𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐝𝐚𝐧𝐭 ▷ 𝐬. 𝐬𝐭𝐢𝐥𝐢𝐧𝐬𝐤𝐢 ✓

𝟑𝟕. 𝐭𝐨𝐨 𝐥𝐚𝐭𝐞

CHAPTER THIRTY-SEVEN
too late

YASMINE MCCALL

Sometimes I wonder how I always ended up in these situations, even though subconsciously I knew the answer.

After having stormed out of the school, I had not let Scott or Isaac speak to me as I sat down on a bench and let my head fall backwards, tears sliding down my face as I watched the moon above me, illuminating the dark night sky crowded by bright stars. A presence had taken the seat next to me and I knew it was Scott, who then pulled me into a tight hug and tried to comfort me as I cried.

Alas, that moment did not last too long. Derek and Peter had followed me out of the school and as mentioned before, they claimed that Peter somehow knew how to stop the Kanima. Scott was adamant that I go home and stay safe there, but also kept pressuring me to get some sleep, which alerted me that I probably seemed exhausted.

Unfortunately for him, I just so happened to be a stubborn person and so Isaac, Derek and Peter watched as Scott and I quietly argued, him insisting that I return home while I persisted that I would be more help here and that I refused to go home and sleep, while Stiles was missing and Jackson was...well, supposed to be dead but not really dead. Like always, Scott kept trying but soon realized that it was pointless to keep arguing with me, so he gave up, making me promise that I would leave the second I felt too tired or overwhelmed.

As if I would actually do that.

According to Peter, we needed to return to the Hale House in order for him to give us the answers we were seeking. I was feeling all sorts of anger towards Peter and Derek, but I could not help feeling happy that Peter was alive again and back here with me. It did not matter how much hurt he had caused, because he had grown up as sorts of a father to me. Him and Talia always took such good care of me, especially Peter, and they always treated me like family, even though I was not.

I knew now that Peter was not the same naïve and innocent man that I had believed he was, but that did not change how I felt about him. Even when he was the Alpha, he looked out for me. He had used me in his plot to turn Derek and even Scott in his favor, but somehow I understood why he did what he did. Of course I did not condone nor did I look past all the people he had murdered, but I guess my love for him outweighed that.

Looking past Derek, I noticed his icy blue eyes were on me as I sighed deeply, pursing my lips. Peter mouthed 'I'm sorry' and I felt my heart swelling as he stood there, his hands clasped together as he seemed genuinely remorseful. As I ran my hand through my hair, I let my eyes move their gaze to the side and made eye contact with Derek, who had also been staring at me. Unlike Peter, he seemed stone cold in his posture, but his hazel eyes told a different story as he let out a small sigh.

_

The trip to the old Hale House had been rather eventful with Peter and Derek driving to the Preserve and meeting up with Isaac, Scott, and I there, since the three of us had walked. The trek to the house had been awkward and silent, the occasional birds chirping around us and the wind blowing through the dead leaves on the trees, the branches cracking on the dark soil as we stepped on them.

Just as we made it to the burnt-down house, which brought back a lot of painful and heart-wrenching memories, Scott's phone buzzed in his hand. Confusion overtook me as I suddenly patted all my pockets, sighing relieved when I felt my phone in the back of my pocket.

Melissa would murder me if I lost it.

Derek pushed open the door and Peter followed, holding the door open for me as I entered, keeping my eyes focused solely on my shoes as I stepped inside, inhaling deeply. Peering up, I saw Peter still staring at me but I chose to ignore the man as I let my eyes trail across the burnt house, the memories resurfacing in my head. A sense of sadness washed in over me and subconsciously I felt my arms wrap around myself as I began chewing on my lower lip, my eyes finally landing on Derek then trailed to Peter, both men gazing around the house with painful glances.