Chloe's POV

Derek growled ar him again, "You will not."

"Isn't it her choice?" Nate asked him.

Derek's arm got tighter around my waist. There was something wet against the back of my shirt. i looked down.

"Derek, you're bleeding," I said.

Derek shot up from the chair, nearly knocking me to the ground. He grabbed me and yanked me inside to the bathroom. My mind flashed back to New York as he panicked.

"Shirt off," Derek said.

"No!"

Derek growled, a little scared; I did. I went to cover myself with it but Derek took it from my hands and dropped it in the trash. He grabbed a wet washcloth and started scrubbing my skin that had touched the bloody part of the shirt.

"Stop," I grabbed Derek's hand, "Your stitches are bleeding, take care of that."

"Later," Derek glared.

Not that I could match his strength in the slightest, but I held on to his hand.

"Why are you doing this?"

"I wouldn't wish this life on my worst enemy. What makes you think I wish it on you."

He was scared of what it would do to me again. I needed to not be snappy, I needed to be gentler.

"Derek, sit down," I asked of him.

He leaned against the counter. i held up my hands for him to see.

"See? No cuts right?"

Derek looked at them and nodded, "Right?"

I took the washcloth from him, he immediately tensed.

"Then you have no reason to freak. I won't get infected."

I lifted his shirt up to the stitches and pressed the washcloth against it. Derek hissed in pain. I took his hand and had him hold the washcloth in place while I grabbed some pain reliever from the cabinet.

"Here," I gave him a few and a cup of water from the sink. "You should have someone check it out, make sure you didn't tear anything."

"I'm fine," he grunted.

Derek made me wash my hands raw before I could leave the bathroom. We went upstairs to change shirts and afterwards, I went back outside. I walked past Nate and Simon and went out to the open field. Sitting down in the tall grass.

"You got a new shirt," Jeremy said. Walking up to me.

"What do you want?" I asked.

"Oh come on Chloe, we were getting along so well before."

Jeremy sat beside me. I moved over a little to create space between us.

"Then you guys decided to screw me over."

Jeremy sighed, "You've never been institutionalized before I take it."

I shook my head. I had been in that one facility and the group home but I had not been at them long enough to be institutionalized.

"Well, you learn fast that what goes on between the staff and other patients is none of your business. The cleaner you keep your nose, the smoother sailing it is."

"Yeah," I nodded. "Fair enough."

Jeremy changed the subject, "So you're really thinking of going back?"

I nodded, "Being werewolf finally gave me power and control over my life. Even if changing sucked."

"Why don't you get infected while he is asleep?" Jeremy asked.

My jaw dropped.

"What? I'm demonic. what did you expect? I know loopholes."

"I'm not going to take that from him!"

"But he can take your decision from you?"

Tess called out that lunch was ready. Ignoring Jeremy, I got up and walked back to the house.

Tess pulled me aside before I got food.

"Matt will be back today," she said.

Matt had been taking subjects home to their families and relatives. It was taking him a while since the subjects were from all over the country.

"Is he upset with me?" I asked.

"What? Why?" Tess was surprised by my question.

"I failed. I didn't use any of the techniques he showed me. None of this would have happened if I did."

Tess sighed and pulled me into a hug, "Stop beating yourself up sweetheart."