The last of the Fever—Heat, Derek had informed again, now that she was lucid enough to remember—was gone and now all that remained was cleaning before everyone came back.

Chloe's new senses were still raw so she let Derek wash the mattress and sheets but he explained she could wash out her nest materials with just water. That way, he said, when she went through Heat again, she wouldn't panic over the bedding.

So that's what she was doing in the bathroom when everyone came home. She could hear them, hear all the heartbeats and the tang of magic in them and scents of everyone else on them. Her eyes watered.

The door opened quietly behind her as she leaned over the bathtub, submerging the soiled nesting in the lukewarm water. A pair of Derek's underwear floated by.

A hand on her shoulder, thumb rubbing the back of her neck.

Alpha. The tension in her shoulder blades evaporated as she stopped and leaned into his touch, eyes falling shut.

"You okay? You smelled stressed."

"It's…a lot." She rose to her feet, making him back up, and sat on the edge of the tub facing him. Her head sledgehammered and pressure pushed behind her eyes. She flexed her hands into fists and curled her toes, nostrils flaring as the scents grew stronger, a dizzying mix she knew instinctively but couldn't describe.

"How do you do it?" she asked with a sniff as she blinked away the tears. "It's so much!"

He crouched in front of her and his hands encircled her hips, burrowing underneath the oversized T-shirt she was wearing. His hands stroked the skin there, soothing her. "I've been a werewolf my entire life, Chloe. You've only been one a week. It takes some time. Maybe…Maybe Maya can help you."

"Maya?" What was he talking about? She cracked a bleary eye open to stare at him. "Why—"

"She didn't start developing symptoms until she turned sixteen," he explained, hesitating, before he hoisted Chloe up and settled her in his lap while he sat on the toilet. "Or Rafe. Or Annie."

She rested her face in the crook of his neck. "Annie. I mean, Annie or Maya. Rafe still hasn't had his first Shift—"

Someone walked into the room, and she could smell Lauren's scent and hear the hammer of her heart, the whoosh of her breathing. Light footsteps came closer, louder.

Derek's grip on her hips tightened.

The door swung open and Lauren frowned at them. Her mouth was pinched tight, and her narrowed gaze assessed them slowly.

Before Chloe could make sense, she curled her lip over her teeth and growled, the deep, throaty sound escaping her. It sounded like something Derek would do but instead it was her, flashing her teeth.

"I don't like this," Lauren said, and Chloe felt Derek shift beneath her, ready to make a remark no doubt, "but Kit explained some things to me. You can understand it, I can't." She sighed softly, her eyes soft. "Just—just take care of her."

"She can do that herself," Derek said.

"You know what I mean. She's…the daughter I never had. I just want what's best for her." Lauren's voice had softened. "She's all I have."

Chloe's lip fell back into place and she stopped growling, watching Lauren.

"And if what's best for her is you, Derek, then I won't stand in the way anymore. I'm sorry."

Derek didn't say anything.

Lauren's gaze slid away to Chloe for a minute before she murmured, "Just be safe. I don't wanna know the details but I'm not trying to be a great-aunt," before she slipped out the door.

Chloe turned to Derek, brows furrowed, as he rubbed his hand in circles along her back. "What was that?" she asked him quietly.

He shook his head and snorted a laugh. "Don't ask me. I don't know. She's your aunt."

Kit kept shooting Derek glances throughout dinner. He smelled different too, an undercurrent of anxiety maybe curt-tailing his scent.

"What's that all about?" she whispered to Derek.

He was quiet for a moment, drying the bowl in his hands with far too much focus, before he blew out a breath that ruffled his bangs. "He might've implied it wasn't necessary I help you." A pause. "Once again reminding me I'm not his kid. He'd never second guess Tori or Simon when it comes to the people they care about but me? I'm always under the microscope. He gives them plenty of fucking leeway. Bio kids and all. That's not saying he doesn't love me. He does…like a lost puppy he brought home."

She stopped scrubbing the pan in her hands and turned, soapy hands and all, and hugged him. Hard. Squeezed her arms as tight as she could. "You're Derek," she said finally, "and if that isn't enough for him, it's enough for me. I trust you."

He set down the bowl and his hand curled around her jaw, tilting her face up. "Chloe, there's something I should tell you," he said, softly, his eyes soft and hazy. And there was something else there too, sweet and warm.

Her mouth dried and her heart started pounding. Her knees went weak.

He continued. "You remember…when we had to get off the bus? What they said about me?"

"You aren't dumb! Or ugly! I mean, you are big—" She squeaked, eyes widening, as he fought a smile it seemed. "Not like that! I mean, yes, like that but, like—"

"Chloe, do you remember what else they said? When I was protecting you?" His thumb rubbed slow circles, and her embarrassed floundering halted. Right now, he smelled like Derek—syrupy and comforting.

"Hm?"

"When they were taunting me. They said—"

"Something about mates, right? They said you thought you found—" Realization sank in slowly, inch by inch, soaking into her brain. Shock made her inhale shakily, her eyes finding his, and his face was soft but serious. His eyes were full of anxiety and a little bit of fear. She rocked back, backing out of his grasp, head spinning.

"I know it's a lot."

A choked noise escaped her. "Give me—give me a second." She slanted a glance at him. "Jesus Christ, warn a girl before you spring the 'you're my soulmate' talk on them." She wheezed even as her heart swelled in her chest and her stomach dropped.

"Are you okay? You know it doesn't change anything, right? You don't—" His jaw clenched, gaze shuttering. "—You don't have to be with me. This week, the Fever, that was—was just helping."

"And what if I want to be with? Before I got Turned?" She stepped close again. "What if I said I've been harboring a big, stupid crush on your stupid ass? Since" —a pause as she licked her dry lips— "like, Lyle House. Since you got stuck with me. What if—"

He cut her off with a solid, toe-curling, heart-pounding kiss. "I'd say you have your hands full," he growled playfully.

She laughed, letting him spin her around and around, content to be in his arms. Her alpha's arms.

Derek was a lot of things—rude, snarky, condescending, and much more—but most importantly, he was hers.