Human is Just a Word 60/?
Chapter 60
Derek sat at Mark's side. Over the last half an hour nothing had changed but considering how badly injured Mark was Derek wasn't sure how long it would take for the bite take. Derek had bitten all his betas and the bite had taken effect much quicker with them. But they had been younger than Mark and in a healthy condition. Erica had a seizure while the bite had changed her body and Derek had held her in his arms, terrified that something had gone wrong, but then she had stilled and when she had opened her eyes they had been golden.
So far Mark hadn't opened his eyes, golden or otherwise.
Derek's attention had been on what was happening outside of the room, Ellen was there now and Loreen's moans of pain had stopped but she was also still fighting, so it took him a moment to notice that the grip of Mark's hand in his had changed. A minute ago it had been just unconscious clenching and Derek's hand had just happened to be in the middle of it, but now it had shifted to something more intentional.
"Mark?" Derek asked. The man didn't respond or open his eyes but his face looked better. It was still badly burned but Derek thought it looked better.
Then, all of a sudden, the weak blip in his mind lightened up when the bond took hold.
Derek let out a shaky breath.
"Derek?" Mark slurred the word and turned his head in his direction.
"I'm here." Derek didn't let go of his hand, his new beta was still severely burned, but draining the pain was not the only reason he was holding on to him now.
Mark winced at the volume of his voice.
"I gave you the bite." That was one thing that had happened, they would get to half the pack dead in a minute.
"Shouldn't I feel better now?"
"You're already healing." Derek assured him. He could see it but there was so much damage. "It takes time."
After the fire Peter had been in a coma, and Derek wished he had never woken up from that, Mark was lucky here.
"I can feel you." Mark winced when he lifted his free hand to point at his head. "Here. It feels different than …"
With Laura, Derek completed the sentence in his mind.
"You were a human in her pack." He reminded him. "You're my beta now." They would have to talk about it later. Mark needed to know that he didn't have to stay Derek's beta if he didn't want to but that was another topic Derek put off for later.
"The fire." Mark's brain finally caught up with what had caused his condition. "Did everybody make it out safely?"
Derek didn't know how to answer that but his face gave him away anyway.
"No." Mark breathed out and then visibly steeled himself. Over the bond Derek felt his distress along with pain and a bone deep exhaustion. Mark should sleep and recover but instead Derek had to tell him that half his pack was dead.
"They kids made it out." Derek started softly. "They are keeping them over night just to make sure but they only have inhaled some smoke, nothing serious."
"That's good." Mark sank deeper into his pillow, exhaustion taking over.
"Charles, you and Loreen made it out." Derek continued. "I had to bite Loreen as well. She's still fighting."
There was a pause before Mark dared to ask: "The others?"
Derek shook his head. "Last I heard they haven't recovered all the bodies yet but there is no hope."
He had heard those words before and for a moment he was a teenager again, an omega, for the first time truly alone despite the fact that he was clinging to Laura while a deputy, it might had been John, he realized but couldn't really remember, confirmed what the broken bonds in his mind had already told him. His alpha, pack and family were gone.
"Derek?" Mark pulled him out of the memory.
"I'm here."
"What now?" Scared and with wide eyes he looked at his alpha.
"We wait for Loreen to accept the bite." He said. "And then in the morning, when the doctors say that the kids are okay, we'll leave."
It felt wrong. Laura was still in Beacon Hills and they would leave five pack members behind here but there was not much else they could do. Peter's ultimatum was still hanging over their heads and Derek had no doubt that Peter would wipe out what was left of Laura's pack if they didn't leave soon.
It was probably a good thing that they didn't have time to comprehend what had happened. There would be time for grief once they were back in his territory and his pack was united again. Which reminded him that he should call Boyd and Erica but he wanted to check in with Stiles first to find out what their status at the moment exactly was. Since he had been sitting with Mark, Derek didn't know what was going on around them.
Exhaustion took over and Mark slipped back to sleep but this time it was a healing one.
"I'll be back in a moment." Without waking him Derek left the room. Loreen was still fighting and since Mark was out of danger he was more worried about her.
Charles was still sitting at her side and on the other side of the bed was Ellen, draining her pain. Loreen hadn't changed since the last time Derek had seen her and he didn't know what to make out of that. The bite should have taken by now.
"Hey." Derek said softly and stepped up behind Ellen to hug her from behind. He buried his nose in her neck and inhaled the still unfamiliar scent. He had known her for years, they had been pack before but this was different. She was his beta now.
"Ellen said, Mark made it?" Charles ask as if he wasn't sure if he should just take Ellen's word for it. She must feel the new pack bond as well so there was no doubt but Derek confirmed it with a nod.
"The bite took hold." He said. "He's sleeping now."
With his arms still slung around Ellen's shoulders he rested his chin on her shoulder. Her back melted into his chest when she relaxed in his hold but she never let go of Loreen's hand, black lines swirling up her forearm.
"You bit her first." Charles reminded him. "Why is it taking so long?"
Derek didn't have an answer to that, all they could do was wait and hope.
He didn't want to leave Mark alone for too long, when he woke up he would want his alpha near by, so Derek left not not much later. There was nothing he could do for Loreen anyway.
He made a little detour to raid the vending machine and get some coffee which Charles and Ellen accepted with tired smiles. Then he returned to Mark's room loaded with chocolate and snacks. Mark would need every calorie he could get to replace the energy the healing used up. He was visibly healing now and his presence was a strong beacon in Derek's head. All he needed now was time to recover.
With nothing else to do than to wait, Derek fell asleep in his chair.
He woke to loud voices. It took him a moment to put together where he was and where the voices were coming from but when he recognized Charles calling his daughter's name he was out of his chair and over in the other room in a heart-beat.
He stopped in the door when he took in the scene in front of him. Charles was half in bed with his daughter, not caring about her injuries he was holding her in his arms, her head lolling against his chest. Ellen stood on the other side of the bed, tears in her eyes and her hand covering her mouth.
Lorren's mouth and chin were smeared with black blood.
"No." Derek whispered.
Charles looked up at him.
"Please." He said but there was nothing Derek could do. And even if he could, it was too late. He heard Charles' and Ellen's hearts beating rapidly but where there should be a third one, there was only silence. Loreen was gone.
"I'm sorry." He said and a second later he had a crying Ellen in his arms.
Then suddenly Stiles and Isaac where there was well and he just wanted to hold on to his pack.
"Let's give them a moment." Stiles said into his ear. For a moment Derek didn't know what he meant but then he noticed Charles who still had Loreen in his arms.
They retreated to Mark's room and it felt right to take refuge with their other pack member. Mark was awake and already half-way out of his bed in his attempt to join them, no doubt, but Ellen just climbed in with him and dragged him down with her. On his other side Isaac wedged himself into the bed as well, it was a tight fit but they managed. Derek and Stiles were the only ones left standing but they weren't ready to let go of each other anyway and so they made do with standing next to the bed, embracing each other with one arm while they reached out with their other hand to hold hands with their pack.
Derek would have liked to stay like this for a while, maybe even put on his fur and curl in with his pack and he knew that at least Isaac was itching to slip in his fur as well, but there was so much to worry about, he didn't have the time for that now.
Loreen was dead but the others needed him.
Bring Laura's pack to safety was on top of his list and the first step to that was to talk to the doctors to get Mark and the kids out of the hospital. The kids had been kept over night mostly for observation so he didn't think that would be a problem but Mark still looked like Freddy Krueger in his best days and somehow Derek doubted that the doctors would agree to releasing him just yet.
He had seen a police officer around earlier and he was pretty sure that the police didn't like the idea either of them all skipping town. They would at least have to give their statement first.
How would they even get all this people home, he wondered. He had only his rental and Stiles had his jeep somewhere. If any of the pack's cars were still of any use he had no idea.
"Stop thinking so hard." Stiles rubbed his nose along his neck. "Just for a moment."
Derek closed his eyes and breathed in Stiles' scent. He still hadn't had time to wash up so he smelled of smoke and sweat and grime but there was his familiar scent too. Derek focused on that.
There was a hand holding his and more hands on his arm and this was way less than ideal but Derek let himself drift in the closeness of pack for a little while.
When they parted Derek noticed that dawn had sneaked up on them and that he had no clue where the night had gone.
Stiles noticed it as well and they shared a look.
"We should get ready to leave." Stiles said. It was a harsh decision but they didn't have any other choice.
Ellen came with Derek to wake up the kids and Derek needed to talk to Stephen and Charles as well. The werewolves needed an alpha and he wanted to accept them in his pack before they left the hospital. Charles and Gina were human and Derek wasn't sure if Charles wouldn't just take his granddaughter and leave with her, after what had happened with Loreen, he wouldn't blame him, but there was a place for them in his pack if they wanted it.
"Stop worrying." Ellen said, probably sensing his distress. "You're a good alpha and we want to join your pack. All of us."
"I just wished there was no need for that."
Chapter 61
Masterpost