For My Flesh Had Turned to Fur, and My Thoughts Had Turned to You

Chapter 5

He’s only a few miles from his home when he hears the roar of his alpha and then sees the wolf of his mother. She comes bounding over to him, knocking him to the ground, sniffing and nuzzling him all over. After she’s done, assured he has no injuries, she sits back on her haunches, expectant. Derek lowers his head, submitting, and whines, knowing what she wants, only he can’t shift back. He had tried that last week, every day after Stiles left but couldn’t bring it about.

His mother’s gaze narrows, and he can tell she’s frowning even in her wolf form. She huffs and takes a few steps back from him before taking in a great deal of air and roaring loud and deep at Derek. Her eyes bleed red, and her roar echoes around them, bouncing off the trees and the house. He knows within minutes, the rest of the pack will be bounding over to them after hearing their alpha’s call.

When the ringing of Derek’s ears at his mother’s roar subsides, he looks down to see his arms and hands, his legs. He’s human again, and the forced shift has made his entire body ache with the abrupt change. He curls in on himself, both hoping it will help the pain and to cover himself and retain his heat.

Out of the corner of his eye, he sees his mother shift gracefully, coming to stand next to him. A few of his siblings are running over, blankets and robes in their hands, which they wrap around both he and his mother. His mother pulls him into her and hugs him close to her, rubbing soothing patterns into his skin. It’s when she’s shushing him gently that he realizes he’s been crying, tears falling freely down his face.

“You’ve been gone too long, pup. Come,” his mother says, guiding him towards the house.

Eventually, after Derek’s calmed down, washed up, and clothed, he tells his mom everything he feels she should know. He tells her about what he’s found out about the McCall pack, their alpha, and the witch. He emphasizes that the witch is young that he is still practicing, learning, and that he only wants to learn to control it to protect his pack and for no other nefarious purposes. He tries to keep it as neutral and impartial as possible, telling her about Stiles as if he only observed him from afar. Talia, though, can tell there is something more, something her son discovered on this assignment that he’s not telling her.

“Did you see Alpha McCall? How do you know so much about him?” Talia asks, calm and patient.

Derek knows his mother will pick up on the lie if he tries, so he doesn’t. “No, I didn’t see him, but I was able to find out about him by listening to his pack member.”

“The witch?” Derek nods. “And he said all these things out loud to himself while you observed from the bushes?”

Derek looks down, hoping his heart is steady when he gives a subtle nod.

“Oh, Derek,” she sighs out. His eyes meet hers, face confused. “What is the witch’s name?”

“Stiles,” he answers, too quickly and with too much fondness and softness to fool anyone, especially not his alpha.

Talia gives her son a small smile and takes his hands in hers as she comes to sit next to him on the bench he’s been occupying in their private library. “Does he know?” she asks quietly.

“Know what?”

“That you love him?”

Derek opens his mouth only to shut it again, shaking his head. “There was no way I could.”

“He thought you were a wolf, didn’t he?”

When Derek nods again, his mother wraps her arms around him and pulls him into her chest. She rubs a hand up and down his arm, letting Derek draw comfort from the movement.

“I suppose it’s time I meet Alpha McCall and his pack.” She lifts Derek’s chin so he has to look at her. “If he feels the same, he’ll forgive you.”

Derek’s not sure he believes her, but it gives him a glimmer of hope to cling to, and cling to it he does.