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(If you are reading this on any PAY site this is a STOLEN WORK, the author has NOT Given Permission for it to be here. If you're paying to read it, you're being cheated too because you can read it on Archiveofourown for FREE. IF its on AO3 under AnonEhouse, that's fine, that's me. Also, translation and pod-fic done by other fans on free sites is also fine.)
Werewolves are repulsed by mountain ash, poisoned by wolfsbane and less often, mistletoe, but they don't have allergies. They can eat anything and sniff anything without ever having an anaphylactic reaction.
It's only because there were humans in the Hale pack that Talia recognized the symptoms when baby Derek patted Beta-Shift Peter during his first full moon 'run'. Babies don't run, of course, but the pack greets the new members officially then.
Derek sneezed. His little rosebud mouth puffed up. His cheeks pinked with a rash. And he coughed.
Talia was a strong, confident leader. She didn't panic. She didn't roar Peter into resuming human form. She didn't shove Derek into the arms of Peter's human wife, and scream at her to take him to Deaton. No, she was very very very calm as she made a polite request.
Connie went white, but then she was naturally pale with lots of freckles. Peter was always attracted to that type, but after Connie had put a dinner fork into his arm when he eyed a waitress, he'd stayed faithful to her. Connie grabbed the keys to Peter's Shelby 1000 Cobra, the car no one else was allowed to touch. Peter let out a groan, but didn't protest as Connie leaped into the car with baby Derek and tore off, peeling rubber.
The pack followed in beta shift to the veterinarian clinic, and hovered outside. No one looked at Talia. Very carefully, they did not look at Talia.
Talia growled. "Derek is full wolf! I did not cheat on Joseph!"
Joseph was from a minor wolf clan, and hadn't brought any strategic alliance to the marriage. Talia had chosen him because he was sweet, soft spoken, and built like a Greek god. Talia was very satisfied with her choice. He smiled at her and took her hand, and, as usual, didn't say anything.
Connie came back out a few minutes later. "Derek is fine," she said. "Deaton gave him something and it cured him."
Talia narrowed her eyes. "What else?"
Connie frowned. Peter went to stand next to her and put her arm around him. "He is allergic to werewolf fur." She threw up her hands. "Deaton is afraid that if he ever shifts, he'll die."
"Deaton will fix it," Talia said. "He's our emissary, it's his duty to protect the pack!"
Peter buffed his claws against his chest. "I'll remind him of that."
Fifteen years later, Derek sighed and looked down at his bracelet. He had to wear it all the time to prevent him shifting. He didn't even know if he COULD. Sure, his mom said he was a full wolf. He was tempted to take off the bracelet with the anti-shifting charm Deaton had made so many years ago. Maybe he outgrew the baby allergy. Maybe he wouldn't swell up, stop breathing, and DIE.
Maybe he could run with the pack and hug his mom when she had her fur on.
Maybe. He'd been banded and felt like an outsider to his family his whole life. Talia still kept the first bracelet Deaton had made, beads on elastic spelling out his name with the special 'no fur' bead a brighter blue, as if it was an heirloom, not a shameful reminder of Derek's weakness.
At least his current bracelet wasn't babyish. But HUMANS wore medic-alert bracelets. He wasn't human. He was a WOLF, darn it.
Wasn't he?
Derek didn't have any friends or any social life. Laura said it was because he was a grumpy old man at heart. Talia said it was because he was a sensitive soul. Uncle Peter said all sorts of things, none of which were any use, and got him laughed at when he tried 'surefire' ice breaker conversation in school. Talia didn't want him doing any contact sports for fear someone would break his bracelet and since he'd never learned control, like everyone else did as a child, he'd break out in fur and die.
Sometimes Derek just felt smothered, smothered and so alone. He was so tired of being the good son, the quiet one, the momma's little wrapped up in bubble wrap fragile little baby.
So when his English teacher smiled at him, really smiled, Derek was confused at first. But she kept smiling, and waved when she saw him. And when he was running errands in town, she invited him to share a soda.
She noticed him. She said he was much more mature than the others, more serious, and she could see that no one really appreciated him. But she did.
She appreciated Derek a LOT. He'd never been in a motel room before or kissed anyone he wasn't related to, or... well.. sex. Sex was great. Kate- she told him he could call her Kate- used to call him an animal in the sack.
Of course she didn't know he was a werewolf, but he was flattered to think his true nature showed. He couldn't bring her home, and she understood that, but she was curious about what made him, about the Hale family.
So, why not bring her home one day when he knew everyone was away. He showed her around, and told her the 'secret escape' tunnel was just a holdover from Prohibition. She'd been impressed. She was so happy to learn about him.
So very happy.
Kate was laughing. It didn't sound nice any more. She was standing there, watching the Hale house burn, with everyone inside. Laughing and taunting Derek for his stupidity.
Derek wanted to kill her like he'd never wanted to do anything in his life, but he couldn't pass the mountain ash line... wait... he felt a tingle and looked down, he'd gone a step past it. He COULD...
But if he killed Kate, his family would still be trapped. It must be his bracelet! It kept him human. Peter and Talia and Joseph were shifted and couldn't get out.
"Mom! Take this, you can get out!" Derek unsnapped his bracelet and tossed it back into the house- it felt weird, his skin exposed to air for the first time in his life. He wondered how long it would take for him to die after he shifted, could he last long enough to rip out Kate's throat?
He felt his animal surging forward, his bones growing and changing, his skin... becoming scaly? He felt a tail ripping through his clothes and lashing side to side. Oh, shit, was he a kanima? Then his shoulders ached and his shirt ripped open.
He had wings? Fuck yeah, he was going to yell, but when he took a deep breath, all the flames sucked into him. He grinned, and stepped off the porch.
Kate screamed and fired and fired and fired at him. He felt the bullets pinging against his scales. "My turn," he said, gleefully stealing Iron Man's words to his captors as he SNEEZED and shot blue-white flames to engulf Kate, outlining her screaming form for one instant before she was pretty much vaporized.
Derek now carries an epi-pen, and doesn't run with the pack, but that's ok, Derek soars above and leads them to the biggest buck.
He always starts the barbecue with a sneeze.