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Here's a new chapter for you (a longer one!) - hope you enjoy it! Thanks again for the reviews - they always make my day! Keep 'em coming :-)

Chapter 18

"Anna! Wait! Anna, hey! Wait!" She heard Stiles' voice behind her. She tried to ignore it – as possibly as Stiles' voice can be ignored by someone with supernatural senses.

"Anna! Wahait!" He yelled, catching up to her side.

"Stiles." Anna nodded refusing to look at him or even smile at him for a second.

"Heey... Soo... You are ignoring us, he?" He stated more than asking.

"Well done, Sherlock." Anna snapped back, still not ready to have eye contact.

"Woah... You're really mad, aren't you?"

"Nope."

"What's your problem then, he? Hey, stop running away. Why are you walking so fast? Hey, heeey..." He nearly had to run to keep up with her as she started to walk faster as if she was running away from him.

"Stiles. Please, I have to go to work."

"I know."

"Of course you do." She sighed. "You've been following me for weeks now."

"Who is Sherlock now?" Stiles smiled but he knew he had been obvious.

"Go home, Stiles." She hissed. "Leave me alone. And tell him to stop sending his cubs after me."

Stiles stopped. "Hey, I'm not his cub and by the way - He misses you." He whispered.

Anna froze. She could feel a lump in her throat and her blood began to boil.

"He's hurt as well, Anna. He misses you... badly." He added.

Anna turned around. Stiles could see the water in her eyes. She looked so said, so in pain. He just wanted to hug her, pull her really close and at the same time he wanted to slap her – for avoiding them and being kind of a bitch lately.

Derek was a mess. He thought it was his fault they didn't talk anymore. He thought he messed up – big time. Called himself selfish all the time for kissing her – for following his instincts. Instincts – bullshit! Pheromones? Emotions? Hell yeah.

The pack didn't even recognize him anymore. He wasn't grumpy anymore– he was just sad. He would sit at home all day – all night. He had Peter on a short leash so he was basically with his uncle 24/7. Not a good thing to do, right?

And Peter? He just didn't seem to bother. He basically did nothing, he just watched TV, trained, and read. This wasn't a good sign either. Like he just waited for Derek to go insane.

Every time Stiles would ask if Derek was okay he would just nod. The pups were confused. They tried to help Stiles' dad finding the teenagers but failed every time. Four teenagers were missing by now. The wolves were out in the woods every night but they couldn't catch their scents. Like they never existed. Scott had taken over – tried to keep the pack together. But he wasn't the alpha – not the pack leader. Though he was kind of good at it, Stiles thought. True Alpha, right?

Scott had finally a chance to use his abilities without holding back because of Derek but at the same time it wasn't working out like he had hoped it would. Sure – He could help them, talk to them and lead them. But since they were bound to Derek, it wasn't an easy task because they kept worrying about their insane alpha.

Derek was staying at home. With Peter. He didn't eat, barely drank and slept. They were worried.

Each time they tried to look after Anna, she ignored them, avoided them. She even tried to sneak away. She wasn't answering Derek's phone calls. She visited her grandpa twice a week and the rest of the week she was just working at a coffee shop in Marysville and often worked the night shift at a local gas station. The rest of the time she went grocery shopping or stayed at home.

"Stiles. I can't." She said, her voice nearly breaking.

"You're not safe, Anna. They need to protect you."

"Tell them to keep an eye on Peter and everything will be fine." She said, turning around.

"It won't. Not for him. Not for you. And Peter is up to something – he is way too calm. Something is definitely wrong with him. You need him, Anna. Or at least you need us! " She heard him yelling but she kept walking.

"I don't need anyone." she mumbled in her dark blue scarf which she wore over her brown leather jacket.

"FINE!" He yelled and a couple of pedestrians turned around but he didn't care. "Walk away, Anna." He added, clearly angry. "Keep running away." He added rather quietly and turned around to walk back to his car. Stiles was pissed. Like really pissed.

The pack was struggling, he was struggling. It hadn't been easy for Stiles either. He couldn't talk to Derek like he used to. Like he wanted to so badly. Derek had become a major anchor for Stiles. They had become really close. Sure – he still had Scott and his dad and Melissa. But he barely saw Scott because he was with the wolves and his Dad and Melissa were very busy.

And Anna? She just ignored them. Stiles had followed her so many times after school. He had spent his whole money on gas to drive to Marysville because unlike the others he couldn't just run there.

Autumn was a bitch this year so he couldn't even take his bike. And, to be honest, he was pretty lazy – so his Jeep was the only option. He drove 2 hours every day to look after Anna. He kept sitting in his Jeep just watching her work. He refueled at her work were she kept avoiding him. Sometimes she would even sneak away. Afterwards he would drive home – again 2 hours on the road.

Isaac was with him half of the time – rest of it he stayed home and tried to help Scott. Scott tried to keep distance since he was an alpha and under no circumstances he wanted to bother Anna with his presence. So it was Stiles' duty. He would bump into her at the grocery store now and then or wave at her from inside his Jeep when she was glaring at him from behind the counter.

She wouldn't wave back.

She wouldn't even greet him.

She just ignored his presence and when Isaac was with him she would even unknowingly growl quietly and Isaac would cringe on the passenger's seat because after all Anna was an alpha.

But Stiles got so angry and disappointed by now that he didn't care any longer. He had started to drink coffee at her work place, to sit right in front of the counter and refuel every day just to make her realize he was serious about all of this.

He sure was a pain in the ass.

Derek wanted her safe. Even though Derek was controlling every step Peter made, he couldn't stop thinking that there was something else – something supernatural in the area that was dangerous. Like really dangerous. And if Derek wanted Anna safe that was exactly what Stiles tried to do. He didn't have any powers but he had a pack waiting for his call so he would make sure nothing happened to Anna. And he had Isaac. And since they were past that not being really good at helping thing, he was one hell of a wolf if he wanted to.

Anna's hand grabbed his wrist, turning him around.

"I'm not running away." She glared at him. He shook her hand away.

"You are." He glared back.

"You don't even know what you're talking about. You're human. You don't have problems like we do." She hissed back.

"Oh, riiight. I'm the stupid human, fragile and defenceless. And since when do you consider yourself a wolf anyway?" He hissed and Anna turned red. "But you know what? I'm way safer than you are right now. Because I – I have a pack. I have friends who care about me. I have a family." He said, not knowing how wrong he was about that.

"And you? You threw it away. You threw him away, Anna. You won't even talk to him on the phone!"

"I don't have anything to say to him." She growled.

"Oh, yes you do. You guys kissed – and then you left. Even when he tries to talk to you in person you refuse to. You owe him an explanation."

"I owe him nothing."

"Ha..." Stiles sniffed judgingly. He couldn't understand Anna. He knew what was going on; Deaton had told them weeks ago. But he was worried about his alpha. He was worried about the pack. And Anna? She behaved like she didn't even care about Derek even though Stiles knew that she did.

Anna didn't know what to respond.

She owed him. Everything. She had been such a bitch lately. Deleting his messages, ignoring his calls. She even ignored the boys when they tried to keep her safe. Isaac was waiting outside her building a whole night the other time and she didn't even looked at him. She had just closed the curtains. And it was raining. He had been one hell of a wet puppy. And she had avoided Derek. Even when he came after her.

FLASHBACK - a couple of weeks ago

Anna was at work. She worked in a coffee shop not far away from her apartment. She liked the job actually. Her co-workers were nice, not too nice but nice after all. One of them had even invited her to a party. She didn't go. But she was happy he had invited her if that made any sense.

It was already late that evening. She would close the shop in a few minutes. She was cleaning one of the coffeemakers when the tiny hairs on the back of her neck started to stand up. Her pulse stepped up. She didn't need to turn around to see who had just entered the shop when the bell started to ring.

She could smell him – his sweet and dangerously hot scent.

"Derek" She sighed.

"Anna – we – we need to talk." He whispered but she didn't turn around.

Her eyes burnt, her throat was on fire. She couldn't face him.

"I don't have anything to say." She said; her voice was hard and at the same time close to breaking.

"But I have." He said. "You don't want to see me? Fine. But you are not safe. You are a weakened wolf without any protection. I can't let this happen. You won't have to see me – ever again – but you will have to face my pack. I can send Stiles 'cause even he is more able to protect himself. Isaac will watch you as well."

"I don't need your protection." She hissed staring at the cloth in her hand she was wringing out by squashing it.

"Anna..." He began. "Even though you hate me – you are family. I won't let anything happen to you." He tried to explain.

Anna turned around – glaring at Derek. Their eyes met. She had to remind herself what she went through – he had left her. He had abandoned her. Yes – she loved him. But she had to learn to hate him because otherwise she wouldn't be able to resist him. Her inner wolf had to be repressed.

"Derek – I am not family. I am not a wolf. I considered myself one a long time ago but I hate it. It destroyed my life! My parents died because of what they were! My grandparents hated me for what I am."

"But this – this is what we are, Anna!"

"No, Derek. This is what you are. A wolf – a predator – a monster. " Tears were running down her face when she saw the look in his face -like she had just punched him. Really hard.

She wanted to apologize for saying something that evil, so destroying – she didn't mean any of it. But she wanted to be left alone – alone to her misery. She could feel a part of herself crying and screaming at herself. The part that was growing inside of her – day by day.

"Don't say that..." He began but she interrupted him immediately. "But this is what you are. And I – I refuse to be something like that. I am not a wolf, Derek. Not anymore. I am a woman. A human being. And I am not part of your family – of your pack. I never was." She hated herself but she had to make him leave. She could feel the pain rushing through her veins – she could feel her wolf awakening – slowly. She closed her eyes in pain.

"Anna..." He stumbled.

"Leave, Derek." She said – more begging than demanding.

She heard the bell ring again and he was gone.

Now

"You're late for work." Stiles noticed sarcastically. "Better hurry." He added angrily.

Anna didn't respond. She just turned around and walked away.

Away from Stiles – who was still watching her after everything she had done. Stiles – a friend she had always wanted, someone who cared about her.

Away from Derek - away from everything she was longing for.