Shepherd [Sterek]

Chapter 14

I just want to remind everyone that the last few chapters have all happened within the same day/night. I was worried that someone might get confused because I probably would have if this weren't my book.

"I feel like there's more to this," Stiles sighed, looking at the diagram that Emberly showed him. It was in a foreign language; Stiles wasn't sure what it was, how old it was, or where it was even from. "It can't be as easy as it sounds."

"We had multiple emissaries and sages decipher the pages. They all came to the same conclusion." Emberly brushed a hand through her hair. "Believe me, Stiles, if there were anything else I could tell you, I would. We all have to hope and pray that this works."

"What happens if it doesn't?" Stiles bit his lip, watching Emberly's face go from worry to udder fear.

"Well, there is that," She sighed. "There is a missing page, to which one of the old sages told us what he knew about it. There's a chance that Chase could he healed, but the power might not go back to him; there's also a chance that he dies." Stiles watched as Emberly's hope slowly faded, and he knew her heart was dropping to her stomach.

"What happened, in both scenarios, to the Alpha power?"

"From my understanding, since Chase doesn't have a successor, and since I'm not a werewolf, you would keep the power until you picked someone who you thought could lead the pack in Chase's place," Emberly explained.

Stiles' eyes widened with this new information, "How do you expect a human to be able to handle the power of an Alpha werewolf, let alone pick your new leader! I mean, shouldn't you guys be looking for Chase's replacement in case of the worst?" This situation keeps getting worse, Stiles thought that it couldn't, but it has.

"Well, you aren't exactly a normal human. Shepherds were known to be given the Alpha power when it was time to pass it on. They would run tests and trials to find the next leader of packs. Though they couldn't use the power like werewolves, it could still manifest in Shepherds, and they could live with it for years and never feel different."

"One of these days, I'm going to wake up, and this will have all been a dream, I'm sure of it." Stiles fell back on the ground covering his face. "You know, here's a thought, why didn't you just ask for my help? Why kidnap me and well do this? My time here hasn't exactly been sunshine and rainbows, you know. Chase, he's a little..."

"Broken. It's his wolf, it wants him to be strong, so it takes control and makes him do things that he would never fathom doing. You've noticed that we don't have many females in the pack; Chase ordered the Bates to keep their mates away; he didn't want to hurt anyone. That doesn't mean it hasn't happened, but he tries." Emberly sat on the ground next to Stiles. "I know that you don't see him as all bad, but take my word for it."

"I will, but I wish that this had all happened differently, not that I wouldn't call you my friend Emberly, but we all could have been friends. The only reason I know Derek isn't dead is because I can feel it. What would Chase have done if Derek died, Derek and I weren't fully mated, but I surely would have taken drastic measures." Stiles looked up at the night sky, a strange feeling in the pit of his stomach.

"I could hardly reach Chase at that time; he was different from everyone; I locked myself away in my room, scared of what he might do. I didn't know what was happening until it was too late," Emberly rested a hand on Stiles' shoulder with a weak smile. Her smile faded quickly. "Stiles, your eyes."