Shatter My Reality

Unworthy

The smell of panic filled the room. Thoughts ran through Derek's head faster than he could process them. Stiles was dead. He'd failed to do the spell. Now, they were here to kill them. Or to take Spencer.

"Spencer, go upstairs," Derek snarled, his eyes bright red.

"What? No." Spencer took a step forward, reminding Derek that he was a Stilinski.

"What do we do?" Isaac asked, his claws out.

The fear in his pack's eyes only fueled Derek's anger. He needed to hold onto that anger because he was sure he wouldn't be able to hold it together when he found out what happened to Stiles.

The sound of footsteps closing in made Derek's heart race. They were in no shape to fight. Maybe they'd be willing to talk. Though he was sure the time for talking was over. If they'd hurt Stiles, he didn't think he would be able to form words. His hands shook so much he clenched them. He had to stay in control.

"Just follow our lead. Scott." Derek nodded for Scott to fall in next to him.

Scott pulled open the door to see the olive skinned beta holding an unconscious Stiles.

Derek couldn't help the snarl that erupted from his throat. There was blood on Stiles, but it didn't smell like his. The beta holding him was covered in it, though. The other two betas were behind him, looking anxious.

"I don't know what happened. He did a spell and..." The beta frowned down at Stiles' unconscious body.

Scott glanced at Derek, whose eyes were glaring daggers through the pack.

"Is this some kind of trick?" Scott asked.

"No. Can we come in? I think he needs help. And we need to talk."

"Gatlin, we can't trust them," the blonde snarled.

"It's why I brought a peace offering."

"A half dead pack member is your peace offering?" Peter snorted from the back of the room.

Gatlin shifted Stiles' weight in his arms. "Yes."

All eyes fell to Derek. He needed to think straight, but all he could think about was ripping apart whoever hurt Stiles. His hands continued to shake as he fought for the control that was rapidly slipping.

Seeing that Derek wasn't going to answer, Scott moved aside. "Come in."

Gatlin didn't hesitate, but the other two did, exchanging unsure looks between them.

"Where's your alpha?" Peter growled, his eyes darting to the balcony as if in preparation for an ambush.

Gatlin set Stiles on the couch. "Right here." His eyes flashed red.

Surprise swept through the room.

"You killed her?" Derek spoke for the first time.

Gatlin glanced to the other two. "She was unworthy of her position."

"You two agree with him?" Derek asked, looking at Keller. He had been her second in command. He had to have some grievances.

"She lost sight of a lot of things. We followed her because it's all we knew. But Gatlin is right. She was unworthy. She lost her way a long time ago."

Madison spoke up, "We didn't always agree with her. But you do what your alpha says. Now our alpha is Gatlin."

"So what happened to Stiles?" Scott was knelt beside his best friend.

"He offered to help me. He subdued these two so they wouldn't interfere. He said it was one of the spells he could decipher in the book."

"He did a spell from the book?" Derek snarled, stepping closer.

"Is that bad?" Gatlin's expression morphed into one of worry.

"He shouldn't have been able to," Spencer said quietly. He dropped down onto his knees, taking Stiles' hand in his.

"What do you mean?" Gatlin frowned.

"It was you," Keller said. "You're the one we wanted. It wasn't him, was it?"

Spencer's expression dropped. "He pretended to be me. But he didn't know how bad the book was."

"I don't think he'd have cared even if he did," Scott sighed. "Kira, call Deaton."

Derek tried not to focus on Stiles' limp body and instead focus on the shallow breaths. He was alive. It could be so much worse.

"So you brought him here. You think I'll just trade out one twin for the other?" he growled toward Gatlin.

Gatlin gave Derek a sympathetic look. "We have no interest in your twins. They're not fated to us. I bring you Stiles in the hopes that you are able to save him. And in the hopes that we can part ways peacefully."

"Peacefully? Stiles may die. How is that peaceful?" Derek snarled again, stepping closer to Gatlin.

Madison growled, her fangs extending.

The room behind Derek bristled.

"Derek," Scott snapped. He tried to push Derek back, but he refused to move.

"We have no quarrel with you." Gatlin remained calm.

Derek's neck grew hot. His anger only rose at how calm he was. He was the reason Stiles was in this state.

"Derek, if Stiles helped him, he likely trusted him," Spencer offered.

"I don't care."

"Stiles would. If he wakes up and finds out he went through all this for nothing, then—"

"If he wakes up," Derek cut in.

Gatlin's head dropped. "If there's anything we can do—"

"You've done enough," Derek snapped, pushing past Scott, who didn't fight against him. "You better hope he wakes up or I'm ripping you apart."

"Derek," Spencer sighed.

"I don't trust them. If Stiles wakes up. He can decide what we do with them. Until then, they aren't leaving my sight."

Spencer stepped between Gatlin and Derek. "Derek, you wanted them gone. This is how that happens. The damage is done. Sareen did this, and she's gone." Spencer gestured to Stiles. "Punishing them isn't going to fix him."

Derek's eyes narrowed at Spencer. He wasn't sure how he felt about this newfound confidence in him.

"It's fine. I'd like to speak with Stiles when he wakes anyway." Gatlin agreed. His betas tensed but said nothing.

Derek turned away from them and toward Stiles.

"You can wait in here," Scott motioned for the Dara pack to follow him to the table in the dining room.

It took all of Derek's restraint not to rip them apart now. But if what Gatlin said was true, he didn't want Spencer's sacrifice to be in vain. He would trust Stiles even in his absence.