Stiles-

"Scott, Isaac, don't hurt him!"

I feel my eyes watering as I watch the two younger betas practically break Derek's arms while trying to subdue him on Scott's floor. He's snapping his teeth at them, violently thrashing his body in an attempt to break free from their grasps. I feel myself beginning to shake as Scott wraps his arms around Derek's neck, putting him in an improvised sleeper hold. Isaac wraps his free arm over Scott's, and together they hold on while Derek's movements slow down and his eyes begin to close from the decreased blood flow to his brain.

"You're killing him!" I'm frantic now, reaching over Isaac to try and pry Scott's arms off of the Alpha. Isaac sweeps his arm out, knocking me to the ground as Derek finally passes out. I let out a loud gasp as I land on my injured side, feeling a thick warmth spread up my side as my earlier injuries re-open and start bleeding heavily under the bandages.

I sit up slowly, working a hand under my shirt to hold pressure on the wet bandage while I watch Scott wrap the chains I had bought for his second full moon around Derek's unconscious form. He had shifted back to his human form in Scott's grasp and I crawl over to him, stroking his relaxed face and resting his head on my lap while Scott finished.

I look up at Scott, trying not to project the extent of my emotions on my face.

"Why… Why did he do that?"

Scott shook his head. "I don't know, Stiles." He shifts his gaze to Isaac, who I just now realized was staring at my side with a concerning facial expression I couldn't recognize. I quickly shift so that my affected side is out of sight and go back to running my fingers though the stiff lines of his stubble.

"Maybe…" Scott looks down at Derek questioningly for a few moments before he shifts back on his heels decisively. He squats in front of me and leans down over Derek until their noses are practically touching and deeply inhales.

Scott's eyes flash an intense shade of yellow, much brighter than their usual wolfed-out color. He jumps back quickly and anchors himself to the floor across my room, deeply breathing and clutching my rug as his eyes slowly shift back to their deep coffee color.

"Stiles… you said he shifted after he sniffed the cushion?" He kept panting through his words, still attempting to calm himself down as I looked back at him with a mix of confusion and concern etched on my face.

"Yeah… what about it?"

He looks at Derek's face, then back up at mine with trepidation.

"They must have dosed it with something when they were in the loft. Something strong enough to completely overtake Derek like that. I smelled some of it on his face… It made me want to rip out your throat." He shudders before continuing. "They must have known he would follow the scent around as it got stronger, leading him right to the pillow. They wanted him to kill you."

I feel my eyes widen as I look down at the soft, gentle face under my fingertips, unable to grasp the concept of Derek causing me any harm anymore. He used to threaten it all the time, but for weeks now he becomes distraught over anything as small as a bruise if he inflicts it. Fear begins welling up in my stomach. Not for myself, but for this beautiful man in my lap when he wakes up and finds out what he tried to do. What he almost succeeded in doing. He's never going to forgive himself.

The thought of what he will feel is causing me to feel actual physical pain. It slams into the inside of my ribcage like a sledgehammer, and I lean down to hold him tight as if that would actually alleviate the pain. It only gets worse as I feel the room start to spin, a cold feeling beginning to spread up my extremities and into my torso.

The thudding in my chest starts to weaken as the cold draws closer and my hearing starts to mute. I'm only vaguely aware of Scott yelling my name as I loosen my grip on Derek and look into his burning red eyes, attempting to move backwards and dislodge his claws from their inhabitance in my ribcage.

My vision starts to go black around the edges as I stare into his eyes, watching the red pigment slowly dissipate into the vibrant sea-foam green I'm used to as he retracts his claws sharply and gasps as he realizes what's happening under his hands. I fall onto my side as his weight is lifted from my legs and listen to the muted screaming as I reach my hands out to grasp at strong arms before the darkness overtakes my vision and the cold reaches my heart.

Derek-

The inside of Stiles' room begins to come into focus at the same time I feel a constricting weight pressing down on my body. More accurately, on my claws. I look up and see eyes watching me… cinnamon eyes, half-closed as if the weight of keeping them open was too much to handle. A copper scent reaches my nose as warm, sticky blood flows around my fingers and down my arms.

No.

I retract my claws and attempt to catch a breath, but I feel like all of the air has vacated my body. Stiles slumps to the ground just as Scott yanks me off of his legs and throws my chained-up body against the wall. I break out of them in seconds, running over to the boy bleeding on the ground just as he closes his eyes with the last of his effort.

I don't hear anything except for the faint trudging of his heartbeat, slowing with every pump of warm blood leaving his body. My hands are on his wounds, trying to staunch the flow as tears start freely flowing down my face. I feel arms around my shoulders, trying to yank me off again, but I don't budge. A voice starts penetrating the fog, getting louder and louder as I become aware of Scott screaming in my ear.

"He's dying Derek, do something!"

I had never discussed this with Stiles before. Never even broached the subject. I had no clue what he wanted in this situation, because I refused to believe anything like this could ever happen to him. I was supposed to protect him, and I failed.

I didn't hesitate a second before sinking my elongated teeth into his exposed chest muscle, sending the infection into his barely-functional veins.

Everything in the room feels like it stops as I withdraw my teeth from his flesh. Scott and Isaac are staring at the bite too, wishing and waiting for the bloody punctures to begin stitching themselves up again as I keep pressure on the wounds I inflicted.

Nothing happens.

"Scott… call 911… NOW."

I listen to Stiles heartbeat as Scott fumbles with his unlock screen, listening for any sign that the bite it taking.

Thump. Thump.

Thump. Thump.

Thump.

Thump.

Thud.

And silence.

Sorry it's taken me so long to update, I was on vacation. I'll have chapter 13 by tomorrow to make up for it!