Stiles The Teen Wolf
Episode Six: Heart Monitor

They'd arrived too late that night. By the time they made it to the school's parking lot, most of the people were gone, one of them being his dad. Scott was still there, as were the Argents, so Derek kept his distance and Stiles came closer. He'd asked Scott what had happened, where his dad was, why hadn't he been answering Stiles' calls, but the only real answer Stiles got was 'I don't know'. Stiles had left that night completely pissed and when he got home, his dad was on the couch watching tv and drinking.

"What are you doing?" Stiles' voice was harsh and he tried to reign himself back in, but it was so hard when he was so angry. "Scott said you got hit by a car."

The Sheriff's eyes were glazed over a bit, but the man managed a straight and coherent answer. "The car bumped me Stiles. It was hardly an injury or a car accident." Stiles nodded, taking the steady heart beat as proof. His dad believed himself fine, then so be it. Climbing up to his room he knew Derek would be there, and that was the only think that made the whole night bearable.

"Tomorrow night. Hale Mansion." Derek's voice had come from the window, and Stiles could only manage a nod before Derek was gone, taking his scent with him. Sleep wasn't easy that night, but he hardly wanted to think about it right now. Right now he had something better to focus on.

The darkness surrounded them, the light from the moon being the only thing illuminating their forms when the clouds parted enough for the moon to shine.

"So what else are we going to do?"

Stiles' swung his foot out in a high kick, knowing Derek would duck, before bringing his heel down heavily, missing the older wolf by a hair as Derek threw himself back. He didn't waste any time, stepping forward and throwing a knee out, stumbling a bit when Derek caught it and hit him in the stomach with an open palm. He used his arms and the momentum to turn the fall into a back hand spring before crouching on all fours and using his arms and his legs to launch himself at Derek. He caught the older wolf around the waist and brought them both down, Stiles scrambling to pin Derek's hips with his weight and hold his arms down. He wasn't fast enough before Derek bucked his hips up hard and threw Stiles' smaller form off.

"Your training has been fine so far. I don't really know how else to teach you. I am what I am because of birth, you were bitten. Teaching someone who was bitten takes time." Derek jumped to his feet, getting a solid stance ready before he advanced on Stiles.

Neither moved for a second, just walked in a circle, sizing each other up. The first to make a move this time was Derek. Faster than the naked eye could catch, Derek's right fist shot out in a straight punch, Stiles ducking under it before forcing his palm up under Derek's chin. Derek saw it coming and threw his head back to avoid a majority of the blow, bending the arm he used to punch at the elbow to drive it down on Stiles' shoulder, catching the younger wolf by surprise enough to use his left hand to deliver and open palmed strike to Stiles' solar plexus. When Stiles stumbled back, Derek came at him again.

Stiles ducked as Derek's right hook came at him, taking a lesson from his earlier failure he used his speed to side stepped Derek's body and hit the middle of the older wolf's back with an elbow. Derek used the push forward to brace on his hands and swing his legs up in an arching kick, but Stiles was already out of the way, dropping down and swinging a leg out to sweep Derek's hands out from under him, but Derek had already finished the front flip. With a surge forward and his own sweeping kick, Derek took Stiles' legs out from under him.

"Oh shit!" Stiles yelled as his legs gave out and he landed on his back, the wind knocked out of his lungs. "How do you freakin' do that! I'm the fast one here damn it."

Derek's smirking face hovered above him before the winner offered a hand down to the loser.

"You are the faster runner, but your movements are hesitant. Like you are afraid to hurt me. I guarantee if you were more confident in your attacks, that heel drop would have caught me."

Stiles nodded, knowing that Derek was right. He didn't want to hurt the older man, even though he knew any bruises or injuries sustained would take mere moments to heal. "So what else can we do? How else can you teach me?"

Derek shook his head, running a hand through his hair. "It's instinctual for me Stiles. I don't know how else to show you what you should be feeling. It's all about-" The ringing of a phone cut him off.

Stiles cursed as he dug into the pocket of his jeans, pulling it out and checking the caller ID before he answered.

"What do you want Scott?" Stiles still wasn't happy about Scott ignoring his text and call the other day. He especially didn't like how Scott only called him after there was trouble.

"I saw the Alpha man! I saw the Alpha!"

Stiles' eyes widened, his mouth falling open and the inability to speak sinking in. Suddenly the phone wasn't in his hands anyone.

"What did you see? Did you talk to him?" Derek's voice was harsh as he spoke into the receiver, his grip on the phone so hard that Stiles heard the metal groan softly.

"I did- I was- I just left Allison's house and he- I thought it was you or Stiles or- or, Derek he drew something on my car window in the condensation, some sort of spiral thing, I don't know what it means. I'm at home now, can you….can you send Stiles here?"

Derek snorted and Stiles could almost feel the disbelief flowing off the bigger wolf in waves. Stiles was thinking along the same lines though. Scotty boy only wants me around when there's trouble. But then a serious look took over.

"Wait, he drew what?" Derek's voice had an edge to it now and Stiles was confused. He'd never heard that sharp tone in Derek's voice before, not even when they'd first met.

"A…A spiral thing, like I don't know dude. Can you just, I think he's after me or something."

"He's not after you." Derek sounded so sure that Scott was not the only one who was left sputtering.

"How do you know that?" Stiles asked quietly, knowing Derek would hear him.

The older wolf pulled the phone away from his ear before he spoke. "Scott was in Allison's house. Hunters, Stiles. If the Alpha went after Scott, it was because he smelt like the Argents. Scott isn't anything special or interesting. We figured out that he was after something. Now I know what it is." Derek's face was grave and Stiles reached out a hand to lay it on his shoulder, his own nervousness reflected in the wavering of his voice.

"And that would be?"

"Revenge. That is what the spiral means."

"Stiles! Derek!"

Scott's voice sounded panicked so Stiles took the phone before Derek could speak into it.

"Scott, I'm not happy with you right now, but I don't want you in danger. You want to stay alive, stay away from Allison. Do you hear me? The Alpha came for you because you smell like her, you smell like hunters. Stay away from Allison and you will be safe." Before he could hear the protesting on the other end of the line, Stiles ended the call and stuffed his phone back in his pocket.

"I better get going." Stiles sighed. He didn't want to, but part of him was also worried about his dad. It had been nothing more than a bump, but the Sheriff wasn't as young anymore. "Same time tomorrow?"

Derek nodded, but just as Stiles took a step towards his car, Derek's hand wrapped around his bicep.

"The full moon is coming up Stiles. It's going to be harder keeping control this time after you managed to keep from shifting last time. Just be careful."

Stiles nodded, and Derek seemed satisfied. When the bigger wolf's iron grip was gone, Stiles turned around and threw his arms around Derek's neck, pulling him into a hug before just as quickly letting go.

"Thanks." Stiles murmured as he walked away.

"You're welcome." Stiles caught Derek's whispered reply before he got in the jeep and drove back home. He had school tomorrow.

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Stiles heard Scott's approach from a mile away. The quiet mantra of 'Stay away from Allison, stay away from Allison' changed to 'Stay away from Jackson' before a frustrated groan echoed out and Scott finally made it to class. Stiles didn't even bother to look his best friend's way as Scott took the seat behind him and started talking.

"Still not talking to me?" Stiles shook his head mutely. No, he wasn't happy with Scott at all. Calling only when he needed help, ignoring all of Stiles' own calls for help. True friend, thy name is NOT Scott.

"Okay, at least tell me your dad is alright. You know, just a bruise. Soft tissue damage. Nothing…really serious." Stiles wanted to turn around and punch Scott, but he pushed it down. His anger was making his pulse rack up and he needed to keep control. "You know I feel really bad about it, right?"

"What Scott, what do you feel bad about? Completely ditching me for Allison? Or how about calling me only when you have a problem while you completely ignore mine? Or maybe you're sorry about how hostile you are to a person who has only ever been trying to help me!" Stiles hissed under his breath, turning around to glare at Scott.

Scott shrunk back a bit before sighing. "Yeah okay, I haven't been the best of friends, but-"

"'haven't been the best'?" Stiles shot him in incredulous look. "Scott, you've been the worst friend. Like the suckiest sort of friend I could have ever come up with." Scott had the decency to look guilty before he sighed again.

"I'm staying away from Allison okay? I know how serious things are getting and I want to help. Whether or not I trust Derek, I trust you. Please? Can you at least tell me what he said?"

Stiles is actually proud of himself for holding off for as long as he did. But just like always, he cracked.

Turing around, he finally spoke straight to Scott. "There is a big dangerous Alpha out there looking for revenge on a family of hunters, for I don't even know what, and you and I are stuck in the middle of it because I got turned into a werewolf, and you are in love with one of the hunters out to kill me. Let's add on the fact that my dad is the Sheriff investigating all of these murders without knowing the whole story, my mentor is a grumpy werewolf with attitude problems and a hatred for the family of hunters that likely rivals the big dangerous Alpha's, and I am almost at a break through about the connection between all of the people murdered. Yeah Scott. I need your help, just like you need mine."

Scott looked surprised but nodded slowly as Stiles turned back around to pay attention to the teacher.

They didn't speak again until the bell rang, and this time it was Scott's turn to spill.

"Allison's aunt gave her some clue about her family history the other night. I was in the closet and I heard them talking about some legend about a big wolf."

Stiles frowned as they walked, "What was it called?"

"La bête du…something. Gevadun or whatever."

Stiles almost choked on his tongue, before nodding his head. "La Bête du Gévaudan? Yeah, it's this French legend about a beast that killed over a hundred people in a village a billion years ago. The name of the hunter who finally managed to kill La Bête was named Argent. Allison's ancestors. But why is that relevant?"

"Allison really seems like she doesn't know anything, but her family does. Her aunt especially. She the only one of Allison's family that I've seen so far even mention anything about werewolves."

Stiles raised an eyebrow. "So what? You think her aunt is up to something?"

Scott shook his head, a look of confusion crossing his face before he nodded. "Yeah maybe. I just. I don't get a good feeling from her dude. Back when I stole the bullet for Derek, she confronted me and asked me what I took, I thought she was on to me."

"What happened then? How'd you manage to leave with the bullet?"

The look of embarrassment that crossed Scott's face was hilarious, right up until he spoke. "Allison said she did it. Then she pulled out a condom."

Stiles grinned. "That's ma boy!" he thumped hand on Scott's shoulder and laughed when his friend groaned and pitched over.

"Dude Stiles, that super strength thing, you gotta be more conscious of that."

The werewolf just laughed at that, not even one bit guilty for seeing his friend in pain. "Yeah I know. I've been sparring with Derek, I'm actually a really good fighter now."

Scott snorted. "What's he teaching you anyways? Like guerrilla warfare?"

Stiles rolled his whisky colored eyes and shook his head at his best friend's stupidity. "Dude, guerrilla warfare is a tactic, not a style. No, he's been teaching me martial arts. Street fighting, playing dirty, even a bit of Brazilian dance fighting, but just the ground work. Enough to protect myself you know? So I don't rely on the wolf when I'm in trouble."

"So you can keep control?" Scott asked.

"Yeah," Stiles smiled as his friend got the gist of it. "But he doesn't really know if he can teach me how to stay in control during the shift. He said it's different for born and bitten wolves. It's all up to me to learn, but I needed someone's help. I know Derek wouldn't be willing to do it."

"Why wouldn't he be willing to do it?"

Stiles grinned now, almost feral. "Because it involves getting me angry."

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"Okay."

Stiles carried the gym back out into the field, a lacrosse stick held in his other hand before he threw everything down on the bench and pulled out the strap he'd stored in the bag.

"Isn't that one of the heart monitors for the track team?" Scott asked skeptically.

"Yeah I borrowed it," Stiles said as he lifted his shirt to put the monitor on.

"You stole it."

Stiles looked up at Scott, the annoyance shining through. "Temporarily misappropriated. Coach use it to monitor his heart rate while he jogs so I'm going to put this on and wear it for the rest of the day."

He pulled out the next item from his pocket, but Scott spoke up again. "Isn't that Coach's phone?"

"That I stole." Stiles admitted before finally managing to get the monitor on.

"Why?" Scott asked confused and amused. Stiles rolled his eyes before he launched into his explanation.

"Well, my heart rate goes up when I go wolf. When I'm angry, or stressed, or when someone is in danger. So, I figured the only way to learn how to control it, is to control my heart rate."

Scott takes a moment to nod in understanding before he starts to smile like a loon. "So, like the Incredible Hulk."

Stiles thinks about it for only a second before nodding himself. "Kind of like the Yncredible Hulk, yeah."

"You're like the Incredible Hulk," Scott says again, almost laughing before Stiles huffs and pushes the phone into Scott's hands.

"Will you just, hold onto this. The whole point of doing this is controlling my heart rate. So what you got to do, is try to get me angry."

"Are you going to wolf out and attack me if I do?" Scott sounded less enthusiastic about this now, but Stiles just grinned.

"Not if this works like it's supposed to, but there is a definite possibility of that, yes. While you try to rile me up, you keep an eye on my heart rate. It starts to get too high, you stop. Anything and everything and you try and get me back to my senses. Understood?"

"Look, Stiles, I'm not sure about-"

"You wanna help me or not Scott?"

A weak nod gave Stiles his answer and with a sigh of his own, Stiles handed Scott the duct tape.

"Tie my hands behind my back with this," Stiles instructed as he turned around and put his hands behind his back.

"You know, this isn't exactly how I wanted to spend my free period."

"Shut up. Alright. You're ready? Remember, if I wolf out, don't run. That'll only make me want to chase you." Stiles smirked when Scott paled and took the lacrosse stick into his hands. "Now come on. I promise I won't bite that hard."

Scott swallowed loudly. "This seems like a really bad idea." And then started throwing the balls at Stiles, who took each hit with a small wince. "Come on man, put some arm into it. You're supposed to be the co-captain!"

That got the desired effect. Hit after hit came his way and Stiles took them, the pain intense for a couple of seconds before it faded. When one of them hit his shoulder, he felt the spike.

"Scott!" Stiles called, but not loud enough. Another ball came at his chest. "Scott, I'm warning-" a hit to his right thigh.

"Scott!" He howled it this time, the growl unmistakable, just like his eyes and teeth. He heard Scott's own heart spike and when the human boy dropped the lacrosse stick and turned tail, Stiles tried to call again. "Don't! Scott don't run!" but it was too late. The teen took off, and Stiles felt it. The need to chase.

The angrier he got, the stronger he got, he broke through the tape and took chase, his senses reeling with the instinct to hunt the scared prey, but then he heard it. The beeping of the heart monitor. An anchor, he needed to find an anchor, something to cool his head. Something to tie him to humanity.

His dad. His dad worked before. He thought about his father, his Sheriff father out there right now, directly in the path of danger, pursuing more about the murders because he doesn't believe a mountain lion did it. It doesn't work. The thought of his father in danger just makes him angrier.

His mother. That one worked too. His sweet and caring mother who left them behind. Who made his father cry, who abandoned them and it was all his fault. It's not working!

Derek! Think about Derek. Derek's hands, strong and powerful. Safe. Derek's scent, wood, ash, and home. His eyes, mist green and brimming with concern and affection.

He fell to his knees as the sudden weakness took over. All of the strength he had felt before was now gone as his wolf receded and he was back to himself. Then a realization hit him. Derek, he had thought about Derek.

Derek, is my anchor. How very freakin poetic.

"Dude, Stiles, are you okay?"

He turned his head up, pinning Scott with a glare Derek would be proud of. "I told you not to run Scott!" Stiles growled out, forcing the words past his throat.

"I'm sorry dude! Your eyes went yellow and you were all fangs and claws! I wasn't going to stick around to be your chew toy!"

"I was in control Scott! I lost it when you went running! Do you have any idea how much I wanted to rip you to shreds the second you took off?! I told you not to run!" He felt the anger coming again, his heart beat ramping up. He closed his eyes and thought about Derek. The way Derek's hand felt warm and heavy on the back of his neck, how solid Derek's body was every time he managed to come up with an excuse to hug the older wolf. "I was in control, Scott," Stiles says again, much calmer.

"Yeah okay," Scott answered as he offered Stiles a hand up. "Come on dude. We better get going."

Stiles allowed himself to be pulled up, all the while thinking about what he was going to tell Derek about his Anchor.

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The whole school day passed with Stiles trying to find a way to tell Scott that he found his control, while keeping to himself exactly what that control is. It also passed with Scott trying, and failing epically, to avoid Allison. All the while Stiles kept a close eye on his own heart rate.

Needless to say, everyone failed today.

Scott had a date with Allison, Stiles hadn't quite gotten past Derek being his anchor, and when Scott keyed a truck and got the thugs to come at Stiles so they could test the heart rate thing again, Stiles used every trick Derek had taught him to take the bigger dudes down. Needless to say, they both got detention when Harris found them in the parking lot beating people up.

"Excuse me sir, I know this is detention and all, but I'm supposed to be at work and I don't want to get fired."

Scott's words were met with a sympathetic look and a resounding silence, so with a shake of his head, Scott gave up and turned to Stiles who kept on playing with his pencil like nothing was happening.

"Okay, Derek taught you shit, I won't doubt it again, but seriously? What was that, Kung-fu? You were like freaking Jackie Chan or Yoda! Do you know how fast you were moving?"

Stiles rolled his eyes as Scott kept on going. "Yeah Scott, I'm a werewolf. Figured you would have noticed this by now," Still, the smug smile on Stiles face just wouldn't leave. "Now you got to learn to trust Derek. Why would he teach me to fight like that if all he wanted was to use me? I'm so good, I even beat him sometimes." It was such a lie, but Stiles was still going to roll with it. "So, you want to tell me why you almost got me beaten up by those guys?"

Scott looked away before shrugging his shoulders. "I thought it would help you learn."

"But instead it helped you learn," Stiles retorted knowingly. Again, Scott looked away, guilty and speechless.

"Dude…" Scott breathed. Stiles sat there, waiting for what the human boy was going to say. He could still feel the anger in him, he'd told Scott that he might have found his anchor, only to have the other boy drag him to the parking lot and almost beaten up. If Stiles hadn't been sparring with Derek almost every day, chances are, he would have been. And Scott had been expecting him to be. "You're my best friend and I can't have you being angry with me."

Stiles couldn't keep from snorting. "Can't have me being angry with you? Well, look at all the things you've done Scott. Every help you tried to give just ended up failing!" Stiles was hissing now, keeping his voice low but it was obvious Harris was listening in.

"I saved Derek!" Scott defended, and Stiles bristled.

"You only did that so you could have a reason to demand that he stay away from me. You aren't helping me Scott, even today you couldn't listen! I told you not. To. Run." Stiles' eyes flashed but he was breathing deeply, in through his mouth and out through his nose. "Let's not even mention the guys you got to try and beat me up? How was that even a smart plan Scott?! If Derek hadn't been teaching me to defend myself, I would have instinctively-" his eyes flicked over to Harris before turning back to Scott and drastically lowing his voice. "Ripped them all to pieces with my teeth."

"I said I was sorry! I was trying to help you keep control Stiles! You asked for my help and I was trying!"

Stiles rolled his eyes before sighing. "Listen to me Scott. I have something. Whether I wanted it or not, it doesn't matter. I don't have a choice anymore. I have to do something, I have to protect the people I care about. I told you that I found it, I found an anchor, but-"

"I wanted you to be sure. I wanted you to know you could keep control. I know I ran Stiles, but I didn't run far, I watched you on the field. You stayed there crouched on the grass for fifteen minutes holding yourself in. When I saw you like that, I believed you. You can keep control. I thought if I tried something more stressful, and I didn't run away this time, you would trust me. I thought I would make it up from running away from you the first time."

Stiles didn't say anything. He just ran his friends words through his mind. He hadn't been listening to Scott heart, he'd been too busy trying to hear the words, so he didn't really know if they were true. "I'm not angry anymore." He sighed as he looked at Scott, who had on the sad puppy dog eyes that Stiles was sure worked on Allison, if not every girl in the world. And hell if it wasn't sort of working on him too.

"Scott, it's okay to be scared of me. Hell, sometimes, I'm scared of me. And if you aren't brave enough to stick by my side when things get really scary, then I need to know. I need someone there who won't run away, from me, or anything."

"I won't run away." Scott answered, and Stiles heard his heart beat this time. Scott believed his own words. He wouldn't run away.

"Okay then." Stiles nodded, offering a weak smile to his friend, who returned it gingerly.

"Okay you two," Harris said, his eyes going from one to the other. "You can both go."

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"Dude! Your crazy mentor just beat the hell out of my boss!"

Scott's voice was panicked through the phone and Stiles was so thrown for a loop he honestly didn't know how to answer.

"Well…hello there, it's nice to talk to you too. Oh, I'm okay, how are you?"

"Stiles I'm serious just…come pick me up." Scott sounded frustrated, so Stiles just gave up and agreed.

"What are we going to go do man, it's like nine o'clock at night."

"Just pick me up and I'll explain okay. I have a plan."

"Scott, you're not the planner type. All your plans just end up more like very bad ideas."

"Stiles!"

"Okay okay okay, I'll be right there. Just give me a few"

When Stiles heard the plan, his thoughts were confirmed. It just sounded like a very bad idea. So he said so.

"This is a terrible idea."

"Yeah I know." Scott answered, confusing Stiles completely.

"W-what? We're still going to do it?"

"Can you think of something better?"

Stiles didn't, so he went with his fall back plan. Sarcasm. "Well, personally I'm a fan of ignoring a problem until it eventually goes away."

"Just make sure we can get inside okay? You have to do this, we don't have any other choice."

Stiles sighs as he opens the back of his jeep, pulling out the bolt cutters just as he hears Derek's car rolling into the parking lot.

The first thing he wants to do is go greet the older wolf, but he refrains. They don't exactly know how to interact when there is someone else there. Scott or anyone really. So he hangs back and lets Scott greet Derek instead.

"Where's my boss?" Okay, not very much of a greeting, but it didn't matter.

"He's in the back." Derek answers. And when Stiles goes to check, he can't help but cringe.

"Well he looks comfortable." He comments as he gives Derek a look. You couldn't have been a little gentler?

Derek gives him a look right back, and Stiles is mildly surprised when he understands it. Stiles I'm hardly in the mood to be gentle.

And then Stiles' mind starts to wander to a not-very-innocent zone where Derek is never gentle.

"Stiles," Derek's voice brings his attention back to reality and he is a bit disappointed, but the smirk on Derek's face before Stiles turns to follow Scott was enough to make him smile. That is until: "Whoa! Hey! What are you doing?"

Stiles turned to answer, but before he could, Scott spoke up. "You said Stiles was linked to the Alpha. We're going to see if you're right."

When they made it inside the school, Stiles finally started to think about Scott's plan in detail. "Okay, one question," They made their way to the office, where the PA system held the key to Scott's oh-so-bright plan. Stiles really wasn't liking this, but Scott was trying to help, and he wasn't running this time. Stiles would take it. "What are we going to do if the Alpha doesn't show up?"

"I don't know." Scott answered with a shake of his head.

Stiles looked up skeptically, "And what are we going to do if he does show up?"

"I don't know."

Stiles rolled his eyes this time. "Great plan dude."

Scott sighed before he sagged against the office counter. "We have to do something man. Derek went after my boss because he thought Deaton was the Alpha. We have to do something Stiles, Derek won't wait anymore."

"Derek is trying to find the Alpha too Scott. You came up with one plan, Derek and I have been at this for a couple of months now." Stiles said with a glare as he turned the PA system on. "Okay, so what exactly is your plan here?"

"You said that a wolf howls to signal its location to the pack."

Stiles wanted to throttle him. "So what does it mean if he comes Scott?! I don't want to be a part of his pack!"

"Stiles, we're already here, and if we catch him tonight, you're off the hook. Come on. Just do it," Scott pushed the microphone system to Stiles, urging him on with his eyes.

Stiles grimaced, cursing himself colorfully for following along with this damn plan in the first place. With a deep breath he pressed the 'live' button. A second later, he let it go. "No- no man, I don't think I can do this."

"Stiles, do you want to find the Alpha or do you want the Alpha to find your dad?" That did it.

Again Stiles cursed himself, this time adding some very creative ones for Scott as well before pressing down the button and letting his voice loose.

"I am going to kill the both of you!" Derek's anger was palpable and Stiles couldn't help but want to smile. "What the hell was that?! What are you trying to do, attract the entire state to the school?"

"Sorry, we didn't realize it would be that loud," Scott says with a bit of a laugh, Stiles grins.

"Yeah," Stiles agrees, stepping a bit closer to Derek. "It was loud, and it was awesome."

"Shut up," Derek deadpans, though Stiles can smell it, the pride behind the words. Derek wanted to join in the howl, Stiles could feel it humming in his bones and he knew Derek felt the same thing.

"Don't be such a Sourwolf. If you want to howl too, go ahead. I'm not stopping you." Stiles smiled as he shuffled a bit closer to Derek, throwing his head back and letting out another howl. Now that it wasn't amplified, it sounded smoother, more calming instead of the intense one that bellowed from him before. This was only his second true howl and it felt so good.

From the corner of his eye, he saw Derek's lips twitch up in a smirk before another howl joined his in the night sky, both him and Derek calling to the moon and to each other. It felt even better, It was perfect…until Scott broke their moment.

"What did you do with him?"

Derek stopped mid howl and looked around, confused but on edge. "What?" He looked back into the back seat of his car where Dr. Deaton was no longer unconscious, the good doctor was no longer there at all. "I didn't do anything."

Before anyone could say anything else, Stiles felt the presence of the Alpha, he knew it was the Alpha.

"Derek!" Stiles yelled but he was too late. Blood ran down Derek's chin and Stiles could see the black claws poking out from Derek's chest, the claws of the Alpha.

"Stiles!" Scott yelled as he grabbed onto Stiles' arm and started pulling them away and into the school.

"Derek!" Was all Stiles could say or think or focus on as the Alpha lifted Derek off the ground from the grip on his internal organs and threw him against the school building.

"Stiles move! Come on!" Scott tugged harder and managed to get them both inside the school just as what had happened sunk into Stiles brain.

The building emotions were raging inside of him, his control was quickly slipping and he didn't know what to do about it. So he howled one more time. It shook the walls of the school without the assistance of the PA system, and it echoed with pain. It was a cry and Stiles wasn't sure if he could hold it in. So he howled again.

"Dude! Stiles, stop! Stop!"

Stiles barely registered it when Scott tackled him to the ground, covering his mouth with a warm and sweaty hand. On instinct, Stiles bit down and Scott screamed.

That scream brought him back. The realization that he was hurting someone, that he was hurting Scott, snapped him back to reality.

Stiles let out a whimper, no one was there to really hear it but Scott, who held his hand protectively to his chest and stared at Stiles like he was a monster. "Derek! He's out there with the Alpha. I can't just leave him out there, he's-"

"He's dead Stiles!" Scott said harshly. Whiskey eyes flashed gold and Stiles was suddenly on top of Scott, pushing the weaker body down to the floor and growling in his best friend's face.

"You! Your fault!" Stiles sneered. "Your stupid idea! Your dumb plan got Derek…" and he couldn't even finish that thought. Couldn't bring himself to speak the words out loud. This time, neither could Scott.

"I didn't think he would- I didn't think he would actually come Stiles!"

But the damage was done. Stiles would never see Derek again, his anchor was dead, and there was nothing left to keep him grounded anymore. The anger was like lava running through his veins but the only thing that kept him from killing Scott right then was the scream of pain his friend had released before. It echoed in his head on repeat. Just like Derek's words from before.

"We are predators, but we don't have to be killers."