Bella Hale: An American Werewolf in London-A Teen Wolf Fanfiction

CHAPTER 10: A Darkness is Brewing.

Bella continued to talk with Derek on the beach for a while before heading back inside. She looked around and didn't see her father anywhere but could pick up his scent so he must be nearby.

Once inside the cottage, Bella surprised Derek by offering him bourbon as she was pouring a glass for herself.

"Since when did you drink bourbon?" Derek asked in surprise.

"When I first moved here." she replied as she took a sip. "The drink was already here at the time. Relax, it's not like we can get drunk anyway. I actually just like the taste."

Derek smirked. "Sounds like something Peter would say."

Bella huffed as she took another drink "Can we not talk about him, please?"

"We can't ignore this, cuz."

"Yeah? Well, my dad is the one being a selfish prick, not caring about anyone but himself. He only wants what he wants for him."

"Maybe that's true but do you really think that he hasn't thought about what he wants for you?"

Bella rolled her eyes at Derek "Have you met him? He'll think about what he wants for me only if it suits him."

"You couldn't be more wrong."

"Am I?"

"If you had just talked to him..."

"If I had talked to him I would still be stuck in Beacon Hills right now." Bella said as she took another drink

"You don't know that" Derek said "You know he loves you, right?"

"Sure has a funny way of showing it nowadays."

"Stop. You know he does."

"Why is he so intent on holding me back?" Bella argued "If he truly cared, he'd let me make my own choices by now. I give up trying to reason with him."

"Perhaps." Derek said

"Enough about this." Bella said, setting her drink down. "What's going on with you? How is Eli?"

Derek lightly smiled at the mention of his son's name "Eli's doing okay."

Bella could sense Derek holding something back "But?"

Derek sighed "A few weeks ago, I shifted in front of him for the first time"

Bella looked at Derek in surprise "I suppose he didn't take it well?'

Derek shook his head "Coyotes had broken into the house and were headed for Eli, who was playing on the floor. I did what I did to protect him but what he saw terrified him. He won't let me near him or even touch him."

"Jesus." Bella sighed

"I'm not gonna lie, I am hurt that he doesn't trust me right now. Eli is my son. I want to be able to protect and comfort him but I can't if he doesn't trust me"

"I'm sure he will." Bella assured him "Wasn't I the same around you guys at that age?"

"You regained Peter's trust in a matter of hours after he had shifted in front of you for the first time. For Eli, it's been days."

"Isn't it different for everyone?" Bella asked

Derek nodded "Maybe. Trust seems to be a hard thing to find these days."

Bella scoffed, "I see what you did there."

"It's true, isn't it?"

Bella sighed as she reached the bottle of bourbon and poured another glass "No one can trust no one anymore. That's the way it works now. I trust you but...I find it hard to trust him"