Lydia giggled, and clamped her hand over her mouth as she stumbled and fell onto her bed on her back. Laughing his gruff laugh, Derek straddled her, tickling her sides until she had to grab a pillow and cover her face so her parents wouldn't hear her laughing. Batting his hands away, she sat up and kissed him deeply on his lips, smiling when she felt him kiss her back.

Pulling away only when she needed to breathe, she placed a finger over his lips and shushed him, listening to the hallway outside of her room. Footsteps echoed down the hardwood floor, and she smiled mischievously up at him, kissing him quickly as one of her parents moved away down the hallway. She'd 'gone to bed' two hours before, and had in fact been with Derek since then. They had been sneaking around like this for two weeks now, and she felt like she was high on happiness all the time. She had managed to suppress her worries about Peter's evil plans, and she'd enjoyed Derek thoroughly.

After he'd taken her virginity at the train depot, they'd been together every night since. A few times, she'd snuck out of her house to spend the night with him, but most nights he climbed into her bedroom window and hid from her, surprising her when she got out of the shower. She'd surprised him in her own way a few times, wearing nothing but a towel or getting a shower before he arrived and hiding from him until he found her and kissed her all over, ending in them having sex in her closet. It was all like a dream, and she was happier than she'd ever been. Peter's plan seemed like a distant shadow in the past.

Sliding farther up on her bed, Derek crawling after her, kissing her the whole time, Lydia smiled and laid back into her pillows, her hands going to his hair and running through it as she looked up at him. His blue eyes examined her so candidly, she felt her heart leap, and he smiled. She knew he could hear her heart, and he enjoyed hearing it jitter when he was around. He'd even teased her about it, but she didn't mind. His smile was enough for her.

"When are we going to tell everyone about us?" he asked gruffly, laying on his side next to her, his fingertips running over her collarbone and caressing her jawline. Sighing quietly, she closed her eyes and reveled in his touch for a moment before answering him.

"It's complicated," she replied. He snorted and nodded in understanding.

"You don't have to tell me it's complicated. Do you know how much of a pain in the ass it's been keeping this a secret from Scott? And don't get me started on Stiles," he complained, causing her to smile in amusement. "You do realize Stiles is going to singlehandedly kill me when he finds out, right?"

Playfully shoving him, she giggled and scooted closer to him so he was above her and she was gazing up at him. "You should've seen Jackson's face when I broke up with him and didn't explain why. I was afraid he might turn back into a kanima right there in the middle of the hallway." Her nose scrunched up at the unpleasant memory, and Jackson belittling her to make himself feel better since she'd dumped him.

"He's just going to have to get over it," Derek whispered conspiratorially, his mouth finding her neck below her ear and sending shivers of delight through her petite frame. "Because you belong to me now."

His words sent a chill through her, unrelated to desire and her brow drew down in consternation. She belonged to him, and he belonged to her. That sounded awfully serious, and suddenly, Peter's words crashed over her, reminding her of his plan. You will be Derek's mate.

The words reverberated around in her mind, and Derek became aware that she had spaced out, stopping his kisses to look at her with a frown on his handsome face. "Lydia... what's wrong?"

Realizing she was lost in thought, she blinked and looked at him with an apologetic smile. "What? Oh, nothing," she lied, her hand finding the side of his face and gently running her fingers over the familiar stubble there. He reached up and gently grabbed her wrist, drawing her attention once more as his eyebrows raised, wanting an explanation.

"It's nothing. I'm fine," she assured him, turning her hips so they were facing one another on her bed. "Just something you said." She smiled shyly, wrinkling her nose in a meek grin.

"About you belonging to me?" he asked, instantly knowing what she'd been thinking. He seemed to be able to see into her soul at times. Nodding absently, she drew circles with her index finger on his muscular shoulder, avoiding his eyes. She felt energized as he repeated the words, even as the pit of her stomach clenched with worry over Peter's words that first night after he'd possessed her to drug Derek.

"I didn't mean-"

"It's fine, really," she cut him off gently, shaking her head and moving away from him to sit up on the side of the bed. "I shouldn't have even brought it up. Please just forget it."

He sat up behind her, sliding across the bed swiftly and dropping his legs on either side of her so her back was against his chest. His arms circled her, pulling her against him, and she closed her eyes and enjoyed the feel of him wrapped around her.

"Lydia... I want you to be my mate," he whispered into her ear, making her heart leap about in her chest. Heat rose in her face and she sighed imperceptibly. She could hear Peter's voice echoing in her head, It's the things we accomplish without ever trying that are the most effective, don't you think?

Leaning back against him, her lover and her friend, she sucked in a long breath and turned slightly so she could see the side of his face, her nose pressed to his cheek. "I already am. I'm yours. I'll never belong to anyone else."

For the first time, she felt his heart beating against her back, the beat rapid and excited and she knew he was happy with her answer. He leaned her back and kissed her deeply on her lips, a thankful and sweet kiss. A twinge of guilt swept into her throat, but she ignored it. Peter's all-knowing voice was there again, in her head saying, You can't live without knowing, my little wolfsbane. She had known it then, and she knew it especially now: she was desperatedly in love with Derek Hale.

It had started as an uneasy alliance, transformed into a mutual friendship, and somewhere along the path had morphed into something much more. She felt a bond with him unlike anything she'd felt with anyone before. She wondered if there was some magical sort of connection a werewolf felt with his mate, like imprinting on someone. What she had told Derek was true: no matter what happened, she would always be his. She couldn't ignore it, and she couldn't forget it. No matter what Peter did to her, she would always love Derek.

"Being the mate to a werewolf - especially an alpha - isn't easy," Derek informed her tenderly, hugging her to his chest as he spoke softly into her ear. "My enemies will try to hurt you to get to me."

"I'm strong enough to take care of myself. You know that," she piped in, elbowing him playfully in the ribs. He chuckled briefly but grew serious again quickly.

"I know you're strong, but now it's my life to protect you," he purred into her ear, melting her with his romantic words. She leaned back into him, the heat of his breath warming her neck and sending pleasant tingles throughout her body.

"I vow to protect you with my life too," she promised impulsively, shifting and turning so she could look him in the eyes. "I will do anything, go anywhere, for you. You don't understand how much I love you, Derek." She put her arms around his shoulders and kissed him passionately, her mind reeling from the kiss like it always did even after two weeks of kissing him over and over again.

He kissed her back, dropping her back on the bed and laying over her. When he stopped kissing her, he smiled down at her and brushed her red hair out of her eyes. "Werewolves mate for life, you know." He stated it teasingly, the twinkle in his eyes giving him away. She smiled brilliantly, forgetting her worries about Peter. "Good because I couldn't live without you."

Pulling him with all of her might, her lips met with his and she lost herself in his touch, forgetting about everything but the two of them.