One

                                    

                                          
TEN YEARS LATER...
"Are you coming downstairs any time soon, or what?" Derek asked with a raised eyebrow. I looked him up and down in his police uniform—neat and tidy, and clean shaven with a mix of mom and dad's blue eyes, muscular with a chiseled jaw, and a charming smile. 
That was my family. 
"It's five in the fucking morning, Derek," I snapped, pulling my hoodie over my face. 
"It's actually ten minutes until seven, so I recommend that if you want to help me stop bad guys this morning and make it to class, get your ass off the roof and get ready for school." 
I threw a pebble at him and looked at the sunrise—bright orange with a hint of pink. 
Then, I carefully peeled myself from the roof and shoved my brother to the tiles. 
"Umm, ouch?" he growled, kicking me in the shin. I didn't feel it due to my invincibility and invulnerability, but he still tried every single time. 
"You do realize you could have killed me, right?" 
"You do realize I can fly, right? I would dive after you if you fell off the roof," I snapped as I extended my hand.
My father met us inside, eyes glazed over at the sight of Derek's already dirty cop uniform. "You boys having fun on the roof?" 
"If you call nearly falling twenty feet to your death, then sure," Derek snarked, dusting the last bits of debris from his chest. 
Then, Derek gave me a little shove into my bedside and I shoved him back harder into my dresser next to him. 
"Jerk," He muttered under his breath. 
"Asshole," I muttered back. With smirks bubbling across our lips, we briefly glanced at each other just to make sure everything was okay. 
"I want you to take your brother to school this morning. Also, no police chases or anything," Dad instructed. "Understood?" 
Derek and I both bowed our heads in unison. Little did dad know, or maybe he did know, that Alpha would make an appearance anyway. Either way, that didn't really matter.
∆∆∆
Derek's police scanner murmured in the background as he drove, but he turned down the volume to prevent the noise and chaos from overwhelming me. However, some instinct within me kept me attuned to it. "Don't feed into Mark Reignson's bullshit today," Derek warned. "I know he's a bully and an asshole..."
"Derek!" I interjected, meeting his gaze through the rearview mirror. "I can handle myself. You don't have to remind me every time." Despite Derek being like a third father figure to me and always protecting me from trouble, his constant reminders were grating on my nerves.
Derek grunted in annoyance, his grip tightening on the steering wheel. Suddenly, a voice crackled through the scanner, prompting Derek to increase the volume and grab the intercom.
"Ten-four," Derek replied.
The voice belonged to Officer Garrett Reignson, the police chief's brother-in-law, who typically handled calls from the station. "Two-Eleven, approximately ten minutes ago," Garrett reported. "An armed robbery. License plate: YDS-1134. Black Bentley with tinted windows. The suspects are wearing black masks. The witness described them as inexperienced delinquents, last seen heading down Torto Avenue."
"Roger," Derek responded with a sly grin, parting his tight lips.
As we merged into the line of cars and sped off, the flashing lights and blaring sirens of multiple police vehicles filled the air. Derek took the lead, maneuvering through the traffic.