Disturbia – Chapter 2
Derek stretches one final time, enjoying the way his muscles finally answer him normally after four days of limping around. Pushing his hair out of his eyes, he straightens.
Five and half an hour at maximum speed before the first aches began. It's good. Not even close to his stamina before – more or less two days, which made him the most enduring member of the Pack, at least among the youngs – but he's confident now that it'll come back quickly with regular training.
He still had to stretch for about an hour after each run to avoid a terrible stiffness the morning after, but...well, he tries to not complain. And besides, the simple fact of being able to escape the house is worth any pain.
The atmosphere over there is suffocating. Half the Pack stares at him like he's going to go on a psychopathic stroll any moment now, and the other half treats him like he will drop dead soon. Not to mention they barely speak to him at all. He swears, if he has to bear one more wary, or worse, pitying look, he will fucking kill someone. Or at least take an hostage.
He's still waiting for Peter's text, but he wouldn't really blame him if his uncle finally decided to spare himself the insanity. Even trough it would mean that he would be on his own to deal with this whole mess, with no idea where to even begin.
He sighs, then shakes his head decisively. He got out to be on his own and enjoy it, not to dwell on how much his family stupidity angers – or hurts – him. He gets back to his walk, at brisk pace now instead of a run. He heads south, towards the river, intent on washing himself up a little.
The scent stops him even before the laughter resonates. He freezes momentarily, and then lets instinct take over, slipping under the wind and getting close without making a sound. He halts in the shadow of an oak, at the clearing's limit, and observes, unseen.
They're all here. All the youngs: Ethan, Tomas, Mary and...John, whose eyes flash blue now and then, all splashing each other heartily. Derek stares. He doesn't even know whether to laugh or cry.
This is...One of them almost killed himself a week ago because they were by themselves, and the Pack let them do it again? What the fuck is that, How my children almost died 2: the drowning?
Scratch that actually, Derek almost killed himself and got fucking shunned for it and they are all being happy bunnies without sparing a thought about him. None of them, not Mary not even John, fucker, seem to give a shit. He didn't even came check up on Derek.
A part of him know he's being irrational. They're kids and kids are selfish and sometimes downright uncaring, and blaming them is not reasonable. But at this moment, he decides he's the one who doesn't give a shit.
He steps into the clearing, placing himself deliberately in the wind this time, and watches John and Ethan freeze and turn toward him with wide eyes. He can't help the cold smile that stretch his lips as he says, falsely calm, «Can I join in?», while causally stroll forward. The other kids - all humans – jump, and several even fall backwards on their asses.
Derek stops at about four steps from them, and tilts his head a little. «So? Can I join?». The children slowly step back, like Derek is going to try and rip their throats out, and he can't help but showing his teeth, just a little, even as he knows it's probably a bad idea. Actually, the whole confrontation is a phenomenal bad idea, but fucked for fucked, at least he can vent a little.
That's when John step up, and says «We don't want you here», eyes flashing blue, and Derek sees red. Forget the little part.
From his father or mother, distance and wariness hurt, but he gets it. Kinda. They're Alpha and Second, so they have to think of the Pack first. And well, okay, why not? It's not like he's their son or anything...so, yeah, he gets it. Maybe.
From David...they never been that close anyway, so...whatever.
And from Laura, that's probably where it hurts the most, because, fuck everything, she may be future Alpha, but she doesn't have any responsibility yet, and they're brother and sister, dammit! But of course, Miss Future Alpha has to obey and imitate father, and Derek let it go after a few tries. He wasn't going to beg.
But from John of all people...and the cub dares to bare his fangs to him on the top of it? Derek growls, low and aggressive, let the shift half take over, features sharpening and eyes flaring dangerously. John takes a step back, fear on his face, but Derek grabs him by the arm, faster than eye can see and squeezes, and the rage spills over.
«You ungrateful little son of a bitch,» he spats with more contempt he thought he could ever manage to muster for anyone, "Who do you think you have to thanks for your new shiny little fangs and eyes? Thanks to who do you think you're still alive, huh? If it wasn't for me, you still would be a freaking bag of bones sticking out of skin, covered in blood and splattered all over the rocks! You own me your life, and you dare to defy me and tell where I can or cannot stay? Who the fuck do you think you are, cub?"
He'd ended his vicious speech with his face about three inches from John's, teeth fully bared in the boy's face. Doesn't mean he's not keeping an eye – or rather an hear – on what's going around, and he knows Laura is approaching fast and stopping about two meters behind him long before she speaks. She smells of anger and worry and, more surprising, of fear, a little.
Not that it transpires in her voice when she orders: "Derek, let go of him!". Laura's not an Alpha, not by far, so Derek could easily shrug off the demand, but, well...considering how livid John is, the kid actually seems to have understood his lesson. He lets go rather abruptly, dismissing the boy entirely and turning toward his sister, who is half wolfed out, too.
"What the fuck is wrong with you?". Her tone is caught between furious and disbelieving. "What the hell were you thinking, attacking him like that?".
"Wrong with me?" Derek laughs harshly and spreads his arms, mocking. "So, out of the whole situation, I'm the one who's in the wrong if I'm to listen to you? There is nothing, nothing at all that you find wrong, let's say, with the whole Pack, lately?".
Laura's lips thin. "You don't get it, Derek! You're not Alpha. The repercussions of having a Gifted wolf in a Pack...The story with Peter was already a terrible blow to the Pack's reputation. You have no idea of the number of allies we lost because of it. I know what you think of politics, Derek. But without them, we would be nothing more than bunch of savage wolves".
"No", Derek retorts coldly, roughly, and he knows it's not that simple, has read enough about Pack's diplomacy and rules to know that, but he's too angry, too hurt to try and be comprehensive right now. "No, we would only be a Pack of werewolves who doesn't reject anybody based on what abnormal abilities they may or may not develop".
Laura opens her mouth, like she was about to say something, but she finally shakes her head. "I'm sorry, Derek, really I am. But father's orders are very clear. And from the way you acted with John, I'm beginning to think he's right. You're dangerous".
Yeah, so dangerous, I saved my brother. Terrifying, indeed... But he doesn't say anything out loud. He feels...disappointed, somehow. That his sister would let him down so easily, just because of rules and her Alpha's orders. Granted, they didn't always saw eye to eye, and fought often, about everything and anything under the sun, but...well, still, he would have thought Pack bond meant more than that.
Still, he tries one last time. Letting his muscles relax and the shift retreat, he walk forward, as nonthreatening as possible. "So I lost my temper with John" he admits, "And what? Can't you conceive that hearing him reject me after what I done for him could hurt? I wouldn't have hurt him, not physically. I just...".
Visibly, that was the wrong thing to say, because Laura bares her teeth and cuts him short. "You just what? Children are the most precious members of the Pack, you know that. They're our treasures! We 'd all die to protect them! There is no "just" in what you did, Derek! It was...".
"I saved his life" Derek snaps. "And I shouted at him. Only shouted. Okay, I shook him a little, too, but...Why do you act like I tried to fucking maim him or something?".
"Because you will!". Laura's voice rings out in the clearing, the shout carrying her disgust. But under it, Derek can detect some kind of wild despair, and it makes him hesitate to retort as savagely as he planned.
"What?" he says instead, voice low and laced with disbelief. "Laura, what the fuck are you...? I would never... He steps forward, unsure and lost. His sister instantly steps backwards, eyes trained on him, and he freezes. He sees her swallow, and for a moment, she looks like just as uncertain as he feels. But then her gaze hardens, and any connection they could have found again is broken.
She shakes her head without answering, before gesturing to the children to gather around her. She turns, visibly ready to leave, but Derek's not going to let her go that easily. She has answers, and he needs them desperately.
He steps forward quickly, barring her way, chin up and eye to eye, defiant, to make clear that he's not going to move unless she makes him, and asks "Laura, what the fuck does that mean?", quietly but firmly.
For a second, he believes she's going to actually attack him in order to pass, and he shifts his weight a little, readying himself, but she smiles coldly all of a sudden, and says "Ask Peter, since you have his number. Ask him about the Lauren Pack. I'm sure he'll love to speak of all his kills with you".
When she steps around him, he's so stunned that he doesn't do anything to try and stop her. He sees her and the youngs disappear without really seeing it, lost in his thoughts. For the first time since his Gift appeared, he asks himself if he's wrong to believe that it's not a curse.
He stands here for a long time. When, hours later, his phone chimes with the text that contain Peter's motel address, Derek doesn't know if he should feel relieved or afraid.