Time Goes On

Double Check

Man was I glad it was a Friday. Derek had me email my professors from that day to explain what had happened and then took me back to his place. He wouldn't let me go for long.

We sat down on his couch and I snuggled in closer to his chest. "Derek, I'm fine. She didn't hurt me."

"I just can't believe that Bitch touched my mate." He moved his hand up to rest on my shoulder and his thumb began to pass back and forth over my mate mark. "I should have hunted her down back then."

"You know that you were dealing with too much back then for that to be worth it. You would have to live with the reality that you stooped to her level. I love you Derek. I saw how broken you were when I first met you and with those flashes from my dreams. You are on the road to finally being okay with yourself. I will not let you pull the U Turn and destroy any progress you have made or possibly could make."

As I spoke I stood up and my hands moved in a very Stiles like fashion. I was angry with him. He was going the same road that he had done when I first met him. I was not going to let him revert back to a broken version of himself.

He stood and held his hands out for me to take. "I'm sorry love." I took his hands and squeezed. "You are right. I shouldn't go down that road." I focused on his heart beat to tell if he was lying.

"You shouldn't lie to me. You are aware of that. I will hunt you down and hobble you. I refuse to be without you now that I have you." I heard my voice shaking. I could feel the tears brimming in my eyes. "I refuse to lose you Derek." I was starting to feel like my wolf was coming forward to protect me like she had when I was 16 grieving for my mother.

Derek brought his hands up and cupped my face. "Emilia, I promise that I will not go after Kate. I promise to not leave you." He pulled me closer to him and wrapped his arms around me. "We are mated and I will honor that bond."

I was taking deep breaths and trying to reign in my wolf. Derek shifted a bit so my ear matched up with his heart. The steady beat settled me. My breathing leveled out and I finally looked up at him.

"Sorry I exploded. I just felt like I was going to lose my mate, mentally, and possibly physically."

"I'm sorry too. You are right about how I would not be smart for going after Kate now. How about we don't let anyone else ruin our night and just enjoy our time together?"

"So how about you start dinner and I will put a movie on?" I walked backwards and smiled at him.

"Well, now that we finally have a sex life, I find myself craving more." He grinned wolfishly at me.

"Typical man, give them one taste and all they want is more." I smiled as I shook my head. His face shifted to sheepish. "But, I have to admit, you are quite yummy. My body is starting to hunger for another taste." His grin returned and he walked forward to wrap his arms around me again.

"Well, as your mate, I have the obligation to help you fill that hunger." He grinned down at me. His hands spread out and landed on my hips. "What do you say Em?"

"I say-" I tilted my head to the side and smiled at him, "-race you to the bedroom." I took off and with a playful growl he gave chase. I got to his room and he wasn't far behind me. He picked me up with his arms back around my middle and carried me to the bed. I laughed the entire time.

"You should know better than to taunt your alpha."

"But you make it so much fun. I can't help it when I get this kind of reaction out of you." He laid down over me and moved us so my head was resting on the pillows. He bent down and started to mouth along my neck.

My pulse jumped under his lips and he smiled. His lips travelled down my neck and he grazed my pulse point with his teeth. That made me squirm. He moved his hands to the bottom hem of my shirt and started to move it up my torso. I got the hint and moved to assist his efforts.

He froze as soon as he saw the mark that was still fading from the taser. It had been enough charge that if I wasn't a wolf I would have had cooked insides. He ran his hand over the mark. "I'm so sorry."

I brought his face back up to look at me. "Derek Hale, I am fine. I am here in your bed. There was nothing you could have done to stop them from taking me. I asked to go back to my dorm so I could get my things for class. I am an adult and I have to deal with my day to day life.

"No matter how much you want to protect me from everything that could possibly hurt me. That is just not feasible. I will not let you lock me away in a padded room somewhere and never let me out. So that means that I will eventually get hurt at some point. But that is just part of life." I moved closer so my forehead was resting against his. "I would rather live a whole life of little pains, possibly a few big ones, with you beside me, than a life free of pain without you."

He did a small smile and closed his eyes. The mood was kinda ruined so we stayed cuddling on the bed. "So what degree are you going for?" I smiled at his question.

"I have no idea honestly. I was never that kid with big plans. Scott has always wanted to be a vet, because he loves animals. Stiles has always wanted to work in law enforcement. I got nothing. I mean, yeah I can fix my truck and rebuild an engine, but I don't want to make that all I do. It is a fun hobby but I want it to stay a hobby."

We shifted so I was laying beside him, my head on his chest. "I understand that. I didn't go to college so I am not sure what I would have majored in. I like reading, and history but they are not the ideas that I want to define me. You need to find something that you love enough to have that be the second thing you say when you meet somebody."

"Exactly, Scott loves animals enough for him to introduce himself as Scott McCall, Vet. I don't have that. I have a trust fund, but I don't want to live off that for the rest of my life. The only thing that hold my interest is the research we do for the monster of the week. That is not something I can make into a career."

"You are almost as good Stiles at that. Maybe you can apply your thirst for knowledge to something else."

"I feel like I just need to get through the rest of the semester then I can figure out what I need. I just need to get through the next couple months."

"You sound like you are coaching yourself."

"Well, Kate is the type of person that will go to trial and I will have to testify against her. I won't let her win so I will testify. I know that I can get through this, with you by my side. I love you Derek." I cuddled closer to his chest.

"I love you to Emilia."