"Get away from her!" Scott's voice bellows through the night air, as he shoved Derek away from Aria.
Derek's eyes flash a sharp gold as he's suddenly shoved away. He stumbles back a step and turns toward Scott with a snarl, already coiled for a fight. Until he sees the protective stance Scott has placed himself into—the way his features are hardened and his eyes are flashing red.
"Scott." Derek pauses, jaw clenching as realization sinks in. He glances from Scott to Stiles, then back again. "It's not what it looks like…"
"I hope not, if I so much find you looking at Stiles' sister, it'll be your funeral!" Stiles scoffed adamantly at his friend's statement.
Derek bristles at the threat, eyes flashing again. He takes several steps forward until he's barely a foot from Scott. The air around them crackles with tension as their gazes lock.
"Don't make promises you can't keep, McCall." His voice is low, almost a growl. It's a clear challenge—a silent 'come at me.'
"I'm warning you, Derek. Know your place. She's off limits!" Scott whispers into Derek's ear so that Aria couldn't hear him.
Derek's jaw tightens at Scott's warning, his nostrils flaring as he slowly pulls back to meet Scott's gaze. The air between them is thick with unspoken history—rivalry, respect, wariness—all warring beneath the surface.
He glances sideways toward Stiles and Aria—one look and it's obvious: Stiles is trying way too hard to act like he doesn't care, arms crossed and face twisted into a scowl that barely hides the flicker of something else... worry? Possessiveness?
Then Derek looks at Aria—really looks. How she stands just slightly closer than necessary to where he was standing. How her breath still hitches when she glances his way. How she smells like storm-charged air and defiance.
And then it hits him.
Not sister.
Never sister.
But oh—he sees now what this really is.
A slow, dangerous smirk curls at the corner of Derek's mouth as he turns back to Scott, voice low enough that only the alpha can hear.
"Funny thing about limits… I've never been good at respecting them."
"Come Stiles. Aria. Let's go!" Scott ordered. As Aria's been dragged away by the two of them, she stared over her shoulder, only to meet Derek's eyes one last time.
Derek watches her go, the smirk slowly fading into something more conflicted. He keeps his gaze fixed on the receding forms of Scott, Stiles and Aria, her hair whipping in the wind. He can still feel the lingering warmth of her breath against his skin. And worst of all, that damn flicker of something in his chest. Something warm, something strong, something sharp, something he can't—won't—name.
Suddenly, he growls. Low and harsh, like a wild animal.
"Goddamn it…"
Derek made his way back to the cabin, but instead of picking up the pile of wood he morphed into his wolf, ran into the woods and howled towards the moon.
The howl echoed through the dark forest, a hauntingly lonely sound. Derek's muscles tense as he runs, tearing deeper and deeper into the woods. He pushes himself until his heart feels like it's about to burst in his chest—until his mind focuses on one thing and one thing only: running.
He runs. And runs. And runs...
...And doesn't let himself stop.
***
As they got into the jeep, the howl reached her ears. "I didn't know Beacon Hills had coyotes. I would much like to see one." Aria said.
Scott raises an eyebrow at her words, clearly surprised by the comment. He glances over at her with a look of mild confusion.
"You've never seen a coyote before? Really?"
She shook her head, "The zoo back in my old town, didn't have coyotes."
Scott looks dumbfounded for a moment before letting out an incredulous 'huh'. "Wow, that's... sad. Wait—you've never seen a coyote? What kinda town did you live in that didn't have coyotes?!"
"Mystic Falls" Aria thought thinking about her old friends: Elena, Bonnie and Caroline.
Scott raises an eyebrow at the mention of the town.
"Mystic Falls? Isn't that the town where there were like... a bunch of supernatural-related deaths or something?"
"Apparently," Aria said rising her shoulders. She's been completely oblivious to what's been going on around her.
Stiles finally breaks his stony silence from the driver's seat, voice laced with dry sarcasm as he eyes Aria in the rear view mirror. "Oh yeah. Mystic Falls? Super normal. Just your average town where people mysteriously combust, fall off cliffs for no reason, and somehow never run out of hot vampires to date."
He pauses dramatically before adding: "Wait… hold up." Twists slightly in his seat, squinting at her like he's just had a revelation. "You're from Mystic Falls and you're still this calm after walking through these woods alone? That makes zero sense. Either you're braver than any human I've ever met… or you've already got a death wish."
Aria just blinks at him, unfazed.
"...Or maybe it's both."
"Only you would believe in those sort of things. Vampires. Werewolves. It's called myths for a reason." Aria said rolling her eyes at him.
Stiles scoffs as his hands flex instinctively on the wheel. "Yeah, yeah. Myths. Because obviously nothing that's not scientifically possible can possibly exist, right? Just because we can't explain or prove something doesn't mean it's not real."
His voice drops, taking on a lower, almost defensive tone. "And the supernatural is real, sweetheart. Trust me, you have no idea just how real it is."
"I dare you to say that again?" Aria said a fiery look staring back at him through the rear view mirror.
Stiles smirks, raising an eyebrow at her feisty challenge. "Oh I'll say it again, darling. In fact, I think I'd say it loud enough for the whole damn town to hear." His voice lowers to something quieter, almost a dare. "The supernatural is real, sweetheart. It's not some made up bullshit. It's real, and it's dangerous as hell."
Aria sat forward in her seat and pulled Stiles' ear. Thus banter caused Scott to laugh out loud.
Stiles yelps as Aria wrenches his ear, the jeep swerving slightly before he jerks the wheel back under control.
"Hey! Hey—reckless endangerment! That's a felony in my dad's book!"
He rubs his ear dramatically, shooting her a wounded look in the rear view mirror—even as the corners of his mouth twitch with amusement.
"Abuse. Physical and emotional abuse. I'll be scarred for life."
Scott is still laughing uncontrollably from the passenger seat, gasping for a breath.
"And you—stop enabling her! You're supposed to be on my side!"
Scott just wipes a tear from his eye, grinning. "Nah. This? This is way better than anything we've had in weeks."
Aria leans back with satisfaction, arms crossed smugly. "Consider it payback for all those times that you ate so obnoxiously loud. For the times you've been insufferable."
Stiles groans loudly. "You are relentless. And terrifying. And... weirdly impressive right now."
A beat passes. Then the thought crept into his mind: Definitely not thinking about how close she got just now… Nope. Not at all.
"Oh, and one more thing... I'm not your darling or your sweetheart. Got it!" Aria added.
Stiles raises his hands, a mock gesture of surrender. "Fair enough, fair enough. Noted. No 'darling, sweetheart, or any other terms of endearment' that might make you want to rip my ear off again, got it."
He eyes her in the rear view mirror again, this time smirking.
"But that doesn't mean I'll stop finding ways to annoy the hell out of you, princess."