Derek sat back, letting himself fall into the comforting embrace that was Stephan’s arms. They were curled up together on a couch in the pack’s communal living space. No one else was around, and they had the room, and one of the TVs to themselves. Stephan had turned on some show about competitive cooking, which held almost no interest for Derek. It had however, caught Stephan’s attention and the werewolf was intent on the screen as the contestants scrambled around to fix a dish that fulfilled some esoteric criteria. Derek didn’t mind that he wasn’t interested in the show in the slightest, he was content to breathe in the smell of Stephan and feel his body against his.

A thump jerked him out of his comfortable stupor and he sat up to find an exceptionally irate looking Sean standing in the doorway. The smaller werewolf was glaring at them, or more specifically at Derek. Stephan shifted behind him, reaching out with the remote to mute the sound as Derek waited to see what Sean had to say.

Sean frowned after pausing. “You two fucking now?”

“And then some,” Stephan said, the possessive tone in his voice warming Derek inexplicably.

Sean’s eyes widened in understanding. “Ohh, so you two are an item now? What, I wasn’t enough to keep you occupied?”

“Not what I wanted, not for companionship and a partner,” Derek answered without hesitation.

For a moment, he thought Sean was about to snap. Derek hadn’t been sure how Sean would take the revelation that his “fun new toy” was done with him. While Sean had certainly come a long way from his initial treatment of Derek, it was still far from what Derek needed from someone else. He would happily choose the comfort and happiness of being with Stephan over the constant frustration and occasional excellent sex he got from Sean.

Sean glanced between them before settling his gaze on Derek. “He any good in the sack?”

Derek stiffened. “That’s not really any of your business.”

“Ooh, that flush in your cheeks says he’s good. Damn, if he’s better than me, I’m gonna be pissed,” Sean commented with a huff.

That brought Derek up short. “You…don’t mind?”

Sean shrugged. “Like I give a shit who you’re screwing and who you’re not, at least you’re not being stuck-up anymore. Plus, it looks like you managed to get that grumpy look off his face, so I can’t really complain about that.”

Derek rallied around his relief, smiling hesitantly. “I’m glad you’re being so…permissive about this. I’ll admit I was expecting a far worse reaction.”

Sean snorted. “Don’t get too comfortable there bucko, because your family’s here.”

It felt as if Derek’s heart dropped into his gut. “My what?”

“Your family. More specifically, your dad and your…brother? Don’t much look like you, your brother that is, but that’s what he’s claiming to be,” Sean explained.

The hand Derek used to brush a bang from his face shook slightly. “Wh-what are they doing here?”

Sean crossed his arms, his annoyance returning. “They’re demanding that you come with them. Apparently they’re here to drag you back to your camp or whatever the hell it is you guys stay in.”

Fear burst from a deep well within Derek, washing away any rational thought. He gripped onto Stephan’s leg as he tried to understand why his father would be here so soon. Derek was supposed to have more time than this. More time to figure out what he was going to do and how he was going to do it. He had been hoping he’d be able to squeeze out more time before he had to face his family.

“I suppose my father and brother didn’t want to give me that chance,” he murmured, his lips feeling numb.

“Derek?” Stephan questioned, his voice thick with concern.

Sean snorted. “I’m not gonna lie, your dad is a bit of an asshole. I’ll tell him to fuck off if you want.”

Derek stood, hoping he looked more steady than he felt. “No, I suppose it’s for the best that they’re here. Where are they?”

“In the office, the Big Man is keeping them at bay,” Sean said with an uninterested shrug.

Derek’s eyes went wide. “Trent is up there with my father and brother…alone?”

Sean frowned at him. “Yeah, what’s it matter? Big Man can take care of himself.”

Without another word, Derek shoved past Sean. He ignored the angry protest from the Alpha as he all but ran down the hallway. Fear was building in him as he hurried, trying to get to the office before his father and uncle came to blows. He was confident his uncle would remain calm, but he didn’t trust his father to keep himself under control.

When he burst through the door, all three werewolf’s heads jerked up in surprise. His uncle’s expression of annoyance and resignation gave way to sudden worry and fear. His father and brother however, glared at him with a fierce anger when they recognized who had all but broken down the door. Derek hesitated in the doorway before stepping in, hoping the heavy footsteps behind him were from Stephan. Derek didn’t know exactly how this meeting would go, but he knew he would need Stephan’s presence to get him through it.

“Father,” Derek said after a long pause.

“Good, you’re here. Get your things, we’re leaving,” his father said in a sharp tone.

Derek winced against the force of his father’s words. “But I haven’t finished what I came here to do.”

His father reared up, fire blazing in his eyes. “From the sounds of it, you’ve been doing little more than sitting around and socializing. You were sent here to help these wolves with their little war, not to make friends and have a good time. They apparently do not seem to need your help anymore, and so we have come to bring you back.”

Trent sighed. “And as I told you before, it’s not quite that simple. We cannot afford to lead constant strikes against the vampires, it would draw too much attention. Derek has already participated in one of those strikes and proven himself to be an able fighter.”

“My son is competent, but he is not a warrior. He lacks the heart for it, and I still do not know if he can lead after I am gone. Nevertheless, his place is back in the sept with us, he has a duty, as you once did,” his father snapped at Trent.

“He saved my life, and took the blow for me. I’d say that makes him a pretty stand-up warrior in my eyes,” Stephan’s voice from behind him quipped.

His father eyed Derek. “So, you found something in yourself that might be of use in the future. At least this trip will have been less wasteful than I originally assumed.”

Aron snorted in derision. “I find it hard to believe that Derek did anything of the sort. I’ve been besting him in combat since we were boys. You’re telling me he suddenly figured out how to fight just because he came here?”

His father’s head jerked in Aron’s direction. “What did you say?”

Aron shrugged. “Just what I said, I’ve been beating him for years.”

Derek winced under his father’s furious gaze. “It’s true Father, he has.”

“You are meant to be the one who leads our sept. To be the example everyone else is meant to follow, both in everyday life and in battle. You mean to tell me, that your brother has exceeded you in even that?” his father asked in a barely controlled rage.

The words spilled from Derek’s mouth before he could stop them. “He’s been better for my role since the day he was born. He’s a better fighter, a better strategist, a leader, everything you’ve always wanted me to be but I’ve always failed at. Choose him Father, make him your heir and not me.”

His father reeled back to his full height, his voice commanding. “You are my heir, as is your birthright and is our custom.”

“As it was once mine,” Trent said softly.

A surprised grunt brought Derek around to see Sean standing there in shock. “The Big Man’s your…uncle?”

Derek nodded sadly. “My father’s brother, yes. I didn’t know until I came here. My father never told me. I went the majority of my life believing my uncle was dead.”

Sean scoffed. “Told you your dad was a fucking asshole.”

“Who is this mutt that thinks he has a right to insult me?” his father demanded of Trent.

Derek turned to his father. “The Alpha of this pack Father. The one who’s been hosting me.”

His father’s expression said just how little he thought of that idea. “Is this the type of alpha you place in control of your packs Trent? No wonder you have been so desperate for help from your betters. Well, it matters not. Derek, you heard me, get your things. We’re leaving immediately.”

The command had an immediate effect on Derek. His body jerked as habit made him want to turn around and walk down the hallway behind him to his room. His thoughts of grabbing his things and following his father out were jarred to a complete stop when his shifting gaze fell on Stephan. The werewolf looked torn, desperate to keep Derek where he was, but unsure of how to do it. The happiness and contentment Derek had seen there not more than ten minutes ago was replaced by helplessness and a hint of despair.

Derek hung his head, feeling like a failure. “I don’t want to be your heir anymore.”

There was a thick silence in the room, before his father’s voice, heavy with danger, replied. “What did you say?”

The words had come from him before he could think about them, falling from his lips in a rush. At his father’s question however, he realized just how much he meant them. He had never been meant for what his father expected of him, anymore than his uncle had been meant for what his father had expected of him. Derek had spent his whole life trying to live up to a standard that he had known, deep down, he would never be able to meet.

Sean’s pack wasn’t perfect, and it was still strange and foreign to Derek in many ways. Yet, it had been a home to him in a way that his original home had never been. He’d found people who seemed to want him around, who genuinely liked him. In Sean’s pack, he’d found a place where he could find out who he was, what he wanted, and what he could really do. He hadn’t realized until that moment, just how much he didn’t want to return to the sept, duty or not.

He looked at his father as he spoke. “I don’t want to be your heir anymore. Choose Aron. He’s far more worthy of it than I will ever be.”

“You don’t have a choice,” his father growled.

“I did, and so does he,” Trent said, his gaze on Derek though his expression was unreadable.

“This is my son, I will decide what he does,” his father said curtly.

Derek took a deep breath, feeling steadier when he felt Stephan’s hand fall on his shoulder. “I have a choice Father. I didn’t realize it until I came here, but I do, and I’m making it right now. I’m staying here.”

His father’s eyes fell past his shoulder, shifting between Stephan and Sean. “You would choose these city mongrels over your family, over your duty?”

“These ‘mongrels’ have shown me more about myself in almost two months than I ever discovered in the first twenty-five years of my life in the sept. Being here has shown me so much more about myself, and I can be myself. Let Aron be himself, let him be the heir he was always meant to be,” Derek said, shaking his head.

“That’s not how that works,” Aron interrupted, a new excitement gleaming in his eyes.

“It is. I pass the torch, I give up my position. Whatever words will make it apparent, but it’s what I’m doing,” Derek said, firm.

“You can’t give it up, you have to fight me. I have to beat you in actual combat, that’s how it works brother, you know this,” Aron said with eagerness.

His father’s hands balled up into tight fists. “No, this is not happening. Derek, you get your things and leave with us.”

“Derek will always be welcome in any of the packs that I oversee. If Sean will not have him as a permanent member, there are more than enough packs who would be willing to do so. I accept his request to stay here,” Trent stated, even though Derek hadn’t technically asked for anything.

Derek could see his father’s temper boiling past the point of no return. The Alpha was searching Derek’s face, trying to find an angle that he could attack. Derek did his best to show just how resolute he was, even as he trembled inwardly. He meant it, totally and completely, but he couldn’t show the slightest bit of weakness to his father. Even the briefest glimpse of Derek’s inner weakness would mean the end of this one, shining moment of rebellion.

“You really mean to do this,” his father finally said, wonder tinging the anger in his voice.

“I do,” Derek affirmed.

With a sharp motion, his father motioned to Aron. “Aron, you know the traditions. If your brother is too weak to take on his role, then you must prove you are capable enough to do so.”

It had been exactly what Derek had been expecting once his father accepted what Derek meant to do. Tradition dictated that if someone in the sept was not fit for their position, their accuser had to best them in combat. There was no way Derek would win against his fiercer sibling, but that was exactly the point. He could see the dread in Trent’s face and felt Stephan stiffen behind them as they anticipated the beating that was to come.

Derek couldn’t help the smile that came to his lips, as he realized something else. “No.”

Aron, who had taken steps closer to Derek, stopped short. “No?”

Derek nodded. “I’m not fighting you.”

“You, that’s not how this works brother. You won’t be heir? Then you have to fight me, and get your ass kicked again,” Aron said with a smirk.

Derek squared his shoulders. “No, I don’t. I’m giving up being a member of the sept as well as being Father’s heir. Which means I’m giving up everything, both the rights and privileges granted to me, and the responsibilities. I give up everything that would bind me to fighting you.”

“Coward,” Aron hissed.

Derek eyed his brother, feeling a wave of sadness pass over him. “Is it cowardice to be done with it all Aron? I don’t want to fight you. Even if we have never really gotten along, you’re still my brother. I’m making this choice for myself, for good or ill, and I don’t want to start it by fighting my own flesh and blood if I have a choice.”

His father’s eyes flashed dangerously. “And if you don’t have a choice.”

As if the words were a signal, Trent stood up and began to round the desk. Stephan and Sean appeared from behind Derek, standing just before him. All three City Wolves crossed their arms, almost as one, and stared at both Derek’s father and Aron. The tension in the room had increased, so thick Derek would have sworn he could see it.

Stephan was the first to speak. “He said no, he’s not following your stupid tradition.”

“You fuck with one of us, you fuck with all of us,” Sean added, to Derek’s surprise.

“Then you’ll…?” Derek asked Sean, forgetting the tension in his shock.

Sean motioned dismissively over his shoulder. “You’ve been sitting around here, racking up our utility bills, eating our damn food. You might as well be another one of us, at least this way I can definitely find you a way to pay us back. Think you can live with me being your boss?”

Derek couldn’t help his harsh laugh. “Only if you can live with the fact that my uncle is your boss.”

Sean shrugged. “Deal.”

Trent shifted his weight from one foot to the other. “Are your traditions so important that you’re willing to risk your life and your youngest son’s life?”

His father turned on Trent. “If you do this, I remove any and all help that I might have given you in the past and refuse to help you in the future. You swore to not interfere in my affairs Trent.”

Trent nodded at Derek. “These are his affairs, not yours.”

Aron’s posture eased, though he was still wary. “Father…we can’t win this fight.”

“I’m aware,” his father snapped, glowering at the rest of them.

Derek smiled sadly. “Just go Father. There’s nothing here for you anymore.”

To Derek’s surprise, his father did just that. Stomping past the group of them and down the hallway without so much as another word. Aron took a moment longer, glancing at their uncle with what Derek would swear was a pang of remorse before moving to follow their father. He stopped at the doorway, looking to Derek with an unreadable expression.

“He’ll never forgive you for this,” Aron told him.

Derek shook his head. “I gave up looking for his forgiveness already, because like his acceptance, I’ll never get it. And I know that you can’t now, but just…whenever you are the one in his position, think of me.”

“Why?” Aron asked flatly.

“Because I’m your brother, and whatever our differences, I don’t want us to have the same relationship he and Uncle Trent have had. Let’s break the cycle,” Derek offered.

Aron’s mouth twisted for a moment before his expression smoothed out. He glanced around the assembled group of werewolves once more before turning on his heel and walking out. Derek watched his path, wishing he’d had a chance to see his mother and sister one last time. He would have never been able to make this stand in the sept however, and it was a regret he would have to find a way to live with.

“You think he will?” Stephan asked from behind him.

Derek leaned his head so that his cheek rested against Stephan’s hand as it lay on his shoulder. “I don’t know, but maybe one day he will.”

Trent stepped forward so he stood beside Derek, looking deeply troubled. “For both of your sakes, I hope he does. I would loathe to see history constantly repeating itself.”

Derek watched his uncle as he too left the room, walking the length of the hallway with a more sedate pace than the other two. For all of his uncle’s show of confidence and ease, there was a heaviness about him that he’d never seen before. Perhaps seeing his distant brother once more, having not changed in the slightest over the years, had added weight to his Uncle’s shoulders. Or perhaps, it had always been there and seeing him once more had only made it obvious.

Sean sighed, the noise one of long-suffering. “Guess I should probably get everything setup so you can move your ass in, huh?”

Derek glanced at him, smirking. “And I deeply appreciate your ability to handle this new change with both dignity and poise.”

“Yeah, I’m a real fucking prize alright,” Sean snorted as he moved to leave and follow the rest of the disassembling group.

Derek reached out suddenly, taking hold of Sean’s elbow. “In all seriousness, thank you.”

Sean glanced down at Derek’s hand, then shrugged. “I don’t mind pissing off a snobby Wild Wolf, especially one who’s as big a prick as your dad. Stealing their prize ‘heir’ is just a bonus in my mind.”

Derek watched the Alpha leave, waiting until he was out of earshot before turning to Stephan. “He really thinks he’s got me fooled into believing he’s a total jerk, doesn’t he?”

Stephan chuckled, reaching out to stroke a thumb over Derek’s jaw. “Let him believe it, it’s what the rest of us do.”

Derek chuckled, feeling how shaky the sound felt coming from his mouth. “I suppose I’ll need to get into that habit. As well as learning a few more, since I’ll be staying here and all.”

Stephan pulled him in, his face glowing with happiness. “I’m so proud of you. You didn’t think you could do it, but you proved me right in the end.”

“Yes, you were right, and I was wrong,” Derek told him with a lighter laugh.

“See? You’re learning. Now if you could only get Rico to understand that, my life would be a whole lot easier,” Stephan said with a mock sigh of despair.

Derek squinted at him. “Didn’t I just hear you the other day telling him that you don’t know everything?”

“Well, yeah, but what I do know, I’m always right about,” Stephan hedged.

That brought another laugh. “Okay then, give me the correct answer to what I need to do next.”

Stephan held him closer, not once losing the look of prideful warmth in his eyes. “You’re going to have a drink with me, and then we’re going to have a nap.”

“Sounds good so far, what happens after that?” Derek asked.

“We figure that out then.”