[ 14 ] the ultimate betrayal

                                    

                                          



THE ULTIMATE BETRAYAL



6 years ago


"This is crazy!" Ace exclaimed to his best friend, still processing that his brother-like figure is a werewolf. 
"Ace, chill out, okay?" the Hale boy shushed, "I only told you because you're around, like— all the time, and because I trust you."
"I won't tell anyone, pinky swear." said Ace.
"If you do, I won't hesitate to claw your throat out." Derek joked, the two teenage boys placing their rucksacks at an outdoor table, getting ready to eat their lunch. 
Ace took a bite out of his sandwich his mother had prepared him this morning, while Derek's gaze evidently drifted, peaking the Carter boy's interest. Ace turned his head over his shoulder, his eyes landing on a brunette girl, sat by herself at a table not too far from them.
"She's cute." Ace commented, turning back to Derek, snapping his friend out of his gaze.
"Uhh..." Derek said awkwardly, "Yeah, she is."
"You know her?" Ace asked curiously.
"No." Derek shrugged, taking a bite out of his apple.
"Good." Ace smiled shamelessly, "So you won't mind if i make myself known to her?"
Derek's face contorted in confusion, giving Ace a long hard look, telling him to elaborate.
"As i said," Ace continued, "She's cute, maybe I'll ask her out."
Derek's jaw fell open slightly, a little annoyed at the Carter boy, throwing his sandwich in his face.
"Not if I ask her first." the Hale boy countered, the two of them now becoming competitive like the hormonal teenage boys they were when they see a pretty girl.



Present



"They were there for two days, waiting. Hiding." Cora spoke to Stiles and Aspen as they gathered in the Hale loft, "That's what we're taught to do when the Hunters find us— hide and heal."
"Okay, so, is two days standard, then, or are we thinking Derek's on, like, some extended getaway?" Stiles asked with his usual sarcasm. 
"Why do you care?" Cora countered.
"He cares because he has, you know, human decency?" Aspen retorted at the Hale girl.
"Exactly," Stiles spoke, beginning his rant, "over the last few weeks: my best friend's tried to kill himself; my girlfrie—" he cut himself off, his eyes glancing to his girlfriend who was giving him wide eyes, 
"Scott's boss nearly got ritually sacrificed; a girl that I've known since I was three was ritually sacrificed; Boyd was killed by Alphas... I... Do you want me to keep going? 'Cause I can, all right? For, like, an hour."
"You think Derek can do anything about that?" said Cora.
"Well, since he's the one everyone seems to be after, it's more like he should do something about it, yeah." 
"I don't know..." Cora mumbled, "There's something different about him now. He wasn't like this when I knew him."
"What was he like?" Aspen asked in curiosity.
"A lot like Scott, actually." came another voice, followed by descending steps, and Peter came into view, "A lot like most teenagers—unbearably romantic, profoundly narcissistic, tolerable really only to other teenagers..."