A/N: I have a surprise. But that won't come for a little bit. But if any of you want to know why I was gone, school and midterms and group projects that I did by myself and performing all took up my entire time. But yeah, this chapter was hard to write as well.

To all my reviewers, thank you very much. JDrummond, supermies, barayah, starfire31803, SME13, Huntsman-in-the-snow, bibliophile102, and Forever Summoning. Props to JDrummond for such a long review, you aint scared to tell me your opinion and I love that.

And here we go again

Disclaimer: I do not own Darkest Powers

Transformations

Chloe sprinted out of the trees over to where Derek laid on the other side the clearing. As she approached him, another wave of pain hit her and she staggered, nearly falling over with the sensation that hit her. She actually had to pause to steady herself, nearly loosing footing on the mildly damp grass that was under her feet as the world spun around her for a dizzying moment. She felt sick to her stomach. It seemed that the closer she got to the source of the pain, the worse it got and Chloe knew that she was only getting the excess. She couldn't imagine the pain that he was actually going through at the moment, even as she experienced a little piece of it. She didn't understand how he could have managed to go through the day like this. Pain this intense didn't just start out of nowhere.

A groan from Derek caused her head to snap up and what she saw was unbelievable. Derek was crouched on his hands and knees in only a pair of shorts. His skin was damp and pale, shadows creeping across as the light shifted between the trees. A gust of air brought a bitter, pungent smell to her nose and Chloe felt as the bile piled in the back of her throat. Chloe hesitantly took a step forward and watched as Derek's back stiffened, causing her to stop her movement all together. "Derek? It's me. It's Chloe."

"Go away."

The words didn't process right away, but when they did was like ice water poured down her shirt. He didn't sound like himself at all, his voice hoarse and guttural rather than the low rumble that she was used to. She tried again. "Derek, y-you need to get inside. It's freezing—"

"Go away, Chloe!"

His back arched and then tensed as he turned his head away from her to making a retching sound. A dry heave that she felt in her bones. She couldn't just leave him here. He wasn't well. It was less of a word and more of a growl. He sounds almost not human, she thought fleetingly, but the sound of him retching into the bushes spurred her on despite his words. "Derek, we need to get you in—"

Her words were cut off as his back arched unbelievably high and a moan was ripped out Derek's mouth. Almost immediately, she was hit again with a wave of pain that caused her to fell to her knees with its intensity. He broke into another bought of coughing that he cut off with a groan after a moment, fingers digging into the earth beneath him. That's when she noticed the skin covering his arms and back were moving on their own. Eyes wide, she took in the sight before her. From the trees, she had thought it was just him shivering because he was outside in the cold without a shirt. But now that she could see him up close, she saw that it wasn't his entire body shaking but the muscles underneath it. It looked like there were snakes under his skin, moving as they coiled in, out and around each other. Now that… that isn't normal. All the skin over his body was rippling as if it was the waves of an ocean.

"Holy…" she trailed off, swallowing hard. "T-T-This is crazy! We need to get you help—a doctor—to the hospital—"

"No!" Derek's panicked shout stopped her words in her throat. "I… am fine. Just leave, Chloe."

"But you need—"

"No, Chloe!" The word was snarled at her as he whipped his head up for a moment before he dropped it out of her sight again. The glimpse that she saw was misshapen and distorted in a way that she couldn't understand. "I c... I… can't."

By this point, he was panting and the bitter smell of stomach acid was making its way into her nostrils with every passing gust of wind. She knew he was right. He couldn't go to the hospital. Maybe this was part of his supernatural genes. How would she explain that when—if—she was able to get him inside to the nurse's office? It was definitely something that she had never seen before and she had seen plenty with a nurse's office. But she couldn't just leave him like this, in such pain. Wringing her hands, Chloe got back on her feet and started moving towards him again. "O-O-Okay, no hospital. But you need someone… Simon! I can go—"

"No!" an immediate answer that was followed by what sounded like a half swallowed groan. "No… Simon… please."

Chloe opened her mouth to argue, to say that Simon should be here when he's in so much pain, but the words were caught in her throat as the sickening sound of a large snap came from Derek and he through his head back to howl. Her jaw dropped open as she finally saw his face in the light that was streaming through the clearing. It seemed as if his features had changed in the past few minutes. All the features that he had before had become more animalistic. It reminded her of a cartoon character who had been it in the face with a frying pan. It looked like his nose had been flattened and his cheekbones had come up to meet them in a way that shouldn't have been possible for a human skeleton to accomplish. Before her eyes it almost looked as if his face was lengthening into… a muzzle. Just like a dog.

Suddenly everything seemed to click into place and if Chloe's jaw could drop more, it would have been on the floor. How stupid was she? She should have seen the signs before. The enhanced senses, with the way that he could hear her screams in the alley and how he had heard her heart racing in the room. The way that he moved a body without any struggle when she knew it took a team of people to do it normally. And how he hadn't actually told her what race he was when she had asked him before. The full moon overhead. She might not have seen all those signs, but she couldn't deny the evidence standing in front of her. Not as she realized that the shadows going over his body were actually dark fur that was coming shooting out of his skin one moment before retracting the next.

Derek was a werewolf.

Chloe continued to watch in as Derek's body continued to change in front of her in ways that she hadn't though imagine was possible. He had to be turning into a wolf. But that can't be humanly possible. But as she continued to watch, she realized that it was in fact possible as his body continued to realign itself. She was starting to realize that there wasn't anything that wasn't possible in the supernatural world. She used to think that talking to ghosts was all bullshit and hocus pocus until the first one jumped out at her. Werewolves weren't that far of a stretch, rationally. But that didn't stop a short burst of fear from running through her brain as every horror movie involving werewolves ran through her mind at once. What if he can't control himself after he turns? Is that why he was telling me to go? To not bring Simon? Because after he changed he wouldn't be able to keep himself from hurting them? Is that why he's in the woods alone? The thoughts kept running through her brain, circling around and around as fear bubbled in her chest causing her to stand froze just a few steps away from him. What do I do? Do I run? There was a pop then what sounded like another sickening snap of bone followed by a gurgling sound. Without a thought, Chloe kneeling at Derek's side in a moment with her hands outstretched. She didn't want to startle him, but she really did want to help him. There was no way that she could just turn and run, leaving him alone in such a state of pain. No one deserved that.

"Derek," she breathed. His back stiffened as his head turned to meet her gaze and in it she saw something she never thought she would see in his eyes. It was the look of fear, pain, and shame. The look in his eyes chased all the remainder of fear away instantly, leaving only a heavy sense of determination in its wake as she met his gaze unwaveringly. It didn't matter what he was turning into. This was still Derek. The same guy that had helped her keep a level head when she had reanimated a corpse. The same guy that, despite knowing what had happened in Buffalo, still thought that she was worth helping. He was still her friend and she wasn't going to let him go through all of this on his own. Not if she could help. "I'm not going anywhere. I'm going to help you through this, okay?"

Reaching out slowly, she tentatively touched his shoulders and was surprised by the feeling of fur under her fingers. It had stopped retracting and was now growing in layers that now covered all of his skin. She didn't know what that meant, if he was getting near the end of the change but it didn't matter. She wouldn't let him go through this alone. "You're doing great. You're almost done, right? It won't be too long now, just keep going."

Bright green eyes met blues for a moment in confusion and relief. In that instant, she knew how scared he had been that she would reject him, that she would leave him to tough this out on his own because she was scared of him. She met his eyes calmly, determination shining through as she watched the human eyes take on an almost beastly quality as they became more wolf than human before he dropped his head again. Chloe tried not to dwell on any negative thoughts as she kept whispering meaningless encouragement to him as his bones shifted under her hands. A moment too late she realized that his bones had stopped shifting and slowly lifted her head to look into the brilliant green eyes of a gigantic black wolf. You idiot, you're about to get mauled by a wolf, a tiny voice in her head whispered. The cynical screenwriter that watched too many horror movies. You're about to die. But even as a wolf, she could still see the Derek that she knew as she pulled back her hands.

"Derek?" her voice sounded steadier than she felt as he tilted his head at her. Then his eyes rolled back and he crashed in a heap on the ground in front of her. "Oh! Are you okay?"

An awkward jerk of his head as his tongue lolled out of his mouth. He was just tired from changing forms. And not murderous in any way, which was a plus that helped to calm her director mind from running rampant with horrible scenarios of what could have happened. A thought occurred to her suddenly.

"Do you want to be alone?" This time, he gave a shake of his head. It reminded her of a dog trying to dry their coat. Suppressing a smile, she watched him shift until he was comfortably resting on his side. "So I'm guessing you can understand me then?"

Another nod, followed by grumbling at what she assumed was the awkwardness of the motion. Chloe couldn't help but smile. "And you can't speak, can you? I think I like you better this way."

There was a rumbling sound that took her a moment to realize was actually a chuckle and she grinned. Definitely like this Derek better, she thought to herself as she watched him shift again to rest on his stomach as he laid his head on his forepaws. He snarled a yawn and Chloe was greeted with the sight of a group of canines the size of her thumb. Eyes wide, she made a note to stay away from his mouth. She watched him for a moment, taking in the closing of his eyes and the even breathing before pushing up onto her feet, brushing the dirt and grass off of her knees. She was just starting to tip toe away when she was greeted with a growl. Jumping, she turned around to see Derek with his head raised.

"I was going to let you rest—" the rest of her sentence was a growl and another jerking head motion in her direction. Stop being stupid and come back here. Chloe could actually hear his voice in her head, but she couldn't pass up the opportunity to poke a little fun at him. "I can't tell if you were saying yes or you're just mad or… I don't even know. Use your words, Derek."

Now that really got her a look. She hadn't thought it was possible for a wolf to look so annoyed until she had seen it with her own eyes. Chloe was actually taken back by the familiarity of the action. Snickering to herself at the ridiculousness of the entire situation, she moved until she was able to plop down beside Derek, grimacing slightly as she felt another batch of moisture seep through her pants. Derek shifted slightly before resting on his head again.

"So… you're a werewolf," Chloe said after a moment of silence and was met with silence. She hadn't really expected an answer, but when she looked at him she found that his green eyes probing her as much as when he was human. He must have been expecting it. "But obviously, you already knew that or you would be really freaked out right now. But you seem pretty calm… which is good… I think. Or maybe you're in shock… which wouldn't be good… but I, uh…I'm babbling, aren't I?"

All while she was talking, Derek continued to look at her with what she assumed was his normal blank expression. There was no point in trying to get information when he couldn't talk. But she was going to get answers. "So as always, I'm the last to know everything. When you're human, we seriously need to talk. Like full explanations, no holding back. Or I'll have to hurt you."

A snort, a very human gesture, as he finally got onto his feet, wobbling slightly before really getting his footing and giving her the first good look at him since he changed. He was huge, much bigger than a normal wolf for sure. It made sense. He was a huge guy, over six foot and easily two hundred pounds. It wasn't as if it all just vanished when he turned into the wolf. The mass had to be transferred somehow. So Derek was a big, midnight black wolf. Chloe watched as he started trotting off around the edge of the clearing, picking up speed as he went until he was only a blur of black that flashed through the moonlight. She watched in awe as he continued to run, barely making a sound as he moved. He came to a sudden halt in front of her and, for a moment reminded her of overenthusiastic dogs in the part with their tongues lolling out of their mouths and their tails wagging.

"For someone who just went through a lot of bone breaking, you seem rather enthusiastic," Chloe said with a smirk. "Guess it's the whole wolf thing, huh? Need to stretch your legs and exercise? Chase bunnies and such?"

It was the end part that really got her the look that he gave her, making her laugh. "Yeah, okay, maybe not the chasing bunnies part but still. What do you usually do when you turn into a wolf? Run around?" The response that was a jerk as well as a shake of his head. A yes and a no then. "But you should stretch your legs… How 'bout we play a game?"

That got her another one of his signature looks, which she just laughed at. "Well, you won't let me leave and I'm not just going to sit here. I mean, it'll be fun! I even promise that it won't be fetch." She snickered even as he growled at her. "Come on, please? Tag? Hid and seek? Something."

Derek seemed to consider it, head tilted to the side. A moment later, he trotted over and bump Chloe with his nose before taking off across the clearing. What in the…? She stared at him on the other side of the clearing in confusion, and he growled in frustration. Shoving to her feet, she walked over to where he was standing on the other side of the clearing slowly, waiting expectantly for him to do something crazy. Just before she reached him, however, Derek danced out of the way until he was just out of her reach. Frowning, she tried to get close to him again and again, he danced away from her until he was just right out of her reach again.

What the… Blinking, she turned to look at him in disbelief. Is this what I think it is?

Derek swung his gaze her way, challenge glinting in his glittering green eyes. Lips twitching, I took off behind him and the game was on. The feeling of playing a familiar children's game had adrenaline and blood pumping hard in head. Chloe had never been one for having loads of stamina, though, and though she was having more fun than she thought a teenager could get from playing tag, she ended up doubled over after a while of running. As she caught her breath, Derek danced around her. Playful Derek was something that she hadn't really seem before, but definitely something that she could get used to.

She wasn't sure how much time had passed, but eventually, Derek stopped playing and slunk over to rest beside the batch of bushes she had found him beside. She didn't realize until it was too late that he was changing back from one form to the other. Transforming back seemed much less painful than turning into a wolf, but that could have been because his vocal chords were changing too much for him to make a sound. Chloe helped him through it until he was back to human forming, panting in a heap on the floor. It wasn't until her eyes found the hard muscles of his back that she realized that he wasn't wearing any clothes.

Jerking her head up and hand back, she awkwardly cleared her throat as her cheeks burned. "Uhm… you have… other clothes, yeah?"

A grunt was all she got in reply but she felt when he moved away. Chloe tried to keep her gaze on anything other than the naked boy in front of her, eyes roaming around the clearing as she took in the place around her for the first time. It really was beautiful, the clearing that they were in. The trees overhead had grown in a canopy that filtered green light that came off the leaves as well as the white light that the moon peeked through stages. Before, the moon had been low, hanging on the edge of the trees as it shone clearly into the clearing, able to be seen even through the density of the trees. Now, though, it seemed to be floating right above them, causing the light to beam down in an almost halo towards the center of the clearing. It would be a really romantic spot for a date, she thought absently to herself. But remembering what had happened mere moments ago, she couldn't help shaking her head at herself. Yeah, especially when your date's in unbelievable pain and turning into a wolf. A shiver racked through her at the reminder of the pain that he had experienced, and what she had experienced in the ripples that he had flown off him.

"You're cold." Chloe's head moved of her own accord and was greeted with the sight of a smooth, very muscular chest. Mouth falling wide open, she stared blankly at Derek. The tee shirt really hadn't done justice to his body. It looked like something out of a movie, it was so incredibly chiseled. Forcing her eyes up to his, she blinked. "Here."

He tossed something in her direction and she caught soft material in her hand at the last moment. It took a minute to realize that what he had tossed her was a sweater. She would have protested that she couldn't wear it when he didn't even have a shirt on, but he silently rebuffed her as he pulled a grey sort sleeve over his head. "I'm fine. You need—"

"No, you need to put it on," Derek said as he reached down to pick up the team wind breaker he had been wearing earlier. "I'm not the one turning blue."

Chloe frowned, looking down at herself. She hadn't noticed the goosebumps that were breaking out on their skin, but she thought they were more from her nerves than anything. But Derek had that face he got whenever he was going to be stubborn, so she pulled the sweater over her head. It was too big for her, it was more the size of a mini-dress from the way it hung at her thighs and the arms were well past her fingers. But it was warm. "There? Happy?"

Derek grunted, stooping as he gathered the rest of his things before standing to his full height with his duffle slung over his shoulder. "Are you okay?"

Chloe's brows shot up and a surprised chuckle escaped her lips. "Am I okay? I thought I was supposed to ask you that. You are the one that went through all that. I didn't do anything."

"Yeah, you did." The sincerity of his words really threw her off balance and her eyes snapped up to his for a moment. He really meant what he had said. Her stomach twisted slightly and she looked down at her covered arms. "You did a lot."

Chloe nodded slowly, not knowing what to say. Eyes flitted up to his face and, though he still had sweat covering his face, he looked much more at ease now than before. "How are you doing? Are you okay?"

"Just tired," he said as he raked a hand through his hair. "We should get back, it's pretty late."

Chloe nodded nervously. "Yeah, okay. But that doesn't mean I'm letting you out of explaining anything. Because if you thought I was going to let you get away with that, you've got another thing coming, buddy."

On some level, she knew that she sounded absolutely ridiculous but the words kept flowing and escaping before she could really think of them. The rumbling chuckle Derek gave was evidence of just how ridiculous she sounded. Chloe would have complained, but she was taken off guard by the small smile that he was now sporting. It was such a difference from the scowl that she had seen earlier that evening. As she followed him through the thickness of the trees, she wondered back to earlier and about his mood. It had been clear he wasn't feeling well, but she had thought that it was mainly having to deal with her that had put Derek in such a bad mood.

"So, I'm guessing you have some questions," Derek started slowly. She couldn't see his face from the angle she was at with the darkness of the trees around them, so she could only guess from the tone of his voice that he had adopted the emotionless mask she had gotten so well acquainted with. "About… what you saw."

"Yes."

Silence followed that seemed to drone on, but really only lasted for a few steps before Derek blew out an irritated breath. "Well, ask."

"Oh, h-how long have you know that you were a we-werewolf?" The question tumbled out of her mouth before she could stop it, a jumble of letters tangling on her tongue. She tried not to curse herself too loudly under her breath. "I just mean, I didn't know about my p-powers until they smacked me in the face. Did that happen to you?"

"No, I always knew," Derek's voice was bitter as he pushed into the field. "I knew what was waiting for me. Or I should have."

"How often do you change?"

"Two or three times a month."

Chloe paused, seeing the look of pain cross his face. "And how many times have you gone through that pain alone?"

Her voice was barely a whisper, but it didn't matter. He paused, looking down at her for a moment. His face was unreadable, but that could be because he was standing with his back to the moonlight which left his face in shadow. All except for his eyes, which shone like gems against the darkness. "I can take care of myself. I've been going through it since I was sixteen. Partial transformations, mostly. I didn't fully Change for a while."

"But… why is it so painful?" she whispered and he merely shrugged, gesturing her to follow him as he made his way back to the school. "Seriously, Derek, is that normal?"

"I don't know, I've never met another werewolf." Chloe was aware that she probably looked like a fish out of water by this point. "I've come across their… hangouts from time to time, but it's always a good idea to steer clear. Wolves tend to be very…territorial."

"But you don't seem to be."

A dark look passed over his face and he swung his head back to her, brows slightly furrowed. "Didn't used to be."

Chloe considered what that could mean, frowning as they walked in silence through the halls. Everything seemed too quiet. By the time they had gotten to the dorms, she was seriously spooked by the entire situation, but she couldn't understand why until she remembered the rest of the group. "Where is everyone?"

"Probably at the frat dorm," he said in a bored tone as they climbed the stairs. "That's where most of the football players and the parties are held."

"And you aren't going to head that way?"

Derek snorted. "Hell no. I already had to deal with the lot of them sober and screaming in the gym earlier. Why the hell would I subject myself to them when they're inebriated?"

Chloe actually laughed at that, thinking back to the girls from earlier. "You're right, I don't think that you want to be around the pep rally crowd with alcohol in them. You might get jumped."

"What the fuck does that mean?"

"Oh, a couple of girls were talking about how hot you are and how they'd do anything to date the quarterback," Chloe stated, patting her pockets for her keys. "I was going to warn you earlier, but you seemed to be in a super bad mood at dinner so I kept my mouth shut."

Silence followed and a glance at Derek told her that he was uncomfortable with the topic. He looked like his skin was filled with earth worms or something. He muttered something under his breath that probably wasn't the nicest thing, but she let it slide as they continued up the stairs. He had answered all of her questions, and more actually without much prying at all. It seemed like now that Chloe knew the truth, he was a little less hostile towards her. Not as cold as he had been earlier today, for sure. It would be too much to think that he was starting to warm up to her, but she could hope. There were at least getting somewhere.

"So no more secrets then?" Chloe asked suddenly as they approached his door. Derek had been lost in thought, taking a moment before looking down at her with a distant expression. "Earth to Derek? Jeez, and people say I'm spacy. Is there air too thin up there?"

Her voice dripped with sarcasm and his eyebrow quirked up, eyes glinting with a challenge. "It's just hard to hear you from way down there. I can barely even see you."

Chloe's eyes narrowed even as her lips twitched. She liked playful Derek, though playful wolf Derek would probably be her all-time favorite personality for the dark-haired boy standing before her. "Now you develop a sense of humor? Great. Just answer the question. Do I know everything?"

"Yes, and you can continue your incessant questions in the morning," he said in a bored tone, rummaging in his pocket for the key. "I'm going to sleep now."

"Oh, yeah, of course. You must be exhausted after that." Derek's motions faulted minutely but she pretended not to notice. "You really shouldn't do that alone. You should bring Simon out with you next time."

"No."

"But why—"

"I have my reasons," Derek cut her off sharply and her eyebrows rose. "I don't want him there."

"But he could—"

"I said no!" Derek hissed and Chloe was taken back by the fear that she saw in his eyes. Not anger, but fear that went to the heart of his being. "It's not something he needs to watch."

"You need someone to watch your back, Derek."

"I can do that just fine."

Chloe frowned as he yanked his key out of his pocket and shoved it into the door. A thought occurred to her and she hurried to get it out before he went inside. "I-I could do it."

Derek paused, turning his head to look at her. "What?"

"I could do it," she said again, steadier this time. "I know you think you can take care of yourself, and you can. Better than I can. But you need someone out there with you when you do that. It's not safe here, for any of us, and we're better in numbers. Plus, I've already seen you turn into a wolf and then back to a human. So nothing you can do will surprise me."

Derek stared at her for a moment. "Chloe—"

"Don't 'Chloe' me! Either you bring Simon or you bring me. And don't try to ditch me either, or I'll wonder around the woods until I find you."

"Don't be stupid."

"No, you don't be stupid!" she snapped. Derek's eyes widened and Chloe sighed, rubbing a hand over her face. "You're being all martyr-like and taking stupid risks. If any of the others tried that, you would have our heads. Me included."

Derek didn't say anything for a moment and she sighed, turning on her heel to leave before he caught her sleeve. A jolt of energy went down her head and out of her body, causing her to jerk her hand away from him. It reminded her of when she had gotten the shocks from the school, except instead of feeling energized, she now felt exhausted. Looking back at Derek in shock, he was looking at his own hand as if it betrayed him.

"D-did you feel that too? Please tell me it wasn't just me again."

Derek eyes snapped up to hers. "What?"

"Liz and Tori never felt—"

"This happened before?"

Chloe nodded, shaking her arm out slightly. "A couple of times. It's like a power surge, you know? But this time it wasn't like giving me energy, it was taking it. I sound ridiculous, right?"

Derek shook his head, still staring at his hand. "Not ridiculous. It's probably from whatever spell they have on the school to suppress certain powers. You're strong so it probably clinging to you more than the others."

"That explains why I'm tired now," she said with a stifled yawn. "I think it was a good idea to go to bed."

"Chloe, wait." She stopped, looking at him over her shoulder. "About earlier, at dinner… what I said… I didn't mean it as an insult. I was just…"

He was struggling for words and Chloe softened slightly, shooting him a small smile. "I'm not mad. I get it. You were doing what was best."

And she really wasn't mad. Though what he said had been a little rude, she hadn't taken it to heart. It was him being extra cautious. If he wasn't going to be there, he had to make sure that he only sent people who knew what they were doing. Not the clumsy person that had physically run into almost everything in her path at least once a day. Derek looked relieved that Chloe understood and the corners of his mouth turned up into a small smile. Second one in one day, she thought as her cheeks reddened for no apparent reason. I think I'm finally starting to get Derek.

Saying goodnight, she quickly went to her own room, opening and closing the door quickly behind her before heading to her bed. She had barely even managed to get her shoes off before she fell face first into her bed, exhaustion really hitting her all at once. As she rolled over, she struggled to shuck off her wet jeans and was tugging off the sweater when she realized that she hadn't given it back to Derek. Chloe stared at it for a moment, flipping it over to see the name Souza scrawled on the back above his football number. Folding it carefully, she placed it on the desk and made a mental note to bring it back to him tomorrow. Quickly changing into her pajamas, Chloe clambered back into her bed, closed her eyes and let herself be lulled to sleep by the warmth surrounding her, drifting off to a place where her biggest concern was playing tag with a big black wolf.

That one's done. And it went differently than how I planned. But now that it's out of the way, I just wanted to let you guys know that this story will be coming to an end in the next like 7 ish chapters. I'm not guaranteeing there will be exactly 18 chapters or anything, might be less might be more. But I've been bouncing around another story for a bit and put it on hold so that I could finish this whenever I had the time so yeah.

R and R if you please. Let me know whatever you think about this chapter and well, thanks for reading :) Tootles - Brii