Chapter 6

Derek froze as he stared at Isaac's curled and whimpering form in the corner. What the hell was wrong with him? Why had he done that? Looking around the room Derek couldn't believe any of this. This was all too surreal.

"Now you've done it," Peter snapped at his nephew. He had tried so hard to help Isaac, though whether he was actually helping was completely debatable, and now Derek had gone and terrified the boy.

"What the hell do you mean" Derek demanded of his uncle taking the opportunity to blame someone, anyone, else for all of this. "And didn't I tell you to leave" he growled.

Isaac was absolutely terrified right now. He didn't understand. What had he done?

Growling broke him out of his fear induced hiding long enough to see Derek slam Peter into the wall making yet another dent and he just couldn't let that happen. If Derek was going to punish someone then it should be him. He was used to taking punishment and it was obviously something that he'd done that had set Derek off.

Also, he didn't want to see Peter hurt. Peter was good to him, the only person who had ever been good to him actually. Peter always brought something for him to eat whenever he stopped by. Peter also met him at the local park after school on the days that there wasn't training and brought Isaac something to eat and once, even a new shirt. Peter is the one who gave Isaac his blanket (the one that was currently lying in pieces that were scattered all over his room).

"Stop" he demanded as he saw Derek move to smash Peter's head yet again.

Derek instantly let go of Peter as though he'd been burned and turned in amazement to Isaac. The same Isaac who had now moved from being curled up in the corner to standing in said corner.

"Isaac…" he started to move towards the boy.

Peter instantly put himself between Derek and Isaac, "Stay away from him"

"Get out of my way" Derek growled at his uncle, shoving him to the side.

"Leave him alone" Isaac insisted, "He didn't do anything"

"He's been making you live down here" Derek responded, not understanding Isaac's defense of his psychotic uncle.

And this is where Derek's decision to blame Peter was taking hold. Looking around this depressing little space Derek was certain that it was Peter who had caused Isaac to live down here. Derek had followed Peter's scent down to this space after all, and Peter had known whose stuff this was even before Isaac had shown up.

Yes, this was Peter's fault. Peter must have said something to Isaac, made the boy believe that this little hole in the basement is where Isaac was meant to stay. Probably did this as some sick joke.

Isaac was confused. Peter hadn't made him do anything; the man hadn't even come around the house until two weeks after Isaac had claimed his room. "You gave me this room"

"No!" Derek snapped causing Isaac to flinch back and curl into himself. Isaac was proud that he was able to remain standing though.

"Yes Derek" Peter snapped, replacing himself between the terrified boy and the pissed off alpha. "You did this"

"I didn't do this" Derek defended himself, "This happened before…"

"You didn't start this," Peter corrected, "but you did continue it. And you caused this" Peter held his arms out indicating the current space they were in and the boy hunched over in the corner.

Derek was fuming. He was also guilty and felt deeper remorse than he ever had before as he took in the scared little boy in the corner behind Peter.

"I never told him to sleep in the basement" Derek tried to defend himself.

"Oh, and I did?" Peter snapped back.

"Yes!"

"No!" Isaac once again found a burst of strength from somewhere in him that he had never felt before. All he knew was that he couldn't let Derek blame Peter for something that was never the other man's fault. He would not let Peter be punished for something that he (?) did.

"No what?" Derek barked.

"H... he… he di… did…. didn't," Isaac stuttered, "pu… put m… me do… dow… down…. H…. here"

"Then who did" Derek wanted to know. He needed to know, "Why are you staying in the basement?"

"Y… yo… you said t… to t…. tak… take a… any room… s… so long as… I st… sta…. staye…. stayed ou…. out of…. the…. the wa…. way." Isaac tried to explain but just looking at his alpha told him that it wasn't going well. He needed to finish though; Derek had said he'd wanted to know.

Swallowing, Isaac tried to finish, "I… loo… um, th… there were…. weren't any… any roo…. rooms with…. with a… ro… roof that we…. were av… avail… available. I m… mean there wa… was the… the kit… kitchen an… and th… the liv… living… livingroom an… and… and then your… your… your room but oth… other th… than that th… the only… only… only other pl… place"

"The basement" Derek finished for the poor kid. He remembered now, that conversation.

Derek was exhausted; he had just finished fixing the roof on his room and had Isaac carry up the new mattress and box spring so that he'd have a place to sleep tonight.

As he was making up the bed Derek turned to see Isaac standing in the doorway with his arms wrapped around his chest, "What?" he'd snapped.

Isaac flinched back but remained standing, "I was just won… wondering where I… where I'm to…"

"I don't care" Derek stated, "Just pick someplace out of my way do you understand?"

Isaac had nodded yes and immediately ducked his head and backed out of the room. Derek slammed the door and sighed in relief as he moved to his bed. Sleep at last.

"I…" Derek paused, what the hell had he done? "I didn't mean for you to sleep down here"

"Wh… where wou… would yo… would you li… like me th… the… then?" Isaac asked more than willing to go anywhere that Derek wanted him to go just so long as it meant a lesser punishment (or maybe, since Derek had already destroyed all of his things, no punishment at all).

"You can come with me" Peter stated, "I've got a cou…"

"NO!" Derek had Peter pinned against the wall with a hand around his uncle's throat and was growling in his face, "He's my beta so he stays with me"

"You can't be serious" Peter said, "you terrify him"

"He stays with me" Derek repeated, "You on the other hand don't."

Peter's eyes turned blue and he was starting to growl right back at Derek.

"It's fine," Isaac cut in. The last thing he wanted was for Peter to fight for him, to get hurt for him. It was a comforting thought that someone was willing to do such a thing for someone as pathetic and worthless as he but that didn't make it a good idea. He simply wasn't worth it. "It… it's fi… fine"

"It's not fine" both Peter and Derek echoed each other.

"R… really it… it is," Isaac tried to assure, "I've nev… never minded sl… sleeping i… in the b… bas… basement"

"You're not sleeping in the basement" Derek snarled.

"Then where?" Peter questioned, "Hm. Derek? What room do you have made up for Isaac? Your youngest and most loyal pup surely has a room somewhere in this big fancy house doesn't he?"

Derek just tightened his grip on Peter's throat cutting off the older man's ability to breath and turned to his beta. "Get your things and wait in the living room"

Isaac hurried to do as he was told and gathered was little remained of his possessions (his backpack and school work which had thankfully been dropped right outside of his bedroom door after school that day and the one shirt that Derek had not ripped up along with the poptarts that Peter had left for him on top of his backpack).

"Wh… what… ar… are" Isaac couldn't believe that he was actually questioning Derek on anything when the man was clearly livid but he had to make sure Peter would be OK before going upstairs, "go… going to… to do… to hi… him?"

"That's none of your business" Derek replied, "Now do as I said."

"It's alright Isaac" Peter tried to assure but due to the pressure on his windpipe all that came out was "I…a…t…c"

"Pl… plea… please le… let him go" Isaac pleaded, "Th… thi… this is… my… my… my f… fa… fau… fau…"

"NO!" Derek barked, "This is not your fault"

"It's no… not… his" Isaac said.

Derek didn't know how to answer that and Peter soon felt the pressure being eased from around his throat and the ability to talk returning.

"It's alright Isaac," Peter was finally able to get out, "He's not going to do anything to me"

"But…" Isaac started.

"Go on upstairs" Peter assured, "I'll make sure to see you before I leave so that you'll know I'm not hurt"

Isaac hated to abandon Peter to a clearly pissed off alpha but also knew that there was very little he could actually achieve by staying other than agitating his alpha even more. With great reluctance Isaac finally turned and headed up the stairs to the living room.

As soon as Isaac had shut the basement door Derek turned to Peter eyes glowing red, "What the hell do you know?"

"About what?" Peter played dumb.

"About Isaac," Derek growled out, "You clearly know more about this than I do so tell me what you know!"