Waking up felt luxurious, like a slow swim to shore. Lazy sunlight sprawled across her room. Derek lay on his back, head angled towards her. She contemplated his sleeping face for a second, the sharp line of his nose, the jaw shadowed by stubble

Her fingers barely brushed his jawline when those smoke-green eyes flew open. He hadn't been sleeping after all.

"Hi."

He said nothing, but eyes followed her hand as she drew it back to rest lightly on his shoulder.

Am I really waking up with Derek Hale in my bed?

"What's so funny?" he raised an eyebrow.

She stretched, "Don't worry. It's not your skills."

Something ghostly flickered in his eyes, gone before she could capture it. "I wasn't worried."

The sheet twisted and slipped off as she laughed. "Is a massive ego required to become an Alpha?"

Derek's gaze travelled lazily up from her breasts to her face, darkened with desire. An answering warmth fluttered low in her belly.

He ignored the ringtone for a few seconds before turning away with a muttered complaint.

She sat up when she discerned something was serious.

"Stay there, Peter."

Bonnie sighed inwardly. Something about Derek's uncle hadn't sat right with her from the beginning, but he was pack and Derek trusted him so she'd settled for a wary acceptance.

He hung up the phone. "I have to go. Peter found something"

She watched him pull his jeans on, "Be careful, Derek."
He glanced over his shoulder at her, expression unreadable. Then he was next to her, kissing her hungrily, fisting two hands in her tousled hair. His mouth drew back for a second before crushing hers again, and again until she was almost dizzy.

Derek broke away with a soft groan, "I'm coming back."

"You better."

His nose buried in her hair, like he was reminding himself. "I will."

Maya watched her over the her cup, eyes gleaming through the faint steam.

"How was your night?"

Bonnie swallowed her tea, trying to keep her expression neutral. "It was umm -,"

Suddenly the older woman laughed, "Bonnie, you're so transparent it's endearing." They were seated in Maya's apartment, enjoying pomegranate tea after a successful meditation session.

"I gather the wolf wasn't entirely unwelcome at your door?" Maya's eyes danced with amusement.

Bonnie felt a pleasant warmth down her throat that wasn't entirely from the tea. She savored it, hoping it would linger.

"He wasn't," she admitted with a smile, then she remembered the phone call from Peter. "I'm worried about this whole thing with Ryder and Peter Hale."

"You don't entirely trust Peter Hale?"

"I just have this weird feeling," she shrugged, "It might just be from everything that happened at Mystic Falls. I learned the hard way to suspect first, ask questions later."

The older witch looked thoughtful, "You should trust your instincts, it seems they've served you well so far."

Her cell-phone bleeped. "Excuse me for a sec."

Bonnie watched the message appear on her screen, blinking, making sure it was real.

Derek's in danger you need to get to the Hale house. -Peter

Cold fear coiled around her lungs. The room was a blur as she hastily gathered her things.

Her teacher grabbed her shoulder "Take my car. You'll get there faster."
It took a second for her words to register, and Bonnie realized she was holding out the heavy wolfsword. "Just in case."

She met Maya's eyes and saw the glint of steel there. "I think it's time I met this Ryder."

Bonnie was always a cautious driver, but that afternoon she compensated for years of discretion. The gravel road twisting through the woods failed to deter her. She swerved to avoid a rock and cursed in frustration.

Please be ok Derek.

The house was seemingly deserted. Bonnie clambered out and rushed to the door. There was no one in sight, not a sound except for the wind in the trees and a loose window rattling, somewhere.

She burst through the front door to find only dust and filtered light. "Derek! Where are you?"

A floorboard creaked above her head and she caught a muffled voice. Bonnie ran up the fire-blackened stairs and came up under the open sky and twisted, skeletal branches. The fire had ripped out a section of the upper level like a chunk of flesh.
A lone figure was silhouetted in the greying light.

Peter Hale stood amid the gaping ruin of a wall that was no more.

"Hello Miss Bennett"