Baseball Bats and Sour Wolves

Chapter 8

Peter stares at the spiral staircase in confusion, Derek had just attacked Stiles. Peter looks down at Stiles' shocked expression and fearful eyes, his neck is bruised and Peter's wolf growls at the thought of Stiles being hurt.

"Come on, lets move to the couch." Peter says, he still can't believe that Derek just attacked Stiles, and only because he was wearing Peter's clothes. Peter feels a pang of hurt run through his chest, Derek doesn't consider him pack, he never has and he never will, but then why can he feel a pack bond with him, one that feels heavy; with guilt.

Peter sighs, Stiles and him move over to the couch and sit down. Peter carefully turns Stiles' neck to see how bad the bruises are, the bruises are shaped like Derek's fingers and Peter just can't understand why Derek would do something like that. When Peter seen what Derek was doing, smelt the blood, he had panicked, didn't think Derek was in his right mind.

He had been ready to fight his nephew if it came down to it. Stiles has crescent shapes in his arteries that are still bleeding, they don't look too deep, but if they went any deeper. Peter shivers and bites back a whine, Derek could've really hurt Stiles. Peter zones out, thinking about what would've happened if he wasn't there, or hadn't reacted fast enough.

Stiles' voice snaps him out of it, his voice is raspy and he sounds very hurt, not physically.

"Why would he?" Stiles trails off and stares at Peter pleadingly, almost asking him to tell him that Derek didn't mean to hurt him, hadn't wanted to.

"His wolf must still be closer to the surface than we thought." Peter replies softly and Stiles' eyes water, he looks lost, like he's not sure if he should forgive Derek, or be mad at him.

"I still didn't think he would attack me, his wolf was trying to protect me from everyone else. Why would it hurt me itself?" Stiles ponders and Peter frowns, he hadn't thought about that.

"Maybe, his wolf thinks that you're his, both wolf and human. So having another wolf's scent on you, it must've made him angry." Peter shrugs,, Stiles frowns.

"But all he did was scent mark me when I had Scott's scent, so why did he attack me when I put your clothes on?" Stiles questions and Peter smiles softly at him.

"Probably because you made that decision on your own. His wolf felt it was a betrayal and it didn't know what to do, so it followed instinct and attacked." Peter explains and Stiles shakes his head in disbelief.

"That still doesn't make sense does it? I thought your wolf's only attacked when it felt threatened." Stiles points out and Peter hums.

"For the most part, but you have to remember that he's still a bit feral and that means he's not really Derek. He's more wolf Derek." Peter states, he still doesn't get it himself, but that's the best he can do.

"Should one of us go talk to him?" Stiles asks and Peter raises an eyebrow at him.

"I will, you know fragile human and all." Peter says waving a hand around Stiles' body, Stiles scoffs, and smacks Peter's shoulder playfully.

_____

Derek paces in his room, listening to Peter and Stiles talking about him. It makes sense, he's been on edge since Stiles left the house, and smelling Peter on him, his wolf hadn't liked that one bit. Stiles' heart is beating fast, and Derek wants to scream at his wolf, because it's their fault that he's like that. Their fault he's scared, he can hear Peter coming up the staircase, and he doesn't know what his Uncle is about to do.

Peter doesn't knock, he opens the door and sends Derek a glare that could make Derek's Mother roll over in her grave, Derek sighs and lowers his gaze.

"Derek Sebastian Hale, you better have a good reason for what you just did." Peter's tone is harsh and a tad bit darker than normal. Derek flinches a bit.

"I-I don't." Derek responds, before Peter can yell at him he continues. "I couldn't stop myself, the wolf took over and I couldn't do anything." Peter sighs and runs a hand through his hair.

"That boy has been with you since day one. He's been there when Scott was turned and even when he didn't like you, he helped you. You attacked him Derek, and he's scared, he's lost, he doesn't know what to believe." Peter explains and Derek shakes his head with a snarl.

"Don't you think I know that?!" Derek expresses and Peter narrows his eyes. Derek sighs and runs a hand over his face. "I feel really bad, because even when I smelt his blood, I didn't stop. I screamed at my wolf to stop, not to hurt Stiles. It didn't listen." Peter shakes at him.

"You have more control over your wolf than you think." Peter looks slightly terrified. "You could've killed him." His Uncle's voice wavers, in a way Derek hasn't heard since the fire.

"I know. I-I think I need to stay away from him." Derek's voice leaves no room for argument, but Peter doesn't really care what his nephew wants right now.

"No, you are going to get your ass down those stairs and apologise to Stiles." Peter's eyes narrow and he looks like he might take a swing at Derek.

Derek takes a deep breath, and focuses on Stiles' heart beat, which is slower than it was before. He can almost taste the copper tang of Stiles' blood, feel his skin breaking against his claws. Derek shudders at the thought and doesn't know if he can face him. What if he had killed him? What if he had sunk his claws in so deep that Derek killed Stiles. What if he wasn't able to stop himself?

Derek suddenly can't breath, can't get enough oxygen into his lungs. His brain is fuzzy and he can't focus, he thinks Peter's saying something to him, but he can't hear him, can't even hear him screaming for Stiles to come upstairs.

"What's going on?" Stiles asks, after running up the stairs two at a time.

"He's panicking." Peter states, Stiles turns his eyes to Derek, to see him as white as a sheet and trembling.

He's breathing to fast, and he can't seem to get enough air inside his lungs. Stiles hesitates for a second, not understanding why Peter called for him. What was he supposed to do? It occurs to him that Peter might not know how to help Derek, Stiles crouches in front of Derek slowly.

Derek's wide eyes meet his and he backs away until his back hits the wall, breath coming in faster. Stiles puts his hands in front of him, trying to show Derek that there's no reason for him to be scared, Stiles wouldn't harm him even if he could.

"Derek, hey. You need to breath, or you'll pass out." Stiles says and keeps his hands in front of him as he moves closer to Derek's hunched form.

"I-I ca-can't" Derek gasps and Stiles gaze softens. He sends a flood of reassurance through the bond, and Derek inhales sharply, looking up at him with panicked eyes.

Stiles moves closer and cups Derek's cheeks in his hands, Derek flinches almost as if expecting Stiles to harm him, Stiles runs his fingers across Derek's cheekbone soothingly.

"I need you to take deep breaths." Stiles tells him softly. Derek stares at him, and Stiles smiles softly.

"Like this." Stiles begins taking deep breaths to show Derek, he grabs Derek's hand and places it over his calm heart beat. Derek follows Stiles lead, taking deep breaths and trying to sync his heart beat to Stiles'.

"Good, just like that Derek." Stiles praises, Stiles tightens his hand over Derek's, that still rests on Stiles' chest.

Slowly Derek begins to relax, his breaths coming in evenly, and his heart in sync with Stiles'. Derek can feel the reassurance from both Stiles and Peter, and it helps calm him.

Stiles shifts forward and Derek leans his forehead on Stiles' shoulder, inhaling his scent. Stiles smells like Peter and him, but what makes Derek whine is the scent of blood. It's hidden and faint, but not by much.

Stiles jumps at the sound, looking down at Derek to make sure he's okay, but Derek just sticks his face into Stiles' neck and continues to whine at him. Stiles cranes his neck to stare at Peter, to ask him what in the hell is happening, but Peter looks just as stunned.

Derek whines again and Stiles hates that sound coming from any of the wolves, he wraps his arms tightly around Derek and hushes him. Derek relaxes in the embrace, but doesn't stop whining at him.