Just a Kid [Derek Hale]

Chapter Thirty-Eight

Racing around the forest, she ignored the sound of her pulsing heart that echoed within her head as she tried to find any sign of the twins. They said they were here and yet when she looked around there didn't seem to be any sign of them. Pulling out her phone, she did the same trick Stiles had taught her and that she'd used on Derek the same day and tracked their phones.

Following a map, she ended up at a coyote den and she jumped down to see the twins and no-one else. "Hey," she whispered, not wanting to be too loud just in case the danger was still out there. Both of them were pale and gloomy and black bile was falling from any orifice that it could, "Hey, what happened?" She added on crouching down to check that they were both breathing.

"Hunters," Aiden wheezed out, and she nodded slowly trying to figure out what she could do to help them. To see them both suffering was hurting her. Hearing footsteps, she grabbed onto the stick from beside her holding it up and being ready to hit the attacker.

It was just Derek.

He looked at her confused and mildly horrified. She wasn't supposed to be there and in danger, "what the hell are you doing?" He snapped.

"I came to help the twins," she pointed out gesturing to the two almost unconscious boys on the floor.

"You shouldn't be here. You could get shot."

"Well I'll just have to deal with that when we get to that point," she scoffed, "and don't you start with that tone with me or I swear to god we are going to have issues," she warned and he rolled his eyes about to speak when a coughing Aiden was able to gain enough ability to speak for himself.

"Where are we?"

Hayley quickly turned her attention to him her heart sinking into her stomach. Pain and a lack of hope were laced in his voice and it was terrifying to her. She quickly stepped over his legs placing the stick on the floor to get to him and try and help him if not physically then emotion. "It's a coyote den. Stay quiet," Derek whispered.

"Did you see the shooter? Do you know who it is?" Aiden repeated, not wanting to let it go until he knew whether his brother and he were going to be safe.

"No, I was a little busy..." he cut his sarcasm off as Hayley shot him a look in a warning. Sighing, he glanced between the pair annoyed, "who the hell did you two piss off?"

"We pissed off everyone. It was only a matter of time before someone caught up to us," Ethan wheezed out, and Derek sighed before nodding.

"Well, the bullets had wolfsbane in them... So, if I don't get you two out of here soon, the poison is going to spread. Stay quiet. I'll be back," he warned and he was about to leave before he stepped back in pointing his finger at Hayley, "and I swear if you move from this den then those issues you keep talking about will exist," he warned before leaving.

She mimicked his words for a second before looking back to the twins, "how are you two holding up?" She asked.

"Why do you...keep helping us? Why do you care?" Aiden asked, and she hesitated not knowing what to say. He gave her a better option as he continued, "you're not our mom..."

Sighing, she reached out grabbing onto both of their hands in hopes of bringing them more comfort. Wishes of the being able to take their pain ran through her mind but of course, they wouldn't. "Well I'd be proud if I was," she admitted, and despite the agony, he was in Ethan's lips quirked up a bit. They missed being cared about by someone who wasn't each-other. "Now just stay quiet because I have no idea what I'm going to do if someone actually trained came down here and tried to kill you."