𝓬𝓾𝓻𝓲𝓮𝓾𝓼𝓮 || Derek Hale

Lycanthropy

I hear snippets of a conversation as I'm carried in someone's arms. "...only an Alpha..." "...rogue werewolf..." "...supreme...". I stir slightly and the voices hush. "I think she's waking up. Her body is still attempting the Change. It could kill her. We need to hurry up and get her to Talia." The footsteps increase exponentially as I feel air blow faster against my face.

More noises become louder and louder as we pass into some kind of building. I crack open my eyes. We're in some kind of abandoned warehouse, except it's..homey. There are lamps and couches. Derek sets me down on one. "Go get my mother." He commands Silas. He sits down in front of me while Silas shuffles off dutifully. "Derek? What the hell is going on?" He sighs. "Where do I even begin? This whole situation is dangerous. The Council will have our heads for this." He mutters.

"The Council?" He looks up. "Basically Werewolf Royalty. They're the ones that set the rules for all Werewolf kind. There's seven total. Elder and respected wolves. My mother is...close to them. She is respected by them, which in turn leads other people to respect her. That's why she's Alpha." Alpha? Werewolf? What did I get myself into? "Alpha? Like, the leader?" He nods.

"Wait so, hold up. You're saying that A.: you're supernatural shapeshifting creature. B: you've lived among humans since forever and C: your mother is an important person/Alpha, which D: makes you some kind of...prince? And what, Silas and the others...they're some kind of bodyguards?"

"Ehh...more or less." This is crazy. I'm glad I'm sitting already because if I wasn't I would've fallen flat on my ass. My point is proven further when my breathing quickens. I clench my fists. "Regina? Are you okay? You're kind of ripping my expensive couch." What? He's right. My fingernails are digging into the fabric, tearing long openings.

I flex my fingers. My fingernails have elongated into sharp animalistic ones. He groans. "Right. And now possibly the hardest news of all for you. You've been bitten. Possibly by a rogue werewolf or the rival clan. Your body is attempting to change, but you're unaccustomed to these new cells, so it's taking time. There's a chance you might not...survive?" He laughs nervously. My eyes almost pop out of my face.

"What?!!" He sighs. "I know, alright! This wasn't supposed to happen to you. It's illegal to bite a human, and only an Alpha's bite can turn humans. I'm not sure what to do for you. Human anatomy right down to the blood cells and nervous systems are different from ours. There hasn't been a Bitten in nearly 300 years, because of the incident. That human very nearly exposed us. And if we don't figure out who did this to you, there could very well be a dead pack very soon."

"The Council does not take lightly to breaking the Law. It's possible that the rival clan could've done this to you to get back at us and eliminate us once and for all, but I don't think they would've been this sloppy. Can you tell me when all your symptoms started? Like, healing, super senses, transformations, all of that."

I struggle to think. This is all so surreal. "Uhm, last night I got drunk and wandered home through the woods. There was this...bear thing. I blacked out in the woods and woke up at home. Then after that, today things started to get weird. I woke up with a splitting headache, and got starving. I smelt some sausage all the way upstairs and then I got mad and smashed a plate. I tried to pick it up, but the glass cut my hand. It healed in just...seconds."

I can tell I don't need to say anything more because Derek's eyes are wide. "You're further along in the transition than we originally thought. Dammit! Anger, sped up healing, and enhanced smell and sound are all traits of a young werewolf. I'm talking ten to eleven years old, Regina. You weren't born like this. Your abilities are progressing much faster than a pup's would. This is bad. Where is Silas?" He moans.

I squint my eyes which begin to burn. Derek's own eyes respond with molten orange. "It's happening again." He mutters. "What does it mean?" I gasp out. He shakes his head. "I don't know." For some reason, I don't believe him. I shake my head as if to dispel the changes. "Well hello." I jump at the unexpected voice. A woman with kind brown eyes stands behind me, accompanied by Silas who stands stoically at her side.

Despite having kind eyes, she also radiates power. I immediately feel threatened for reasons unknown. I glare at her. She only chuckles. "Stand down, Silas. It's a natural reaction for a young werewolf." Silas squints at me, but makes no move to move. "Ah yes. Regina. I must say, Derek wasn't lying when he said you were beautiful." The comment shakes me from the haze. I shrink down under her gaze.

She slips a finger under my chin, tilting my head up. Her eyes glow dark red. I feel my own responding. She frowns. "Hm. Come with me. Silas, take Derek to his room." Derek protests immediately, and glares daggers at Silas, who doesn't waver in his steely gaze.

"Mom! I don't trust her around the other Pack members. You know how they are about these things. They'll kill her." I squirm in my seat. I don't want to die. She waves him away. "Nonsense. But if you really insist on coming, then hurry up." He pumps his fist in the air. "Alright. Come on Regina." He says, suddenly excited. "There's a lot to show you." Talia hurries off and I struggle to keep up. "Come on. We might be able to catch them." She calls over her shoulder.

Derek keeps pace with me instead of speeding ahead, which I know he's capable of. He casts wary looks over his shoulder every 2 minutes. It's annoying, actually. "So, is that way your friends came after me the other night?" He stops. "What?"

"Your bodyguards. James, Damien, and Lillian." He shakes his head and rolls his eyes. "I told you, not quite. They're not my bodyguards. They just happen to go to same school as me which automatically means we're friends. We're not. And they didn't like me talking to you. I'm not really supposed to talk to any humans expect my human teammates at school. And, this has happened before."

"Before you, I had another...friend. She and I were close. James and Damien found out I was planning to tell her the secret, and took matters into their own hands. She died. But they were only indirectly responsible. It was really Silas that delivered the final blow. It was the full moon, and he hadn't quite regained control of himself. He was coming from a Hunt and smelt the blood. He still hates himself for it."

Wow. "And here I thought he was a bundle of sunshine." I mutter. "Derek!" Talia snaps. "Stop distracting her. She's going to have to Change. And it's your job to watch her." Derek sputters. "What?! But it wasn't me I-"Don't talk back to me." Her eyes glow red. I feel the power in waves, making me want to buckle and submit. Derek silences himself immediately.

"We're here. Go join the other pups." We round the corner into a large room leading into the woods. A pathway is lit with tall wooden torches. We follow it until we reach a clearing. It's filled with all kinds of people. Old. Young. Girl. Boy. Eyes follow our approach, and everyone does a short bow toward Talia, who nods.

People glare at me, and I look at the ground. Silas is among them, sending me daggers. If looks could kill. Talia claps her hands and voices cease. The crowd splits and Peter Hale walks through. "Big sister." He hugs her, then notices me. "New Girl? What're you doing here...." Then he notices Derek. Sighs. "I can smell her scent. Why does she smell like....us?" Talia rolls her eyes. "You always were an idiot." She mutters.

"She is. But we're going to welcome Regina into our Pack." Protests break out. "Silence! She's been Bitten against her will, and it's up to us to show her the life of the shapeshifter. Now, who will show her how to hunt?" Peter smirks. "I will." Derek narrows his eyes. I can clearly sense some bad blood between the cousins. Wait. Talia is Derek's mother, but Peter's sister. So..."You're his uncle?!" I blurt. Derek looks embarrassed.

"It was easier to pass him off as my cousin." Peter shrugs. "Whatever. Come with me." He grabs my hand. Derek is on him in an instant, snapping at him. Peter throws up his hands. "Whoa, easy there nephew. I didn't realize she was your mate." Whoa. Mate, as in, soulmate? "She's not." He grits out. "Really? Because your eyes say different." Derek's eyes gleam the molten orange again.

Talia looks between us. "We'll deal with this later. Derek, show Regina how to Change. Let the Hunt begin!" She calls out. Whoops and shouts go into the air and several people take off in human form. But some become actual wolves. It's... beautiful. They howl into the night and I see young children chasing each other across the field and disappear into the trees.

Derek looks back at me. "Race you there." Then he shoots off. Oh, two can play at that. I shoot off after him.