Reading Time: 128 Minutes

Title: Cost of Success
Author: WestWind
Fandom: Teen Wolf
Genre: Drama, Shifters
Relationship(s): Stiles Stilinski/Derek Hale
Content Rating: PG-13
Warnings: Hate Crimes, Hate Speech, Major Character Death, Cannon Level Violence
Author Note: Hate Crimes and hate speech in relation to Victoria attacking/killing Scott and referring to him in derogatory terms. Major Character Death is Scott. Cannon level violence includes killing of bad guys and minor characters. Issues from Kate’s cannon actions are discussed.
Word Count: 58,807
Summary: Victoria succeeds in poisoning Scott while Stiles, Erica, and Isaac are trying to locate Jackson at the rave. However, witnesses to her actions start the downfall of the Argent hunter family.
Artist: penumbria

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Chapter 1

Allison scowled at Scott’s back as he pushed his way through the crowd. She balled up her hands and blinked back her frustrated tears. He wanted her to just stay out of the way! People were being killed. Her dad said it was their responsibility to stop it from happening, and that she had to tell him so they could stop the kanima from killing again. Otherwise, the person’s blood would be on her hands.

She bit her lip and took a deep breath. She closed her eyes and let it out. She pushed the memories back with it.

That was why she was here tonight. She had acquiesced to her father’s demands to tell him who the kanima was. She was to locate Jackson and let her dad know so they could take him out before others were killed. One life to save others…

How was she to know Scott would be here and have a plan if he did not tell her? He acted like he was the only one who could handle this, and that she should be tucked away someplace safe and protected.

She was angry at his dismissal of her help. She had been trained, without knowing the real reason, to fight and handle weapons. She could help. She had proved that and thought Scott accepted it. She thought he trusted her. But now that trust she thought they shared between them felt very lacking on his side.

She pushed all the conflicting feelings away and opened her eyes. She had her part in her father’s plan to fulfill. Hopefully one of their plans will be successful tonight.

She turned and headed back to where she left Matt. She tried smiling at him. It felt forced and fake. From the concern on Matt’s face, it was not fooling him.

“That exchange didn’t look pleasant,” Matt pointed toward where she had been talking to Scott.

Allison looked back and huffed. She brushed a wisp of hair back behind her ear only for it to fall forward again. She shook her head and looked back at her date.

“It wasn’t the best,” she admitted.

“Break-ups can be hard and messy. Let’s get your mind off it.” He took her hand and coaxed her into following him through the crowd.

She followed. She relied on him leading while she scanned the area looking for Jackson. The music got louder as they moved closer to the stage. More people pressed in around them, making it harder for her to identify any of them.

Matt stopped and turned toward her. He smiled at her and bounced to the pounding beat. She pulled her attention away from the crowd and to her date. She smiled and bobbed her head before imitating those around her. She swayed and moved to the music. She tried to interact with her date. Matt was a nice guy. She felt bad that she was using him to cover for her dating Scott and to get into the rave to locate Jackson.

Allison tried for a warmer smile. He offered his other hand and an encouraging smile. She hesitated but placed hers into it. He guided her into a twirl and spun her out in a move more suitable for a ballroom rather than the flailing of the rave. It made her laugh as she was spun out and brought back in. The move was freeing yet controlled.

“What was that?” she asked.

Matt grinned at her. “A spin out. Thought you needed something to liven things up. It made you smile.”

Her smile widened. “It did.” They continued to move to the beat. “Where did you learn it?”

“A cousin took swing classes and bullied me into practicing with her.”

She sighed. “It looks fun… so energetic. Maybe I should take classes.”

He lifted his arm and let her spin under and around to face him once more.

“I’d happily be your partner.”

Dance classes could be fun, but… “I don’t know if I have time to take them right now… but maybe in the future…” she wishfully let the sentence drift to an end.

Matt’s brow creased in inquiry. “You aren’t involved in much at school…”

She shrugged apologetically and tilted her head. “It’s not school stuff… it’s more my parents and the things they have me involved in… the family business – learning the ropes and all that.”

“Is that something you want to be involved with?” he leaned in and almost yelled to be heard over the music.

She shrugged. “Not sure,” she yelled back. “I don’t know what choice I have to avoid it… for now.”

He nodded acceptance of her answer. She looked around at the ever-moving mass of bodies around them. There was still no sign of Jackson. Was he here and she just could not see him because of all the people around them or did they have the kanima’s target wrong? But, Jackson had purchased tickets. He would be here.

Worry seeped back to the front of her mind. A light tug on her hand brought her attention back to Matt.

“Something wrong?”

She looked around once more. “There’s just so many people so close.” She shrugged and raised her voice. “It’s a lot to take in. The school dance wasn’t like this. It’s a bit overwhelming… between the music and everyone pressing in…”

Matt looked around. Something seemed to catch his attention for several moments. Allison saw nothing out of the ordinary. Maybe it was someone he knew or thought he knew. He turned back to her.

“I guess it can seem like a lot if you aren’t used to it.” He pointed to another section of the room where fewer people were congregating. “Let’s move over there.”

Allison nodded and let him lead her once more through the sea of people. She looked around for Jackson. She thought she saw Erica’s blond hair but did not get a good look before being blocked by dancers.

“There’re even seats here,” Matt said.

Allison sank onto the bench and pressed her back against the wall. “How many people are here?”

He sat down beside her. “A hundred… hundred and fifty maybe. It’s not that many… average for such an event. If you go to a concert there can be thousands of people.”

“I’ve never gone to a concert.”

“None, not even the ones at the local park on the 4th?” He was clearly surprised.

“No. We’re always moving. It’s hard to plan to go when you can’t guarantee you won’t be living on the other side of the country for it.”

He squeezed her hand. “That sucks.”

“I know. I had such high hopes that it would be different when we moved here…”

Matt shifted to face her. “I take it that it’s not?”

Allison sighed feeling the weight of the horrible things that had happened since moving to Beacon Hills. “It’s different, but not in the way I hoped.” She tucked her hand under her leg and looked down. “My aunt’s death and all…”

Matt slipped his fingers between hers and offered another squeeze in comfort. She felt like a heel for using him the way she was. He was sweet to try and comfort her despite not knowing what was going on. But… the greater good. She reminded herself that lives were on the line if she failed. It would be her fault.

“That was big news. I have to admit to being among the reporters at her funeral. I didn’t know you then… and it was news… I like to take photos because you never know what might be of interest.”

“You take pictures for the yearbook and things… you probably are always seeing opportunities to take photos… even if my aunt’s funeral is a bit morbid… and invasive.”

“Your grandfather didn’t take too kindly of me being there. He demanded my memory chip and then broke it.”

Allison covered her mouth and gasped. “I’m sorry. I understand why he would do it. I remember feeling really exposed and attacked by the unwanted attention, but to break it…”

“Has he always been so scary?”

Allison shrugged. “I don’t know. I hadn’t met him until the funeral.” Her phone vibrated in her back pocket. She offered Matt an apologetic look as she pulled it out. “My dad,” she drew out. “Let me text him back.”

“Overprotective?”

“Like you wouldn’t believe.” She rolled her eyes. She scrolled on her phone. “He’s texted me five times. Not a great signal here. I’m surprised I got them. I’m going to move to someplace with a better signal to reply just to make sure he doesn’t come hunting me down.”

“OK. Try over there. There’s a cell tower close by in that direction.”

She offered him a sugar-sweet smile and moved to another location by the outer wall. It gave her one more chance to scan the rooms. The signal was better. She tapped out ‘there is no sign of Jackson’ to her dad.

“Keep looking” was his response.

She felt useless as she slid her phone back into her pocket. She looked around her again for any sign of Jackson or any of the pack. If they had a plan, one of them should be around.

Matt joined her. “Get through?”

“Yeah.”

A howl froze her in place. It sounded like someone was in distress. Was it one of Derek’s betas? Could it be Scott? What if Scott was in trouble? Was her dad in trouble? She needed to know what was going on.

She locked eyes with Matt. “I’m going to see what that is.” Then she dashed out the door toward the howl.

Matt chased after her. “You shouldn’t go alone.”

Allison ignored him and searched for where the howl came from. She opened several doors and found nothing.

“Is that smoke coming from under that door?” Matt pointed.

Allison squinted. Yes. She could just make out a few wisps of smoke drifting out from under the door. She swiftly moved closer. She sniffed the air. The tang of wolfsbane was laced with the smoke. The memory was fresh in her mind from her father’s lessons and aided the quick identification. She rushed to the door and flung it wide open.

Her mother, holding a smoker, stood over Scott. Her triumphant grin morphed into a scowl as she looked up at the interruption.

Allison froze momentarily. Her mind wanted to reject what she was seeing, but Scott’s wheezing gasps pierced through her bubble. Rage filled her. She rushed her mother and ripped the smoker from her hands and threw it as far away from Scott as she could.

“Allison!” Victoria barked out sharply. It was filled with the steel expectation of being obeyed.

She ignored her mother and checked on Scott. She rolled him over to check him. “Scott!”

“Allison,” he barely choked out.

Her hands fumbled over his face and neck not sure what to do to help him. “Scott, how can I help?”

He struggled to take in air. His lips were turning blue.

Allison snapped her head to Victoria. “Help him,” she demanded.

Victoria crossed her arms over her chest and scoffed. “He’s getting what he deserves for even thinking about dating you.” She spat toward Scott. “I’m putting him down like the animal he is before he goes feral. They all do in time.”

In her arms, Scott stilled.

“Scott!” she screamed. She shook him. “Scott! Come on. You can pull through.” She bit back a sob and checked for a pulse. “No.” She laid him on the floor and initiated CPR on him.

Victoria snorted. “That’s no use. The wolfsbane got to him. Good riddance.”

“I hate you,” Allison spat out as she performed chest compressions.

A scuffle at the door preceded another call of Scott’s name this time from Stiles. She kept her focus on trying to resuscitate Scott. Stiles dropped to his knees on the other side of Scott.

“What happened?” he demanded.

“Aerosolized wolfsbane,” she growled after blowing air into his lungs.

“I’ll take over compressions,” he said.

She gave him a curt nod.

Growls on the edge of being believable from a human alerted her to the two who had come with Stiles. She focused on breathing life back into her boyfriend. She blinked back angry tears as the success of bringing him back slipped from them with each moment she and Stiles worked.

She was aware of the stalemate between her mother and the beta wolves at the door but did not care. She could feel the growing tension in the air.

A mass scream from the main area cut through it and grabbed their attention.

“The kanima,” Stiles said softly so only she and the werewolves would hear him. His eyes darted to Victoria while he kept trying to revive Scott.

Was the screaming from seeing the kanima or because the target was taken out? If the target was taken out, then both groups failed. She realized that she really did not care at the moment when her boyfriend was dying because of her own mother’s actions and bigotry.

Distant sirens swiftly grew louder. Strobing red and blue lights infiltrated through windows and openings.

Allison sat upright while Stiles checked for a pulse. She noticed her mother trying to leave.

“Don’t let her get away,” Allison ordered.

“With pleasure,” Erica said and dashed into the room.

“Allison!” Victoria reprimanded. She pulled a knife.

“Probably coated with wolfsbane,” Allison warned.

Isaac approached Victoria from a different direction. Victoria looked as feral to Allison as she claimed Scott and his friends to be as she faced off against the two betas. She ignored her mother’s ranting and the sound of stampeding panicked people. She did register the shout announcing police were there.

Matt led two deputies and a paramedic to them. She was relieved that the deputies were not those she knew associated with her family. The deputies moved to restrain Victoria who was not making it easy.

“They’re the ones who attacked me,” she claimed.

“You’re the one who poisoned Scott,” Allison screamed at her. She did not want Victoria to slip away. She wanted her to be held responsible for her attempted murder.

In Victoria’s moment of attention on Allison, the deputies captured and restrained her. The paramedic joined them beside Scott. She asked what happened while the paramedic performed checks on Scott. She listened then pulled something out of her bag and injected it into his arm.

A second paramedic, with a gurney, joined them, and Stiles and Allison were respectfully pushed out of the way.

“No heartbeat,” the first reported along with other medical jargon that meant nothing to Allison.

She guessed it meant something to Stiles as he covered his mouth with his hand and went three shades paler than he already was. It was probably not good.

The paramedics strapped Scott to the gurney.

“I’m going with him,” Stiles insisted. “He’s my best friend.”

“Get your hands off me!” Victoria demanded.

Allison watched her mother struggle against the deputies trying to escort her out of the room. Several more deputies entered the room adding to the level of havoc in the space. She slowly turned to get her bearings. She pressed a hand to her forehead and bit her lip. Everything had gone to hell in a handbasket.

Isaac had a restraining hand on Erica, who was yelling about how despicable Victoria was. A deputy was trying to talk to them. The paramedics pushed Scott out the door with quick efficiency. Stiles was arguing with another deputy and trying to follow Scott.

Was this part of her family’s plan or a plan of just her mother’s? Would they tell her if it was? Was it an opening that her mother saw and took advantage of or planned all along?

A deputy bagged and tagged the device Allison had thrown across the room. She realized it was most likely premeditated unless her mother always carried such items. What did that say about Victoria if she did always carry such items?

A light touch on her arm pulled her attention back to what was going on.

“Hey,” Matt softly said. “Do I need to get someone to check you for shock?”

She let her hand drop to her side and blinked at Matt.

“I… I… no…” She looked around again. She took a deep breath and tried to martial her ‘deal with shit’ mindset. It kept slipping through her fingers. “Maybe.”

Matt took her hand to offer comfort. “It’s alright if you do.” He motioned to the chaos going on around them with a head tilt. “This is a horrific thing to witness.”

“She tried to kill him…” She let a small sob escape. “She may have killed him just because we dated.” She shook her head as she struggled with the descending fog of disbelief. “How could she?”

Matt patted her hand. “I don’t know.”

“Excuse me,” a female deputy said, interrupting them.

Her name badge said “Gibson.” She had a calm and caring face.

“Yes,” Allison muttered, focusing on Gibson. Everything else faded into the background. She needed to pull herself together.

“I need information so we can contact you to schedule interviews along with your guardians.”

“I’m eighteen,” she blurted out. “I don’t have to have my parents with me.” She looked out through the doorway. “Since they just took my mother out in cuffs…”

Gibson nodded. Her eyes softened in understanding and probably pity.

“You can have your father with you if you want.”

Allison shook her head. “No. He’d try to interfere.” Her phone buzzed, and she ignored it. “Can I tell you what happened now?”

Gibson pulled out a notebook. “Sure. Name first and contact information.”

“Allison Argent.” She quickly told the deputy what happened and answered several other questions.

“Thank you, Miss Argent.” She turned her attention to Matt.

“Matt Daehler. I did record what happened on my phone, and I’ll happily provide you with a copy.”

Gibson seemed surprised at the information. She collected Matt’s contact information and provided them both with her card.

“I’ll escort you both out so you can leave.”

Allison nodded her head in absent-minded acceptance and relief. The others had been escorted out earlier. There were only a few officers left in the room.

Matt rested a hand on her back and guided her out of the room. She let him while her mind looped through the events of the night. Scott’s heart had stopped. It had not restarted by the time the paramedics came. But… they would get his heart beating again and he would be alright. He was a werewolf with super healing. It would kick in and fix any damage… she could not accept any other outcome. The weight of the other outcome was too heavy.

“I’ll take you home,” Matt paused, “if that is where you want to go.”

She stopped and placed a hand on her chest. She took several calming breaths. “Give me a moment, please.” She hated how weak and unsure she sounded. Her phone vibrated again. She pulled it out. There were several missed calls and a series of texts from her father.

Matt watched her scroll through them with interest, but he kept his eyes off her screen. She appreciated the respect of her privacy.

The newest text read: Something came up with your mother. Go home and stay there while I straighten it out. Let me know if you’re safe.

She bit her lip which did not disguise the snort of derision. Her tears finally won the battle she was waging to keep them from falling and ran over the contours of her face.

Did her dad know what Victoria had done? Surely he had some suspicion. Yet, he was going to fix things. What did that mean? Was he going to try to get her off or break her out or would it be more along the lines of removing the problem before it could implicate others? Yesterday… no this morning, she would not think her family capable of such things, but now… now she did not know what to believe or who she could trust.

She looked back on Kate’s introduction to the supernatural world and realized she had been deluding herself to think that the rest of her family were different. Kate might have taken it ‘farther than appropriate’ – her father’s words, but she had ignored that Kate’s base ideology of superiority she leveraged came from someplace, and Allison suspected it was from her family… maybe the Hunter community as a whole.

She did not like where these new realizations pointed her. She could not ignore them now that she saw them, now that she had witnessed firsthand the lengths her family would go to act on them.

Her phone buzzed again. She looked at it. She covered her mouth and began to sob.

Stiles: They called it. He’s dead.

Stiles: Would have called to tell you…

She understood. Words would not pass through her lips at the moment either.

“Allison?” Matt asked with concern.

She sobbed and showed him her phone. He looked unsure how to respond.

“I’m sorry.” He shifted uncomfortably. He patted her arm. “Do you want a hug?” he hesitantly offered.

She nodded her head and let him wrap her in his arms. She bawled into his shoulder and let the pain and betrayal fill her and find its outlet in her sobs. Her life was a nightmare. She wanted off the ride but did not know how.

Her crying eased, and her mind focused on what should be her next step. She could not run away… at least not without returning home. She would need resources if she would be successful.

She eased out of Matt’s embrace and scrubbed at her face with her sleeves. “Sorry.”

“No, it’s a normal reaction,” Matt insisted.

“Take me home, please.”

Matt nodded. They walked in silence to his car.

She broke the silence once they were well away from the warehouse. “Sorry for the lousy date,” she chuckled without mirth. “Both with my distractions and what happened. My mind wasn’t fully focused on it with everything else going on in my life.” She did not know why she was explaining things to Matt, but she still felt bad for using him like they did.

“I know you and Scott were having issues… with your on-again and off-again dating relationship…”

“Yeah,” she muttered. “Some of it was my parents.”

Matt snorted a laugh. “Understatement.”

She giggled and could not stop. It was funny in a very macabre way. “Definitely,” she squeaked out between giggling sobs. She covered her face with her hands. “My life is imploding around me… and I’m sorry you got dragged into it.”

“No. I’m glad I’m here in your time of need,” he insisted. “If you need to get away or anything, I’ll help.”

She dropped her hands and smiled at him. “Thanks for the offer. I might take you up on it, but not right now. I need to think and decide what my best steps forward are and not just flail about trying to get away.” She shook her head. “I’d just end up back in it without planning.”

“You are eighteen,” he reminded her. “Legally you are an adult.”

“True,” she drew out the word. That should open doors to aid her in her bid for freedom, but she would have to find them and learn how to utilize them. That was something to research in the future. Right now she needed to buy herself time to do the research and employ her findings.

A course of action began to coalesce. Her first step was to let her father know she was alright and headed home. She texted him and hoped he would be too busy dealing with tonight’s mess to follow up with her. She hoped that her grandfather was equally distracted and not at the house.

snbrk

Allison stood in the middle of her room assessing her belongings with a critical eye. What did she need? What could she replace? What could she not let go of?

She grabbed her rolling carry-on and plopped it on her bed. She tossed in a week’s worth of socks followed by half her underwear drawer and all her bras. She riffled through her closet and pulled out key items of a basic wardrobe to add to her suitcase.

Mentally she made lists as she worked and pondered her next step. They would expect her to go to Lydia’s house. They would look for her there. She could still go there at least for one night… but Lydia would have questions… lots of questions… and Lydia did not know about the supernatural world. Convincing her of it without proof… that was an uphill battle Allison did not want to tackle tonight.

She could go to the other side of the conflict and ask Derek for help… but that would bring her family’s wrath down on him and his. It would give them a reason to justify an attack in their mind. She did not want them to use her as a reason for any more deaths.

She let the issue rest once her bag was full. She zipped it closed and set it by her bedroom door. She grabbed her school bag and put all her school things into it. She would still have to attend school… unless there was a way around it… she had the weekend to figure that out. Her family could get to her at school. Could she use tonight’s events as a reason to not go at least until things were settled? She was fearful of what her family would do to her after witnessing her mother kill her boyfriend… food for thought.

She pondered leaving her phone so they could not track her… but she would need it at least for tonight. She could get a new one tomorrow. That brought up the issue of money. She gathered up what money she had in the room. She still had the hundred dollars from her birthday but that would not last long. Her parents’ names were on her bank account… she should be able to change that now that she was eighteen or she could move what funds she could to a new account. The bank was open Saturday mornings. She could do that first thing before they realized she did not plan on coming back.

She grabbed her phone charger and stuffed it into the front pocket of her suitcase. She grabbed the bags and headed downstairs. She paused at the top to make sure someone had not come home while she packed. All was quiet.

She entered the garage and loaded her two bags into her car. Her eyes caught on the cage of weapons. She should take at least her bow and arrows. They belonged to her and not the company.

She loaded the case with her bow into the car as well. The last thing she did was leave a note on the refrigerator telling whoever came home that after the events of the night, she did not want to be in the house alone and went to a friend’s for the night.

snbrk

She pushed the doorbell and waited. She shifted her weight. She heard movement from inside the house. The door opened. She was surprised it was Noah Stilinski instead of Stiles. He looked like he had been run through the wringer. With Scott’s death… it was understandable.

“Is Stiles here?” she asked and barely managed to cut off a sob.

“He’s still out with Scott.”

“Oh, my, you don’t know!” She pressed her hand to her mouth and began to cry once more.

Noah swiftly ushered her into the living room and onto the couch with a gentle touch. He returned from the kitchen with a box of tissues and a glass of water. He set both within easy reach for her.

She took a sip of the water and then drank half of it realizing how thirsty she was. She dabbed at her damp eyes with a tissue. He watched her with concern and worry.

“What happened tonight?” he asked.

She rested her hands in her lap and fidgeted with the tissue. “What do you know about what’s been going on around town and what Stiles has been involved in?” she asked, wanting to know what he did know.

Noah leaned back in his chair and studied her with an emotionless mask. “Not as much as I want or need to obviously. What is he involved in and is he alright?”

She shifted and began shredding the tissue. She took a breath and gathered her resolve. Stiles and his father were her best sources for learning her options. Sheriff Stilinski had a right to know what Stiles was involved in. She knew what it was like to be the one left out by her family. She looked up and met his eyes.

“I’ll tell you all I know, but some of it will sound unbelievable.” Noah looked doubtful. “Trust me, I thought it was at first until I saw proof. And… I can probably arrange for proof… just suspend your disbelief until you have the whole story… for Stiles’ sake if nothing else.”

Noah jerked back and the wall of skepticism fell away. “Ok.”

Allison nodded. She pulled a new tissue from the box and started the story as she knew it.

“All my life we’ve moved around because of the family business. It wasn’t until we moved here and Aunt Kate came to town that I learned there was more to it…”

Once she started the words poured forth. She told of her family’s history and alternate profession. Noah listened to it with calm aplomb. He did not flinch or scoff when she told him that supernatural beings existed. She was sure he doubted her, but he did not show it. That gave her the courage to press on beyond the basics.

“It was all very confusing and scary and…” she shook her head. She took a sip of her water and gathered her thoughts. “Kate was the one to set the Hale house on fire.”

“I had my suspicions,” Noah said.

“So did Stiles.”

“Is that how he got involved in this?”

“From what I’ve been told… partly. I wasn’t in the know when he got involved. What I know now is only pieces I’ve gathered from various people. What I know is there was a rogue alpha who was behind the ‘animal’ attacks earlier this year. He bit and turned Scott into a werewolf.” Her breath hitched, but she refused to cry again right now. She could break down once she got through this.

Noah appeared thoughtful.

“It cured his asthma and pulled him into that world.”

“Stiles? Was he… turned?”

She shook her head. “He’s still human.” She waved a hand. “Just very invested.”

He nodded, obviously understanding his son’s ways.

“My family moved to town to deal with the alpha. Which was all part of Peter’s plan to get revenge on us for killing his family.”

Noah nodded. She could see he was putting the pieces together. She could also see the questions forming and pressed on.

“A lot of things happened which you probably saw bits and pieces of. You should talk to the others for a full accounting. I was only present for the showdown between everyone. That ended with Kate’s death at Peter’s hands and Derek taking out Peter before my dad shot him.

“We thought things would settle down after that, but my grandfather came to town to get revenge for Kate’s death… or that’s the reason he’s using to justify his actions…” She shook her head. “I’m getting ahead of myself.

“The current rash of deaths is due to a creature called a kanima.” She told him what she knew about it and how it was controlled by a master before she revealed who the kanima was.

“That’s why Stiles and Scott stole the prison van and kidnapped Jackson Whitmore.”

“Yes,” she sheepishly admitted.

“Things make more sense now. Does that bring us to what happened tonight?”

She nodded and began to tear up again.

“My dad fed me a line about how the blood of the kanima’s victims was on my hands if I didn’t tell them who the kanima was. It is our family duty and responsibility and all that,” she spat out as her anger at their duplicity grew. “I told them it was Jackson. We – my family and associated hunters went to a rave tonight where we knew Jackson was going to stop him. I went in with a date, not Scott, to locate Jackson.”

She paused and took a sip of water to keep from voicing her grief again.

“Scott was there. He confronted me about being there and interfering with their plan to capture Jackson. Then he took off to do something to keep Dad’s hunters from interfering with their plan.” She pressed her lips together and shook her head in regret. “He… he wouldn’t let me help.” Her voice cracked. “We argued over it. My mom killed him, and I won’t ever talk to him again!”

She grabbed a fresh tissue and sobbed into it as reality hit her once more.

Noah snapped to alertness at the news. “Scott’s dead.”

She nodded. “She… she used aerosol wolfsbane… probably to make it look like an asthma attack. Matt, my date, and I walked in on her doing it. Stiles and I tried to resuscitate him…” Another body-wracking sob escaped. “The paramedics came and took him away… there were cops. They arrested Mom, and it was a confusing disaster. My mother killed my boyfriend because she didn’t want, in her words, ‘that animal touching me.’ They are all a bunch of hypocrites.” Then she cried once more.

An arm wrapped around her back and tugged her into Noah’s warm solid side. He said nothing but made comforting noises as he held her. She gave into the stress of the night, the grief of the loss of life, and the guilt heaped on her for it all.

Slowly her tears stopped and only sniffling remained. She pulled back and grabbed another tissue and blew her nose. She put herself back to rights with another tissue swiped across her face.

Noah patiently waited for her to do so.

“Where’s Stiles?” he asked.

“He went to the hospital with Scott. He texted me when they declared him dead. I assumed he would be here… but that’s a bad assumption, obviously. Matt took me home after I talked to Deputy Gibson. After the news… all I could think about was getting away from my family. I can’t stay there.”

“Understandable. You came here because?”

“Won’t be the first place they look for me, and I need to know how to legally break free from them,” she admitted. “And Stiles needs something proactive to focus on after….”

Noah let out a long breath and ran a hand through his hair. “Ok. All valid. Given your situation and your mom’s actions, there’s a good chance we can make a case for a temporary restraining order.”

She sagged with relief knowing that. It would not stop them, but it would hopefully make them hesitate.

“I’m concerned about Stiles.”

“I’ll text him,” she said. She pulled out her phone and texted Stiles asking where he was.

Stiles: Derek’s new place

Allison: Can I come over?

Stiles: Not sure that’s a good idea with everything that happened.

Allison: I’m running away from home

Stiles: You think Derek’s is the best place to hide out?!?!?!

Allison: No, but shit went down. I only know what happened around me. I need to know what else happened. I need to know how we all fucked up other than my mother is a bigoted killer and I suspect the rest of my family is too.

It took a bit for a reply to come.

Stiles: Derek says you can come over.

Allison: Thanks

She showed Noah the address. “Which of us should drive?” she asked, knowing he would insist on going with her. She was good with that.

Chapter 2

Stiles paced the waiting room and chewed on his fingernails. Melissa had a faraway look as she sat waiting for news. Isaac and Erica showed up not long after Stiles found Melissa. Stiles nodded to them when he noticed they were there.

Isaac stood before the door was opened but Melissa did not notice. Her attention went straight to the doctor who shook her head.

“I’m sorry.”

Melissa pressed her lips together and blinked her eyes. “I want to see him.”

The doctor nodded and led her away. Stiles wanted to follow, but Melissa deserved to see and grieve her son without him there. Memories of his mother’s passing were clear in his mind.

Stiles turned and furiously paced the room.

“How dare they! Scott hadn’t broken any of their laws except to date Allison,” he spat. “They’re the monsters! Scott’s gone because they are flaming bigoted assholes.” He tugged at his hair. Moisture slowly rolled from the corners of his eyes. “They need taken down. I don’t know how, but I’ll make them pay. They need to be knocked off their holier than thou perch.”

His anger at the hunters… at the Argents blazed. They took his best friend away… his family. Stiles would scorch the earth they stood on in retaliation.

“What gives them the fucking right?”

“History… power,” Isaac said, drawing Stiles’ attention.

Stiles stomped up to Isaac and growled. “Screw history. Screw them all. It’s not right. It’s not just. Scott’s dead because of them.” He waved his finger at Isaac. “They took my brother away from me!”

He spun around and tried to punch the wall. Isaac wrapped his fingers around Stiles’ wrist with enough force to stop him from making contact with the wall but not enough to injure Stiles. He turned to confront Isaac. Large soulful eyes mirrored his pain. Stiles warred between being angry and breaking. The anger was the only thing keeping his deep sorrow at bay.

A warm tear rolled down his cheek followed by another. The rate increased until there must be a waterfall cascading down his face. It hurt – the pain of losing a part of him… having a foundation of his life ripped out – again. This time there was no long debilitating illness to give warning of the change.

His world had been shattered. How was he to gather the pieces up and move on again?

Isaac pulled him into a hug. Stiles found he lacked the energy to protest or push away. He slumped against Isaac’s chest and cried. Sobs shook him as his grief and sorrow broke through. He would have sunk to the floor if not for Isaac’s arms around him.

He was only partially aware of being led away by both Isaac and Erica. The crying had stopped and numbness set in. He blinked several times as he registered his location. He was in his jeep. He did not know why or how.

He pushed through the mental fog enough to be curious about why he was in the passenger seat. Isaac was in the driver’s seat inserting the keys into the ignition.

“Back with us?” Erica asked from the backseat.

“Umm,” he responded. “Where?”

“We’re going to Derek’s new place,” Erica said.

It lacked the bravado she used since being turned. She was probably affected by the events, if to a lesser degree than him. He realized that he was not the only one affected by Scott’s death.

“Allison!” he blurted out. He pulled out his phone and stared at it. He could not say the words… but she needed to be told. He opened the text app. It was a shitty way to tell her, but he just could not talk to her or anyone about it at the moment. She needed to be told and not left hanging in her state of not knowing.

He typed out the text and sent it. Their exchange was short and over before Isaac pulled out of the hospital parking lot.

snbrk

Erica guided Stiles into the loft by his shoulders and pushed him into a seat very gently. She pushed a bottle of water into his hand and insisted he drink it. Mechanically he lifted it to his lips and took a sip.

He stared at the opposite wall and could not look at anyone at the moment. During the drive here, he fell deeper into despondency and retreated into himself.

“What’s wrong with him?” Derek softly asked Isaac. It was an unusual tone from the normally grouchy man that wormed its way into Stiles’ small awareness of his surroundings.

“Scott’s dead. Victoria killed him,” Isaac answered.

“I heard his howl, but I couldn’t get past the ash line.”

A knife of guilt hit home in his chest. If they had found Jackson… If he had gone out to update Derek or check on things… If he was smarter… If he had not put the ash line down… maybe Scott would not be dead. It was his fault.

“It was not!” Erica vehemently insisted, drawing the others’ attention to him and pulling him closer to the surface.

He clutched the water bottle tighter. “If I was out there and broke the line when we heard the howl instead of seeking it out then Derek could have saved him.”

“There’s no way to know that,” she insisted. “Let’s say you did go out and talked to Derek and broke the ash line… How long would it have taken you to get there?”

Stiles wanted to insist that it would have made a difference, but Erica gave him a small shake.

“How long to cross through the crowd to the door? Would it be any less than what it took us to get to the room? Come on, Stiles, you’re smart… think it through. Would it be physically possible for you both to get where you needed to be in that amount of time?”

He wanted to ignore the answers he knew to be true, but his logical and inquisitive mind pushed the answers forward over the doubt and failure he was trying to drown in.

“If I headed out earlier because we couldn’t find Jackson…” he said but was cut off by manicured fingers pressed against his lips and a soft growl from Erica.

“Why would you have done that? We all knew it was important to find Jackson especially when we heard gunshots outside. We knew our time was limited if we were to capture him.”

“Who’s to say that you wouldn’t have been shot by going outside earlier?” Boyd pointed out.

Erica nodded emphatically. “Exactly, then you both would be dead!”

“Might be better…” he muttered.

“That would leave your dad alone,” Isaac said, showing a surprising understanding of Stiles’ motivations.

Stiles covered his eyes with a hand and rested his head against the back of the couch. “I wouldn’t do that to him.” He sniffed and closed his eyes. His hand dropped back to his side. “There has to be something I should have done!”

“Why?” It was deep and cut through everything despite the softness.

Everyone looked to Derek. Stiles was shocked at the actual vulnerability visible in his usually grim face. Derek crossed the room and sat down on the coffee table before Stiles. He placed a hand on Stiles’ knee and met his eyes.

“Why should you have done something? Did you know Victoria was going to do what she did?”

“No,” Stiles reluctantly admitted. “But…”

Derek squeezed his knee. “Was it my fault Kate killed my family?”

Stiles jerked upright at the suggestion. “No! You’re the victim.”

“But I was the one who told her about the secret passages. I told her when my family would all be home. I handed her all the intel she needed to kill my family. It was my fault that my family is dead.”

Stiles leaned forward and grabbed Derek’s hand in an attempt to make him see. “But that doesn’t make it your fault. You were young, and she used and manipulated you. Who’s to say you were her only source of information? Kate is the one responsible for their deaths, not you.”

The slight upturn of Derek’s mouth brought him up short.

“If a hunter planning and killing my family isn’t my fault, then why is Victoria – a hunter – planning and killing Scott yours?”

Stiles gasped as if punched. “It’s different.” It was a weak argument.

Derek glanced around at his very attentive betas. There was a flash of hesitation or doubt in his eyes, but determination pushed them away. He refocused on Stiles.

“It’s not. I have let my grief and guilt rule my life since that day. I am only now beginning to see how allowing my misplaced sense of responsibility has damaged my outlook and my life. I don’t want you to follow that path – especially because of an Argent. Don’t let them have that much control of your life.”

Stiles did not look away from Derek as he did the equivalent of showing Stiles his underbelly. This was not in character with the Derek he knew… or thought he knew… but it was a promising change. He was not blind to what similarities Derek was seeing in their situations.

Derek was right. Stiles knew he was. He logically understood what they were all saying was true. He knew from his research spirals that psychology supported these truths. That did not satisfy the part of him that felt he was responsible for his dad and Scott. That was the part that wanted to spiral into what-ifs and should-haves.

“It’s hard.”

Derek gave his hand a reassuring squeeze. “It is. Let us support you and remind you when the self-blame tries to pull you under.”

Stiles looked at the other three in the room. They appeared to be just as surprised as he was at Derek’s words, but they each gave him an encouraging look when he looked at them.

“I’ll try.”

snbrk

Stiles dropped his phone onto the end table after texting Allison that she could come over and pulled the blanket tighter around him. Derek handed him a mug of hot chocolate. He wrapped his hands around the warm mug and pulled it close to his body.

Isaac picked up the stack of empty pizza boxes to dispose of. The night’s events had not diminished the ability of the wolves to put away food, unlike Stiles who only managed to consume one piece despite prompting. Erica and Boyd dealt with the other detritus from their late meal and straightened things for the incoming visitor.

“Do you think she will pick a side and stay on it?” Erica asked. “She seems to switch allegiances every time the wind changes.” She tossed the paper plates into the trash bag she carried.

“Don’t know,” Boyd said.

“She was genuinely upset,” Isaac said.

“But is that enough to turn her back on her family?” Erica tied the bag off. She placed a hand on her hip. “Or are they using it to get closer to us?” She glanced briefly at Derek. “Hunters don’t seem to be trustworthy.”

“We’ll hear her out and watch what her actions say,” Derek said. “I’m not trusting her even if she’s walking away from her family.”

“Then why let her come over?” Isaac asked.

“To see the opening move. If it’s a game, it could give insight into what game she’s playing.” Stiles took a sip from the mug.

Erica leaned toward Stiles. “You think she’s gonna try playing us?”

Stiles shrugged. “I don’t think that’s her plan. She did care for… Scott.” He managed to get the name out without stuttering over it. “I did get glimpses of her trying to navigate divided loyalties…”

Boyd snorted at the phrasing.

“She’s a nice girl who got thrown into this world just like we did only on the other side,” Stiles pointed out. “However, when pressure is applied, I don’t know which way she will jump.”

Silence settled on the room, and they finished their tasks. Stiles let the background sounds lull him into a meditative state where he did not focus on any of the night events. It felt like it was only minutes when he was pulled back to awareness by Derek.

“She’s here,” Derek said. “Boyd, go down and escort her up…” He held up his hand and cocked his head. The others seemed to focus on whatever he was hearing.

“She’s not alone,” Erica hissed.

Stiles focused on Derek for his reaction. He looked his normal grumpy. He did not appear upset about the fact… yet. Seconds stretched as they all waited for Derek’s verdict. The distant look vanished.

“The Sheriff’s with her,” Derek said. He waved Boyd onward.

“What? My dad!” Stiles exclaimed, jumping to his feet. “My dad can’t know!” He waved frantic arms in the air. “It’s dangerous. He’s human.”

Derek nailed him with a look calling him on his hypocrisy. Stiles pointed a finger at him.

“You don’t seem concerned.”

Isaac snorted from his perch on the table. “Too late. He knows based on their conversation.”

Stiles tugged at his hair and sank back onto the couch. His life was continuing to implode around him. He had lost any control he might have had of it.

The elevator clanked as it approached. Stiles chewed on his lip as he warred with himself over his anger that Allison told his dad and his desire to hide from the disappointed look he expected from his father.

The months of hiding things from his dad had not gone unnoticed by him. He saw the questions and concerns and frustration in his dad’s eyes grow each day. Now it was time to pay the piper. None of the reasons to keep him in the dark had gone away… in fact, they were even clearer after tonight. He stuffed a knuckle in his mouth along with a sharp inhale.

The elevator opened. Slowly he directed his attention to those exiting. He stood and turned to face them. His dad was all he saw. He searched his face for a hint of what he was thinking. It was absent of anger and disappointment and full of concern and love.

Arms wrapped around him and pulled him into his father’s embrace. Stiles threw himself into it and sobbed into his dad’s shoulder. A kiss was placed on the top of his head and the arms squeezed a bit tighter. They held onto each other.

“Scott’s gone… sorry… keep you safe…had to help…” Stiles babbled out his grief and fears.

A hand cupped the back of his head. “Shh… we’ll talk about it and figure things out.” They rocked gently.

The tears ran freely once more as he wept for the loss of his friend, the loss of his sense of invincibility, the loss of certainty they would find a way, the loss of thinking he could keep his father and friends safe. The knowledge of the danger and the odds against them that he kept pushing out of his mind because the situations required more important actions to be taken crashed down on him.

His dad was here. His dad was holding him. He missed this. He missed his dad. He wished his dad could make everything better… but that was a child’s view… he knew it was false. No one had that power no matter how hard they tried.

He was so adamant about not bringing his dad in, but now he was relieved to have him here.

“Sorry,” he sniffled. He loosened his hold on his dad.

Another kiss was placed on the side of his head before his dad pulled away. His hands shifted to Stiles’ shoulders and gave a grounding squeeze.

“We’ll figure it out,” Noah said.

Stiles curled his fingers over his sleeve edge and used it to dry his face. The others shift awkwardly around them.

Noah gave the room a once over. “I have questions for all of you.”

“In your official capacity?” Derek asked.

“No. This is as a citizen of the town and Stiles’ father. Sit and let’s talk.”

Stiles settled beside his dad on the couch. The others settled around the room with a nod from Derek.

“What do you want to know?” Derek asked.

Noah tapped a finger against his leg. He glanced at Allison, sitting on his other side, and then at Derek. “Let’s focus on what happened tonight for now. We can get into the history of the supernatural and hunters later.” He met the eyes of each person in the room. “Were all of you there tonight?”

“In the area,” Derek answered. “Boyd and I were outside. Isaac, Erica, Scott, and Stiles were inside the warehouse.”

Stiles watched his dad for any clues on how he was taking this. Right now, he was in sheriff mode and gave little away.

“What was the plan?”

“You know what we were after?”

Noah see-sawed his hand. “Allison told me everyone is after Jackson who turns into a lizard creature.”

“Murder puppet,” Stiles muttered. “He’s no more than a gun.”

Noah nodded. “She did tell me that.”

Point for Allison then in Stiles’ book. She had been honest about that at least. He would interrogate his dad later to see what slant she gave him on what went down. That could help point out where her loyalties currently stood.

“The plan was to trap and knock out Jackson with ketamine that Deaton gave Scott. Boyd and I were outside to keep watch for him leaving, but we ran into Chris Argent and his men.” He briefly looked at Allison. “Words and threats were exchanged ending with us being shot at.”

Noah’s lips pressed together, and he breathed slowly through his nose. “Did any of the shots hit you?”

“They got Boyd.”

Noah looked to Boyd.

“I got better,” Boyd said.

“I sent him away to tend to it. Werewolves heal fast as long as the bullets aren’t laced with certain substances. When they are, they need to be treated with counter agents to heal.”

“The four inside were to capture Jackson?” Noah asked.

“I started outside,” Stiles offered. “Scott was supposed to help me… but he realized Allison was there. He was upset that she was there when she shouldn’t be and headed inside, leaving me alone. It took a bit, but I encircled the building with mountain ash to keep the kanima in.”

Noah lifted an eyebrow seeking clarification.

“Supernatural creatures can be trapped with mountain ash – wood or ash.” Stiles shrugged. “I don’t know why. It works. It creates a magical,” Stiles wiggled his hands, “barrier they can’t get past.”

Allison seconded the fact.

“I went into the warehouse once I was done. I expected to join… Scott but only found Erica and Isaac trying to locate Jackson.”

Isaac jumped in. “Scott found us earlier. He was agitated and in a hurry. He said there were hunters there he needed to distract for the plan to work. He gave me the syringe along with instructions on its use. Then he took off.”

“He was set on his course of action,” Erica said. “We continued looking for Jackson, but…” she shook her head, “we didn’t see him in the crowd of dancers. Then Stiles found us. He helped us look until we heard the howl.”

“I knew it was Scott,” Isaac picked up the narrative. “We made our way across the building. When we got there, Scott was on the ground. Allison was giving him CPR and yelling at her mother. I heard Victoria gloating as we approached.”

“Bitch,” Erica growled. “I don’t care if she is your mother,” she addressed Allison.

“It’s not a connection I’m happy with.” Allison crossed her arms as if hugging herself.

“Stiles went to help Allison, and we kept an eye on Victoria. Then the police showed up.

Noah asked Derek, “Where were you during this?”

Derek sighed. He caught Stiles’ eyes. “It’s not your fault,” he preempted. “I was outside the ash line and couldn’t get past it until it was broken. Even if I could, there is no guarantee I would have been able to get there in time to save him. Even if you were there to break the line – we don’t know that we could have saved him.”

Stiles knew the last was directed at him. His dad rested a warm hand on his leg and gave it a squeeze.

“Let it go,” Noah said. “Stop questioning every action you made.”

Stiles stared at his hands in his lap. He knew his dad was correct. He reminded himself he could not change the past… no matter how much he wanted to. However, those types of questions were always lurking in the shadows of his mind to attack and drive him to inaction.

“I know… but…” He shrugged.

Another squeeze of his leg offered support and reassurance.

“My dad…” she looked at Derek. “Did he…” she shook her head. She took a deep breath. “Did he attack first? Did he know what Mom was planning?” She shrank in on herself. She brushed her sleeve over her cheek. “They say one thing…”

“Then do another,” Stiles filled in.

She nodded her head. “He said it was our job to protect people… but it sounds like he was distracted by you just like Scott was distracted by hunters being there…”

Derek scratched his beard. “Even if we have a similar goal right now, there are years of distrust and ill feelings between the two groups. Hunters have made it clear that they would rather kill us than look at us. If I did work with them, I would expect to be stabbed in the back as soon as my usefulness was up, if not before.”

“Don’t doubt it from what I’ve seen,” Stiles said. “It’s probably happened before. Know of any instances where the groups did partner and came away poorer for the collaboration?”

Derek tipped his head in thought. His brows furrowed. “There was something a year or so before the fire… There was a gathering of pack alphas and hunters… a rumored peace talks. I don’t know much because I was young and didn’t care plus it wasn’t something Mom would share with me. There were whispers about it taking a bad turn because of a hunter.” He motioned to Allison. “Your grandfather’s name was involved in some way. I don’t know more. I don’t know what part he had in it, good or bad…”

“And those who would know are dead,” Stiles guessed.

Derek inclined his head at the truth of the statement.

Allison appeared to be an angry crier. Her hands, balled in her lap, were white under the pressure. Her eyes burned with rage. Her mouth was pressed into a scowl. She did not try to stop the tears from escaping to run down her face.

“Based on past history,” Allison’s tone was hard and determined, “it was detrimental to the werewolves.” The snort that followed carried no mirth, only disdain.

“They all insist that what we do is to make the world a safe place, we are protecting people… because it’s our duty.” She spat out the last word with venom behind it. She rubbed her temple. “How would tonight have gone differently if we were willing to work together? How does picking fights like schoolchildren protect people? How does killing Scott, who had not hurt anyone and wasn’t feral, protect people?” She threw her hands into the air. “I’m done with them and their twisted ideas and corrupted justifications for their actions.” She turned to Noah. “What do I need to do for a restraining order?”

Noah patted her shoulder. “We’ll address that back at the house.”

“What?” Stiles blurted out. “Our house?”

“She’s staying at least the night,” Noah said.

“Why?” Stiles looked around his dad to look Allison in the eye.

“Figured my family won’t look for me there. It gives me time to set things in place before they try swooping in.” She watched him from under her lashes. She moistened her lips. “I don’t know what powers or people they have at their disposal to reel me back into their manipulative hands.” She rubbed her hands on her legs. She looked at the others in the room. “For them to be so confident in what they’re doing… for not being in jail for what they have done…” She shook her head. “They have friends in the sheriff’s station and are at least paying people off…” She paused and then gasped as her train of thought. “… who knows how far they will go to cover their crimes.”

“All for the greater good,” Stiles mocked.

“Maybe I shouldn’t stay with you…”

Noah took her hand to gain her attention. “They know Stiles is involved. I’m sure we are already on their radar. You need help. How your mother’s arrest and investigation goes will help us gauge how things stand on that front.”

She nodded her head.

“We can at least help you get things rolling and what you need,” Stiles said. Lists of items she would need and topics that would let him fall into research spirals filled his mind – to his relief. He welcomed something else to focus on.

The others watched the exchange with quiet interest.

Noah clapped his hands and gave the room an expectant stare. “Don’t think the rest of you are free. I want to know what’s been happening around here since the beginning of the year. I’d like to start with proof the supernatural is real.”

Everyone voiced their disbelief.

“You didn’t ask for proof first?” Erica blurted out.

Noah cocked an eyebrow upward. “Allison’s explanation fits the facts. None of you bulked at the supernatural being real or hesitated in telling me what happened tonight. Even with Stiles’ help, you all could not create the detailed story that you told me.”

Stiles bobbed his head along with his father’s points. His dad had known something was not right and that Stiles had been lying to him. Handing him the missing facts – no matter how improbable – would lend credibility to the truth – at least buy a suspension of disbelief until more data was gathered.

Stiles pleaded with his eyes and said to Derek, “Show him.”

Derek nodded before shifting into his beta face.

“I expected… more…” Noah waved a hand in the air.

“Hair?” Stiles offered. “Wolf-like features?”

“Yeah.” Noah leaned forward. “Where did his eyebrows go?”

Stiles threw his hands in the air. “I know, right.”

Derek huffed and let his features return to fully human. Erica and Isaac were snickering while Boyd looked as indifferent as ever. Derek rubbed his face and looked worn.

Noah looked at his watch and sighed. “It’s getting late. There are calls I will need to make in the morning to get a feel for what’s going on with Allison’s mother.”

Stiles stiffened and placed a hand on his dad’s arm. “Can you do that… being suspended and all?”

“Not in an official capacity, but you and Scott were involved. I can make inquiries as a concerned parent.”

Stiles scoffed. “But there’s not much you would tell concerned citizens about open cases!”

“They might give me enough to know if she’s been bailed out or not. That will help establish how much time we have to get Allison squared away.” He ruffled Stiles’ hair. “We’ll work it out.” He directed his attention to Derek. “Tomorrow evening you will all come over to our house and catch me up.”

“I’m sure Stiles can fill you in,” Derek insisted.

“Oh, I’m sure he can, but he is only one side of the story. I need to know everything so I can help you through this.”

“Dad!”

“What? No, it’s best if you stay out of it,” Derek said, close to a growl. “It’s my responsibility to take care of this. I’m the alpha.”

Noah crossed his arms over his chest and gave Derek the “disappointed father” look. Stiles was impressed as Derek’s shoulders slowly came up to his ears as he succumbed to it.

“Derek, being responsible does not mean you have to do it on your own,” Noah said. “Good leaders seek others, often those older and with more experience, for counsel and aid.”

“This is a world you don’t know about,” Derek said.

Noah nodded his head. “True, I don’t know about the supernatural world, but I do know how the human law-enforcement world works and can help leverage it to your advantage. If nothing else, I can be a fresh sounding board in dealing with the issues. Come over so we are all at least on the same page.”

They held eye contact for what seemed like forever before Derek broke it and nodded.

“Good,” Noah said and stood. “We should be off. Stiles, Allison!” He walked away but stopped beside Derek. He clapped him on the shoulder. “We’ll get through this together.”

Stiles followed his dad out of the loft.

Chapter 3

It was two in the morning before Noah even thought about heading to his bed. Allison had gone to bed over an hour ago after they prioritized what she should do first thing in the morning. After that, Stiles spilled about everything from the past two months. Noah let him, despite feeling at his limits of acceptable insanity. He could see Stiles needed to get it out now that he was in the know. Then he sent him to bed.

His phone buzzed. He groaned before checking who was contacting him at 2:24 AM.

Melissa: The lights are on. Are you still awake?

Noah rubbed his face and blew out a deep breath. He knew this was another thing he could not put off despite the fatigue setting in. He unlocked his phone.

Noah: Yes, I’m still awake. On my way down.

He glanced into Stiles’ room as he passed and was glad he was asleep. He opened the front door. Melissa, devastated and with red-rimmed eyes, stood waiting for him. She started to open her mouth, bit her lip, and looked away. Noah opened his arms to her. The movement caught her attention. She stepped into his space and hugged him. He wrapped her in his arms and was once more consoling a crying individual.

He let her bawl in his arms on his front porch in the middle of the night. He grieved with her. Scott was not his son, but he had been part of Scott’s life for as long as he and Stiles were friends. His heart hurt for the loss but not as much as if Stiles were the one killed. He could only imagine what Melissa was feeling at the moment. Not to mention not knowing fully why it happened – since Stiles was sure she still did not know about werewolves.

He held her and cried silent tears with her. The air was still and quiet. The neighborhood was slumbering. Only the occasional dog barking broke the night’s tranquility.

“I couldn’t go home,” Melissa said into his shoulder. “I just couldn’t… to an empty house…”

“I understand.” He did. Claudia’s absence was palatable after her death. There was always a void where she should be. Each time he acknowledged it, it was like a new wound was slashed into his soul.

She stepped back. She sniffled and collected herself.

“Water?” Noah stepped into the house and motioned her in.

She nodded and rubbed at the bridge of her nose. “I should rehydrate…”

Noah grabbed her a glass of water and led her into his office to talk.

“Don’t want to wake Stiles,” he said as he shut the door.

She nodded and took a seat. He sat down across from her. He rested a comforting hand on her knee and let her direct the conversation.

“How did this happen? Why did this happen?” Her curls swayed as she shook her head in confused disbelief. “My son is dead and all they can tell me is that his girlfriend’s mother poisoned him. No one can tell me why?” She balled up her hands at her side. Her voice rose with each question. “They can’t even guarantee she won’t get out on bail.”

Noah nodded, opting to be her support right now. He doubted that springing the existence of the supernatural on her during this time of grief was a good idea even if it would provide her with more context on the issue. He knew knowing would only make things worse for her at this time.

“I’m so fucking angry right now and so devastated at the same time. It gives me whiplash.” One fist pounded against her thigh. “I still have to tell Raf… and I can’t… I can’t say the words.”

“It won’t get better the longer you wait,” Noah softly said.

She nodded but did not remove her glare from its focus on the opposite wall. “Help me if I can’t tell him?”

“You know I will. How do you want to do this?”

She rubbed her face and then pushed her hair back. “Speaker. I’ll call… if I can’t… then step in.” She pulled her phone out of her purse and set it on the armrest between them. She sought out Noah’s eyes for support before pulling up the contact. She took several calming breaths. “Just do it.”

She pushed the call icon. The phone rang several times before it was answered.

“What’s wrong, Melissa?” Raf’s voice was rough from sleep.

“Yes,” she said, then could not say more.

“Is it Scott?” Raf was sounding more alert.

“Yes…” She closed her eyes and tried to keep from sobbing.

“Melissa?” Raf was becoming concerned.

“Scott’s… his girlfriend’s mother k…” she tried. She looked at Noah with watery eyes begging him to continue.

“What Melissa is trying to say,” Noah said, “is that Victoria Argent killed Scott tonight… last night.”

“Scott’s dead! What’s being done about her?” he demanded.

“I can’t say at this time.”

Raf snorted. “Of course you can’t.”

Noah let the jibe pass. “If you want to get involved, the Argent family seems to be around when people go missing or die of things like house fires.”

Raf was quiet. “What do you have on them?”

Melissa was surprised by the revelation proving she had not kept up on current events around town.

“Other than Victoria trying to trigger an asthma attack to kill Scott to make it look accidental and Kate Argent being behind the Hale fire, not a lot. I find it odd that after Kate’s death, her father comes to town and fills the suddenly vacant high school principal position. It is all fishy, but I don’t have anything solid to implicate other family members… but they move around a lot for their business according to Stiles.”

Raf made a contemplative hum. “If this isn’t the only time…”

“My thoughts. The insurance inspector was paid off for the Hale fire. I don’t know what happened to the last principal… I’m sorry to say until current events, I didn’t even think to ask. I don’t know what lengths they will go to hide their actions, especially if the majority of the family is involved.”

Noah did not know the extent of the Argents’ actions, but from what he learned from Stiles and Derek, he could see their fanatical vengeance leading them to justify many nefarious acts. There would be a trail if one knew where and how to look. But it would have to be a national agency looking to see the patterns. If they had kept their methods and locations varied, it would not be instantly recognized by anyone.

They may have just miss-stepped by killing Scott. Raf, despite his questionable parenting skills, would move heaven and earth if his son was in danger. What they had done was the equivalent of a declaration of war. He hoped that their connections and pocketbooks would fail them this time.

“I’ll make a few inquiries,” Raf said. “I’ll be there by mid-morning.”

Melissa rubbed her arms. “I don’t know where I’ll be… I can’t go back to the house right now…”

“You at the Stilinski’s?”

“Yeah. After finishing with the police…” she shook her head, “I just couldn’t go back to an empty house knowing… knowing he wouldn’t come back. Not when it’s so fresh.”

Raf hummed understandingly. “I’ll head to the Stilinski’s when I get in town.”

“Ok,” she said.

“See you then.” Raf ended the call.

Melissa picked her phone up. “Sorry for inviting myself over for the night.”

“No problem. The guest room is being used by one of Stiles’ friends. Take my bed. I’ll sleep on the couch.”

“I don’t want to put you out.”

Noah placed an arm around her shoulders. “You won’t. Come on, let’s get you to bed.”

He directed her out of the office and up the stairs. He got her anything she would need and wished her a good night, shutting his bedroom door behind him. A glance showed Stiles was still asleep to his relief. Stiles needed to get sleep when he could because he knew his son would throw himself into this and sacrifice sleep if he deemed it needed. Hopefully having Raf and the FBI on the case would help minimize Stiles’ involvement.

He wrote a note to Allison about Melissa being in the house and stuck it on the inside of the guest room door. He was unsure of the two meeting. Warning Allison would hopefully help reduce the chances of them meeting unexpectedly.

With everything taken care of, he grabbed a pillow and blanket from storage and settled onto the couch to grab a few hours of sleep. He had calls to make in the morning.

snbrk~

Allison sat at the Stilinski’s table and read through the messages her dad had sent her through the night updating her on what was going on. Noah was moving around the kitchen making breakfast. The other two occupants of the house were still asleep.

“Dad says he’s trying to get bail set for Victoria but will have to wait until today at least. I don’t think he sounds hopeful.”

Noah set a plate of pancakes on the table.

“I don’t see it happening without incentives, from what Tara was able to tell me about the case. She also agreed to help us with a restraining order for you if needed.”

Allison transferred a couple of pancakes onto her plate. Stiles, still half asleep, wandered into the kitchen. His eyes furrowed at seeing Noah.

“Your door is closed,” he muttered.

“Melissa is in there,” Noah said.

Stiles’ eyes widened. His attention swung to Allison. “Does she know about…” He flailed his arms in Allison’s direction.

“No. She showed up last night not wanting to go home.” There was the heavy feeling of several things not said in the air after the statement.

Stiles nodded. “Understandable,” he muttered and sat down at the table. “How are you?” he asked her.

“Unsure but determined,” she answered. “Dad hasn’t asked about where I am yet. I figure he won’t until late morning at the earliest depending on how things go with trying to get bail set for Victoria. He has contacted the family lawyer and all that.”

Stiles grabbed four pancakes and plopped them on his plate. “That gives you time for your errands. Will Melissa be here when she gets back?”

Noah shook his head. “Raf will be here sometime this afternoon. I’m sure they will go back to her house to make plans.”

Stiles used the handle end of his fork to scratch his nose. “I hadn’t thought of him,” he sheepishly said. “He does have a right to be involved.”

“That’s Scott’s father,” Allison sought clarification.

“Yes,” Noah asked.

“I didn’t think they were on good terms.”

“They’re not… weren’t,” Stiles said. “But this…” He waved his fork in the air. He’s not that big of a douchebag to not care about this.”

Allison nodded. All she truly knew about Scott’s father was how much Scott resented him for abandoning them for his job. Scott refused to talk about him beyond that. He was stubborn about it. He would change the subject any time she brought it up.

She had a hard time understanding Scott’s animosity toward his father… but now… after what her family had done. Maybe she was beginning to understand the wound of betrayal.

She finished her breakfast and checked the time.

“The bank should be open by the time I get there. Thanks for…” She motioned to the breakfast and the room in general. “Thanks for everything. I don’t know what I would have done without your help.”

Stiles waved it away. “Let us know if you run into a speed bump. Are you sure you don’t want me to come with you?”

She shook her head. She would like the support, but if she was going to make a stand, she needed to do some of it on her own. She also needed to not be so transparent. Her dad had known that she knew who the kanima was… or maybe he just guessed… before he confronted her on the issue.

“Best if you don’t right now. Cards close to the vest and all that. I need to keep my aces hidden.”

Stiles accepted the reason without question.

“Good luck,” Noah said.

“Thanks.”

She stood and headed out, list in hand. Bank first – knowing what she had to financially work with would affect what choices she made in her plans for her future. Either way, her second thing was to get her own cell phone plan so her parents could not track her and maybe a new number.

snbrk

The coffee shop was moderately busy for a Saturday afternoon. Allison sipped her coffee and studied her list of things to do. She managed to get through what she needed to be done today with more ease than she expected.

Once she provided proof that she was eighteen, the bank had no problem with getting an account set up in her name only. That was the important one. Tara had met her away from the station so she would not run into her family to start the restraining order process. She’d rather have it in place and not need it than not have it. If they did do something to her, they would be under suspicion because of the documented animosity between them.

Her phone rang. It was Lydia. She debated answering. Did she want Lydia involved? She would probably be the first person her dad would call after she ignored two of his calls. She owed Lydia an explanation. She answered.

“I covered for you and told your dad you were with me, but next time you decide to stay the night at Scott’s and use me as cover give me a heads up!”

“Oh, god, you don’t know.” Allison covered her mouth with her hand. The wound inside of her tore open as reality stabbed itself into her bubble of calm due to her task-oriented morning.

“Don’t know what?” Lydia demanded.

“Scott’s dead,” she whispered into the phone.

It sounded like Lydia suddenly sat down.

“How?” She was shocked. “His asthma has been better of late… if he had an attack…”

“My mother killed him.”

“What!” Lydia screeched.

Allison glanced around the coffee shop to see if anyone’s attention had been caught. Everyone seemed to be focused on their own thing.

“What happened? Why? I know she didn’t like Scott… but to kill him… Has she gone insane?”

Allison rubbed her temple. “It’s a mess. My whole family is a mess. I don’t want anything to do with them at this point.”

“Allison, where are you?” Lydia sounded very concerned.

“Right now, at a coffee shop.”

“Where were you last night?”

“I went to someone for advice and stayed with them.”

Lydia hummed. “Why are you being cagey?”

“Because I don’t trust anyone in my family to not force me into something right now,” she hissed into the phone. “I’m taking steps to hopefully prevent that. It’s best if they don’t know who’s helping me.”

There were several moments of silence on Lydia’s end. ”What’s really going on?”

Allison laughed. It was dark and painful. “Do you truly want to know? Once you know, there is no going back. Your life will be changed forever.”

“You don’t think my life wasn’t changed after the video store and being attacked at the dance?” Lydia hissed back. “There’re things going on, and it keeps pulling everyone I know in. I’m tired of being involved yet not having a clue what’s going on.”

Allison sighed. It was true Lydia had several close encounters with the supernatural. She pondered what she should do. “Alright, but it’s an in-person conversation, and I’m not going to your house.”

“Then where?” Lydia huffed expressing her displeasure.

“Meet at the smoothie shop in the Santa Lynew mall in an hour,” Allison suggested. She hoped meeting in the neighboring town would reduce the risk of her running into her dad, grandfather, or any of their men.

“As long as I learn what’s going on, whatever, fine. See you there.”

snbrk

Noah opened the door to a somber Rafael McCall.

“She’s in the kitchen.”

Raf entered enough for Noah to shut the door. He looked toward the kitchen but stood in the entryway. “How is she?”

Noah paused, seeking anything to say that did not sound like a cliche, but he came up empty. Cliches are cliches for a reason. “As well as can be expected for the situation.”

He turned to lead Raf to Melissa when he was halted by a hand on his arm. He looked back at Raf and raised an eyebrow in question. Raf was quick to remove his hand. He glanced once more to the kitchen doorway.

“I did some digging into the Argents.” His lips pressed together and his eyes held anger. “You’re right… They are fishy in a big way. I don’t know why it hasn’t been noticed before.” This time his eyes swept through the visible areas and up the stairs.

“I sent Stiles to spend time with friends to help get him through this…”

Raf opened his mouth but snapped it shut after a moment of thought. Noah could hear the jibes the man would make about Stiles and was grateful he refrained. Raf nodded.

“I took it to my boss before I left. He’s starting an investigation into them. I called him before getting here… there are a few oddities that should have brought them to our attention earlier.”

Noah rubbed his temple. “Someone or several people working for them then. Any idea where? How far up your organization are they?” He paused and studied Raf. “Could your boss…” He did not voice the rest of the thought.

Raf did not take offense, surprisingly. “Considered it and verified what he told me. I believe he’s not involved…”

“But you’re not going to put all your eggs in one basket with this,” Noah said.

“Hell, no. They killed my son. I don’t care what reason they think they have or what they have gotten away with in the past, I’m nailing their shady asses to the wall and everyone associated with them. If they had been caught earlier… Scott would not be… dead.” There was a trimmer in his voice at the end.

It was a sentiment that Noah understood. He wished Raf all the luck in taking the Argents down. Hopefully having a federal agency looking into it versus just the local law enforcement would be more successful.

“By the time I’m done, it will take an order from the FBI director to shut down the investigation,” he growled out.

“I look forward to your success. Just watch your back.”

Raf looked surprised at the comment then suspicious. “What do you know?” he softly demanded.

“Noah, wasn’t it Raf at the door?” Melissa asked. Steps came from the kitchen and stopped when she appeared in the doorway. She squinted her eyes at them suspiciously. “What’s going on? Why are you both standing in the hall? You’re not arguing…”

Raf shot him a look clearly warning that the discussion was not over, but he headed to Melissa. “I was informing him that the FBI has opened an investigation into the Argent family after I did some digging on them.”

“Good!” she spat out with venom. “I want her to rot in jail for what she did. That cold-hearted bitch. What gives her the right?” She ran a hand through her hair and gave a small tug. “This is all insane…. Raf, don’t let her get away with it.”

Raf placed a hand on her arm. “I won’t.”

Melissa focused on Raf’s face. “Our son is dead,” she blurted out. Tears followed.

Raf pulled her into an embrace as sobs once more took over. He did not look far from tears himself. Noah opted to leave them to mourn without him there. He slipped out the door and stood on the porch. He took a breath and closed his eyes.

He let his grief rise to the surface and acknowledged it. Scott was not his son, but he had been as close as family through the years. He had not taken a moment to process or acknowledge his feelings about it. He was wrapped up in making sure everyone else was taken care of and supported. The layers of the issues around it all complicated things as well as gave him other things to focus on.

Scott’s death hurt but was nothing compared to what he would feel at losing Stiles in a similar way or the loss his wife had been. He was relieved that Stiles was not the one that they targeted, and he refused to feel bad about it. It was also an incentive to make sure things were taken care of to keep Stiles and his town safe.

It sounded like Raf was making inroads into that issue. He would let Raf take care of that side of things. He would focus on Derek and his pack and work the problem from that angle. The young man was clearly trying to stay afloat without letting those around him realize he was being pulled under.

He opened his eyes. The neighborhood looked unchanged. He pulled out his phone. Might as well get Derek to answer his questions now if he was available.

snbrk

Lydia walked toward the table Allison had claimed at the back of the smoothie shop like she owned the place. Allison had already bought them both smoothies. Lydia’s preferred strawberry mango was waiting for her at the empty side of the booth. She slid into the booth and daintily set her purse on the bench seat before examining her drink.

“Acceptable.” She placed a straw in and sampled it. Her expression did not change. She crossed her arms on the table and looked expectantly at Allison.

Despite pondering it for the past hour, she did not know where to begin or how best to tell her friend that things that go bump in the night exist. Red manicured nails tapped impatiently on the table.

“Remember the book my aunt gave me…”

One sculpted eyebrow twitched, but Lydia allowed the opening. “The one about your family being descended from some legendary werewolf hunter.” Her eyes challenged Allison to get to the point.

Allison shifted in her seat and twisted her cup on the tabletop. “Well… it wasn’t so much of a story as what my family does. They hunt werewolves and other supernatural creatures.”

“That’s what you’re going with after I came all this way?”

She reached across the table and grabbed Lydia’s arm before she could pick up her purse. She gave the shop a quick once over before staring hard at Lydia. “Do you want to know the truth or not,” she hissed.

Lydia at least stopped with the pretense of leaving.

“Then you will have to suspend your skepticism until I’ve given you all the facts.”

“You want me to believe werewolves are real?” Lydia crossed her arms over her chest and leaned back in her seat.

“This is why I was nervous to tell you,” Allison slowly leaned back in her seat mirroring Lydia. “What I want you to do is listen to what’s happened around here for the past three months from a different point of view. Then you can see how it fits into the facts as you know them. We can debate about it once I’m done.”

“Alright, I’m listening.” She uncrossed her arms. She took a sip of her smoothie but did not take her eyes off Allison.

Allison rested her arms on the table and leaned forward. “We really moved to town because of the strange animal killings and the first body found in the woods, according to my dad. They came to take care of the out-of-control werewolf.”

Lydia’s eyebrow twitched but she held her tongue.

“I know, the body wasn’t found until after we were already set to move.” She played with her cup to help reduce the stress. “Right now, I’m doubting everything they told me, except that werewolves are real. I’ve seen them…” She pressed her lips together as she quickly reordered her thoughts and how to tell the story.

“Facts crucial to last night… Scott got bit by an alpha werewolf the night before I started school. During the craziness of those first two months, my parents figured out Scott was a werewolf and were displeased with me dating him because of it. That’s why we pretended to break up.” She pulled the straw up and then pushed it back down causing a squeak from the rubbing plastics. “Victoria,” she spat the name which got an intrigued look from Lydia, “must have realized we were still seeing each other.”

“You weren’t as subtle as you think, and she does… did work at the school,” Lydia pointed out,

Allison pushed her hair back from her face with both hands and huffed. “Yeah… she probably did see us when we thought we were unobserved.” She dropped her hands back to the table. “She decided to take care of the issue permanently while everyone was busy trying to capture or kill the current creature of the week. Somehow she got him alone… and used… wolfsbane smoke…” She blinked her eyes rapidly. “Damn it!” She grabbed a napkin and dabbed at her eyes. She did not have time for tears today.

Lydia reached across the table and placed a hand on hers. “I get the picture.” She gave a little squeeze. “Focus on a different part of the story.”

Allison nodded. She moistened her lips and gathered her composure. “Five… six years ago, Kate came to Beacon Hills and was responsible for the Hale fire, as you know. She did it because they were… are… werewolves… and three survived – Derek, his sister, and their Uncle Peter, who was in a coma because of the burns he had sustained.” She scrunched up her face. “Werewolves have like super healing…?”

“So he was severely damaged or he was being kept under,” Lydia supplied, appearing interested.

Allison dropped her face into her hands. “It could be either or both. Who knows what my family’s willing to do.”

“What did I see at the video store?”

“Peter Hale. He woke up at some point from his coma and had put things together. What I pieced together from Scott,” she paused and swallowed before continuing, “he lured Laura back here and killed her so he could become more powerful by becoming the alpha and so he could take vengeance on everyone involved in killing his family. Sc..he made it sound like it was all an elaborate game to Peter.”

“Was it?” Lydia asked.

Allison pondered that. “Not the kind implied… not a kids game… but a game of strategy where you have layers of plans… or moves to win the game – force your opponent into the spot you want them.”

Lydia nodded.

“The clerk was involved with setting the fire. The death of each of the associates led up to the mastermind behind it.”

“Your aunt.”

Allison nodded. Lydia tilted her head and tapped a finger.

“Was she behind it? If your family hunts werewolves…”

“There’s a code we’re supposed to follow…”

Lydia’s face spoke volumes about her believing that statement.

“You’re right. I don’t know who knows what, and I don’t think I will ever get the truth.” She finished off her smoothie. “I’m sidetracked. Kate captured Derek to torcher him for answers on the identity of the other werewolves or use him as bait. She took me there while she did it… to prove what beasts they are.”

“Are they?” Lydia asked casually.

“Peter’s the only one who had a beast-like form. Derek and his have longer canine teeth, these 70’s sideburns,” she brushed her fingers down the side of her face, “claw like fingernails, and vanishing eyebrows. Unless they are threatening you, they aren’t that scary shifted… they just look odd… and their eyes glow.”

“Glow how?”

“I don’t know. Red is an alpha who’s the head of the pack and the only one who can turn people. Blue and gold are betas.”

“Why am I not a werewolf?” She paused. “That’s why you were so concerned about how my injury was healing.”

“I was told that you either turn or die. My dad…”

Anger flashed in Lydia’s eyes. “They were going to use me or kill me,” she hissed.

“They insisted on the first despite my protests.”

“How do I find out why I’m alive?”

Allison shrugged. “I didn’t find anything in what little information I could find at the house. Maybe Derek might know something or someone to ask. Mr. Stilinski has questions for him about werewolves and how their society works.”

Lydia leaned back as if several pieces just clicked in place. “You went to the Stilinski’s last night. Good choice. They will probably eventually check there, but not the first place they will look, especially with me covering for you this morning.” Fingers tapped against the table. “Stiles is up in this mess to his eyeballs.”

“Pretty much. He realized what Scott was before Scott did.”

Lydia rolled her eyes. “McCall saw only what he wanted to see. I assume that was the reason he got so good so fast at lacrosse.”

“Yeah. So you believe me?”

A finger tapped twice. “It fits facts. I want to see it for myself.”

Allison laughed. “I expected nothing less.” She rubbed her face. “Everything is such a mess, and I don’t feel like I managed to explain half of what’s going on because there is so much backstory and I don’t know it all.”

“I’ll get it out of Stiles,” she confidently said. “What’s going on with your parents?”

“Victoria is in jail for the time being. I refuse to talk to any of my family.”

“What about on Monday when school starts? Your grandfather will be there.”

“Don’t plan on going. I’ll work something out. How can they expect me to pay attention in classes with what just happened in my life?” She waved a hand in the air.

“You do have a plan,” Lydia said.

“Yeah. Stiles and his dad helped me get some balls rolling.” She gave her friend a rundown on what she had done today.

Chapter 4

Stiles let Noah into Derek’s loft. He was already there when Noah called Derek to see if they could change their plans and talk now.

“Where are the others?” Noah asked.

“Boyd and Erica had things to do at home,” Stiles answered.

“Isaac is in his room.” Derek indicated the upper floor of the loft.

“Thanks for being flexible and answering some of my questions now,” Noah said.

“No problem. Water?”

“Sure.”

Derek went into the kitchen and brought back two glasses of water. He handed one to Noah and offered him a seat. Noah settled into a chair.

He watched Derek sit on the couch and roll the glass of water between his hands nervously. He looked like any kid called on the carpet by his parents. It was definitely different from the confident leader he tried projecting the night before. Noah gave him points for trying. It was a decent job, but he was trying too hard and that pointed to his inexperience and youth.

Stiles opened his mouth, but Noah pinned him with a “keep your mouth shut” glair. Stiles shut his mouth and fidgeted in his seat.

“What do you want to know, sir?” Derek asked.

“I’d appreciate knowing more about werewolf packs. How do they work? How are they organized? How do they interact with each other?”

Derek squirmed in his seat and rubbed his hands over his thighs. “The alpha leads the pack and is the only one who can gift someone with the turning bite. They have red eyes. Under them are betas. They have yellow or blue eyes.”

“Is there any significance to them?” Noah asked.

“Yes, eyes turn blue when an individual kills an innocent. Before that they are yellow.”

“How’s that work? What triggers the change? How is innocence defined?” Noah found himself asking.

Derek sputtered.

“That’s what I want to know, too,” Stiles said. “Is it magical or tied to pheromones or something?”

“Stiles,” Noah warned.

Stiles mimed locking his lips closed.

“I… I never questioned it. It was just a fact of life.”

Noah nodded and asked Derek to continue. He told of his family and how not everyone born into it was a werewolf. It was very much a simplistic view he often saw when all the person had to draw from were childhood experiences.

“How are relations with other packs handled?” Noah asked.

“Mom would meet with other pack representatives…,” Derek shook his head, “but I was never a part of those.”

Noah nodded and made encouraging noises.

“You mentioned an emissary. How does the position fit into the pack? What do they do for the pack?”

“We had one, but I didn’t know who it was until recently.”

“Deaton is as helpful as a fortune cookie,” Stiles muttered.

Noah ignored the aside. “Is that always the case?”

Derek shrugged and looked away like a guilty kid. Noah rubbed his chin and re-assess the situation. Derek was just as lost and floundering as the rest of the kids in this mess. Those he could have gone to for help or advice were dead. The one person who might know something was of no help.

“Did your family keep any records or information that wasn’t at the house? Any recorded treaties or agreements that others would have copies or did they keep in a safety deposit box or something similar?” Noah asked.

Derek paused and sat up. “There are a few possibilities,” he slowly admitted. “There’s an underground vault on the school property. I know family treasures and valuables were kept there… I don’t know the full inventory.”

Stiles vibrated in his seat but kept his mouth shut.

“I was only there once as a kid, and I haven’t been to it since returning.”

“Sounds like someplace you should check out. Even if it does not have the answer to my questions, there’s a good chance there is something to remember your family by there,” Noah said in a soft and understanding tone.

Derek looked at the floor for several seconds and regulated his breathing. “Yeah,” came out broken when he did verbally answer.

Noah reached out and placed a hand on Derek’s leg. “Were you avoiding it for that reason?”

Derek seemed frozen.

“After Claudia…” Noah paused and swallowed as the grief at the loss swelled over him and then passed. “I could not… It’s not easy to see reminders of the past despite how precious they are to us.”

Stiles shifted in his seat. Noah knew his son was warring between comforting them and the desire to get away from the emotional bloodletting going on. Derek pulled himself together and met Noah’s eyes.

“If there is information that could help, we should check it out,” Derek announced.

“When are we going?” Stiles asked.

Derek seemed frustrated with Stiles yet there was a comfortable acceptance in the rest of his body language which Noah found a curious reaction. Was that a werewolf thing or just a Derek thing and what did it mean?

“We can go now.”

snbrk

Derek led them to the hidden entrance of the vault and used his claws to open the door. Once inside, he flicked a switch turning on the lights. It was a decent size room with rows of shelves.

“Look at all the books and boxes,” Stiles said, stepping further into the space and turning around examining everything.

Noah examined it with an investigator’s eye. He cataloged the room seeking signs of something out of place. Some areas were not often visited based on the dust collected on the shelves. The cobwebs in the corners were the greater testament to how little attention it was given even before the fire. The air was cool, but it lacked the humid feel many home basements had.

“Don’t touch anything,” Noah ordered Stiles, who was reaching out to one of the shelves.

Stiles pulled his hand back. He looked at Noah and then around the room again seeking what Noah saw. “What is it?”

“Just assessing before we start moving things around. Derek, what do you know about how things are organized or how frequently it was visited before?”

Derek squinted his eyes and scowled at the room’s contents. ”I know important documents and things were stored here.” He pointed to what appeared to be a fireproof filing cabinet. “Supplies in case something happens.”

“Did Laura stop here before leaving town?” Stiles asked.

Derek shrugged. “If she did, she didn’t bring me with her.”

“She clung to you tightly at the station,” Noah cautiously said. “Was there any time she left your side before leaving?”

“Not long enough to come here,” Derek concluded after a moment of thought.

“Then no one should have been in here since before…” Stiles trailed off. He studied the items closest to him, leaning closer to read the writing on the boxes. He waves a finger pointing at the things around them. “There’s some order to it. These boxes contain family items.” He pointed to one box. “This one contains family photo albums,” he said in a soft reverent voice.

Noah closed his eyes for a moment, realizing what that would mean for them if they had believed all the photos of Claudia had been lost. He watched Derek freeze. He took a slow breath in, obviously fighting down the emotion he was feeling.

He placed a hand on Derek’s shoulder and gave it a squeeze. Stiles pushed through the emotional moment by directing their attention to a large wooden bookcase with doors. Old books could be seen through the glass panes.

“This appears promising,” Stiles muttered.

He reached up to open it before stopping. He drifted his finger just over the top of the wood frame. Derek and Noah followed to see what he noticed.

“There are symbols carved into the frame. Derek, do you know what they mean?”

Derek leaned against Stiles’ back to get a closer look. Noah noted the ease at which his son accepted the intrusion into his space by Derek. It was an interesting observation he tucked away to ponder the significance of later and when he had more data.

“They are runes. Probably some magic to preserve the books.”

“Is it safe to open?” Noah asked.

“I don’t know,” Derek admitted.

Stiles reached up and tugged at one of the doors. “Doesn’t open. There’s no lock.” He stepped back to study the case. “How do you open it?”

“Could be tied to the family…” Derek reached up and the door swung open for him.

Noah grabbed the back of Stiles’ shirt to keep him from diving in. “Let’s check out the rest of the room before you get lost in research.”

Stiles hesitated but relented when Derek shut the door with a smirk.

“Each of us take a section and get an idea what resources Derek has,” Noah said.

They split up and examined the shelves. Stiles muttered to himself as he examined his section, but it was not loud enough for Noah to hear. Derek must have because he responded a few times to what sounded like questions from Stiles.

Noah found a safe in his corner along with boxes of items that looked like trinkets to him.

“I found a safe. You wouldn’t happen to know the combination or will it open to your claws?”

Two sets of footsteps headed in his direction.

“Dad had me memorize a safe combination,” Derek said. “It’s probably for it.”

Noah stepped back and let Derek get to the safe.

“Why do you need a safe within a locked vault?” Stiles pondered.

Derek entered the combination and swung the door open. Inside was a stack of paper with a laptop on top. Derek picked up the laptop and examined it.

“I believe it’s Peter’s,” he said. “He had one like this.”

“Why would he put it in the safe?” Stiles asked before Noah could. “What does it have on it? Blackmail?”

Derek handed it and the power cord to Stiles. “He was working on creating an electronic database and digital record of lore from our library. I don’t know how far he got before…”

Stiles plopped onto the floor and balanced the laptop on his lap. He opened it and gave the button a stab. “Battery’s probably dead after five years…”

The screen lit up.

“… unless someone charged it recently.” Stiles looked around the room. “I don’t see any outlets in here.”

“How long would it hold a charge?” Noah asked.

Stiles shrugged. The computer asked for a password.

“Any ideas?” Stiles asked Derek.

The computer screen flickered and went out. Stiles punched the power button again but nothing happened.

“Dead battery.” He closed the lid. “Not sure, but it wouldn’t last for years.”

“Which means someone accessed the safe recently. Who would have access to both the vault and the combination to the safe?” Noah asked.

“Only the immediate family had the safe combination,” Derek said.

“That included Peter?” Stiles asked.

“Most likely,” Derek said.

“So he was here at least once before we killed him last month,” Stiles said.

That was a story he had not got their version on yet. The fact that Stiles included himself in on the kill was of concern. He added that to his growing list of questions.

“That’s reassuring. What else is in the safe?” Stiles stood and craned his neck to see the contents.

Derek picked up the large envelopes first. He pulled out the papers. “Appears to be deeds to various properties around the town.” He slid them back in and then picked up several of the neatly stacked papers.

Noah let out a whistle at the sight of the bearer bonds.

“What’s that?” Stiles asked. “It has a lot of zeros after it. Are all of them for that much?”

“If I’m not mistaken, that is a bearer bond which they don’t give out anymore in the US. Too easy to use for money laundering,” Noah said.

Derek picked up the rest of the stack and flipped through them. “There’s over $200 million here.” He sounded shocked.

“If you needed a quick exit,” Noah supplied.

He had known the Hales had money, but not that kind of money.

“If your family had $200 million tucked away for an emergency, how much money did they have?” Stiles asked, shocked by the amount.

Derek shrugged. “I know the insurance payouts were sizable… but… it was also for several people.”

“And you and Laura were the only living beneficiaries,” Noah supplied.

Derek nodded. “I didn’t know exactly how much until she passed.”

“Have you looked into your family holdings and finances?” Noah asked.

Derek rubbed the back of his neck and scuffed his shoes, reminding him of Stiles when confronted with not doing something when he should have.

“No. With everything going on, I didn’t feel I had time to focus on it.”

Noah pinched his nose ridge.

“With this much money, you could buy out the people the Argents paid off,” Stiles blurted out, which caused Noah to sigh and shake his head at the two of them. “You know I’m right. Beat them at their own game.”

“You’re not wrong, but not the preferred method,” Noah responded. “You are right that the money could be used to Derek’s and the pack’s advantage. You should at least make contact with your family accountant and or lawyer to make sure everything transfers to you properly.”

“I’ll have to do some digging to find names,” Derek said. He did not seem to be convinced to follow the advice.

“Would that information be in the safe?” Stiles asked. “That’s where I’d keep a copy in case something happened and it was needed.”

Noah placed a hand on Derek’s shoulder. “I know it seems like one more issue you have to deal with when your plate is full, but in the long run, it will be helpful to have resources – land, money, lawyers – to protect your pack in ways you are not considering because you are stuck in fight or flight mode. You need to take a step back and reassess.”

“How can I when lives are on the line?” Derek asked.

“It’s even more important then. Trust me, I tell you this from experience as a law enforcement officer and having been in the military. It’s easy to react to things emotionally, and it’s not always wrong, but to always be reacting gets you backed into a corner at your enemy’s leading.”

Derek looked pensive before nodding. “Ok. I’ll contact them on Monday.”

“Good.” Noah clapped Derek on the back before removing his hand. “You might want to see if there is a way to change who has access to the vault – or at least the safe. It would cut down on an unknown person getting access. You don’t know who has been granted it in the past.”

“I’ll look into that as well,” Derek agreed. He returned to sorting through the rest of the safe’s contents.

snbrk

Stiles carried the stack of books Derek allowed him to take into the house. He had picked out several that he thought would help them with their current situation and the rest held basic information on the supernatural. He was excited when Derek handed him two on magic. He took those directly to his room. The rest he left on the coffee table so his dad could look through them as well.

He knew Melissa had gone home with Raf. He had checked in with Allison and knew she planned to return here soon. Derek and the pack would be over later like they had planned last night. He wanted to dive into the books before then.

Stiles picked up one of the general information books and settled onto the couch to read. Several pages in, the front door opening barely registered.

“I’m back,” Allison called out and broke through to him.

“In here,” he responded.

She plopped down beside him and sighed. “Expect Lydia to grill you on the supernatural.”

Stiles’ head shot up, and he gaped at her. “What?”

“I told her about the supernatural. She still has questions. You know more about it than I do.” She picked up one of the books and read the title. “And it seems you are learning more.”

“They’re Derek’s,” Stiles said.

“May I?” Allison asked, tilting the book. “Would Derek allow it?”

“Yeah. I checked when he gave permission to bring them here. There is nothing specific about his family in these. Dad took the ones specifically about packs which he was more hesitant about.”

Allison opened the book. “Maybe I can find the answer to Lydia’s question.”

“What question?”

“Why was she not affected by the alpha’s bite?”

Stiles stilled and voiced a soft, “Oh. I had wondered about that when she was in the hospital…” He shook his head. “It was such a low priority because of everything going on.”

“We better bump it to the top of the list, or we will have Lydia breathing down our necks demanding answers… or access to the books now that you know about them.”

“Or both,” Stiles said.

“Or both,” she agreed.

snbrk

Noah picked up his ringing phone and saw Melissa’s name on the screen.

“Hello.”

“I wanted you to know that arrangements have been made. The funeral is Thursday afternoon with viewing Wednesday evening and Thursday before the funeral.” She blurted out the information as quickly as possible.

“I’ll let Stiles know. What… how are you doing? Do you need to crash here again?”

She slowly let out a breath. “Raf is staying at the house, so it doesn’t feel as empty. I… I keep expecting him to come home… to just walk in the door after practice or after hanging out with his friends…. It just does not seem real.”

Noah sat down on the end of his bed.

“My heart broke each time I came home and Claudia was not here.” His eyes were drawn to the one photo of Claudia he kept in his room. “It was like a part of me had been ripped out then.”

“And now?” Melissa asked, not sounding hopeful.

“I still miss her. I occasionally get the urge to share something with her… especially about Stiles.”

Malissa snorted and made a sound of understanding.

“Now it is different.”

Malissa scoffed. “That’s what they always say.”

“And it doesn’t soothe anything in the early days.” He rubbed the back of his neck. “I remember being pissed when people offered condolences and ‘encouraging’ words. It didn’t help the sorrow I felt right then and there. My world had just been up-ended and the contents scattered about and they were offering me platitudes.”

There was a soft sob across the line. “Yes. The best interaction I had today was with the funeral director. I got platitudes from my boss, and the local busybodies were more interested in getting the details of what happened.” Anger reinforced her tone.

“Where did you run into them?”

“Outside the mortuary. I swear they were staking them all out to ambush us. They were on us as soon as we exited.”

“Someone probably tipped them off that you were there.”

“Raf threatened them with arrest if they didn’t leave us alone.”

Noah chuckled. “Bet they didn’t like that.”

“They didn’t, but they did leave us alone after that.” She sighed. The sound of movement could be heard through the phone. “This is not what I expected… I mean… Scott’s asthma was always an issue and there was a chance of him dying from it… but… but the odds of that happening… he had his inhaler…. Not to mention he seemed to be doing better of late.”

Noah’s gut clenched. He once more wondered if she should be told about Scott being a werewolf. It was the reason he was healthier, but it was also the reason he was dead. How angry would she be if she learns of it in the future? Would the knowledge help her through this time or paint a larger target on Victoria leading to Melissa doing something she should not?

He did not know the correct answer. He would talk to Derek about it. Her knowing could be a danger to him and his pack, depending on how she reacted to the news. The harm of knowing or not knowing needed to be weighed for both sides before taking action.

“I was hoping he was outgrowing it.”

“We all were.”

“I’m lost. I don’t know where to go from here. My son is… gone.” She muffled a sob.

Noah waited for her to collect herself.

“I want to beat Argent to a pulp. I want to run away, leave everything behind, and hide in a dark hole.”

“Both actions can be dangerous,” Noah warned. “Look where I went after Claudia. I hid in the bottom of a bottle.” He rubbed at the corner of his eye a couple of times. “I missed how I was hurting my son in the process. I regret not being there for him like I should have been and letting my grief consume me.”

“You got your act together,” Melissa said.

“Thanks to people like you and my co-workers who kicked sense back into me. Right now, just get through one day, one hour, one minute at a time. You can figure out what to do in the future once you get through the next week. But whether you stay here or move someplace else, make sure you have support to keep you from drowning – in grief, in anger, in substance abuse..,”

“Have people kick sense back into me if I go off the rails. Got it.” Her chuckle sounded strangled, but there was a bit of mirth in it. “Oh god, I still have to pass the details on to my family.”

“Just text them.”

“Text my mother? Heaven forbid. She would be on the phone and chewing me out for such an impersonal delivery as soon as I hit send.”

“Good luck,” Noah offered.

“Thanks and thank you for listening.”

“Just returning the favor.”

“Bye.” She disconnected on her end.

Noah rubbed his chin and gathered the pieces of himself he had displayed during the emotional conversation. It would probably not be the last time he poked at his old wounds in the coming weeks.

He checked the time. Derek and the kids would be here soon. He would hold off informing Stiles and Allison of the arrangements until they were all here.

snbrk

Stiles opened the door. Derek’s three puppies shifting in the doorway were the first thing to draw his attention, but he quickly checked for their Alpha who was somehow looming yet lurking behind them. He stepped back. “Come in.”

Erica perked up and bounced in. “Thanks,” she said as she shoulder-checked him in passing and pulled Boyd in with her.

Stiles swayed back at the unintentional force behind it. His hand automatically rubbed at the impacted shoulder. “Watch the strength.”

He thought he heard a growl from Derek. Erica stiffened and then lowered her head.

“Sorry,” she muttered.

“I get you’re still learning your boundaries, but just remember I’m a squishy human.”

She nodded and entered the living room Stiles pointed her to. Isaac shuffled past looking down and was missing the self-assuredness he had worn since becoming a wolf. He was glad to note that it was not the downtrodden demeanor from his pre-wolf days. Isaac did offer Stiles a nod in greeting as he passed.

Derek was the last to enter the house. Stiles appreciatively watched him pass before shutting the door. He turned and jumped. Derek was looming right behind him. His glare was focused on Stiles.

“What?” Stiles asked and lifted his hands automatically to declare his innocence.

“Did she hurt you?” Derek asked although Stiles thought it could be classified as almost a growl with how low and intense his voice was.

Stiles shrugged. “Maybe bruised a bit, but nothing worse than I would get at lacrosse practice. Scott was rougher with me after his turn…” He stopped speaking because Derek had taken his hand. “What?”

Black lines ran up Derek’s hand as he drew Stiles’ pain.

“I’m fine. You don’t need to do that,” he sputtered. He ineffectively slapped at Derek with his free hand.

Stiles could not help but catalog how warm Derek’s hand was and its callus pattern. Why would werewolves, who have super healing, have calluses? His fingers twitched in Derek’s hold trying to map them and deduce what activity they were from. Then there was the tingling where they touched. He assumed that was part of the werewolf magic that pulled the pain. Then Derek let go.

“Thanks?” Stiles could not hide his bafflement at the situation.

Derek was glaring down at him, but it was not his usual ‘I’m going to rip your throat out’ glare or the ‘Why do I put up with you’ glare. It seemed to have more of a confused contemplation feel to it. Stiles did not know how to respond and did not feel up to his usual bluster.

Stiles did not know if Derek found what he was looking for or if it was because his dad was headed their way, but Derek stepped back. He turned to greet his dad. Stiles shook himself to shift his mind out of neutral, where it had slipped at the touch.

Noah offered Derek his hand to shake upon greeting him. It was still odd to see his dad interacting with this part of his world. It was something he feared happening, but now that it had, it did not seem so bad.

Stiles passed them on his way to the kitchen. He needed to check on the food and set out the drinks for their guests. He let his mind focus on the food and being a good host rather than the shadow that spread across all their lives since last night.

“Gods, it feels longer than that,” he muttered to himself then realized that all the werewolves would have heard him. He shrugged it off as inconsequential.

He could hear the murmur of conversation and let it soothe him that everyone was being civil at least for the time being. He pulled the dishes out of the oven and placed them on the hot pads he had previously placed on the counter. A few more minutes of busy work had everything ready. He went to announce it.

Noah stopped him when entering the living room. “Before we eat, Melissa called with the funeral arrangements. The viewing is Wednesday evening and before the funeral on Thursday afternoon. She did not provide me with specific times, but I’m sure that can be gleaned from the obituary.”

The room’s atmosphere took a dive at the news and the reminder of the serious consequences they were facing because of the supernatural world. Stiles guessed that despite the happy appearance on some of their faces, the thought was never far away.

“Wanted to pass it on while we were all here. Food is ready. Go grab a plate and enjoy.”

The puppies were the first to head to the kitchen. They were still adjusting to their new metabolism and needed the calories even if they did not feel like eating. Allison grabbed Stiles’ shoulders and directed him back to the kitchen. It was like she knew he had not eaten much today despite his dad’s watchful eye on him.

Erica and Isaac were exchanging playful verbal barbs while filling their plates. Stiles found his mood lifting with the banter.

He answered questions about the food and where to find items before they were all settled back in the living room again. Conversation was kept light as they ate.

“I skimmed through the books on packs we found,” Noah said once they were done eating. He gained the room’s attention with those words.

Derek visibly gave Noah his attention. He seemed open to the topic, which Stiles had never seen from the ‘I’m the alpha’ attitude he usually swung around like a weapon. Maybe it was a weapon… That was something to consider later.

“I focused on sections about pack relations. It made it sound like creating various agreements between different packs was a common thing. There should be records someplace of all past alliances.”

“Probably the vault,” Derek said. “I will look through everything that’s in there as I get the time.”

There was a weight to the words and a doubt of finding the time soon.

“Packs make agreements from a simple non-aggression alliance to promising to come to the other’s aid,” Noah said. He stroked his chin. “The most common seem to be information exchanges so they would know what was happening in other supernatural communities.”

Stiles nodded. “That makes sense. How best to track threats to your territory like a pack of wendigos headed your way or hunters. Did the system break down?”

Derek shrugged. “It probably went through my mother… maybe her second and advisors… or the emissary. Laura, if she knew about it, never told me.”

“The failure to pass pack management practices on to you is a big issue,” Noah said. “Whether intentional or not, the loss of your family has interrupted the passing on of a large portion of knowledge in the intricate workings of a pack. It’s not your fault,” he quickly added. “As I said before, you were young. You only saw certain portions of running a pack.”

He took a sip of his drink. Stiles jerked in his seat when his dad pointed at him.

“It would be like Stiles trying to run the station.”

Stiles squawked. The others laughed.

“He spent a lot of time there as a kid. He may know where the keys for the cell are kept or how the filing system works or what the codes mean, but he doesn’t know what forms need to be filled out or how to set the schedule or who to contact for vehicle maintenance without someone showing him the ropes.”

“Derek wasn’t shown the ropes,” Isaac said.

“He wasn’t shown what I would consider the administrative ropes.” Noah turned his attention to the teens. “It would be like Coach Finstock putting one of you in charge of the team for a practice. You all have been on the other end and know how a practice should run.”

Those on the team nodded.

“So you could lead a practice with that knowledge. But if he put you in charge of an away game and of making all the needed arrangements with your current experience…”

“We wouldn’t know how to do that without fumbling about and asking for help,” Boyd said.

Noah nodded and smiled at Boyd. “Exactly. That is the situation Derek is in. He’s doing his best with what he knows…”

“But there are things he did not know he didn’t know,” Stiles butted in.

He glanced at Derek to gauge his mood. He was surprised at how accepting Derek appeared. He was not the only one checking on the Alpha. The betas shot him weary glances and seemed to relax after checking on him. That told Stiles that Derek was taking the news better than he expected.

“Does any of this help us with the hunters or the kanima?” Isaac asked. His eyes darted briefly at Allison.

“Not yet,” Noah said. “But I’ve only started reading. If Derek can find his mother’s contacts and reach out to other packs, they might have advice on how to deal with some of our issues or know who to ask. I think you all can help by reading through the materials we found, with Derek’s approval.”

Everyone looked to Derek. “It’s a good idea for us all to learn about these things.”

The betas all perked up at the blessing.

“Her address book was in the vault. I picked it up when we were there. I’ll start making calls tomorrow.”

Stiles forced his mouth to stay closed instead of dropping open. Derek kept surprising him, and he did not understand the change. He was taking advice and listening to Noah whereas before it was his way or the highway.

“Good.”

“The hunters?” Isaac brought them back to the topic.

“I know Chris is wrapped up in dealing with Victoria’s incarceration,” Allison said. “I don’t know how long that will be the case or what my grandfather’s plans are.”

“They have other issues coming their way,” Noah said. “Don’t go out alone or in isolated locations. Being in public can be used to your benefit.”

“Just don’t let them corner you where others can’t see,” Derek warned.

“Stay together and in places with other people around,” Noah said.

“But what of other people’s safety?” Stiles asked. “And bystanders haven’t always stopped them from acting? She did that in a room off of the rave.”

“But it was an isolated location from what I understand and the rave was a distraction of its own,” Noah said.

“And she is in jail,” Boyd pointed out.

“For the moment,” Erica muttered. “Will that hold her? They got away with things in the past.”

Noah sighed. “I can’t guarantee that she won’t nor do I know what resources they have.”

The room’s attention landed on Allison. She shook her head.

“I only just learned about all of this in January.”

“I do know Scott’s father is an FBI agent, and he is angry,” Noah added.

The betas perked up at that information.

“What should we do if approached by him?” Boyd, the ever level headed one, asked.

“That brings up a point to consider,” Noah said, directing it at Derek. “I don’t want an answer right now, but should Raf and/or Melissa be told about the supernatural? I have pros and cons for each.” Noah scratched the side of his neck. “This is your secret to share. It’s your lives that could be in jeopardy. I will share my thoughts with you if you like later.”

Derek looked pensive when he nodded.

Stiles’ mind whirled with the idea of telling Scott’s parents the truth. He was not sure if it was a good idea. It was clear that his father had reservations, but he was correct in leaving the choice in Derek’s hands.

The dynamic growing between his dad and Derek was curious. Stiles was not sure what it was or where it was going. Derek was listening to Noah and considering his advice. Maybe the answer was in the books his dad had vs. the ones he had on supernatural creatures.

“What’s our plans for the kanima?” Erica asked. “Do we continue to try to stop him or what?”

“Did you have a chance to look through those?” Derek asked Stiles and pointed to the stack of books set out of the way.

“Allison and I started looking for more information on kanima,” Stiles answered. He got a sheepish look on his face. “I kept getting distracted reading about other things.” He shot Allison a look.

“I found information verifying what we already know, but we haven’t gotten through all the books yet.”

“Maybe that’s something we can all do this evening,” Noah said.

They spent the rest of the evening looking through the books on supernatural beings and exchanging interesting facts they found.

Chapter 5

Stiles was surprised to find Derek sitting at their kitchen table when he came downstairs Sunday morning. His dad and Derek sat there with mugs in front of them.

“Hey,” Stiles spat out.

He side-eyed them as he pulled out a box of cereal for breakfast. They watched him in return. His dad was amused. He did not know why. This was unfair, and he did not know what was going on.

He joined them at the table with his bowl and mug of coffee. He took several bites of his cereal before giving in to the urge to break the silence.

“What are you two planning?” he asked.

“Planning?” Noah parroted. “What makes you think we are planning anything?” He took a sip of his coffee.

“You look like you’re planning something,” Stiles accused, pointing at his dad with his spoon.

“If we were?”

Stiles sputtered. He did not have a good answer for that except he wanted in on it. His dad’s eyes danced with mirth knowing Stiles as well as he did. Derek seemed entertained by the exchange.

Stiles jabbed another spoonful of cereal into his mouth and aggressively chewed at them.

“We were talking about telling the McCalls,” Derek answered.

Stiles deflated at the answer. “Have you decided?”

“We are going to tell Raf,” Noah answered. “His investigation will benefit from the knowledge.”

“So he is investigating the Argents?” Stiles said.

“He is. We don’t think we should tell Melissa – at least not at this time.”

Stiles tapped the spoon handle against his lips. “Is that a good idea? If she finds out later…”

“I’m afraid of what she may do if she finds out now,” Noah said. “She’s usually level-headed, but…” He shrugged in the ‘what can you do’ gesture. “She’s grieving. I think she is as likely to take it out on Derek as she is the Argents.”

Stiles took another bite of cereal and contemplated that. He had seen Melissa under stress, but the grief of losing her son the way she had… that was uncharted territory.

“Morning,” Allison said as she wandered into the kitchen while he pondered.

She helped herself to breakfast before joining them at the table.

“What are everyone’s plans today?” she asked.

“Homework,” Stiles answered. “But I don’t know how well I’ll be able to focus on it. I don’t know how well I’ll be able to focus on school either.”

He looked at his dad as he admitted it.

“I believe the death of your best friend is a valid reason for missing school,” Noah said. “I’ll call the school in the morning.”

Stiles bobbed his head and sighed. That would mean he would be home without anything to occupy him. On the other hand, he did not want to deal with the attention and questions others at school would have for him. Then he remembered there were other things he could focus on.

“Could we get more books?” he asked Derek.

Derek arched one eyebrow. “Have you finished with the ones you have?”

“Not yet, but if I’m home, I’ll go through them.”

“Ask when you get to that point,” Derek said.

Stiles was thrilled with the answer. He rubbed his hands together in anticipation of getting lost in research.

“I don’t plan on going to school either,” Allison said. “I don’t know how to do it without raising red flags. I don’t want to go into the building because Gerard will be there.”

Stiles chewed on his lip as he dissected her problem. He looked up from his empty bowl to voice a question and caught Derek staring at him. He immediately looked away when Stiles noticed. He dismissed the oddness.

“Is Gerard included on the restraining order?” Stiles asked. “Would that be a good reason for her not to go to school?”

“Did Tera include him?” Noah asked.

Allison nodded.

“Depends on the restraining order,” Noah said. “Between that and the death of her boyfriend… they may accept her absence.”

“But can I call in even if I am eighteen?”

“Could Tera do it?” Stiles asked.

Noah tapped his finger against the table. “We’ll figure it out.”

“You could enroll in one of the online schools so you can transfer out,” Derek said, surprising all of them.

Allison nodded. “I was planning on looking into my education options.” After a pause, she asked, “Will the others be safe with Gerard at the school?”

That was a good question. As the principal, he did have the power to pull people from class.

Derek stroked his short beard. “That could be a problem. I didn’t want to draw attention to them earlier by having them change schools, plus I don’t have the authority to do so.”

Stiles could not hold back a snort. “The change in them was clear as day for anyone in the know by their attitude changes – at least for Erica and Isaac.”

Allison nodded in agreement. “I might not have realized the reason at the time… but I’m sure Gerard did not miss it. I know Dad knows who your betas are.”

Derek appeared serious as he took in the information. “Their relationship with Scott is not close enough to keep them out of classes.”

“Isaac and Erica were there when he passed,” Stiles slowly said, his mind whirling with possible reasons. “Trauma of seeing a classmate killed?” He checked with his dad for verification of acceptability.

“Possibly. It will be up to their parents in Erica’s case. Isaac… isn’t he supposed to be staying with a foster family?”

“He’s been staying with me,” Derek sheepishly said.

Noah ran a hand over his eyes and sighed. “That’s something that will need to be dealt with in the future. That angle is worth a try.”

“That leaves Boyd without a reasonable excuse,” Stiles said.

“He was at the rave,” Allison pointed out. “They don’t have to know he wasn’t in the room when it happened.”

“So he can use the same excuse.” Stiles nodded. “I doubt they would question him being there since everyone thinks he and Erica are dating.”

“Worth a try,” Allison said.

“Maybe they can transfer to Devenford Prep?” Stiles said. “Would it be safer there?”

“How could they afford it?” Allison asked.

Stiles waggled his eyebrows at Derek who gave in too easily.

“I can pay for them if that’s what they want to do. They could take classes online as well or get a GED depending on what they want to do in the future. I’ll talk to them about it this afternoon before training.”

Stiles latched on to the word training and was curious how he trained his betas. “Can I come?”

“No,” Derek said.

Stiles thought that was unfair but let it go. There would be other times he could attend. However, he had other things to focus on – like the book on magic in his room.

“I want them to focus on learning control and appropriate force,” Derek said.

That was more information than he expected. Noah seemed pleased with it.

Allison took a deep breath. “Derek, I’m sorry for the role I played in what happened earlier this year.” She looked him straight in the eye.

Everyone else around the table was surprised by the sudden subject change. Derek stiffened at the mention, but he waited for her to continue.

“I’ve been thinking a lot about my family and their methods since… Friday.” Her fingers toyed with the hem of her shirt. “I’ve realized what they were telling me was manipulative lies. It doesn’t excuse me for listening to… my aunt.”

Stiles figured she was going to say ‘Kate.’ He could see her fingers still under the table from his position beside her. She sat up straighter as she pulled together her courage.

“I gave in to my fear and acted out, and I am sorry for that and what actions I took against you.” She took another deep breath before diving back in. “I don’t expect or deserve your forgiveness. I just ask for your forbearance of my presence in your territory as I break free from my family.”

Derek studied her. Stiles was sure he was picking up things from her heartbeat and chemosignals. There was a shift in his demeanor when he made a decision.

“I grant you permission to reside in Hale territory while you sort out your family issues.”

There was a solemnity that came with the words. It was as if a monarch had made a declaration.

“What do you plan to do after?” Derek asked.

“I haven’t given it much thought. I’ve been focusing on getting out from under their control in every way before focusing on what to do after. I’ll have to finish high school – obviously.” She shrugged. “I don’t have any other family to go to that I know of.”

“If they do exist, they are probably hunters,” Stiles said.

She directed a finger gun at him acknowledging the point. “I should probably change my name, but I don’t know if that would keep them from tracking me down.” She pushed a hand through her hair and sighed. “One step at a time.”

snbrk

That afternoon, Allison’s phone lit up with an incoming call. She bit her lip and looked at Stiles for support.

“You might as well answer it and get it over with.”

She nodded and decided to answer it on speaker.

“Where are you?” Chris demanded.

She closed her eyes. She was cutting ties with all that she knew.

“I’m safe, but I don’t want to be at the house or a part of the crusade you have crafted to justify killing innocent beings.”

“We protect people,” he insisted.

She could not keep the scoff of disbelief from escaping. “Who were you protecting by killing Scott?” she spat out.

“Your mother was acting to protect you,” he tried.

“Protect me!” she yelled. “Protect me from my boyfriend who had done nothing that would allow you to hunt him per your code. And dating me is not a valid reason!”

“He was an omega. It was only time…” Chris tried.

She laughed. It was a cruel and distrustful laugh. “With that logic, why don’t we just kill everything supernatural? Or how about let’s kill everyone who lives in the slums because they will eventually become part of a gang or commit a crime? We should be proactive after all.”

Stiles gave her a thumbs up.

“It’s not the same,” he insisted.

“From where I’m standing, I’m not seeing a difference between you and any other hate group, and I want nothing to do with you. Victoria is where she belongs.”

“We’re working on getting her out. It’s more involved than usual, but your grandfather thinks she will be free within a few weeks.”

Allison wanted to scream. He was not listening or responding to what she was saying.

“What humans are you going to pay off or kill to do that?” She hurled the words with all the venom of betrayal she felt. “I thought we were here to protect humans, not corrupt them.”

“We’re not. They see our side once things are explained to them…”

“And if they don’t, what do you do? Threaten them with guns, hurting their family, permanently removing them? What do you do, Father? What innocent blood do you have on your hands? What upstanding and law-abiding thing do you do to get your way?”

“Alli,” he pleaded. “It’s not like that. They are siding with the monsters.”

Allison tugged at her hair. Stiles watched her with concern.

“And that makes them less in your eyes! If they aren’t on your side, then they aren’t people, because that’s what I’m hearing. Does that mean you are going to kill those who witnessed Victoria murder Scott?”

“They’re creatures. They are a threat…”

“Or associates of creatures,” she spat out. “My date wasn’t involved until we walked in. He’s already provided video evidence of what happened. Are you going to make it disappear? What are you going to do to silence me? I was there. I saw what she did.”

“Allison, you don’t know what you are saying. You can’t testify against your mother.”

“Why not? Are you going to lock me away until I’m brainwashed to believe the acrobatic logic you apply to justify your life choices?”

“You’re twisting it all around,” he insisted. “We have a calling…”

“… a duty to the world,” she spat out. “Yeah, I heard all that when you wanted to know if I knew anything about who the killer was. I’m done with your manipulations and with the family. Goodbye, Chris.”

She stabbed the end button and promptly shut her phone off. She wanted to throw her phone across the room but restrained herself.

“Noah!” She was surprised to find him standing in the doorway. “How long have you been there?”

“Since you accused him of silencing witnesses,” Noah said.

Stiles held up his phone. “I recorded it even if it won’t do us any good as evidence.”

“It might,” Noah said.

“It might let them get off on a case of insanity,” Stiles pointed out.

“Send me a copy and let me ponder it,” Noah said.

Stiles tapped at his phone. Noah’s phone chimed receipt. Then Stiles turned to Allison. “Are you sure you included your grandfather specifically on the restraining order?”

“Yes. Why?”

“Good.” Stiles tapped his lip. “I keep forgetting him, but he always seems to be in the background…” Stiles shook his head. “I don’t know… there’s something…. He’s been doing this for a while… Chris mentioned him taking care of things.”

“You think he’s more involved than he appears?” Noah asked.

“Maybe.” Stiles shrugged. “Undeniably he’s involved, but I’ve never seen him take direct action. It’s always Chris and his men.”

“He’s the general behind the foot soldiers,” Noah offered. “Which means he could act without being noticed because the attention is on the others.”

Stiles nodded. “I just wonder if there is more to his plans than what we see. What do we know of him and his modus operandi?” He looked at Allison.

She shrugged. “I only just met him this year. I don’t have much insight.”

Stiles huffed in frustration and tapped his fingers on the table. “I don’t like the way he fades into the background. It’s what I would want if I was up to something – everyone looking elsewhere. Up to now, I have been too occupied to realize the threat.”

Allison realized Stiles was correct. They all considered Gerard a threat because he was an Argent and a hunter, but there was always something more important they needed to deal with than watching him.

snbrk

Noah invited Raf into Derek’s loft. The man was suspicious when he called but information about possible threats to the case against the Argents was enough to get him to come over. He was not impressed with the half-renovation appearance Derek’s place had going on.

“Raf McCall, this is Derek Hale.”

Raf homed in on Derek probably because of the direction Noah had pointed him during the call with Melissa.

“Derek, Agent McCall.”

Derek nodded to the man but stayed silent. Noah knew he was not comfortable with bringing Raf in on the secret, but he agreed it should be done. Having someone with a higher authority would be needed if they wanted to take the Argents out.

Noah directed them to the table to talk.

Raf looked between Derek and Noah. “What do you know?”

Noah still was not sure which points would be best presented first, but he opted for the recording. He pulled out his phone and set it on the table. He opened the recording but did not press play just yet.

“Allison Argent has been at my house hiding from her family for the past two days,” Noah prefaced. “This afternoon her dad called her wanting to know where she was. Words were exchanged. Stiles recorded it.”

He hit play. They listened to the exchange. He watched Raf’s reaction to it. He was confused at points, but he held his questions until it finished.

“How do they plan to get her out?” Raf asked.

“Don’t know,” Noah said.

“Bribery was used when Kate killed my family,” Derek said.

Raf focused on Derek. “You know she killed your family?”

“She bragged about it when she attacked me back in January.”

Noah was surprised Derek was being this open. Then he was at the end of Raf’s disdainful glare. “That did not show up in any of your reports?”

“Because it wasn’t reported.” Noah did not let the attitude get to him.

Raf rubbed his temple. “What else wasn’t reported that is crucial to the investigation?”

Derek had agreed, but Noah checked with him before pushing Raf down the rabbit hole.

“The reason, as I have recently found out, is because they had a secret they felt they needed to protect. Derek’s family were werewolves.” There was the look of you’re crazy he was expecting. “Derek, if you please.”

Derek shifted into his beta face and growled. Noah tried to not show his pleasure derived from watching Raf tumble out of his seat as he tried to jump back and away from the sudden threat. He fumbled for his gun and aimed it at Derek.

“The Argents hunt supernatural beings like Derek and Scott,” Noah continued. He waited for that to percolate through Raf’s brain and mix with what he heard on the recording.

“Scott was a werewolf?”

“Since January,” Derek answered.

Raf’s gun did not move off of Derek, who leaned back in his chair without a care in the world.

“That’s why his asthma got better.” Noah kept an eye on Raf and made sure to not be between the gun and Derek. “Also how he got better at lacrosse suddenly.”

Derek studied his clawed fingers and appeared to be ignoring Raf. Raf glanced between them before putting his gun away and retaking his seat. He was still rattled but was quickly gaining his wits.

“You are telling me this for a reason,” Raf stated.

Derek shifted back. “You are currently working at a disadvantage without knowing all the facts.”

“Facts that would make me seem crazy.”

“I think that’s part of what the hunters count on,” Noah said.

“And the fact that we are taught early on to not let people know what we are and keep a low profile for our safety,” Derek said. “Technically, hunters are supposed to follow a code and go after those who pose a threat like a feral wolf or wendigos. Some are ‘proactive’ and decide to get rid of a whole pack before they can be a threat by burning them in their home.” He snarled the last sentence.

Raf leaned back in his chair. His lips pursed in thought. “Obviously, I need more information. First, does Melissa know?”

“No. Stiles said Scott hadn’t told her,” Noah said. “We thought about it… but what good would it do at this point for her to know.”

Raf nodded. “She’s already ranting about what Mrs. Argent deserves. Knowing that would not help. So, what do I need to know?”

They spent the next two hours debriefing Raf on the supernatural world, hunters, the Romeo and Juliet romance between Scott and Allison, and what had gone down in the town in the past three months.

“No one has questioned the string of murders – either of them?”

“Animal attacks were blamed for several of the first ones,” Noah said. “Chris Argent even killed a cougar as the culprit. The most recent set, we were working on but didn’t know of the connection between them when I was sent on leave.”

Raf rubbed his face. “To recap, supernatural beings are real, one such being is on the loose killing people because it’s instructed to and we don’t know why they are being killed, a family of supernatural hunters is in town to harass the local supernaturals and take out the kanima.”

Derek looked at his phone. “Or take out its master.”

The men look at Derek. “Stiles found new information. Whoever kills the kanima’s master becomes the new master.”

“That puts a new spin on things,” Noah said.

Derek’s phone pinged with a new text message then another. He read the messages. “Seems he found an entire chapter dedicated to kanima in one of the books. He’s texting me facts as he reads them – apparently.”

Raf leaned back in his chair, his fingers tapping on the table. Slowly he said, “Could that be a reason the hunters focused more on you than the kanima that night? If they want to be its master, they wouldn’t want you interfering or knowing…”

“True.” Derek looked out the dirty windows. “But…,” he shook his head, “I don’t believe that was the reason for their action… at least knowingly.” He looked back at Raf. “I can understand them wanting to control a kanima, but the master’s best defense is anonymity.”

“Otherwise you are putting a target on your back,” Raf stated.

Derek nodded.

“If they used the kanima on hunter business, wouldn’t their identity be sussed out quickly?” Noah asked.

Raf crossed his arms on the tabletop and leaned forward. “What if they have another use for the kanima – not directly hunter related?”

Noah leaned back in his chair and stroked his chin. “Yes, that tracks but does not narrow down the possibilities of what they want the kanima for.”

“Power,” Raf said.

“But power just to have power or is there a purpose behind it?” Noah asked.

Raf huffed and rubbed his face. “We’re more likely to catch them if it’s the first… but the second…”

“They’re a planner and will better cover their tracks,” Noah said.

“Yes.” Raf looked at them. “Who among the hunters do you think would fit that profile?”

Noah paused. “Stiles pointed out that Gerard always is in the background – he goes unnoticed because of everything else going on.”

Raf leaned back and rested a finger against his lips. “A strong candidate from what I have learned about him. I’ll have them dig deeper into him.”

“Are they sending a team in?” Noah asked.

“Yes,” Raf answered. “Connections to the Argents are being made across the country now that we’re looking. It’s enough to dig deeper and question them.”

“But not enough to arrest them,” Noah supplied.

“Not yet.” Raf addressed Derek, “I’m going to feel out my boss on the werewolf topic. If he doesn’t think I’ve cracked under the pressure and needs a demonstration, would you be willing to be evidence?”

Derek stiffened up and looked to Noah for support.

Noah nodded encouragingly. “The more information they have the better they can do their jobs and get the Argents in jail where they belong.”

“If he’s receptive and it doesn’t endanger my pack,” Derek said.

“Agreed,” Raf said.

snbrk

Stiles checked to see who was at the door before opening it. He was not expecting any visitors. Lydia stood on his porch with arms crossed and not looking too pleased. He opened the door.

“Lydia, what a surprise.” She pushed past him. He rolled his eyes and knew he should not expect anything different from her. “Come in. How are you this fine Sunday afternoon?”

“I have questions that you can help me answer,” she declared.

Stiles rubbed his neck. “Allison said you would.” He motioned to the living room.

She pranced into the room. She stopped and looked around at the books scattered around. She picked one up and opened it. She sank into the nearest chair and flipped through it.

Stiles sat down on the couch and let her look. She would be easier to deal with if she had more sources to consult. He did pick up one of the more basic introduction books and held it toward her.

“This will give you a good overview,” Stiles said.

She plucked it from his hand and set it between her leg and the chair’s arm. “I want to know why I wasn’t affected by the bite.”

“I don’t know yet.” He held his hands up in the air in a warding gesture. “The first group of books we pulled was more focused on general information. These,” he gestured to a stack of books, “Derek brought over this morning with the hope of finding the answer. I haven’t had time to get through them yet.”

“Hand one over!” she said.

Stiles picked up the top book and did as asked. He retrieved one for himself. After several minutes of scanning, he closed the book.

“After the bite, did you have any reaction or odd things happen to you? I know you were wandering in the woods…”

She glared at him. He rubbed his temple and pressed on.

“Scott had odd dreams and woke up in the woods not long after being turned because Peter Hale was trying to call him to his side.”

She flinched at Peter’s name. Slowly he put down his book and leaned closer.

“Lydia, what’s happening to you?”

“That’s what I’m here to find out,” she snapped but did not take her eyes off the page.

Stiles moistened his lips. He knew he needed to tread carefully. “I can not help if you don’t trust me with the facts. Trust that I understand how insane this all is. I won’t share what you tell me without permission, but I do need the facts to know when what I read is pertinent.”

He closed his mouth and waited. He could see the war going on within her in her eyes. It would do no good to hurry her. The decision to trust him was up to her.

“I’ve been seeing a young Peter Hale,” she slowly confided in him.

Stiles cocked his head as he took in that revelation. “In dreams…?”

She hesitated. She studied him intently – weighing him. “More like hallucinations. At first I thought he was a real person. He talked to me like he was.” She wrapped her arms around herself. “Once I realized who I was talking to… I thought I was going crazy.”

“That is the one thing you are not,” Stiles assured. He stroked his chin. “You were the last person he bit… you did not change… so either there was something different about the bite or something different about you.” She looked like she was ready to protest. “If it kept you from becoming a werewolf under crazy Peter then it’s a good thing. We just need to figure out what and find out how to use it to your advantage.”

“What does it mean if it’s something he did?” There was fear in her voice.

“We still figure out how to turn it on him. We figure out what he’s planning.”

“You need to know what I know to figure that out,” she hesitantly admitted.

“Yes, and there’s a lot we need to learn.” He tapped the book in his lap. “Derek’s reaching out to his mother’s contacts, so there’s another new source of information. We will figure it out.”

They turned back to the books.

An hour later Lydia made a noise of discovery. “The bite won’t work if the person is already a supernatural being.” They exchanged grins.

“That means you are somehow supernatural… but what and why wouldn’t you already know?”

“Maybe it’s dormant,” she offered.

“Or needs a trigger…” Stiles shook his head. “There’s just so much I still don’t know.” He chewed his lip. “Ok… if it is passed down through family lines…,” he waved a hand in the air, “like how the Hales had werewolf and human children.”

Lydia nodded seeing where he was going. “Could those born humans have werewolf children? Do they carry inactive genetics? How do supernatural genetics work? If it’s passed from parent to child, then are they just a different evolutionary path of homo sapiens? Or are homo sapiens divergent from them?”

There was an intense scientific inquiry in her ponderings. It was not an angle Stiles had stopped to consider before.

“Maybe… a certain set of genetics is needed for the bite to take.” Stiles jumped in on tossing out theories. “If you don’t have it – bite rejection.”

“If you have something similar but not quite right, nothing happens.” Lydia sounded like she was feeling out the idea versus believing it. “Maybe the receptors are there but not the right keyhole so nothing happens…”

“Or would it still activate it?” Stiles asked. “Maybe the key fit, but what it triggered was the traits of whatever supernatural being is in your genetics.”

She pondered that for a while. “What supernatural being do I descend from and how do we find out?”

“Would your mother know anything?”

She shook her head. “If she did, she wouldn’t acknowledge it. I don’t know which side of the family it comes from.”

Stiles tapped his thumb against his leg rapidly. “We need to research your family history for any clues and continue working through the books. Plus, we still need to figure out how to deal with the current supernatural situation and the Argents.” He ran a hand over the top of his head and buzzed hair. “You only need to focus on the first two…”

Lydia hesitated, and that caught his attention. “Allison said Jackson’s wrapped up in this… without knowing. That’s why he’s been acting like he has.”

Stiles nodded.

“I want to help him if I can.”

“What did she tell you about the situation?”

She told him. Then he filled her in on the situation from his end of things. He explained what they knew and what they suspected.

“You don’t know much more than what I translated for Allison,” Lydia said, dissatisfied.

Stiles waved an arm over the books. “I’m working through these in the hope of finding something new and helpful. But no luck yet.”

“We’ve got a lot of reading ahead of us.”

Chapter 6

Allison had opted to set her phone to silent instead of totally off today in case those few people she was talking to needed to contact her. Currently she was waiting with Noah for a judge to hear her case for the restraining order against her family.

The phone buzzed with an incoming text. She glanced to see who it was from.

Matt: Are you alright?

Matt: You aren’t in school?

She realized that she had not talked to him since that night. A part of her sort of felt bad about it, but there was so much going on and he was probably safer the less he was involved.

Allison: With everything that happened… I just couldn’t be in school

Allison: they would be asking questions and saying things…

Matt: true. They are doing all of that without you here.

Matt: In fact, the absence of several people has caught their attention.

Allison: Sorry, I should have given you a heads-up about that. You saw what happened.

Allison: I’ve been focused on getting away from my family after what Victoria did.

Allison: be careful around any of my family.

Allison: things have come to light… they are not safe.

Matt: ????

Matt: You think they will come after me?

Allison: I don’t know. Chris seemed to think Gerard would smooth things over for Victoria…

Allison: I suspect he might not have been as unknowing of what Kate was doing… you do know she is the reason for the Hale fire?

Matt: Yes. They were talking about you in school then as well.

Allison: She had to get the money to bribe the inspector from someplace…

Matt: you think they will try to bribe me?

Allison: I honestly don’t know how far they will go… buy you off, threaten you… or worse. O.O

Allison: Be careful… please. I don’t want something to happen to you because you are involved with me.

Matt: It’s worth the risk.

Allison shook her head at the naive remark.

Allison: I would feel better if you don’t take the risk. Maybe back up the recording.

Allison: in several locations

Matt: Are you safe?

She answered with a shrugging emoticon.

Allison: I’m doing things that will hopefully keep me safe

Allison: I’m trying to get a restraining order against my family and their associates

Matt: If they are as you fear, will that stop them?

Allison: If something happens to me, they will be at the top of the suspect list.

Matt replied with a string of frowning faces.

Allison: I’m avoiding them for now. If they don’t know where I am, then they can’t lock me away.

Matt: Would they do that?

Allison: I wouldn’t put it past them after what I learned about the family history…

Matt: you make them sound like the mob or something

Allison: or something.

Allison: think of it more like a cult or extreme supremacist group

Matt: sounds bad

Allison’s fingers hovered over the keyboard. She had told him a lot more than she planned… but he needed to know the danger he was facing. She hoped he took it seriously.

Allison: potentially

Allison: Look at what Victoria did because she didn’t like the fact Scott and I had dated…

Matt: were you really taking a break from each other?

Allison bit her lower lip.

Allison: we were trying to… because of family pressure… Scott…

Allison: Scott was determined to make things work…

She blinked her eyes several times as she typed.

Allison: He thought if we got through just one more hurdle… or hid it long enough for them to forget… like they would ever forget…

Allison: he was so optimistic and persistent

Allison: It was admirable but also annoying at times because he thought he could do it himself.

Allison: Sorry, I’m dumping this on you…

Matt: It’s alright. You’re grieving.

Matt: I want to be there for you

Allison: Thanks. I feel like there are few on my side at the moment.

Matt: If you need a place to stay or someone to talk to or just need your mind taken off of things…

Allison: I appreciate the offer, but I don’t want you pulled into this mess farther than you already are. If you can, avoid Gerard – especially at school.

Matt: I’ll be careful.

Allison: Great. I have to go. And, thanks for checking on me.

Matt: I’m happy you’re ok – all things considered.

Allison shoved her phone back into her pocket as she stood up.

“They are ready,” Noah said.

She followed him into the judge’s chamber.

snbrk

The front door closed, and Stiles watched as his dad and Allison left for her appointment to see the judge about her restraining order. Stiles finished tidying up the kitchen from breakfast. With Allison staying with them and the pack’s more frequent visits, more dishes were being used. It was best to have things washed and put away before the kitchen was needed to be used again for the larger numbers.

He was sure Allison was waiting at the courthouse by the time he was done. He rushed up the stairs and sat at his bedroom desk. His fingers eagerly pulled the magic books from where he had secured them in his desk drawer. He was anxious to get back to them.

Magic was real!

He was not surprised based on werewolves, yet he still found it exciting. What kind of magic was real? Was it casting spells like Harry Potter or more rituals like in the Deryni series? Where does the power come from? Is it something you are born able to do or can anyone do it with the right knowledge? What was possible with it? How can magic affect his life and the lives of his family and friends?

One of the questions with interesting implications was are magic users considered part of the supernatural world.

He knows hunters use mountain ash to trap supernatural beings. Is that something anyone can do or do they need a predisposition to use it? If they do… where does it come from… is the ability supernatural? That blurred the lines between hunters and what they hunt. Could those lines be blurred enough to call them hypocrites?

Granted Stiles saw them as hypocrites already based on their lack of following their ‘code.” But, coming at it from this side had appeal…. They would never admit to it being the case. That would ruin their worldview.

He had so many questions that no one wanted or could answer. These books were his first solid source on the topic. Deaton’s cryptic words about being the spark were not helpful even if he did succeed in creating an ash line around the warehouse.

He opened the book to where he quit last night and dove in. A knock at his window pulled him away from his reading. Derek scowled at him from the other side. He checked the time and realized close to two hours had passed.

Stumbling from his seat, he opened the window. Derek slid through and into the room with ease that Stiles found he… envied. Definitely not admired. He slid a backpack off and set it on Stiles’ bed.

“These books may hold information on what you asked about.” Derek pulled books out of the bag and placed them on the bed.

Stiles pulled his eyes from watching him and to the books. “Thanks. I have a feeling we need to figure out what’s going on with her.” He rubbed the back of his neck. “But there’s so much going on, and so much we need to find answers for.” Stiles flopped back into his chair. “The clock is ticking for all of it.” He bit his lower lip. He focused back on Derek whose eyes darted upward at the action. “Then there’s Scott’s death…. At times I want to curl into a ball and let my sorrow consume me, and then I bury myself in research – to help Allison, to learn about the supernatural, to forget it all. Then I feel like the worst person in the world because I’m not mourning for Scott.”

Stiles rubbed at his chest. “It hurts no matter what I do..”

Derek took a slow long breath. He squatted in front of Stiles and placed a hand on his knee to get his attention.

“It does, and it will. You will have time to grieve at the funeral.” He paused searching for words. “In the meantime, you do what you have to do to deal with it in healthy ways.”

Stiles snorted. “So no drowning my sorrows in alcohol.” He shook his head and then ran a hand through his hair. “I’ve seen that. It’s not pretty.”

Concern creased Derek’s brow. Stiles waved the comment away and directed the conversation to other things.

“How are the puppies doing?”

Derek rolled his eyes and moved to sit on the edge of Stiles’ bed. “They’re focusing on training and finding control. Probably for the same reason you are going through books at the rate you are. Between their new focus and the materials I found on training turned wolves… they are progressing really well.”

“So no chaining them up for their first full moon?” Stiles thought back to Scott’s first one with very mixed feelings.

“I want them someplace safe and secure until the moon rises and their control is tested, but I think they will have only minor control issues, as long as there are no other stressors. They still have over a week to work on it.”

“Good for them.” Stiles spun around once. “What do you think about the information I sent you on the kanima?”

This time Derek looked pensive. “Concerning. I didn’t realize something like that would corrupt the change to a werewolf or the master could be changed.” He looked down at the floor. “I’m lucky the others didn’t have such insecurities.”

Stiles picked the stress ball up off his desk and tossed it into the air and caught it. “I don’t think it’s the absence of such issues,” he said slowly. He tossed and caught the ball. He felt Derek’s eyes on him. “I think the issues were not as central to who they are… if I’m understanding it right. We’re teenagers, we all have insecurities about who we are.”

Derek snorted at that.

“But… Lydia and I talked about it. I remember when Jackson found out he was adopted.” He caught the ball and squeezed it. “He’s always been a jerk… but he changed when he found out. I never understood why.”

“Lydia knows?”

“I think so, but she was not forthcoming with it… at this time at least.”

“Is she planning something on her own?” Derek leaned forward with the intensity of a concerned general.

Stiles shrugged. “I’m sure she is putting things together. Depending on what it is will dictate what or if she shares it with us.”

There was a growl from Derek.

Stiles threw the ball at Derek. “Play nice!”

Derek caught the ball. “She could be a threat to us… and we’re giving her information to aid in that.”

Stiles planted his feet on the floor and leaned forward, bracing his elbows on his knees. The move brought him and Derek almost face to face.

“Lydia is out for herself, but if working with us is more beneficial to her success…”

“She’ll use us,” Derek growled.

“Yes, but we are using her in exchange, and she will know it. And, I think…” he paused and rubbed at his chest. “We need her help on this. She knows Jackson best. I think that’s why he’s pushed her away…”

Derek cocked his head and his expression softened. “You think the kanima master has that much control over his actions?”

Stiles leaned back in his chair. “According to what we read, yes, the master can in time.” He stood up and started pacing. “There are no definite timelines given.” He waved an arm through the air. “Which I am interpreting to mean it depends on how the master develops the bond between them. I have no clue how that bond is created or how the kanima chooses the master.”

He stopped and turned to face Derek. “Whoever is the master, obviously feels like he’s been wronged and the people he’s killing need to pay for it. There’s been four, so far that we know of, and we don’t know how many more are on his list. I’m sure the master is aware of us.”

Derek raised an eyebrow asking for clarification for that assessment.

“I think the incident at the pool is a giveaway.”

“True.”

“And the hunters are on his radar. I think things would have gone down differently at the rave if the hunters were not considered, at least, a roadblock to his success.”

“He has the power of the kanima at his disposal. Why would he see them as hindering his plans?”

“One, we don’t know what he knows about the supernatural world. Maybe he is being cautious because he thinks they have a way to stop the kanima or he has a vendetta against them and has plans for them.” Stiles dropped back into his chair. “I think Jackson would have been on the dancefloor where we expected him if either or both sides’ actions that night were not anticipated.”

Derek nodded after pondering the point. “So, us going after Jackson was expected and the attack was held off until we were busy confronting each other.”

“That’s my working theory for the moment,” Stiles said.

“What happens when the master reaches the end of the list?”

“Nothing good from the past incidents we found. Honestly, I’m not seeing a big difference from the pattern of a serial killer in it. They just find more people to kill for real or made-up injustices. They all come to a bad end, but the books don’t elaborate much on how or why.

“They lack a lot of crucial information actually.” He crossed his arms and huffed in annoyance.

“I doubt many are direct eye-witness accounts. They are stories collected second and third-hand. Who knows how they were embellished,” Derek pointed out.”

Stiles ran both hands through his hair. “I find that infuriating. Even when we make a plan, we can’t be sure if it’s the right thing.”

“There’s no guarantee of the right plan going as planned,” Derek pointed out. “And when do we ever have time to plan?”

“I know,” Stiles whined. “But the more we know…”

Derek pointed to the open book on the desk. “Are the magic books helpful?”

Stiles nodded. He swiveled around and picked up the book. “They are answering some of my questions. Of course, they also create more… but in a good way.”

“Good.”

“There seem to be different types of magic. Some anyone can do – like being a druid.”

“Might explain why druids are often emissaries. I was reading through past records and other magic users filled that role for my family in the past.”

Stiles perked up at a bit of new information. “Like who?”

“The first was a shaman of the local native tribes.”

“Interesting. I haven’t found anything on shaman magic yet.”

“Doubt you will. They don’t share their secrets with outsiders.”

Stiles tapped the pen on the edge of his desk. “Probably not the same as druids either. Any others?”

“One Wiccan and a couple of sparks and even a dryad once. No sorcerers – I guess they are often too self and academic-focused to be of use.”

Stiles sat up as if electrocuted. “Spark… what’s that?”

“A spark is a type of natural magic user. It can often be traced back to fey heritage – fey as in the Seelie and Unseelie courts. Not magical creatures like nymphs or dryads. They tend to have elemental-oriented magic – from what I understand.” Derek studied Stiles. “Is it important?”

Stiles rubbed his chin. “Deaton told me to be the spark… Do you think he was hinting at more?”

Derek shrugged. “Who knows with him? I never can get a true read on him even with my enhanced senses.”

Stiles nodded. “Makes sense that he would know how to do that if he was an emissary. You wouldn’t want to give things away to super sniffers during negotiations. But that doesn’t answer my question – am I a spark? Is that why I can use mountain ash?”

Derek shrugged.

Stiles pointed finger guns at Derek. “So another topic to add to my research list – sparks and am I one. If I am, what does that mean for me…”

“Next round, I’ll see if there’s anything about sparks.” Derek cocked his head. “They’re back.”

“Hopefully it went well, and Allison got her restraining order.”

snbrk

Tuesday, after school, Lydia showed up at Stiles’ home to continue researching with a determination she did not often show at school.

“Good, more books,” she said upon entering and assessing the living room turned research room.

“Derek brought more over – ones he thought might help now that we have new directions to look.”

Lydia sat down and picked up a book. “Have you looked through them?”

“Not thoroughly.”

Allison came down the stairs. “Did I hear Lydia?”

“Yes,” Stiles answered.

Allison sat down beside her friend. “Good news, the restraining orders have been delivered to Chris and Gerard .”

“Good,” Lydia said.

“How are things at school?” Allison picked up a book as well.

“They’re still talking about what your… Victoria did and speculated about everything from your absence to what else she’s done.” She flipped her hair over her shoulder.

“Not surprising,” Stiles muttered and picked up the book he was working through.

snbrk

Allison checked the address and suite number one more time before she got out of her car. Nothing about the building said there was an FBI office. She had not even realized there was an FBI office in town until they called asking her if she would come in and answer some questions for them.

Stiles had quickly corroborated its years of existence. It was not a large office, according to Noah. She had agreed to a 4 PM appointment.

She took the elevator up to the third floor and entered 314. Two desks were shoehorned into the main room. The attention of the three agents gathered around one of the desks snapped to her on entering. She took a small step back but offered more of a grimace than a smile along with a hesitant wave.

“Hi,” she squeaked.

“Miss Argent, thank you for coming,” one of the agents said, extending a hand as she approached her. “I’m Senior Agent Kairi Aguirre.”

Allison shook the cool hand. “I hope I can be of help.”

Agent Aguirre headed to the closest door. “Please come into the conference room.”

Allison followed her into the room. The agent stepped over the cords of the video conferencing system without thought as she circled the small table.

“Would you like something to drink?” She motioned to the back table that appeared to double for their break room based on the coffee pot, microwave, and box of utensils as well as the apartment refrigerator jammed into the corner.

“I’m fine for now.” Allison pulled out a chair and sat.

Aguirre asked for permission to record the interview and set everything up once it was given.

“Please recount the events of Friday, March 17th for me.”

“Where should I start?” Allison asked.

“Wherever you think it should start.”

Allison folded her hands on the table and took a breath. “Matt and I walked around checking things out once we got there. Ran into Scott. He was surprised I was there.”

They had talked with Noah about what and how they should approach the interviews and phrase any supernatural activities if asked. She was going to leave talking to Scott out. However, Matt knew they went off and talked. Who knew if others they interviewed saw and remembered them? It was best to put it out there on her terms.

“Why?”

“Because I hadn’t told him I was going. We had agreed I should go on a date with other guys as a cover for us dating. I ran into Matt not long after. He asked me to go to the rave he just got tickets to. I said yes.”

Aguirre made notes on her pad of paper and indicated she should continue.

“Matt and I ended up sitting on the sideline talking until I got a text from my dad. We moved to find better cell reception and texted him back. That’s when I heard a scream or a howl of pain. I went to see what was going on and if I could help. Matt came with me. We saw smoke drifting out from under a door and opened it. My mother was standing over Scott with that contraption putting smoke into the air.”

Allison balled her hands and then released the tension one finger at a time. She shook her head.

“I don’t remember the exact words we exchanged… Matt recorded it. Maybe you can get them from it if you need them. She said he was getting what he deserved. He called my name. I went to help him. His lips were blue. He stopped breathing, and I performed CPR.”

She moistened her lips. Aguirre pushed the box of tissues toward her. That was when she realized there were tears slowly rolling down her face. She tugged a tissue out and wiped them away. She breathed through the wave of emotions the memory carried with it.

“Stiles and his friends showed up. He helped with the CPR until the paramedics came and took Scott to the hospital.”

“What did you do afterward?”

“I went home, packed, and went somewhere I felt would be safe.”

“Why did you not feel safe at home?”

Allison looked Agent Aguirre in the eye. “I just watched my mother kill my boyfriend because they did not like him. My aunt was implicated as being responsible for the Hale fire. It’s not a promising track record. The way they talked about Scott…” She shook her head. “It was like he wasn’t even human. They were pressuring me to follow in the family business… to protect people… but after what I saw… It’s a bunch of bullshit. I don’t want anything to do with it. If I stayed, they would try to pull me in, try to convince me it was for my own good… who knows, they may even have tried locking me away until I saw things their way.”

“What way is that?” Aguirre was interested.

Allison bit her thumbnail. “I don’t have proof and you might think I’m crazy, but… I don’t think the Hales were the only family Kate did that to or something similar. Some of the things they are saying feel like indoctrination into a cult once I stopped and questioned it after that night.”

“Can you give me an example?”

Allison nodded. “Our family’s duty is to protect society from certain types of people and things like that.”

Aguirre made more notes. “How long have you and Scott been dating?”

“Since January, not long after we moved here.”

“You move a lot?”

“Constantly. I would just get settled into a school, and we would up and move because of the business. I hated it.”

“Did they ever tell you what about the business required so much moving?”

Allison huffed. “No. They always sidestepped the issue or directed the conversation elsewhere when I asked. I should have found that suspicious, shouldn’t I?”

“Not necessarily. It was the standard pattern in your life. We often don’t stop and think about questioning such things.” She looked at her notes. “Can you provide us with a list of where you lived and roughly when?”

“Sure. I can write down most of them for you now.”

A pad of paper and a pen were pushed across the table to her. She started with the most recent and worked her way back based on what grade she was in.

“That should be most of them.” She returned the pad to Aguirre. “I’m sure I missed one or two of the shorter residencies. I can look through my diary for those.”

“That will be helpful.” Aguirre handed her a business card. “You can contact me by phone or e-mail.”

“You suspect more things like Scott,” Allison said.

Agent Aguirre did not sugarcoat it but was still compassionate when she answered. “We do. We can look for other related cases based on where you lived and figure out who was involved.”

Allison closed her eyes for a moment. “I knew there was a possibility… Stiles speculated…” She opened her eyes. “Sorry, it’s one thing to think it’s a possibility in passing…”

“I understand. Did your parents travel from home for business?”

“Sometimes.”

“Any trips longer than a few days?”

Allison had to stop and think about that. “A few. Chris traveled more than Victoria, but they both did a longer trip once every year or two. I can pull any information about their trips and when that I recorded in my diary as well.”

“That will be helpful. Thank you.”

snbrk

Noah escorted Stiles up to the FBI office and internally sighed at how long the week already was. It was only Wednesday morning. They had the viewing and the funeral still ahead of them.

“I’ll be cool and calm under pressure. No rambling,” Stiles muttered.

Noah placed a hand on Stiles’ back. “Take a breath.” Stiles did. “You will do fine.”

“Noah,” greeted Jaeden Collins when they entered. He noticed Stiles at his side. “Not here in your official capacity?”

“No. We’re here to see Agent Aguirre about the McCall case,” Noah said. “Currently, I’m on suspension per the mayor’s orders.” He shrugged clearly saying “What can you do?”

Both agents were surprised at the news. Raised voices interrupted their conversation. They all looked toward the closed door.

Agent Collins stood. “We had an unexpected visitor.” He came to their side and motioned to the door. “Let’s go up to the other office space we rented for the visiting agents until Aguirre finishes with Mr. Argent.”

“Chris or Gerard?” Stiles asked.

Noah guided Stiles out the door with hands on his shoulders. Collins was right behind them.

“Chris. He was not pleased we talked to his daughter.”

“How did he find out?” Noah asked.

Collins shrugged. “Not sure.” There was a hardness to his voice when he added, “We are looking into it. Luke, let Aguirre know where I’ve taken them.”

Luke made a sound of acknowledgment as they exited the office.

They walked up the stairs to the next floor and into a suite that was bigger than they had the floor below. Several agents were working in the three-room suite. Collins gave a short explanation for their presence and offered them seats.

“So why are you suspended?” Collins asked.

Stiles lifted a hand. “That’s sort of my fault.”

“Not all of it,” Noah said.

Collins cocked his head studying Stiles.

“Scott and I borrowed the prisoner transport vehicle… for reasons.” Stiles sputtered at the end. He rubbed the back of his neck. “It involved Jackson Whitmore and then his dad…”

Collins whistled. “His dad did something that led to Noah’s suspension.”

Noah nodded. “Restraining order against Stiles. Add on all the unsolved and odd events in the past few months…” He waved a hand as if encompassing the reasons. “The mayor thought it was best if I took a break while others looked into things.”

“Sounds like shady reasoning,” Collins said.

“Right!” Stiles nodded enthusiastically and with finger guns.

“What sort of odd things?” Collins asked.

“The deaths earlier this year for one,” Noah said.

“Weren’t those attributed to animal attacks?” Collins asked.

“They were. Chris was the one to shoot the cougar.”

“Was he…” Collins said thoughtfully. Before he could ask any other probing questions the door opened. He waved the woman who entered the suite over. “This is Senior Agent Aguirre. She’s leading the team on the case. This is Sheriff Noah Stilinski and his son Stiles.”

“Nice to meet you,” Noah said as he shook her hand.

“Give me one moment. Then we will go back down for the interview.”

Noah and Stiles voiced assent and watched as she quietly gave instructions to one of the agents. The agent nodded and called another over as she returned to them.

“Shall we?” She motioned to the door.

The two Stilinskis followed her lead.

snbrk

Lydia once more showed up after school and headed for the Hale books, but she did not open them right away. She studied Allison.

“The FBI was at school today.”

“They are investigating my family,” Allison said.

“Because of Scott’s death? That’s a clear open and shut case,” Lydia pointed out. She waved her hand at the two of them. “Caught in the act with witnesses.”

“Dad may have pointed Scott’s dad at the Hale fire.” Stiles studied his fingernails as he tossed that bit of information out there.

Lydia leaned back in her chair with a thoughtful look on her face. “They’ve left enough evidence to tie them to other cases.”

“They asked me for a list of where we lived and where my parents traveled for business,” Allison supplied.

“Will they find enough?” Lydia voiced her thoughts.

“I hope so,” Stiles said.

“Me too,” Allison said.

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