Beyond The Bite(Sterek fanfiction)(M/M)

Chapter 6

Beyond The Bite • Chapter 6
(Word Count: 3,632)

AN: This is a long one. But I think y'all will be satisfied with how this chapter ends. Happy reading.

The cold, concrete floor of Derek's loft basement was a stark contrast to the feverish heat radiating from my skin. The chains around my wrists rattled with every shudder that racked my body. The loft's basement was dim, the shadows long and haunting, but Derek's presence was a beacon of sturdy assurance in the creeping dread that threatened to sweep me under. I pulled against the chains, not really trying to break free, but needing to feel the resistance that reminded me I wasn't lost to the beast trying to claw its way to the surface. The moon's call was louder than anything I'd ever heard, and it consumed every thought with a primal urgency.

Derek paced in front of me, his steps measured, eyes fixed intently on my face like he could somehow will me to stay in control through sheer determination.
"Focus, Stiles," Derek's voice was a low rumble, as commanding as it was grounding. "Remember what we talked about. Find that anchor."

I gritted my teeth, a growl simmering in my throat, the sound both alien and eerily natural. "It's...harder than I thought," I gasped out, the pain of transformation skewing my features.

He stopped pacing and crouched down in front of me, close enough that I could see the concern etched in the lines of his face. "Remember why you're here. Why you're fighting it," Derek urged.

And I did. I remembered the look in my dad's eyes when he truly realized what had happened to me, the fear for Scott when we realized what we were dealing with, and... Derek.

"Your heartbeat's too fast. You need to slow it down, control it. Listen to my voice, let it bring you back," he instructed, never breaking eye contact.

I tried to concentrate on his voice, to ignore the rage and the pain and the sheer, unadulterated need to shift. But it was like trying to stop a tidal wave with my bare hands.

"How are you so calm about this?" I managed to ask, the fight against the chains mirroring the one inside me.

Derek shrugged, although his eyes never left mine. "Been through it enough times. I know what it takes."

Sweat beaded on my forehead, the chill of the basement doing nothing to soothe the inferno inside me. "I'm trying to think of...Calming things. You know, to keep the wolf at bay."

"That's good. Like what?"

"Like...uh, baseball stats, seeing my dad again, that celebratory cup of coffee we're gonna have when this is- " A wave of pain cut me short, my head falling back against the wall.

Derek moved in, his hand just a breath away from mine. "You're doing fine. Just breathe with me, Stiles."

His voice, soft yet firm, drew a line to sanity. I focused on his breathing, tried to match it. In and out, slow, deliberate. "This feels personal," I managed to joke between gasps.

"It is personal," he said, so quietly I almost didn't catch it. "I won't let the moon take you. Not on my watch."

My chains clinked again as I tried to steady myself, Derek's unwavering gaze helping me more than I could ever admit.

The familiar weight of my feelings for the alpha in front of me returned.

"Why are you even doing this?" I asked, the raw edge to my words betraying my struggle. "You could be anywhere else, but you're here with me, chained in a basement like you're... Actually, why are you here?"

"Because you need help," Derek replied simply. "And whether you believe it or not, I know what it's like to need someone during a time like this."

I considered that. Derek was usually a closed book, the stereotypical lone wolf, except he wasn't. Not right now. He was here with me.