So, I've been thinking. Should I continue on with this story? Or should I start a new Darkest Powers story?

Emma laid there beside me wolf, her arm? Leg? Whatever I should calli it, it was all sorts of mangled. All the crunched wolf and human bones made it look like an overstuffed sock kind of.

I could hear Derek keeping Jeremy away off to our left. He must've gotten his anger out of his system and wanted to help her now. I looked down at her, her fur on her face was all wet from tears. I picked up her shirt off the ground and used the sleeve to dot under her eyes and dry her face.

"We can stay here," I said softly. "Or Derek can carry you if you want to get moving. It's up to you Em, however you feel."

Footsteps approached and Emma moved closer to me.

"What's the plan?" Derek asked. "She made a lot of noise we should get moving."

"Sounds like you just answered your own question," I responded.

Emma shakily stood up, holding her broken leg up.

"How long has it been?" I asked.

"Forty-five minutes-ish," Jeremy answered, his voice monotone. Maybe he hadn't let go of the anger like I thought.

Emma lowered her broken leg to the ground and yelped.

"Emma don't you'll hurt it more," I said gently. She didn't need to be yelled at. "Let Derek help."

Derek walked up to her and she backed away, hiding behind my legs.

"I think she wants to stay," Derek said. Emma nodded, she didn't want the humiliation of having to be carried.

Jeremy mumbled something about her always getting her way and I growled.

"I'll be right back," I said to Emma then turned to Jeremy and shoved him away from the pine trees.

We walked a little ways away before I lost my cool.

"What in gods name is wrong with you?!"

"Me? You should be asking her. She played me along, made me think I was special when she already had a mate lined up."

"Like twenty years ago Jeremy! And it probably wasn't even her idea it was probably her parents idea. But you didn't give her a damn chance to explain anything you just decided to scream at her and keep screaming. There's nothing wrong with Emma you idiot! You're the one who's screwed up! You might lose her over this, she thinks you hate her!"

"Maybe I do now," Jeremy said.

I couldn't help myself, I smacked him.

"Maybe that'll knock some sense into you. You better grow up and get control of your jealousy. Or at the least you need to let her have a chance to talk before you berate her."

Jeremy rubbed his cheek and quietly said, "Ok."

"She's terrified of you right now so you don't move a muscle when we get back to those trees. She needs a calm environment," I growled. "Got it?"

Jeremy nodded and followed me back. Derek was leaning against one of the pine tree trunks and Emma seemed to be asleep beside him. It didn't surprise me, Derek fell asleep after his first change. I mean, I know this wasn't Emma's first but it was her first in a long time now. Her body probably wasn't used to it. Jeremy and I sat across from them, I smiled as I looked at Derek in the moonlight. It made his green eyes glow. He looked like he was going to fall asleep though.

"Don't fall asleep," I said to him as I yawned. Ironic timing. "I don't think you're supposed to when you get a concussion."

"I'm fine," he said. "I'm more worried about you."

I looked at him confused. Derek gestured to my makeshift bandages.

"You were bitten again. Of course I'm going to be worried about the outcome. You know I won't like either answer. If you stay human then yeah that's a good thing but it also means I have to be gentle with you and worry about hurting you ever time I touch you. If you're werewolf then I don't have to worry about you being so fragile but that means you'll go through changing again and I can't handle you being in that pain."

"Werewolves heal kind of faster right? So let's see what it looks like," I suggested.

Jeremy shook his head, "I don't think that's a good idea, that bandage stopped the bleeding. It might start again if you take it off."

I could tell by him inching forward, I had peaked Derek's curiosity.

"We'll put it back on quickly if it does," Derek said. "Could we use your phone light Jeremy?"

Jeremy turned his phone on and held it over my arm as started peeling the bandage off. First came off the t-shirt remains revealing the gashes from the wolf's claws. Then came the cloth from Scott's house. It stung as I peeled it off and dropped it to the ground. Derek gently took my hand, only touching my fingers, and turned my hand over to see the wounds from Emma and Jeremy. They were still there plain as day, covered in smeared dried blood.

"Does it look ok?" I asked.

"That looks pretty nasty Chloe," Jeremy commented. "But it's not bleeding which is good."

"Honestly it's hard to tell with the dried blood," Derek said. "We need to get it cleaned up before we can say for sure."

I wished we had water with us, not only to clean my wounds, but to made a tea with Jeremy's herbs so they could heal. I dropped my hand into my lap with a sigh.

"We can't do that until Ashe picks us up," I said.

"Yeah, about that," Derek said. "Why did Elijah send someone else? He's always so protective over you, it doesn't make sense why he wouldn't want to see first hand that you were ok."

"Tess too," Jeremy added.

"Elijah said he had to stay with Tess," I said. "I guess there is complications. That's all he would tell me." I paused swallowing a nervous lump in my throat. "You don't think she lost the baby, do you?"

"Chloe no," Derek shook his head. "A complication is fixable. Its just something that momentarily went wrong, not permanently. You know Elijah's rather straightforward, he would say if there was a permanent problem."

It made sense but it was still really worrying me. What was going on? Why wouldn't Tess tell me when she found out?

time skip

We sat mostly in silence for the next hour, chitchatting here and there but Jeremy and Derek were still angry with each other so they didn't have much to say to each other. We didn't hear anyone out roaming so we came to the conclusion Scott hadn't sent werewolves out after us. Or if he did, they were the stealthiest werewolves ever.

"What're we going to do?" I asked, looking at Emma. "She won't want to go to another pack's territory, especially in this shape. I mean, she wouldn't even let Derek pick her up, is she going to let strangers fix her broken bones?"

"Elijah will do it," Jeremy said matter-of-fact. "She'll be nervous but fine, just like when she first met our little pack. Emma cocooned herself in this shell of self preservation and protection, but once she believed we were here for help not harm she let down her guard."

I nodded, "I hope she'll be alright."

time skip

A cold hand touched my shoulder, making me jump.

"Hey hey relax," it was Derek. "You fell asleep, they should be here soon we need to get out to the road."

I didn't mean to fall asleep, how long had I been out? Long enough to make my back ache from laying on the ground, I stretched as I stood and brushed pine needles off me.

Derek picked up Emma as best as he could. It was a little awkward with her broken leg. Jeremy didn't look happy that Derek was helping her but he knew he wouldn't have the strength to carry her.

We made sure we had all our things and headed to the road. I thought we were going to just wait here once we got here but Derek decided he wanted to keep moving once we got to the side of the road because of the temperature dropping. It was becoming too chilly to sit and wait.