Stiles shut his eyes and rested his head against the cold, wet floor.

"Are you good?" Derek asked.

Stiles nodded, still not able to bring himself to speak.

Seemingly satisfied with this, Derek got off him and stood. He crossed his arms and looked down at the defeated boy on the floor.

He was trying to understand why Stiles kept losing control. As far as he knew, the boy had no history of aggression or psychosis. Hell, everyone he asked about him pretty much said the boy was weird but smart and polite. The only time he ever got in trouble was with his ADHD but even then it was a focus issue and nothing even close to violence or aggression.

"Then get up." Derek pressed, "You're not gonna solve anything down there so get up and help me figure out why you keep losing it."

Stiles didn't answer him. He lifted his hands to his face, the way he always did when he was stressed, only this time he froze. Because in the crappy locker room light, he could see something red and viscous all over his hands.

Blood.

He knew it was his blood. He knew it must have happened some time during his struggle but all he could think of was blood on his hands. Blood that was put there because he lost control. Blood that was there because he was a dangerous werewolf.

Blood that could have just as easily belonged to someone else.

Derek saw what Stiles was looking at and immediately knew what was going on in the boy's head. He couldn't even tell him that nothing like that would have happened because they both knew it very easily could have. If Derek hadn't been released from jail in time or if Stiles was just a little faster, there would have been at least one dead body on the field. Either by Stiles' claws or Argent's bullet.

They needed to figure this all out before Stiles became too unpredictable and too much of a danger to everyone around him.

"Stiles, get up." He said, more firmly this time.

When the boy still seemed too focused on his bloody hands, Derek took his arm and pulled until Stiles was on his feet. He didn't make a single noise of protest as Derek turned on the shower and drenched him in cold water.

"This is why you need control, Stiles. This is what I've been warning you about."

Stiles' head remained bowed as he watched the blood drip from his hands and mix with the clear water at his feet. Somehow, even though he knew this was his blood and he didn't hurt anyone, this felt worse than when he hurt Jackson. Back then, he felt horrible and he wanted nothing more than to go back in time and stop himself from losing control like that.

But this time…

Feeling all that anger and rage, then waking up to find his hands covered in blood. It was his worst nightmare come to life. Everything he worried about since that night he found out he was an actual freaking werewolf.

He couldn't understand. He did everything right! He quit, he meditated, he tried everything to keep himself in control and then all of a sudden…

"I'm trying, okay?" Stiles finally snapped, turning off the shower to give Derek his full attention. "But it's not like I asked for any of this! I didn't ask to be bitten, to be turned into some kind of monster! I wanted a stupid adventure before school, not this mess!"

Derek's jaw clenched, his patience wearing thin. "You think you're the only one who's had to deal with this? You think I haven't had my own struggles with control? We're werewolves, Stiles. It's part of who we are, whether we like it or not."

Stiles gritted his teeth, feeling the weight of Derek's expectations bearing down on him. He may not have asked for any of this, but he knew that he couldn't continue to wallow in self-pity. If he wanted to regain control, he would have to fight for it, even if it meant facing his fears head-on.

As he stood before Derek, a sense of determination settled over him, a steely resolve to prove that he was more than just a victim of circumstance.

"Tomorrow, we get back to training and you think about what your anchor is." Derek said.

Stiles scoffed. "That's it? That's all you got? Training and anchors? Because that's what we've been doing the past couple of weeks and I don't see it working. I lost control and let the wolf take over more times than I'm comfortable with! I've lied to my dad about something other than my browser history, lost my best friend, and got myself kicked off first line just to keep this thing from happening and it still did, so please… tell me what else I can do because I'm fresh out of ideas!"

Derek sighed, "The truth is, I'm not sure I can help you."

"What? What do you mean?"

"We're both werewolves but we're not the same." Derek confessed, "I was born like this, I learned control before I learned how to speak full sentences with a Pack helping to ground me. You were bitten, Stiles. Teaching someone who was bitten takes time and it's even worse for you because you have no Pack. No Alpha. I'm trying my best but…"

Stiles' heart dropped, his knees buckled, and he slumped against the shower wall. This couldn't be it. No, he… he never wanted any of this and now…

"What the hell does that mean? Am I supposed to move to a cabin in the woods and away from civilization? What?!"

"It means you tell me what you were feeling out there." Derek said, "I made it til just before half time and you looked like you were doing fine. What happened? Did someone say something you didn't like? Do something?"

Stiles looked up at his mentor, at the lifeline he was offering and eagerly grasped it with both hands. "I don't know. You were right, I was feeling fine. I was cheering with everyone else. I wasn't angry or disappointed or even jealous."

Derek frowned, "Nothing at all? Think back, just go through everything you were feeling and don't leave anything out."

Moving away from the wall, Stiles began to pace as he collected his thoughts. "Okay, so, the game was on and I was as bummed as everyone else when we first started losing, even more bummed and embarrassed for Scott and the team. Then, they switched gears and I was lost cheering with everybody else. The longer the game went on, the louder and louder everyone got and it just all of a sudden became uncomfortable."

"Chemosignals." Said Derek, "You must've picked up on everyone's emotions and since I haven't prepared you for that you weren't ready."

"We can do that?" Stiles asked, confused.

Derek nodded, "Humans give off pheromones all the time that show their emotion. It's got no detectable scent but you're a werewolf now. You've got a more keen sense of smell and interpreting these chemosignals are easy for you."

"That makes sense." Stiles accepted for now.

It wasn't something that came up during his research nor in any of the video games he played and movies he binged but he supposed it made sense. He remembered that time at school when he was talking to Erica and he swore he just felt that she was sad. At first, he brushed it off, he could have just been paying attention, but this made sense too.

"I was fine one moment and then it was like I could feel all this excitement, anxiety, disappointment, and anger all around me and…"

Derek's head snapped up. "Anger? You felt anger?"

"Yeah, it was weird but I definitely felt it."

Derek frowned, he was close to the answer, he knew it. He just needed a little more. "Where was it coming from?"

"The anger?" Stiles shrugged, "I don't know, the Lancers? They were losing, that could've pissed them off, right, but what does it matter?"

Derek's expression grew serious as he stepped closer to Stiles, his eyes intense with a mix of concern and determination. "Stiles, it matters. That anger is what pushed you over the edge and triggered your transformation. That means it's either someone you go to school with or someone from the other school. We need to make sure who it was from so you can stay away from whoever it is and keep their anger from overwhelming you."

Stiles blinked, processing Derek's words. "But how? It's not like I can just scan the whole stadium for angry vibes."

"You can't." Derek agreed, "But you don't have to. If someone's anger was that powerful enough to trigger your shift, then it will have left a mark on you. Your wolf will not let you forget something that was strong enough to overpower your will for even a moment."

Stiles's eyes widened as he considered Derek's words. "So you're saying... I might have left a trace of their anger on me?"

Derek nodded. "Exactly. It's like a scent, but more subtle. Your heightened werewolf senses might have picked up on it without you even realizing."

Stiles ran a hand through his damp hair, feeling a glimmer of hope amidst the confusion. "Okay, so what do we do now? How do we track this... anger scent?"

Derek's gaze grew intense as he spoke. "You empty your mind and think back to everything you felt out there."

"Empty my mind and think?" Stiles asked, skeptical, "How does that work?"

"You focus." Derek explained, "You let your senses do the work and remember all the emotions that hit you. Each emotion will have a different scent that will trigger a different response in you. Focus on each one until you find the one that makes your hair stand up and your pulse rise. You'll feel the anger rise in you but you can't let it take over like it did before."

Stiles nodded, determination sparking in his eyes. "Alright. I'll try."

He closed his eyes and followed Derek's instructions. It was harder than he imagined, the closing his thoughts part. His mind kept wandering and he kept trying to remind himself to focus and just think of what he felt at the game.

Stiles took a deep breath, pushing aside the cacophony of thoughts that threatened to overwhelm him. He focused on the memory of the game, on the rush of emotions that had flooded his senses. He could feel the excitement, the anxiety, the disappointment... and then, there it was, lurking beneath the surface like a hidden shadow.

Anger.

It was subtle, almost imperceptible at first, but as Stiles concentrated, he could feel it simmering just beneath the surface, a dark undercurrent that threatened to pull him under. He clenched his fists, feeling the familiar surge of adrenaline coursing through his veins.

But this time, he was ready.

With Derek's guidance echoing in his mind, Stiles forced himself to remain calm, to resist the urge to let the anger consume him. He focused on the sensation, letting it wash over him like a wave, but refusing to let it take control.

And then, just as Derek had promised, he felt it—the faintest trace of anger, lingering like a whisper in the air. It was faint, barely perceptible, but it was there, a silent reminder of the danger that lurked just beneath the surface.

Stiles opened his eyes, a sense of triumph swelling within him. "I... I think I found it," he said, his voice tinged with disbelief. "I can feel it, Derek. It's like... like a string from my crime board."

Derek's expression softened, a flicker of pride shining in his eyes. "Follow it and see where it leads us."

Stiles nodded, feeling a renewed sense of purpose coursing through his veins. With Derek by his side, he knew that they could overcome whatever challenges lay ahead, armed with nothing but their determination and the belief that together, they could conquer even the darkest of shadows.

He followed the red string of anger, pushing past the minor annoyances and frustrations around it and instead, focusing on the vibrant red anger getting bigger and bigger the closer he got to it. He was almost there, just a few more and…

He found it. Him. The source of the malevolent anger in the field. Finding him called forth Stiles' wolf and his eyes glowed gold in the locker room.

"Alpha," Stiles breathed, his heart pounding with excitement and fear. "It was the Alpha. He was here. It was his anger I was feeling."

Derek's expression hardened, his jaw clenched with determination. "Where?"

Eyes fading once more to a dull brown, Stiles focused on his mentor. "I don't know. Somewhere by the trees, I guess."

Before Stiles could say anything else, Derek was off like a shot, pushing open the locker room and running to the trees hoping to catch the Alpha.

"Wait! Derek!" Stiles shouted but Derek ignored him.

Stiles watched as Derek disappeared into the darkness, his heart racing with a mixture of anticipation and fear. He knew that neither of them were in any shape to face off against the Alpha, but Derek was already after him and Stiles couldn't just let him be brutally killed by the Alpha alone. At the very least, Stiles being there would give the Alpha two things to chase and be confused.

Hopefully.

AN: This ended up being a lot longer than I thought it was going to be. I really did research on this you guys. I wanted a logical explanation for the chemosignals thing in the show and I found out humans do emit chemosignals but they're too faint to be actively noticed. Though some people have claimed to be able to smell fear. I think the Mythbusters did an episode on that once where they proved the woman they were talking to can smell fear.

Please let me know what you all think!