Love Under The Moon

Chapter 93: Acceptance

It was the evening the next day. Derek and I dropped off the kids at Jessie's. Derek spent extra time with the kids hugging them and whispering 'I love you's'.

I couldn't do anything with the heavy pit in my stomach. I wouldn't let him die.

We made it back to the loft and got all the weapons Braeden had dropped off.

"To be honest, I don't even know if this is enough firepower to take down one Berserker," Derek sighed.

"Not even close."

I jumped at the voice and glared at Peter. I hated him coming here unannounced.

"Killing a Berserker is next to impossible. It's not just the firepower, it's breaking the animal spirit from the human."

"Well, the one person we know with that kind of experience is Argent. And he's not getting back to me," Derek replies.

"Well, then you're going to need help. Like Malia, maybe Liam. Definitely me."

I rolled my eyes. Honestly I could do without him. He caught my eye roll and cocked his head arrogantly at me.

"Got a comment princess?"

"Nope," I snapped. I didn't trust him. I just had a feeling lately about him. One that pricked the back of my mind that I constantly tried to shove farther back, just ignore it. It was nothing. Right?

We loaded up the car and headed to the meeting site.

Derek quickly put the car in park and I got out. I followed Derek, eyeing him. He was wearing his leather jacket, just like when we first met. That felt like a century ago. Half of me would love to go back to when we first met. Would I change anything?

"Are we really bringing him?" Stiles asked, eyeing Peter.

I was with Stiles.

"Are we really bringing him?" Braeden asked, eyeing Liam.

Liam looked like a scared puppy. He was just that. He wasn't even able to control himself on a full moons he caught my eye and glanced away.

"We're bringing everyone that we can. And considering Scott and Kira were taken the night before a full moon, we should probably get going," Peter suggested.

"What's that mean? If Kate took Scott back to the same temple that she took Derek, how do we know she's not planning to do the same thing to him?" Stiles asked.

"What, she wants to make him younger?" Braeden asked.

"Or take him back to when he wasn't a werewolf," Derek suggested.

"A werewolf can't steal a true Alpha's power. But maybe a Nagual jaguar, with the power of Tezcatlipoca behind her... Maybe she can. So, if everyone is sufficiently freaked out, I say we get going." Peter said.

"We can't. Not without Lydia," Stiles said.

Oh this boy. The two were obviously in love and just not admitting it. I was ready to shove them together myself.

~

"Where is she?" I asked, wondering how long we would have to wait. We already had been waiting almost an hour.

"What's she doing at the school anyway?" Derek asked.

"We got Kira's sword, but we need something with a stronger scent. Lydia went to get a jacket out of her locker."

"If she has a car, she can catch up to us," Braeden suggested.

"That's a good point," Peter said.

"We'll call her from the road," Derek offers.

"No. What if something happened? What if she's in trouble?" Stiles asks.

I knew that feeling.

Derek glanced at me and I took his hand, looking at him.

"Fine. You stay, you find her. We're gonna go on without you," Peter said.

I didn't like that option either.

Stiles glanced at me, uneasy with that idea. He was torn between the woman he loved and his best friend.

"I could call Mason. He has a study group at school. Maybe he could look for her," Liam nervously suggested.

I glanced at Stiles and shrugged. It was the best we could do.

"All right. Fine," Stiles agreed.

"Remember what we're dealing with. It's not just Kate, it's Berserkers. You might see human eyes behind those skulls. Do not assume that there's any humanity left," Peter said as we started to head towards our cars. "Oh. This little one is terrified of them, aren't you?" He continued, glancing at Liam who looked like he might throw up. "Don't worry, my friend. It is that fear that will keep you alive. A reminder to everyone. You do not fight Berserkers to survive, you fight to kill."

I was uneasy, nothing could shake my uneasy feeling.

Maybe it was getting in the back of a van with a barely in control werewolf.

Maybe it was what waited for us.

Maybe it was because we didn't know how we'd find Scott.

I wanted to run. I wanted to escape and leave it to the rest of the team. Leave the pack.

I felt a hand take mine and I glanced at Derek.

My uneasiness settled in the pit of my stomach.
I knew.

These were my last moments with him.

He wasn't going to make it back.

We both knew.

He could accept it and has already.

But could I?