Bambi And The Wolf

Part 3

Of course, my happiness never really lasted long and I knew it was just a matter of time before my world came crashing down. I just never thought that it would happen on a day that was bursting with so much excitement in the air.

I had gotten so much closer to Stiles and I felt as if something could really come out of this. We had spent more meals together and the pack had started to welcome him as family. Even Isaac, who had trouble trusting people, looked up to Stiles as a parental figure. It warmed my heart seeing my family so big and happy. Like it was before their untimely passing and the horrendous moment in time that was my 22nd birthday party.

I honestly believed I was falling in love, and yet I didn't actually understand the feeling itself. People always say you can't know if you're in love if you've never been in it before, but how do you know the first time around? For me, it's a constant feeling of butterflies and contentedness. I always feel safe and trusted when I'm with Stiles and he makes me feel secure about myself. That's what I believe love is and I think I've already fallen hard for Stiles no matter how hard I tried not to. He wormed his way under my skin before I had known what had happened and I just couldn't say no to the perfect bambi eyes he had.

I should've known that he wouldn't ever feel the same. I'm a beast. A hideous monster. No matter how many times I thought he felt something too it just wasn't enough. I must've been projecting my feelings to much and I had convinced myself to see the love I had for him shining back at me in the depths of his irises. What other explanation was there? Why else would he have left so easily at the first given chance.

***

We had been walking through the snow around the castle, sprinkling bird seed throughout the courtyard, when I realized something was off with Stiles. I stopped walking slightly ahead of him and angled my body so he couldn't go any further, resting my hands above his waist.

"What's been bothering you so much lately?" I gently asked him, moving my thumbs in a comforting circle along his hip bones. He ducked his head in response, hiding his beautiful face from my view. I wasn't having any of that though, to upset to let him suffer any more if I could do anything about it. I grabbed his chin firmly and lifted his head until his gaze met mine. For a moment we just stood there, gazing into the others eyes.

"I miss my father. He's the only family I have left and he's probably been worried sick about me and I feel so guilty for putting him through so much stress when I'm perfectly fine. I'm his only family and I won't let him think he's lost it." He tears his eyes away. Tears start spilling from his eyes and cascading down his cheeks. I wipe them away with my thumbs and softly kiss his cheek; making sure not to let my fangs touch him.

"You can go see your father" I breathed out, stepping away from Stiles. "You are no longer a prisoner here. You haven't been for awhile now..." I trail off looking over to him. He has a look of complete shock decorating his face.

"R-really?" He asks, unsure if I actually mean it. I do, though, and tell him this, hoping he can see the truth in my expression. The completely vulnerable state I'm showing at letting him leave and setting him free. He smiles in return and runs into the castle. Minutes later I'm still frozen in the same spot staring at the space Stiles had just occupied.

When I go to head inside, Stiles comes running out with his bag and horse. He kisses my cheek and mounts his steer before riding into the forest. Leaving me just like my family had, and also the same as the witch that had cursed me.

I walked inside my home and sat in the lounge. I knew I was sulking but I couldn't bring myself to care. It seemed as if the pups already knew what had happened because they all came stampeding into the room.

"Did Stiles just leave?" Lydia asked calmly, coming up to me. She was extremely scary when she got mad, but it was even worse when she was acting calm. I mumbled my assurance that he had and the facade she had slipped.

"WHAT ARE YOU THINKING?" She screamed. The wolf part of her growling like crazy. "You always do this! You think because you can't get fixed you shouldn't even try. That was our chance to finally be ourselves again and you sent him away. You aren't the only one being affected by this curse, Derek! The rest of us were a victim of it too!" She was seething. I shied away from her as she yelled, looking down at my hands as they nervously fiddled with each other.

"They always said if you love something let it go. I love Stiles and he wanted to see his father so I let him. If he comes back that's his choice, but he probably won't." They seemed to deflate at that and instead of looking at me in anger, they looked at me in sympathy.

I got up and left. I went to the most hated room in the castle, and when I got there I wish I hadn't. The Wolfsbane had two petals left and as I entered the room, one drifted to the table top.