Poison and Wine

By Friday, Hailey still wasn’t one hundred percent sure on how she felt about the whole being-Derek’s-mate situation. Derek had stuck to his agreement in letting her take time to figure everything out. On one hand, if she agreed to be with Derek, he’d always keep her and her family safe and she’d be someone he could rely on all the time. On the other hand, being Derek’s mate could be dangerous. Not only would she be around werewolves all the time but Derek himself could hurt her. There were so many pros and cons she had to weigh.

Things at school seemed to be separated between Hailey and Stiles against Scott and Allison. It wasn’t intentional but because of their disagreement over Derek, Hailey and Allison weren’t as close as she had hoped they would be. And because of Stiles drifting towards Hailey and helping her out with another semi-normal life, and Scott spending time with Allison and with the other wolves trying to fix the Jackson problem, their lives had become divided.

That night, the Lacrosse team was having its official home opener. Scott and Stiles were nervous for the game, not just for their performances but also because of what happened with Jackson at their last home game. Hailey walked up the steps of the bleachers, her father and Aaron following behind her, her mother was at work.

She carried a poster to support Stiles. Out of the corner of her eye she spotted Allison sitting with her father, a poster for Scott rolled up next to her as well. Allison caught her eye and waved. Hailey smiled back and waved in return before finding a spot large enough for the three of them. She waited for Jason and Aaron to slide in first and she sat on the end next to the aisle.

“What’s Stiles’ number?” Aaron asked, craning his neck to look down at the sidelines where the Cyclones sat.

“Twenty-four,” Hailey said, taking the rubber band off of the poster and unrolling it.

“Is he good?”

“He scored three goals in the state championship last year. The last one won them the game,” Hailey explained with a smile on her face.

“Did he now?” Jason asked and Hailey nodded. “He didn’t tell us that at dinner the other night.”

“He doesn’t like to brag… much,” she said with a laugh.

She turned her head to look back over at Allison and saw that she was looking towards the parking lot, her head moving slightly to the left as if she was watching someone. Hailey followed her gaze and her eyes widened when she saw Derek. She hadn’t seen him since Monday when she left him standing on the sidewalk in front of her house.

“Oh no,” she whispered, attempting to pull some of her hair towards her face to cover it. Like that will help, she thought, he will still be able to smell me. Goddamn werewolves.

“Are you okay?” Aaron asked, looking up at his sister, his eyes wide in confusion as he watched her make a fool of herself.

“Hi,” Derek said, he stood on the steps of the bleachers next to Hailey and she just kept looking at Aaron.

“I was,” she said, groaning as she turned to look up at Derek.

“Hi Derek,” Aaron said excitedly and once again Derek gave him a genuine smile like he had at the soccer game.

“Mr. Miner,” Derek said, nodding his head towards Jason who merely stared up at Derek, his eyes pulled together in confusion. “Is it alright if I sit with you?”

“Sure!” Aaron said, reaching over to shove his father further down the bench. Aaron moved over leaving a space between himself and Hailey. Derek hesitated before stepping lithely over Hailey’s legs to sit next to her. Hailey leaned forward and put her head in her hands, thinking of a way to get back at Aaron later.

“What’s this?” Derek asked, pointing to the poster that was resting at Hailey’s feet.

“Nothing,” she said, her voice muffled because her head was still in her hands.

“It’s a poster for Stiles,” Aaron answered, looking towards the field as the starting whistle sounded. Hailey looked up and over at her brother, glaring at him before looking at Derek.

“Stiles?” he asked, arching an eyebrow.

“Best friend. Remember?” Hailey asked, looking down at the field, standing up to clap as Stiles drove the ball down the field before passing to Scott.

“Hails, why don’t you date Stiles?” Aaron asked turning to look at her. Her eyes widened and she saw both her father and Derek looking up at her. Jason out of curiosity; Derek out of amusement.

“Yeah, Hailey,” Derek said, an evil grin on his face. “Why don’t you date Stiles?”

“Shut up,” she said, knitting her brows together and sitting down.

“I don’t know Hailey,” Jason said, shaking his head as he looked down at the game. “Stiles made quite the impression on both your mother and myself.”

“Geez, Dad,” she groaned, noticing how he emphasized the word both.

“All I’m saying is that he’s a very well put together young man. He’s smart, he’s courteous, he’s closer to your age…”

“Oh my God!” Hailey shouted causing some of the other fans to look towards them. She looked at her Dad who just raised an eyebrow and shrugged his shoulders before turning back to the game.

“You do know that I’m not here just to make you uncomfortable, right?” Derek asked with a serious look on his face. Hailey sighed and looked at him, cocking her head to the side.

“I guess… I don’t know,” she whispered. Derek got the hint and dropped his voice low.

“The last time there was a home Lacrosse game…”

“I know,” she said, cutting him off before he could finish. “But did you really have to sit with us? I mean, Aaron’s kind of starting to get attached to you. He asked me the other day if you were going to come to his next soccer game tomorrow.”

“I’ll go if he wants me there,” Derek said, shrugging his shoulders and Hailey shook her head.

“Derek… I don’t want him getting attached to you,” she said, and he furrowed his brows. “When I make up my mind about how I feel about this whole thing… if it’s against us… I don’t want him to be disappointed.”

“I understand,” he sighed. Hailey nodded her head and turned her attention to the game so she could actually tell Stiles she was watching.

Things were silent for the rest of the first half between the Miner’s and Derek. Occasionally Aaron would ask Derek if he saw one of the amazing plays but other than that the only sounds out of their mouths were cheers. Hailey stood when the teams walked by to head to the locker rooms during half time and held her poster up for Stiles. Stiles looked up when he heard her voice and smiled, pumping his fists in the air. The Cyclones were ahead, 5-3, and Stiles had scored two of their points.

“Dad can I go get a drink?” Aaron asked, standing up in hopes of being allowed to go to the concession table.

“Sure. Want to grab me a water, bud?” Jason asked, handing Aaron a ten-dollar bill.

“Yupp! Want to come with me Derek?” Aaron asked, as he stood on the stairs, waiting for an answer. Hailey looked at Derek, pleading with her eyes for him to not go but Derek looked up at Aaron who had a large smile on his face.

“Yeah,” he said, standing up, once again stepping over Hailey’s legs as she refused to move. She huffed and crossed her arms as she watched them go down into the crowd.

“You alright kiddo?” Jason asked, sliding closer to his daughter. Hailey shrugged her shoulders and sighed. “Does this have to do with Derek?”

“Kind of,” Hailey said, looking up at her father. He put an arm around her shoulders and she rested her head on his shoulder.

“I know at times I can be a little over protective,” he said and Hailey looked up at him, raising an eyebrow.

“A little?” she asked and he chuckled.

“Okay, very over protective,” he said and she nodded her head. “But you’re still my little girl no matter how old you are.”

“I know, Daddy,” she whispered, wrapping her arms around his torso and squeezing him tight.

He kissed the top of her head and looked up when he heard cheers from the crowd as the teams returned to the field. Hailey sat up and looked down, hoping to spot Stiles. She scanned the field, getting ready to hold up her poster again, a frown forming on her face when she couldn’t find his number.

Coach Finstock seemed to be looking around in confusion. He threw his hands up in the air and said something causing two players that weren’t in the game before to run onto the field. Hailey looked through all of the players and still couldn’t find Stiles. Scott was missing too. Jackson was now in Stiles’ position on the field. She stood up and looked around the bleachers, her heart starting to race. Lydia was nowhere in sight.

“Hailey, what’s wrong?” Jason asked. Hailey was about to say something when she spotted Derek and Aaron coming back from the concession table. She dropped her poster and raced down to the bottom of the bleachers. She put her hands on Aaron’s shoulders and pushed him towards the stairs.

“Go up there and don’t leave Dad’s side until Derek and I come back, okay?” she said quickly, waiting for him to nod his head in confusion before turning to Derek.

“What’s going on?” Derek asked, a hint of worry in his voice as Hailey grabbed his hand and led him around the bleachers and towards the school.

“Stiles and Scott aren’t on the field.”

“So?” he asked causing her to stop in order to turn around and stare at him, her mouth open.

“I couldn’t find Lydia in the crowd either,” she said and Derek’s eyes widened as he looked up at the school. He scooped Hailey up in his arms and started running. “What are you doing?”

“It’s faster,” he said as he used his werewolf speed to make his way towards the locker rooms with Hailey in his arms. He skidded to a halt in the hallway outside the locker rooms and set Hailey down. She made to push the door open but he grabbed her wrist.

“What are you doing?” she hissed, her eyes shifting towards the door in worry.

“Let me listen for a second,” he whispered, holding a finger up in front of her. His eyes widened as he listened for a few seconds.

“What’s happening?” Hailey asked, panic settling in.

“She’s torturing Scott,” he said.

He pushed Hailey behind him and very carefully and quietly pushed the door open. He slowly waved Hailey in and they quietly snuck their way towards Lydia’s voice. Hailey peeked over Derek’s shoulder and saw Stiles sitting in the corner of the communal shower, his arms handcuffed at the wrists over his head to a pipe. His head rolled to the side on his shoulder and there was a trail of blood down his face. Hailey gasped and covered her mouth. Derek held a finger to his lips as he looked at her and she nodded her head.

Derek snuck across the aisle to the other row of lockers to get a better glimpse of Lydia. Hailey followed and saw Lydia’s back was towards them and she was facing Scott. He was sprawled out on the floor in his wolf form and was shaking. As Hailey watched in fear, Lydia lifted her arms from her side and pointed towards Scott and next Hailey knew Scott was writhing on the floor, shouting out in pain.

“It’s a high voltage Taser,” Derek whispered, his eyes glowing red. “Stay hidden.”

Hailey nodded her head and bit her lip as she watched Derek shift into wolf form right in front of her. He stepped out into the aisle and lunged at Lydia, attacking her from behind. Hailey watched as Lydia whipped around, bringing her left arm up and pointing something large at Derek and suddenly he flew back a few feet and landed on his back, his body convulsing in pain. Hailey’s eyes widened and she looked up at Lydia to see her holding the device, electrical currents running through it.

“I bet you missed this,” Lydia said, cocking her head to the side and walking towards Derek, pointing the device at his chest. “I heard your girlfriend did a good number on you with it.”

“Fuck off, Lydia,” Derek muttered, pushing himself up off the ground and circling around Lydia as she taunted him with the device. His movements were slower and his body kept tensing up in pain but he had to fight through it.

“Now, now, that’s no way to speak to a lady,” she said.

Hailey brought her hands up to cover her mouth, tears escaping her eyes. She looked towards Stiles and saw he had lifted his head and was watching the cat and mouse fight happening between Lydia and Derek. Scott was unconscious in the opposite corner and Hailey didn’t know what to do. As quietly as possible she shuffled forward, attempting to stay hidden from Lydia. Stiles’ head turned and his mouth opened and closed briefly when he caught her eye. She moved her hands away from her mouth and held a finger over her lips and he nodded his head slightly.

“What did you do to them?” Derek growled, baring his fangs.

“Did anyone ever tell you how hot you are in your wolf form?” Lydia asked, a smirk on her face. Derek snapped at her and she laughed. “What else? I came in here before the game started and put wolfs bane in their water bottles. I knew it would weaken Scott and basically drug Stiles.”

“What’s the point? What’s your boyfriend planning?” Derek asked and Lydia smiled.

“Let’s just say that these two have certain assets that Jackson would like to acquire,” she said. Derek growled again, this time louder than Hailey had heard before. Hailey racked her brain trying to think of what Lydia could mean.

“Quit playing games, Lydia.”

“You mean you still don’t understand?” Lydia asked, pouting her lips and speaking in a mocking tone. “Well, let me explain all mighty Alpha wolf. Those assets they have are their parents and Jackson wants them. If two of the star players of the Lacrosse team go missing, their parents are sure to be called to the school giving Jackson the perfect opportunity.”

“So he is trying to build a pack,” Derek said, realization dawning on him.

“Correct!” Lydia exclaimed, clapping her hands together.

“It must not be working though seeing as how everyone he’s bit has died,” Derek said, a hint of amusement in his voice and Lydia’s brows furrowed together. “I understand why he’d want the Sheriff, but why Melissa?”

“Because Derek dear, if he has Melissa McCall, he can convince Scott into joining him.”

“So all he wants to do is blackmail Scott in order for him to join him.”

“Now you’re catching on!” she said, her eyes following Derek as he continued to circle her.

“So what, you were just planning on leaving their worn down bodies here giving Jackson more than enough time to attack their parents?”

“We have a winner!” she shouted, throwing her head back in laughter.

She raised the Taser over her head and pointed it right at Scott’s chest, pulling the trigger. Scott screamed in pain and Hailey covered her ears, more tears escaping. Derek lunged forward and attempted to pry the Taser out of Lydia’s hand without thinking. Lydia reached up with her other hand and held the other device flush against Derek’s skin and pushed the button sending hundreds of volts through his body.

Hailey looked back to Stiles to make sure he was still conscious and he moved his fingers around over his head. Hailey looked to see what he was doing and he pointed over to the wall where the fire extinguisher was attached. She nodded her head and made sure Lydia’s back was to her before sneaking over to the wall. As quietly as she could she pulled it off the hooks and turned back towards the showers.

Derek cried out in pain again, soon after joined by Scott as Lydia switched her torture from one body to the other. Hailey squeezed her eyes shut as she listened to the screams, her heart racing. She looked up to see Lydia crouching over Scott. Her eyes flickered to Derek and noticed he was barely moving. She made her way between the rows of lockers, getting closer to the showers. Lydia increased the power of the shock on Scott every thirty seconds. Slowly, Hailey tiptoed her way forward.

As she stepped over Derek’s outstretched arm she looked down at him. He stared up at her, panic in his eyes. Slowly he shook his head when he realized what Hailey was going to do but she bit her lip and nodded her head, a tear sliding down her face and landing on his cheek. She stopped right behind Lydia. When Lydia noticed the shadow she stopped what she was doing to Scott and slowly turned around. Right when her eyes connected with Hailey’s, Hailey brought the fire extinguisher down on the side of her head, knocking her out.

“Oh my God,” Hailey whispered, dropping the fire extinguisher to the tile floor. It made a loud clanging sound that echoed throughout the shower and she dropped to her knees next to Lydia. She brought her hands to her face as she sobbed a few times before taking a few deep breaths and looking around at her friends.

“Hailey,” Stiles muttered, his leg kicking out in front of him. “The keys.”

“Where are they?” she asked, looking around frantically.

“Necklace,” he said.

Hailey looked towards Lydia’s motionless body and saw the silver key on a chain around her neck. Tentatively she reached out and unhooked the chain. She scrambled to her feet and slid to the floor next to Stiles. She fumbled with the key as she unlocked the handcuffs. Stiles’ arms dropped to his side like a rag doll. Hailey wrapped her arms tight around his neck and cried into his shoulder. After a moment she looked up at him and brought her arm up, using her sleeve to wipe some of the blood out of his face.

“I’m okay,” he panted. “Turn… showers on.”

“The showers?” she asked and he nodded his head. She stood up and turned on four of the showerheads, letting the water pound down on all of them. It quickly started to take effect on Stiles. He shook his head and was able to move around easier. Hailey looked between Scott and Derek, unsure of whom to go to first.

They both lay there, still shifted in wolf form. She decided to head over to Scott first. His fists clenched at his sides as his breathing calmed down. He looked up at Hailey and saw she didn’t know what to do.

“Go to Derek,” he growled out. “She hit him with twice as much voltage… maybe more.”

“Scott,” she pleaded, squeezing his hand.

“Go,” he said, nodding towards Derek. “I’m fine.”

Hailey squeezed his hand one last time and nodded her head before scrambling across the floor towards Derek. They were all completely soaking wet now. Derek’s chest rose up and down with each shuddering breath he took but the rest of him wasn’t moving. His face was scrunched up in pain, his fangs bared. Slowly, Hailey moved over and lifted his head, pulling his body up so his back was leaning against her chest. She slid her legs under his arms and put her hands on his chest. She leaned forward and put her cheek against his, feeling the hair that only appears when he shifts.

“Come on,” she said softly, breathing rhythmically, hoping having him so close to her would help him feel and hear her heartbeat better. “Come on Derek, breathe with me.”

He looked up at her, his eyes red and she squeezed her eyes shut, more tears sliding down onto his face. Slowly he reached a hand up and put it on top of hers on his chest. She continued to breathe in a steady pattern and could feel as he started to match her as his body started to heal. She slowly slid away from him to turn her body so she was facing him. His back slid down to the floor again and his chest continued to rise and fall. Hailey took his hand in hers and brought it up to her chest, skin on skin.

“I know it hurts,” she whispered, watching how his breathing slowed down even more as he continued to match her. “But you have to fight through it.”

Slowly, the hair on his face started to recede. His fangs shrank and when he opened his eyes they were no longer red. He looked up at Hailey and reached his other hand up and put it on her cheek. She turned her head to press her cheek into his hand, barely feeling the tips of his claws as they started to go down. She couldn’t help but smile through her tears as he was finally able to breathe along with her.
Hailey kept her hand on top of Derek’s against her chest and brought the other one up to his other hand on her cheek, linking her fingers with his. She heard a squeaking noise as Stiles shut the showers off. He moved over to Scott and helped him stand up. Derek sat up and Hailey wrapped her arms around his neck. He closed his eyes and sighed as he pulled her onto his lap as she cried against his shoulder.

“I’m sorry you had to do that,” he whispered.

“Don’t ever do something that stupid again,” she whispered back, pulling away and putting both of her hands on his cheeks, resting her forehead on his. He nodded his head, bringing his hand up to the back of her neck.

“Okay,” he whispered back. Hailey opened her eyes and at that moment, she knew what she wanted. After seeing Derek nearly lose his life right in front of her eyes she knew she didn’t want to be apart from him. She rubbed circles along his cheek with her thumb and her heart thudded in her chest when he nudged against her hand. She took a deep breath and leaned in, pressing her lips to his.

“You can choose me,” she said, as she pulled away. “I’ll be your mate. I can’t leave you, not after that.”

“Okay,” he said again, pulling her in for another kiss. She smiled into the kiss, the last of her tears falling and pulled away. She climbed off his lap and he stood up, pulling her into his chest. He could feel the wolf in him change the moment he said okay. Hailey instantly became his top priority; all he needed was to keep her safe. “I choose you.”

“Uh, guys,” Stiles said, causing them to turn to him. “Not that that isn’t totally sweet and all, vomit inducing, but sweet… but um we have a little problem,” he said, pointing behind them to Lydia who was starting to stir.

“What do we do with her?” Hailey asked, her eyes widening when she remembered why they were all in there. “And you two need to get back out to the field before the game ends!”

“Hailey and I will take care of Lydia,” Derek said. “You two go.”

“Thanks Hailey, I really owe you one,” Scott said, pulling her into a hug before heading towards the door.

“You’re a beast Hails,” Stiles said, hugging her tight and kissing her cheek.

“I love you,” she whispered to him, squeezing him tight before he pulled away.

“Love you too,” he said, backing away. He pointed a finger at Derek and raised an eyebrow. “Don’t pull any of that better to see you with, better to eat you with my dear shit or I’ll be the one ripping your throat out with my teeth.”

“Stiles,” Hailey said with a laugh as Derek growled behind her. “Please go and make sure your Dad’s okay.”

“Right,” he said, his eyes widening as he turned on his heels and ran out after Scott.

“So,” she said, turning to look at Derek and Lydia behind him. “Any ideas?”

“One,” he said, shrugging his shoulders and looking at Hailey. “You might not like it too much though.”

“What is it?”

“Well first,” Derek said, walking over to Lydia.

Lydia’s eyes had opened and she looked up at Derek, her eyes wide. He leaned forward and grabbed Lydia’s shoulder, lifting her torso towards him. Hailey watched as Derek brought Lydia’s face so close to his that they were almost touching and then proceeded to head-butt her, knocking her unconscious once again.

“I do that,” he said, letting go of Lydia so she could slide back down to the floor.

“Was that really necessary?” Hailey asked cringing at the thought of how much pain Lydia was going to be in when she woke up.

“She did just try to kill me less than twenty minutes ago, remember?” he asked, disgust in his voice.

“Fair enough,” Hailey sighed. “But now what do we do with her?”

“We take her to Jackson’s car and handcuff her inside of it,” he said, picking Lydia up and throwing her over his shoulder. “Where are the cuffs and keys?”

“In the corner,” she said, pointing over his shoulder. He walked over and picked them up, stuffing them in his pocket.

“We better go before the game ends so no one sees,” he said, leading the way out of the locker room.

****

After breaking into Jackson’s car and dumping Lydia’s handcuffed, unconscious body, Derek and Hailey walked back to the field, still soaking wet. Once they were close they saw Scott and Stiles sitting on the bench, towels wrapped tight over their shoulders. Hailey shivered, realizing how cold she was and she was jealous of them. Derek noticed and wrapped his arm around her shoulders, pulling her close, warming her up as much as possible.

“Sweatshirt,” she said excitedly, pointing at the merchandise table next to the concession table.

They walked over and Derek bought one for her. She pulled her wet jacket off and hastily pulled the sweatshirt over her head, hugging her arms tight to her body and sighing at the warmth. Derek put his hand on her back and started to walk back to the bleachers.

“You need one too,” she said, stopping and waiting for him to buy a sweatshirt for himself. Derek looked at her, eyes wide, and over to the table.

“No,” he said, turning to go back to the bleachers.

“You’re going to catch a cold.”

“Think about what you just said and remember who you’re talking to,” he said, a grin on his face when he looked down at her.

“Right,” she said, nodding her head. They climbed the bleachers and joined her family again.

“Where were you two?” Jason asked, noticing Hailey’s wet hair and Derek’s soaking wet body. “And why are you wet?”

“I had to use the bathroom so Derek walked me over to the school and the fire alarm was pulled setting the sprinklers off,” Hailey said quickly.
“I didn’t hear any alarms or anything,” Jason said, looking towards the school.

“A janitor was there and was able to shut it off quickly,” Derek said, leaning forward to look at Jason.

“Well you basically missed the rest of the game,” Jason said pointing towards the scoreboard where the last two minutes were ticking down.

“And we’re losing,” Hailey groaned, shaking her head.

“I think it’s because Stiles wasn’t playing,” Aaron said, his eyes intent on the field. Hailey laughed and ruffled his hair. Aaron looked up at her a smile on his face and saw how Hailey was leaning into Derek’s side. “Uh Hails?”

“Yeah?” she asked, smiling at him. Aaron thought before speaking and noticed how Derek’s hand was resting on Hailey’s knee.

“Never mind,” he said, shaking his head.

Hailey shrugged her shoulders and turned back to the game, groaning when the final whistle blew. They had lost 8-6. Derek tensed up beside her and she looked up at him to see his eyes flash red.

“What’s wrong?” she asked, sitting up. He turned to look at her and pointed down at the field. She looked to see Jackson heading over to Scott and Stiles, anger on his face. She and Derek stood up and shoved their way through the crowd over to them.

“Where the fuck is Lydia?” Jackson asked, his eyes flashing that same electric blue Hailey saw when he attacked Aaron.

“We don’t know man,” Stiles said, holding his hands up.

“Bullshit. What did you do with her McCall?”

“They had nothing to do with her,” Derek growled causing Jackson’s attention to snap to him.

“Where is she?”

“She’s safe,” Derek said calmly. “I suggest you leave before I snap your neck. And if the two of you ever pull a stunt like that again I will personally be the one to kill you in more ways than one.”

“You really don’t want to threaten me Hale,” Jackson said, stepping closer, his eyes setting on Hailey for the first time. “What’s this?”

“Don’t touch her,” Derek said, stepping in front of Hailey. She grabbed onto his jacket and peaked around his arm.

“Does big Daddy Alpha have himself a little she-wolf?” Jackson asked in amusement, noticing how defensive Derek got. Jackson sniffed the air and shook his head. “Of course not. She’s a weak human. Something about her smells familiar, though.”

“You go to school with her dumbass,” Stiles said, rolling his eyes. Jackson turned and snapped at him causing Stiles to jump back and Scott’s eyes to flash gold as he stood in front of Stiles.

“Thank you, Stilinski,” Jackson said, turning back to Hailey. “But that’s not it. Something in her blood… it smells like someone else.”

“My little brother. Does that ring a bell?” she asked in disgust. Jackson cocked his head to the side and smiled.

“That’s right. He’s the one you stopped me from attacking Hale,” Jackson said, amusement in his voice. “That was such a shame. Well… you know what they say. If at first you don’t succeed, try, try again.”

“Don’t you fucking touch him!” Hailey said loudly, stepping out from behind Derek. Derek growled and grabbed Jackson by the front of his jersey, lifting him off the ground.

What do you want, Jackson?” Derek asked, his face inches from Jackson’s. “Why are you going after all of these people? Why do you need to build a pack?”

“I really don’t think that’s any of your business,” Jackson said and Derek snapped at him, dropping him to the ground.

“Leave. Now,” Derek said. Jackson stood slowly and grabbed his things.

“Next time it won’t be so easy to get away,” Jackson said, stopping when he was near Hailey. “I’ve got my eye on you now, Miner.”

“Derek, don’t!” Hailey cried, grabbing his hand and pulling him towards her without much luck. “Please, just let him go.”

“He practically just threatened you, Hailey,” Derek said in exasperation, turning back to her.

“I know but you can’t just kill him right now in front of this crowd,” she said, turning to look over her shoulder. She could see her father and brother still sitting in the bleachers. Jason was looking down at them in confusion.

“You’re my mate. I have all rights to kill him if he even looks at you,” Derek said, relaxing slightly and she squeezed his hand tight. She sighed and looked up at him.

“That’s what I figured,” she said. “I should probably go. Dad looks like he’s getting restless.”

“Okay,” Derek said, nodding his head and looking up at her family. “Tell Aaron I’ll be at his game tomorrow.”

“You really don’t have to,” she said, shaking her head.

“I know,” he said, a smile on his face.

“Well okay then. And what do I tell my parents?” she asked and Derek furrowed his eyebrows. “About us?”

“Uh… don’t?” he suggested, shrugging his shoulders. Hailey narrowed her eyes at him and he sighed. “Or we can tell them together tomorrow I guess.”

“Sounds like a plan,” she said, letting go of his hand and stepping back. “I’ll see you tomorrow.”

“Or sooner,” he said. She cocked her head to the side and gave him a confused look. He merely grinned and walked backwards until he was out of sight. Hailey smiled and turned towards the bleachers to see her Dad and brother waiting for her at the bottom.

“Let’s go home,” she said, wrapping an arm around Aaron’s shoulders and leading them to the parking lot.

Aaron talked excitedly about the game, filling her in about everything she missed. She listened to him intently and linked her arm with her father’s, catching him off guard. Now that she and Derek were officially together some of the tension of worrying about her family was lifted off her shoulders because now she could trust him fully and completely.