Chapter 19

Scarlet didn't see Derek all weekend. She hadn't expected to see him, she knew it was dangerous, but she had no idea if he was ok. For all she knew the hunters or the alpha had gotten him. Stiles took Scott out to get him drunk, but apparently Stiles was the only one to get drunk. Scarlet chose to stay home, but she still heard all about it from Stiles.

Apparently Scott was taking hostility to a whole new level on the full moon though. Scarlet had done as she was told and stayed home. Sleep hadn't come easy for her the last couple of days. Every time she went to sleep she had a nightmare, sometimes it was about the fire, other times there was a man that was chasing her, mostly though she was walking through the woods, there was mist everywhere and she knew someone was after her, but she was trying to find Derek and couldn't get to him.

Scarlet fell asleep in front of her computer, on top of her bed. She had the nightmare again where she was walking through the woods. This time though the man was calmly following her, just out of sight. Scarlet wasn't afraid of him though, she knew there was something familiar about him.

"I have something for you, there is something that I need you to do for me. Will you help me Scarlet," he asked.

"How do you know my name?"

"I know a lot of things about you, I know about your relationship with Derek, I know that you paint and play the piano. I know that you are afraid to sing for Derek, because you don't like to share that part of yourself. Now will you help me?"

"Will you tell me who you are?"

"Eventually, but right now all I need to know is if you will help me."

"I'll help you, what do you need me to do?"

"I have a message that I need to get to Derek. Can I trust you to deliver it for me," he asked. Scarlet could see him coming closer to her through the mist but she couldn't see his face yet.

"Of course," she said nervously. "What is the message?"

"I think he will understand it just fine, now don't move," he ordered in a smooth voice. Red eyes were staring at her through the mist and a low growl suddenly reverberated through the dark woods.

Scarlet took a step back to run away turning as she did so, but she never got the chance to run. Her body hit the ground and she could feel blood rushing out of her. She drew in a ragged breath and tried to scream, but nothing came out. She stared up into the red eyes of the alpha as he leaned closer to her.

"You will be mine."

"Scarlet, can you hear me? Scarlet? Look at me," someone demanded.

Scarlet let out a low groan, her entire body protesting in pain. Her eyes fluttered open and she drew in a ragged breath. Her vision cleared and she realized that she was in the woods. She closed her eyes and someone pulled her into a sitting position. Scarlet cried out in pain and the person let go of her, her body dropped back to the ground and she groaned loudly.

"Scarlet, what are you doing out here? Why are you bleeding? What happened to you," he asked. "Will you say something please?"

"Derek," she replied as she reopened her eyes. Her brown eyes locked with his green ones and she let out a sigh of relief.

"What are you doing out here? What are you thinking being out on the full moon?"

"I don't know how I got here Derek. I was asleep in my room, and then... I had a dream, but I... I can't remember what happened. There was blood though, I was bleeding, and I was supposed to tell you something."

"What's in your hand Scarlet," Derek asked as he held up her tightly closed fist. She uncurled her fingers, a piece of paper falling free. Derek picked it up and silently read whatever it said. The look in his eyes told her everything she needed to know. This message was not good, and she was now in more danger than ever.

"What does it say," she asked.

"She will be mine."

"It's from the alpha."

Derek met her gaze and nodded his head. "We should get you home. The alpha must have clawed you again, your back is bleeding."

"What about you," she asked as he scooped her off the ground. She leaned against him, her body sagging tiredly against his. She inhaled sharply as pain shot through her back.

"In case you haven't noticed, I was born for roaming the woods at night, you were not. I'll be fine."

"You are worried."

"I have a lot to be worried about," Derek pointed out. "Hunters, the alpha, being wanted, now this."

"Do you ever wish you hadn't met me? Your life would be so much easier if your mate were another werewolf or someone who could protect herself," Scarlet whispered.

"No Scarlet, you are my mate, we are bound together, no matter what! This connection goes beyond choice, chemistry, and fate, it's everything. It's how I knew you were in the woods tonight and that something was wrong. I would not change this."

Scarlet let her head rest against his shoulder as he carried her back to her house. She could feel herself growing weaker, and wondered how much blood she had lost. Derek didn't seem too concerned about the wound though. Derek paused when he reached her backyard, glancing around nervously.

"They aren't home, Stiles is supposed to be with Scott and my dad is working," Scarlet whispered.

"Stiles wasn't with Scott, I saw him earlier."

"Why did you see Scott?"

"He almost attacked Alison and Jackson, he's agreed to help me find the Alpha though," Derek explained. He managed to get the backdoor open without having to set her down. It didn't take long for him to carry her up to her room once they were inside.

Derek carried her into the bathroom, sitting her on the edge of the tub and turning on the water. She gasped when the cold water splashed against her skin. Derek helped her tug off her clothes and climb into the water. She shivered as she drew her knees up into her chest, trying to stay warm. Derek went back into her bedroom and found some clothes for her to change into.

Derek knelt next to the tub, and grabbed a washcloth. "This is going to sting," he warned before he began to clean the wound on her back. Scarlet yelped in pain and flinched away from him. Derek continued to clean her back, despite her tears. She could see the water turning pink from all the blood.

Derek drained the water from the tub, before filling it back up. He washed her off, she was covered in dirt from the woods. He finally finished and helped her out of the tub, wrapping her in a towel as he did so. Scarlet leaned into him again, resting her forehead against his chest.

"I need to bandage up your back," Derek reminded her.

Scarlet let out a sigh and nodded her head. She sat on the edge of the tub again, and swept her hair over one shoulder. She shifted the towel so that her back was completely exposed. "How bad is it Derek?"

"It's fine," he said tensely. Scarlet could tell that he wasn't being honest though, it was worse than he was letting on.

Scarlet stood up and pushed past him so she could look in the mirror in her room. She twisted around and glanced at her reflection over her shoulder. She gasped loudly when she saw the marks. They started just below her mark and ended above the base of her spine. "It's fine," she snapped. "Derek, this runs the entire length of my back! How is this fine?"

"It could be a lot worse," Derek replied as he took her hand and pulled her back into the bathroom.

"How could this be worse?"

"He could have killed you or he could have changed you, that's how. He didn't though, so let's be thankful for that."

"Yeah I'm really thankful to have scars all over my back because of a psycho werewolf with something against us! Gee what is it going to do next? Get me pregnant," Scarlet cried.

"Don't joke like that," Derek said darkly.

"Oh my god, do you really think it would do that?"

"Scarlet, the alpha has proven that it is completely unpredictable. I have no idea what it is going to do! Right now though, I need you to calm down, and let me take care of this before your dad and Stiles get home."

Scarlet fell silent and turned back aroud to let him put the bandages on. Once he finished, he helped her get redressed. She held the shirt he had brought in her hands, staring down at it instead of putting it on.

"It doesn't smell like you anymore," she said softly. Derek realized that it was the shirt he had given her the first time she had been attacked. "It smells like me, and stuff like that just makes this harder. I know we can't be together, because its not safe, but not being able to see you at all is... its just... I just miss you."

Derek took the shirt from her hands and set it on the counter. He tugged off the shirt he was wearing and pushed her arms up so he could slip the shirt on her. He pulled the other shirt on and smiled at her. "It's a little dirty, but it will smell like me. I'll check on you in a few days and bring you another one," he offered.

"Can you stay with me? Just for tonight? I don't want to be alone and after what just happened, I'm scared."

"Scarlet," Derek said tiredly. It wasn't that he didn't want to stay with her, he did, but he knew that staying would make leaving again even harder. It was ridiculous, they had spent so little time together, but already he couldn't stand being away from her, especially while she was in danger like this. He didn't understand how the alpha had gotten her out of the house. It didn't make any sense why the alpha wanted her at all, yes she was his mate, but she was human, she was just a girl, what importance could she have for the alpha?

"I know, I'm sorry, you are supposed to be keeping a low profile and spending the night at the sheriff's house isn't exactly laying low. I... I sleep better when you are here, I keep having these nightmares, I don't mean to unload on you or make you feel like you have to stay," Scarlet said as she looked away from him, her hair falling in her face. "I can't talk to anyone else about this, not even Stiles. I just feel like I'm all alone."

"You aren't alone Scarlet, we are in this together and you can talk to Stiles, he is your twin afterall. As much as he annoys me, he does care about you and he would want to know what is going on with you," Derek pointed out. He pushed her hair out of her face so he could look at her. "I'll stay, just for tonight."

"Will you be here when I wake up?"

"I can't promise that."

Scarlet nodded and took his hand pulling him out of the bathroom and over to her bed. Derek sat down on the bed as she went over to the door and pushed it shut. She flopped down on the bed bouncing slightly. She let out a whimper of pain as it jolted her back. She rolled onto her stomach, resting her head against her arm. Derek ran his fingers through her hair as she stared up at him.

Scarlet's eyes slowly drifted shut as Derek settled next to her. He kept his eyes on her face as she began to fall asleep. A noise outside jolted her awake though. Derek was immediately on alert and moved to her window to look outside.

"Your dad and Stiles are back."

Scarlet heaved a sigh and slowly sat up. Derek pressed a kiss to her forehead before going in the bathroom and shutting the door. She drew her knees into her chest and grabbed a book off her nightstand. She flipped it open to a random page and pretended to be reading it.

"You won't believe what happened," Stiles exclaimed as he burst into her room. He threw himself onto the foot of her bed and pressed his hands against his face. "Scott is totally out of control. We have to figure out who the alpha is."

"Yeah, we do," Scarlet replied as she dropped the book on the floor. "What did he do now?"

"He told me he would talk to Lydia for me, then he made out with her."

"He did what," Scarlet demanded. "Why would he do that?"

"I don't know, maybe it was the full moon."

"Don't make excuses for him Stiles, he knows what she means to you."

"So... how are you doing? Have you heard from Derek?"

"Yeah," Scarlet said as she glanced at her bathroom door. Stiles followed her gaze and Derek opened the door and shook his head at her. "Something happened tonight Stiles."

"What," Stiles asked as he glanced between them.

"The alpha got her out of the house and into the woods," Derek explained.

"I was having a dream. I was walking through the woods and there was a man following me. I couldn't see who he was though. He knew my name and things about me. He asked me to help him with something, he said there was a message he needed me to deliver. When I agreed, he turned into the alpha, I tried to get away but I couldn't and he attacked me again."

She twisted around and showed Stiles the marks on her back. She dropped the shirt and turned back to Stiles. "I've been having nightmares lately, all related to the alpha I think. We are pretty sure that the alpha is trying to keep Derek and I apart. After tonight its more obvious than ever, I had a note in my hand that said she will be mine. Whoever it is doesn't want Derek and I together. The Argents know about us too, Mr. Argent saw us together at the gas station."

"Are you ok? Why didn't you tell me about any of this," Stiles asked as Derek rejoined them on the bed. Scarlet took Derek's hand and exchanged a look with him.

"I didn't want you to worry, I was also afraid that you would blame this on Derek. I know how you feel about him," Scarlet explained.

"Scar, he's your... boyfriend? I don't know what you are calling him, but I know this isn't his fault. This is all the alpha's doing. We have to figure out who it is and how to stop them."

So, chapter 21 has a sex scene in it, how do you guys feel about that? The story is rated T, but I think I'm going to bump it up to M. I feel like the story is starting to deal with some heavier stuff, and now with the sex... just let me know what you guys think.