Hello, everyone! I am back with another chapter for No One Else! I hope you all enjoy it!
It was very late at night in the woods. The full moon reflected off of the pond Derek was walking along, creating the perfect picture. All the alpha could hear was the water flowing and the occasional hoot of an owl. Surrounding him were the tall trees that he had grown accustomed to over the sixteen years he had lived in Beacon Hills. The air was cool against his bare chest and he wondered to himself why he was only wearing jeans in the first place.
And the strange thing is that Derek didn't even remember when he woke up. The last thing he remembered was falling asleep on Anabelle's couch. How did he get out here? Why was he out here? He didn't exactly know, but Derek felt like something was pulling him towards a certain direction. But he had no idea where that pull was taking him and why he was going there. It was like his bare feet had minds of their own and he just kept walking.
"Derek."
Said man stopped in his tracks as soon as he heard the soft voice in the wind. He spun around and searched to see who was out there with him. There was no one in sight, but Derek could just feel another presence out in the woods. His eyes flashed red and his claws grew out as he continued to let the pull guide him to wherever it was taking him. If there was something out here, there was a strong possibility that it could be a threat so Derek decided not to take any chances.
"Come to me, my love," the voice whispered again, "I'm right here, Derek."
The voice seemed to be getting closer as Derek continued to walk. It wasn't long before he saw something that took his breath away.
Anabelle was sitting on top of a boulder where the pond met the earth. She wore a white dress that was long in the back and shorter in the front, showing off her long tan legs. The neckline was cut into a deep 'V' shape that made her cleavage very pronounced. On the top of her long dark curly hair was a headband made up of light pink flowers. Like Derek, Anabelle was wearing no shoes and her feet were dipped into the water. As she leaned back on her hands, she looked off into the distance in front of her with a small smile on her face. It was like looking at a goddess. She was the most gorgeous thing Derek had ever laid eyes on.
Finally turning her head, Anabelle's smile grew larger when she saw Derek standing just a few feet away from her. There were those dimples that he loved so much. Gracefully, the she-wolf hopped off the boulder and held her hand out to Derek, gesturing him to come to her. He was a bit hesitant, but he told himself to not overthink it before slowly walking to Anabelle. The moment their hands touched, warmth spread all throughout Derek's body, which was a feeling that was all new to him.
"I've been waiting for you, my love," Anabelle said, "It's been so long since the last time we were together. I missed you, Derek."
He laced their fingers together. "I know. And I'm sorry that I left. These past six years without you have been like hell for me. But I swear to you that I will never leave you again. I'm here to stay."
"Promise?" Anabelle asked with hopeful eyes. She lifted her pinky finger up.
With a light chuckle, Derek locked their pinky fingers together. "I promise."
Both their faces became more serious when their eyes met. Derek then looked down at Anabelle's plush lips and he was dying to know what they would feel like against his. He bet they tasted as sweet as she smelled.
There was only one way to find out.
Cupping her face in his hands, Derek lowered his head down and gently pressed his lips on hers. Anabelle's hands threaded through his raven hair as the kiss quickly became more passionate. Derek lightly nipped on her bottom lip, making the she-wolf gasp. He smirked and decided that he absolutely loved hearing that sound come from her. And the fact that he was the one causing Anabelle to react like this made this even more satisfying.
When their lips parted, Derek slipped one of the straps of her dress off her shoulder so it was bare. Then he began to place kisses down her neck. Anabelle moaned softly as he reached her shoulder. Suddenly, Derek's fangs pierced through her skin to officially claim her as his. The she-wolf's eyes squeezed shut in pleasure and she started chanting the alpha's name.
"Oh, Derek… Derek… Derek…"
"Derek!"
The alpha's upper body shot up from the couch. Breathing heavily, he grabbed onto the cushions as his heart beat erratically. Sweat beaded on his forehead and Derek could feel how damp it made his hair when he ran his fingers through it. To calm himself down, he just focused on Anabelle's heartbeat… which sounded a lot closer than he was expecting.
He looked up to find Anabelle standing at the other end of the couch, staring down at him with her arms crossed and eyebrows raised. It seemed to be that she was in the middle of getting ready since she was only wearing a black tank top and jeans and her makeup was halfway done. Her hair looked wet as it was piled on the top of her head so Derek assumed that she had just taken a shower.
"What's up with you?" Anabelle questioned, "You look like you just ran a marathon."
"I'm fine," Derek said, wiping the sweat off his forehead, "Just a crazy dream, that's all."
"Yeah, it sounded like it," Anabelle snorted. Now it was Derek's turn to raise an eyebrow. "You mumble in your sleep."
"I do?" Well, shit. That's really awkward. "What was I saying, could you tell?"
Anabelle shrugged her shoulders. "I don't know. It just sounded like gibberish."
"Oh. Well, okay then."
"Anyway, it's a quarter after twelve. I decided to be nice and let you sleep in for a little bit."
Scoffing, Derek said, "How thoughtful of you."
A smug smile appeared on the she-wolf's face. "You bet. Now, get your ass up. We got a busy day ahead of us and you still need to shower." She yanked the blankets off Derek and tossed them on the floor.
He rolled his eyes but stood up from the couch. Anabelle gestured him to follow her down the hallway and to the bathroom, which was that large since it was in an apartment. Bending down, Anabelle opened the cabinet underneath the sink and pulled out a navy blue towel. She set it on top of Derek's clothes from the day before which were on the closed toilet.
"I washed your clothes earlier so you can wear them today since I don't have any extra guy stuff," Anabelle told him, "There's some shampoo, conditioner, and body wash on the caddy. And I'm pretty sure you know how to work the shower handle. Any questions?" Derek shook his head. "No? Alright then. I'll just leave you to it while I finish getting ready." Anabelle awkwardly pushed past him and walked out of the tiny bathroom.
After shutting the door behind her, Derek shed off the now sweaty V-neck and gym shorts. He reached into the shower and quickly figured out which direction gave him either a hot or cold temperature. As the water warmed up, Derek removed his boxers and tossed them along with the other clothes. Once the water was the temperature he wanted, he stepped into the shower. The water soothed every ounce of tension in his stiff body, making him sigh in content.
While washing himself, Derek thought back to the dream about Anabelle he had the night before. It was really strange. Not once in his life had he ever had any sort of sensual fantasy of his best friend. Derek wanted to blame it on the fact that it was because he hadn't seen her in so long. But why have a dream about him being practically under whatever spell the she-wolf cast on him and kissing her like his life depended on it? Not that Derek completely disliked what had happened. In fact, he could kind of feel his lips tingling and the tips of his ears heating up just from remembering the way Anabelle kissed him with passion that he had never experienced with Kate. Or even Paige.
Don't get him wrong- Anabelle was undeniably attractive. He actually remembered when she first started going through puberty in junior high; almost every boy in school took notice. They would always try to hit on her, but Derek immediately got them to back off. Everyone knew that he was very protective of her because they were so close and he never wanted to see her get hurt. Anabelle would then rolled her eyes and say that if he kept acting like a bodyguard, she would never get a date. But deep down, she appreciated how much her best friend cared.
It was no secret that these past few years have done wonders to Anabelle's body. All of her curves have filled out in all of the right places, especially in the chest and hip areas. Every hint of acne or stretch marks has completely vanished, although that was probably due to her being a werewolf. Her dark brown hair wasn't greasy or frizzy had smoothed out into luscious and soft curls. Derek would be lying if he said that he didn't notice. How could he not have? He was a guy after all- he was bound to notice how cute girl he's known for years grow up into the most beautiful woman he's ever seen.
Derek shook all of these thoughts out of his head. Why was he overthinking this so much? It was all just a dream. Dreams don't actually happen. It was probably just hormones- Derek hadn't had any sort of sexual encounters in so long that his body started filling up with crazy feelings as soon as he saw an attractive woman. But any sorts of inappropriate thoughts about Anabelle were not okay. It was like admiring the Mona Lisa and not being allowed to touch the painting. She was forbidden. And Derek respected her too much. Maybe the dream was just a onetime thing and would never happen again. Yeah, that was probably it.
The water started to cool down, so it was probably time for Derek to finally get out. He shut the water off and stepped out of the tub. Grabbing the towel, he dried his body off the best he could. Then he internally debated if he should wear the boxers or not since they have not been washed. Finally he just decided to hell with it and he pulled them on. After getting dressed, Derek took the dirty clothes and towel walked out of the bathroom.
He went back in the living room to see that Anabelle had finished getting ready for the day. Over her tank top, she had put on a slouchy black and white Aztec cardigan to keep herself warm. Right now she was sitting on the couch as she laced her black ankle boots. Her hair was let down from the rubber band over her shoulder in brown and black curls. But what really caught Derek's eye was what was around her neck.
Anabelle stood up after lacing her shoes and finally noticed Derek standing there. "You ready to go?" Her eyebrows furrowed when he didn't answer. "Why are you staring at me like that?"
"You're wearing the necklace I gave you for your fifteenth birthday," Derek said, walking over to the she-wolf.
"Huh?" Anabelle looked down at her chest to see the black silver wolf charm resting there. "Oh yeah. Does that surprise you?"
"I just assumed that you would have thrown it away. You know, after everything that had happened with us," Derek admitted, taking the pendant in his fingers to take a better look at it.
"Well it's still a nice gift," the brunette said as she shrugged her shoulders, I wasn't going to just throw it out because I didn't like you anymore."
The alpha continued to gaze down at the necklace. It made Anabelle uncomfortable how close he was to her. She could feel Derek's breath on the top of her head and their chests were practically touching. This was one of those times when Anabelle hated being a werewolf because if she couldn't keep her heart rate steady, Derek would hear it and would end up thinking the worst.
"Umm, we should probably get going," Anabelle said, prying Derek's hand away. She took the dirty clothes and towel from him. "I'll go put these away."
As Anabelle tossed them in the laundry basket, Derek shook off the weird feeling he got in his chest he got from being close to her and grabbed his wallet from the bar. Then Anabelle picked up her purse from the couch and they walked out of the apartment. She led Derek down to the parking garage where her pearl white Cadillac was sitting.
"Not bad," Derek said as he looked the car over.
"She was my graduation present from my brothers," Anabelle said. She patted the top of the car. "Yep, she's been pretty good to me these past few years. Been with me through some rough times but managed to survive through it all. Now hop in."
Derek got in the passenger seat while Anabelle went over to the other side. Once they were both buckled in, Anabelle turned the car on and drove out of the garage onto the road. They remained silent for the first few minutes of the ride, which weren't as awkward as Derek was expecting.
"So what exactly did you have planned for today?" he asked after a while.
"Well, are you hungry?" Anabelle asked back.
"Umm, a little, yeah," Derek answered.
"Then we'll start off there. There's a little diner not that far from here. I've only been there once but I remember it being pretty good. And before you say anything, no one's gonna call the cops on you if you're out in public."
Scoffing, Derek rolled his eyes. "I'm not worried about that. It was proven that I've been innocent from any of the recent cases so I'm off the hook."
"Innocent, my ass," Anabelle mumbled to herself.
"You do know that I can perfectly hear you no matter how soft you speak, right?"
"I wasn't trying to hide it, smartass. And I know that you can hear me. You know what? Why don't we just both be quiet? I'm not in the mood to fight with you right now."
So they spent the rest of the drive to the diner in silence. The only sound in the car was Derek's claws drumming on the center console, which he did just to annoy the she-wolf. For some reason, seeing Anabelle get angry over the littlest things that Derek did amused him, just like it did when they were younger. It's good to know that some things haven't changed.
Before he knew it, Anabelle was pulling into the parking lot of a diner called Jane's Spot. It was pretty small and sort of reminded Derek of the fifties. He had never even heard of this place before, even though it looked like it was there before he was even born. They both got out of the car and Derek followed Anabelle inside. He followed her to a booth on the other side of the diner and took a seat across from each other.
Once again, they found themselves not speaking to each other as they looked over the menus and tried to pick out what they wanted to order. Well, Derek was observing Anabelle rather than his menu. There was still something that he never got to ask her the day before that he was still pretty curious about.
"What were you doing at the house the other night?"
The unexpected question made Anabelle's actions still with her straw in her mouth but not actually taking a drink of her water. She looked up at Derek with those bright brown eyes.
"I know you weren't randomly roaming around in there or just taking clothes," Derek continued, "You were looking for something." If he looked real closely, he could see red tinting Anabelle's cheeks. Then she mumbled underneath her breath and even Derek couldn't make out what she said. "What was that?"
Anabelle sighed and set her glass down. "I was looking for Boo Boo. You happy now?"
One of Derek's eyebrows rose. "Boo Boo. You that stuffed animal you had when we were kids."
"He wasn't just a stuffed animal to me," Anabelle quickly defended, "I've had him ever since I was a baby. I think I lost him in the fire because I couldn't find him." She shook her head and shut her menu. "Forget it. It's stupid."
"I don't think it's stupid," Derek said. When Anabelle looked up at him with a suspicious look on her face, he shrugged his shoulders. "I don't. I know that he was a big part of your childhood and meant a lot to you. Why would I find something you care about stupid?"
It was safe to say that Derek's reaction to this took Anabelle aback. She honestly thought he was going to ridicule her for worrying about something so childish like a stuff wolf. But no, he just accepted it like it was no big deal. Just as Anabelle was about to respond, a waiter walked up to their table.
"Hello, my name is Aaron and I'll be taking your order," he greeted with a charming smile, "Have you decided what you would like?"
Derek watched as Anabelle asked a couple of questions about the menu. Right away the alpha decided that he didn't like Aaron. The little shit was purposely looking down Anabelle's shirt whenever she wasn't looking at him. It was totally obvious that he was trying to put the moves on her and that didn't sit well with Derek. He could feel his wolf wanting to tear at the young waiter so he tried his best to not let his claws out.
"And for you, sir?"
Now the kid was staring at Derek like he was the scum of the earth. Glaring back at him, Derek slammed the menu shut and gave it to Aaron. "I'll have whatever she's having."
"Sure thing," Aaron said bitterly, "I'll be right back with your meals."
As soon as he left, Anabelle rolled her eyes. "What?" Derek questioned.
"Next time we're out in public, you might wanna ease up on the claws there," the she-wolf said, pointing to his hands.
He looked down at his claws and immediately felt annoyed with himself. How could he not have been able to control something so simple like that? Retracting his claws, Derek crossed his arms in front of his chest.
They both remained silent for another awkward ten minutes until their food came out. Anabelle thanked Aaron with a polite smile and the teenage boy gave her a flirtatious smirk, which continued to rub Derek off the wrong way. His claws threatened to tear out once again as his patience ran thin. Silence washed over them after Aaron left and as they ate their lunch.
"So you never did tell me what else was on the agenda for today," Derek finally said after wiping his mouth with his napkin.
"Well we kinda lost time since you slept in pretty late," Anabelle said, "but when I went jogging this morning, I found an empty space that could be good for you to train betas. We can go check it out after this."
Shrugging his shoulders, Derek said, "I guess that sounds fine. But don't you think we should be looking for the betas before? It would give us an idea on how much space we need."
"You're gonna need a lot of space either way," Anabelle told him, "because I'm pretty sure the training's gonna be intense."
"Fair enough," Derek picked up his cup of coffee and took a sip.
"That leads us to the bigger question at hand here," Anabelle said.
"Which is…"
"Who do you have in mind to be your betas?" Sighing, Derek leaned back in his seat and ran a hand through his hair. His eyes averted from Anabelle's, making her snort. "Really? You got nothing?"
"It's not like I haven't thought about it," Derek said, "But when I do… honestly, my mind just draws a blank. I mean, why else would I have asked you to help me?"
"I thought it was because I'm just an awesome and lovely person to be around," Anabelle said sarcastically with a little smirk.
Derek rolled his eyes but he couldn't help but let a small chuckle slip out of his mouth. And he would deny it if anyone caught that tiniest smile break out. "Yeah, you're such a delight."
"But seriously, Derek," Anabelle said, "There has to be a specific type of person you're looking for."
"I don't know," Derek admitted, "You and I, we were born this way. There was no option for us on being a human or werewolf. But for those who are human, accepting the bite is a decision that changes someone's life drastically, and they can't fuck around and treat it like it's a joke. They have to really think about this and make sure they want it for the right reasons."
The corners of Anabelle's mouth twitched up. "I think you just answered your question, Derek Hale."
"What do you mean?"
"You say that someone should want the bite for the right reasons," Anabelle clarified, "Then don't just change someone who wants it. Change someone who can benefit from it. There are some people in this town who have rough lives. They feel helpless and that this place is like hell on earth. With the bite, they could protect themselves from any sort of danger that stands in their way. And if they do get hurt, they'll be able to heal just like that." She snapped her fingers to prove her point.
"I see where you're getting at…" Derek said, nodding his head slowly, "That does make sense. Someone who needs it…" His voice drifted away the longer he thought to himself.
Aaron walked up to their booth and set a little booklet on the table. "Here's your check, folks," he said, "Enjoy the rest of your day."
"Thank you," Anabelle smiled as Derek took the check. Aaron grinned back before walking away. The she-wolf looked over at her former friend, who was deep in thought. "I see the wheels in your head turning. What are you thinking about?"
"I'm thinking that we're gonna have to reschedule checking out that training spot," Derek said. He pulled a twenty dollar bill out of his wallet and placed it on the table before standing up. "Come on. I need you to take me back to my car."
"Okay…" Anabelle said hesitantly as she grabbed her purse.
When she wasn't looking, Derek picked up the checkbook and pulled out the receipt. Written on the piece of paper in pen was Aaron's phone number. He also didn't fail to write for Anabelle to call him. There was even a winking face next to the number. What a little tool! So when he made sure that Aaron was watching, Derek tore the receipt in half with a devilish smirk on his face. Just the way the kid's jaw clenched in annoyance made the alpha more than satisfied with himself.
He followed Anabelle to her car and they got in. The she-wolf drove back to her apartment complex where she dropped Derek off to where his Camaro was, which was parked alongside the curb. Derek got out of the car and walked around it to Anabelle's side.
"There's something I need to go take care of right now," he told her, "But later today, text me the address of the place you found and I'll meet up with your there tomorrow." Then he started to walk away.
"Wait!" Anabelle called out, "How am I supposed to contact you if I don't have your phone-" Suddenly, an object flew at her and she caught it with ease. She looked down at it and saw it was her phone. "Of course you found a way to steal it out of my purse without me noticing."
"You know, for being a born werewolf," Derek said, "you're a terrible at being aware of your surroundings. You should really work on that if you plan on surviving here." With that being said, he got into his car and sped off to who knows where.
"Fucking prick," Anabelle grumbled before putting her car back into gear.
Instead of going back up to her apartment, Anabelle decided to pay her dear friend Harvey a visit at his music store. She had a bone to pick with him for telling Derek where she lived. How did she find out? Well, she might have gone through Derek's jeans to make sure that nothing was in the pockets before she put them in the washing machine. In one of those pockets was her address scribbled on a small piece of paper that looked a lot like Harvey's writing. Now she was pissed and wanted to kick his ass all the way to Timbuktu.
After parking her car in front of the store, Anabelle got out and walked inside. It didn't take long to find Harvey, who was talking to a teenage boy in front of the guitar display. The she-wolf marched over to her friend and grabbed onto his arm.
"We need to talk," she said sternly, "Right now."
"Wow, no hello?" Harvey said sarcastically, "That's a nice way to greet your friend."
With a roll of her eyes, Anabelle said, "Fine. Hello, Harvey. How are you on this lovely day? Good. Now come with me."
"But I'm dealing with a customer," Harvey said, gesturing to the teenager.
"Go with the Gibson Les Paul, kid," Anabelle told him as she started to drag away, "They're the best guitars out there." She pulled Harvey to the storage room and shut the door behind her. Pointing her finger at her friend, she said, "I'm gonna kill you."
Harvey's jaw dropped as he raised his hands in defense. "Whoa, what the hell did I do?"
"Oh, you know damn well what you did," Anabelle said accusingly, "You gave Derek Hale, the one person I told you I never wanted to see again, my address!"
"How do you even know that I did it?" Harvey asked, "You can't prove anything."
Anabelle reached into her purse and pulled out a crumpled piece of yellow paper. "I know your handwriting like the back of my hand."
"Uh…" Harvey stumbled over his words, trying to come up with a good excuse. Finally he just gave up. "Yeah, I'm not even gonna deny that."
"How could you got behind my back like that?" Anabelle asked, throwing the paper at his head, "You know that I wanted nothing to do with him. And what do you do? You tell him where I live!"
"Look, he came here yesterday looking for you. I even told him that you wouldn't want to see him. But the guy looked desperate. He clearly misses you and was willing to do anything to find you. I thought he was going to get down on his knees and beg."
"Oh, please," Anabelle scoffed, "Derek Hale does not beg. He just broods and manipulates people to do what he wants."
"That's not the point," Harvey said, "Was it really a bad thing that he showed up to your apartment? You even told me that you were able to work with him when it came to fighting Kate and Peter."
"When he didn't know that I was the white wolf!" Anabelle exclaimed, "Ugh, I just wanna… I just- gah!" She slumped down on the nearest chair and buried her face in her hands. Taking deep breaths, she tried her best to not lose control and shift.
Pulling up a chair across his friend, Harvey sat down and folded his hands in his lap. "Come on, Anabelle. You have to admit that a deep down, a part of you missed Derek."
The she-wolf looked up. "You don't get it, Harvey. What he did with Kate cost me my family. I tried to warn him and what did he do? He kicked me to the curb like trash. Then six years later, he just waltzes back into my life and asks me to help him form a pack and be a good alpha like nothing's wrong. I can't just forgive and forget."
"I'm not saying that you have to go ahead and be best friends with him again," Harvey said, "But Derek does sound like he really needs your help with this transition. Just suck it up and do whatever you can to make sure he doesn't screw up again. Maybe that's what he needs- a little guidance from someone who used to be close to him." He placed a hand on her knee. "Everything happens for a reason, Anabelle."
Said girl pushed her curly hair back and sighed. "I know. But that doesn't make letting Derek back in my life easier…" Harvey didn't say anything else. He just pulled Anabelle into a friendly hug.
Why the hell did she agree to do this in the first place?
Ever since Anabelle dropped Derek off at his car the previous day, they hadn't had any sort of contact with each other. To be honest, she was relieved to not have to worry about the alpha, even if it was just for a little bit. Anabelle was still feeling stressed out from their encounter, so she decided to go for a run. But this time, she did it in her white wolf form. It made her feel so relaxed and calm to roam around in her natural self. Especially when she could feel the wind blowing through her fur, which was always a soothing feeling.
At one point- and she wasn't exactly sure how she ended up there- Anabelle found her way to the lacrosse field at Beacon Hills High School. It was pretty strange to find the area so bare since whenever she came by here it was always the lacrosse players during practice or a game. The foggy air made the atmosphere a little creepy, but Anabelle paid it no attention. Her ears did perk up, however, when she heard a couple of voices near her. She hid behind a tree so she wouldn't be seen but still be able to watch and hear what was going on around her.
Sitting at the very top corner of the bleachers were a couple of teenagers, one boy and one girl. They were positioned so she was sitting in between his legs and his arms were wrapped around her stomach. His nose nuzzled her neck, making her smile softly. Anabelle immediately recognized the boy from the flower shop she went to the other day. She helped him pick out a corsage and boutonnière set for the winter formal. This must be his girlfriend that he was absolutely smitten over. They were so adorable that it made Anabelle's heart melt.
"Can I ask you something?" she heard the boy ask his girlfriend.
"Of course," the girl said, "You know you can ask me anything."
Anabelle heard the boy sigh before asking, "If… if there was anything you could do to change your life, you know… like with Lawrence and your mom… would you do it?"
"It depends," the girl answered, "What sort of thing are you talking about?"
"I don't know," her boyfriend said a little hesitantly, "Maybe… try something new. Something that you've never thought about trying before that makes you feel better about yourself. Something that makes you happy. Kind of like a lifestyle change."
Then the girl asked if he was talking about drugs, which started a little ramble about how drugs weren't the answer to any problems, which Anabelle found amusing. She hadn't taken a single breath throughout the entire lecture! How did this girl not run out of oxygen? Finally the boy stopped her before her face could turn red and assured her that drugs were not the issue. He then proceeded to tell her that he met this man the previous night who told him that he could make all of his worries go away. Call Anabelle crazy, but that totally sounded like something either a drug dealer or gang leader would say. But the kid seemed to innocent and good to fall under any peer pressure like that.
It broke Anabelle's heart when she heard the boy call himself a loser and wish that he was braver and stronger than he was now. She didn't know what went on in his life- she could only assume based on the black eye he was sporting- but Anabelle could tell that it wasn't anything pleasant. People could just be so damn cruel, it made her sick. That was why the she-wolf was always nice to people. Well, except when it came to a certain alpha. But that was a whole other story.
She then heard the girl tell her boyfriend nothing but nice things to help boost his confidence. Also if that the boy felt like the stranger he was talking about could help with what problems he had, he should let him as long as he was being careful. Anabelle could tell that the girl was a little hesitant about it since the whole idea did seem a little sketchy. She also knew that she just wanted her boyfriend to be happy, and who was she to stand in the way of him find his way to happiness?
The situation got Anabelle's head reeling. What kind of creep would just go up to a kid and tell them that they were the answer to his problems? What was he, some kind of god? Please. And the boy mentioned that the guy could turn him into a better version of himself. Anabelle was curious to know how the hell the guy was going to do just that.
Just then, all of the pieces came together. How did Anabelle not figure this out sooner? She growled lowly as her idiot of an ex-best friend flashed in her mind. Oh, next time she sees him, Derek Hale is going to be a dead man.
Anger and adrenaline running through her veins, Anabelle ran to the local abandoned subway station, which is the spot she found for Derek to train betas. She shifted back into her human form, leaving her in her birthday suit. Good thing that she was the only one there for now. Earlier, Anabelle had left a bag filled with an extra set of clothes for her to change into after her run. Better to be prepared and safe than sorry. She went into one of the subway cars and started getting dressed.
Right as she pulled down her oversized grey sweater, she heard footsteps coming down the stairs. The scent of pine needles made Anabelle growl in annoyance and her head slightly spin. She marched out of the subway car to meet a very angry looking Derek who had his arms crossed in front of his chest.
"You're in so much trouble, Derek Hale," Anabelle snapped, pointing her finger at him.
"What the hell were you doing at the school while you were shifted?" he seethed, "Do you know what would've happened if someone saw you? You could've been killed! That was so stupid of you."
"Oh, I'm the stupid one?" Anabelle scoffed, pointing to herself, "Last time I checked, I wasn't the one going up to teenagers and offering them the bite like a god damn creeper."
"I don't know what you're talking about," Derek grumbled, pushing past the she-wolf to go to the subway car.
"You know exactly what I'm talking about," Anabelle said, following Derek. She grabbed his arm and spun him around so he was facing her. "I heard that kid Isaac talking to his girlfriend about some guy who promised to help change his life for the better."
"That could've been anyone."
Anabelle couldn't help but let out a laugh. "I'm not an idiot, Derek. He's obviously not doing drugs or joining a gang. And I don't know about you, but becoming a werewolf seems like a pretty drastic lifestyle change to me."
Running a hand through his hair, Derek let out a sigh. "Alright, so I offered Isaac the bite. I don't see what the problem is. You're the one who said to pick those who could benefit from it the most."
"But he's a kid, Derek. He'd be too distracted by the things teenagers are supposed to worry about, like school and girls. Scott McCall is a perfect example of that. They can't handle a life that's too stressful and dangerous like this."
"Unlike Peter, I wouldn't be forcing Isaac to take the bite," Derek said, "I gave him the option and I'm letting him think about it. Give me some credit, Belle."
The she-wolf rolled her eyes at the nickname. "Don't call me that. You know how much I hate it when people use that nickname. But anyway, why would he ever agree to this?"
"Why wouldn't he?" Derek slowly walked up to her. "Think back to when you saw Isaac and his girlfriend. What stood out to you?"
A small frown fell on Anabelle's face as she recalled the vibes she received from the young couple. "Well, other than the fact that they seemed comfortable with each other, they reeked of fear. They also tensed up when Isaac mentioned her mom and I think her stepfather. I noticed that he had a black eye and other little scars on his face. She had scars and bruises, too, but she covered them with makeup so no one could see them. And when she rolled up her sleeves…" Anabelle's stomach churned as she remembered the cuts on the poor girl's arms. She looked up at Derek with sad and angry eyes that made the alpha want to puller her close to his chest. But he refrained from doing so. "They're being abused, aren't they?"
Derek nodded his head. "If Isaac was like us, he'd be strong enough to defend himself against his dad and heal from his wounds. He wasn't too convinced by that so I told him that he could also be able to protect his girlfriend if things get really bad at her home. That's what really got his attention."
"What are you, manipulating him?" Anabelle snorted.
"Don't think of it as manipulating," Derek said, "Think of it more as… motivation."
Rolling her eyes, Anabelle crossed her arms. "You just better hope that if Isaac does accept the bite, he won't be as ignorant as Scott." Then she realized something. "Wait. How did you know that I was at the school?"
"Besides the fact that I can point out your scent from a mile away, I saw you hiding when I walked out of the building."
"Why were you even there?" the she-wolf asked. But she already figured it out when Derek took too long to answer. She let out a humorless chuckle. "Oh my god. You already offered another teenager the bite, didn't you?"
"Technically, Jackson is already bitten," Derek said, nonchalantly shrugging his shoulders.
The way Anabelle's brown eyes widened was almost comical. She kind of reminded Derek of a cartoon character. It was pretty funny, and even a little cute. As soon as that word popped into his mind, the werewolf mentally slapped himself for being so ridiculous.
"You gave Jackson the bite?" Anabelle shrieked.
"I had to make the punk shut up about wanting it so bad so I finally gave it to him," Derek told her, "But now his body's rejecting it and I'm not really sure what's going to happen to him."
"Ugh!" Anabelle groaned, pinching the bridge of her nose, "Damn it, Derek…"
"Look, we can stand here and fight with each other about this but we have bigger problems than Jackson right now. The rest of the Argent family is here for Kate's funeral, along with other hunters. They're not gonna play nice with us and the code practically means nothing to them now. They'll kill every werewolf in sight, starting with the omegas." Derek lightly gripped Anabelle's chin and tilted her head us so she could look at him. "Which is why you and I are going to find Scott and show him that he needs us to survive."
As she back away from the man, Anabelle smirked and reached into her bra. "Then let's get a move on." She pulled out a set of keys and tossed them to Derek before walking over to the stairs.
When he caught them with one hand, he raised an eyebrow as he realized that they were his keys. "How in the hell-"
"You say that I need to be aware of my surroundings," Anabelle said over her shoulder, "Well, I think I've gotten that under control."
Derek was glad that she couldn't see him so he wouldn't have to bother to deny the tiniest smile crept up on his face. There's no doubt that Anabelle was a very clever girl. Well, woman, to be exact. Derek might have to be careful to not underestimate her. Shoving the keys in his pocket, he followed Anabelle out to his car.
In the woods at night, Scott McCall shifted so he could get a better sense of where Lydia Martin's scent was leading him to. He saw a figure out in the distance and ran towards it, hoping that he had found his secret girlfriend's best friend. But he should have known to not get his hopes up. When he got closer to the person, Scott saw that it was actually another werewolf, one that he had never seen before.
"You're not Lydia," Scott commented dumbly. Then the omega took off. "Wait! Wait! Stop!"
The teen wolf ran after him for a bit only for the omega to get caught in a random trap lying out. It had to be one of the Argents' creations. The omega hung in the air by his wrists and struggled to break free. Scott couldn't just leave him there so he went to go help him. But he didn't even take one step before Derek grabbed him and pulled him behind a tree.
"What are you doing?" Scott yelled as he fought against him, "I can help him."
"They're already here," Derek said.
"I can help him!" Scott cried out again.
"Quiet!"
Both males turned their heads when they heard a small whine. Running up to them was Anabelle in her white wolf form. She shifted back to human as soon as she reached them. Scott's eyes widened as he saw the creature in a way that he hadn't seen her before and his cheeks heated when he saw that she was nude. Derek growled at him when Scott was staring longer than he should have and the teenager looked away from her. Then Derek handed Anabelle her clothes so she could get dressed.
"They're coming this way," she told him.
"Did they see you?" Derek asked.
Anabelle shook her head, her dark caramel curls swaying from side to side. "I don't think so. But I accidentally stepped on a twig and they heard it snap. I ran away before they knew I was there."
"Damn it, Anabelle," Derek growled, "You need to be more careful when it comes to things like that."
"Wait, Anabelle?" Scott asked, pointing at said woman, "The girl from Derek's photo? The one whose family died in the fire also? You're that Anabelle?"
"Also known as the white wolf," Derek added.
Giving Scott a small wave, Anabelle said, "It's nice to see you again, Scott." She then heard footsteps coming closer. "Shh! They're here!"
Stepping in front of the hanging omega was Chris Argent along with four other men. The eldest one Derek and Anabelle recognized was Gerard Argent, who was Chris and Kate's father. He was one cruel son of a bitch, even worse than Kate. The three werewolves watched as Chris pulled out a prod that was usually used on cattle and poked the omega. He screamed in pain as the electricity ran through his body and was forced to turn back to human.
"Who are you?" Chris asks, "What are you doing here?"
"Nothing," the omega said, "Nothing, I swear."
"You're not from here, are you?" Chris asked, "Are you?!"
"No," the omega assured him, starting to panic, "No, I came- I came looking for the alpha. I heard he was here. That's all. Look, I didn't do anything. I didn't hurt anyone. No one living. He wasn't alive in the ambulance. He wasn't, I swear!"
Chills crawled Anabelle's spine as she heard Gerard's booming and menacing voice. "Gentlemen! Take a look at a rare sight." He turned to his son. "You wanna tell them what we've caught?"
"An omega," Chris said.
"The lone wolf!" Gerard continued, "Possibly kicked out of his own pack. Or the survivor of a pack that was hunted down. Maybe even murdered. And possibly alone by his own choice. Certainly not a wise choice." He went to pull a long sword out of a bag and approached the omega, who looked scared out of his mind. "Because, as I am about to demonstrate… an omega rarely survives… on his own."
Then the elder man swung his sword and sliced the omega in half. Anabelle's breath hitched and on instinct, she grabbed onto Derek's bicep to keep herself grounded. Once she realized what she was doing, she let go. Derek's inner wolf immediately missed the warmth of her hands. He knew that Anabelle was incredibly sympathetic to those in need, especially when it's their kind. As much as he wanted to comfort her, he had to keep his hold on Scott, who kept wriggling to try to run over there and stop this.
"Look," Derek ordered the teenager, forcing him to turn his head back to the scene in front of them, "Look. Look at them! You see what they do? This is why you need both me and Anabelle. Why we need each other. The only way to fight them is together."
"What are they doing?" Scott asked.
Gritting her teeth, Anabelle dug her claws in the palms of her hands to calm herself down. "They're declaring war."
"We have a code," Chris reminded his father.
"Not when they murder my daughter," Gerard said, "No code. Not anymore. From now on, these things are just bodies waiting to be cut in half. Are you listening? Because I don't care if they're wounded and weak. Or seemingly harmless- begging for their life with the promise that they will never, ever hurt anyone. Or some desperate, lost soul with no idea what they're getting into. We find them. We kill them. We kill them all."
There you have it, folks! I hope you all enjoyed this chapter! I know I always say this and I know it still doesn't seem like much, but I do promise it will get better. PLEASE review and let me know what you think! I haven't gotten much feedback on this story so far but I'm so excited for where this is going to go. Reviews are my motivation to keep going so don't be shy! Also, please check out the other stories that coincide with this, Awake and Alive and Scars, and show them some love!
Also, if any of you creative readers want to make some graphics for these stories, by all means, go nuts! And if you do, please PM them to me and I'll post them on my profile (or make it as the cover page for the stories) and I'll be sure to give you credit for your artwork!
I'll definitely be updating soon! xoxo, Maddie :)