The Dark Riders (Derek Hale Love Story) #8

Acceptance

Standing beside Derek, everyone in the room stood still. I stared at this stranger, who looked back at me with such interest.

"Everyone this house needs to explain." Derek hissed.

Looking over my shoulder, Ash had the same look on his face as everyone else.

"Everyone out of the room." He ordered.

Walking over to the chair beside the window, Derek strides over to the other side of the room.

"Who's going first?"

"I guess, I should since you've met me first," Ash added.

"After you guys found me, and the police took me to the morgue. I woke, not knowing where I was...like my heart started up again."

"Then I found him..." Michael added.

"How in the hell did you get to Portland?" Derek blurted out angrily.

"I never made it home, Derek. The night of fire...I got caught up at work and when I came back the police were everywhere. They were pulling out bodies from inside the house...your mother-" Choking up, Michael takes a deep breath before continuing.

"I thought you were dead, I thought you and your sisters were all dead so I came here."

"And then?" I asked.

"Then Ash and I thought we could build something here, not a family or anything but just a place where werewolves like us could hide out, hoping to find other werewolves like ourselves."

"Sanctuary? That's why you left us back there?" Derek said.

"I didn't-"

"You could've searched for us! You could've looked!"

"I tried, Derek. Please, listen to me-"

"I've had so many people walk out of my life and the only good that happened was knowing that my family was dead. I coped with that for almost 10 years."

Looking over at Derek, he had glanced over at me. Gazing at each other for a few minutes of silence, there was a moment of clarity between the both of us.

"I'm sorry, to the both of you. I know how hard this much be for you."

"Actually, I get it now." I blurted out.

"I mean, if I found this sanctuary years ago...I might have never gone back to Beacon Hills."

"Nice to know..."

A FEW HOURS LATER

Derek's POV

Standing outside on the porch, I rested myself on my elbows as I looked out at the garden.

Savannah and everyone from my father's Sanctuary were inside, asking questions and answering some for Savannah.

"I don't remember you ever liking being alone," Michael said.

"A lot of things have happened since you left, but what would you know...you never looked for us."

"Derek..."

"You missed everything in my life. Graduation...I mean, yeah it's just a piece of paper but it meant something and you weren't there."

"Then let me..."

Looking up at him, I rolled e eyes and continued to look out at the garden.

"How are things going with you and Savannah?"

"We broke up the day that she left for Portland, I thought she was dead but it just happened to be that Ennis and Peter had a plan. Then she came back...things were different between us."