The Moon And Her Wolf → Derek Hale

Just Another Day

The moment she turned 18, Selena McCall was out of Beacon Hills and on her way to New York. Religion, mythology, and occultism had fascinated her ever since she found out about the werewolves in Beacon Hills and it was a no brainer to choose NYU, with one of the best programs she could find. Imagine her shock, though, when she sits next to Derek Hale on her first day, the same Derek Hale who'd been her best friend right up until the point he disappeared off the face of the Earth. It took no time at all to rekindle their bond, or to find a second family with the last surviving Hales. Everything is perfect. Then Laura goes missing. Selena is right by Derek's side the moment he starts for California, determined to find her pseudo-sister. Except, back in her home town, nothing is how she left it, and Selena finds herself torn between her baby brother and her best friend, with no clue how to keep either, let alone both, of them alive.

Disclaimer: I don't own anything except for Selena and some of the Hale backstory

The Moon And Her Wolf

Just Another Day

"Honey I'm home," Selena sang, tossing her backpack onto the front bench of the brownstone she shared with Derek and Laura.  Although they hadn't been living there long - only since the Incident in their former home - it was still home, and, kicking off her obscenely high heeled boots, she felt like she could settle into herself as the door locked behind her.

"In the gym," Derek called back, much louder than she had been for her human ears to pick up on.

Selena couldn't help but laugh at his predictability.  Ever since they'd moved into the new house, Derek had spent most of his time in the custom gym or in his new studio.  It was one of the most important parts of the house; a place for the two werewolves to burn off excess energy and for Selena to train and tire herself out, and for Selena to study while Derek worked out.

For her part, Selena spent most of her time in the kitchen, the pool, or in the gym.  But for once, she didn't go to any of those spaces.  Instead she went to the library, her second favourite room after the pool.

She pulled her thick, dark hair into a loose braid, the best way to keep it out of her face as she read, and settled into her favourite armchair.  It was a dark brown leather, worn and soft from years of love, and Selena's go-to study space.

It was all too easy to lose herself in her book, the combination of a long swim practice and amphetamines pushing her over the line between focused and hyper-focused.  She jolted when her copy of the Iliad was tugged gently out of her hands, looking up to see Derek in front of her.

He was shirtless, as he often was when they were the only ones home, with water dripping down his chest.  Selena narrowed in on a single droplet, following its path down the hard lines of his chest and abs until it disappeared below the waist of his sweatpants.

Derek coughed, and Selena would forever deny the way it made her jump.

"Lena?" He asked softly.  "You with me?"

She blinked rapidly, looking up to see concerned eyes watching her.

"Yeah," she hummed.  "Just... you know..."

"Lena," he sighed, face softening as he knelt down.  "You need to slow down."

It wasn't until Derek took her hands in hers, green eyes boring into her brown ones, that Selena realized she was shaking.

"I will," she insisted - a common argument between the roommates.  "But this essay is worth a whole fucking lot, Der.  I need to keep going.  I can't... I can't afford to stop."

Derek stood slowly, her hands still in his, and pulled her into a hug.  Even standing on her tiptoes, Derek had to bend over for her to tuck her face into his neck, and in the end he wound up picking her up anyways.

"Come on," he prodded gently.  "At least come to my room instead, yeah?  You can read to me."

Selena nodded slowly; she did love to read to her best friend, and it did make it easier for her to stay in touch with the world.  She let him lead her down the hall to his room, immediately making herself comfortable on his bed while he dug around for a clean shirt.  In all of their - almost five - years living together, Selena had spent as much time in Derek's beds as her own, and sinking into his soft mattress and cozy flannel bedding always felt like coming home.

Derek wasted no time in pulling on a soft green henley before joining her on the bed.  He pulled her close, until her head rested on his chest, and carefully undid her braid.  She began to read, and with Derek's fingers combing through her curls, she felt grounded in a way that she desperately needed.

The minutes passed quickly after that, and Selena was surprised when Derek started to pull away.

"Come on, Lena, you need to eat."

She grumbled good naturedly, but let him set the book on his bedside table.

She followed him into the kitchen, quickly busying herself with heating up leftover Chinese food, and soon the two were perched side by side at the island as they ate.

"I'm worried about Laura," Derek told her, seemingly out of nowhere.

Selena said nothing, just waited patiently as he figured out what he wanted to say next.

"I've been feeling weird about the whole Beacon Hills thing since she first brought it up," he admitted.  "But now... she's been there for three days and hasn't said anything.  That's... I mean, you know her, that's not the kind of person - the kind of alpha that she is."

Selena nodded.  He was right, Laura wasn't the kind of alpha that would leave either of her packmates to worry about her for days on end without at least warning them that she'd be going off the grid.

"Let's call her, then?" She suggested. 

It was, admittedly, not how the three of them ever worked.  When Laura left on alpha business, they never reached out first; never risked undermining her leadership abilities to other packs.  But, Laura also never missed a check in without warning.  And as much as Selena adored their alpha, the girl who'd been a big sister to her since she was a young child, Derek had always been her priority and she couldn't do nothing while he worried himself sick.

"If Laura answers," she continued, pulling out her phone to start the call.  "We find out what's going on and what we need to do.  If she doesn't... if she doesn't, something is seriously wrong."

Derek took the phone from her and held it to his ear, tapping his foot nervously as it rang and rang, both of them growing more anxious with every second.

Finally he clenched his jaw, looking at Selena with dawning horror in his eyes.

"No answer."

---END---

Thanks for reading! I really hope you enjoyed the first chapter!  It feels like I've had Selena for my entire life, and I hope you all love her as much as I do! That said, if you want to know more or see any of her content, feel free to visit me on tumblr @ Randomestfandoms-ocs