When the bell went to signal the end of class, I was already waiting outside the classroom door. It opened, and a few students came out before I found who I was looking for. Scott looked up and stopped, leaving enough room for other students to file out behind him, grumbling rude remarks as the slid past him. My new normal, perky, teasing attitude was gone. There wasn't time for games. Even now I could feel the effects of the moon washing over me. Throughout the day I'd been getting more and more agitate, and it wasn't helping that Isaac had been locked away in the school for questioning and I couldn't do a thing about it. I could sense his need for help, his fear and all I could do was go from class to class until now. I'd had no choice but to follow my Alpha's orders, no matter how much I hated them. But at least now he had me doing something useful.
I motioned for Scott to follow me and I started to walk. It took him a moment, but eventually he began to follow me, sighing as he did. When he caught up to my side, he leaned over, whisper shouting, "What is going on, where's Isaac?"
"The police are moving him," I answered simply as we rounded a corner, a fire escape door coming into view just ahead that would lead us to the parking lot.
"Moving him? Where?!" Scott continued to hiss as he walked along side me, just able to keep up with my strides.
"Into a jail cell I'd imagine," I snapped with a glare his way, flipping my hair from my face and deliberately whacking him in the face if it. Looks like I did still have a bit of teasing attitude in me. Or maybe it was anger, it sounded like anger, and I could see the glow from my eyes reflecting in Scott's shocked ones. Looks like I had even less time than Derek and I thought.
"Are you okay?" Scott asked as we reached the door.
"No," I snapped once more, slamming the palms of my hands against the handle of the door. The thing flew open so fast it almost came flying back to meet me in the face. The only reason it didn't was because I kicked it back before it could. Even went as far as to growl at it, my canines tingling from within my gums.
"Will you stop it," Scott hissed, grabbing my shoulder and turning me around. That then quickly moved onto me taking a swing at him, briefly wolfing out as he stepped back to avoid my fist. He may have avoided that, but I was then on him like a tidal wave, leaving him no room to escape. I may be questioning how much control I have right now, but I had enough to use the training Derek had been imbedding in me over the last week or so. Before I knew it, I had his arms pinned against the wall and was growling in his face. His own Werewolf features beginning to come out in response to not only me, but the looming full moon.
"Enough."
The fight left me in an instant. For a split second I felt the fight for control inside me. My Alpha vs the full moon. My Alpha won out, and when he ordered me to let Scott go, I did. "You both all right?" Derek asked, eyes moving between the two of us. Scott had managed to pull himself back, me, I was still wolfed out, breathing laboured as my gaze remained lowered. Fully aware I'd messed up.
All I'd had to do was get through the day, get Scott, bring him to Derek, and not let the full moon get the better of me. And in the home stretch I'd lost it all and attacked Scott. I think I'm finally starting to realise what the whole deal is with this full moon. But seeing as the moon isn't even in the sky yet, and I'm already losing control, I can't help but wonder if I'll ever be able to control myself on the full moon. Then again Scott isn't looking so bad. Although during that first second when I attacked him, I'd seen his wolf side come out. Maybe it was just a time thing, or maybe Scott was my best case scenario. Being able to get through the day but still needing to be chained up at night.
"Dylan," Derek's voice broke through my thoughts, and my head finally lifted to meet my Alpha's green eyed gaze. It was hard, but in it I could see sympathy, comfort and even a bit of guidance. "Focus on your anchor. Remember." I nodded, closing my eyes and envisioning Erica. Trail and error had taught me to avoid the memories of when we were sad. Even though we'd been together, we'd been mad at the world, and that anger triggered my shift. I had to really focus on the peaceful happy moments to shift back. It usually took a few seconds, but since I was fighting the full moon too, it was almost two minutes before I returned to normal, still clutching the crescent moon locket in my hand when I did.
"Sorry," I apologised instinctively, releasing my hold on the locket around my neck.
"It's all right," Derek reassured me. "It just means we're going to have to chain you up now, rather than later. Come on." He nodded towards his parked car and I made my way around to the passenger side, the feeling of disappointment never leaving me. God how I hated it, wished I didn't have to feel it. But I had let my Alpha down. I assumed it was the full moon, amplifying everything Werewolf about me, even my connection to my Alpha. Derek had explained I'd naturally listen to him, follow him, want to protect him, but that I was still my own person, with thoughts and feelings and if I ever wanted out the Pack I could leave. It was just that in leaving the Pack I would basically be putting a bullseye on my back. That night the Omega was killed still haunted me.
"You too, Scott," Derek ordered. I looked up, hand on Derek's car door, staring over the roof as I watched Scott and Derek face off. Alpha vs Beta, possibly even Omega. It was complicated. It was like Scott was in the pack, but not. Derek wanted him in, that much was clear, but Scott seemed to be fighting it. Probably because he was still with Allison and didn't want to be seen picking sides. Even though he was by being with her.
"I'm not going with you. This is all your fault," Scott snapped angrily.
My eyes widened, brow lifting at Scott's accusation. Part of me wanted to jump in and defend Derek, but another part of me wanted to see him snap Scott in two. He didn't however, even if he could. Instead he stood his ground, staring back at Scott, almost demanding respect. At least I thought that until he said, "I know that."
"Wait, what?!" I said a little too loudly from the car. I quickly quietened down when Derek looked my way, even if his gaze was friendly enough. I just felt like I'd stepped out of line or something. It had to be the full moon. God this thing was really starting to piss me off. And just like that I could feel hair beginning to grow in places it shouldn't. I grabbed a memory of me and Erica and thankfully managed to fight off the shift. Hopefully I'd get this full moon business under control soon. I'm not sure I can go through this every month for the rest of my life.
Turning back to Scott, Derek continued with, "I know this is my responsibility, and I'm asking you for help. Now come on." It was probably just his gruff nature, but I was sure there was a hint of Alpha authority in his voice just then. But even if there was, Scott wasn't giving in.
"No, actually I've got a better idea. I'm gonna call a lawyer. Because a lawyer might actually have a chance at getting him out before the moon goes up," Scott argued.
"Not when they do a real search of the house," Derek countered firmly. I could only imagine what he was referring too, but I was certain it related to the beatings Isaac's dad was giving him. Undoubtedly Derek knew more, probably having done some background research into him before turning him. Suddenly I found myself wondering how much he knew about me before offering me the bite. Had he been following me prior?
"What do you mean?" a clueless Scott asked. By this point I'd worked out he was coming with us, whether he wanted to or not. If it came down to it, I imagined Derek would use his Alpha status to make Scott come. So I opened up the car door and pushed the front seat forward, climbing into the back as I waited for my fellow wolves to join me.
As it turned out, I was right and Scott did end up coming with us. It hadn't take much more for Derek to convince him and once they were both in Derek took us to his lair, the place he'd been using to train both me and Isaac. He made Scott wait in the car though, while he took me down into the building.
Halfway down the stairs I began to twitch, my eyes glowing uncontrollably. At that point he took my arm forcefully and ordered me to keep going. I fought the initial order, the wild wolf bursting out briefly, before Derek and his Alpha red eyes put me back in my place. I continued down after that and sat inside the subway car at the back of the room. I was shaking the whole time, every hair on my body lifting on edge. Even with Erica at the forefront of my mind, and my locket tightly grasped between my hands, I was losing control. The full moon was just too much for me to bear. Thankfully it didn't take Derek long to get me chained up in the carriage. I gave a few experimental tugs against the chains, using as much strength as I dared to without losing control. The more I tapped into my Werewolf powers now, the more I risked losing my mind all together.
Once Derek was then assured I was secured, he left with Scott, promising he'd be back as soon as he could. From then on I was on my own for the rest of the night. It all became a sort of blur after a while, coming in and out of conscious thought. I was aware of what I was doing, but I had no control. I was just a wild animal running on instinct, thrashing about as I tried to escape and hunt whatever I could. I'd completely wolfed out by this point, the moon presumably haven risen in the sky. I could feel it, pulling out the beast within, forcing down everything human about me while also pulling up the animal to the surface.
It was only after the moon passed its apex that I finally started to feel some part of me return. And I owed it all to Erica. During one of my unconscious trips while I wolfed out in the dark gloomy subway, I drifted back to a memory. A distant memory. A happy one. It was of me and Erica, when I was six and she was five. We'd spent the whole day in our pyjamas, hiding in our house like we always did. We'd found this one song we couldn't get enough off, playing it over and over, during breakfast, lunch and dinner. It drove our parents mad, but we didn't care. We just danced to it all day, in every room of the house. We'd even stayed up late, dancing on my bed until finally we passed out from sheer exhaustion. I'd completely forgotten about it, but suddenly I found that whole day playing back before me and I couldn't help but smile at the young me and Erica as we just laughed, unaware of the wold that was waiting to crush us.
Then when I came back, I found myself back in control. I was still wolfed out, unable to shift back, but at least I was no longer behaving like some savage beast. I was me again. The rest of the night was all about Erica, reliving old memories and smiling to myself as I focused on her and all the times I'd seen her smile. I had no idea how long that lasted, or at what time I gained control once more, but at some point Derek walked in, surprised to see me just sitting there, though fully wolfed out.
Unfortunately, his arrival broke my concentration, which had been a lot deeper than I realised, and suddenly I was back to the mad hairy laid act. He managed to stop it though, letting out a fierce growl that had me scurrying in on myself as I whimpered away, shielding myself from the Alpha I'd angered. It was only later I realised he'd done it so that he could get in to chain up Isaac next to me. He too was wolfed out, and the rest of the night consisted of us thrashing around growling angrily at one another while Derek just watched. Waiting in case either of us suddenly escaped and he needed to pin us down.
Eventually though, the night did end, and I awoke to find my cloths torn by my own hands and completely exhausted. The experience had taken far more out of me than I ever thought possible. Derek seemed oddly proud of me though, even Isaac a little bit. Though before I left he explained to me that Isaac was now a wanted fugitive and would be staying with him for the foreseeable future. I was told to act like I didn't know anything, which was hardly surprising but promised to do so all the same. I also made sure Isaac had my number in case he needed someone other than Derek to talk too.
I thought about asking Derek then. About Erica and the bite. The topic we'd been dancing around for a while now. But before I could muster the strength to ask him he sent me on my way, telling me to keep my distance over the weekend unless instructed by him. So, Erica's bite was going to have to wait, again. If I didn't feel horrible from the after effects of the full moon, I certainly did on the walk home. I was letting her down, the one person I never wanted to fail, and the gap between us was growing. She was still barely speaking to me and I could see she was getting jealous of me, or at the very least suspicious. I hated it, hated this rift between us. I wanted my sister back, wanted to be on the same level again.
So when I got home, I made myself a promise, since Derek didn't need me for the whole weekend, I was giving Erica all that time. Whatever she wanted, it was hers this weekend. Because come next week, she was getting that bite. Even if I had to clamp Derek's mouth down on her myself. She would become like me, she would feel like me, and we'd both be powerful finally.