His normal boundaries would've dictated letting her take a moment and then pulling away, putting the distance there and the barrier in place, because there were vulnerabilities that shouldn't be seen. But this wasn't normal and so long had passed since then, and even if he were still an alpha, he doubted he'd have been able to keep that distance himself.
Instead, he let her wrap her arms around him, his own sliding around her shoulder to keep her in close, picking up the steady, strong, slightly too fast heartbeat that was so resounding and comforting. Her scent was just as familiar now as when she was mouthing off and leaving, and Derek couldn't even bring himself to care at the moment.
"You're okay," it was half in awe and half reassurance, although he wasn't yet sure who it was for. The way this place worked was still a mystery, but the brief opportunity to maybe offer a little stability there? That was worth taking. "Are you hurt anywhere?" With all the destruction and blood around, it was too difficult to know just where the blood was coming from. But if she was here and whole for now, then it was unlikely the Alphas had inflicted too much injury, just keeping the beta's weak instead.