The loft had finally gone quiet.

Most of the pack had filtered out hours ago, and the tension that had hung in the air all evening still clung to the walls like a storm that refused to leave. The only sounds now were the faint hum of the refrigerator and the distant traffic outside.

Scott stood near the table, running a tired hand through his hair. His shoulders were tight, his mind still spinning with everything he had to worry about—hunters, threats, keeping everyone safe.

Keeping you safe.

He hadn’t meant to snap.

But the words had come out anyway.

“Just—shut up for a minute!”

The memory made Scott grimace.

A heavy pair of footsteps echoed from the stairs behind him.

Scott didn’t need to turn around to know who it was.

Derek Hale.

The air shifted when Derek entered a room. It always had. Tonight was no different.

Scott slowly turned, leaning back against the table as Derek approached from the shadows. Derek’s expression was unreadable, but his posture was rigid, controlled—like a wolf holding itself back from lunging.

Scott sighed quietly.

“Let me guess,” he muttered. “This is about earlier.”

Derek stopped a few feet away.

For a moment, he didn’t say anything. His jaw flexed slightly, his arms folding across his chest as his eyes stayed locked on Scott.

Then he spoke, voice low and steady.

“The next time you lose your cool with her,” Derek said calmly, “I suggest you find a different approach.”

Scott raised an eyebrow.

“Oh yeah?” he replied, a hint of challenge slipping through his exhaustion. “Why’s that?”

Derek took a slow step forward.

The movement was deliberate.

Controlled.

But his eyes?

God—his eyes were deadly.

The golden glow of his wolf flickered just beneath the surface, sharp and dangerous.

“Because if you don’t,” Derek continued quietly, “it’s going to put me and you in a position where things will definitely go south.”

The words weren’t loud.

They weren’t even angry.

But they carried weight.

Derek didn’t have to threaten him.

Not with that look in his eyes.

Scott studied him for a moment, the tension in the room thick enough to cut. Then Scott huffed out a breath, shaking his head slightly.

“You think I meant that?” Scott said. “You think I wanted to snap at her?”

Derek didn’t answer.

Scott pushed off the table, pacing once before stopping again.

“I’m trying to keep everyone alive,” he said, frustration creeping back into his voice. “Every day there’s something new coming after this pack. Hunters, alphas, things we don’t even understand yet. If something happens to her because I hesitated—”

“—That doesn’t give you the right to take it out on her.”

Derek’s voice cut through the room like a blade.

Scott stopped walking.

Derek’s gaze hadn’t softened.

“If you’re stressed,” Derek continued, “deal with it. Go punch a wall. Go run through the woods. Hell, pick a fight with me if you need to.”

His voice lowered another notch.

“But don’t aim it at her.”

Scott stared at him.

And slowly, the tension in his shoulders eased.

“…You’re serious,” Scott muttered.

Derek’s expression didn’t change.

Scott let out a small breath, rubbing the back of his neck.

“I know she’s your mate, Derek.”

Derek’s eyes flashed slightly.

Scott gave a tired half-smile.

“But she’s also my sister.”

For a moment, neither of them moved.

Then Derek spoke again, quieter this time.

“Then act like it.”

The words landed heavier than the threat ever could.

Scott exhaled slowly.

“…Yeah,” he admitted after a moment. “Fair point.”

Derek studied him for another second before finally turning toward the stairs.

But just before he disappeared up them, Scott spoke again.

“Hey, Derek?”

Derek paused.

Scott crossed his arms.

“…If I hurt her like that again,” Scott said, “you won’t just suggest a different approach, will you?”

Derek glanced back over his shoulder.

His eyes glowed faintly in the dim light.

“No,” he said simply.

Then he continued upstairs—heading straight for the room where you were sleeping.