Author's Note: The one where Derek loses his alpha status, but there's a hell of a conclusion at the end. Trust me.

ooOoo

Derek's face looked more fallen than Stiles had ever seen it. The alpha snarled suddenly, taking black wolf form. Not without a fight! Xaiu smirked.

"Take him," he told his two companions.

Tanya and Eni stepped forward in swift stride. Derek lunged at them, fangs and claws barred. Eni rushed forward, elbowing Derek with all his might in the stomach. The alpha wolf yelped loudly, whining in pain, and slowly began to revert back to human.

"No!" Stiles exclaimed, rushing forward, eyes flashing silver.

"N-No Stiles," Derek coughed, blood hitting the floor as he held his stomach, doubled over in pain.

"Better obey your alpha boy," Xaiu smirked. "If you know what's good for you. Of course... he'll only be your alpha a few more moments. Tanya, Eni- hold him."

Eni grabbed one of Derek's arms and Tanya the other, forcing him to stand. Xaiu reached into his cloak and pulled out a small vial of green liquid. He pulled out the cork, stepping up close to Derek and raising it.

"Do yourself a favor Derek," he told him. "Give it up. Don't make this harder on yourself than it has to be. You're just not alpha material."

He raised the vial to Derek's lips. The alpha felt like a complete and total failure. They were right. He wasn't fit to be alpha. He found his lips opening willingly, wanting to drink it. He had failed...

"Derek no," Stiles shook his head. "I believe in you."

"Quiet brat!" Tanya snapped at him.

Derek turned to face his mate, smiling sadly.

"I'm sorry Stiles, they're right. I tried to be alpha. I failed. Scott was the better alpha after all."

Xaiu tilted the vial. Derek tasted something bitter wash down his throat, shuddering at the taste. He felt his power drop instantly, like a great fire burning down to almost nothing. His eyes flashed red, then faded out, changing back to his beta yellow. Peter rejoiced inwardly. He'd won. Derek was a beta again. Only a beta. He couldn't stop himself from grinning.

"I knew it!" Stiles exclaimed at him angrily, having caught the look of glee. "You're in on this. I suspected it from day one!"

Derek turned his head, yellow eyes looking at his uncle in disbelief. Peter's smile widened.

"Guilty as charged Stiles," he admitted with a little laugh.

Derek shook his head, not wanting to believe it. He felt betrayed and hurt.

"Uncle Peter, how could you?"

"Come now my boy," Peter exclaimed with a winner's smile. "You said it yourself. Don't you remember? You told me all your doubts of being alpha, how weak you felt. Well now you no longer carry that burden."

Derek's fingers bawled into a fist.

"You son of a bitch," he spat. "You betrayed me! I thought we were family!"

"We are Derek," Peter told him, still smiling. "I'm a very good uncle if I do say so myself."

"Now Peter Hale," Xaiu interjected. "Step forward."

Stiles couldn't believe this. His eyed the old alpha with shock and disgust.

"You're going to make him alpha? Just like that?"

"I will do as I please," Xaiu told him coldly. "You are a beta. Derek obviously did not teach you your place. I trust your new alpha will."

"He isn't my alpha! Peter will never be my alpha. Derek is... "

"Well Derek at least someone still believes in you," Xaiu laughed snidely.

Derek snarled, attempting to lunge at Xaiu and stop Peter from getting what he wanted, but Eni and Tanya restrained him again.

"Let me go!" Derek struggled, pulling against them.

"Poor Derek," Xaiu smirked. "His power's only half of what it was a few minutes ago."

Then he placed a hand on top of Peter's head, seeming to focus. Peter inhaled plesantly, and stretched open his arms, the look on his face pure contentment. He grinned, fangs elongated, and his eyes snapped open, the pupils glowing red.

"Yes!" he exclaimed with a laugh. "I did it! I'm the alpha again."

"At what cost you old bastard?" Stiles hissed at him.

Peter eyed Stiles with a sudden look of contempt.

"Better warn your mate to hold his tongue Derek."

Too late Derek finally understood it all. Peter had never stopped being the malicious and cruel person he had always been on the inside. The nice old uncle had always been an act. Peter smiled wider at his nephew's betrayed and dejected expression.

"Come Derek," he taunted. "Why the long face? I relieved you of something you said you didn't want."

Derek snarled and his eyes flashed with pure rage.

"You betrayed me!" Derek spat at him. "That's what you're not seeing here! I wanted a chance to make my father proud."

Peter gave him a little chuckle.

"Derek do yourself a favor, kiddo. Don't kid yourself. Your dad always knew you were too weak to ever take his place."

"You're lying," Derek spat.

"Am I Derek? You know you've been very bad, beating on your poor old uncle, but I think a have the perfect punishment in mind."

Derek didn't see it coming until it was too late. Peter was at Stiles' side in a flash, clamping the boy's hand in an iron grip. Xaiu smirked, quite enjoying the entertainment. Peter smiled a malicious, cruel smile and bent Stiles' arm back, making him cry out. Derek's eyes flashed yellow and he snarled, lunging at Peter. His uncle tossed Stiles aside and grabbed his nephew by the arms, sinking his claws in, making Derek roar with pain.

"You think you're my equal Derek? How very foolish of you."

Xaiu and the other alphas were very amused by all of this. They were all watching the show. They didn't see Isaac slip away quietly. Derek's cries of pain maddened Stiles and he saw red.

"Stiles no!" Derek exclaimed.

The boy lunged at Peter with a growl. Peter released Derek and grabbed Stiles' arm again.

"Just don't listen do you?" he hissed into the boy's ear. "Maybe this will make you think."

Stiles gasped out weakly as Peter drove his claw into his upper stomach, reopening the wound that had been there two days before. The boy's blood spilled out over the floor as he dropped. Derek's breathing quickened, pure rage overtaking him.

"You," he spat at Peter.

Peter flexed his claws, licking his lips excitedly and ran at Derek again. He didn't see Stiles still moving, even if barely, inching forward over the floor with all his might. Isaac ran to him, no one noticing because they were too busy watching Peter and Derek's fight. He pressed the hilt of a silver dagger into his grip.

"Use this," Isaac whispered.

Peter had Derek by the arms trying to wrestle him down to the ground now. No claws, no fangs. It was pure primal. Derek grunted and struggled to push back. He would not submit. Xaiu caught Stiles approaching Peter and Derek inch by little inch, clutching the dagger in hand, but decided to say nothing. This could be interesting. Stiles forced himself up on one hand, willing himself not to cry out from the burning pain in his stomach. His body was trying to heal, but not fast enough. He drove the dagger forward into Peter's back with all of his might. The older Hale stopped struggling against Derek at once, letting out a single shocked gasp of pain. Stiles released the hilt and sank to the floor. It had taken all of his effort to do that.

"S-silver," Peter gasped, his heart rate acclerating as the metal poisoned his blood.

Silver was usually fatal to werewolves. He stumbled forward, hand trembling. He grasped for his chest, the pain intense.

"So close... "

He fell forward, taking in his last breaths, and then he was still. Derek gave his corpse one last resentful glance before kneeling down next to Stiles. His mate was breathing heavily.

"Why?" Derek whispered, eyes becoming moist with tears. "Why did you make yourself do that?"

"This... " Stiles managed to say. "Is why... "

He lifted his head and his eyes were the red of an alpha. Derek's mouth fell open in shock. He noticed the stomach wound closing quite rapidly now.

"Stiles," he whispered looking into the red eyes, mouth hanging open in shock. "You're... the alpha."

ooOoo

Da da daaaaaaaaaaa. Please review. Next chapter soon.