sweet little sixteen (closed; luke)

When Derek Hale wakes up, he's 16 years old and very much not in the bedroom he remembers falling asleep in. Also, there's a cat sitting on his chest.

"What the--" The cat is staring down at him with big yellow eyes and a judgmental expression. Derek flashes his golden eyes in return, but the cat looks thoroughly unimpressed. Derek pushes the cat off of his chest and sits up, looking around the room in confusion. His eyes catch on a cage across the room, and widen slightly when all he sees in it is what appears to be a giant purple cotton ball with eyes staring back at him. "Okay..."

He's in a cabin, and it's weird. It's weird mainly because this cabin smells like him. And not just because he's in it. Everything smells like him, like he's been here for months, but that's impossible. Last night he was at home in Beacon Hills, chasing his siblings through the preserve. He went to bed early because he had a big basketball game today. Laura smacked him upside the head and then his mother rolled her eyes and kissed his forehead. You know, normal bedtime stuff.

But now he's in a cabin that smells like him in a place that doesn't smell anything like home, and the damn cat is still staring at him. He turns to get out of bed and his hand catches on something. It's a red sweatshirt, and he brings it up to his nose to smell it. It's not Derek's, but it smells nice, like lavender and honey. It's a comforting enough scent, but it means nothing to him. He tosses the hoodie back onto the bed and gets up, grabbing his underwear when they fall down his hips.

The clothes in the dresser all smell like him, but they're too big. He finds a black v-neck shirt that hangs a little loose, and a pair of jeans that he can belt up. The cat is following him and meowing, so he follows his nose to its food and pours it into the little bowl near the kitchenette, and then turns around to survey the cabin again. There's a phone on the nightstand, but when he calls the house number, he gets a message that the number isn't in service. Same with his mom's cell, his dad's, and Laura's. None of the names in his contacts are anyone he recognizes, and he's beyond confused. His scent is the most confusing. All over the cabin it's him, but darker. It's muskier and tinged with sadness and anger. Which makes sense, if he's been trapped here, but that's impossible.

There's another scent, that lavender honey, but it's fading. Whoever it belongs to hasn't been here in a long time. Stronger is the scent of another wolf, and Derek's eyes flash gold as he inhales it. It's an alpha, but not a threat. It's a warm, friendly smell, and Derek knows that's who he needs to find. If this other wolf is the alpha here, wherever the hell here is, then that's who he needs to talk to. Especially if they know each other and he can explain what the hell is going on.

The boots by the door fit him, if a little loosely, and he goes about tracking that scent out of the woods and into the city. It's nowhere he recognizes, and it doesn't smell like home at all. Signs keep telling him that he's in Darrow, and he doesn't recognize that either. It takes him awhile, but soon he finds himself in front of a bookstore. It hasn't opened for the day yet, and Derek follows the scent up to the apartment above it. The scent is strongest here, and Derek bites his lip a little nervously as he knocks on the door.

He hears movement inside and he lifts his chin, doing his best to appear capable and calm. He is the son of Alpha Talia Hale, and a beta of the Hale pack. That means something, and he has to make a good impression.

Plus, he just really needs this guy's help if he wants to get home.

Which he really, really does.