lauras brows knit together in c o n f u s i o n. when she lectured him, he seemed stunned to even be looking at her. shouldn’t she be the one with that feeling? after all he was supposed to be back home, waiting for her to go back or call for back up if she needed it.
but the look was nothing, in a matter of moment she was swept into a hug by her not so little, little brother. both of her arms wrapped back around him, her senses telling her that derek n e e d e d this hug and no matter what was going on, that was one promise she made herself was to a l w a y s be there for him in whichever way she could, they were all each other had. for a few seconds she lingered in the embrace until she felt derek pull back and she did the same.
t w o m o n t h s? how was that even possible. “what? two months? how is that even possible.. i swear i just saw you two days ago — and i was literally just crossing over to beacon hills and a flash of light, i assumed from some d u m b a s s who couldn’t drive properly flashed their bright lights and then i was here.” the elder hale explained, trying to figure out not only what happened to land them both in this town but how in the hell she was going for two months of her life u n a c c o u n t e d for.
there’s no good way to tell her everything she’s missed; her death, peter’s betrayals, and what he’d done to protect the others. in fact, there are no words. he finds himself speechless. though usually a man of few words, it’s by choice ... not because he can’t think of anything to sum up the whole of the past few months. he settles on a sigh, fingers scratching at the back of his neck. if the words won’t come, he can always show her. actions, after all, speak louder than words.
when his eyes reopen, they’re glowing a brilliant shade of red. they match hers; two hale alphas now, wolves without packs. “ i’ve been in beacon hills for months now. ” he adds unnecessarily. it hadn’t been a good trip, by any means, but he’d at least known where he stood there. here, in reprieve, with his not-so-dead-sister, he’s not sure what to make of anything. “ and then i showed up here. last week. ”
arms cross protectively across his front when he pulls back. she might look and sound like laura, but he’d be stupid to trust her without any proof. “ there was a safe under the floor in dad’s office. ” wrong, it was in their mother’s craft room. “ what was the combination ? ” it was their parents’ anniversary; the day they met, not the day they got married. something only family would know.