Pushing him forward, she kicked him into a tiny room, locked the door and barricaded it by pushing a huge object in front of it. Isaac was lying on the ground, but not minding the pain, he immediately scrambled up and tried to push the door open. A hopeless case, as it was a big iron door, closed from the outside and on top of that, held close with a heavy object the woman had found.

‘No,’ Isaac breathed, his heart accelerating with the seconds. The room was beyond tiny and reminded him just a little too much of the horrid freezer his father used to use as a means of punishment. He had to get out, or he’d lose it.

‘No, no, no, no, no,’ Isaac muttered repeatedly, punching and kicking the door so hard, he tore the flesh around his knuckles open.

‘Fuck!’ he yelled as loudly as he could, letting out his fury and fear.

  { -x- }

  Derek sighed. Yet again a place he’ll have to cross out without even having found so much as a hint. Finding Boyd and Erica seemed to be getting more and more hopeless with the days and momentarily, he thought they maybe should just give up. Maybe they did find a better pack and they were happy now and who was he to take that away from them? They’d wanted to leave, after all. Just as he was about to text Isaac that they’d done enough searching and better head home, he heard a painfully familiar scream, coming from the level floor. His heart made a jump, but he tried to remain calm while speeding down the stairs as fast as he could.

Just as he was trying to listen for where the screams were coming from, the screaming stopped. Instead, he heard some fumbling, a door closing and the sound of something heavy being pushed around. Making sure he memorized where the sounds came from, he began running.

   { -x- }

  ‘No, no,’ Isaac felt the tears prickling in the corners of his eyes, out of anger and helplessness. He couldn’t stop punching the door, even if it couldn’t be helped. The scratches on his stomach an cheek were still bleeding, and for a moment, he worried about why it hadn’t started healing yet.

‘Fuck!’ he gave the door one last punch and slid down the wall and onto the floor, hiding his face in his arms.

‘Stop,’ he sobbed. ‘Please make it stop.’

  { -x- }

  Derek ran as fast as he could, because by now he’s heard some serious cursing and pounding. Assuming what had happened to his Beta, he ran faster. The fact that the factory was huge, didn’t really work in his advantage either. He finally heard silent sobbing becoming more clear and finding a big iron door with an old, heavy closet pushed in front of it, he now knew for sure someone had locked his Beta in there.

Anger filled Derek’s mind and pushed by his fury, he smashed the closet out of the way, completely crushing it, and unlocked the door. For a moment, he saw Isaac completely hunched away against the wall, gripping his head between his hands.

‘Make it stop, make it stop,’ he was whispering, so lost he didn’t even notice Derek standing right next to him. The sight was something Derek was sure would take ages to erase from his memories.  

‘Please let me out, I’ll be good, I swear,’ he continued sobbing.

‘Isaac?’ Derek almost didn’t dare to interrupt this trance he was in, afraid Isaac would break. So fragile, he seemed. Yet he looked up immediately, revealing a face smeared with a few tears and at least twice as much blood. One big mess.

Getting up, Isaac threw himself into Derek’s chest, letting out a tiny sigh of relief. He gripped Derek’s shirt as if his life depended on it and wondered how it was possible that Derek’s faint smell of cologne and cigarettes – he’d never bothered to tell Isaac he smoked occasionally, but Isaac knew – could feel so safe and familiar after having lived together for only a few days.

Derek merely froze under the close contact, but the desperate clutching of his shirt by Isaac made Derek get a lump in his throat. Silently, he brought up one arm and putting his hand on the back of Isaac’s head, he pulled him closer to his chest. Derek had to admit that he too had been scared for the life of his Beta, if only for a moment. And the relief he’d felt when finding the younger one more or less unharmed, was something he hadn’t felt since years.

Isaac cleared his throat, and by the sound of his heartbeat, Derek knew he’d almost completely calmed down. Letting go of Derek’s shirt, he rubbed the blood off of his hands and onto his shirt, which was ripped to pieces.

‘So, have you seen who did this to you?’ Derek asked, trying to hide the hate and anger he felt for whoever made Isaac go through shit like that.

‘I didn’t. It was too dark and it all happened in a rush.’ Isaac’s voice trembled. He wished he could’ve remembered more. ‘But it was a woman. And an Alpha; she was a lot stronger than me.’

Isaac pulled away his shredded shirt and took a look at the bleeding wound, which suddenly made him remember the pain he was still in. His broken arm still hadn’t healed as well.

‘Why am I not healing?’ Isaac asked, his breath ragged.

‘She probably used wolf’s bane while attacking you. Can you walk?’ Derek asked, already making his way out.

‘Yeah, I’ll get there. Just give me a moment.’

Derek looked back and watching Isaac slump forward, having difficulty with breathing because of his wounds, he suddenly felt for the boy. Going back, he grabbed Isaac’s arm, pulled it over his neck for support and slowly but surely, they made their way to the car.

  { -x- }

  By the time they reached the door of the loft, Isaac had completely slumped towards Derek, putting all his weight on the latter’s shoulder. Fiddling with the keys, Derek was finally able to unlock the door. Almost dragging Isaac in, he closed the door and brought him over to the desk, lightning the little desk lamp.

‘Can you sit on the desk?’ Isaac jumped onto the table, albeit with a little difficulty, while Derek made his way to the kitchen. Filling a pot with water, he took a cloth and ordered Isaac to take of his shirt. As he returned to where Isaac was seated, he put the pot next to him and wetted his cloth. As quickly and swiftly as possible, he cleaned away most of the blood around the side of Isaac’s stomach, so he could see the wound more clearly. Isaac winced.

‘It’s not that bad,’ Derek reassured him. Isaac snorted in response, clearly not agreeing. ‘But the wolf’s bane refrains your body from healing. You know what that means, right?’

Isaac sighed, knowing Derek would have to break a few bones in order to trigger the healing process. Extending the arm that hadn’t been broken yet, Derek took it in his hands and gave an apologizing look before breaking exactly three bones, knowing precisely which ones. Isaac screamed and leaned forward, resting his forehead on Derek’s shoulder.

‘You’re enjoying this, aren’t you?’ Derek grinned, though Isaac couldn’t see it since his face was still buried in Derek’s shoulder.

‘No, I’m not,’ the humor in Derek’s voice was apparent.

‘Yes, you are,’ Isaac exclaimed, somewhere between crying in pain and laughing at the same time. It made Derek snicker.

‘Maybe a little,’ Isaac snorted again in response.

‘Look,’ Derek pushed Isaac away to show him how the tissue around the deep scratches had started knitting itself together.

‘It’s over already,’ Derek smiled contently, glad his Beta was almost completely patched up again. Taking the cloth, he wringed it out  and rubbed away a little blood still left on Isaac’s cheek, just with the tip of the cloth.

Isaac laughed, jerking his head away slightly. He couldn’t help but find the sight amusing. It reminded him of those typical movies he’s seen, in which the boys go out on their first date and the moms put their thumb in their mouth and rub away anything that disturbs them on their son’s cheek. Trying again, Derek rubbed the last blood away.

‘Why’d she do it, you think?’ Isaac asked after a moment.

‘Lock you up?’ Isaac nodded.

‘Who knows. Maybe just to scare you. Give a warning?’ Derek guessed. It made Isaac think.

‘Well, I think she was following us from the beginning. The first thing she did was break my phone, so I couldn’t contact you. She didn’t want you to find me, Derek.’ He listened intently.

‘You think she’s part of the Alpha pack?’ Derek shrugged.

‘Most likely.’

 ‘But, imagine, Derek. If Erica and Boyd are taken by the Alpha pack and she already did that to me just to scare me…’

‘Or give a warning,’ Derek continued. Isaac nodded in agreement.

‘Exactly! But can you imagine what they’re doing to Erica and Boyd? Every single day? Right now?’ Derek sighed, not wanting to think of the endless ways there are to torture a person. He refused to believe they were taken by the Alpha pack, until he was proven otherwise.

‘We’ll just keep looking,’ Derek avoided his question, getting up and leaving to throw the dirty water away.

‘You should go shower,’ he didn’t finish his sentence yet, as he heard the bathroom door close already. Isaac had probably wanted some time to himself from the moment they’d returned to the loft.

Sighing, Derek put the dishes away and returned to his desk, taking out his map and marking yet another cross right next to all the others.

  Isaac turned around in the couch while pushing away the covers, which let in the strong sunlight, waking him up with a groan. He wasn’t used to such strong sun rays waking him up, as the warehouse was deprived from any windows. Slightly opening his eyes and adjusting to the light, he tried to think of where he was. In  little snippets, the event of yesterday evening filtered through his brain and he remembered he was at Derek’s loft. Or rather, their loft.

He completely pushed the covers away, wondering how he’d gotten them in the first place, as he couldn’t remember falling asleep under any blankets, and sat up. Looking around, he noticed the double bed was empty and cover-less. He looked at the blankets and could hardly imagine Derek giving him those. It warmed his heart just slightly. Looking at the kitchen, there was no Derek to be found. His heart made a jump.

Told you he’d leave, son!

‘No,’ Isaac rubbed his temples, still slightly tired of the mostly sleepless night. Standing up, he went to a door behind which he assumed was the bathroom, but he couldn’t hear any sound. His heart started accelerating just slightly, a panic rising in his chest. He went to the window, but in the process of doing so, he noticed the papers of the custody arrangement still lying on the desk.

‘And I’ll get our stuff from the warehouse first thing in the morning, okay?’

‘Yeah, sure thing.’

And with that little memory of last night, Isaac’s speeding heart diminished to a normal rate again. The realization hit Isaac that he’d probably just left to get their stuff. He let out a breath he didn’t realize he was holding. Tracing his fingers through his hair and ruffling it, he laughed at himself for even having let the thought that Derek might’ve left, in. Ridiculous! And with that, he opened the door to the bathroom and took a look. It was small, but clean. Opening a few shelves, everything seemed empty. Not having any shampoo, he decided to quickly jump under the shower, just to freshen up  a little.

After having taken a look around in the small kitchen, he concluded that Derek has done zero shopping before moving in here. Maybe he just didn’t think of it, as it’s never really been necessary. Before, Derek just always made sure Isaac had some money to buy his food at school. Now, however, there was no school anymore, so no breakfast either. He checked his wallet and found some money left from last week. Quickly taking the keys Derek had left on the desk, he made his way outside, hoping Derek wouldn’t return yet in the meantime.

Coming outside, he immediately noticed the small grocery store surrounded by flowers. Making a sprint, he quickly went inside and took a look around, only to find a girl his age behind the counter.

‘Good morning and welcome to – ’ Just as she looked up, the words silently died out and she failed to finish her sentence properly. She looked away.

Is that a blush? Isaac wondered.

She cleared her throat and finished her sentence. ‘Welcome to McKenzies. How can I help you?’ This time, she seemed to have regained some confidence, as she was smiling by now.

Isaac wasn’t going to lie, the girl was pretty and having flustered her sure gave his confidence a boost. Giving her his cheekiest smile, he assured her that he didn’t need much and he’d be able to find it himself.

He quickly grabbed the few ingredients to make himself and Derek some pancakes and made his way to the counter. While putting all of the stuff down, he made sure to steal a quick glance. Her hair was messy, as if she’d just gotten out of bed. Given the fact that it was only eight in the morning, that could be very true. Other than that, it was a little wavy, dark brown, reached her back and was clipped away with a blue bow. She turned around again, a faint blush still on her cheeks.

‘That’ll be it?’ she asked, taking the ingredients and scanning the price.

‘Yeah,’ Isaac found himself at a loss for words. As much as he had flustered her, she sure had the same effect on him.

‘So, I haven’t seen you here before. You’re not from around here?’ she asked, looking up from the ingredients she was still scanning. Besides the lovely hair, she had some pretty green eyes too.

‘Um, no. Actually yes, we uh…’ Isaac cursed himself for his poor skills when it came to girls. He took a breath.

‘We moved here. Yesterday, actually,’ he smiled again.

‘Oh, so you’re the one that has moved in the loft that has been up for rent?’

‘To be exact, it was my guardian that moved in,’ he subconsciously held his breath before uttering the word ‘guardian’. Still not used to that, he thought. ‘So I obviously moved in with him.’

‘Oh, that’s nice.’ Yet Isaac couldn’t help but notice the way she looked when he mentioned he lived with a guardian. As if she was disappointed? She probably thought he was another troubled kid that lost his parents. The grin on Isaac’s face faltered, not believing he’d still have a chance with this girl.

‘That’ll be eleven dollars and twenty cents, please,’ she said. Isaac quickly gave her the money, took his things and rushed his way out. He just wanted to leave this embarrassing moment behind.

‘Um, excuse me?’ Sighing, he reluctantly turned around. ‘You forgot this.’

She was holding up a brick of milk. Damnit, Isaac! He reluctantly returned to the counter and took the milk, accidentally brushing her fingers. And there it was, that small exchange of electricity, causing her to jerk her fingers away. So she felt it too? She bit her lower lip.

‘Can I uh…’ she laughed hesitantly. ‘Can I know your name?’

‘It’s Isaac.’ 

‘It’s nice to meet you, Isaac. I’m Emma.’

‘Nice to meet you too,’ he nodded and gave a last small smile before leaving the small store.

I swear, girls. I’ll never get them. Isaac shook his head incredulously and made his way up to the loft again, happy to find that Derek hadn’t returned yet, only to be waiting in front of a locked door.

Taking out a few pots and pans, he started mixing the ingredients together.

  { -x- }

  Very suddenly the door was kicked open and it made Isaac jump. He was just finishing his last pancakes and was putting them on two plates. And there he stood, Derek. Two big bags in his one hand, slung over his shoulder, and two Starbucks Frappuccino’s  and a brown, paper bag in his other. He threw the bags to the side and closed the door. Isaac couldn’t help but think how sad it was that all his belongings, as well as Derek’s, fitted into one bag.

‘What are you doing, Isaac?’ He came up to the kitchen island and took place on one of the old bar stools, placing the Frappuccino’s and the bag on the island. Just as he did that, Isaac made sure to pour some syrup on the pancakes and pushed a plate towards Derek. Isaac himself took place on the bar stool opposite of Derek.

‘I made us breakfast. I just didn’t think you’d bring breakfast too,’ Isaac looked sheepishly at the Frappuccino’s and the paper bag, which surely contained something tasty.

‘I’m sorry,’ he looked away, frowning.

‘No, don’t be. I’m just surprised you can cook,’ Derek laughed, taking a bite of his pancakes. ‘And you can’t just cook, you cook very well, Isaac. This is delicious.’ Isaac smiled, finally eating his pancakes too.

‘Guess we’ll have to keep these muffins for later,’ Derek said, looking at the bag with a knowing look.

‘Muffins?’ Isaac’s head perked up. ‘You bought muffins?’ The look on his face was priceless.

‘Yep, two big Bountiful Blueberry Muffins,’ Derek sighed, knowing he was teasing the crap out of Isaac.

Isaac grabbed the bag, not even having finished his pancakes, and took a look inside. He closed it again. ‘Oh no, you didn’t.’

He looked at Derek and bit his lower lip. ‘These are my favorites, how’d you know?’ Derek laughed, but decided to stop the teasing.

‘Erica told me once. She said it might come in handy if I wanted to bribe something out of you. Said she’d done it countless times and the trick had never failed her.’ A sad smile appeared on both of their faces, feeling just slightly nostalgic for their fellow Beta’s presence.

‘Can’t believe she told you that,’ Isaac told him quizzically. ‘She was the only one who knew.’

‘Well I’m glad she told me. Now I know she spoke the truth and I can indeed use it against you,’ Derek laughed again.

‘Oh, really?’ Isaac cocked his head, arching his brow, failing to hide a smirk coming up.

‘No, just kidding,’ Derek’s laughter died down. ‘I’m glad she told me, because now I can make sure you get your weekly doses of blueberry muffins.’ Derek continued eating his pancakes, as did Isaac. His were, however, finished in two more bites. He immediately grabbed the brown bag again and looked at Derek. ‘Do you mind if I eat mine?’

‘No, of course not,’ Derek grinned, happy he’d found a way to put a smile on Isaac’s face after what sure was an awful night again. Isaac took it out and relished every single bite.

It was silent for a moment, which gave Isaac the perfect opportunity to ask Derek something he’d been thinking about for a few weeks now.

‘Derek, would you mind if I kept an eye out for a job?’ Derek looked up.

‘You’re not quitting school, are you?’ he seemed genuinely worried about the idea. Again, it warmed Isaac’s chest. 

‘No,’ he laughed, the sight of a worried Derek, holding his fork mid-air, just about to eat a pancake, was hilarious. ‘No, no, not at all. I just, before we moved here and you became my… My guardian,’ Seriously, still not used to that. ‘I was already looking out for a job, just to save some money so I could live on my own someday.’

Derek frowned in an instant. ‘You didn’t want to live with me?’ Derek suddenly began to fear he’d made a huge mistake with taking custody over Isaac.

‘No,’ Isaac started fiddling with the straw poking out of his Frappuccino. ‘No, I liked living with you. I just always had the feeling I was a burden to you.’ Derek was still frowning, yet Isaac didn’t dare to look him in the eye.

‘But now I know that’s not exactly the case,’ Isaac threw a confusing look at the custody papers on the desk, still unable to grasp how it was possible Derek genuinely wanted him.

‘Then why do you still need a job?’

‘I just thought I might be able to help you, since you said you were short on – ’

‘No,’ Derek told him sternly. ‘I’m the guardian, I’m the one supporting you. Not the other way around.’

‘Yeah, I know, but I could help,’ Isaac tried to convince Derek, but felt quite intimidated by the stern look he gave.

‘No, Isaac. I won’t refrain you from getting a job. If you want that, sure do so. But you’re keeping that money for yourself,’ Derek assured him.

But Derek – ’

‘No, Isaac,’ Derek tried finishing his pancakes.

‘Bu – ’

‘No!’ Derek sighed, dropping his fork in his plate and looking incredulously at Isaac. How can he not get it? Isaac shut up immediately and frowned. Great, now I feel like shit. Damnit, should I apologize?

But before Derek could utter the words ‘I’m sorry’, Isaac already spoke up.

‘I just don’t want you to think I’m taking advantage of you,’ Isaac whispered, looking down on his Frappuccino, as if it held all his answers.

Derek sighed deeply, hiding his face in his right hand and rubbing the sides of his face. He peeked through his fingers and saw the younger one humped before him, a serious frown adorning his face, still searching his Frappuccino for whatever it was he was looking for.

‘Look, Isaac,’ Derek told the boy, yet he refused to look up from his drink.

‘Isaac, can you look at me for a moment?’ Derek took his hands down and folded them in front of him. Isaac looked up grudgingly and Derek could’ve sworn he was inches away from looking like a puppy.

‘I don’t think that, okay?’ Derek looked him in the eye, making sure he’d grasp it this time. Derek knew that all of these insecurities all came from one single point; his father’s abuse. So maybe he should just hit the nail on the head, just to get through to that stubborn mind.

‘I’m not your father.’

Isaac looked away and Derek wondered if his mind was playing tricks on him, because he could’ve sworn he saw Isaac’s eyes glistening, if only for a moment. Maybe he’d hit the nail just slightly too hard.

‘You know that, right?’ Derek wanted to make sure this conversation ended with both of them on good grounds. It’s only been the first day that he got to try and be Isaac’s guardian and he didn’t want to have Isaac thinking this wasn’t going to work out. Because it will work out. Eventually.

Isaac nodded, took a breath and looked Derek in the eye. ‘I know.’

Derek sighed, not quite satisfied with the answer because he could feel the tension that still surrounded both of them. Finishing his pancakes, the air was filled with awkward silence. Derek knew this road was going to get rocky and he had to remind himself why he even thought of taking custody over this boy again in the first place. Not that he regretted it, it had just all seemed easier before this responsibility was dropped on his shoulders. Easier, but lonelier too, Derek. And there it was. His fear of ending up alone, plus the fact that this boy clearly needed some sort of home. Those were the reasons you stood on Mr. Stilinski’s doorstep yesterday morning. Remind yourself of that.

Derek cleared his throat, pushing any doubts off of his mind. ‘So, any idea where you’d like to work for the summer?’ Derek tried to start a light-hearted conversation, to outweigh the heavy words from earlier, if only for a little bit. Isaac merely looked up surprised.

‘So you’d let me get a job?’ he asked suspiciously.

‘Sure, but on one condition,’ Derek gave him a small smile. ‘You’re going to use that money for you. For example, when you meet on hell of an amazing girl and you take her out for your first date. I’m not going to buy the flowers for her and you make sure you get that girl some flowers, you hear me?’ By now, Isaac had to try his best to hide the smirk bubbling up. Derek should’ve known he had a certain brunette on his mind, from earlier this morning.

‘What makes you think I wouldn’t get her flowers?’ he laughed by now.

‘I don’t know,’ Derek laughed along, the tension completely seeping away with the seconds. ‘If I take a look at the youth of today, I have serious doubts about their proper manners.’  Isaac couldn’t hide the wide grin smeared all over his face anymore.

‘You don’t seem like the polite type of guy yourself,’ he laughed.

‘I don’t?’ Derek pretended to sound insulted, but failed to refrain himself from laughing.

‘You don’t,’ Isaac snickered, the laughter silently dying out. Isaac’s cheeks and ribs hurt from laughing so much and he couldn’t remember when that had happened for the last time. If it had ever happened before, he wasn’t so sure anymore. Derek made a move to leave the kitchen.

‘Well, keep me updated on finding a job, okay?’ he made his way over to the desk and took out a map that was lying in one of the shelves. He knew Derek was going to go over all the places where Boyd and Erica could possibly be, because it was the map that had a few crosses here and there. All the places Derek had already checked. Finishing his Frappuccino and putting the other one, together with the muffin, away, he made his way over to Derek and hunched over the map.

‘So, what’s the next place we’re going to check out?’ Isaac asked, tracing the map with his eyes.

Derek pointed at an area on the outskirts of town.