Stiles definitely didn't like this. The parking lot at the elementary school was empty. It wasn't even a school day. Why had the hunters chosen here?
Scott came running across the parking lot to meet them. He eyed Stiles strangely.
"What are you doing here?" he asked. "With Derek's pack no less?"
"About that," Stiles muttered, suddenly sheepish. "I kind of told Derek I wanted the bite."
Scott eyed him in complete and total shock. His eyes moved to Derek.
"Derek you didn't... "
"You know me Scott," Derek said with a little smirk. "I never say no if someone wants it."
"If someone wants it!?" Scott exclaimed at him in anger. "You've given my best friend our curse Derek! You know that's what it is. Just wait until the first full moon Stiles!"
Stiles felt a little nervous at that. Scott had a point.
"I had to Scott," Stiles told him quietly. "Virgins were dying, being sacrificed. None of you believed me. I tried telling you. I knew I couldn't protect myself. Its more than that. I wanted it. I've wanted it for awhile."
Scott looked at his best friend with a mix of understanding and remorse.
"I understand your reasons I guess," Scott said with a sad smile. "I'm not mad. I just wish you would have talked it over with me first."
"Why, so you could talk me out of it? Because we both know you would have. I'm tired of being weak Scott! Can't you understand that? I wanted what you have."
"Guys," Derek cut in with a low growl. "The hunters... "
Stiles looked at him, mouth opening slightly in that cute way of his.
"Right," he said. "Hunters."
Scott fell in beside his best friend in spite of himself, brandishing his claws. He gave Stiles a sidelong smirk. Stiles grinned and brought out his own. Scott still couldn't believe it.
Derek starting his dash toward the school and they followed. The main entrance was unlocked. Was this a trap?
They caught a grim sight when they stepped into the main hall of the school. A teen not much younger than Stiles was tied against a locker with the tell tale signs of strangling cut into his throat. It was too cruel...
Stiles heard himself choke on a sob, but his agony was quickly replaced with anger, as his wolf kicked in. Whoever had done this would pay!
"Stiles no," Derek said, seeing him begin the change. "We need to keep our heads for now. Don't worry, we'll get whoever did this."
Stiles thought of his mother, but his claws still shook with emotion. A sudden noise put him on his guard. Derek put his hand against his chest and pushed him back.
"Stay back Stiles," Derek ordered him, eyes shifting to their alpha red.
A young man dressed all in black with short-cut blond hair stepped into the hallway. He had a crossbow slung over his shoulder. He gave them a smirk.
"Derek Hale," he mused. "Yes I've heard all about you."
The blond took his crossbow in hand. He pulled an arrow from his quiver dipped in the familiar blue-purple paste, wolfsbane. He took aim and Derek only just had time to dodge.
The hunter sent another arrow, but that one wasn't meant for Derek. Scott's eyes widened, but Stiles shoved him out of the way, both of them narrowly dodging.
"How could you not sense that?" Stiles asked Scott with disbelief.
Derek's eyes widened a little in amazement. Was Stiles saying he had sensed it?
Stiles glared at the hunter that had tried to hurt his best friend. He wolfed out and released a snarl.
The hunter grinned and backed up, reaching into his belt. Derek gave into his own anger, face wolfing out. He released his alpha roar.
The hunter threw a strange ball at the floor in front of him. Derek backed up just as jets of blue-purple smoke began to issue from it. Wolfsbane bomb.
They backed up further as the air filled with the stuff. The hunter gave a laughed and turned, fleeing down the hall.
"You want to save them. Come to the gym."
The wolfsbane smoke lessened considerably and Derek stepped forward, covering his nose and mouth until they were through the cloud. It wasn't enough now to do any serious damage.
"Who was that kid?" Isaac asked, frowning at them all.
"I don't know Isaac," Derek told him. "The gym. I fear this is a trap though. What will we find there?"
They went dashing down the halls, stopping just outside the gym doors, faces whitening in horror. A pre-teen girl and boy, both younger than the other victim, were pinned up to the walls.
Stiles literally felt sick, remembering his childhood friend Heather. His hands shook with rage again. Derek placed a hand on his shoulder.
"Stiles calm down. We'll get them. This is probably a trap."
"I don't care!" Stiles shouted. "They can't keep doing this to people!"
Derek frowned, looking at the closed gym doors ominously. If it was hunters he knew who they'd probably find in there. He hoped he was wrong. The alpha pack was enough to deal with.
He grabbed the handle and threw the gym door open. It was completely dark beyond, but they all caught nearly a hundred scents.
The hanging lights came on suddenly. It was nearly a hundred teenagers and children tied and gagged. That boy hunter, an unknown female, and it was him... Gerard.
The old man gave them an amused smile.
"Miss me?" he asked, holding his arms open.
"You bastard!" Stiles exclaimed at him, flexing his claws. "This was you wasn't it!? You've been sacrificing virgins!"
Gerard smirked.
"As observant as ever Mr. Stilinski," he laughed. "I see Derek has brought you over to his little pack of teenage misfits. Yes I've been killing the virgins. I need their life force, you see."
Derek's fist shook at his side in anger.
"You sick old bastard!" Derek exclaimed at him. "It wasn't enough for you to have your daughter massacre my entire family!? They're just kids!"
"Yes young virgins," Gerard said with a sick grin. "That makes their life force exceedingly pure, able to keep any deadly disease at bay, say cancer... "
"I get it now," Scott whispered.
"Mr. McCall," Gerard smirked at him. "Tell me Scott, is Derek your alpha after all? I seem to recall you saying he wasn't your alpha."
"He isn't," Scott replied arrogantly, flexing his claws. "I just needed a little help to take you."
Gerard smirked and his two fellow hunters stepped forward.
"I have a little help of my own. As you can see. You know Derek, this can all end. Just give me the bite and I won't need to kill virgins anymore."
Derek snarled at him in anger.
"I'll give you the bite when hell freezes over!"
Gerard looked amused.
"Oh it might," Gerard remarked. "Kill them, except those two."
He indicated Isaac and Stiles, the two virgins. The male and female hunter stepped forward, but stopped suddenly, eyes wide with shock.
Their bodies fell forward. The alpha twins Ethan and Aiden were knelt down, claws still red with fresh blood.
Gerard paled a little and backed up. Derek rushed forward and grabbed the old man by the arm in a steel grip. Gerard kicked and struggled against him to no avail.
Ethan and Aiden advanced, eying Derek with cold indifference.
"What are you two doing here?" Derek growled at them.
"Deucalion's orders," Ethan replied. "We have no business here with you, unless you want to fight? Our business is with him!"
He meant Gerard. Derek pulled the old man against him, wrapping a hand around his neck, not squeezing yet. He'd kill him if he had to.
"What do you want with Gerard?" Derek demanded.
"To do what you're doing," Aiden said with a slight smirk. "Go ahead Derek, kill him."
Derek's hand tightened slightly around the old man's throat, but not enough to cut off his air.
"No!" Gerard gasped. "Don't kill me please... "
Ethan and Aiden continued eying Derek with amusement. Derek threw Gerard forward toward them.
"You do it," he told them. "I want this old bastard dead, but not on your terms. I'm not like your boss Deucalion is. You tell him that."
He turned to walk away.
"Let's go."
"Derek just like that!?" Stiles demanded, falling in beside him. "We're letting Gerard go?"
"We're not letting him go," Derek said, taking his cell phone out. "You heard the twins. Deucalion wants Gerard dead too. I don't want to bloody my hands. It isn't worth it."
Stiles thought about that, softening toward the older man considerably. Derek could be full of surprises behind that hard exterior. He didn't want to kill.
Derek punched the number into his phone and called.
"Beacon Hills Sheriff's Department," a woman spoke.
"We found all the missing kids. At the elementary school."
Derek hung up and pocketed his phone. Stiles looked at him questioningly.
"Trust me Stiles. We don't want to be around when your dad gets here. We need to get out of here. The twins won't hurt human kids."
Stiles hoped Derek was right, but he could see his point about not being around when his dad showed with half the sheriff's department. That'd be hard to explain why they were around.
Scott agreed it was probably best he get a lift from Derek under the circumstances. He wouldn't want to be caught wandering around so close to the school after this.
Derek backed his Camaro up like the devil was at their heels, tires screeching against the asphalt. They were off. Sheriff cars passed them, but they were hardly the only people out on the road.
Stiles was glad the ordeal was over, Gerard was dead. The nightmare was over, and he was a werewolf. Derek eyed him as though catching something in his scent.
ooOoo
Author's Note: I wasn't sure how to do that little plot bubble, but I thought it might be cool to introduce the twins into the story.
I know that wasn't super-dramatic or anything. Derek and Stiles feels in chapters to come.