I'd been stood outside for what felt like hours, staring at the rundown building within in which I knew I'd find Derek. It sounded so simple in my head. Just drive over, walk in, and talk to him about my mess up at the lacrosse game. Apologise, grovel, do whatever it takes and then get back to normal. But as I knew, the world didn't work like that. People, even Alphas, were complicated and sometimes impossible to understand or predict.

Things might not be able to go back to what they were before, but I could at least try and apologise, work on improving the relationship I'd broken with my carelessness. Again though, easier said than done. Like I said, I'd been stood outside the building for what felt like hours. Unable to take those last few steps, walk in, and face my terrifying Alpha.

But that was thing, he was my Alpha so sooner or later I was going to have to see him again. So my options were to see him now, alone, or see him when he next summoned all of us, and face him with the rest of the Pack, were I would be humiliated before them all. It wasn't the most motivating of thoughts, but it helped me come to a decision as I finally walked into the building.

Like always, I descended the iron staircase, though before I did I glanced around from above for any sign of Derek. There was none, and Isaac didn't seem to be here either. I made my way down the steps, taking my time and doing my best to be quiet.

When I reached the bottom my head shot up at the sound of the subway carriage doors being forced open, metal scratching against metal. With the door having been opened, Derek leaned against the frame, folding his arms as his green eyes met my blue. "What do you want?" he asked bluntly, clearly still upset with me. I couldn't really blame him. I was still upset with myself too.

I gulped down the nerves in my throat, straightened and held his gaze to the best of my ability. "I want to apologise." He continued to stare. I guessed he was waiting for me to get on with it so I proceeded. "I'm sorry. You were right, it was dumb and stupid and a huge mistake to let Boyd play in the lacrosse game. I should have stopped him but I didn't. I know that was wrong, but I promise I won't let it happen again." After that, silence.

I waited with bated breath for Derek to say something, anything. After a while I didn't care if it was positive or negative, I just wanted him to do something other than stand there and breath so loudly. Then, finally, he spoke, and I almost jumped at the sound of his voice. "Great. You can go now."

And that was it. That was all he said before he turned to go back into the subway car. And I stood there, mouth agape at what he'd just said, unable to speak because of how uninterested he seemed by the whole thing. Thankfully I did find my voice before he got away, taking a single step forward as I spoke. "I was hoping…" I paused, unsure of how to continue now that I had his attention. He'd stopped in the carriage and had turned to look back over his shoulder.

"Yes…?"

My brain rushed for something to say before I made the situation even more awkward. "I was hoping…we could do some of that extra training you were talking about." My God I sounded pathetic!

"I don't think so," he said, looking away again, but not getting a chance to walk as I spoke up.

"Why not?" I was seriously pushing my luck today. If I kept this up my joke to Erica about Derek killing me wasn't going to be a joke for much longer.

With a sharp intake of breath, Derek answered without turning around. "Because I'm not in the mood."

"I don't think that's it," I said, challenge in my voice, as well as a back bone that seemed to have appeared from out of nowhere. "I think you're still angry with me, and that's why you don't want to train."

"Drop it, Dylan." Still he didn't turn around.

"No," I declared. "I'm trying here. I'm sorry I let you down, but at least I'm trying to make it up to you. I'm here. I'm apologising. And I'm willing to work, but you're just being stubborn and refusing to give me a chance."

"Goodbye, Dylan," was all he said.

He then took another step into the subway carriage and something flicked inside of me. Suddenly I was so angry with him because of how stubborn and unfair he was being. I was so enraged that the shift took me over in a second and I was suddenly running towards him unleashing a challenging growl.

At that, he stopped, turning to find me lunging at him. There was surprise in his eyes, but even then he was prepared. He had the experience after all. He turned, right arm shooting out towards me with his momentum behind it. He grabbed my throat, I came to a stop and then I was out the subway carriage and pressed against the floor. He was over me too, shifted, eyes glowing red. He roared at me, leaning down so his face was right in front of mine. And he roared with such power that I couldn't help but yield.

I shifted back, not by choice, but by command. His roar had been a command, just not one I fully understood with my human mind. He, however, remained shifted, looming over me with his Alpha red eyes glaring down into my natural blue. Then he shifted back, after giving me a good long look. "Go home, Dylan," he ordered, standing so I had room to sit up.

They were the same words he'd used that night at the lacrosse game, the night the Kanima had attacked us – after he'd found out about Boyd. "I'm not going home, Derek," I replied, meeting his eyes which looked down upon me.

He sighed. "I don't care where you go, just leave."

"I'm not doing that either," I said, quickly getting up to my feet before he could say anything. "Derek, you have to know I'm genuinely sorry about what happened." He sighed again, clearly about to argue so I spoke faster, trying to get to my point before he, the Alpha, had a chance to order me again. "But I'm still new to this. It's only been a couple of weeks. Remember, you only turned me a few days before Isaac, and yet somehow you expect more of me than the others. You've put this massive weight on my shoulders.

"And I know we've got battles ahead, I know we need to know how to survive. But I still want to enjoy this life you've give me. The lives you've given all of us. I want to laugh with my Pack, with you, with my sister. I want to make memories like we were making before everything that happened that night at the school. This Pack means everything to me and I want to protect it like you do. But I also want to live, like the others do, like I think you do.

"And I'm grateful you're giving me this extra attention, that you're trying to make me better so I can be your righthand. But I'm not at that stage yet. I'm still learning and I have to earn that place at your side. You can't just say that's where I'm heading and expect me to act like I'm already there. I'm not. But I want to be. That's why I'll do the extra work, go the extra mile. Because I want to live up to your expectations, be what you need me to be for the sake of this Pack."

I stared deeply into his green eyes then, pleading with him to hear me. "So, please, give me another chance. Give me that chance to be all that. To be your Second and to help this Pack."

He stared at me for a long while, the silence stretching out between us as I held his gaze and refused to blink. I was willing him to let me back in, to let me have a chance to regain what I'd lost. I wanted what he saw in me, wanted to live up to his expectations, even if they were lofty. Because he believed I could. And other than Erica, no one else had ever believed in me. I wanted to make him proud and glad that he'd put that belief in me.

"All right," Derek finally said, drawing out the words as he briefly closed his eyes. And when they opened back up, they were kinder eyes. The eyes of the man I'd first met outside that fast-food restaurant during what felt like a lift time ago. The man who'd offered me the bite and came to me as a man trying to help not only himself but me. "Maybe I was expecting a bit much of you right out the gate. I think I still do.

"So we're going to train, and train hard. That way neither of us will be let down again." I beamed up at him, so happy and over the moon that he'd given me a second chance. "We're going to work out an intense schedule, and your going to keep to it. Because I…this Pack needs you at your best." I nodded in full agreement. Letting Derek down was one thing, but letting the Pack down… I doubted I could ever recover from something like that.

"All right, let's get started."