Off to Bed...
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@corahaleinstinct
Off to Bed...
Day 5: I See Fire, Hollowing Souls || Cora & Derek
Cora woke with a scream, which was no longer surprising to her. In the midst of the electrocution that served as an alarm clock, she took note of her surroundings. There was a smiling Kate, hand manipulating the dial to the electricity, and Derek, watching a now-familiar scene, unable to help. But Cora could smell, just slightly, smoke. There wasnât supposed to be smoke, Derek was awake, this wasnât how it worked. Kate didnât play with fire around Derek, and Cora liked it that way. But as Kate turned down the voltage at last, and Cora could sag down into her restraints, tired from seizing, she noted the slight bulge in Kateâs pocket, a lighter, and she knew that today, Kate would see them both burn.
The smell lingering on the lighter had Cora on edge, feeling phantom flames burn her. She wanted to scream already, and nothing had happened. Cora held her head high, though, pretending as if she had nothing to fear from the little box in Kateâs pocket. But she remembered the 'games'. Her clothes set on fire, burning her skin as she screamed. The lighter passing over her torso, her face, anywhere, burning and torturing without remorse. Just like the fire that she had barely survived, and her family not at all. She narrowed her eyes threateningly, though her muscles shook minutely. She was entirely focused on Kate, riveted, waiting for her move.
âGood morning, little bitch. Ready to play our little game?â Kate spoke brightly, smiling at the two werewolves. She grabbed the lighter from her pocket, and waved it around gleefully. Kate walked over to Cora, flicking the lighter on smoothly, a small flame glowing bright off the tip. Cora bit her lip, and pressed herself into the fence, as far away from the fire as possible. She knew what was coming next. Crooning, Kate stalked closer. âCome now, little Hale, this is nothing new for you.â
The hand holding the lighter came closer, hovering just barely over Coraâs face, and Cora trembled miserably, petrified with fear. Hitched breaths wobbled out of Coraâs throat, and Kate only smiled beatifically at the conditioned response. Cora swallowed thickly, trying to be brave, put up a strong front for Derek, so he wouldnât be so worried. She had a feeling she was failing. But just as the flame was about to burn her cheek, Kate pulled away, laughing at Coraâs confused, relieved, and scared face.
âDidnât your parents teach you to share?â Kate taunted. âWere you raised by wolves?â Kate giggled at her own joke, and twirled a piece of blond hair around her finger. âI guess Iâll have to explain how it works. You see, itâs not fair if only you get to play with fire. Derek deserves a turn too.â
âNo!â Cora blurted. Derek couldnât burn. He needed to be safe. Electricity they could survive, for now, but she wouldnât let Derek burn like the rest of their family. She couldnât let him. âPlease, Kate, please,â Cora openly begged. âPlease donât.â She was desperate, and in her desperation Kate had won.
Kate grinned, and walked over to Derekâs restrained form. Lighter held precariously close to his skin. âWait your turn, little Hale. Derek needs a little taste of what he caused.â
Ed Sheeran - I See FireÂ
Lose Your Soul - Day Three || Self Para
Cora had been drifting, daydreaming of better things. She thought of Peter braiding her hair, Derek making her brownies, she and Hunter terrorizing unsuspecting firefighters, watching cartoons with Boyd, cuddling with Erica, play-fighting with Isaac, and so many more. It wasnât often that she had so much time to think. It was as relaxing as it was worrying. It was unusual for Cora to be allowed to remain lucid, if Kate had no plans. Cora didnât let down her guard, though, and was rewarded, although perhaps punished would be a better word, with a sudden sound.
Footsteps sounded down a hallway, high heels. Kate.
The huntress bitch soon became visible, though her heels clacked just as obnoxiously. The slight smell of smoke lingered on her, and Cora winced. The smells of hunter, wolfsbane, mountain ash, and smoke reminded her of⊠Of the day she lost everything. She began to breathe more shallowly, trying to limit her intake of the distinctive smell. Kate seemed to notice the way the odor was affecting her, and smiled victoriously. Coraâs breath halted at the expression. It didnât bode well for her.
âSomething the matter?â Kate asked mockingly, fluttering her eyes at Coraâs nervous self. âFeeling a little shy, little bitch? Donât worry; Iâve got the perfect game to play.â Kateâs hand dropped to her pocket, where Cora had overlooked a small bulge. As Kate grabbed the item, Cora watched in apprehension. Slowly, Kate brought out the item, holding it up so Cora could see.
It was a lighter. A small, insignificant lighter.
Cora wanted to throw up. She knew what was going to happen.
Kate flicked open the top, then struck her finger against it, creating a small, innocent flame. Lighting her features like a flashlight held under oneâs chin to tell ghost stories, the glow from the light shone on Kateâs face. The effect was just as horrific.
âAre you scared, little Hale? Donât worry; a little flame wonât kill anyone.â Coraâs breath shuddered, and she was torn between lunging at Kate and staying as far away as possible from the flickering flame. Her family, her family, dead, slaughtered by fire. Cora trembled visibly, and she smelt the acrid smell of her own fear fill the room.
The huntress laughed delightedly at the reaction. âOops. I guess I should specifyâit doesnât kill anyone important."
Cora snarled through her fear, unable to stomach her family being disrespected. Her family was important, and they did not deserve to be burned. And neither did she. But for all her momentary bravery, her growl was weak and shaky, and she was petrified. Memories of being burned tormented her still, and they flashed behind her eyes. She didnât want to be burned, please, not burned, anything but burned. But Kate walked closer, and with her, the flame.
Coraâs eyes squeezed shut tightly, and a few tears began to slide down her face. She was disgusted with her own weakness, yet she couldnât hold them back. She panted quietly, hyperventilating, and prayed for a miracle. None came.
âPlease,â Cora gasped out. âPlease, please.â But Kate only smiled. Â
Derek was unconscious. Tied to the rusty fence, he was slumped limply, having been electrocuted until his mind shut down, turned off to recover. And Cora could only be happy that he was sleeping, so he didnât have to watch this.
The flame touched her clothes and they were engulfed in flames.
And Cora screamed.Â
Lose Your Soul // Dead Manâs Bones
Voicemail || Cora
Beep.
"Okay, I donât know why Iâm doing this. This isnât like me. I donât know why I called. Maybe I wanted to hear the sound of your voice, even if itâs just a recording telling me to leave a message. Who even leaves messages anymore, in todayâs age? I donât know. Me, apparently. Is that pitiful? It sounds pitiful. ⊠Iâm so sorry, Cora. Iâm sorry itâs taking so long to find you. Iâm sorry youâre in another cellar with the last person you should ever have to be face-to-face with. Iâm sorry that you and your brother are being tortured. Iâm sorry that my stupid actions most likely made it worse. Is she reminding you of the fire? Is she threatening to finish what she started andâŠburn you alive? Oh, God⊠Iâm so sorry. Please be okay. Not just in body. In mind. Please be okay. You donât deserve this. I wish Kate had taken me instead. But she took you, and it isnât fair. It really isnât. You mean everything to me, and I love you. I should have said it more often. I should have been a better guardian, a better uncle, and a better person in general. I love you, Cora. Youâre not just a niece to me, youâre likeâ youâre like a daughter, and I think thatâs the worst part. Thatâs the worst fucking part. With each second that passes while youâre still suffering, I feel like a small piece of me dies some quiet little death. I need you to be okay, Cora. Please. If youâre killed, I donât think I canâ I donât think Iâll be able toââ
Beep.
Day 1: All Monsters Must Burn || Cora & Derek
This wasnât supposed to happen. None of this was supposed to happen. They werenât supposed to be here; strapped up to a fence and giving Kate easy access to do whatever the hell she wanted with them. Cora was supposed to be at work, working far too much as always, but at the very least being free and safe and fine. And Derek was supposed to be at home, sleeping and recharging his batteries from working a double shift. They werenât supposed to be at Kate Argentâs mercy; like the rest of their family had been all those years ago.
When Derek watched the tears spill over and roll down Coraâs cheeks, his heart shattered, and all of his instincts were screaming at him to wrap Cora up in his arms, and protect, soothe, comfort. Instead. All Derek could do was curl weak fingers around Coraâs in a pathetic attempt to take care of her.
The Alpha couldnât speak when Cora greeted him. She sounded so broken and exhausted and hurt that it made Derek feel sick to his stomach. How long had she been here? How long had Kate been torturing her while Derek had been knocked out cold; oblivious to what was happening to his baby sister right by his side? The mere thought made his wolf whine within him, and Derek had never hated himself more.
He was supposed to protect her from everything. And now she was here, facing death, because of him.
âIâm here. Itâs okay, Iâm right here with you.â Derek breathed in a voice so low that only Cora could hear him.
The moment the huntress laid her hand on Cora, Derek growled; fangs extending and claws replacing his blunt human nails on his bound hands. He trashed against the fence with such force that he should have been able to break free; the rage pumping through his veins should have been enough to enable him with the strength and power he needed to free himself of his restrains. But the wolfsbane cutting into his wrists made him weak â far too weak to stand a chance against what was keeping him bound where he was.
Kate, of course, took amusement in both Cora and Derekâs reaction to the touch, and Derek was seething; livid and wild as he snapped his teeth at her, snarling and growling as best as he could. âGet your filthy hands off of her!â Derek demanded. âDo whatever the hell you want to me, but leave her alone! Sheâs done nothing to deserve this!â He went on, livid and desperate because he knew this monster. He knew the bitch keeping them here. Kate was merciless; disgusting, cruel, psychotic. Cora should not have to be subjected to that.
The huntress cooed then, smiling at Cora before her gaze drifted to Derek. âAs adorable as it is to see how willing you are to sacrifice yourself, you know I canât leave her alone. I brought you both here for a reason, and as sure as I am that merely keeping Cora here to make her watch me torture you would have broken her, I canât settle for one destroyed werewolf. Surely Iâve proven that by now?â She purred, letting out a dangerous laugh as she stepped in front of Derek.
âWhat do you want? Why are you doing this?â Derek snarled, restraining himself from leaning closer to try and sink his teeth into her skin when she leaned just shy of being close enough for him to reach her. She smiled that sickening smile again, and Derekâs stomach churned.
âThatâs simple, Derek,â She began, trailing her fingertips up over the ridges of his abs. The wolf snarled, glanced over at Cora and tried to will her to look away with his eyes. She didnât need to see this; didnât need to see the disgusting way in which Kate touched him; like she had any right to.
âIâm going to make you burn like the others.â She whispered, knowing that both Derek and Cora could hear her perfectly. Derekâs fingers tightened as much as they could around Coraâs, and for the first time in his life, he was sure that this was it. They werenât getting out of here alive. This was going to be the end of the road. And there was nothing they could do about it.
These thoughts were so consuming that Derek didnât even register the slight blip in her heartbeat when she spoke; as if she wasnât telling the entire truth about why she was keeping them here. Nor did he get the time to let it sink in, because moments later, something hard connected with his temple and the world disappeared around him.
He didnât even know what Kate did to Cora before she turned and sauntered out of the room.
Off to Bed...
Day 1: All Monsters Must Burn || Cora & Derek
Derek could have sworn there was a brush of something warm, and soft, and familiar against his fingertips. He could have sworn he heard a familiar voice calling his name. The Alpha twitched, grunting; on the verge of regaining consciousness, slowly but surely. His body felt heavy and his head pounded, and when Derek tried to move his hands - stretch out his arms - he couldnât. His wrists were pinned above his head, strapped to the fence behind him. Disoriented, Derek tried to blink his eyes open, but was unsuccessful; his mind refusing to cooperate. He couldnât wake up - not properly.
Not until the extreme voltage rushed through his body from the electrodes once again.
The Alpha howled - pained - as his head surged up; slamming back against the metal fence as his eyes stayed clenched shut. His body shook with the voltage running through him, and Derek made futile attempts at pulling at his restraints ââ until he remembered where he was. And who it was that had brought him here.
Once the voltage was turned down to nothing but a uncomfortable buzzing through him, Derekâs eyes snapped open. But his eyes only fell on Kate for a split second before a familiar scent washed over him, and Derek whipped his head around.
There, next to him, was Cora. His baby sister; bleeding and half naked and strapped to the fence just like he was. Derekâs eyes widened in shock - in terror - because Cora wasnât supposed to be here. Cora had done nothing wrong. Cora wasnât supposed to have to suffer for Derekâs mistakes.
"Cora." Derek breathed, his fingers stretching as much as possible in an attempt to curl around his sisterâs. He was desperate to touch, to soothe, to protect. The disgusting laugh of the huntress made Derek tear his attention away from his sister.
"Aww, isnât that sweet." Kate cooed, that horrible, psychotic grin plastered on her face as he looked between the two of them. "The last remaining Hale siblings, facing death together."
"Let her go." Derek growled, eyes boring into Kateâs as he glared at her. "Sheâs done nothing to deserve this."
Kate laughed again, stepping closer until she could run her manicured fingernails up his torso. The Alpha snarled, letting his fangs drop as he pulled at his restraints.Â
"Ah, but you see, thatâs where youâre wrong, Derek. Sheâs like you. Sheâs a monster.â Kate hummed, eyes flickering over to Cora. "And you know how I feel about monsters, sweetheart. They all deserve to burn."
Cora yelled as Derek was suddenly electrocuted, helpless as he woke with a pained howl. She was at once relieved and horrified. She was so glad he was alive, beyond grateful to whatever deity had kept Kate from murdering him straight away. But he was here, and that alone made her feel nauseous. Derek shouldnât be here. Derek should be with the pack, safe, unhurt. He was her only sibling left, he could not be here. He couldnât. Cora bit her lip harshly to hold back her hopeless tears. Tears wouldnât help them here. Blood fell slowly from her injured lipâsheâd bitten clean through. She ignored it, and the pulse of electricity coming from the electrodes crudely glued to her body, and strained out her fingers to wind with Derekâs. She was already weak, and the extra movement from her electrocuted muscles was nearly impossible. She could feel the trembling in her arms, and knew that this was only the beginning.
When Derekâs eyes saw her, and she saw his desperation, his terror, his disbelief, tears spilled from her eyes anyway.
âHey, brother mine,â she whispered, voice already hoarse from Kateâs warm-up torture session. Thinking back, it was a wonder her screams hadnât woken Derek. Cora was glad he hadnât. He didnât need to see her like that. Eyes refusing to stray from Derek, she successfully managed to reach out her hand, and tightly gripped Derekâs fingers with her own. She couldnât feel the wolfsbane restraints cutting into her wrists, the way the wounds around them werenât healing, so focused was she on Derek. Cora had a death grip on him, and she was so absorbed in the physical evidence of Derek, that proof that this wasnât some sick wolfsbane hallucination, that she didnât see or hear Kate until she was right in front of her.
Kate ran her hand down Coraâs face in a mocking parody of scent marking, and Cora felt violated. That was for pack, to show love and safety and belonging, and Kate had corrupted it. Cora flinched back as best she could, though the action had the fence behind her cutting into her back.
âLook at you, little Hale,â Kate simpered, pouting theatrically. âAll tied up with no one to save you.â Here, she glanced at Derek, smirking at his bound state. âWhat a shame, that you survived, only to end up here. A monster to be exterminated.â
Cora glared with all her strength, but as she looked into Kateâs eyes, her mind began to accept that Kate wasnât planning on them going anywhere. Her fingers faltered in Derekâs grasp as she came to the realization. They would be here, until the day they died.Â
Text: Cora I miss you. I'm so so sorry I wasn't on time. I'm sorry I didn't answer my phone. I should have. Next time you call, I swear I'll answer it. We're going to find you. You and Derek. And when we do the people who took you better hope they run faster than I can fly. I'm going to tear them apart.
[Delivered; Unread]
Off to Bed...
Help, I Need Somebody - Thursday, September 25th || Self Para
Cora stared at her alarm clock from her bed. 2:24 PM blinked red, and then changed to 2:25, queuing up the alarm Cora had set. She reached over and turned it off, and rolled out of her bed. So much for sleeping before her shift. Instead, she had just laid there and alternated between staring at her clock and her ceilingâneither was very interesting. Cora rubbed her hands over her face tiredly. Sure, she now took shifts off to âsleepâ, getting people off her back about working too hard, but it wasnât like she had done any sleeping. The last time she slept at all was four days ago, for two hours, before she dreamt of fire and ash and screams and woke up crying. Just like every time she tried to sleep. The only time she could get any sleep was when she had someone there to keep her sleep from becoming deep enough to have nightmares. But that wasnât often. So Cora just didnât sleep. And that was okay with her. Better to never sleep then to burn alive in her dreams.
She walked slowly to her closet, pulling out her clothes for the day, and shrugging them on briskly. She hadnât actually left that much time to get to the hospital, and her shift started at 2:40. Only a single shift today; sheâd promised Derek that she would cut back on her shifts a little, and she wouldâfor about a week, same as always, before he hopefully had other things to worry about. Grabbing an apple and her converse, she headed out the door, locking it behind her. Glad that no one was in the hallway but her, she hopped on one foot to get one shoe on, then the same for the other, all the while holding her apple in-between her teeth. She probably looked ridiculous. Shoes on, and apple in her hand, Cora checked the time on her phone, 2:29. Sheâd have to hurry if she wanted to get there on time.
Cora ran at a not-quite human pace down the hallway, before vaulting herself off the stairway, hoping no one was watching her inhuman actions. Whatever, she was in a hurry. She walked quickly out of her apartment lobby, waving to a few of her neighbors, and began jogging to the hospital. Isaac would definitely give her a hard time if she was late again. Narrowly dodging asshole drivers as she crossed the few streets between her crappy apartment and the hospital, she had finished eating the apple and tossed the core into one of the many sidewalk trashcans. Only a few blocks away, she slowed down, walking sedately. Cora grabbed her phone to check the time. 2:34. She would definitely make it on time.
Phone still in hand, she dialed Hunterâs number. Cora needed some time to relax and hang out with more people than just work people. Hunter didnât pick up, so Cora tried again. Still nothing. She was a little frustrated, but he did work at the LAFD and could be saving live, very important, so she supposed sheâd cut him a little slack. Cora left him a voicemail instead, letting him know that he was picking her up after her shift, and to not be late. Hunter would probably be late just to spite her, but if he picked her up in the â67 Impala all would be forgiven. She hung up after leaving her message, and tucked her phone back into her pocket.
Cora stopped in front of the hospital briefly, noticing that her shoe had come untied. Not a good thing when they could and have gotten got in wheelchairs and gurneys before. She knelt on the ground, out of the way of the entrance, slightly behind a few trees, and began to re-tie the laces. Cora heard footsteps coming from behind her, but didnât really think anything of it. It was LA, people walked places all the time. Without warning though, the footsteps became a body, and a body that had arms around her.
Cora whirled around, almost breaking free of the strong, though human arms that gripped her harshly. She opened her mouth, preparing to ask what the hell this guy thought he was doing, when one of his hands flew up to her face, shoving a dirty cloth down her throat, and holding another one over her nose. She gagged on the fabric, and unsuccessfully tugged herself away from her attacker, before she fell to the ground. She felt dizzy, and her eyes began to water from her aborted coughs. Cora tried to move her arms, her head, anything, but her body felt like lead, and she was easily manhandled until her attacker held the cloth over her face tighter than before. She had trouble breathing, and foolishly inhaled beneath the cloth. Wolfsbane. Coraâs eyes widened briefly, before they shut altogether, and she lay unconscious on the cement.
~*~
Cora didnât notice as she was lifted off the sidewalk, and loaded into a waiting van. Wolfsbane cloth still in her mouth, she was unconscious. She was unaware of the people in the van jeering at her body as they drove, of the perverted comments and suggestive gestures. She didnât feel the grubby hands over her body, and the hollers from the men. She was ignorant of how they found her phone, in her back pocket, and felt her up in their âattemptsâ to grab it. It, and her hope of calling for help, was thrown out of the window and onto the road below. Cora didnât wake as the road turned rougher, and the van skidded to a stop.
She remained unconscious as she was flipped over a hunterâs shoulder, one of his hands holding a flashlight, and the other her ass. The laughter of the other hunters as she was carried down sets of stairs went unnoticed by her, as did their entering a large, dark room. Cora was ruthlessly strapped to a cold metal fence with wolfsbane laced bindings, next to the unconscious, slumped form of her own brother, and still, she knew nothing. Her sweatshirt and top had been cut away carelessly, leaving cuts sluggishly bleeding down her half-naked body, unable to heal while she continued to inhale the wolfsbane from the cloth. Electrodes were glued to her skin by rough hands, eager, overzealous. Cora could not feel the low-level current already running through them, though she twitched in discomfort.
Cora could not see or hear the delicate, feminine hand turn the dial to the machine she was connected to. But they heard her screams.
~*~
Cora woke with a muffled scream, choking on the sodden cloth still in her mouth. Waves of electricity flooded her body, and she convulsed helplessly. She gagged, managing to expel the cloth from her throat, though she coughed violently still. The voltage increased, and Cora retched, vomiting thick black liquid in front of her. That⊠Wasnât a good sign. She bent over again, as much as she could with being restrained, coughing up more bile. Her bra and jeans were stained with blood, sweat, and black vomit. The wattage of the electricity died down a bit, and Cora could manage to stop throwing up, and lift up her head.
She wished she hadnât.
A smiling Kate Argent was in front of her. Kate Argent, the hunter who had slaughtered her family. Cora couldnât help but try to lunge at the huntress bitch, to make a mess of her pretty smiling face. But she was tied to the fence, and fell back uselessly onto the fence. In return, Argent turned up the voltage suddenly, and Cora screamed, her back arching and twitching as it was torn apart by pain. When the electricity had died back to a manageable level, she panted helplessly, shaking minutely as her muscles tried in vain to recover.
âBad dog,â Kate pouted, patting Cora on the cheek patronizingly. Cora tried to bite at it, but the huntress moved out of the way too quickly.
âNow, now, little Alpha.â
Alpha? But Derek was the Alpha, not her; she would only be an alpha if he died. And Derek was fine; he should be sleeping in his apartment by now. His shift would be over. Derek wouldnât have to see any of this, his baby sister being killed. Cora knew it was inevitable. She wasnât going to make it out of here. But she would fight.
âIf you donât behave, Iâll just have to go play with your brother. And you donât want that, do you?â Kate smirked victoriously, her eyes widening falsely, comically large and innocent.
Derek? No. No. No no no no no no no. Heâs supposed to be safe, in LA, with the pack. He was the Alpha... God, not Derek. Please, not Derek.Â
But there he was, on a section of fencing slightly adjacent to her own, so close she could stretch out her fingertips and brush his own. He was slumped over, unmoving, blood dripping from his temple, and she couldnât hear his heart over the thrumming of the electricity. Derek, he couldnât be, no, he was alive. Right? But she didnât know. Cora felt like she had been gutted. She felt her eyes widen, and she began straining against the bindings, unable to think past the mix of rage and grief she felt when she knew that he might be dead.
âDerek. Derek wake up. Derek, come on, please, please wake up,â Cora said, her voice hoarse from vomiting and the thought that Derek had been killed. âPlease Derek, come on, big brother, please wake up.â
Kate laughed, a cold, tinkling laugh that had dread pouring itself into Coraâs bones. âOh no,â Kate simpered. âHeâs not dead. Yet, anyway. How long heâs alive and the shape heâs in depends entirely on you. Are you going to play nice?â
And Cora felt every inch of fight drain out of her.
Please wake up Derek. You always know what to do.Â
Last Known Contact, Voicemail: 2:34 PM, Thursday, September 25th || Hunter
Beep.Â
"Hunter, because you are not answering your damn phone, I am forced to leave this godawful message for you-- do people even use voicemail anymore, besides clingy exes and shit? God, just pick up the phone so I can stop recording this thing. A true sign of desperation is actually leaving a message, dickbag, so call me. ... Or not, whatever. Pick me up after my shift, okay, it starts at about 2:40 and ends at 10:30, and we're going to your house so I can meet the puppy that you keep sending me pictures of, and drink all your alcohol. Be here, or I will tell Ethan all about how your phone background is a picture of him drooling in his sleep. See you at 10:30, bitch."
End of final message.
Polkadot Cadaver - âChloroform Girlâ
You look just like a z o m b i e inches from dead and pretty with p u r p l e flowers in your hairÂ
I appreciate the compliment, do you have any requests Miss? Or maybe a drink that I could have my staff whip up for you?
I don't think anyone should put me in charge of music. I'll leave that to the experts.
That would be nice. Do you have any hard cider?Â
I suppose lucky for me then that I donât tend to drink on my shift.
Lucky for the patrons. I mean, I love drunken edelweiss as much as the next person, but it's always nice to switch things up a little.
Derek huffed in vague amusement when Cora pinched at his hip, which seemed to be her go-to kind of revenge. A small smile ghosted over his lips at the promise of her always staying, and the Alpha dropped another kiss to the top of her head. âDefinitely happy on good days.â Derek chose to correct, before he was scooping her up into his arms and moving over to settle them both on the couch. He waited for his sister to get comfortable, and lifted a hand when she was settled to card his fingers lightly through her hair. âAnd you can rest assured that I will do whatever it takes to keep you alive.â Derek countered, as he allowed himself to relax back into the couch to the feel of Cora tapping out the pattern of his heartbeat against his leg. The older wolf mirrored her, and tapped Coraâs own heartbeat out against her upper arm with the hand that wasnât in her hair.
"What makes you think weâre not already writing our own?" Derek asked. "Weâre not the bad guys here, Cora. The humans who hunt us are."
Coraâs head fell back onto Derekâs shoulder as his hand combed through her hair, slumping further down into his lap at the sensation. She arched her neck slightly, pushing her head closer to Derekâs hand. She could feel her heart rate slowly reaching a pace that could be considered relaxed and somewhat emotionally stable. Damn him, but Derek always knew when to use her weakness against her. Cora supposed she would forgive him, mostly because it felt so nice. ââM glad to hear that,â Cora mumbled. âDonât plan on dying any time soon.â As Derek ran his fingers through her hair, she closed her eyes and just relaxed into Derek, listening to his heartbeat and her own, smiling as they began to sync together. It reminded her of the family piles they used to have, where they would all be lulled to sleep by the sound of their packâs beating hearts.
 âI know weâre not the bad guys. At least, I hope weâre not. But every hunter child is told of us, the monsters, before they go to sleep. Regular human children too. They are all taught to fear the wolf before they can see the person. And I donât think that will ever change,â Cora whispered.Â