When my dad nudged me awake with his foot, I expected it to be nighttime. Instead, I opened my eyes to a bright, naturally lit living room. Scott was passed out asleep on the couch next to me. Dad rolled his eyes. I nudged Scott awake too.
"It's already 11am. You boys need to get out and do something this summer."
"We've been out of the house everyday since school got out!" I complained, laying back. "I've earned a lazy day."
"Yeah, hanging out at Scott's eating junk and playing video games doesn't count. Just because you're at Scott's and not here."
Scott looked over at me questioningly. "Oh, but Sheriff, we haven't actually been at my house, we've been "
"Practicing lacrosse and stuff." I interrupted. "I went on a four mile run yesterday!"
He sighed heavily. "Okay, whatever. Just get up and do something today. I'm off to work."
I gave him a thumbs up. "Got it."
"And clean up this mess, Stiles. Honestly."
I grinned sheepishly at him but said nothing.
Neither of us said anything until we watched the cruiser pull out of the driveway and down the street.
"Dude, you didn't tell him where you've been?" Scott exclaimed.
I rolled my eyes. "No way! 'Hey dad, I'm just going to hang out downtown in a dark loft with a guy that I've accused twice of murder, hope that's okay!' No, Scott! He would flip!"
Scott shrugged. "He was innocent both times. Your dad knows that."
I shook my head. "Yeah, well, I know my dad. He would rather me sit at home all day then be with Derek."
"You're not just with Derek," Scott said, standing up and stretching.
"He's the only one that defends me," I said, the sourness from yesterday returning.
Scott scrunched his eyebrows together. "What are you talking about? I always defend you. You're my best friend."
"Yeah, right. I heard everything after I left yesterday. Your defense was shit."
Scott frowned. "I was caught off guard, okay? I'm sorry."
I shrugged. "It's whatever."
He grinned a bit. "So...are you going to hang out today? Erica suggested we go shopping at the flea market."
"No, Scott." I grumbled. "I have stuff to do."
"I can tell you're lying," Scott acknowledged. "The heart rate thing, remember?"
"How's this for not lying: I. Dont. Want. To. Hang. Out. With. The. Pack."
He was frowning again. "Okay, I get it. I'm sorry."
I just shook my head.
Scott left without another word. Great.
After cleaning up, eating, showering, going for a short run (okay, it was 3 miles) and then eating again I was bored. Despite everything in my head telling me it was just going to annoy the crap out of me, I decided to go down to the flea market and meet up with the pack. I dressed myself up a little more than usual. You know, there would be ladies there. It was about time I got over Lydia (as Scott tells me constantly) and summertime at the market seems like a great place to start.
I turned up my music and rolled down the windows. With the roar of the engine and the wind pulsing through the small inside, I could barely hear the music, but it's the thought that counts.
Finding parking around the flea market alone made me want to turn around and go home. This place was hell. I'd never gone to the market before, nor had I heard much about it, but it was definitely bigger than I had expected. Finding the pack in this mess of people would be near impossible. I could have called them, but stupid me left my phone charging on the bathroom counter.
After finally finding parking, I started to work my way into the crowds.
After walking aimlessly for a good twenty minutes I was about ready to give up. That is, until, I heard two girls behind me giggling and arguing about how hot the 'tall, dark one with stubble' was or how adorable the "curly haired blue-eyed boy" was. They had to be around somewhere.
While trying to listen to what the girls were saying to find out which direction the pack was, I ran straight into someone. He stumbled backwards and I continued to stumble forwards until I was laying on top of him. There was a crowd gathering, gasping. I was apologizing profusely until I saw who it was. Then I just wanted to get the hell away from him.
The man from the woods yesterday was there, sitting below me, smiling. Someone helped me up but the man reached out for me to help him up.
Unwantingly, I grabbed his hand and pulled him up. He didn't let go once he was on his feet. The crowd had dispersed and people were moving around us now. When I tried to pull my hand away, he kept a tight grip on my hand. When I looked down, I saw that he had long nails. Long, sharp nails. Long, sharp wolf nails.
Just my luck.
I pulled away more forcefully and tried to walk away.
"Going so soon, Stiles?" He said, putting his hand on my shoulder.
I shrugged it off and turned to face him again. "I don't know who you are. Leave me alone."
"Stiles Stilinski, the sheriff's son. But that's not you're real name, right?"
I started to walk away again. Maybe not telling Scott about the creep last night was a bad idea. But at the same time, what was he gonna do? Shift right here, in the middle of a crowded street with hundreds of people walking around? Tear my throat out? No. He was just trying to scare me.
"Don't go so soon, Stiles," Another voice said. It was a female this time. She pushed me up against the wall of a building. It was useless to try to push her off. Stupid werewolf strength.
I sighed heavily. "What do you want?"
She smiled, coming close to my face. To any bystanders, we would look like an over-affectionate couple. I swallowed hard. "Stiles, we just want you to keep your mouth shut. We have business here in Beacon Hills and don't need anyone to get in the way."
"I don't know what you're talking about," I hissed. "I'm just a normal kid."
She laughed. Her eyes flashed. I took a deep breath. She came closer, her nails closing around my neck. "We both know that's not true. I can smell them on you."
I said nothing. I could feel my heart beating quickly. Why was I always alone when this shit came up?!
"I just want you to remember," She said, this time digging her nails into my either side of my hips. "To stay out of the way. Leave your pack out of it."
I breathed out heavily and nodded. As soon as she let go and walked away, I lifted my shirt to see if she left marks.
Five small circles of blood were around my waist. I cursed and wiped at the blood.
I really needed to find the pack now. Or get the hell out of here.
As I threaded myself through the people back towards my jeep, I heard the familiar sound of Scott laughing. Thank God.
I ran quicker towards the sound, slowing down only when I saw them. They were standing around a fountain talking and, of course, eating. Erica had like, six bags and Boyd had four, which I would bet $100 were also Erica's.
I walked up and nudged Scott. He grinned toothily.
"I knew you couldn't stay away!" He offered me the second half of his corn dog but I declined. My nerves were still extremely high.
The rest of the pack greeted me happily as well. (Aside from Derek, but that wasn't a surprise.)
"Stiles, you're practically sweating nervousness. What's going on?" Derek said, stepping closer to me.
"I actually need to talk to you guys," I said. But as I looked up to see who was around, I saw her. She was sitting just a few feet away, her gold eyes staring back at me. Her nails were drumming against the stone bench beside her. I took a deep breath.
"Does this have anything to do with your run yesterday?" Scott asked, stepping closer to me, blocking my view of the woman.
"What?" I said, trying to lean to look around him.
"Yesterday...?"
I was still staring past him. He turned around, revealing no one there.
"Who are you staring at? What's going on?"
I swallowed hard. "Nothing, never mind. I guess I'm just on high alert."
Derek and Scott both narrowed their eyes at me but said nothing.
After standing around the fountain for another five minutes (the woman had reappeared again, closer this time, feeding birds), Derek shook his head. "Something's not right. We're going back to the loft."
"The loft!" I said, standing up to join him.
"Stiles, no one said you had to go," Boyd said, sighing heavily. "We realize you hate being there."
"No, no," I said, still watching the woman. "The loft seems like a great place. Get out of the heat...the loft has AC, right, Derek?"
Derek's eyes narrowed at me. He just nodded.
"Great, let's go!"
"We walked here," Scott said. "But we wont take long to get back. Where'd you park?"
I swallowed hard. "Uh, probably half a mile that way. I'll just meet you there."
They nodded and started heading towards Derek's loft.
Shit. No.
All I had to do was get to my jeep. She wasn't going to murder me in front of all these people.
I practically ran to my car. I fumbled with the keys in the lock before finally jerking the door open and slamming it shut behind me.
I breathed a sigh of relief and started the car.
As I turned to look behind me before backing up, I screamed. The freaking creep was sitting in the back of my jeep!
"What the fuck?" I said, slamming on my breaks.
"Stiles, you need to calm down." He was grinning. I was not. "You need to realize how serious I am."
"I think I got the point. Get the hell out of my jeep!"
He curled his sharp nails around my shoulder, digging under my collarbone.
I squirmed but refused to give him the satisfaction of a cry of pain.
"Don't tell the pack."
I kept my mouth shut.
"Good, thanks." He climbed over the seat and stopped in the passenger seat next to me. He placed his hand on my thigh and squeezed lightly. "Sorry that pretty little Lydia isn't interested, Stiles." He winked. "I'm sure you're quite the catch."
He left. I sped out of the parking lot and barely paid attention to any traffic rules as I weaved through the one-ways streets of downtown to get to Derek's loft. I ran up the stairs and jerked the door knob. Surprisingly, it opened.
The pack was already inside.
I was out of breath. "Why's the door unlocked?"
Derek sat down. "You brought up a good point yesterday."
I smiled. "Yeah, if people would listen to me more often, things would probably go better!"
"Okay, we'll listen," Derek said, surprising everyone. "Starting with why you are so hyped up on adrenaline right now."
I took a deep breath. "There's another pack here, and they're following me and threatening me and god, I think they ripped my collarbone off," I pulled my shirt off to look at the damage done. I had been in such a hurry to get out of the parking lot that I hadn't taken the time to look at it.
"There's what?" Isaac said. "Derek, what does this mean?"
But Derek was too busy looking closer at my collarbone. "Still hurt?" He asked.
I swallowed, feeling awkward that Derek was the one looking at it. "Yeah. And another one of them clawed my hips. I'm sure it's fine, though."
Without warning Derek jerked the side of my jeans down to reveal a bruised and bloody area.
"Oh, okay. I guess it got worse."
Derek growled. "Go lie down on the couch. They laced their claws with something. Are you dizzy?"
Shit, seriously? "No, but I'm in pain and so sick of wolves!"
Scott sighed and pulled me closer to the couch. "I should've just stayed and hung out with you today, none of this would've happened. I'm so sorry, Stiles."
"He was in the woods," I said as I laid down on the couch. Now that Derek mentioned it, I was feeling off. A bit lightheaded and nauseous.
"When?" Peter asked, his eyes flashing yellow too.
"Yesterday, I was on a run."
Scott cursed. "Why didn't you tell me? I was with you all night!"
I put my hands up in defense. "I just thought it was some creep in the woods. But I saw him again today. Saw the claws."
"Derek," Isaac said. He was clearly irritated that no one was answering his questions. "Why is there another pack here?"
"Isaac, forget it for a second." Scott hissed. "Stiles is hurt."
"That's what happens when a human gets involved," Scott growled back. Scott stood up and his eyes flashed too.
I was starting to feel way to sick for all this movement around me. I shut my eyes but opened them when I heard growling.
Isaac and Scott were wrestling again, but this time they had both shifted. Derek was nowhere to be found. Peter sighed indifferently, doing nothing to stop it. Erica and Boyd were watching intently.
I sat up quickly, "Guys, aren't you going to stop them?"
No one answered. I stood up and walked towards the fight.
"I wouldn't do that if I were you," Peter mumbled, still standing far away, seeming bored.
Okay, now I was dizzy. Dammit.
I turned around and stumbled back towards the couch.
Halfway there, I passed out.
When I woke up, Derek was working closely on my collarbone, spreading some sort of foul smelling ointment on it.
"God, what happened?" I asked, trying to sit up.
Derek shoved me back into the couch. "I told you to stay on the couch and you stood up anyway. For some reason, the pack was too preoccupied to notice how weak you were and fainted." The second half of his answer was bitter and spoken over his shoulder.
I looked around.
Isaac and Scott were sitting at the kitchen table across from each other, glaring. Both of them had large scratches across their faces that were healing just fine. Erica and Boyd were mopping the floors where the fight had taken place.
Finally, Derek moved away from me.
"What the hell was that?" I asked, sitting up again.
"I am not finished," He hissed, pushing me back down. He pulled at the waistband of my jeans again, looking closely at both sides of my waist.
"Whoa, dude." I said pushing his hand away. "Those ones doesn't even hurt."
He sighed. "Move your toes."
"What?"
"I said, move your toes."
This is stupid. I pointed at my feet. "My toes," I wiggled. Nothing happened.
"Let me see the cuts. Before it get worse."
"Gets worse?" I yelled. "I can't move my toes, Derek!"
"You think I didn't notice?" He growled. "Let me see it."
I sighed and moved my hands. I wasn't going to take my pants off for him. If he wanted to look at it, he was doing it.
And he did. Without hesitating, actually. He unbuttoned my jeans and pulled them off carefully.
He grabbed the top hem of my boxers. "Seriously?" I asked.
He just looked at me. "Do you want to move ever again?"
"Oh, god." I said, closing my eyes.
He pulled those off too.
He worked on the side closest to him first. I was wishing I was passed out again.
He first dug around with a pair of small tweezers in each claw-mark before taking out several small flakes. Second, he washed the cuts carefully before finally spreading a thick green ointment over each mark. He moved across my body to the next hip. God, this was so embarrassing.
After the first few claw-marks had been done, I became hyper aware of the fact that his hands, arms and chest kept rubbing across my penis. Oh god, please, please, do not make this happen right now. Oh, god.
That only made it worse. Several seconds later, I had a throbbing hard-on. My stomach churned in embarrassment and I knew my cheeks were red. No one else in the room had noticed, but I knew Derek had to have noticed.
He didn't stop working slowly on the cuts. I tried my hardest to will my stupid body to stop it's stupid hormonal movements, but it was not happened.
Once he grabbed the ointment I knew I had to say something. Dammit, dammit, dammit.
"Uh, look," I said.
He looked me in the eye. My breath caught in my throat. "Yeah?" He prompted.
"I uh, you know how it is...it's not like something I can control. And I haven't really had any action, but you could probably smell that, am I right?" I faked a laugh. He was still just staring at me. "You were rubbing all against me and "
"I get it," Derek said, finally looking away. "It was only to be expected from a human."
Oh, from a human. Cause if I had been putting my hands all over his hips and rubbing my chest across his dick, he totallllly would have been able to control it. Fucker.
"Can I put my clothes back on?" I said, sighing.
"No, but I can."
"As if this wasn't awkward enough, you won't even let me put my own clothes on, really?" I cursed. "Are you that much of a control freak?"
"You still can't move, Stiles." He said, turning around to get my boxers. "Believe me, if you could do this on your own, I would let you."
I cursed again after trying to move my legs. "Why can I move my upper body? That was way deeper."
"It takes time to react. I was able to take it out before it mixed with your blood. You didn't tell me soon enough for your legs."
He pulled my boxers around my ankles and up to my knees, where I took them from him quickly and did the rest on my own. "Well, I'm sorry. I didnt know I had to report to you every time some creep touches me."
Derek stopped and looked at me carefully. I had never seen him look so calm and sweet. Sweet? What the hell was this stuff doing to me? Derek was not sweet. Derek was not calm.
"Stiles. You are part of the pack." He said. "That's why they're attacking you. It's unheard of to have a human in a wolfpack. They're attacking the weak link to scare us. To scare you."
"Excuse me? Part of the pack?" Why did no one tell me I was part of this smelly pack?!
Derek smiled a little. "Why do you think I told Scott to bring you along everyday? So there was something nice for me to look at?"
"So you admit I'm something nice to look at?" Flirting was my strong suit. Even if it was with Derek and he hadn't mean anything of it.
His face changed to hard and cold once again. "I'm serious, Stiles. You are part of my pack. I am the alpha. I protect my pack. So yes, if someone puts their hands on you, you report to me. If someone follows you into the woods, you tell me. You should have told me at the market! What would you have done if you passed out while driving? Or your legs went numb? You could have gotten seriously hurt, Stiles. When something happens, you tell me."
Whoa. "Okay," I said. For once I had no idea what to say. "I'm sorry, I get it."
He nodded. "It won't wear off tonight. You'll have to stay here."
"Can I go to Scotts?"
"Scott doesn't know how to drive stick. Scott didn't drive here. Scott's mom will wonder why you won't move your legs."
"We rarely move anyway," I said, closing my eyes. This was so ridiculous.
"And when you have to go to the bathroom?"
"What if I have to go to the bathroom while I'm here?" I said, pushing myself into a sitting position.
"Then I'll help you."
Oh my god.
The guy that just saw my full hard-on just casually told me he was going to help me to the bathroom tonight. While I stayed over at his creepy, dark loft. What the hell is my life?!