"It's a sort of mind control. Think of it as that bullet I was shot with awhile ago... it infects the body and mind. It's an old ritual that I haven't seen for a long time." Derek paced back and forth, racking his brain for a solution. Somehow Deucalion had stuck his claws into Claire and now there was nothing to save her. Derek couldn't let that happen. Not when he just got her back. The more time they wasted, the more the poison spread to her body.

Whatever was happening to her, was happening quickly. In a matter of a couple hours, nearly her whole back was lined with angry black veins. Derek couldn't watch as she writhed under the pain. It hurt him. It pained him in a place that had been empty for so long. She was slowly deteriorating. They tried bleeding her out, attempting to get the poison out before it reached her heart, but it didn't work.

"What if we take her to him, make some kind of a bargain with Deucalion?"

"The only thing he wants is for me to kill my pack and join him."

"This might sound crazy, but what about wolfsbane?"

All eyes landed on Peter.

"Wolfsbane is meant to injury werewolves, not heal them."

"But it does counteract some poisons." Peter interjected.

Derek was willing to try anything at this point. Anything to get Claire back to her stubborn-ass-kicking ways.

"It's worth a try, Derek." Scott muttered.

"Let's do it."

An hour had passed and finally, Peter and Derek had gathered enough supplies. Derek sat on the couch, the barely conscious Claire leaned up against his chest on her side, his arms pinning her down. It was an uncomfortable position, but Derek would live. Isaac held down her ankles while Peter crushed up the wolfsbane. Stiles and Scott were the helpless ones.

"She's not going to like this." Peter warned.

Derek took hold of her hand and looked up at his uncle. "Just do it."

Peter pressed the crushed wolfsbane into the puncture wounds. Claire screamed in pain, the smell of burning flesh filled the air. She tried to break free of the hands that were holding her down, but in her weakened state, she could barely arm wrestle Cora, let alone anyone else.

"Please- Please make it stop..." She cried, burying her face into Derek's forearm.

His ears rang and his heart nearly shattered for her, but Derek stayed strong against her pleas. It was what was best for her. But that didn't mean it didn't pain him to see her suffer so much.

It's easy to look at people and make quick judgments about them, their present and their pasts, but you'd be amazed at the pain and tears a single smile hides. What a person shows to the world is only one tiny facet of the iceberg hidden from sight. And more often than not, it's lined with cracks and scars that go all the way to the foundation of their soul. In that moment, Claire's walls had disappeared and everyone in the room saw the fragile, broken girl beneath the surface.

After a few moments of her struggling against them, Derek felt her body go completely limp against him. He listened to her heart beat. It was there, but just barely. Sliding off the couch and gathering her in his arms, Derek carried her to the door.

"Wait, where are you going?!" Scott yelled.

Derek didn't bother turning around. "To find Deucalion." He left without another word. He finally understood what true love meant...love meant that you care for another person's happiness more than your own, no matter how painful the choices you face might be.

Have you ever been in love? Horrible isn't it? It makes you so vulnerable. It opens your chest and it opens up your heart and it means that someone can get inside you and mess you up. You build up all these defenses, you build up a whole suit of armor, so that nothing can hurt you, then one stupid person, no different from any other stupid person, wanders into your stupid life... you give them a piece of you.

Love takes hostages. It gets inside you. It eats you out and leaves you crying in the darkness, so simple a phrase like 'maybe we should be just friends' turns into a glass splinter working its way into your heart. It hurts. Not just in the imagination. Not just in the mind. It's a soul-hurt, a real gets-inside-you-and-rips-you-apart pain.

And Derek was about to rip the band-aid off his once scarred over wounds. If it meant she'd live to see another day, then so be it. He wasn't about to let her die. He promised her that he wouldn't let anything happen to her and ever since she came back into his life, she was hurt far more times than he was in his entire life.

Isaac and Scott followed Derek, preparing themselves for a battle should Deucalion actually take the bait.

When you dance with the devil, you don't get to pick the tune.

The walk into the woods didn't take long, it would be the best place for cover. As much as we have free choice, absolute destiny is immutable. What is meant to happen does, through one measure or another. Gently laying her down on the forest ground, Derek sent a deep but very loud howl, knowing that Deucalion would hear him. Isaac and Scott stood alert while Derek bent down to brush a few strands of hair out of Celeste's face.

Unbeknownst to them, Deucalion was watching silently, the blind excuse long forgotten. The Alpha could see perfectly. He couldn't help but notice how the Alpha caressed the girl's face, or how he had carried her, like she meant something to him. Deucalion had an idea then. Now that the girl was on his side.. he could kill two birds with one stone.

Get her to attack Derek.

Get Derek to kill her.

It was a win-win situation, really.

Deucalion's face lit up with a smirk as she stepped out of the shadows. The crunching of leaves alerted his company that their bait had arrived.

Derek stood, his hands balled into fists. Scott stood with hatred in his eyes, while Isaac stood poised, alert. They each had their own vendetta against the Alpha, each with their own little plan on the side.

"I'll join your pack ... if you help her." Derek said through clenched teeth.

Deucalion considered this for a moment before stepping forward, bending down toward the girl. Extracting his claws, the Alpha dug them into her chest, just above her heart. Claire clawed at the arm, trying to free herself from it. Deucalion retracted his claws and stood. The dark, protruding veins were gone from her skin. Claire opened her eyes, sucking in a ragged breath.

Derek nearly fell to his knees.

"Darling, why don't you show these boys just how mean you can get?" Deucalion smirked, before declaring war. "Attack."

Claire's head turned toward Derek, Scott and Isaac. She stood, center of the woods, her blood-red eyes all the color of hatred. With her hair loose and her pale skin, she was an exquisite horror, like a doll constructed by an evil hand. And she was evil, her darkness coming to him in waves, emanating from the center of her chest even as nothing about her moved and her face remained unmarred by a frown.

A dominant wolf's desire to protect was a strong instinct - Derek was very dominant. He crouched low.

"You want her to kill us?"

Deucalion chuckled. "No.. I want you to kill her."

Claire dipped into a crouch and lunged, her nails digging into Derek's shoulder as he fell backwards, throwing her off of him. She landed in a crouch as Derek got back to his feet. Isaac and Scott tried to grab her, but as angry as she was, Claire easily threw them off.

Some things are private. Some things needed to be said, even when the person who needed to hear them couldn't hear anything. Ever again.

"Claire, this isn't you!" Derek yelled. He grabbed her hands and made her look at him. Only dead, hatred filled eyes stared back. "Fight this!"

"Fuck you!" Claire slashed at his chest, tearing his shirt.

He was thrown into a nearby tree, a groan leaving his lips. It was official, he'd just stepped out of the kiddie pool and into the deep end. And drowning was not an option.

Author's Note: Another chapter. How you all enjoy it! :) Reviews are lovely.