Here goes the final chapter!
Will Stiles survive his feral encounter?
Will Derek reach him in time?
Will Scott gain any deductive abilities?
Find out now on the final installment of "The Phoenix!"
Chapter Two-Ashes Part Two
His head hung low in the afternoon glow of the sun. He sat on a bench as people moved with purpose and urgency around him. Nothing felt real anymore. His senses were dulled by the agonizing hole that started in the center of his chest and had quickly spread to engulf his entirety. He was alone and freezing as the burn of repercussions replaced the burn of passion he had once known. As his head sank farther, his body collapsed into its coffin, preparing for its final rest. The wolf had given up, and like any lone wolf in the wild, he died.
"Derek."
The call cried, only reaching a dead telephone.
"Derek."
Static drowned the last call as eyes began to flutter shut. These police officers, these teens, this town, would finally be rid of the fiery curse that was 'Hale.'
Pain; he felt it. Physically he felt pain. His eyes fought to catch it, the angry pup whose glare dared him to live; dared him to fight; a glare that would have more effect on a stone carving. One last flutter, then black.
A shake, a sting, a shake, a light.
"Look at me Hale." A voice full with command and authority. A shake, a sting. "Hale, you look at me right now or I swear on my family, I will lodge this bullet in head." The command came too late.
"Is it pure?" They were barely words at this point.
"The purest."
A cold compress on his temple.
"Do it."
"And how would Stiles feel about that?"
"Stiles, Stiles is…"
"Dead? You think I'd be holding a gun to your head in the middle of a police station if that weird boy was dead? Think about it, Hale. Where did you loose his scent?"
"The river."
"Right, the river. So that means?"
"He drowned."
"No dumbass. What happens when someone goes through water?"
"It…"
"It?"
"It…it masques their scent."
"Exactly. Now, if that boy is told to run he's going to?"
"Argue, then run, then stop, hear a twig crack, and run some more."
"Precisely. Now Hale, if you're just going to give up because your little wolf nose can't smell him, you might as well have let your uncle kill him that night. Do you want Stiles dead?"
"No."
"So why are you leaving him forest, where he's likely to be attacked by anything?"
"He'd probably freak out, then realize he didn't grab his Adderall when he left…which means he's probably talking to a mountain lion!" Derek bolted out of his trance at the thought of Stiles trying to talk to a mountain lion.
"Eh, he'd probably convince it to build him a fort, then kill itself so he could cook it."
"Honestly," the sheriff spoke, "I don't think my son's man enough to eat any meat that wasn't wrapped in plastic first."
The four men and a few officers shared a laugh at the missing boys expense.
"We'll regroup at my house just before it gets dark. He won't be moving then, he'll be too afraid. And I hope he's not dumb enough to even try moving at night." Chris Argent had proven once again that although he was a hunter, he was apart of the Hale pack.
"You know, I thought you guys were gonna eat me." Stiles laughed as he told the tale of his fear to the white wolf next to him. "But you're a lot like us. I mean literally, a lot like us."
"You see those two over there," he pointed to a brown and a gray wolf that were nestled into each other on a rock, "the disgusting ones that have yet to separate. Yeah, that would be Scott and Allison."
The wolf let out a high pitched whine, which sang agreement with Stiles.
"They never stop. It's kind of repulsing. But I guess she's the only person I can ever imagine tolerating him."
The white wolf whined again and tossed its head to another group a wolves, a brown wolf, a gray wolf, and one that looked peculiarly like a Husky or an Akita.
"Danny, Lydia, and Jackson. Let me guess, he's adopted and feels the need to push himself to prove he's the best?"
At this the wolf started panting.
"Yeah, Danny's clearly the brown one, he's lying down; relaxed yet knows he's got more common sense than most of us. And look at Lydia. Sitting up, straight and proper, a look a judgment scrawled across her snout." The gray wolf looked away. "Yep, that's her. Bet she's smart."
"Does this guy ever take a break? So moody, that's Derek. I miss him. Derek's my boyfriend. I hope he's okay."
The wolf moved from Stiles' side and jogged over to "Derek," sniffing and licking the obvious Alpha of the pack. The notion strengthened within Stiles to make it back in one piece and safe, if only to see Derek with the absolute last of his energy.
He watched the wolves continue in their oddly similar patterns as the moon replaced the sun. The white wolf tucked his snout under the humans chin and pushed up until eyes were pressed against the moon. His gazed continued until he heard whimpers from the seven wolves that were now sitting around him. He looked into the waiting eyes and whispered "What?" The white wolf stood and lifted his head to the sky and howled.
A chorus of harmonizing howls broke the night time's serenade, changing the tone of the play. Stiles watched as they came to stop and stared at him. He missed the high decibel noise and looked to the sky. He howled. He howled a cry for Derek; a cry of love. Soon the pack had joined him as the stage shifted and new scenery placed him in a deep, unrivaled, complete slumber.
The trees ran past Derek as he made his trek into the night, reaching the river that had once resigned his brunette lover to death. The threatened the now crashing waters as leapt and defeated them. His senses heightened by the will to fight. Scott swift by his side, the night had never met a stronger foe than the Alpha of the Hale pack.
They tore through the darkness and ripped through the trees. The scent of sweat and pressure staining the air they dominated. Then he was there. In the clearing ahead, where the trees hollowed a space one could find lounging wolves, Stiles lie. The boy stirred as Derek knelt beside him. His brown eyes open to meet the ice blue, fear laced, and relieve diamonds that were Derek's.
Derek cradled Stiles in his arms and lifted like a new bride. "I love you."
"I love you too." Stiles smiled. "This is Derek guys." He announced.
Derek turned wildly, scanning the area for anything he could have missed. "Who are you talking to?"
"The wolves." Stiles stood, keeping Derek's arms around him. "I guess they left." He whispered, a sad air thickly coating his words.
The next couple of days went by and the animosity slowly submitted to Beacon Hills' typical routine. The abnormality came from the amount of surveillance the sheriff placed on Stiles and Derek. It wasn't immense, but if one tried, they could find an under cover policeman watching the two every so often on a few of their dates.
"You should have seen them. I swear Derek, they were right next to me when I fell asleep."
"You know there aren't any wolves in California, Stiles." Derek cooed as he pulled Stiles closer to him. "They don't live anywhere around here."
"But I saw them, and they acted just like us. There was even a grumpy, yet adorable one; jus like you."
"Must have been your imagination."
Stiles turned and watched Derek's eyes change into blue diamonds.
"Why do they do that?"
"What?"
"Your eyes; they're blue when you look at me, but crimson when you look at anyone else."
Derek closed his eyes and willed the blue away. "How about now?"
"Still blue."
Derek released a sigh and mumbled something.
"Because you submit to only me?" Stiles next to shouted with excitement. "Really? You love me that much?"
"Stiles, if you tell anyone, I will stop talking to you for a month."
"You don't talk." Stiles stuck his tongue out.
Derek ceased his opportunity and pulled the smaller teen into a kiss.
"Submit to me Derek." Stiles giggled.
"That's it!" Derek rolled over Stiles and began to wrestle with the flailing teenager.
Here we was, Derek Hale, destroyed by fire.
Here they were, Derek and Stiles, born from ashes.
That was it! I hope you liked it. I thoroughly enjoyed writing it. And I love the reviews and support. Thanks so much. Ta ta for now.
.Crown