Stella's POV

After waiting endlessly for Derek to get back, I finally caved to my hunger and asked Mark, the (somewhat nosy) neighbour, to run down to the nearest shop and get me some supplies. He was kind enough to do so. I had had breakfast, taken a shower, watched TV to kill time, had lunch, talked to my uncle, and watched some more TV before I had any news on Derek's whereabouts.

It came in the form of a frantic phone call from Stiles late afternoon. He talked a mile a minute but this is what I gathered from his ramblings: Derek had been shot with a wolfsbane bullet, I thought I heard him mention the name of Kate Argent but I couldn't be sure. He said something about how Derek had sent Scott over to the Argent's to retrieve a bullet from the same batch that shot him and how if Scott was too late coming back with that, Derek would make him cut off his arm. Stiles then proceeded to freak out and make gagging noises just thinking of the blood and a saw cutting through the muscle and bone; he made me want to gag as well. I thought I heard Derek grunt in pain behind Stiles and asked for him to be put on. There was a small pause and a slight scuffle before Derek's gruff voice spoke from the other end.

"What do you want?" he asked. His breathing was loud and harsh and I couldn't even imagine being hit by a bullet much less being hit by a bullet which was essentially filled with a werewolves' kryptonite.

"Look," I said, "I don't know how much this will help right now because I can tell that you're in a lot of pain but you're going to be fine. Scott's going to find that bullet and bring it back and you are going to be -"

I was interrupted with the distant sound of Derek grunting in pain and gritting through his teeth. A moment later Stiles was back on the phone.

"What did you say to him?" he asked.

"Just that he was going to be fine," I answered. "I thought it would help."

There was nervous laughter from Stiles before he said,

"Listen, you stay put. Don't leave the apartment at any cost. I'll call you as soon as all this blows over."

[...]

Derek arrived later that night. He looked as if he'd just fought in a battle.

Stiles had called just a couple hours ago to tell me that everything had worked out and Derek would be fine. Knowing Stiles though, I think he was most relieved about not having to cut off Derek's arm; that and the fact that Scott came back alive even after a run in with scary Papa Argent.

Derek stood in the doorway and from what I could see in the dim light from the living room falling onto him, wasn't much. There was a visible hole in his jacket sleeve, most likely from the bullet that had hit him. He looked more pale than usual.

"Did you leave the apartment?" he asked. He seemed angry but it was as if he was too tired to actually show his anger.

"I did," I replied. There was no point in lying; he would know.

"I thought I made myself clear that you are not to leave the apartment."

"And what? Starve to death?" I questioned him. "I'd rather die at the hands of the Alpha, at least it'd be quicker."

There was a sharp intake of breath and I noticed the curling fist at his side.

"Your death wish might actually have come true if I'd died today," he said before stalking off to his room. I heard the door shut behind him and then the sound of running water a minute later.

I stayed seated where I had been when Derek had walked in. His last words replayed in my head over and over again.

My death wish would've come true ... my death wish.

What did he even know about that? Nothing. Absolutely nothing. But what did I expected him to know; nothing.

What did I expect anyone to know? Nothing.

If it weren't for Stiles, I would've gone looking for a way out a long time ago. Life is rough and it's been rough to me. More than rough actually. It tore out my entire foundation one lonely night in the form of a drunk driving accident.

What did the drunken asshole get? A slap on the wrist; a fine, a license suspension and a few minor scratches was what he got. That was it.

What did I get? The choice to come to Beacon Hills to stay with my uncle and Stiles (who are my only relatives in the country) or be forced into foster care until I turned 18. That was what I got.

What did my uncle get? The news of his only niece being orphaned and to take her in.

They say life isn't fair and we use that statement for everything that we think is not fair, but you know what's really not fair, losing my parents and growing up an orphan. That's not fair. It's not fair to anyone out there that's lost a loved one because of someone else's stupid choice.

My death wish.

I hadn't asked to be taken and hidden to be kept safe from the Alpha; this was all Stiles. I was only doing this for him. He had lost his mother, the only female influence in his life, at a very young age. He wasn't going to lose me too. Not today, not ever.

Not if I could help it.

A/N: Alrighty. First off, apologizes! I am so incredibly sorry about the lateness of this update. I had absolutely no inspiration to write this chapter. But I sat my butt down and finally wrote it. *yay*
Second, I'm sorry for the shortness of the chapter. I thought about writing more but I don't think there was any point to adding more words to this particular chapter. I kinda like where I've ended it. You get to see what Stella's story is and I don't want to reveal too much at once (aka infodump things on you).
And from the way I'm seeing things right now, I'm thinking that the next chapter might be in Derek's POV. Let's see what happens.
Anyway, Happy Canada Day to any Canadian readers (yes, I know it's pretty much over :P ) and Happy Monday/Tuesday to the rest of you depending on where in the world you are! Oh, and Happy early Independence Day to all American readers!
And please leave your thoughts, I'd love to know what you think! (:

xo,
Neena :)