Derek

It didn't take long before Avery slowed, allowing me to take the lead as we made our way through the forest, tracking the alpha's scent along the way.

It was…strange. I'd never tried the blood bond before, though I heard about it often when I was growing up. I can feel everything she's feeling, which at the moment is distracting as hell. She's anxious and bloodthirsty, as all werewolves start out, with a bit of lust thrown in, just to make it all the harder for me to focus. Her senses almost double with mine, allowing me to extend my vision, and giving me an extension of what's around me.

It's definitely impressive.

Another thing that's impressive is how easily Avery is keeping up. Not only keeping up, but matching me, and showing no sign of fatigue. Boyd said before she was fast, but I'd wager she could outrun even Isaac.

The scent is getting stronger now, more recent. But something's wrong.

Why would the alpha make it a point to be seen in town, with a beta, only to backtrack out into the woods again? One more thing that's unnerving is the fact that his scent is leading right to my house.

And sure enough, only moments later, we reach the clearing. My house is off to our left as we come to a stop at the edge of the tree line. I keep low to the ground, and Avery comes to kneel beside me. We're both in full shift; it's easiest to track this way.

"He's here," I say quietly to her.

Wherever he's hiding, it's clear that he isn't going to make a move until I come out into the clearing. I turn to her and look her dead in the eye, "Stay here. Do not move unless I tell you to, alright? Just sit here, and keep an eye out."

"Derek," she grumbled warily.

"No," I say, maintaining eye contact. "You're not ready."

"Then why did you let me loose?" she retorts.

"Just stay here." I grind the words between my teeth and spit them out at her.

I push myself up from the ground and step out into the clearing.

The moon shines its pale light down, leaving the green foliage as just shades of gray and black. A feeling of déjà vu comes over me, and flashes of one of my dreams cross my mind as two blood red eyes peer back at me from the tree line directly across from me.

In my dream, it was Avery and the alpha, in the forest. And in the end, I'd bled out as I stared at the full moon above.

Let's just hope this works out differently.

The other alpha just stares for a few moments, and I let out an impatient growl as I brace for a fight. Only, he doesn't make a move towards me, he instead moves along the tree line, keeping out of sight, just circling.

I've had about enough of this, but I'd rather not be lured out into the woods without being sure where his beta is. I keep my eyes trained on him as he circles along the edge, only faintly coming into the light now and then.

A roar breaks out behind me; Avery.

I tune back into her senses, and realize I've made a mistake. From Avery's eyes I can see a male beta sprinting towards me, his claws ready to tear into my back. It all seems to happen in slow motion, and I have to make a choice.

If I waste time to deal with the beta, the alpha will undoubtedly take the opportunity to attack.

I turn just as the beta reaches me and reach up to bat him down, only to have him torn from the air by Avery. She throws him a decent distance, and he slams into the trunk of a tree with a yelp.

I turn back to the alpha to find him halfway across the clearing. I catch his outstretched claw and I sink my fist so deep in his gut that he's sent flying backwards a few feet.

Behind me, Avery sprints toward the beta as he stands back up. She grabs his throat in her hand and slams his head against the trunk of the tree. He lashes out with his claws, but she's fast enough to launch herself back, leaving his claws to rake through the air.

I stare intently at the alpha, trying to memorize him.

He's got dark hair; black, or maybe dark brown. He's tall, but lean, which makes sense as to why he's faster than I am. He's wearing a green cargo jacket and jeans, but that's all I can make out.

He lets out a short howl and snarls at me with his teeth bared. His beta scrambles to get out of the clearing, but Avery blocks him from escaping. The alpha takes a step back, just waiting for me to turn away for him to either sink his teeth in me, or take his chance and make a getaway.

I'm not fond of either option.

As I keep my eyes trained on him, his eyes drifting between me and to the two fighting behind me. He looks nervous for a few moments, but then almost…smiles at me.

Suddenly, the beta takes off back across the clearing towards me.

I turn in time to watch him fly by me, and watch as the alpha reaches the tree line, with his beta in hot pursuit. Under any other circumstances, I'd be relieved.

Except Avery is locked onto the beta and I can feel her moving before she's even done it.

In my mind, I scream at her to drop the hunt as I step just in time to catch her before she gets by me.

Her speed nearly knocks me back, but I dig my boots into the grass as she tries to push through me. My hands squeeze her arms painfully tight, and stare into her eyes, trying to regain control over her.

But something's wrong. She won't drop the hunt; something is driving her on.

I dig my claws into her skin and she copies my action, trying to duplicate the pain onto me. It hurts, but her plan backfires as our blood mixes once again, strengthening the blood bond that had apparently worn off.

Slowly, her breathing steadies, and she drops the snarl that had twisted her face into something feral. Her eyes shine in the moonlight as she releases her grip on me and relaxes.

Without a word, I turn from her and walk over to the spot where my family's old cellar lies hidden. I clear away the topsoil that covers the cellar door by kicking it away with my boot. As soon as the handle is uncovered, I pull the door open, revealing the darkened staircase below.

I can't control her. Not for a long enough period of time to find the two of them again, and even if we did find them, there's no way we can finish this tonight. There are too many things that can go wrong, and too many complications.

I walk down the steps and flip on the old, dull lighting that keeps the place from being a black hole. Avery follows slowly behind me as I walk down the dreary hall that's more like a tunnel than anything else.

"We could've taken them," she says with an edge to her voice. I reach the end of the tunnel and pull open the heavy metal door there.

"Not tonight," I say, turning back to her and stepping aside. She comes just inside the doorway.

"We made a good team." She says, her gold eyes looking up to me her eyebrow is arched, as if suggesting something.

"Inside, Avery," I say, looking at the gloomy room within, "now."

She hesitates, but I keep my eyes focused in the room. "Just," her hand reaches up to my cheek, turning my face down to look at her, "give me a minute?" she asks as she leans in, and closes the distance between us.

She crushes her lips into mine and I hesitate; the entire night she'd been giving off a feeling of pure, animalistic lust and I've done my best to ignore it while dealing with this whole mess. I can't ignore it anymore though, I pull her to me and I can feel her smile into the kiss as my hands wander down to her ass and grab it roughly. She gasps and I bite at her lower lip. She whimpers a bit as blood drips from it.

Her head dips to my neck and she teases my neck with kisses and nips. I lean my head back against the wall, closing my eyes and she drags her lips over my skin. "Avery," I say, grinding my teeth together. She mumbles questioningly against me, "I'm sorry." When she lifts her head to question, I push her back into the room and slam the door shut, grabbing the padlock and locking her in before she even has a chance to recover.

Not a second after I clamp the padlock into place, a slam sounds against the door followed by a frustrated growl and several more slams.

"Sorry, Ave," I say from my spot leaning against the door, "I had to."

I had to lock her in, for the good of both of us.

The Morning After

Avery

I suck in a breath as Derek steps back, pulling his claws from my spine and letting his bloodied hand fall by his side. My knees feel weak and my head is spinning. Did I really do all that?

I feel almost violated by the fact that I don't remember any of it. "What happened to Tori?" I ask, my voice shaking. I look down at my hands.

"She's fine," he says bluntly.

I rub my forehead, trying to clear my thoughts, "And Jackson? Did they...?"

"It's complicated." he says, "We're supposed to be on our way over there now," he says, turning away from me and taking a step towards the door.

I reach out frantically and grab his hand, "Wait," he turns and I let go of his hand nervously. His green eyes look at me with...I don't know...something that makes me stop thinking. "I'm sorry," I say, finally finding my words, "about being so...difficult last night."

He doesn't say anything, just stares back at me in silence. I take two nervous steps toward him and break eye contact, instead focusing on his lips, "Derek," I whisper to him, wishing he'd just make the first move.

As if answering my prayers, his fingers lace their way through my hair and pull me forward. He hesitates just before our lips make contact, his eyes are looking down into mine just before he presses his lips to mine. The kiss is light and slow at first, but before long it's as intense as it was last night. His other hand wraps around my waist tightly, and the kiss grows deeper. His tongue pushes its way into my mouth and I let him have control. My fingers grab at his hair, pulling him down to me with a fierce intensity.

His cellphone rings, breaking the spell. We try to ignore it, but it's gone. He growls as he pulls his hand from my hair and we both pull away, grumpy and panting. Derek keeps his arm laced around my hips, holding me in place. I can't help but revel in his warmth; this old dark room is freezing, and he's...I look up to him as he brings his phone to his ear. "What?" he asks. I take pride in the fact that there's an edge to his voice that wasn't there before.

I place my hand on his arm and he lets me go. I turn away and step through the doorway. I stare at the light pouring in from the cellar doorway. Events from last night stream through my head.

I bite my lip in embarrassment; I feel like I must be the most bipolar werewolf in existence.

"We're on our way now," Derek says snapping his phone shut and tucking it back into his pocket. I decide to just pretend like everything's normal for now, and that I did not just kiss the leader of some little werewolf cult I found myself in.

Except he makes that hard when he comes up behind me and hooks his arm around my stomach, pulling me tightly against him once again. I absentmindedly place my hands on his arm, feeling the rigid muscles beneath his skin. "This isn't over," his words are dark and promising. I'm completely paralyzed against him. Luckily for me, he releases me and walks down the hall and up the stairs as casual as ever.

"Nowhere close," I whisper breathlessly.