A/N: Thanks for all of the positive reviews, your support means wonders to me :) Here's another chapter as a little gift.
Chapter Seventeen: Blood Moon
Derek paced back and forth, his mind going crazy from the afternoon's events. That couldn't be his sister back there, could it? Surely she'd died in the fire six years ago, right? He didn't know what to believe anymore. If Elena truly had Cora, how did his sister survive the fire, and more importantly, where has she been all these years? Derek punched the wall in frustration, knocking it down in the process.
"Derek, how can that be your sister? You said your whole family died in that fire.. How could she have survived?" asked Lydia, as she walked over to him.
"I don't know, if that is Cora, then maybe more of my family survived the fire.. but why wouldn't they tell me or Laura where they were?" Derek replied, more to himself than to answer Lydia's question.
"We need to save her." said Jackson, breaking Derek out of his reverie, "If Elena is serious about killing her, then we need to act fast."
"Well, we have until the Blood Moon.. whatever that is." Stiles sighed, folding his arms to his chest.
"The Blood Moon is when the moon is at it's highest peak, and when the planet Mars' color reflects against the moon's light, making it appear to be red in color. It also happens to be when Werewolves are at their strongest.. particularly Alphas." said Ana, as she walked over to Derek as well, "Derek, there's always a way to save her without surrendering, you and I both know that."
"But how?" asked Erica, "Elena's got Cora hold up in a cabin deep in the woods, and guarded by Ethan and Aiden. Who knows if Julian and Oktober aren't somewhere watching as back-up?"
"I'll go." stated Natalie, stepping forward. "Julian's my brother, and maybe I can distract him long enough for you guys to get Cora, and run. I doubt he'd hurt me."
"I'm not letting you go alone." Isaac said, grabbing Natalie by the hand. "It's too dangerous. If Julian was able to almost kill Scott and Boyd, I doubt he wouldn't hesitate to hurt you as well. I don't want anything to happen to you."
Natalie gave him a soft smile. "Isaac, I'll be fine. I know all of Julians weaknesses, and all of his moves. We're siblings, we've trained together for years, and there's no way in hell I'd want Derek to lose another family member if we were able to do something about it."
"I'm coming too, I can hide in the trees with my bow. I still have some flash bang arrows, and a few incendiary arrows." Allison replied, searching through her bag.
"We're all going." Scott stated, "Boyd and Jackson, you'll go with Derek since you three are the strongest."
"Yeah, got it." said Boyd, "We could distract Ethan and Aiden while Derek goes in and gets Cora."
"Allison, Lydia and I could hide in the trees with guns just in case any other Alphas decide to show up, and if worse comes to worse, I have my powers." said Stiles.
"Deaton, Ana, and I will scout the perimeter for extra security purposes." said Morrell.
"I'll stand by with some herbs for Cora's health in case she's badly hurt." agreed Deaton, pulling out some herbs from his pack.
"If something happens.. if something goes wrong.. we all meet up." said Peter, "I will do whatever it takes to save my niece. Jackson, while I find Elena to distract her from showing up, you make sure everyone is doing okay. If something happens, I want you to gather everyone up and -"
"Meet at my office." finished Deaton, gaining a nod from Peter.
"Why are you all doing this? You're risking your lives for me.. and my sister." asked Derek.
"Because we love you Derek, you're our Alpha. We're a family." Erica said softly, "There's nothing we wouldn't do for you.. just like there's nothing you wouldn't do for us. You helped us all in one way or another, I think it's high time we repay you."
Everyone in the pack looked at each other and smiled, then looked towards Derek and smiled as well. Derek felt something in the pit of his chest, something warm, and comfortable that he couldn't explain. This entire time, he had thought the pack hated and resented him for what he'd done, but now he knew that his pack loved him dearly. He might've lost one family in the fire, but altogether he gained an all new one, and he was happy with that.
"Thank you.. Thank you all. You're all my family, and I don't know what I'd do without you." Derek said, looking down at his feet.
"To family." said Scott, putting his hand out in front of him.
"To family." repeated Allison, putting her hand on top of Scott's.
"To family." said Erica and Boyd together, mimicking Scott and Allison's movements, putting their hands over theirs.
"To family." said Natalie, putting her hand over the rest.
"To family." said Isaac and Peter, putting their hands in the pile as well.
"To family." said Stiles and Ana, joining the others.
"To family." repeated Deaton and Morell, mimicking the others.
"To family." Derek said finally, putting his hand at the top of the pile, no one noticing his glossy eyes, and the lone tear that fell just as they all separated.
"Hey Derek.. can we talk?" asked Stiles, walking over to him and putting a hand on his shoulder. Derek turned slowly and nodded, signalling him to follow him outside into the woods.
"What's wrong Stiles?" asked Derek, knowing all too well where this conversation was headed. The rest of the pack were inside getting ready for their rescue mission, seeing as the Blood Moon was tonight.
"It's about.. the other night." Stiles asked, "When you came over and we.. uh, we.. we sorta -"
"Kissed?" finished Derek.
"Can you please.. This is embarrassing enough for me as it is for you.." Stiles said, crossing his arms over his chest. "I'm so sorry, I didn't mean to kiss you.. I just -"
"Stiles." Derek said, but Stiles kept talking.
"I just was so vulnerable, and the other day at the diner, I was talking to Erica and she told me she noticed something's that hinted to me liking you or something, and then I had a dream about -"
"Stiles.." Derek tried again, huffing when Stiles kept on rambling.
"Please, let me finish." Stiles said, "I know you're straight, and that's probably why you've been avoiding me.."
"I haven't been -" Derek tried saying, rolling his eyes when Stiles interrupted yet again.
"Please don't say that to make me feel better, I've been thinking about you so much lately and about what happened, maybe I should just go and -" Stiles started to say before Derek backed him into a corner and kissed him passionately.
"God, do you ever shut up?" Derek asked, putting his forehead to Stiles' and breathing heavily.
Stiles stared at Derek wide-eyed, blushing slightly. "My teachers always said the same thing.."
"You don't understand Stiles." Derek said, closing his eyes and kissing Stiles again. "I can hardly control myself when I'm with you. I can't catch my breath, my heart.. it just feels like it drops out of my chest, I get… so wild, I just can't stop.. and I found that it's only when you're close."
Stiles eyes opened even wider, as he sputtered for a response. He didn't think Derek would ever be this.. this open with him. He had always known the alpha to be nothing but brooding, controlling, overbearing and just one big king of emotional baggage, but now he'd see that Derek was much more than that.
"I love you, so much. You mean the world to me Stiles, you don't understand how much I'd rather be with you than anyone else on this planet." Derek said again, intertwining Stiles' fingers with his own.
"Derek.. I.. I love you too." Stiles replied, grabbing Derek's face and kissing him deeply. He felt stinging in his eyes, and realized that he was crying, wiping them away as they flowed.
"Why are you crying?" asked Derek, worriedly.
"Derek.. I've never been so happy in my life. You make the kid who feels like a freak, feel like he belongs." Stiles replied, hugging Derek tightly. "God, I love you so much."
"I love you too Stiles, as long as we both live."
The woods were an eerie silent, as the blood red moon shone above the many trees of the forest. Lydia, perched above a large fig, was staring intently at the ground below her, scanning for any movement. She looked over to her left, and saw Allison, sitting on a bench not even ten feet away, doing the same. The cabin was a few feet away from them, and she could make out Ethan and Aiden standing guard.
Derek, Jackson and Boyd ran in the direction of the cabin, while Erica, Natalie and Isaac came in the opposite direction, behind the cabin. They could see Ethan and Aiden standing guard to the entrance, and slowed their pace, walking casually in their presence.
"Well, well, well.. came to surrender?" asked Ethan, stepping forward. He whipped out his claws, and elongated his fangs, going into his beta form.
"Something like that." Derek replied, mimicking Ethan's movements.
"Derek, don't be stupid. You plan to fight both of us with just two of your pack members?" asked Aiden, "The puny ones I might add."
Jackson growled in response, switching into his beta form. "Watch yourself."
"Or what? You're gonna huff, and puff and blow the cabin down?" Ethan laughed, "Case you haven't noticed, this place has already gone to hell."
"Where's Cora!?" Derek roared, catching the twins by surprise. "Where's my sister?"
They looked at each other, before walking into the cabin, draggin Cora out by her hair as she whimpered and growled. Derek moved forward to make a move before Jackson and Boyd stopped him. The twins laughed in response, mimicking Derek's move and mocking his lack of authority.
"Hey Ethan, what do you Derek would do if I slapped Cora silly?" asked Aiden, wagging his eyebrows at his brother.
"Gee, I don't know Aiden, why don't we test it out?" Ethan replied, elongating his claws and striking Cora in the face, leaving claw marks on her right cheek.
"NOW!" Derek roared, as Allison shot two flashbang arrows where Ethan and Aiden were standing. The two were blinded while Jackson and Boyd pounced on them, ripping and tearing at their flesh repeatedly.
Derek advanced passed them, grabbing Cora and running towards the perimeter of Mountain Ash that Deaton, Morell and Ana had created. He was just about there when he was tackled by a large white wolf, knocking both him and Cora to the ground. The wolf roared in fury as it charged at Derek, who moved away in time to dodge the attack.
Julian and Oktober, who heard the commotion shifted into their forms and ran towards the cabin, not seeing nor hearing the arrow whizzing by and landing to the forest floor, exploding into a large ball of fire that stopped them from advancing. Isaac, and Erica who were hiding in the trees, pounced down and began attacking the two, while Chris Argent, who was up in a tree as well, shot another arrow at Oktober but missed.
Ethan struggled with fighting Jackson, his vision still impaired from Allison's flashbang arrow. He exploded into alpha form, his brown fur shaking in the process. He grabbed hold of Jackson's arm with his teeth, and began dragging him away, not before Jackson himself punched Ethan in the snout, causing him to lose grip. The wolf howled in pain, as Jackson grabbed it's front leg, and snapped it, smirking at the satisfying crunch of bone breaking. Ethan fell to the floor whimpering, as Jackson noticed Aiden gaining the upper hand on Boyd.
Isaac had Julian in a headlock, trying to squeeze tight enough to break bone, but failing in the process. Julian whipped and bucked, trying with all his might to throw Isaac of off him, but to no avail, as Isaac sunk his claws deep into Julian's ribcage. He howled in pain, whipping fast enough to grab Isaac by the arm, and throw him into a tree, becoming free of his grasp.
Scott ran towards Derek, when he saw Cora lying on the floor in massive pain. He saw Derek and Elena struggling in battle, and was at a fault. He could either grab Cora, or help Derek fight off Elena for the time being.
"Scott! Scott!" he heard a voice call, noticing Morell waving towards him. "Grab Cora and carry her here, I'll break the seal so we can take her out of here!"
Scott nodded before running towards Cora, dodging Derek and Elena's battling wolf forms. He scooped the teen girl up in his arms, and sprinted his way towards Morell, as she broke the seal and grabbed Cora from his arms. "Take her to Deaton's office so she can heal!"
"I will! Now go! Help Derek!" she responded before closing the seal and running off with Cora and Deaton.
Scott ran towards Elena's white wolf form and pounced, allowing Derek to tackle her and get the upper hand. Derek bit down on her side, gaining a loud whimper of pain, before she shook him off and charged at him, stopping suddenly.
Derek tilted his head in confusion, as Elena's body begin to shake and convulse. She whimpered and roared in pain, as she was blown far away into the Mountain Ash barrier, bouncing off the forcefield and onto the floor.
Derek watched as Elena fell and breathed heavily as if in massive pain, and finally she reverted back to human form, limping towards a tree and sitting down beside it, tending to her wounds. He looked across from her, and saw Stiles, eyes pitch black, standing still, trembling a bit. Derek ran over to Stiles, checking him from head to toe.
"Are you okay?" he asked, running his hand through Stiles' hair.
"I'm fine, I didn't want you getting hurt. Let's go help the others." he replied, grabbing a hold of Derek's hand and running away with it.
Erica and Oktober were ripping at each other, roaring and howling with each swipe, as Erica was pinned to the ground, as Oktober opened her jaws slowly, aiming for Erica's throat. Just as Oktober was about to bite, she was knocked off of Erica suddenly, rolling over to view her attacker. Erica got up and dusted herself off, running towards Oktober, stopping abruptly when she saw Abby and Blake manhandling her and throwing her around.
"Erica! Over here!" a voice called, as Erica looked over. She saw Frostbite standing by a tree, "Come with me! Cora's safe we have to go! Derek and Stiles are on their way here, they can help the others, you're too hurt!"
Erica nodded, and looked at her arms and legs, which her scarred up and scratched to no points end. Her breathing hitched, and she could use some healing, especially on the large gash at her ribcage. She limped after Frostbite as he burst into his white wolf form, following him towards Deaton's office.
Julian bit as Isaac's leg, and dragged him down a small hill where he kept pawing at the teen wolf, and biting Isaac's legs left and right. Chris Argent moved from behind a tree and shot an arrow into Julian's side, giving Natalie enough time to pounce on top of him as they nipped at each other's necks, Natalie being able to do serious damage to him before nudging Isaac to get up and follow her.
Boyd and Jackson tag teamed Aiden, tearing at his fur before seeing Derek run towards them. They both looked at each other before nodding and kicking Aiden back and running back towards Derek and Stiles.
"Where is Lydia?" asked Jackson, as he panted.
"Lydia, Allison, Chris, and the others are on their way to Deaton's office. Cora's safe, we have to go now!" Stiles replied, tugging at both Derek and Jackson.
The two nodded before sprinting towards Deaton's office. Chris had broken the seal before he left, allowing the others to pass it's border. Ethan was hot on their trail, roaring and howling at them, making Stiles nervous enough to trip, and fall to the ground. Ethan noticed Stiles' fall, and charged at him, fangs bared, leaping across the log before him, and was suddenly frozen in mid-air.
Stiles opened his eyes, and saw his mother, holding her hands out in front of her, as if she was holding Ethan in the air with an invisible force. She muttered a chant before looking back at her son, "Run Stiles! Now!"
"No Mom, I'm not leaving you!" he screamed back.
"Stiles listen to me, I can't hold him off much longer, now go!" she shouted. Her eyes began to glow, and so did her body, as flames erupted around her, and Ethan's wolf form burst into flames, charring his fur and skin.
"Mom!" Stiles screamed, watching as she burned Ethan alive. Her body grew weak, and she fell to the floor, limp. "Mom! Mom! Mom, are you okay?"
"S-Stiles.." she choked out, growing weaker and weaker by the minute.
"Mom…"
"Stiles.. I- I've used the last bit of energy I had left.. It's time for me to go now.. I have to go back to the spirit realm.." she said.
"Mom, no.. please, you can stay.. please I'll find a healing spell and -"
"No Stiles, no. You have to go back to your pack, go back to Derek.. You have to. I'm so proud of you son, you don't understand.." Ana choked out, her body sprinkling into small glittery particles, "I love you Stiles, so much. Thank you for bringing me back, I wanted to spend time with you… one last time."
"Mom.. I love you." He said quietly, sobbing as well. Stiles watched her form disappear into the sky, and cried.. as he watched his mother go for the second time in his life.
Hope you guys enjoyed that chapter.. I'm not really good at writing action scenes :x. This was kind of something I dreamed up, so I hope it was good :)