I jumped back into my Jeep, my hands gripping the steering wheel tightly showing the desperation I was feeling. I leaned forward and pressed my forehead against the steering wheel, inhaling a deep breath. Four abandoned warehouses later and he was nowhere to be found. There weren't many places in Beacon Hills left that he could be. I reminded myself that as I picked my head up off the wheel.
I drove quickly along the back road, only slowing when I saw a very familiar black van parked in front of a large warehouse. I slowed to a stop and turned my car off, leaning forward to observe the dark building in front of me. I could hear my dad's car pull up behind me just before I climbed out of my Jeep.
"Is this it?" My father asked as he walked up beside me.
I nodded slowly and eyed the entrance before I started inside. I opened the door slowly, watching the beam of light my dad held circle around the room.
The room was dark and cold, silence stretching on in front of me.
My father's flashlight halted on a figure crouched in the corner.
I froze. "Oh my god, there he is," I mumbled and ran forward.
Derek was sitting on the ground, his head leaned against a large pole that his hands were tied to. A rope wrapped around his wrists and around the concrete pole.
I could see tiny purple flowers attached to the rope, none other than wolfsbane. I grabbed the rope and started undoing the multiple knots that were spread across the string. I finished the last knot and watched Derek's hands drop limply to the floor.
I placed my hands on his cheeks and lifted his head off the pole. "Hey, hey Derek open your eyes," I whispered, my fingers drumming against his skin.
His head lolled forward, his body limp against the pole.
"Come on, please Derek," I stated and shook his body slightly.
His eyes flickered open and found mine. "Stiles?" His voice was so broken and raspy as he reached out for me. His hand dug into the fabric on my arm as he tried to pull me closer.
"You're safe now," I whispered, my thumb stroking his cheek.
My father stepped up behind me. "Get him out of here, I'll go find the people who did this," he stated before he started out the warehouse.
I nodded and wrapped my arm around Derek's torso. "Hey can you stand up for me?" I whispered and watched him nod slowly.
He held onto the pole and pushed his body up off the ground. He winced, his body leaning against mine as he stumbled a step forward.
I held onto him tightly, allowing him to use my body as support as he stumbled forward.
We made it halfway out of the warehouse before Derek stalled. His body started trembling, his hand digging into my side. He suddenly dropped to the ground, on his hands and knees, and started heaving. He coughed up an array of purple petals that collected on the ground underneath him.
I dropped to the ground on my knees, my hands finding his face one again. "Derek hey look at me," I mumbled.
He lifted his head, his eyes connecting with mine for a brief second before his eyes rolled back in his head.
I pulled his body into my chest and frantically searched for my dad. I found him digging through the black van that sat near us. "Dad, He's not healing," I yelled, my hand carding through his hair.
In seconds my dad was beside me. "Jesus he looks rough...take him to Deaton, I'll stay here," he mumbled.
I wrapped my arm around his torso and lifted his body off the ground. I dragged him along beside me, pulling him toward the passenger side of the Jeep. I popped the door open and slid his body inside.
He gripped tightly onto my jacket, his eyes searching for mine. "Stiles?"
"Shhh, we're going to Deaton's okay? You're safe now," I whispered, my hand rubbing circles on his skin. I then backed up and shut the door.
If I thought I was going fast before, I was severely mistaken. A new sense of urgency hit me as Derek winced and whined beside me. I rounded every corner quickly, powering through every light I came to.
Deaton met me outside and helped bring Derek inside the office. We placed him on top of the steel table.
I held onto Derek's arm, my other had running through his hair.
"What happened?" Deaton asked, moving frantically around in the cabinets.
"These hunters kidnapped him. We found him tied to a pole, wolfsbane rope tied around him."
He nodded and continued his pursuit in whatever he was looking for. "One good thing about these people being very amature hunters, they're pretty unoriginal. This strain of wolfsbane is the most common in the book, thus very easy to cure," he mumbled and pulled out a jar of some type of purple cream.
After he rubbed the purple cream on Derek's wounds, his body seemed to relax.
Deaton sent us home with strict instructions on letting Derek rest. With time, the wolfsbane would gradually leave his system and he'll feel better. So Derek stayed in bed most of the day, trying to rest up.
I pushed the bedroom door open, balancing soup in one hand and water in the other. I stepped slowly and carefully, trying not to spill anything. I sat the bowl and cup down on the nightstand and sat down on the side of the bed.
Derek looked so peaceful, curled up tight under the blankets.
I almost didn't want to wake him, but he really had to eat. I placed my hand on his shoulder and shook gently.
He jumped, his hand shooting out and grabbing my wrist roughly. His eyes shot open, connecting with mine instantly. He released a breath and loosened his grip on me.
"Hey, are you okay?" I asked slowly and pulled his hand off my wrist. I entwined my hand with his and squeezed.
His eyes trailed to the ground, before he nodded slowly. He was acting odd and he continued acting odd for the next few days. He wasn't the normal Derek I was used to, he wasn't even the old Derek. He barely spoke to me and he never wanted to go outside. He stayed in the comfort of the room, and when he ventured out he always had some shirt of mine in hand.
I asked him what that was about one day and he simply shrugged it off. I knew why though, deep down I knew that he was on edge. The bedroom was where our scents were the strongest and when he wasn't in there he needed something strong enough to calm him down, to keep him grounded.
I tried to be respectful with his situation and not push too hard, but it was getting increasingly hard to ignore the elephant in the room. Derek spoke no word of what happened to him that night and it worried me. I stayed strong though, for both Derek and myself. It got even harder when every time I touched him he flinched. Eventually I couldn't take it anymore, I had to get to the bottom of this and find a way to fix it.