THE HYBRID'S MATE, sterek [book 01] ✔

x. breakdown

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𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐇𝐘𝐁𝐑𝐈𝐃'𝐒 𝐌𝐀𝐓𝐄

𝘤𝘩𝘢𝘱𝘵𝘦𝘳 𝘵𝘦𝘯: 𝘣𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘬𝘥𝘰𝘸𝘯

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     ONE NEW MESSAGE FROM: Ethan

     I put in my passcode and reply to the worried twin, telling him that Stiles had a breakdown and that he needs to hurry up. I put my phone back into my pocket as I hear Stiles sniffle quietly, trying not to let me know that he is still crying, but failing quite a lot. I pull Stiles back into my arms and hug the frail Human as he continues to cry, his sobs turning into ragged gasps for breath and his hands balling as they hold onto my shirt.

     "Come on, Stiles," I say quietly, moving my hand up and down the Human's back. "You need to breathe. Try to compose yourself, Sti. Ethan's almost here."

     Stiles sniffles and uncurls his hands from my shirt, sitting up properly. "I'm sorry that I'm such a mess, Peter. I'm being a burden, aren't I?"

     I don't get the chance to reply before Stiles launches himself off the bed and runs out of the room, a door slamming almost instantly. I follow Stiles, my eyes burning bright blue, and worry, flowing like acid through my body, sending me into a frenzy as I make my way to the bathroom. I bang on the door and yell at the Human to open the door, but only receive a sob in response. I try to break the door down, but find that I can't, and guess that Stiles had gotten the door made of Mountain Ash.

     To: Ethan
     He's locked himself in the bathroom. The door's
     made of Mountain Ash. You're going to have to go
     in through the window.

     From: Ethan
     I'm on it. Don't worry, Peter. I'm going to handle it.
     Get the Sheriff to open the door for you though.
     Better to be safe than sorry.

     To: Ethan
     He's not home. No one else Human is nearby either.
     I can't do anything.

     From: Ethan
     I'll open it.

     My head jerks up when I hear the sound of breaking glass, and I growl, the scent of blood hitting me through the door. The door opens and I see Ethan sitting on the tiled floor with a crying Human on his lap, splatters of blood on the floor next to them. I grab the First Aid kit and crouch down next to the pair, carefully taking Stiles' arm and straightening it. At that, I hear his heartbeat speed up and feel all his muscles tighten, making more blood trickle from the slices on his arm.

     "It's not that bad," Stiles murmurs, peeking up me with bloodshot eyes. "It's been worse. You know it has."

     I sigh and start to clean his arm. "I know, Stiles, but I thought you had made it past this."

     "I thought so too.. I just.. I couldn't.."

     "It's alright, Sti. Just breathe."

     I continue to clean Stiles' arm and hear Ethan talking to the latter, saying soothing things and trying to get Stiles to stop crying. Even though it must sting like hell, Stiles barely flinches as I put the antiseptic on the slices, killing all the bacteria and germs. One of them requires stitches, but the Human refuses to go to the hospital, so I stitch up Stiles' arm and then cover it with a bandage.

•

     Peter left, leaving me alone with Ethan, me curled up beside him on the bed, clutching the Wolf's shirt in my hands. Ethan didn't leave after I fell asleep. He stayed with me all day, texting everyone to let them know that I wasn't going to be going anywhere. Apparently Derek had sent a message, but Ethan had ignored it, leaving it for me to answer so he didn't have an argument with the Alpha.

     I wake what seems like minutes later, but look over at the clock that tells me that I have been asleep for hours, curled up next to my own personal heater. I sit up and wince as I stretch my right arm, the stitches pulling on my skin. At that, Ethan shifts beside me, making me clench my teeth and internally curse myself for almost waking a sleeping murder machine that never looks like he slept. I hear a chuckle and look over at my door to see Jackson standing there.

     "I said that out loud, didn't I?" I ask, standing up and stretching more.

     Jackson nods. "Of course you did. Very little of what you think you say inside your head do you really say inside your head. It's quite funny actually. Especially when you're bitching about someone in the Pack and they're standing right there."

     "Wait, so what I said about Erica and Boyd-"

     "They heard, and took your advice. They got together and realised how stupid they had been to ignore their feelings. Sometimes they do have a good effect on people, but not a lot of the time. Such as the time you were complaining about how bossy and adamant Derek was being about you staying out of a lot of things. The whole loft was almost destroyed after you left, still muttering about it."

     I groan and cover my face, stumbling slightly. I feels Jackson's hand wrap around my forearm and I fight a wince. Jackson must see it, as he pulls my arm down and stares at the red lines, a blank look on his face. The former Kanima traces his finger lightly across the line and I feel the pain drain from my body, as well as noticing that the lines heal faster than normal, turning into pale scars before my eyes. I look up at Jackson and smile thankfully, taking my arm back.

     "Let me heal the other one," Jackson says, reaching for my arm again. "It's the deepest one and it hurts the most. Let me heal it."

     I shake my head. "No, Jackson. Leave it. It's alright."

     I hear a rustle behind me. "Stiles? Jackson? What's going on?"

     Jackson sighs, pushing his hair out of his face. "I was trying not to say anything."

     "Jackson."

     "Derek's missing."

     I literally feel the colour drain from my face. "What?"

     "Stiles!"

     Everything goes fuzzy and the next thing I know, I am hitting the floor, both Wolves too slow to catch me as I drop like a dead weight. My head lands on a fallen pillow luckily, but everything else hits the hard floor, pain being the last thing I feel before everything goes black and I lose consciousness, again.