Payment (revised)

Chapter 33

Derek reminisced that maybe it had been a mistake to give so much away in his letter. But he had given Kate his word, a guarantee to destroy her so thoroughly she would never be able to rise again from the ashes. It didn't matter what she knew.

Derek abided by his word.

Besides, there was another promise he had made that held much more weight for Derek. He had promised to protect Stiles; he would give every part of him in order to keep that promise.

"Alpha," Boyd called, gaining Derek's attention from where he had just exited the warehouse.

The Alpha had sent a mole in to garner as much information as they could before barreling in with little to no real plan. Boyd had been the first to volunteer.

If it was up to Derek, Boyd would still be on bedrest. However, when Derek had emerged from his room that morning, ready to take on The Argent Clan, Boyd had been the first to stand with him.

Erica had shot her partner a sharp look, Boyd was still healing from the beating he endured from Theo's men. But Derek had seen the insistence in the flecks of gold swirling in the man's dark eyes. He needed to do this, he had a score to settle just like the rest of them.

Derek would honor his friend's choices.

They all had personal scores to settle with The Argents.

Derek had expected to get Stiles back on his own. He couldn't ask his friends to risk their lives on a mission that would have been null if it wasn't for Derek's short sightedness, but despite his protests, Derek had left with one unified pack.

They were going to get retribution, even if it destroyed them.

Destroyed him.

If Derek was being honest, he didn't foresee himself making it out of this one. But that wasn't the point of this mission, not for him. His objective was to get Stiles out, no matter the cost.

Derek nodded sharply, and Boyd gave his report.

"It's as we expected," the man said, and the rest of the pack fell in from their various hideouts to listen, "I wasn't able to get an exact count on their numbers, but by the amount of noise they were making they have at least double our man power. On a good note, we have surprise on our side. They definitely don't know we're here, but they are prepared for a fight. Lots of talk. Lots of talk by inexperienced fighters, granted, but their ambition seemed to make up for it. Derek, your name was thrown around quite a bit."

Boyd looked to Allison.

"Your name, too."

This was something Kate's letter had given away. Even now, Derek could recall flashes of scared children huddled in a corner as the blood of their family dripped from his teeth. The one strand of humanity he had kept with him that day made the decision to let those children live.

He hadn't thought far enough ahead to realize that Kate would use their fear and manipulate it into creating herself an army. Derek did blame himself for not thinking of that one; it's what he would have done if the situations were reversed.

Derek looked around at the solemn, but resolved faces of his friends.

As Boyd had gone quiet, finding his place next to Erica, they all turned to their Alpha to lead. Not one was scared by their prospects, not one backed away as the reality stacked against them.

They were with him to the end.

The pack stood in a semicircle in front of Derek. Each of them had been affected by this. Each of them was bruised and beaten down and stood before him unafraid of the fate that awaited them inside. Even Peter, who had caught Derek by surprise when he stood with the rest of the pack that morning, prepared to go down fighting.