Monster in Me | Teen Wolf [Book 2]

Visionary

Stiles asked Scarlett to go to Derek's loft with him so they can find out when Derek would be back from hiding. Cora's response was to tell the two a story about Peter and Derek hiding in a root cellar when the hunters found them.

"They stayed there for two days. Hiding and waiting." She finished the story. "It's what we were taught to do when hunters found us. Hide and heal."

She turned to look at Stiles and Scarlett as Stiles started talking again, "So is two days standard? Or are we thinking Derek's on an extended getaway?"

Scar lightly hits Stiles on the shoulder and glares at him, "He needs time."

"And why do you care anyway?" Cora asks.

"Because in the last few weeks, my best friend almost killed himself, his boss nearly got ritually sacrificed, a girl I've known since I was three was ritually sacrificed, Boyd was killed by Alphas- do you really need me to go on? Because I can. For like an hour." Stiles rants.

"You think Derek can do anything about it?"

"Since he's the one everyone seems to be after, it's more like he should do something about it."

"Stiles, it's not that easy and you know it. It never is. He's going to need help. He can't do anything without the rest of us." Scarlett says.

"I don't even know if he can do anything." Cora whispers, "There's something about him now. He wasn't like this when I knew him."

"Well, what was he like?" Stiles asks.

"A lot like Scott actually." Peter says as he walks down the stairs. Stiles jumps as he turns to the werewolf who continues, "A lot like most teenagers. Unbearably romantic. Profoundly narcissistic. Tolerable really only to other teenagers."

"So what changed him?"

"The same thing that changes a lot of young men. A girl."

"Some girl broke his little heart and that's why he's like that?"

"Stiles!" Scarlett scolds. Stiles throws his hands up in mock surrender.

"The details are a bit more textured. You remember before Derek was an Alpha his eyes were blue? Do you know why some werewolves have blue eyes?" Peter quizzes.

"I thought it was a genetics thing." Stiles shrugs.

"Genetics? Come on, Stiles. Don't reduce our nature to something as boring and mechanical as DNA. You want to know what changed Derek? Then you need to know what changed the color of his eyes." Peter states.

They sit down as Peter starts telling the teens a story of Derek and his first love. A quiet girl named Paige. She was a musician who caught Derek's eye at school one day. Rain was pounding down on the window as Peter was telling the story. "So if Derek was a sophomore back then how old was he?" Stiles asks.

"He was probably about 16. That's how old we were as sophomore's." Scarlett says, shrugging.

Stiles nods then looks at Peter, "How old were you? How old are you now?" Stiles asks.

"Not as young as we could have been, but not as old as you might think." Peter vaguely answers.

Scarlett narrows her eyes in confusion as Stiles says, "That was frustratingly vague." He turns to Cora, "How old are you?"

"Seventeen." She answers.

Stiles turns back to Peter, "See? That's an answer."

"Seventeen the way you would count it in your years." Cora continues.