Status: active
Safe & Sound
five.
If life at Derek’s house hadn’t been awkward before, it certainly was now. There was this unspoken awkward tension between us since I’d found him at the Hale house. Given that it’d been two weeks; it wasn’t looking all that hopeful for me. Summer was encroaching and while it was nowhere near as hot as southern California, it was still uncomfortable in an apartment with no air conditioning.
I woke and stumbled into the kitchen to find a glass of water at ten in the morning. Derek was awake and eating a bowl of cereal. I vaguely heard his spoon clatter into his bowl as I grabbed a glass and drank two glasses full of water before turning to find him staring at me.
“What?” I asked dumbly before realizing I was prancing around his house in a bra and underwear. It would’ve been slightly less embarrassing had they been a sports bra and granny panties, but of course, they weren’t. It was likely the laciest bra I owned and the only thong I owned because I’d worn a dress the day before.
I felt a blush creeping up my cheeks as Derek’s eyes landed straight on my chest.
“Well, I feel like an idiot,” I said before taking off back toward the spare bedroom.
I purposely spent more time in the bathroom showering than necessary, scrubbing my body overly clean with the unscented body wash and trying to get over my extreme embarrassment. I finally dressed before heading back into the living room, relieved to find Isaac and Peter there to avoid the awkward tension that was sure to be lingering.
“The Alphas are requesting a meeting with me,” Derek grumbled.
“I’m going with you.”
It wasn’t even an option to send Derek to them alone. We’d spent two weeks running in circles trying to figure out what they wanted. Now that they were actually willing to talk, I wasn’t going to let them sway Derek. Their leader was persuasive and had far more experience than Derek did. Not to mention, I didn’t trust him.
“They’re not willing to talk if the pack is with me,” Derek replied firmly, “You’re staying here.”
“You’re aware I don’t have to take orders from you right?” I asked flatly.
“Eliza, it’s not an option. I’m telling you, you’re staying here,” Derek snapped.
I was trudging through the forest with Isaac at my heels. Derek had insisted I help Isaac with training, although I knew it was a rouse to occupy me while he and Peter planned to meet with the Alphas. I was enraged, and Isaac was well aware.
“Exactly what are you supposed to be training me on?” Isaac asked.
I shrugged, “Supposed to be teaching you werewolf history but I’d rather break someone’s leg than give you that boring shit.”
“Seriously? You’re the best fighter in the pack and Derek’s having you teach me history lessons?”
I snorted, “Only because Derek never paid attention to any of it.”
“What’s going on between you and Derek anyways?” Isaac asked.
“I’m not lying when I say there’s nothing actually happening. But at the same time there is, another thing Derek’s extremely stubborn and idiotic about,” I replied.
We’d made it to the edge of the cliff that overlooked Beacon Hills. At night it was beautiful, but on a humid day the town was covered in smog and hard to see – much like Los Angeles 90% of the time. We sat in silence for a long time, I lost track to time how long we were even on the cliff.
“Derek and I are mates,” I said finally.
Isaac looked at me like he hadn’t heard me properly.
“It’s extremely rare for werewolves to find a true mate. Most just have families with humans because it’s difficult for female werewolves to get pregnant unless they’re mated,” I explained.
“How long have you known?”
I shrugged, “I think the signs were there as long as I’d been living with the Hales. Talia, Derek’s mom, didn’t figure it out until I was fifteen though. I had plenty of boys chasing after me in school and I refused to give any of them the time of day. Not that I had any reason to shove them off, Derek’s never showed interest.”
“Why’s your family line so much stronger than the others? I saw the brick outside Derek’s front door.”
“The Boltons are direct descendents of the original werewolves; that’s why the Argents were so keen on getting rid of us,” I replied. I’d begun ripping apart dandelions, petal by petal, if only to distract myself. Isaac needed the information if he was going to stay in the Pack. But I still had trouble talking about most of my past.
“How’d you survive?”
I knew Derek had mentioned the murder of my family to Isaac, and I was quite sure that’s what he was referring to. It was only logical. How did a ten year old werewolf manage to escape a family of werewolf hunters who’d been around almost as long as werewolves themselves?
She was one lucky son of a bitch, that’s how.
“You’ll have to ask Chris Argent why he decided to drive me half way across the country to Beacon Hills,” I replied, “I never have.”
I woke and stumbled into the kitchen to find a glass of water at ten in the morning. Derek was awake and eating a bowl of cereal. I vaguely heard his spoon clatter into his bowl as I grabbed a glass and drank two glasses full of water before turning to find him staring at me.
“What?” I asked dumbly before realizing I was prancing around his house in a bra and underwear. It would’ve been slightly less embarrassing had they been a sports bra and granny panties, but of course, they weren’t. It was likely the laciest bra I owned and the only thong I owned because I’d worn a dress the day before.
I felt a blush creeping up my cheeks as Derek’s eyes landed straight on my chest.
“Well, I feel like an idiot,” I said before taking off back toward the spare bedroom.
I purposely spent more time in the bathroom showering than necessary, scrubbing my body overly clean with the unscented body wash and trying to get over my extreme embarrassment. I finally dressed before heading back into the living room, relieved to find Isaac and Peter there to avoid the awkward tension that was sure to be lingering.
“The Alphas are requesting a meeting with me,” Derek grumbled.
“I’m going with you.”
It wasn’t even an option to send Derek to them alone. We’d spent two weeks running in circles trying to figure out what they wanted. Now that they were actually willing to talk, I wasn’t going to let them sway Derek. Their leader was persuasive and had far more experience than Derek did. Not to mention, I didn’t trust him.
“They’re not willing to talk if the pack is with me,” Derek replied firmly, “You’re staying here.”
“You’re aware I don’t have to take orders from you right?” I asked flatly.
“Eliza, it’s not an option. I’m telling you, you’re staying here,” Derek snapped.
I was trudging through the forest with Isaac at my heels. Derek had insisted I help Isaac with training, although I knew it was a rouse to occupy me while he and Peter planned to meet with the Alphas. I was enraged, and Isaac was well aware.
“Exactly what are you supposed to be training me on?” Isaac asked.
I shrugged, “Supposed to be teaching you werewolf history but I’d rather break someone’s leg than give you that boring shit.”
“Seriously? You’re the best fighter in the pack and Derek’s having you teach me history lessons?”
I snorted, “Only because Derek never paid attention to any of it.”
“What’s going on between you and Derek anyways?” Isaac asked.
“I’m not lying when I say there’s nothing actually happening. But at the same time there is, another thing Derek’s extremely stubborn and idiotic about,” I replied.
We’d made it to the edge of the cliff that overlooked Beacon Hills. At night it was beautiful, but on a humid day the town was covered in smog and hard to see – much like Los Angeles 90% of the time. We sat in silence for a long time, I lost track to time how long we were even on the cliff.
“Derek and I are mates,” I said finally.
Isaac looked at me like he hadn’t heard me properly.
“It’s extremely rare for werewolves to find a true mate. Most just have families with humans because it’s difficult for female werewolves to get pregnant unless they’re mated,” I explained.
“How long have you known?”
I shrugged, “I think the signs were there as long as I’d been living with the Hales. Talia, Derek’s mom, didn’t figure it out until I was fifteen though. I had plenty of boys chasing after me in school and I refused to give any of them the time of day. Not that I had any reason to shove them off, Derek’s never showed interest.”
“Why’s your family line so much stronger than the others? I saw the brick outside Derek’s front door.”
“The Boltons are direct descendents of the original werewolves; that’s why the Argents were so keen on getting rid of us,” I replied. I’d begun ripping apart dandelions, petal by petal, if only to distract myself. Isaac needed the information if he was going to stay in the Pack. But I still had trouble talking about most of my past.
“How’d you survive?”
I knew Derek had mentioned the murder of my family to Isaac, and I was quite sure that’s what he was referring to. It was only logical. How did a ten year old werewolf manage to escape a family of werewolf hunters who’d been around almost as long as werewolves themselves?
She was one lucky son of a bitch, that’s how.
“You’ll have to ask Chris Argent why he decided to drive me half way across the country to Beacon Hills,” I replied, “I never have.”