Human is Just a Word 80/85
Chapter 80
Derek had a stare-down with Jackson which the beta was clearly losing which would have been funny under different circumstances. Now Derek just tried his best to not look like he was waiting for all hell to break lose.
Then the first Molotov flew, it must have been Isaac's, and a second later the second one hit the walls of Peter's mansion.
There was still a line of trees separating them from the building but the flames were clearly visible through the branches, outlining the corner of the house.
Derek couldn't breathe.
It was like back then. Suddenly Derek was a teen again, running up to the burning remains of his life. Next to him Stephen and Ellen gasped and Derek felt their flare of panic and a little more distant he felt Marc as well.
Derek fought down his own panic, his pack needed him.
"What the …" Jackson and the remaining twin just stared dumbfounded at the fire and then they took off running.
Derek and his betas followed them just in case Peter did come out the front door. Other wolves came running and for the moment Derek and his pack were forgotten while they all just stared helplessly at the burning building.
The flames were already dying down and it didn't look like they were in danger of a real fire in the woods but the cocktails had been well placed, licking up to sides of a corner and covering a few windows. There was no chance that they would actually set the concrete on fire but it was rather impressive, Derek had to admit with morbid fascination.
The sight of the flames, the smell of smoke and burning leaves, it did bring back memories for Derek and he hoped that it was the same for Peter.
Stiles counted on it.
Triggering a burn victim like this wasn't a nice thing to do but they weren't here to do nice things.
"What do you think you're doing here?" Jackson was the first who remembered Derek and his pack and suddenly Derek was standing face to face with the beta. Jackson had four wolves with him and that make him feel strong but Derek also had four wolves, Boyd and Isaac were at his side now, and he was an alpha.
The outrage died on Jackson's face but before he could make up his mind if he dared to attack Derek or not, a howl echoed through the woods.
An alpha calling for his pack.
Jackson didn't spare Derek another glance and just ran.
Derek was right behind him and he got in a few licks but the beta was too focused on getting to his alpha to actually care about Derek.
Then Peter screamed.
The smell of smoke and burning flesh hit Derek hard and he needed to shake his head to dislodge the images coming up in his mind. The burning house, his dead family in the morgue. Even Mark and Loreen in their sterile hospital beds.
Derek stumbled blindly for a few steps before he caught himself enough to pursued Jackson.
When he came into the clearing, the first thing he noticed was the burned body on the ground that was Peter. The alpha was alive, but barely.
Derek went straight for him to rip his throat out and end it once and for all but somebody tackled him from the side and after that Derek was just fighting whoever of Peter's pack came into range.
He did find a moment to seek out his mate and he breathed easier when he saw Stiles, seemingly unharmed, at the sidelines with his dad. John didn't look so good but Derek wasn't sensing blind panic coming from Stiles so he hoped that he wasn't injured too badly.
The next time Derek glanced over, Stiles was gone. Of course his mate went right back into battle, it didn't matter that the enemies were all werewolves and as such stronger and faster than Stiles let alone were naturally armed with fangs and claws.
Derek tried to make out Stiles in the middle of the fight but two of Peter's betas were on him and Derek had more than enough to do with keeping them at a distance. The smell of blood was heavy in the air, almost covering up the smell of fire and burning flesh, and his claws were dripping with it, some of it his own.
Then a gunshot echoed through the woods.
As if their strings were cut, Peter's pack stopped fighting. They all froze, one or two actually dropped to their knees, eyes wide in disbelief.
Derek knew that feeling. Losing the bond to his alpha, it was one of the worst things he'd ever felt in his life. But seeing Peter's pack like this only brought him grim satisfaction. They had done the same to Laura's pack without a second of remorse.
"No!" One of the twins yelled and leaped for the person who had shot Peter. Derek was sure that it was Stiles he was aiming for but instead he sank his fangs into a man Derek had never seen before.
"Tommy!" Lydia's voice cut through the night and she was running towards the man but it was too late. Isaac got the twin off him and threw him into a tree where he sank down in a heap but the other man was on the ground as well.
Some of Peter's wolves were already running and the remaining ones didn't stand a chance against Derek and his pack but some still wanted to fight. Seeking revenge or a quick death, Derek didn't know and he doubted they knew either. When a woman with dead eyes came after him, he caught her by the throat, claws pricking the skin.
"You're alpha is dead." He growled at her. "Run. Now!"
The last words were directed at all of them and after a confused second they did run. Some were limping and the other twin had to almost carry his brother but they were leaving. Even Jackson. He was the last to leave. And not because half his head was just a bloody mess and he was barely standing.
He lingered at the treeline, eyes never leaving the smoldering remains of his alpha as if he expected him to come back.
Then he nodded to himself as if he finally accepted that his alpha was gone.
Slowly Jackson turned and walked away.
"Derek!" Lydia screamed for him. "We need you here."
Running over to her, he had a look around. Stiles was back with his father, talking quietly to him, Isaac and Ellen were with Mark who was still on the ground but at least conscious. The others all looked worse to wear but their injuries didn't seem too bad.
When he came closer, Derek had his first real look at the man who shot Peter. He was lying with his head in Lydia's lap, clinging to her, while she was pressing her hands into the gaping hole in his side. The werewolf had ripped a good chunk right out of his side.
But that was by far not the only wound the man had. Only dressed in a pair of jeans his injuries were on display, cuts and bruises and raw flesh. He even smelled sick.
"He's dying." Lydia had her hands deep in the wound in the hopeless attempt to stop the bleeding. "You have to bite him."
Derek hadn't thought that the man was even conscious but at her words he started to fight.
"No." The word was barely a whisper. "No, no, no, no." He puffed the words out with every rapid breath.
"Please, Tommy." Lydia broke down crying, she even let go of the wound with one hand to stroke his hair. "Trust me. Please."
The man wasn't a werewolf so he had to be a human Peter had claimed. His whole body spoke of the abuse he had endured and Derek wasn't sure if turning him would do him a favor. With his bond broken, his mind must be already breaking as well and he didn't know if the bite would be enough to keep him sane.
"I won't bite you without your consent." Derek sank to his knees at his other side and gently took his hand. If nothing else he could take the pain. The man tried to fight him for a moment but he was too weak.
"Tommy, please." Lydia wasn't giving up on him just yet. Being human in a pack of werewolves they probably had formed their own kind of bond.
"I know you don't trust him but trust me, okay?" She pleaded. "Can you trust me?"
His eyes had become distant but now he focused on her.
Derek didn't think that he was even there enough to make a decision but then he brought out a raspy "okay".
That was all he needed. Without hesitation he sank his teeth into the man's, Tommy's, neck.
When he sat back and wiped the blood off his mouth, the man had lost consciousnesses.
"It might be too late." Derek said. And even if the body accepted the bite and the man survived, they didn't know what state his mind would be in. He had been claimed but the bond broke. It was possible that they had acted quick enough but they would only know for sure when he woke up. If he woke up.
Stephen took over the pain draining for Derek and he hurried over to the other injured human.
John was still sitting with his back against the tree and in the dark he looked paler than he should. There was a thin layer of sweat covering his face but he didn't look as if he was about to die.
Stiles and Boyd were at his sides and the beta was already taking care of the pain.
"How bad is it?" Derek crouched next to them.
"I'll live." John answered and the fact that he was the one answering put Derek at ease.
"I already called an ambulance." Stiles shook his phone which he still had at his ear. On the other end Derek heard the operator talking. "They'll be here in a few minutes."
"What about him?" Boyd nodded towards where Stephen and Lydia were sitting with Tommy.
He must have known what it meant for him if he killed Peter and he had done it anyway. Whoever he was, he was a brave man but also a deeply hurt one and most likely more ready to die than to live. Derek still wasn't sure if giving him the bite had been a good idea but chances were slim that he would actually survive.
"Is that Thomas Barns?" John asked, craning his neck in hope to get a better view of the man.
"I don't know." Derek had to admit. "Lydia calls him Tommy."
John nodded knowingly. "Tommy Barns, he went missing about a year ago. I always suspected that Peter had something to do with that but I never …" He didn't have enough breath for the rest of the sentence but it was clear what had happened here. Somebody disappeared without a trace and the sheriff could only wait for him to turn up in a ditch or as a case for Eichen-House.
Erica went to open the barrier for the ambulance and to show them where to go and a few minutes later professionals were taking care of John and Tommy.
Somebody must have informed the sheriff's department as well, or they got suspicious when the werewolves at the station suddenly panicked over their sudden omega status.
"That's not how I wanted to see you again, sir." The man who had to be Deputy Parrish greeted John when he was wheeled towards the ambulance. If John had a witty answer, Derek missed it to the oxygen mask the paramedics put over his face.
Two deputies were examining Peter's burned corpse and Derek wondered what kind of consequences they were facing here. Not that he really cared. Peter was dead and Derek hadn't lost one of his pack. As far as he was concerned this was a victory.
Stiles rode with his father and Lydia stayed with Tommy while Derek gathered the rest of his pack and together they walked back to their cars. They needed to get to the hospital.
Chapter 81
Masterpost