Author's Note: Trigger warning for non graphic mention of child death

Derek switched places with Stiles, moving so Isaac's head was resting in his lap. Scott was holding Isaac's hands loosely, watching to make sure his fingers were healing properly. He didn't know what he'd do if they weren't, but at least he felt like he was doing something. Stiles was back to frantically watering them, finding a straw from somewhere and holding it up to Derek's lips so he didn't have to remove his hands from where they were soothing Isaac. Surprisingly he just opened his mouth and drank.

"Do you think you can tell us what happened? Maybe talking about it will make things better?" Scott suggested carefully.

"Nothing can make this better," Derek ground out, blinking quickly as if to stave off tears.

"We need to know what we're dealing with, in case they come back," Scott said, trying a new approach.

"There is no one left to come back," Derek whispered, glancing down at Isaac. Well, that explained all the blood.

"How many?"

"Too many."

"Maybe we should save the talking for later, when things are a bit more settled?" Stiles suggested, setting down his latest glasses of water. "Derek, do you want to try to get some sleep?"

"Can't. Isaac," Derek refused.

"Isaac's resting. I think you should too," Stiles replied.

"Not for long." As if on cue, Isaac started squirming again, tears rolling down into his hair.

"Derek," Isaac whimpered, staring up at him in desperation. "Derek."

"I know," Derek whispered.

"She was- she was- oh God!" Isaac choked out, shaking his head from side to side as he got more agitated.

"I know."

"I can't!"

"You can."

"Should've- should kill me," Isaac gasped. Scott instinctively grabbed Isaac's wrists tighter, trying to prevent him from hurting himself again.

"No Isaac, no!" Derek growled, gripping the sides of Isaac's face with firm hands.

"I can't do this anymore! I can't be this anymore! You have to stop me before it happens again," Isaac babbled, quickly losing all control of himself. "I didn't want to do it. I tried so hard to stop, but I couldn't."

"I know, Isaac," Derek mumbled, nodding frantically as he tried to stay strong for his Beta. "It wasn't your fault."

"It doesn't matter. It doesn't change the fact that she's dead. That I killed her," Isaac cried, choking on his sobs.

"Who?" Scott whispered. He knew Derek had killed before, even though he didn't know the full circumstances behind it. But not Isaac. He wasn't that same brash, cocky kid he was after the bite. Scott saw the real Isaac when he pulled the pain from that sick dog.

"It was- she-"

"She was just a baby," Isaac wept. Stiles couldn't stifle his gasp. Killing in self defense was one thing. That isn't what this sounded like.

"Derek, you need to tell us. Right now," Scott demanded. He still didn't want to believe Isaac was capable of anything like he was rambling on about, but he needed to hear the full story.

"I know," Derek ground out, cutting his eyes toward Scott. Derek stayed silent as they waited for Isaac to tire himself out during his current outburst, letting his sobs turn to hiccups until they finally settled back to sniffles. "We were out in the woods searching for Erica and Boyd, but we hadn't found anything. We were just about to come back here to meet you, but then Isaac went down. By the time I got over to him to see what was wrong, it was too late. I caught a dart of wolfsbane in my neck and that was it."

"Were they hunters?" Stiles asked. Scott winced. Hunters meant human, which meant big trouble. Sure, he was human presenting to anyone else, but there were different rules when it came to the supernatural.

"I thought so, at least at first. But they weren't like normal hunters," Derek spat, grinding his teeth. "They were werewolves."