I may have over-exaggerated the new development, but it's definitely knew to me. Wolf-fights and life and death situations are not something I've written about before. Thanks Mike.

Scott, enraged by the irresponsible actions of Derek, decides to confront him head on. They also discover that the secret is not so much of a secret anyway. The next morning Stiles wakes up to startling news. Derek makes a huge mistake and is forced to admit that the relationship he has with Stiles means more to him than life itself.

Derek knew what was coming long before he heard the banging on the door. He went to unlock it and before he managed to step to the side, Scott flung it open slamming into Derek's shoulder. "You have some explaining to do. What the f..."

Derek rubbed his shoulder and took a few steps back before he turned and headed for the kitchen counter. He'd been expecting this. Scott would never just let this pass. "Have a seat. I can make coffee? Or do you want something stronger?" He sensed that Scott got a little thrown off by this casual behavior and he had to smile to himself.

It didn't take long for Scott to get back on task. "No, I don't want anything but an explanation." He came closer but stopped in the middle of the floor. "You can't do this to him, he is... You're gonna hurt him."

Derek turned to face Scott and wondered what kind of approach to use. "I will never hurt him. I care about him." He leaned on the counter and closed his eyes for a second. He did hurt Stiles on a regular basis, but he was pretty sure that Scott was not talking about that kind of pain.

"You care about him? Enough to take off when things get tough. I'm sure he could have needed you there when he had to explain it to me." Scott was clearly both annoyed and angry. Derek could understand that. He'd not been proud of the fact that he departed in the middle of it.

"I'm sorry you feel like that. I just thought it would be easier for him to talk with you alone." Derek shrugged and tried on a little smile. Scott huffed. "Maybe so, but regardless... you should have stood by him, that's what a, a, uh, a boyfriend does." His face started to turn red and Derek had to chuckle. "Boyfriend, eh? That's what he said?"

Scott shook his head. "No, he said, you heard him. Friend with benefits." Suddenly Scott bent his head down and rubbed his forehead. "I shouldn't say this, but he's falling for you. He thinks he's in love. You can't do this to him." It looked like the guy had tears in his eyes and Derek stared at him wide-eyed. Part of him felt extremely happy about this revelation. On the other hand it was disturbing. He'd suspected this, but Stiles had kept his cards close to the chest.

To buy himself some time Derek turned and looked into the fridge for something to drink. He grabbed a beer, but then he put it back and picked up a bottle of orange juice instead. When he again looked at Scott, the guy was still standing in the same spot, but now he had his head cocked and was squinting at Derek. "You didn't know. And now you're conflicted. It pleases me that you at least seem to have a conscience."

Derek nodded. "I think you're right, I should probably end it." He walked over to the couch and slumped down. "He's a human. He knows that it's, this is not going to last. I should find a mate of my own kind." He looked up. "So should you."

-o-o-o-o-o-

Derek's words didn't sink in at first. The relationship – or lack of at the moment – Scott had with Allison, had nothing to do with the issue at hand. He was about to address this when it hit him. It really was related. If he was going to force an end to the Stiles and Derek connection, he had to look at himself first.

"We're not together anymore. Me and Allison broke up." Scott decided to put that fact up as a shield. "I might look for someone else." He could see that Derek wasn't convinced and the guy shook his head. "You're not gonna. This hiatus in your relationship is going to pass. She's your mate, you chose her."

Scott knew what Derek was referring to. The wolf in him was bonded with Allison. He could not let her go unless she made the choice. If Derek knew this, why did he tell him to find someone else? "If this is so, why do you even suggest that I find someone my own kind?"

The smirk on Derek's face told the whole story, and Scott felt instantly embarrassed. It didn't last long though, there were still a few differences. "He's young and vulnerable. Stiles has only had one crush in his life." He made a pause for effect. "And that was a girl."

When Derek didn't make any attempt to comment on this Scott continued. "And you, you, you're not in love. You don't look at him as your mate. He's a guy for crying out loud." Satisfied with his own rationalization, he crossed his arms over his chest and stared at Derek.

Derek looked up and scoffed. "That, my friend, has never bothered me. Ever. And it doesn't seem to bother Stiles either." He squinted and tilted his head to the side. "Is that what it boils down to? Not that your best friend is hooking up with a werewolf, but that it's a guy?" Derek kept staring and Scott started to feel slightly uncomfortable.

"No, no that's not it." Scott himself didn't believe the words that came out of his mouth and it bothered him. He'd never been homophobic. He'd been in the shower after lacrosse practice with Danny and never even given it a second thought. It startled him to discover that this was still part of his reluctance to understand what was going on between the two.

"Regardless. Stiles is a minor. And may I repeat myself: he is falling for you and you're just playing with him." Scott tried to cover up the embarrassment he felt with a frown. Derek didn't seem to be bothered. "A minor? You and Allison are minors too. But that issue will resolve itself. It just a matter of time, and not that long either." He grabbed the juice bottle and lifted it to his lips. "And what do you know about my feelings? Maybe I'm not playing a game here. Maybe I'm all in."

They have both been too busy with the conversation to notice that Isaac had entered the apartment. "Finally! The confrontation! It was about time. I could almost not take it any longer." The guy strolled past them and looked in the fridge.

Both Scott and Derek stared at him. Scott was the first one to react. "What are you talking about? You know? You know about them?"

"Bah, you serious? He comes home reeking of Stiles. I know he tries to clean it off but, come on!" Isaac looked at Derek and smirked. "You really thought I was that stupid? I just... I figured you'd tell as soon as you're ready." He sat down on a stool and chuckled as he turned to Scott. "And Derek is very possessive and jealous. I think it's love."

-o-o-o-o-o-

Derek wanted to punch the guy, but what would be the point in that. "I'm not jealous, what are you talking about? And what reason would I have?" He knew exactly what Isaac was talking about, but tried to downplay it.

Still turned to Scott Isaac continued. "Remember the party? I know why it ended so abruptly. Joy was flirting with Stiles and Derek freaked out." He threw a quick glance in Derek's direction. "Isn't that right? I suspected this already back then, so I was keeping my senses on alert."

Derek jumped up from the couch and walked slowly over to Isaac. "You don't know nothing. Shut the fuck up and go to your room." When Isaac didn't move, Derek grabbed him by the throat. "Go! I'll deal with you later."

Knowing perfectly well that he's made a fool of himself, he watched as Isaac scooted towards his sleeping quarters. "You're losing it, Derek. I'm the only one left. What is an Alpha without a pack?" Just before he entered his room he looked at Scott. "Join us, Scott, we need you. Derek needs you." he took another step before he turned around again. "Stiles will become one of us. Its' just a matter of time."

When the door slammed shut behind Isaac, Scott stared at Derek. "I could possibly try to accept that there's something between you and Stiles, but if you turn him... I, I'll never forgive you. I'll hunt you down." He shook his head and walked towards the door. "I will never join your pack. And if it's true, that you're losing it, I will sit down and watch as it happens. I'll even bring popcorn."

-o-o-o-o-o-

The phone rang too early. Stiles just reached his hand out and grabbed it not even looking at the caller ID before he pressed the answer button. "Stiles, are you awake?" It was his dad, and he sounded a bit distressed. Stiles sat up and cleared his throat. "Sure, what's up?" It was not even eight o'clock on a Sunday morning so it had to be important.

"Allison Argent is missing." A heavy sigh followed the words before he continued. "Chris didn't know for how long. Ten hours at the most, so we can't really start a case on it yet, but I thought you might now something."

Wide awake, Stiles got out of bed and started pacing. "No, I don't know. Did you get a hold of Scott?" It wasn't that long since Scott left his room, and Stiles was pretty sure that his friend had nothing to do with her disappearance. "He didn't answer his phone. Maybe you can get a hold of him?" The sheriff sounded a little more collected, now and Stiles promised to do his best before he hung up. He hurried to get dressed while he ever so often tried Scott's number. It went straight to voice-mail every time, but he didn't give up. Only fifteen minutes later, he was in the car on his way to his friend's house.

Eventually Stiles decided to try Derek. If it was true. If Allison was really missing Derek could help find her. He answered immediately, and Stiles told him the news. They decided to meet at Scott's house and take it from there.

Mrs. McCall's car was not in the driveway, so Stiles dug out the spare key from under the flower pot by the door and entered the house without hesitation. "SCOTT, YOU HOME?" He rushed through the house, and met a tired and confused Scott in the hall. "What? What's going on?"

As he was about to tell, Derek and Isaac came up behind him and Scott looked even more confused. When he heard the news, he looked scared. "The Alphas. She's a hunter. Could they have... No? Oh, no. Not Allison." It looked like he was about to fall over, but Derek reached his hand out and grabbed him. "We can track her. We'll find her." He led Scott towards a chair, and urged him to sit down. "We'll find her." He repeated as he looked at Stiles and Isaac and nodded.

"We can split up and search. You guys can use your wolf senses to track her and I can... I can... just look for her." Stiles was eager to get started and looked at the others. Derek shook his head. "You will do nothing of the sort! We will trace her and you'll stay out of it!" He lifted his hand and stroke Stiles' cheek. "You can meet up with your dad and find out what he knows." Stiles pulled away a little embarrassed. He threw a quick glance at Isaac. "You can't order me around." He frowned and took another step back. Derek chuckled humorlessly. "I can, and I will. You will not put yourself in danger, I won't allow it."

Stiles let his gaze shift between the three wolves. Derek looked determined. Scott was still in shock, and Isaac was staring at the floor smiling. "He's right. If it's the Alphas, you better leave it to us. You should listen to your boyfriend." Isaac's smile turned into a smirk. "Yeah, I know. Deal with it."

-o-o-o-o-o-

About fifteen minutes after they split up Stiles called Derek to tell him that Chris had told the the sheriff that Allison had been doing some target practice last night. Chris himself had searched the area, but hadn't found a trace of her. That's when he contacted the police. According to him, she'd probably been gone for about twelve hours. Derek had a general idea of where she usually went, and decided to head towards the edge of the woods.

It didn't take long before he caught her scent and traced her to an abandoned farm building. He hid between the trees and tried to keep a safe distance. When he was sure that Allison was there, Derek made a quick call. "Hey, think I've found her, we should round up the troops." Derek whispered as he kept an eye on the door. "She is not here alone, I can smell wolves." He hesitated for a second. "Call Chris also, he can help, but you should stay away. I'm at the edge of the woods where the creek widens a little."

Stiles answered with an almost squeaking voice. "Is she, she's alive, right?" The boy cleared his throat. "I want to help." Derek confirmed that he was pretty sure she was alive before he again urged Stiles to stay out of it. The last thing he heard was Stiles trying to protest before someone hit him over the head.

-o-o-o-o-o-

When he came to, he was strapped to a chair in something that looked like a garage. He felt like a fool for getting caught. He'd been too careless. Allison's sobs from behind him startled him a little and he tried to turn his head. The girl was crying as she finished the job on the ropes that bound him to the chair. "I'm sorry, Derek. They threatened to kill me. I'm so, so sorry."

Derek tried to free himself, but he had no strength. Where the rope touched skin, he felt an excruciating pain. "It's laced with Wolfsbane. I'm really, really, sorry." Allison stepped in front of him. Her face was scarred, and streaks of mascara was running down her cheeks because she was crying so hard. "They are watching us, I had to tie you up properly, or else they would have killed us both."

She wiped her eyes, smearing the mascara even more. Derek lifted his head with great effort. "What will stop them from killing you now?" He had a hard time focusing on her face, but could see that she looked embarrassed and distressed. "They didn't expect you. They took me to lure Scott here." She wiped her eyes again. "I'm sorry, but I'm glad it was you. I couldn't have done this to Scott. They would have had to kill me."

Knowing that the others probably were on their way, Derek started to worry. "They are coming, you have to warn them." He whispered, as he tried to fight against the effect of the Wolfsbane. He felt extremely weak and could barely hold his head up.

Allison looked down and wiped another tear from her cheek. "I don't know how. I wish..." She didn't get to finish. From the corner of his eye Derek could see two people coming up from behind him. They walked over to Allison and grabbed her. "Thanks sweetie. Now we only have to wait for the other guy."

Derek knew they were referring to Scott, and he was afraid that the young wolf would do something stupid when he realized what was going on. Isaac could be a loose canon and couldn't really be trusted in a life or death combat. He watched as Allison got tied up. She was strapped to a chair, and placed at the center of the room.

"So, Derek Hale, trapped by a human. Isn't that humorous." The two wolves circled around him, but didn't come too close. "Join us. We are stronger together." Derek managed to shake his head slightly. "No, you're killers, I can't live like that."

The fact that he himself had taken a few lives didn't really count compared to what this pack was capable of. Derek knew they wanted to be feared. He knew that they wanted to increase the werewolf count, and make their kind impossible to hunt. Gathering all the Alphas around would make them strong enough to take out any threat.

Derek didn't want that. He was fine staying under the radar in this little town. He could live an almost normal life and not having to flee for his life. Of course it would be different to be in this pack. The powers they contained would make them a considerable force, and fleeing would not even have to be an option. But still, it wasn't what he wanted.

Interacting with humans on a friendly level would be a thing of the past. He'd have to kill anyone who got to close and threatened the stability of the pack. That ultimately meant that he would have to stay away from Stiles forever or risk him being mauled or turned by one of these Alphas.

A tear threatened to roll down his cheek when he realized that the bond he shared with Stiles was more profound than he'd been aware of. The young boy was his destiny, his mate. He could never do anything that would threaten his life. "Never. I will never join you." He had to pause to catch his breath. He was very weak. "Just kill me now."