the surface at the thought of his mate in danger. Without pause, I run back to the cabin, pushing my body to its limit, with Tyler beside me. Why me? Why do I get stuck with an impulsive pain in the ass for a mate?
Reaching the cabin, I bust through the door only to have my body freeze at the sight before me. Scott's body is limp on the floor. His chest barely rises. Blood puddles underneath his body. Connor's hand squeezes the last breath from my mate. Oh, hell, no. A dangerously deep growl rumbles from my chest causing Connor to release his hold. Lunging forward, my claws dig into Connor's shoulders as I grab him away from Scott. A look of shock crosses his face as I violently throw him into the living room like a rag doll. His body slams into the fireplace while his head smacks the mantle. Don't react. He doesn't know who Scott is. Fists clench and unclench. My jaw tightens as I try to restrain my wolf. "What the fuck, Derek. What's wrong with you? You're going to attack me, your own pack brother. And for what? For this little punk ass bitch, who needs to learn his place," Connor angrily snarls at me. Fuck restraint.
"What's wrong with me? What the fuck is wrong with you? That little bitch is my mate. How did you think I would react," I growl out as I take a step closer to Connor. Immediately, Connor's eyes drop to the floor. He bares his neck trying to soothe my wolf. "Not good enough," my voice is gruff as another snarl pushes through causing Connor's body to freeze. Getting ready to pounce at him again, a barely audible whimper comes from behind me grabbing my attention. Scott. My body tenses at the broken sound. "Jason, you deal with Connor. Ryan, you clean this mess up. Tyler, you help me with Scott," I demand, my tone leaving no room for arguments. Turning around, I walk towards the lifeless body on the floor. Before moving him, we pop his shoulder back into place. Picking him up off the floor, I make my way up the stairs to my bedroom with Tyler flanking me.
As I reach my door, I signal for Tyler to go ahead of me. He pushes open the door and heads for the bathroom. Closing the door with my foot, I make my way over to the bed and gently place Scott on the mattress. Before I have time to question myself, I yank off Scott's shoes and socks throwing them on the floor. My hands tremble while unbuttoning and unzipping his pants. I mentally scold myself. Stop being such a girl. You can do this, Derek. Shaky fingers curl around his belt loops, tugging his jeans off his legs, making sure that his boxers stay on. Taking in a sharp intake of breath, I carefully pull his shirt over his head revealing large dark purple bruises covering his body causing a whining noise to escape from my throat. Tyler places his hand on my shoulder trying to reassure my wolf. We each grab one of Scott's arms, draping it around our necks while our other arm circles his waist. Our steps move in sync as we enter the bathroom.
We lean Scott's body on Tyler as I release my grip on him. Tyler looks away while I pull off Scott's boxers from his hips. I quickly strip down to my boxers and step into the warm water in the tub. I lower my body into a sitting position as I grab a wash cloth and lather it with body wash. "Give him to me," I whisper to Tyler. Nodding his head, he lifts Scott up into a bridal position allowing his boxers to slide off his ankles onto the floor. After lowering his body gently into my lap, Tyler leaves the bathroom so I can take care of my mate. Taking the wash cloth, I slowly clean every inch of his body memorizing every hair, every scar, every dip, and every single detail. His upper body is covered with purplish bruises. Ribs are clearly broken. His breathing sounds wet as if he has liquid in his lungs. Damn. Connor really did a number on you. Washing his hair, my fingers come across a gash on the back of his head. Diligently, I clean out the cut making sure to clear it of any debris before draining the tub. Rinsing Scott off, the water turns red as blood trickles down his skin dripping onto the tub floor.
"Tyler, grab a towel and take him back into the bedroom," my voice is thick, full of strain from the injuries to my mate. I lift up Scott's body, wrap the towel around him, and pass him to Tyler. Tyler leaves with Scott in his arms. I quickly yank off my boxers and take a shower in the stand up. Wrapping a towel around my waist, I walk out into the bedroom to find Tyler sitting on my bed with Scott on his lap. After slipping on my boxers, I go into the closet and grab Scott some clothes. I walk out of the closet towards my mate. "Thanks, Tyler. You can go now," I say as I take Scott into my arms and lay him on the mattress. Hearing my door shut, I take his towel and carefully finish drying him off. I slide his boxers up his legs, over his junk, and onto his hips.
The instinct to comfort my mate over powers me as my eyes trail over his body. Without thinking, I hover over Scott. My tongue licks every cut, scrape, and bruise on his skin until I get to his face. He looks so peaceful … almost innocent. Running my fingers through his hair, I lean forward brushing my lips against his before climbing onto the bed. Lying next to his body, I pull him into an embrace. Scott's back is flush against my chest. My arm protectively snakes around his waist, pulling him even closer. My head nuzzles into the crook of his neck, breathing in his scent, calming me down. My fingers absent-mindedly trail over his skin making his muscles involuntarily spasm at my touch causing me to smirk against his neck. His deep rhythmic breathing lulls me to sleep as my eyes lids close knowing that my mate is safe.