Chapter 9

Weakness

"So, you're telling me that we can't be seen together in public?" Riley asked Derek one morning before school.

"Yes," Derek said.

"Are you ashamed of being seen with me?" she asked, tilting her head.

"No," he said, "I would love to take you out in public but I can't. Not with an alpha I have no idea of who it is and Kate being back in town. They would just use you to get to me, and I don't want that to happen."

"I figured the reason was something like that since it's like the third time going over it," she said. Derek walked over to her and kissed her, "None of that, I'm going to be late to school. I already have a detention because of you."

"If you see Scott today, tell him he has to stay away from Allison. His life is going to depend on it," he said, turning away to get some more coffee, "If he hears it from someone other than me, he might just listen."

"What makes you think he's going to listen to me?" she asked.

Derek smirked and looked at her, "He likes you more than me," he said.

Riley shrugged, "I am prettier than you. If I see him, I'll say something," she said, "Is it weird that you go to the 'office' to work with him and then come home to me? It's almost like a normal life."

"Home?" he asked.

"I…I mean it's home to me. It doesn't have to be home to you. You're home is a run down building…I'm just going to shut up now," she said.

Derek walked over to her again, "I'll see you later at home, honey," he gave her a kiss.

XXX

Riley was heading to class when she overhead Scott talking to himself, "Stay away from Jackson. Stay away from Jackson," he turned a corner, "Ah come on!" he said after seeing Lydia.

"I get that way all the time after I see Lydia," Riley laughed, "What's up with you?"

"Derek told me to stay away from Allison," Scott said, "And I didn't want to see them either."

"Yeah, Derek mentioned something this morning about you needing to stay away from Allison if you are going to have any hope at all," she said.

"He was over…He's a lot nicer to you than he is to me," he said.

"Well, for one thing, you're not sleeping with him," she said as Scott made a face, "And two, you're practically a baby. He's taking responsibility for you."

"I'm just saying he's a completely different person when he's around you," he said.

"I don't know what to tell you," she said, "See you at work."

At lunch, Riley saw Lydia sitting with Allison. She made the choice to ignore that altercation and had her lunch outside on the bleachers. What she found at the lacrosse field was almost as bad. Scott's hands were tied behind his back and Stiles was throwing lacrosse balls at him.

"Trying out a new game?" she asked as she approached them.

Scott was out of breath, "What are you doing here?" he asked.

"I was going to eat my lunch but watching this might be more fun," she said.

"I'm teaching him to control his anger," Stiles said.

"By hurting him?" she asked, "I thought Derek was your Yoda."

"Derek's way is to keep Scott away from Allison," Stiles said.

"Umm…Derek might have more experience on the whole thing," she said, "Ever think that staying away from Allison, for now, might be safer?"

"What makes you and Derek the exception?" Stiles asked.

"She's sleeping with him," Scott said.

Stiles stared at Riley, "I had no…idea," he stammered.

"What? Like me sleeping with someone wasn't a possibility?" she asked, a little angry.

"Nothing like that," Stiles said and then smiled, "I guess sleeping with the boss does have its perks."

Riley rolled her eyes and grabbed the lacrosse stick away from him. She smacked Stiles with the stick before throwing it back to him, "Ow!" he complained.

"Get over it," she said, "I'm going to watch from the bleachers."

Riley watched for a while and listened to them banter back and forth until Scott had a reaction and fell to the ground, "Scott, are you okay?" she asked, getting up to go back on the field.

"Stay back!" Scott yelled at her.

She stopped, "What's happening?" she asked.

"He's getting angry," Stiles said.

"Well, maybe it was you throwing balls at him that did it," she said sarcastically.

"Scott, you started to change," Stiles said to him.

"I'm angry but it was more than that," Scott said, "The angrier I got, the stronger I felt."

"So it is angrier. Derek was right," Stiles said.

"Well duh," Riley said.

"I can't be around Allison," Scott said.

"Just because she makes you happy?" Stiles asked confused.

"No, because she makes me weak," Scott said.

"She makes you weak?" Riley asked as she thought to herself, "If you are like that with Allison around, then I think you should just stay away from her."

"No argument here," Scott agreed.

"No, I'm serious. I'm looking out for her best interest because she doesn't know your secret and clearly you don't have her best interest in mind," Riley said, "I'm sorry Scott, I think you're great and all…" she walked off before finishing the statement.

XXX

Riley arrived to work that night on time, unlike Scott, who found himself in detention. She walked into the back to the labs to find Deaton, "Scott is going…" she saw Deaton tied to a chair and Derek standing beside him, "What are you doing?" she asked Derek.

"I'm getting some answers," Derek said.

She walked forward to look at Deaton to see if he was okay, "Next time could you do it like a normal person and just ask?" she asked before she reached a hand to touch him.

Derek pulled her away from him, "Don't touch him," he said.

"What could he possible know to be treated like this?" she asked, pulling away.

"He killed my sister," he stated.

"He killed Laura…but that would make him…" she started.

"The alpha," he answered.

"He's not the alpha. He's a freaking veterinarian," she said.

"I know it's him," he said.

She laughed, "Well, if you are wrong, you're going to have to come up with one hell of an explanation," she said.

"Let me handle it," he said before Deaton started to wake up, "Go stand in the corner and be quite," he pointed to the darkest corner in the room.

"Nobody puts baby in the corner," she said.

Derek just glared at her and she went to the corner.

"Are you protecting someone?" Derek asked Deaton.

"The key to the drug locker is in…" Deaton started to say.

Derek grabbed him from behind, "I didn't come for the drugs. I want to know why you're lying," he said.

"I don't know what you're talking about," Deaton said. Derek spun him around in the chair before picking him and the chair up like they were nothing, "What do you want?" Deaton asked.

"I want to know who you are and who you're protecting," Derek said.

The light in the room came on, "What are you doing?" Scott asked before noticing Riley in the corner.

"Scott, get out of here!" Deaton yelled.

Derek punched Deaton in the face causing him to black out, "Stop! Stop!" Scott yelled, coming into the room.

"When he's conscious he can heal himself but unconscious he can't," Derek said.

Scott looked confused.

"He thinks Deaton is the alpha," Riley said, stepping forward.

"Are you out of your mind? What are you talking about?" Scott asked.

"Do you want to know what the spiral means, Scott?" Derek asked.

"What spiral?" Riley asked, but was ignored.

"It's our sign for revenge. It means he won't stop killing until he's satisfied," Derek said.

"And you think he's the alpha?" Scott asked.

"I'm about to find out," Derek said before his claws came out.

Riley stepped forward to Derek to stop him. Derek started to swing down at Deaton but Scott stopped him. Scott wolfed out to do so. Derek pushed Riley away from Scott and stood in front of her. Riley watched, amazed, as Scott slowly turned back to normal.

"Hit him again and you'll see me get angry," Scott said dangerously.

Derek looked at Riley and realized she wasn't breathing properly, "It's okay. Calm down. Breathe," He instructed, "Look at me."

She was staring at Scott and then looked at Derek, "That's what happens when you…" she started.

"Yeah," he replied before walking her to the counter and picked her up to sit down on it.

Scott could hear Riley's heart beat uncontrollably, "I didn't mean to scare you Riley," Scott said.

She didn't say anything to him as she continued to stare at him.

Scott was helping Deaton, "Do you have a plan?" Derek asked.

"Just give me an hour," Scott said.

"Then what?" Derek asked.

"Meet me at the school in the parking lot," Scott said before looking at Riley, "You should take her home."

Derek walked over to Riley, "Come on, I'll take you home," he said but she didn't move.

"What's wrong with her?" Scott asked.

"She's in shock!" Derek shouted.

Riley spoke up, "Hearing about it is so much different than actually seeing it," she said.

"I know," Derek said, "Come on," he helped her down. He took her hand and led her out of the building to her car, "I'll drive you home in your car and come back for mine," he said.

Riley didn't say anything on the ride home. Derek parked her car, took her keys to unlock the door, and helped her change into pjs in her bedroom.

They were sitting on her bed, "Say something," Derek said.

"I honestly don't know what to say. Seeing Scott like that…It was like he was a different person," she said.

"He was," he said.

"But that means when you transform, you're a different person. I just never saw it that way. I was afraid of Scott…I don't want to be afraid of you," she cried.

Derek held her, "I should have shown you earlier…eased you into it," he said.

"Today at lunchtime, I saw Scott and Stiles…actually I still don't know what they were doing," she laughed a little, "Scott found out that Allison makes him weak," she looked Derek in the eye, "Do I make you weak?"

"No," he said, "You help me stay human during transformations. Every werewolf has something that keeps them grounded. You are a part of that now."

Derek sat there, with his back to her headboard, holding Riley for a while, "Does Allison know about us?" Derek asked suddenly.

"Why? Are you going to tell me to stay away from her too?" Riley asked.

"If she knows, then Kate might find out," he said.

"No, she doesn't know. I haven't told her anything about us," she said, "She only knows that I knew you many years ago."

"Good," he said.

"Am I aloud to still see her?" Riley asked, mockingly.

"I think you would see her no matter what, like Scott does," he said.

Riley looked at the clock, "You better get going to see Scott," she said.

Derek got up and covered Riley up, "You should get some sleep," he said before kissing her forehead, "I'll come back later."

XXX

A little while later, Riley still couldn't get to sleep, no matter how hard she tried. Especially not after the night she just had. She went down to the kitchen to get something to eat. She made herself a bowl of cereal. She was in the process of eating it when she got a text from Derek.

It said to meet him at the school.