Some action stuff in this chapter.
Chapter 8: Spark of Hope
Stiles was still in a daze as he walked inside the school. He couldn't believe the Alpha's easygoing attitude was actually directed towards him. Yes, they were becoming close. Their late night talks were strengthening their bond and his heart reacted funny every time he came in contact with the Alpha. But, what about Derek? Was he flirting with him or was it him being friendly? For the first time, Stiles regretted not having wolfy powers. At least with those, he could smell or listen to heartbeats to know what someone was really feeling, right?
Stiles was so occupied with his thoughts that he didn't even notice one of the betas standing right by his side as he opened his locker to pull a book out.
It's when he was shook by his shoulders that he snapped out of his thoughts about thick eyebrows.
"Hey, I've called your name like five times!" Jackson exclaimed as he stared at the human with a scowl on his face. "Did Derek drop you off? You kinda smell like him."
Stiles could feel his face starting to heat up so he fought hard to keep it normal. He started walking towards class in hopes that the beta wouldn't be able to tell how even talking about the Alpha was affecting him. "Yeah. Apparently the little human is too weak to even find his own way." Stiles grumbled a little as he got inside the class with Jackson following closely behind him.
"Nah, it's just your husband being protective over his Pack Momma." Jackson smirked and walked past a stunned Stiles who stood rooted to his spot. It was Ms. Blake walking inside the class and waving a hand in front of his face that snapped him out of his daze. Stiles shook his head, offered an apologetic smile at Ms. Blake and took his seat beside Jackson. He could still see the werewolf smirking slightly. Stiles just glared at the beta.
But then he had a little smirk of his own. Two could play this game.
Ms. Blake was turned towards the blackboard writing something down as she spoke about the topic of discussion for the day. Stiles leaned a little towards the beta even though he knew the werewolf could hear him loud and clear even if he whispered it from the hallway outside.
"Behave, Pup. Or I'll make sure you're grounded." Stiles stretched back in satisfaction at the answering scowl from the beta.
Derek couldn't keep the smile off his face no matter how hard he tried. He was driving back towards his loft after dropping Stiles at school. The teenager always managed to lift up his mood no matter how down he would be feeling. He can always count on Stiles to understand him. He replayed his interaction with the spastic boy that morning over and again. His grip tightened on the steering and the smile left his face.
What am I doing? Wifey?! I was supposed to avoid situations exactly like this!
Derek looked at his reflection in the rear view for a second. He shook his head as if it would help clear his head.
No! I have to control myself around that boy. He's a kid! I'm not Kate. I'm not Kate..
He kept repeating that over and over in his head as he pulled over in front of his loft. Derek got out of his Camaro and walked inside to see his sister working out in the middle of the loft. He walked closer to her and noticed her posture.
Cora has always been fierce. Even as a little kid, there weren't many things that could scare the littlest Hale. She looked up from her pushups and offered a small smile at her brother.
"You settling in okay?" Derek asked as Cora finished her pushups and stood up straight. "Getting the hang of it, I guess." She walked towards the table and picked up a towel draped over one of the chairs to wipe off the sweat pooling on her eyebrows.
"I was thinking of enrolling you in the school here." He continued carefully. "That is, considering you are sticking around for a while." Cora looked over at her brother. She seemed to think for a minute before nodding her head.
"Yeah, I am." Derek smiled at that, one of his rare genuine ones. Cora walked to the other side of the table and picked up a package.
"I got you something." Cora said as she moved closer to her brother and handed him the thin package. Derek looked at her with a questioning glance. He took the package and unwrapped it to find a new sketchbook inside. "Thought you could start on building new memories. With a new pack.. a new family." Cora looked at her hands as she said that. Derek could tell his sister was a little nervous. He stepped closer to her and shoved her lightly with his shoulder.
"Thank you, sis." The tension deflated from Cora's shoulders as she smiled. "So, tell me more about your pack." She leaned back on the table and wrapped her arms over her chest. Derek had a proud look on his face as he started to talk about the band of misfits that he considered his family.
"Well, there's Boyd. He's intelligent, but quiet. Always observing." He leaned on the table beside his sister in a similar manner and continued talking about his betas. Cora kept on listening with a look of interest.
"Lydia? What's wrong?" Jackson answered his phone as he and Stiles were walking back from their lunch. Lately, Jackson was feeling protective over the pack human and he knew he wasn't the only one. The other betas, especially Erica and Boyd tried to stick as close to Stiles as they could. Scott had accepted his place in the pack but he was still a bit of a rebel. And for some reason, Isaac followed him around more than his own Alpha.
"It's Mr. Harris. He was taken." Jackson stopped in his tracks with Stiles stopping just beside him. Even though Stiles didn't have werewolf hearing and couldn't listen to what Lydia was saying, Jackson's expression told him something was definitely wrong.
"Where are you?"
"He held you up for two hours?" Cora asked loudly, her eyebrows almost touching her hairline. "No way he's that strong."
"I'm telling you. Stiles can be quite stubborn when he wants to. His heart and compassion, those are his greatest strength." Derek had a smile on his face as he talked about the resident human of the pack. Cora looked over at her brother with a thoughtful expression on her face. Derek had been talking about Stiles for quite some time now; definitely longer than he talked about his betas. She opened her mouth to ask something but before she could, she saw her brother's face change. Derek became rigid all of a sudden and straightened up. Cora looked at him with a frown, wondering what was wrong. Before she could ask, her senses started to pick it as well.
Multiple footsteps and heartbeats. After a few seconds, she could faintly detect their scent as well. They were werewolves.
The Alphas.
Derek walked closer to the entrance of the loft. His posture was defensive but he seemed calm. He could hear a low tapping noise, like a stick tapping on the floor.
Deucalion?
A few tense seconds passed before the loft door was wrenched open. A heavily muscled man walked in first, with near-shaved head and blazing red eyes. Then came a woman with long black hair. She wasn't wearing any shoes, her fangs and eyes gleaming with something terrible. They both walked inside and stood on different sides inside the loft. Derek felt dread creeping up his spine as the low tapping sound dragged closer and another man showed up with a walking stick in hand. He knew Deucalion was blind but he also heard stories about the Alpha of the Alphas that would give scary bedtime stories a run for their money.
"Hello. Lovely day, isn't it?" A smooth voice rang over the loft as Deucalion walked closer. Derek felt Cora fuming beside him. He sneaked a glance at his sister to see her glare was set on the big, muscled man.
"Ennis.." She growled lowly under her breath but of course, everyone in the room being werewolves- and Alphas nonetheless- they had no trouble hearing her growl. The man in question focused his red eyes on Cora and smirked. "Hello, little Hale." His tone was mocking and so was the look he threw Cora's way. Derek knew it was a losing bet. He couldn't take on three Alphas on his own and he had doubts about how long Cora would last against them. She was a fierce fighter but she couldn't match up against an Alpha.
"Cora.. don't." He said in a warning. He had a feeling Deucalion did not just show up to fight, he had to have another motive. He had to keep his cool and avoid bloodshed. But his sister wasn't the most reasonable person, especially when she was angry.
Cora's eyes were flashing beta gold and she was growling under her breath. Ennis took a step closer, a menacing smirk still gracing his face. "You should've stayed with us longer." The Alpha said in a deep voice, amusement evident in his tone. "We could've had so much fun."
Cora growled and attacked Ennis.
"No!" Derek yelled out but it was futile.
"Deaton gave me a book on these supernatural creatures, said it might come handy." Stiles said as he looked through Mr. Harris' desk. Jackson was looking for clues in the classroom while Lydia was checking under the table. "I have an idea about who or what has decided to turn Beacon Hills into their personal target practice zone." He found some exam papers that were graded oddly. One read an R grade, another read H.
"Don't let me be right about this." Stiles muttered under his breath as he arranged the grade papers. Jackson walked closer and looked at the word Stiles was trying to form with the grades written in red ink. Stiles's heartbeat was pretty frantic when he stepped back and looked at the papers.
"Darach?" Lydia read the word Stiles had formed on the desk. The other boy just nodded his head sharply. "What does it mean?" Jackson asked with a frown.
"Good guy turned bad. Really really bad." Stiles then explained briefly about Druids and what they could do. Then he talked about Darachs and how sacrifice can make them stronger. Jackson started to feel sick in his stomach as he listened to Stiles. He still had trouble looking into his blue beta eyes sometimes. It reminded him of all the people he killed while he was the Kanima. Derek and Lydia assured him over and over again how it was not his fault, he had no control over his actions at the time. But he still felt terrible sometimes whenever he was reminded of that dark phase in his life. And now, to see someone killing people so brutally like it was nothing just to gain power, it was making his head spin.
"I need to see Deaton. I need something from him." Stiles said once he was finished explaining the threefold deaths and how it can empower Darachs. "I'll drive you there." Jackson said as he bid Lydia goodbye and walked out of the classroom with Stiles in tow.
Ennis looked like he was playing around with a child as he dodged every attack from Cora like it was nothing. As soon as Cora attacked Ennis, Derek tried to help his sister but he found the barefooted woman, Kali, blocking him with an animalistic grin on her face. Kali tried to claw at his shoulders but he dodged them one after another. His gaze flickered over to his sister every once in a while to see how she was faring against an Alpha. Deucalion just stood motionless in his spot. Derek had no idea if or how much the man could see.
Ennis let out a loud growl as Cora managed to nick his right cheek with her claws. The taller man looked menacing as he grabbed Cora by the throat and slammed her to the ground like she was a ragdoll.
"Cora!" Derek yelled out as he saw his sister struggling to move against the angry Alpha. His distraction caused him to get slashed on the chest by Kali. His chest burned like multiple burning knives had been slashed onto his skin. Kali used his momentary disorientation of pain to kick just below his knee. Derek felt the same burning pain where she kicked him. He realized it was from her toenails as they were just as deadly as the claws on her hands.
No wonder she showed up barefeet!
Kali was within Derek's reach when he forced himself to snap out of the pain and slashed at her left thigh. Kali roared out in anguish as she wasn't expecting Derek to still find the strength to fight back. There was another roar heard just behind as Ennis picked up Cora from the ground, still holding her by the throat. The other Alpha had a warning look on his face as he looked right at Derek while he held Cora above the ground. Derek saw his sister choking and had no choice but to give up. His shoulders slumped and Ennis smirked before letting Cora stand on the floor. But he still had one hand holding her by the shoulder and the other hand gripping her ponytail and tilting her head back. Cora stared helplessly at her brother who stared back at her with a defeated sigh.
Ennis could kill Cora in a split second if he wanted to. Derek couldn't risk that. Kali was breathing heavily from more anger than pain. The slashing on her thighs had already started to heal. She suddenly turned around, jumped up and grabbed a metal pipe that was attached to a beam below the ceiling. Derek was still focused on his sister when Kali made her move. He stood up quickly, but Kali had already impaled him with the pipe before he could make a move. Cora shouted Derek's name as the man in question stumbled back from the unimaginable pain. Kali pushed the pipe into Derek's torso and forced him to move back until the pipe lodged into a wooden beam. Derek gasped out, blood dripping from his mouth and torso. Kali gave a slight twist to the pipe as she grinned wickedly at the pain she was inflicting.
Cora was sobbing uncontrollably as she watched her brother with his head bowed down, blood pooling by his feet.
"Now that we have the ranking games out of the way, can we talk?" Deucalion said in a smooth and calm manner as he slowly walked closer to Derek.
"Hey, Doc." Stiles addressed the calm and composed veterinarian as he walked inside the clinic. Deaton was tinkering around with some small glass jars when he looked up at the eager teenager. Jackson strolled behind him with a blank expression on his face. "So, I was thinking of having some sort of defense system on me besides my trusty baseball bat with the Alpha pack in town. Silver bullets are out of the question since that would lead to me having a gun, which if my dad finds out, I'm screwed for. Would mountain ash work?"
"Certainly. Mountain ash is capable of containing any supernatural creature. Even an Alpha." Deaton said as calm as ever. Jackson had a little frown on his face as he looked at the vet with his ever-calm demeanor. The beta kept wondering if he would ever be able to detect some sort of emotion from the vet.
"Cool cool cool cool! Can I have some?" Stiles asked with an overly excited look in his eyes. Deaton just smiled and picked up a small vial from the glass jars he was organizing before Stiles barreled in. He handed the vial over to Stiles who took it with a grateful smile on his face. "Use it wisely."
"Thanks so much, Doc. Also, could you teach me how to.. you know, procure some on my own? So I wouldn't have to bother you every time I need some of this magic powder? I mean, it doesn't require any sacrificial ritual or anything, right?" Deaton shook his head with an amused smile.
"No, I assure you it's nothing of that sort. As for teaching you the way," the vet took a dramatic pause before smiling mysteriously. "All in due time."
Jackson scowled a little harder.
Yeah, I still hate this mysterious bastard.
"You look just like your mother." Deucalion was feeling Derek's face with his fingers. The younger man was taking shuddering breaths through his mouth, trying not to choke on his own blood. Kali still held onto the metal pipe going through Derek. Deucalion stepped away once he was satisfied with his assessment.
"You still have a lot to learn, Derek. How long has it been since you became an Alpha? A year? Less? You have no idea what this power is truly capable of. You have formed a pack with a bunch of teenagers. Pathetic, yes. But also very convenient since it would make your task that much easier."
"You.. you think I'll kill.. my own pack?" Derek was struggling to form proper words. He mustered some strength to lift his head and looked straight at Deucalion. The other alpha was wearing sunglasses but Derek was sure he could tell they were making eye contact at the moment. "I'll never be like you." Deucalion let out a small chuckle as he paced around the younger man.
"Ah, but you see, you say that now. You haven't even experienced what it's like to take their power. Just wait until you kill one of them. Once you feel it coursing through your veins, I won't have to convince you to kill the rest of them. Isn't that right, Kali?"
"Oh yes." Kali closed her eyes as if she was reliving a content memory. "It's so liberating." Cora felt sick at the look in Kali's face. She looked insane to her right then. They all did, except for Deucalion. She couldn't decide how to feel about the man.
"Something's wrong." Jackson said as he started to slow down before they reached Derek's loft. Jackson could feel through his pack bond as they inched closer and closer. Anguish, helplessness, defeat.
"What happened?" Stiles shot him a worried look as he awaited the beta's answer.
"It's Derek." Stiles didn't wait another second. He swung the passenger door open and started running towards the loft, not even checking to see if Jackson was following. He knew the beta could catch up. He brushed his fingers over his jeans pocket for a second, making sure the vial Deaton gave him was still there.
Stiles and Jackson reached the loft entrance together and stilled at the sight. Ennis was holding Cora, not allowing her to move even an inch. But his attention soon snapped over to the woman who had a metal pipe through Derek's chest, holding him against a beam. Blood was pooled at Derek's feet, his face paler than usual. Another man was standing close to them, with sunglasses on and a walking stick in his hand.
"Derek!" The Alpha snapped his head up at hearing his name. His gaze turned fearful as soon as he saw Stiles standing in the loft. His senses were dulled. His body was trying desperately to heal but unless the pipe was pulled from his body, his healing wouldn't kick in. "Stiles.." He breathed out as he tried to stand upright. He groaned as another wave of pain shot through his body as he tried to move. Kali smirked at his discomfort, her grip on the pipe not loosening an inch.
"The pack human." Deucalion grinned as he turned towards Stiles. Jackson moved closer to his packmate. He was itching to attack but he knew it was a lost cause. Derek was no shape to help him. Cora was already in danger of having her neck snapped and he couldn't risk Stiles's life as well. "It is a delight to meet you. I was just here to have a talk with dear Derek."
"Talk?!" Stiles exclaimed. He was fuming as he looked at Derek's state. The Alpha was looking at him, his eyes pleading. "This is what you call talk?! I knew you guys were crazy but this is crossing a level. You feel so high and mighty? Three Alphas taking on one Alpha and a beta? Some Alpha pack!"
Kali growled dangerously. Derek tried to push himself away again. Kali stepped closer to him, causing the pipe to lodge deeper into the beam behind Derek. He finally let out a yell of pain, not able to hold it back anymore. Stiles's eyes watered at seeing Derek like that. He rushed closer without giving Deucalion a second glance. Jackson tried to stop him but the human was already halfway across the room. Ennis threw Cora on the floor and followed Stiles. He stood close to the human but didn't touch him.
"Hey! Let him go!" Stiles yelled at Kali with a finger pointed at her face. Kali just smirked and twisted the pipe, causing Derek to yell out again. Stiles felt his blood boiling. Something was crawling beneath his skin, making it itch uncontrollably. He felt his hands burning, an electric charge in the air around him. Kali was still smirking as she looked right at Stiles, no intention of letting Derek go anytime soon.
Stiles felt his resolve break. He took another couple steps closer. Ennis followed suit and put a hand on Stiles's shoulder. Jackson let out a low growl and moved to get closer to Stiles.
"I said. Let. Him. GO!"
Something akin to lightning flashed and Ennis was thrown back several feet away from Stiles. Jackson stared with his mouth agape. Stiles's fingers were glowing with a pale yellow energy. The teen turned his head a little and Jackson saw his eyes flashing.
They glowed a pale purple before returning to its usual honey-brown color. But the anger was still there.
Kali was staring at Stiles with a shocked look on her face. Cora stood up and was looking at Stiles too, her eyes wide. Deucalion's face didn't give anything away.
Derek stared at Stiles with a mixture of emotions passing his face. Amazement, disbelief, pride but mostly it was shock. Kali snapped out of her daze and growled at Stiles. Her eyes flashed brighter and she lifted one of the clawed hands above her head, her hateful gaze directed at Stiles. Her other hand was still holding on to the pipe impaling Derek.
Derek knew Kali would attack Stiles any second now. He was the closest to both of them. He had to do something. He had to protect Stiles.
Derek focused every last bit of energy left in his body. He pushed forward, a yell ripping from his throat as his torso moved across the pipe. Kali turned towards him but before she could react, Derek grabbed the pipe with one hand and slashed Kali's arm with the other. Kali stumbled back and let go of the pipe immediately. Derek took a deep breath and pushed his body forward one last time, the pipe's other end came out of his back. The pipe clanged loudly to the floor. It was mostly dark red from blood.
Derek's eyes flashed red as he looked at Kali who was steady on her feet once again. He growled and stepped closer to Stiles, shielding him with his body. He heard another growl and turned his head a little to see Ennis facing off Jackson. Cora was on her feet as well, facing Ennis from another side.
"Enough!" Deucalion's voice rang out over all the other growls. The other Alphas immediately stopped their growling and relaxed their posture. Deucalion was looking at Stiles's direction. "A Spark.." His voice had a hint of fascination. Derek stepped closer to Stiles, his gaze fixed on the blind Alpha. Stiles didn't look away from the blind man either, but he reached out with his hand until it grasped a familiar larger one. Derek gripped his hand tightly into his own. His lips were covered in dried blood. His eyes were not flashing red anymore but they still looked deadly.
"Interesting. Stiles, right?" Deucalion had a smile on his face. He motioned with his head a little and his Alphas walked over to him. "I hope to see more of you in the future."
Then they were walking out of the loft. Jackson and Cora sighed in relief.
"What the fuck just happened?" Jackson's voice shook a little as he looked directly at Stiles. Before the teen could form an answer, he felt the Alpha beside him sag down.
Derek's energy finally left his body as he felt his vision going blurry. He couldn't hold himself up much longer. He gave up and the last thing he heard before passing out was Stiles calling out his name.
Please Review! I'd love to know your thoughts. 'Till next time.
