A.N: Hey guys!

Thank you so much for the reviews, you brought a smile on my face! Anyways here it comes…Some of you saw it coming but I still hope you'll enjoy it plus I made this chapter EXTRA long for you.

Please review and let me know what you think

Steffy2106

Chapter 21

Derek couldn't believe it was happening again. He had never really left his guards downs after Paige and Kate.

He drove his car to the forest and just ran as a wolf, for how long? He wasn't sure but it helped him think. He was replaying Natalie's words in his head over and over again. He had thought she was different, that she would be with him and care for him no matter what. He had thought she was the right choice, the woman that would break the curse and yet here he was again nursing a broken heart.

Derek looked up at the moon and howled in pain. He could almost hear his mother voice telling him 'Time doesn't heal all wounds Derek, but sometimes it teaches you how to live with it'. He had not understood then, he was a wolf, he healed in minutes but he had understood when he had to end Paige misery, he had understood when Kate betrayed him and he understood now – for the last time.

He was feeling such a mix of emotions, he was sad, heartbroken, furious and confused. Confused about her choices, furious at himself for believing in his luck, and furious at Peter for being right.

Derek ran back to his car deciding to do what was right. He never should have left his feelings get in the mix. He became an alpha, created a pack… His wellbeing had to come first, that was what a good leader had to do – That was what his mother would have done.

"Where the fuck were you?" Erica barked as soon as he entered in the loft.

Derek was taken aback by this forwardness. What kind of Leader did he become? She didn't show any fear… In a few weeks he had become the pathetic incapable leader his uncle had suspected him to be. Now was the time to mend the mistakes he had made when he was busy making the biggest of all mistakes…Falling in love with a human.

Derek instantaneously extended fangs and claws, reached for Erica and raised her a foot from the floor making sure that his claws went in her neck enough to draw some blood.

He howled. "How dare you talk to me like that?" He threw her at the other side of the loft and didn't miss the sickening crack of bones breaking when she hit the wall. "Remember your place!" He growled before detailing his pack, challenging anyone from saying anything to him.

Derek kept his eyes fixed on Boyd, he saw his fists tighten and his eyes flash yellow but after a minute he looked down and hurried to a whimpering Erica.

"She might not have put it correctly Derek but the girl has a point, the ultimatum ends tomorrow." Peter said leaning against the fridge.

"Not now Peter, my patience has run thin- if you want to live to see the sunrise you better shut it now."

Peter sighed, taking a sip of beer. "All I'm saying is if you're expecting your pack to fight and die for you….At least help with the preparation."

Derek shook his head. "There won't be a fight." He pointed to the maps and weapons on the desk. "You can clear all that and go home."

"Did you convince him?" Scott asked clearly surprised.

Derek walked to the window before turning around to meet 6 pairs of curious eyes. He frowned at Stiles, that kid was really becoming a constant part of his pack…Maybe he should bite him and get done with it.

He then looked at Scott. No he couldn't do that, Scott barely trusted him now it would destroy everything and if Stiles died… Derek had trouble admitting it but he grew quite fond of the smartass.

"No, I decided to accept his offer." Derek replied calmly.

"What about Natalie?" Asked Stiles.

Derek growled with exasperation, hearing her name was like hitting an infected raw nerve. "Why should you care? If you like her so much, just ask her out." He answered trying to keep his voice has emotionless as possible. "This deal is a great opportunity and we both knew it couldn't last. Natalie and I, we're done."

"But-" Started Stiles.

"Get out!" Derek barked, pointing to the door. "Your presence is neither required nor desired. I tolerate you around because you're Scott shadow but I can't be asked to deal with you right now." He turned to Scott. "Take him away before I do something I might regret."

Stiles opened his mouth but Scott rested his hands on it and pull him to the exit

"Why on Earth did you do that?!" Stiles asked to Scott on their way down.

Derek could hear them clearly but he didn't think the other could. They might have werewolf hearing but they didn't have alpha hearing.

"What did you want me to say? It was a mutual decision you heard Derek and to be honest I think it's better that way…She deserves much better than him and you know that."

Derek closed his eyes for a second. It stung to say the least but he concentrated on the people in front of him.

Most of them looked confused, as for Peter he looked pleased and somehow victorious. Was he gloating for being right?

"Now go" He continued with finality. "All of you." He gave a pointed look to Peter. He needed his place for himself right now.

When he was finally alone, Derek let his cold alpha mask fall and let his sorrow resurface.

Maybe accepting Fritz offer was the best, he did like Anna… She was a good werewolf, with a strong sense of duty. He would probably never love her, not the way he fell for Natalie and it was all the better. He needed to preserve himself; he never ever wanted to feel the way she made him feel.

"There must be a mistake." Natalie shook her head. "It's impossible."

"Well I'm sorry, but we checked the three times and you're pregnant."

Natalie looked at the doctor in front of her. She had been surprised when she received a call in the morning and the clinic asked her to come back to discuss the results. She came during her lunch break never expecting this kind of news.

"But my doctors in England said –" She stopped not really knowing what to say.

"They said your ovaries were damaged yes; pregnancy would be difficult but not impossible."

"You have to test again; maybe the blood has been swapped." Natalie reinforced.

"But why is that such impossibility?" the doctor asked leaning in his chair. "Aren't you sexually active? Abstinence is the only certainty of impossible pregnancy."

"No I was active but my partner is an al- is not fertile." She finished lamely. She had discussed with Derek after the first time they made love. She had freaked out for the lack of protection he had told her not to worry that as an alpha he couldn't get a human woman pregnant.

The doctor seemed clearly exasperated now. "What do you want me to say?"

"I want you to take some more blood" she answered, pulling her sleeve up. "I 'm sure your lab made a mistake…Probably mislabelled the samples or –" She stopped looking at the clock she had to be back at School in 20 minutes and didn't have time to waste in explaining. "Just do it – Please."

The doctor shook his head. "Very well, if it seems that impossible I will have a nurse take some blood but I just made you come in order to ask you to stop the sleeping pills because, if you're pregnant this will harm the foetus unless you intend to terminate this pregn-"

"No!" She let out with so much vehemence it shocked herself. She looked down and didn't even notice she had rested a protective hand on her stomach.

"I'm sorry" he blurted out standing up. "I just thought – Since you seem just so reluctant to accept that news."

She shook her head. "This is just impossible for the rest –" She stopped herself for thinking anything more. It would hurt too much if it wasn't true. "Just test me again."

The doctor nodded but this time she couldn't see the irritation in his face, he seems sympathetic somehow.

The rest of the day passed in a blur, she was trying so hard to forget about that baby news knowing it was a mistake and yet every once in a while the image of a baby with eyes just like Derek couldn't help but pop in her head. She had been so lost in her thoughts she agreed to lend the car to Scott without even realizing she would have to walk home now.

She had just exited the school, looking for Stiles jeep for a ride home, when a sleek grey car stopped beside her. She couldn't see the driver from the dark window but took a step away from it trying to remember the license plate and the model…BMW i8.

The window slide down and she was only half surprised to see Peter behind the wheels.

"I didn't know that being a werewolf paid so well." She said only half joking still standing at a respectable distance from the car. He might have been helping her but, she still had trouble to trust him.

Peter flashed a cocky smile. "You would be surprised." He sobered up. "Derek told us…"

She looked away, part of her hoping for anyone to interrupt this conversation. Thinking about Derek brought the possibility of the child in her mind. She could almost feel it in her. "Don't pretend to be sorry, it was for the best wasn't it?"

"Maybe but – I don't like to see you hurt."

Natalie looked at him suspiciously. He was known to be a fantastic liar but she couldn't help but think he looked genuine. "If you came for that there is no point."

"No, actually I came for my chain."

"Oh!" Natalie brought her hand to her neck realizing she left it at home; she could see it on the top of her drawers' chest.

"It's at home. I'll get it for you later."

He jerked his head toward the passenger seat. "Just hop in, I'll drive you home."

"I- umm No, it's okay."

Peter sighed removing his sunglasses. "Did I ever do anything deserving this lack of trust? No wait don't answer that. Did I ever do anything to you that deserve being doubted?"

Natalie twisted her mouth. "I guess you didn't."

Peter chuckled. "Thanks for the vote of confidence."

She sighed. The house was more than 4 miles away and she was just too tired to deal with this.

"Fine."

Peter smiled putting his sunglasses back on. "You won't regret it … Much."

"So… How is Derek doing?" She asked trying to sound nonchalant but failing miserably.

To Peters' defence he pretended not to notice the interest.

"As well as he can I guess. He went to see Fritz yesterday to agree with the offer."

"Oh already?" She asked not able to hide the pain in her voice and face. "Talk about moving on fast." She added in an attempt to joke but the wavering of her voice made Peter turn toward her.

Peter stopped the car at the side of the road and concentrated on her. "I'm sorry I thought you knew that Scott –" He sighed. "Sorry."

She shook her head. "It's fine."

As she shook her head Peter frowned and leaned in, burying his face in her neck.

"Hey!" She pushed him away. "What – I'm not interested!" She said reaching for the handle.

Peter locked the door and reached for her hand. "I'm not flirting with you, calm down. I am smelling you." He brought her wrist up and quickly licked the inside of her wrist as if he tasted her skin."

Natalie grimaced. "That's gross."

Peter chuckled. "Oh come on, don't play coy. You had sex with an alpha, I've been one – I know how animalist we can become in bed. I cannot imagine how much 'grosser' you could have gotten with my nephew."

Natalie blushed furiously as some imagines of herself and Derek flashed in her mind.

"Yea that's what I thought." Peter said with amusement.

"What did you do that for?" She asked offended. Peter did cross the line of decency and boundaries.

"To make sure."

"Make sure of what?" She asked, resting her back on the passenger door giving Peter her best glare.

"That you're pregnant."

Natalie paled. "What? How? No."

Peter nodded. "Yes you are, I knew you smelt different the other day and it will only get more and more flagrant with time. I'm surprised though I didn't think this could happen."

Natalie sat straight, her hands neatly folded on her lap. It was true then, what the doctor had said. She moved one of her hand and rested it on her stomach.

"Are you going to tell him?" Asked Peter.

She turned to him. "Do you think I should?"

Peter looked at her. "This is not something I want to mettle in."

"But you have an opinion don't you?"

Peter sighed. "Of course I do but this is your decision it's just – he seems happy right now he is young but maybe he will be pleased who knows? I am just talking if I were his age ready to get mated. I'm not him, I'm only his uncle…what do I know?"

Natalie looked down to her hand resting on her stomach. She had broken up with Derek knowing she was doing what she was supposed to do for him and the pack. It was clear he wanted to be with Anna now; he agreed to be mated with her less than 48 hours after their break up. She knew Derek had a very high sense of honour and responsibility. He would want to be with her if he knew and what then? She would never know if he wanted her for the child and he would probably feel trapped.

She sighed with defeat turning to Peter. "Don't tell him."

He nodded. "You made the right choice."

"But if you can smell it he can too right? What about Scott, can he smell it?"

"Probably, but they have not been around pregnant women enough to smell the difference – They will figure –" Peter started the car doing a U-turn.

"What? Where are we going?" She asked as they took the opposite direction of their initial destination.

"Trust me." He simply replied.

They drove in a part of town she never went and she could see from the homeless people in the street, the dirty pavement and the more than explicit graffiti's on the walls that they were in the rough part of town.

Peter parked in front of an esoteric store; Natalie raised an eyebrow at him.

"I know what I'm doing. Just lock the doors; I'll be back in a few minutes."

"Not sure it's a good idea to leave such a car in this area."

Peter smiled a gleam in his eyes. |Oh my dear Natalie I would like for anyone to even try touching my car."

Peter first ran across the street to a jewellery store before running to the esoteric store with a bag in his hand.

Peter made true to his words and was back under 15 minutes holding one of the loveliest silver necklace she had ever seen.

"For you" he said putting it on lap.

"I- okay?" She said looking down at all the details. It was an elegant and very graceful necklace made with what seemed to be seed pearls in an intricate and airy maze of graceful vines.

He rolled his eyes. "It won't bit you. I just couldn't hold it for too long because it could bit me." He said showing the angry red mark in his hand.

She looked at his hand with wide eyes and grabbed it. "Oh god Peter! We need to fix that." She looked up at him. "How can I fix that?" She asked with candid concern.

Peter smiled at her and for the first time it looked like a real smile, there was not that cocky or cold sufficient edge and it looked nice, really nice. "It's nice to have someone who actually truly care" he said and she could hear the longing in his voice. Did anyone ever truly cared for him? "Don't worry about me; it will be gone before you are back home."

"What is it?" She asked letting go of his hand before taking hold of the necklace.

"You're touching it? After what it did to me?" He asked apparently taken aback.

"Why shouldn't I?" She asked confused. "You told me it wouldn't hurt me."

"And it won't."

"So? You asked me to trust you, I decided to try."

He looked almost pained when she said that but he turned around for her to make sure. "Okay let me drive you home. This necklace was covered with gold wolf bane. Very rare and very powerful…It was enhanced with a druid powers. Nobody will be able to scent you anymore."

"How much did that cost you? I want to pay you back" she replied fastening the necklace around her neck.

"Please don't – You're … my friend." He tried and she saw how strange he was for him to say this. "As for that child, what are –"

"I'm keeping it." She replied before he had a chance to add anything.

He nodded parking on the street beside the McCall home. "It's not a secret that I don't consider my nephew as being especially bright but I am sure that even him can figure what is happening after a few month."

"Derek is far from stupid." She said automatically defending him.

"I think we agree to disagree on that one."

Natalie nodded. She already knew what she had to do. "I will leave."

"Where? Back to Europe?"

She shrugged. "I don't know as you can imagine this was not planned."

Peter shrugged. "Don't worry you're going to be okay."

"And how do you know what?" She asked challengingly.

He smiled. " Because I am coming with you." He exclaim with clear certainty