Heartbeat // A Derek Hale Love Story (Teen Wolf)

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Lillian's POV

"Derek might be dead."

My heart stopped, tearing at the very thought, a whimper escaping my lips. "How? What- what do you mean 'might be dead', what do you mean 'might be'?!"

"The Alpha stabbed him in the back and threw him into the school wall."

"He can't be dead, Stiles. How the fuck did that happen?" My voice didn't have the capacity to articulate my panic.

"Scott doesn't think he's dead but I think he might, I don't know how he could walk away from that," Stiles said, sounding pretty panicked himself.

I forced myself to swallow. "Remember when Derek was shot?"

"Vividly."

"I don't know how, but I felt his pain. I just felt the worst pain I've ever felt in my life in my back. It felt like I'd been stabbed with claws. It still hurts, but not as badly. If somehow I can feel Derek's pain, then he can't be dead. I still feel something, which means he must be feeling something." The thought eased a bit of my panic but I knew he was still in trouble. "Where is he? Why can't you tell if he's alive? Don't you know how to check for a pulse?"

"We're kinda trapped in our school. Derek was attacked outside and we had to leave him there running from the Alpha."

"I'm on my way," I snapped, reaching to grab the top of Ophelia's stall door.

"What? No, Lillian, you can't come here," Stiles insisted. "The Alpha will find you! You can't."

"You know what, Stiles?" I snapped, running a desperate hand through my hair. "Too bad."

*

I was shaking harder than shutters in a hurricane as I drove to the school, the pain in my back still fresh. I never thought I'd want pain like that but it gave me hope. Derek had to still be alive for me to feel his pain. He had to be alive.

I could barely stop my truck and put it in park without crying, as I saw Derek's car, side door open. I saw the bloodstains on the wall moments later, dark splats that drew my gaze to the source, lying facedown on the ground. Derek. There was no way he would walk out of here, I realized, as I drove my truck over the curb and onto the grass next to him, heart racing.

My insides coated with ice as I sprinted to his side. I fought the urge to scream his name, remembering Stiles' warning about the Alpha. I fell to my knees by his side, his face dangerously pale and eyes shut.

"Derek?" I whispered, nearly vomiting at the sight of the bloody wounds in his back, his jacket stained with blood. My trembling fingers went straight for his carotid artery for a pulse, praying there was something there. I held my breath, heaving tears as I heard my heart breaking.

Thump, thump.

I felt the tears slide down my face as I felt the faint heartbeat, relief washing over me like a bucket of ice water.

"Derek?" I repeated, afraid to touch him and risk more damage. I was sure there was damage to his spine, but he would heal, if what I knew of werewolves was true. Even if I could get him up, would he be able to walk? Or did he need time to heal? I didn't want to put my faith in supernatural healing abilities. I wanted a backboard, but I knew getting one would take time we didn't have. Neither of us was safe there. I had to get him back to my house.

I pinched his earlobe hard to check his level of consciousness, and I got back a groan as he shifted away. He wasn't completely unconscious, then. How was I going to get him into my truck? How--

Something growled behind me, and my heart stopped, fingers clenching the shoulder of Derek's jacket.

I don't know where I found the courage to turn around, but as I did, I felt bile rise in my throat. A massive wolf-like creature with eyes like the fires of Hell was crouched by Derek's car. The Alpha Stiles had warned me about.

This couldn't be happening. I was not ready to die. Fresh tears stained my face at the thought of getting torn to pieces for real by those claws. Or witnessing that abomination come back to finish what it started with Derek. This couldn't be fucking happening.

I had no weapons, no way to defend myself or Derek. There would be no tree-climbing escape this time. Please, God--

It charged at us, roaring like a bear, and fear like I have never known tore through me. Stop, I silently begged. Stop! Then I screamed it with a ferocity that would've stalled any sane being.

"STOP!" I bellowed, throwing my hand out instinctively like I was facing down a wild horse. "GET AWAY!"

I thought I was hallucinating a reality that would've been easier to cope with when the Alpha slowed, nostrils flaring and eyes flashing indignantly. It huffed a huge breath, growling and snapping its maw. No flesh-shredding pain came. I wasn't hallucinating. The beast had stopped, and certainly was not happy about it.

Could it understand me? Even if it could, why would it ever listen?

I was still shaking as I stood, my legs barely capable of holding me up. I cleared my throat. "Get the fuck away from us," I hissed, baring my teeth; a language the hideous thing could understand. "And stay away."

The creature let out a deafening roar, its hackles raising, but it didn't move any closer. I didn't waste time trying to figure out what the hell had just occurred as I started dragging Derek to the bed of my truck. I cringed at the pain I knew he was in, the flares of agony the movement caused in my own back. I cringed at the fact that I couldn't take more care moving him; we just did not have time. I needed to get him as far away from that beast as I could.

"I'm sorry, Derek," I breathed as I jumped up onto the bed and hauled the ramp I had for sliding cargo into the vehicle down. I didn't have time to count my lucky stars that I hadn't taken the cargo slide out since we moved. I would be unfathomably screwed without it.

I pulled Derek up the steel slide and into the bed, muscles screeching, his body leaving a smear of black blood on the silver. Once he was safely in the truck, I leapt over the side, slamming the tailgate shut and jumping into the driver's seat.

The Alpha still hadn't moved any closer, but it was pacing back and forth in a line, snarling at me. I didn't know what was happening, but I didn't stick around to wonder as I punched the gas.