"Your friends are dead, Lorelai… And…YOU'RE NEXT!!!".
"Wake up!".
"Your power is mine!!!".
"Come on, Lorelai!".
Voices boomed inside my head while I struggled to comprehend whom they belonged to. It was like something was holding me down, restricting any kind of movement.
I tried to see where I was but couldn't make out anything. It took me a few seconds to realize that I was surrounded by utter darkness. Again, I attempted to fight against the invisible force and my skin felt like it was being ripped from my body.
"Just give in, Lorelai. You can't fight me forever…", a distorted voice shouted.
Realizing that it belonged to none other than the deranged Alpha, I tried pushing myself harder, hoping to break out of the paralysis.
"YOU NEED TO WAKE UP!!!".
Regardless of still not recognizing the voice, it gave me an extra boost of courage. I screamed, trying to break free from the Alpha's hold. Pain flooded through my body as I felt the force weaken, and he roared loudly.
"This isn't over!!!", the Alpha bellowed as I broke through his hold on me.
I bolted up, gasping for air, but I could barely keep my eyes open. I was only conscious for a few seconds, before fatigue took over my body and I passed out, tumbling back into a much more peaceful darkness.
∞∞∞∞
I jolted awake, the smell of damp soil hitting my nose. While my eyes slowly adjusted to my current surroundings, I caught a glimpse of a silhouette moving towards me and I started to freak out.
"Hey, it's just me…", a voice whispered.
I gasped when I recognized the face.
"Derek? You're… You're… Alive…", I croaked.
He crouched down, kneeling beside me as I slowly pushed myself up against a tree. We were at the Beacon Hills Preserve.
"I saw you die!", I blurted out without thinking twice.
"Werewolf healing.".
"Oh…", I whispered as my memories slowly started to come back.
I frowned, trying to remember every detail from the traumatic event that went down in the gym. My body trembled as I replayed my confrontation with the beast- his teeth sinking into my shoulder, and the weird gust of wind I somehow conjured.
"He bit me… Again…", I muttered softly, my hand instantly flying up to my shoulder.
In expectancy to find the wound, I gazed down at my shoulder and found nothing. My breath hitched in my throat, I gave Derek a panicked look.
"I should've been dead.".
"Lorelai… You were. For almost three minutes… That power you have inside you is much stronger than anyone could've anticipated. He's going to keep coming after you, and if you don't give him what he wants, he'll go after the people that you love.".
"Derek, but-".
Derek's head shot towards a noise that came from the bushes.
"I have to go! Don't tell anyone I'm alive!", he said quickly and raced off without waiting for me to respond.
I was left in utter confusion when literally two seconds later, I was almost blinded by a bright light.
"Lorelai?".
Noticing the state of my clothes, Mr. Stilinski crouched down to see if I was okay.
"Jesus, what the heck did Derek do to you? Can you walk?", the concerned Sheriff asked, helping me to my feet.
I nodded before telling him a made-up story about how I 'stabbed' Derek to get away and that it was his dried blood on my shirt. It seemed that the cops bought Stiles and Scott's story about the werewolf being the bad guy. My injuries were fully healed, however, my body felt off- maybe it was going into shock.
Mr. Stilinski drove me home and judging by the state I was in, he decided to take my statement in the morning. He wanted me to go to the hospital first, just in case, but I convinced him I was fine.
Luckily, I didn't have to deal with my mom because she was still at work. I didn't have the mental capacity or the energy to explain the whole situation to her.
There was a lingering feeling of unrest and uncertainty as I trekked up the stairs and into my room. It was almost 4am. My mind went back to what Derek told me- I had actually died, like heart and breathing stopped 'dead'.
I quickly shoved the thoughts down, pulling out a fresh pair of pajamas and a towel. I'll deal with it another time. Until then, all I needed was a hot shower, and 72 hours of sleep.
∞∞∞∞
I walked through the halls of Beacon Hills High School on high alert as I caught whispers about the incident from last week. Nobody knew who the students were thanks to the protection of 'minors' identity policy'.
When my mom found out about the incident, she almost lost her marbles. She didn't allow me to see any of my friends that weekend, she pretty much watched me like a hawk. Even when we went down to the Sheriff's station, she didn't let go of my arm the whole time we were there.
I managed to convince my mom into letting me go to school, but it came with conditions. I had to come home straight afterwards, as well as text her every hour, to let her know I was alive and unharmed.
Speaking of texting, I was lucky enough to receive a message from Ricardo saying that he was safe. When I tried calling, the number was out of order.
Grabbing the books I needed and shoving them into my bag, I slammed my locker door shut in frustration. I hardly got any sleep since the incident thanks to the constant nightmares, so I was highly irritable. I turned around, almost bumping right into Lydia and Allison.
"Hello? Scott locked us in a classroom and left us for dead. He's lucky we're not pressing charges… Or making him pay our therapy bills... Lorelai! Oh my god!".
I was stunned by the redhead's sudden burst of affection when she and Allison pulled me into a tight hug.
"I'm so glad you're okay!!!", Allison said smiling before smacking me softly on the shoulder.
"What were you thinking going after him like that?!? You could've been seriously hurt or worse!", she shrieked.
"He could've killed you, Lorelai. Just like he did the janitor.", Lydia whispered.
Still trying to fathom this newfound concern from her, I responded, "But, he didn't… By the way, have any of you seen Scott or Stiles?".
The two girls glanced at each other awkwardly and then brought their eyes back to me.
"Um, no… Not since Scott and I broke up…", Allison answered softly.
I heard the sadness in her voice and squeezed her arm gently, before turning to Lydia, asking her if Jackson was alright. She nodded as the bell rang indicating that our first class was starting.
Bidding them goodbye, I shook away the anxiety of being back in the same hallway we attacked in when I was suddenly grabbed by the arm. My reflexes kicked in and I kneed the person in the gut.
"Jesus, Lorelai! What the hell!", Stiles cried, doubling over.
Apologizing profusely to my friend, I asked if he was okay. Nodding at me, he took my arm as I helped him up.
"What the hell happened to you?!? Why didn't you answer our calls?!? We thought you were dead!!!", he heaved.
"I-".
We were interrupted by Mr. Stilinski who had just walked out of the principal's office.
"I hope my son isn't dragging you into any tomfoolery… I see your mom finally took you off house arrest?", the Sheriff joked with a tired smile, squeezing my arm gently before turning to Stiles, sighing.
"Don't you have a test to get to?".
"Seriously dad, nobody says tomfoolery anymore! What's going on? Did you find Derek yet?", Stiles interrogated his father.
"I'm working on it. You go take your test.", he said firmly.
I took a step back as Stiles warned Mr. Stilinski to be careful. Tonight, was a full moon which meant that Scott wasn't going to be the only one affected, we had to worry about Derek and the Alpha too.
After wishing Stiles good luck for the dreadful chemistry test, I scurried off to the library, hoping to catch up on some work. It was obvious that someone had notified the teachers about my alleged hostage situation which got me out of seeing Mr. Harris' friendly face- heck, I wasn't complaining. As I walked in and took a seat, my phone buzzed.
Last bookshelf at the back.
Rolling my eyes at the text, muttering underneath my breath about his idiocrasy, I made my way to the back of the library. There in a black pair of jeans and a dark hoodie stood one of the most wanted men in Beacon Hills.
"Are you insane?!? What are you doing here?!? The school's crawling with cops!", I whisper-yelled at Derek.
He ignored my concern and pulled out something that was wrapped in a cloth out of his pocket.
"This is one of the few things that survived the fire. Figured it might give you the answers you're looking for.".
It was a tiny little jewelry box the size of my palm. I opened it, gasping at its content. A beautiful circular gold pendant with a tree symbol engraved on the surface laid inside. I was about to pick it up when Derek stopped me.
"No, not here.".
I closed the box and was about to question him about it when out of the blue, a wave of anxiety hit me. I fell to the floor as I was struggling to breathe. It was a freaken panic attack. Derek dropped beside me, taking my face into his hands.
"Lorelai! What's going on?".
"I think- I think I'm having a panic attack…", I choked.
"It's okay, you're okay! Look at me. You're safe!", he whispered as his eyes glowed its werewolf blue while he tried to calm me down.
I nodded, attempting to slow down my breathing, resting my forehead on the front side of his shoulder. Eventually, my heartrate and breathing slowly went back to normal. Derek cleared his throat and I quickly pulled away from him, my heartbeat speeding up a little, but for other reasons.
"You should probably… go.", I mumbled, unable to meet his eyes as I stood up.
I didn't wait for him to respond and bolted out of library with no known destination in mind.
"No... Because if I get out... I think I might kill someone.", I heard the voice of a sad Scott as I entered the boys' locker room.
"How the hell did I end up here…", I gaped in confusion.
A few seconds later, I was pressed against a warm wet body, water dripping onto my head.
"Scott! You're drenching me!".
Giving me an apologetic look, he broke the hug. Stiles had a grim expression on his face, and I raised my eyebrows at him.
"We were just discussing Scott's bondage options.", he said sarcastically.
"Full moon… Wait, what are you doing in the boys' locker room?", Scott asked.
"If I knew, I'd tell you… Why are you wet?!?".
As we left, Scott explained that he had a panic attack in the middle of the chemistry test. He caught me up on the breakup and how the full moon was affecting his emotions, it was enhancing them.
The three of us pondered on how Scott and I both experienced a panic attack at the same time. I was able to speak to them over weekend on a conference call- I told my mom I needed to take a shower which got me a few minutes of screentime with them. I purposely left out how I ended up in the woods and the fact that I died for a few minutes.
"I don't know how long I can keep lying to my mom about everything… A tiny part of me wants to pack up and run back to New Orleans where I can blissfully live in ignorance…".
"Well, you can't, we need you here… What's that?", Stiles pointed at the little jewelry box I was still clutching.
"Oh, a present from a friend…".
Stiles began to interrogate me when my phone started to ring. I used to this as an excuse to get away from them before they asked too many questions. I heard Stiles shout that they were my only friends as I answered the call.
"Your house, fifteen minutes.", Derek practically ordered without giving me a choice.
Looks like I was going to skip the rest of the school day to hang out with a fugitive werewolf.
∞∞∞∞
"Do they know I'm here?", Derek questioned as soon as I stepped inside.
"Are you always this abrupt?".
By the looks of his hostility towards me, the library incident had been wiped from his brain. I cleared my throat, moving away from him while I tried to forget about it too. He perched himself onto a barstool in the kitchen, dressed in a blue T-shirt now. I stood on the other side of the kitchen counter, placing the jewelry box in between us.
"Sometimes family relics store memories. And if you're anything like your grandmother, you'll be able to access them.".
"Derek, how much do you actually know about my family?".
"I told you- half are based on rumors. I'm just trying to find out which ones are true.", he replied flatly.
"So, I'm basically a science experiment to you?".
He shrugged as I opened the jewelry box reluctantly, staring at the pendant that rested inside. Not gonna lie, his response kind of stung. The symbol jolted something in my memory, I had seen it in my grandmother's journal- the tree of life. I traced the outside of the metal box with my fingertip.
"What do I have to do?".
I looked at Derek, hoping he'd tell me how to use it, but he seemed just as clueless as I was. I picked up the pendant and he took a sharp intake of breath- he was waiting for something to happen.
"Damn it! My hunch was wrong…", he sighed frustratedly and jumped off the stool.
He began to complain, mentioning that there was another way we could attempt to crack into to it when the pendant grew warm in the palm of my hand.
"Uh… Derek?".
Suddenly, the kitchen started to spin around me, and my surroundings changed, shifting before my eyes. It wasn't long before I was standing in a forest that looked suspiciously like the Beacon Hills Preserve.
I turned around in slow motion, in hopes of figuring out where I was as well as counterattack the nausea I was currently feeling. This was what Dorothy must've experienced when she was swooped up by that tornado landing her in Oz.
"Derek???", I squeaked when I heard shuffling behind me.
"No, love. And before you ask me if you teleported here or travelled back in time, the answer is no.".
The voice belonged to a middle-aged woman with wild bright red hair, pale skin and bright green eyes. She wore a long-sleeved black and gold dress, her Irish accent thick.
Her sharp cheek bones, her slightly pointed chin and the way she cocked her head to the side when she observed me seemed familiar.
"You're… You're…", I stuttered.
You would think I'd be accustomed to weird things happening, but this was beyond me. Cahira gripped my shoulders, her bright emerald green eyes piercing mine. Images flashed quickly through my mind which immediately stopped as soon as she removed her hands off me.
"What did you see?".
"I don't know… I…".
"You're quite obtuse for someone so powerful.".
Cahira turned her back to me, staring off into the trees.
"How… How is this happening?!?".
I ran my fingers through my hair as I tried to comprehend this whole ordeal.
"Us Draoithe, are known for our ability to communicate with the supernatural, the spirits. It's common knowledge, child!", Cahira scolded.
"Oh, I'm sorry, I seem to have missed the option where the American School System offered an AP class in all things Paranormal!", I yelled, waving my hands in frustration.
She shook her head.
"Calm down, Gariníon. We don't have much time. I need you to tell me if you see anything at all, okay?", she said gently, placing her hand back on my shoulder.
The same images flashed inside my mind again. However, this time I was able to remember some of it only because they were familiar.
"And?".
"Um… I saw a house on fire, and a giant tree struck by lightning during a storm… But I've seen it before in a dream… I'm gonna assume it's important to you?".
Cahira backed away from me, a fearful expression on her face.
"What you just saw was a piece of the past and the future… That storm… You need to tell Jesse that she's coming…".
I gaped at her.
"I can't… And who's 'she'?".
"What do you mean you can't?".
"Cahira… Dad died a few months ago… That's why we're back in Beacon Hills.".
The blood drained from her face as the forest began to shift, and spin.
"No. We're out of time. This is bad… I can't believe he didn't tell you anything! Lorelai, listen to me. You need to be wary of who you trust! There's a journal-".
Her voice began to fade out and I didn't catch the last bit of her sentence. Just as everything around me began to disappear, something hard hit me right in the chest, knocking the air out of my lungs.
When I finally regained my composure, I looked around and realized that I wasn't at the Beacon Hills Preserve but in the examination room at the Animal Clinic. Trying to figure out how I ended up there, the sound of a familiar voice calling out made me stop in my tracks.
"Alan! Alan? Where are you?!?".
It was my dad, his red hair messy and wild as usual, and his bright green eyes filled with worry.
"Dad?", I whispered softly, reaching out to grab his arm.
My fingers went straight through him, and my heart almost shattered. He couldn't see me- I was rewatching something that had happened in the past.
"Alan! We need to talk! It's important!", my dad shouted, still trying to get the attention of the veterinarian.
I stood still, struggling to come to terms with what I was seeing. I had never craved one of my dad's bear hugs so much until now. I noticed how he still looked the same- maybe one of the upsides of being a druid is the slow aging process.
"Ah Jesse, I got your message. What's going on?", Alan addressed my dad calmly.
"Rachel and I are gonna move to New Orleans… I know someone there who can help us with our… Situation. Alan, are you one hundred percent sure that Beta isn't one of Talia's?", he questioned.
"Like I've told you yesterday and the day before, we have no idea which pack that wolf belongs to. I am so sorry.".
My dad let out a frustrated sigh.
"How's Lorelai doing?".
"She's doing alright, but the nightmares have been continuous since she's been out of the hospital. I've been trying to convince her it was a bear, but she swears it was something else. I'm almost tempted to ask Talia to take away her memories, but I don't wanna risk it. She's not safe here. And neither is Rachel… Especially if she learns the truth.".
The two of them stood in silence, my dad fidgeting with something in his hand- it was the tree pendant.
"Will you give this back to my mother?", he asked, holding up the necklace before placing it onto the examination table.
Alan nodded, giving my dad a sad look as he began to walk away. He stopped, turning around to face the veterinarian again, "There's something else I wanted to tell you… Just be careful around the Hales. You can't trust them all.".
Immediately after those words left my dad's mouth, I felt this strong wind push me away from the scene. I screamed for him, hoping, praying that he would somehow notice me. Instead, I bolted awake, tears streaming down my face in the arms of a Hale.
"Hey, hey, what happened?".
"Nothing.", I answered quickly, removing myself out of his grip.
I wiped my face before placing the pendant back into the jewelry box, and closing it shut. He scowled, getting ready to argue with me, but the sound of my phone ringing cut him off.
"You should leave.", I bluntly said before answering.
"I've been trying to reach you for the past hour!!! Meet me at Scott's house, something is seriously wrong with him!", Stiles yelled frantically not giving me a chance to speak.
I heard the front door slam as I agreed to Stiles' plan. I ended the call and started to make my way upstairs to leave the jewelry box in my room.
Maybe it was my dad's warning about the Hales, or the fact that I just encountered two dead people, but there was a burning in my chest and my brain felt like it was about to explode.
Everything going on with Derek, the Alpha and Scott, not forgetting this whole being a druid thing, was starting to take a toll on me. But I couldn't deal with the emotion right now, not when Scott needed my help.
∞∞∞∞
"I'M GONNA KILL YOU!!!", I heard Scott shout as I opened the front door of his house.
I sprinted upstairs to find Stiles yelling back at him.
"You kissed her, Scott! Okay? You kissed Lydia. That's, like, the one girl that I… And, you know, the past three hours, I've been thinking, it's probably just the full moon, you know? He doesn't even know what he's doing, and tomorrow, he'll be totally back to normal. He probably won't even remember what a complete dumbass he's been, a son of a bitch, a freaking unbelievable piece of crap friend…".
"She kissed me.", Scott interrupted.
The werewolf was handcuffed to his radiator, and I stood there staring at the two of them while they argued. They didn't notice my presence until I cleared my throat. Scott wouldn't meet my eyes and Stiles dragged me out of the room.
"Update, I made probationary starting line, Scott broke Danny's nose and he kissed Lydia. Where have you been?!?".
He exasperatedly waved his arms around and sunk to the floor.
"I had to help my mom with something at the house…".
My eyes fell back to Scott, who was crouched on the ground, his eyes literally staring into my soul. Something was off about him, like he was there but not. His face suddenly morphed into a painful expression, catching me by surprise.
"Lorelai, please. I can't take this anymore!!!", he pleaded.
"It helps if you don't look…", Stiles muttered.
I moved away from the door after closing it and took a seat next to him.
"So, what did your mom need?".
"Uhhh… She wanted my opinion on some new furniture.".
Scott snorted.
"She's lying, Stiles!".
"Don't listen to him…", Stiles mumbled.
"I know you're keeping something from us, Lorelai. Maybe, you're working with the Alpha, I mean how else could you have survived? Maybe your little crush on Derek lured you to the dark side.".
Stiles turned to me, his eyes wide.
"Seriously? The dark mysterious asshole type does it for you?".
"Hey, you don't get to judge me! Or are you forgetting your little infatuation with a certain popular obnoxious Queen B?", I scoffed.
"Lorelai, don't change the subject! Scott's right! Ever since that night at the school, you've been acting weird. So, what aren't you telling us?!?", Stiles questioned.
The sound of Scott's handcuffs rattling against the radiator grew louder, drawing our attention back to him.
"Stiles, Lorelai, please let me out. It's the full moon, I swear. You know I wouldn't do any of this on purpose. Please, Stiles, Lorelai, let me out. It's starting to hurt.", Scott begged.
Stiles looked at me, shaking his head, "After we're done helping Scott, we're coming back to this conversation.".
"It's not like the first time. It's the full moon... it's Allison breaking up with me... I know... that it's not just taking a break. She broke up with me. And it's killing me. I feel completely hopeless. Just, please let me out.", Scott cried.
Stiles, conflicted by the situation, told him that he couldn't. While Stiles wrestled with his guilty conscious, I was dealing with mine. The burning in my chest returned, along with a slight pounding at the back of my head. Stiles tapped my shoulder, nudging his head in the direction of Scott's door.
"Listen.".
Scott had stopped crying out and it was eerily quiet. Stiles asked if he was okay, but we heard no answer. I jumped up and opened the door to find him leaping out the window.
"Lorelai, he could kill someone! What are we going to do?!?", Stiles was in a state of panic as we ran down the stairs.
"You are going to stay here if he comes back, I'll go find him.".
Ignoring the burning sensation which seemed to be getting worse, I was already out the door before Stiles could argue with me. Just like earlier, my body knew where to go as I sprinted off. It wasn't long until I reached the Beacon Hills Mall. There was only one explanation for why Scott would wind up here, Allison.
As I got to the parking lot, I saw the silhouette of a wolfed-out Scott on the other side, staring at one of the vehicles. Squinting my eyes, I recognized the people inside the car- Jackson and Allison.
I couldn't blame Scott for going crazy, I mean his ex was practically breaking bread with his archenemy. He looked as though he was about to attack them, and I realized there was no way I could get to him in time. Scott pounced on top of the car and was about to rip open the hood when another body shoved him off and pushed him towards the trees nearby.
I ran as fast as I could to find Derek roaring loudly at him, and Scott cowering on the ground. I dropped down beside him before pulling him into a hug.
"I'm so sorry…", he muttered over and over again, returning it tightly.
After we broke apart, he turned to Derek.
"What's happening to me?", he asked, breathing heavy.
"Exactly what he wants to happen.", Derek responded before helping Scott to his feet.
Scott struggled to walk by himself, and we ended up having to help him all the way to his house. Derek and I still hadn't said a word to each other.
Breaking the silence as he collapsed onto his bed, he glanced at me and then to Derek, "Thanks.".
"Did I forget to mention that Derek's alive?", I murmured trying to break the awkwardness.
The brooding werewolf was about to leave when Scott stopped him.
"Wait… I can't do this. I can't be this and be with Allison. I need you to tell me the truth, is there a cure?".
Derek had a dark look on his face when he explained the rumor he heard.
"You have to kill the one that bit you… Scott... If you help me find him, I'll help you kill him.".
"We need to talk about what happened after you touched the pendant.", Derek demanded as we walked down the stairs.
Scott didn't want to be alone after the whole ordeal with Allison and Jackson, so I decided to stay with him. My mom was more than happy when we called to ask her if she was okay with it- she was still working the night shift.
"No, we don't. Now leave before Ms. McCall gets home.".
I placed the blanket and the pillow on the couch before opening the front door to let Derek out.
"Lorelai, I know you saw something! Why won't you-".
I held up my hand, shaking my head, "Derek, I can't do this right now. Please.".
Noticing my frustrated expression, he left without a second glance. Ms. McCall came home a few minutes later. Thankfully she didn't ask too many questions about what had happened at the school, she was too tired to even finish her tea.
After saying goodnight, I settled in on the couch, hoping to fall asleep, but as soon as I closed my eyes, I kept seeing flashes of Cahira, and my dad. I was still feeling the burning in my chest which got so bad that I had to push myself off the couch.
I laid on the cold floor, hoping for some relief, but that didn't do anything. My breathing became staggered, and I literally thought I was going to die, again. In the middle of the agonizing pain, I heard a familiar voice whisper, "Find me…".
∞∞∞∞
"I still don't understand why you need me on the phone?", I complained.
"You're our witness and emergency contact in case something happens!", Stiles yelled.
"How am I supposed to be a witness when I can't see anything? And by the way, I can't dial 911 while I'm on this call with you.".
"Lorelai, stop sassing me! And Scott, I don't think you're grasping the concept of a car chase, here!", Stiles warned.
"If I go faster, I'll kill us!", Scott shot back.
I was currently in a car chase with Scott and Stiles by association because a certain blue-eyed werewolf got word that the Alpha was revisiting Beacon Hills High.
The police somehow found out that Derek was there and went after him, along with the hunters. Tweedledee and Tweedledum served themselves up as a distraction to get the hunters off his trail. I heard the sound of police chatter coming from the walkie talkie he 'borrowed' from his dad.
"All units, suspect is on foot heading into the Iron Works.".
"Seems like you guys got it under control, can I go now?", I asked before I heard a gunshot go off.
"Crap! Are you guys okay? Should call 911?!?".
My heart was pounding in my chest when no one answered me, there were just a lot of banging noises and yelling.
"What part of laying low don't you understand???", Scott shouted.
"Damn it, I had him!", Derek cried in frustration.
"He was right in front of me, and the freaken police showed up.".
"Whoa! Hey, they're just doing their jobs…", Stiles defended.
"Yeah, thanks to someone who decided to make me the most wanted fugitive in the entire state!", Derek snapped sarcastically.
"Can we seriously get past that? I made a dumbass mistake. I get it.", Scott whined.
These idiots completely forgot that I was still on the call.
"HEY!!!".
"Sorry Lorelai, I dropped the phone when I had to leap into the freaken backseat!".
I shook my head as Stiles asked Derek how he knew where to find the Alpha.
"The last time I talked to my sister, she was close to figuring something out. She found two things. The first was a guy named Harris…".
"Our Chemistry teacher?", I puzzled.
Derek grunted in confirmation. The second thing was a symbol that Laura had discovered, which Scott recognized. He had seen it on a necklace that belonged to Allison.
∞∞∞∞
"Okay, so let me get this straight. You knew Derek was alive because he found you outside the school where Scott left you. Then he gave you a magical pendant which allowed you to communicate with your dead grandmother and see a memory of your dead dad conversing with Scott's boss and after that you got heartburn and heard voices. Did I leave anything out?".
Stiles sounded exasperated as we walked up to the entrance of Beacon Hills High.
"Oh, I was dead for three minutes. And I figured out that the voice belonged to a lady I know back in New Orleans.".
"You were- My god.", Stiles stuttered.
We were waiting for Scott outside the school while Stiles tried to process what I had just told him.
"Stiles, I think we should keep this conversation between us, especially about Alan Deaton… Scott has enough to deal with already.".
Speaking of the devil, the mopey teen wolf finally graced us with his presence and Stiles directed his attention to him as we pushed open the doors. Scott was trying to figure out how to ask Allison about her necklace.
"It's easy! You just say, 'Hey, Allison, can I borrow your necklace to see if there's anything on it or in it that can lead me to an Alpha Werewolf that I need to kill in order to get back together with you?'", our sarcastic friend suggested.
I rolled my eyes at him.
"Not helping. And besides, they just broke up, there's no way she's gonna talk to him so soon.".
"Then why don't you ask her?", Stiles raised his eyebrows and Scott gave me a hopeful expression.
"I don't mean to sound like a crappy friend, but I've got some other druidy things I need to focus on at the moment. Good luck buddy!".
Stiles stuck his tongue out at me before offering Scott some terrible advice. I didn't stick around to hear what it was, and power walked myself out of their conversation and into Biology.
As I sat down, I pulled out my notebook and started to make a list of what I needed to do. Firstly, I had to revisit my grandmother's journal. Maybe something helpful will appear out of thin air again, just like the Triskele symbol the last time.
Then I had to make a call to Ms. Amelia which would probably take roughly three hours, depending on how well she knew the inner workings of her phone. Thirdly, I needed to play detective and interrogate Mr. Deaton to figure out what he knows about me and why my dad suspected the Hales.
I didn't realize how much time I had spent jotting down my life's mess until the bell rang. I had literally missed the entire lesson. When I got outside the classroom, I was greeted by a flustered Scott.
"We have a huge problem!".
After catching up with Stiles, Scott broke the news that Jackson knew about him being a werewolf.
"How the hell did he find out? Does he know about Lorelai?", Stiles yelled.
"I have no idea!", Scott panicked.
"Did he say, I know you're a Werewolf?", Stiles asked.
"No, but he implied it pretty freaking clearly!".
"Oh god, okay, we can figure something out.", I added.
"Yeah! I mean, he doesn't have any proof, right? And, if he wanted to tell someone, who's gonna believe him, anyway?", Stiles said, hopeful.
"How about Allison's father?".
Scott had a point. I was pondering on my own questions and confusion as we all wore the same defeated expression on our faces.
"Where's Derek?", Stiles asked.
"Hiding, like we told him. Why?", Scott asked, raising his eyebrows.
"I have another idea… It's gonna take a little time and finesse, though...", he answered quickly.
"We have that game tonight. It's quarterfinals, and it's your first game.", Scott reminded Stiles.
"I know, I know... Look, do you have a plan for Allison yet?".
Scott mentioned that she was in his next class which Stiles suggested he should try and snag the necklace then. I decided to supervise Stiles and play accomplice to his possibly illegal plan.
"I hope you know what you're doing.", I muttered underneath my breath as I followed him.
"Yeah… Me too… Meet me at your locker after school.".
It looks like that phone call to Ms. Amelia was going to have to wait.
∞∞∞∞
"Jackson did what now?!?".
Stiles filled me in on what happened with the jerk and Scott at the cafeteria after I wrote my make-up Chemistry test. Turns out that Jackson also broke up Lydia which only made Scott more jealous now that both the ass and Allison were single.
"I swear I am going to punch that knucklehead right in the throat and then wring his neck with his intestines!", I screeched as I slammed my locker door shut, earning some dirty looks from nearby students.
"Jesus, Lorelai! That was very graphic…", Stiles observed while we walked to his car.
"How did you get Danny to agree to this plan anyway?".
He stayed quiet as he started the Jeep and drove off to his house.
"Stiles!".
"Okay, okay! I told him I need help with some, um, homework.".
Shaking my head, knowing it wasn't going to end well, I grabbed a packet of pretzels from my bag and opened it, popping a few into my mouth.
"Seriously?!? I just got the Jeep cleaned!".
We finally got to the Stilinski residence, and I took a detour to the kitchen to get some water. I bumped into Mr. Stilinski on the way up to Stiles' room.
"Oh hey Mr. Stilinski!".
"Always nice to see you, Lorelai. Try to keep Stiles out of trouble, would ya? He's got that… Same crazy look in his eye when he's about to do something he's not supposed to.".
I snorted, "I can't promise anything.".
He chuckled as he said goodbye.
"Stiles, what time is… Why is the door locked?". I tried to open it, but the door wouldn't budge.
I heard some weird grunting and a few moments later, it flew opened where I was greeted by a very flustered red-faced Stiles.
"Oh my god, were you… Ew Stiles, I was right downstairs!!!".
"What?!? Lorelai, why would you think… No! We have an unwanted visitor…".
I walked inside his room to find Derek standing by the cupboard, a smirk on his face. Stiles collapsed onto his desk chair, and I took a seat on the bed, gritting my teeth in irritation, trying to ignore Derek's presence.
"Scott didn't get the necklace?", he asked, breaking the silence.
"No. He's still working on it. But, there's something else we can try. The night we were trapped at the school, Scott sent a text to Allison asking her to meet him there.", Stiles informed him.
"So?".
"Well, that's precisely the problem. Scott wasn't the one who sent it, and Sherlock over here has a plan to figure out who did.", I answered, vexed.
Derek didn't seem convinced. Stiles was about to explain further, but we were interrupted by the sound of someone knocking at the front door.
"He's here. Everybody, act cool!", Stiles said as he raced down the stairs.
Derek sat on the chair that was next to the closet. I kept my distance, staying as far away as I could from him. Clearing his throat, he was about to say something when Stiles opened the door.
"I came here to do lab work! That's what lab partners do.", I heard Danny say as they entered the room.
"And we will! ...Once you trace the text.".
Stiles plonked himself onto a chair.
"And what makes you think I know how? Oh, hey Lorelai…?". Danny greeted, clearly confused by Stiles' request.
The guy mentioned Danny's arrest who then defended himself, arguing that he was only thirteen and they dropped the charges. It was only after he pulled up a stool, did he notice Derek. He picked up a book, trying to blend in.
"Who's he again?", Danny asked.
Stiles, quick on his feet, told him that Derek was his cousin, Miguel. He was not impressed with his new backstory. Danny pointed out that there was blood on Derek's shirt which Stiles and I missed.
"Oh that? He probably got punched in the face for being an inconsiderate dick…", I mumbled.
"Aaannndddd, he gets these horrible nosebleeds, don't ya, Miguel...? I thought I told you, you could borrow one of my shirts?".
Stiles cocked his head in the direction of the drawer before shooting me a death stare. Derek, clearly fuming because of Stiles' and my comments, shut the book and tossed it onto the bed.
As he stood up, removing his shirt, I accidentally got glance of his damn abs, and my freaken heart skipped a beat like the last time at the animal clinic.
"Uh, Stiles...?".
My idiotic friend answered with an innocent expression on his face, glancing from me to Danny. It looked like I wasn't the only one affected by a shirtless Derek. I turned my face away, trying to hide my blushing.
"This… No… Fit…", Derek complained irritably.
"Then try something else on!", Stiles said mischievously as I caught on to his real intentions behind Derek's half naked torso.
Just as embarrassed as Danny, I stole one more glance at Derek's toned body, the tattoo on his back catching my eye- it was the Triskele.
"Enjoying the show?", he muttered for only my ears to hear, before digging back into Stiles' drawer in attempts to find something to wear.
I scoffed pulled out my phone in order to distract myself from the unwanted thoughts. I had a missed call from an unknown number. Frowning, my phone began to ring again, and I quickly excused myself to answer.
"Hello?".
"Lory! The Alpha- Tell Hale… It's-".
"Ricky?!? Ricky!!!".
The line went dead while I still yelled out my best friend's name. I groaned out in frustration, kicking the banister. Stiles swung open the door, thanking Danny while ushering him out, worry laced in his eyes. Derek followed behind him, wearing the same expression, and a clean shirt that didn't cling to his body.
"What's wrong?", he asked while we went down the stairs.
"It was a friend, he said he knew something about the Alpha, but the reception was so bad, we got cut off…", I rambled, trying to get over the surprise phone call.
"Was Danny able to find out anything?".
"Yeah. The text message was sent from Melissa McCall's computer.", Derek answered flatly.
"You think Ms. McCall is working with the Alpha?".
He didn't answer, but I already knew he made up his mind.
"We won't know unless we investigate, now come on, let's go!". Stiles shouted the from his jeep.
"You still didn't answer my question from before.", Derek said cheekily as we moved towards the vehicle.
Heat rushed to my cheeks in my attempts to ignore him. There was no way I was going to admit to Derek that I found him attractive. My mind went back to my conversation with Ricardo, trying to figure out how much he actually knew about this town including my family. What blew my mind was how good he was at hiding something like this.
We reached the hospital in no time and Stiles called Scott to tell him he was going to be late for the game. Derek interrogated the Beta to find out whether he got any information about Allison's necklace, but even that came up short.
"Stiles… I don't think you're going to make the game.".
"I know…", he sighed.
"And you didn't tell him about his mom, either.", Derek added.
"Not 'til we find out the truth.".
"By the way? One more thing…".
As soon as the words came out of Derek's mouth, I winced. He slammed Stiles' face hard against the steering wheel.
"Oh, God! What the hell was…", Stiles cried out, clutching his face.
"You know what that was for. Go. Go!".
I snickered while I got out of the car with Stiles.
"Don't act like you didn't enjoy it, you were practically drooling over him. You should thank me.", he whined, still holding his nose.
"Shut up.".
The place was eerily quiet when we entered, something didn't feel right. We couldn't find Ms. McCall anywhere, so Stiles dialed Derek.
"Yeah, I said I can't find her.", he said frustratedly, before covering the phone to speak to me.
"He demands we look for Jennifer, his uncle's nurse.".
Stiles tilted his head in the direction of a room. I opened the door and gave him a disappointed look, shaking my head. All I found was an empty bed and an abandoned wheelchair.
"Yeah, well, he's not here, either.".
I scrunched my eyebrows, remembering my phone call with Ricardo, and my dad's warning to Mr. Deaton.
"Stiles, we need to get out of here now! It's Derek's uncle!!!".
I gripped his arm hard, and judging by the look on Stiles' face, Derek must've just told him the news as well. We backed away from the room, and from the corner of my eye, I caught a silhouette on my right. We were too late.
"You must be Stiles. And Lorelai. I must say, impressive skills with that broomstick.".
The hairs on my arms and neck stood up, and my fingers grasped Stiles' wrist, my nails digging into his skin. A smirk played on Peter's lips, his badly burned face lighting up as he observed us curiously.
"Lorelai!", Stiles snapped softly, and I released him from my hold, mumbling a quick sorry as we turned around hoping to make our escape.
Unfortunately, someone was blocking the exit- the famous Nurse Jennifer.
"What are you two doing here? Visiting hours are over.", she snarled.
Stiles' body began to tremble, his panic mode activated, whipping his body from the nurse to Derek's uncle, fitting the pieces together.
"You... and him... You're, you're the one who… Oh, my… And he's… Oh, my God, I'm gonna die.".
I took a deep breath in, trying to calm my rapidly beating heart, my fists clenched. I wasn't sure how I was going to be able to take on both Nurse Jennifer and the Alpha, but lucky for me, Derek decided to make a dramatic entrance by knocking the woman out.
"That's not nice. She's my nurse.", the Alpha said, feign concern dripping in each word.
"She's a psychotic bitch helping you kill people.", Derek spat, before looking at the two of us, "Get out of the way.".
"Oh, damn.", Stiles sighed, pulling me down with him as we backed up against the wall.
"You think I killed Laura on purpose? One of my own family?", Derek's uncle asked, walking towards him.
Derek let out a growl as he shifted and charged, jumping onto the counter before slamming right into the Alpha.
"Come on, Stiles! Move!".
I quickly slid the two of us out of the way as the Alpha shoved Derek, crashing him into the wall, missing us by inches. I turned around to see that Derek's uncle had his fingers around Derek's throat and was dragging him across the floor.
"Stiles! Find somewhere to hide, I have to help Derek!", I instructed, earning an 'are you insane' expression from my friend.
The tugging in my chest grew stronger and I wasn't sure how long the werewolf was going to be able to make it alone.
"If he could kill his own niece, what's stopping him from doing the same to Derek?!?", I added as we caught a glance of the fight.
Uncertainty flashed across Stiles' face when I stood up and gave him a nod. I prayed, hoping all the training I've done kicks in properly this time as I crept towards the feuding family members.
"I tried to tell you what was happening. I tried to warn you.", I heard the Alpha say to Derek as I approached them.
"Hey! Let him go!".
The crazy man tilted his head towards me before gripping Derek by the shirt.
"Gladly.", he sneered and threw him into the glass barrier that was attached to the reception counter.
"Lorelai, go! Get out of here! This isn't your fight!", Derek groaned.
Even though I didn't have a plan, I still stood my ground. However, it didn't stop my legs from trembling.
"Ah I see you have a little admirer, nephew.", the Alpha joked, slowly stepping in my direction.
"Imagine all the things we could've accomplished together, Lorelai Maolán. I always knew you were special, so much stronger than your grandmother and your stupid father.".
There was a flash of red in his eyes when he stopped in front of me as he extracted his claws.
"Too bad you'll be joining them soon. Tell them I said hi.".
He lunged at me, and I jumped out of the way, kicking him behind his knee. He stumbled for a second, surprised by my attack but spun around at such a speed, that I had no time to anticipate his next move. Before I knew it, he grabbed me by the throat and flung me in the same direction he had thrown Derek.
I hit the wall hard and landed on my face, the sound of my ribs cracking filling my ears, along with his laugh. He crouched down beside me, turning me onto my back. The pain shot through every part of my body, and I cried out.
He inhaled the air around me deeply, gazing at me thoughtfully, like he remembered something. He gently brushed a strand of hair away from my face.
"I can almost taste the power running through your veins…", he whispered.
"PETER!!!".
The Alpha rolled his eyes, his head turning in the direction of Derek staggering towards us.
"What now?", he questioned irritably, his fingers wrapped around my neck tight.
"I will help you get your revenge if you let her go.", Derek said softly, not meeting my eyes.
A sinking feeling settled in my stomach while I felt Peter release his grip.
"I hope you understand what you're asking me to give up here, Derek.".
"If you kill her, you'll lead the cops right to us.".
The way in which Derek stated his cause made me feel like I was just an inconvenience to them.
"I guess you have a point.", Peter turned to look at me.
"I'm giving you three days to decide whether you're going to join us or your family in the ground. Either way, that power is mine.", he snarled.
Peter pushed himself off the floor, joining Derek's side.
"We'll see you two soon enough.", he smiled before the two of them walked out.
Stiles rushed over to my side and helped me sit up. Worry and concern flooded his pale face.
"Lorelai… You need a doctor…", he stated, a crack in his voice.
Shaking my head, my right hand flew to my shoulder, the bone had popped out of its socket. With my good hand, I gently pulled my wrist forward, straightening it before I pushed it back in. The pain was excruciating, and I screamed, Stiles almost throwing up on the other side of me.
"That was freaking disgusting!".
"Just help me up, would you?".
He swung an arm around me, and we got to our feet. I could feel that my body had started to heal itself as we limped our way to the Jeep.
"We need to find Scott and figure our next move. I can't let Peter take whatever power's inside of me.".
"Any ideas on how you're planning to do that?", Stiles asked softly.
"Nope, but I at least have an idea on where to start.".