Ep 2 ・❥・shape shifted

* . °•★|•°∵ ∵°•|☆•°. *

The front door shut with a soft click as Harper stepped through. It was dark, she was exhausted, cold, and dirty from trekking through the woods. She glanced up, her tired eyes scanning the room. Selene was sat on the couch, her eyebrows pinched in deep concentration. She set her phone to the side and looked up at Harper.

"Harps, you're a bit late. Don't you have school tomorrow?" Selene questioned, moving over to give Harper space as she also collapsed on the couch. The older girl smiled, using her thumb to wipe some of the mud from Harpers cheek. "Where have you been to be able to get this dirty?"

Harper sat up, moving her head side to side weighing out the pros and cons of telling the truth or making up some stupid lie. Who was she kidding? She couldn't exactly lie to Selene.

"Me, Scott and Stiles went to Kate's funeral." Selene opened her mouth to object put Harper quickly interrupted. "But we were very careful, I promise. Then we went to some ambulance accident near the forest and ended up finding Lydia. So you can't be mad, there was a major positive."

Selene shook her head. "No, of course I can be mad. You went to the forest late at night, who knows what could have happened? And an Argents funeral...I'm definitely more confused about that than upset."

"Scott talked me into it." Harper began to explain, a look of realisation settling on Selene's face. "He said it was because he promised to be there for Allison. You know those two."

Selene sighed, dramatically clutching at her chest. "Oh young love!" She exclaimed falling back as Harper laughed at her dramatics and over the top acting. A smile lingered on her lips as she sat back up, nudging Harper with her shoulder. "But tell him to be careful for me, okay?"

Harper nodded, her grin lingering as the moment settled between them.

"Alright, Harps, bedtime," Selene announced suddenly, springing to her feet and clapping her hands together. "You're going to hate yourself tomorrow if you don't get some sleep."

Harper groaned but yawned, her exhaustion catching up with her. Stretching, she stood and made her way toward the bathroom. "Fine. Night, Selene."

"Night!" Selene called after her, watching as Harper disappeared down the hall. She waited, listening for the sound of the shower starting before her smile faded.

Carefully, she picked up her phone from the couch. A notification blinked on the screen, the name attached to the message practically daring her to ignore it. Selene glanced toward the hallway, making sure Harper was far out of reach before unlocking her phone.

The screen lit up, displaying a single text.

Derek: We need to talk.

Selene hesitated, her thumb hovering over the screen, before finally tapping on the message. Whatever he wanted, it wasn't good and she wasn't sure if she was ready to face it. Correction, she definitely wasn't ready.

* . °•★|•°∵ ∵°•|☆•°. *

Harper half expected Stiles ride up beside her at some point of her journey to school. But he didn't, even though she wished he would. It was stupid thing to think even stupider to wish for. But there was just a fragment of her heart that beat faster when Stiles was around, her smile a grew a little brighter. Actually, a lot seemed to be brighter because of him. Harper didn't understand it and she wasn't sure if she wanted to, whatever she was feeling scared her.

Shoving the thought aside, Harper looked up, spotting a familiar figure standing alone near the school entrance. Lydia Martin. The strawberry blonde seemed lost in thought, her expression unreadable, until Harper walked over and greeted her with a warm smile.

"Hey, Lydia," Harper said, her tone light. Her smile grew wider when Lydia looked up, her face softening just a bit. "I'm so glad you're back."

Lydia sighed, brushing a hand through her perfectly curled hair as she shrugged. "Be glad enough for the both of us, because I'm definitely not."

"Wait, what did the doctors say? Is everything okay?" Harper asked, concern flashing across her face. Her eyes instinctively scanned Lydia for any visible signs of injury, but she found none. Thankfully.

Lydia began walking toward the school doors, and Harper fell into step beside her. "They said it was a fugue state or something," Lydia said, sounding annoyed at her own diagnosis. "Which is basically a fancy way of saying, 'We have no idea why you were running naked through the woods for two days.'"

The Martin girl smirked, adding, "But personally, I don't care. I lost nine pounds."

Harper couldn't help but smile, though her gaze lingered on Lydia, studying her carefully. Beneath the jokes and bravado, she wondered if Lydia felt as confident as she seemed. Everyone at school had heard the story, and Harper had no doubt they were already whispering about it. She silently vowed that, as far as she was concerned, that's all it would remain whispers. And even if they were gonna do that, it wouldn't be around her.

Lydia stopped just before the doors, turning to Harper with a flicker of vulnerability that disappeared as quickly as it came. Then, with a swift motion, she looped her arm through Harper's, pulling her along. Together, they stepped into the school building and immediately, the air shifted.

The hallway fell silent. Every head turned to look at them, the stares unrelenting and judgmental. Everyone literally dropped whatever they were doing to stare. The silence was suffocating, thick enough to choke on, and Harper felt Lydia tense beside her.

The redhead's gaze dropped to the floor, as though hoping to escape the weight of their scrutiny. They were looking at them like they had just landed on earth. Harper cleared her throat and straightened her shoulders. Leaning closer to Lydia, she whispered, "Pretty sure it's the nine pounds."

The comment earned her a soft laugh, and Harper watched as Lydia lifted her chin and flicked her hair over her shoulder. Her confidence slipping back into place and without missing a beat, Lydia strutted down the hallway, her heels clicking sharply against the floor.

Harper lingered for a moment, a proud smile tugging at her lips as she watched Lydia. Then, with a deep breath, she followed as everyone returned to whatever they were doing.

* . °•★|•°∵ ∵°•|☆•°. *

School couldn't have had gone by any slower today. Harper had all the worst subjects and it made it worse that none of her friends were in those classes. She couldn't even see Scott and Stiles at lunch because she got held back by her teacher who wanted to talk to her about how she was doing. That's was what she said at least. In reality, it was about the lack of her completed assignments and absences.

Harper shifted, remembering how uncomfortable sitting in the bleachers was. She had agreed to come and watch Scott and Stiles practice and up until now she hadn't been paying much attention. Nothing eventful was going on, until that is, Scott sprinted out of the goal and clashed into Danny. The McCall slammed him to the ground, and Harper cringed. Harper never learned her lesson, lacrosse was surprisingly violent.

If Scott sprinting out the goal and charging at everyone wasn't strange enough, now he was sniffing Danny as if he was bloodhound. Rightfully so, Danny frowned looking at Scott like he was crazy before mumbling out. "It's Armani."

"What?" Scott questioned, backing up ever so slightly.

Danny sat up, nodding. "My after shave. Armani."

Scott gulped. "Oh. It's nice." He smiled and Harper didn't know if that smile made it creepier or a lot less weird. Nonetheless, it was still definitely creepy.

The coach blew his whistle, marching over to Danny and Scott who were still on the ground. "McCall!" He yelled, causing Scott to practically jump to his feet. "Leave that goal on more time and you'll be doing suide runs until you die! It will be the first ever suicide run that actually ends in a suicide. Got it?"

Scott backed up into the goal, stretching out his back and nodding. Meanwhile, Harper watched only growing more confused. She didn't know if this was Scott just being his normal amount of odd or if something more was happening. Harper scanned the crowd till she found Stiles who quickly looked away. Definitely something more.

"Coach, my shoulder hurting." Jackson worriedly spluttered out as he was next in line. "I think I'm gonna sit this one out." He scattered away running over to the bench that was right in front of where Harper was sat. He glanced over his shoulder anxiously, scooting to the furthest side of the bench, away from Harper.

Rolling her eyes at his antics, Harper set her focus back on the lacrosse field. Issac was up next. To the naked, no knowledge of the supernatural, eye he was just nervous but to Harper it was more and it made her sit and the edge of her seat. Issac was hyperventilating, his chest rising and falling rapidly and his head hung just low enough to shield his face. Especially his eyes. Scott and Stiles seemed to notice it too.

Coach blew the whistle, throwing the ball to Issac, who caught it with ease. Neither him nor Scott wasted even a second before running straight towards each other. They jumped at the same time, clearing an impressive amount of the ground before bumping each other and falling to the ground. Their lacrosse sticks flew in different directions when a brutal thud sounded as both their bodies hit the ground.

They breathlessly looked up at each other but from the angle Harper was sat at she couldn't see much of anything. In the distance, three officers were walking across the field and both Scott and Issac slowly turned to see. Harper frowned, dying for some answer. And as if silently reading her mind, Stiles rushed over to Harper breathlessly.

The cops had made their way over to coach, including the sheriff, practice finished up early as they took Isaac to the side as Scott rushed over. Harper made her way down the steps and onto the field. She frowned looking between the two, awaiting an explanation.

Stiles, picking up on her looks, he sighed and leaned in beginning to explain in a hushed whisper. "Scott thinks there is...y'know...another werewolf."

Scott shook his head firmly, gaze fixed on issac. "No, I know there is." His voice was heavy, tension almost palpable between the three of them. "It's him. It's Issac."

Harper took a deep breath, hoping it would compose her but it didn't. If it was really Issac, that meant Derek was already turning people. Turning teenagers. Turning people who didn't even know the actuality of what they were signing up for. He was already ruining lives. However, she quickly shook the thoughts away before it consumed her.

"Right, and that's why you were sniffing everyone like a total weirdo. Makes so much sense and you were very discreet." Harper nodded, sarcasm dripping from her words. She then looked to her side, seeing the officers talking to Issac. Harper nudged Scott, nodding towards Isacc and the officers. "Can you hear them?"

Scott focused, his brows knitting as he listened. "His father is dead," he murmured, his voice low. The words landed like a blow, and Harper felt her chest tighten. "They think he was murdered."

Harper's gaze snapped back to Isaac, who looked pale and shaken, even from a distance. She could feel the eyes of the other students, all forming a murmuring huddle to watch the scene unfold. The gossip was already spreading like wildfire.

"Why are they taking him?" Harper asked, her voice tinged with urgency.

"Yeah, do they think he's a suspect?" Stiles added, craning his neck to get a better view as the officers led Isaac away.

Scott shook his head, his face troubled. "I'm not sure...why?"

Stiles sighed, as he rubbed a hand over his face. "Because if he's a suspect they can lock him in a holding cell for the next 24 hours." He paused, looking between Harper and Scott. "And tonight's the full moon."

Harper stiffened, dread washing over her. "You're saying they're about to stick a newly turned werewolf in a holding cell, on the full moon? That's insane." Of course they didn't know that, but it was still a disaster waiting to happen. "How good are these cells at holding people?"

"People? Pretty good," Stiles replied, nodding. "For werewolves? Probably not that good."

Scott exhaled sharply, turning to the other two. "Stiles, remember when I said I didn't feel the urge to maim and kill?"

"Yeah?"

Scott gestured toward where Isaac had just been led away. "He does."

Harper swallowed hard, her gaze lingering on the empty field where Isaac had stood moments ago. The weight of what lay ahead almost suffocating. They couldn't let this happen. But what could they do? They still had a whole day ahead of them. They would think of something they always did.

* . °•★|•°∵ ∵°•|☆•°. *

There was nothing Harper hated more than Mr Harris, and his class. He wasn't the rudest to her but he was to her friends, which automatically ensured that she didn't like him either. Whilst he was scratching some sort of equation the board, Harper was doodling mindlessly in her margins. It was a pretty bad habit he but it kept her from loosing her mind of boredom.

What she didn't know was the Stilnski boy besides her wasn't paying any attention to the board, his focus stolen by something else. Scott was sat in front of them, his leg bouncing as he fidgeted with whatever he could get his hands on.

Stiles cleared his throat, nudging Harper with his elbow. It was so much easier to talk to her around Scott or when they were im a group but when it was like this, it was different. When it wasn't just them, his heart would still freeze when she looked his way, but when they were sat side by side, it felt like they were in their own world. Just Harper and Stiles.

The Everheart girl picked her head up, turning to look at Stiles, pushing her dark brown hair out of her face. Stiles nodded over to her drawings. "Those are pretty cool." He complemented, whispering to not get caught by Mr Harris.

Harper blinked, caught off guard by the compliment, before a small smile tugged at her lips. "They're really not that great. Just something to pass the time." She shrugged, brushing off the praise but her eyes softening at the same time. "But, thanks."

Stiles raised an eyebrow, clearly intrigued. "If this is you bored, what are your actual drawings like?" He smirked, his curiosity piqued as he watched her hands, her fingers poised over the paper.

Harper, seemingly not bothered, glanced at her sketch again before carefully ripping the piece out of her notebook. It wasn't the cleanest tear, but she wasn't trying to make it perfect. She folded it, her movements smooth. She slid the paper over to him, her eyes avoiding his for just a moment.

"Since you liked it so much," she said with a small teasing smile, "you can keep it."

What Harper didn't know or expect was that he didn't take it as a got you moment. Stiles hesitated for a second, his fingers brushing over the folded paper before meeting her gaze. His smile grew. "You're giving this to me?"

Harper glanced at Stiles, trying to read his expression, but the way he was looking at her made her stomach flip. There was something different about his smile it wasn't just playful anymore. It was genuine. She almost wished she hadn't given it to him because she didn't know to deal with it. The way he was looking at her.

"It would just be sitting in my notebook and you seemed to like it more than me...so why not." She replied with a small nod, her smile slipping. Not because she wasn't enjoying the moment but because the air felt heavier.

Stiles blinked at her, still holding the folded piece of paper like it was the most important thing in the world. His eyes softened, and for a moment, it was like the world around them didn't exist. He looked down at the sketch of the lily, it was shaded perfectly and it was beautiful. Just like her.

Stiles looked up at Harper then, met her gaze, his own softening. There was a flicker in his chest, like something almost too fragile to hold. He felt it, this pull between them, something that didn't need to be named or explained. But they both knew they felt it. It was electric and strong but also delicate and fragile.

Cutting through the unspoken tension was Scott who spun around so quickly Harper was afraid he had given himself whip lash. He seemed to pick up on whatever it was that was going on between Harper and Stiles as they backed away from each other, but he ignored it.

"Why would Derek even choose Issac?" He blurted out, his eyebrows pinched together in concentration, or confusion most likely both.

Stiles thought for a moment before responding. "Peter told me that if the bite doesn't turn you it could kill you, and maybe teenagers have a better chance at surviving." Stiles looked at Harper who was clearly lost in her own whirlwind of thoughts, as she often was.

Though what Stiles suggested could be a possibility Harper knew a more likely answer. "Or maybe because it's easier to convince insecure teenagers that being a werewolf will solve their problems." She chimed in, applying her previous Alpha's reasons to the situation. Stiles and Scott looked at her in a way that seemed curious but also skeptical. "Just saying." Harper shrugged.

Scott leaned in, looking around to make sure no one listening. "Wait, does being a teenager mean your dad can't hold him."

"Well not unless they have solid evidence, or witness." He sighed before his face light up. It was an expression Harper knew all too well. He was thinking of something. "Wait, Danny, where's Jackson?" He questioned, spinning around to face Danny who usually had his best friend, Jackson, sitting opposite him.

"In the principals office." Danny replied, his voice hesitant but also confused. He probably had enough of them for today. "Talking to your Dad."

"What? Why?"

"Maybe because he lives across the street from Issac." Danny replied but in a tone that screamed for Stiles to leave him alone. And Harper guessed he took the hint, or just gathered all the information he needed.

Harper took a deep breath, her eyes sweeping between Scott and Stiles. "That's our witness!" She exclaimed with faux joy, obviously sarcastic. "So unless you two gather up the one brain cell you share to get us to get one of us to the principals office we are totally fu–"

But before Harper could finish Stiles was already on the move. He quickly crumbled up today's worksheet and threw it at Mr Harris with surprisingly perfect aim. He turned to look at Harper, a smirk on his face as he gave her a quick wink. She smiled back, but he didn't get to see since Mr Harris had already turned around.

"Who in the hell did that?" He questioned, as the class laughed amongst themselves. Stiles pointed at Scott, he pointed at Harper who pointed at Stiles. One thing was for certain, Stiles' plan was definitely gonna work.

* . °•★|•°∵ ∵°•|☆•°. *

The three of them sat on the chairs just outside of the principals office. Harper was in the middle, Scott to her left and Stiles on her right. She sighed, shaking her head. "When you guys said we had to get to the office, I remember pretty clearly saying one of us, not all three."

Scott leaned over, staring daggers at Stiles who rolled his eyes and huffed dramatically. "Well I thought we did everything as a team." He began. "We need Scott because your the werewolf me because I'm the brains and Harper because maybe if we get tired you can sing us a lullaby."

"Seriously?" Harper turned, her face screwed up as if she has just ate a sour lemon, though it barely hide her smile. It was quite funny. "The only thing you'll be getting is–"

Scott sat up, his smile dropping as he tilted his head to the side. "Guys, wait." He said, causing Stiles and Harper to pause their bickering and try to listen in on the conversation going on between Jackson and the Sheriff.

Their conversation only confirmed to Harper how much of dick Jackson really was. He knew Issac was getting abused and kept quiet because it "wasn't his problem."

Suddenly, the door burst open as sheriff Stilinski and another officer walked out. Stiles instantly fumbled, grabbing a random magazine and holding it in front of his face, as if his own father wouldn't recognise him. The sheriff rolled his eyes, turning away from Stiles.

"Hi Scott." He greeted the McCall boy who just blinked up at him, probably caught off guard. "Hi Harper." Sheriff Stilinkski nodded offering a tight lip smile. She returned it, waving awkwardly along with it.

Stiles sunk deeper in his seat as his father walked away, peaking through the top of the magazine before placing it on his lap with a sigh. However, he was instantly put on guard after only a split second.

"Boys" The voice was chilling. It made Harper's veins run cold and her muscles instantly tense. Her eyes hesitantly left Stiles and drifted up to the man. He was the same one from the funeral but the air around him felt different, as if it was more intense from up close. He then smiled at her, making him creepier. "Ah, forgive me. Boys and girl, come on in."

Their principal was an Argent, the same creepy old man from the funereal.

Couldn't life be any better?

* . °•★|•°∵ ∵°•|☆•°. *

He was even creepier up close. He was sat across from Harper, Scott and Stiles that same smirk that seemed to always be plastered on his face lingered on his lips. He shuffled through files meticulously, dragging his eyes up from them every once a while to glare at the three.

Harper was by far the most nervous, closely followed by Scott. She sat there, fiddling with her split ends and she could just hear Lydia in the back of her mind telling her to stop because it makes them worse, but that wasn't what it was about. She needed a way to release the nervous tension that was bottling up inside her, that was practically flowing through her fingertips.

Harper looked down at one of the papers on his desk.

Gerard Argent.

Fitting.

"Scott McCall" Gerald drawled, as Scott sucked in a breath and straightened up. "Academically not the most accomplished, but I see you have become quite the star athlete."

Scott didn't reply and instead gave a half awkward nod. Harper was sat in the middle of him and Stiles, still fidgeting anxiously but in her lap so no one would notice. It was a bad habit but one she could never kick. She had moved from playing with her hair to picking at her nails. Her heart was racing in her chest and her mind was spewing nonsense that was only making everything worse.

A hunter was her new principal. What even happened to the old one? Plus, he was an Argent. What if Chris told this Gerard or Gerald or whatever his name was about Scott. It wasn't confirmed he knew about Harper but he definitely knew about Scott. What was stopping him from telling—

"And, Harper Everheart." Gerard smirked, looking at Harper in a way that made her want to either shrivel up and die or make sure he would never use his eyes again. No in between. "Quite an interesting way to spell it, don't you think?"

What did she think? She didn't think anything. Harper knew she was done. Okay, breathe. Back when she was still in the old pack her last name had become almost a hushed promise of destruction, death, devastation, all of the above. The stories varied, each one more exaggerated than the last.

Some said the Everheart girl could sing your deepest fears into existence. Others claimed she could strip away your will with a single note, leaving nothing but emptiness behind. To many, she was a phantom, a creature of myth, not a person. Harper had heard the whispers through the walls, the way even her own pack would lower their voices when her name came up, as if they too were starting to believe the rumours.

And everyone would know they were talking about her because of her last name. Everheart.

Keres, her alpha, found them amusing. He even thought it was a good thing that not only people feared Harper but that she was with him. People feared him and his pack because of her. However, it all came crumbling down when a group of hunters came in search of the Everheart girl they had heard word of. And they found her.

They did more than just find her.

Harper swallowed, forcing herself to meet Gerards unwavering, smug and cunning gaze. She even mimicked his smirk but forcing herself to give it a sweetness his didn't carry.

Gerard flipped through the rest of her files before setting it out in front of him. "This is your first year at an actual school?" He said it causally, but it didn't feel like that. It felt like he was assessing her reaction. Harper nodded. Just a plain, simple nod. "Your record is...underwhelming, to say the least. But something tells me there's more to than meets the eye."

Harpers stomach twisted. The way he said it made her feel exposed, like he was dissecting her under a microscope and that he could see right through her. But as her heart thudded against her ribcage she felt it. It was quick, it was nothing but it was everything. It made her wild heart beat quicken a thousand more than it already was. A subtle pressure against her leg.

At first she had thought she had dreamed it or the tension in the room was making her paranoid. But as her breath caught in her throat, she felt it again. This time, it wasn't fleeting, it didn't go anywhere. She felt the warmth of Stiles' leg pressing lightly against hers. It wasn't a mistake. And this definitely could've been her mind playing a sick joke on her but it felt like a silent message. A reassurance.

Harper snuck a sideways glance at him. It didn't tell her much or anything at all really. He just say there, perfectly still as if afraid to even breath and ruin the moment. But It was fine, Gerard had him covered with that one.

"Mr Stilinski." Gerard smirked, picking up another file. Stiles cleared his throat and sat up straighter and his leg was no longer resting against Harper. It was weird. She felt like she could finally breathe but also like she simultaneously suddenly forgot how to. It was like she was having some sort of emotional frenzy, but it was from absolutely nothing. Jesus, what was wrong with her.

A surprised look sprung up on Gerards face. "Oh, perfect grades but little to no extra curriculars." He sighed, placing the file back onto the table. "Maybe you should try lacrosse."

Harper finally dared a proper look at Stiles who had sat up, a genuine proud grin on his face. "Oh, actually I'm already–"

"Hold on, McCall." Gerard stopped, turning his attention to Scott who suddenly lost colour on his face as he sat up in his seat and Stiles sunk into his. "You're the Scott that was dating my granddaughter."

Scott nodded. "We were dating but not anymore. Not dating, or seeing any of each other or doing anything...with each other at all." He rambled, a word vomit spewing from his mouth. Definitely not obvious at all Scott.

"Relax Scott it looks like you're about to crack a cyanide pill with your teeth." Gerard said whilst Harper frowned. What did that even mean?

"Just a hard breakup."

Gerard waved a dismissive hand in the air. "Oh, that's to bad, you seem like a pretty nice kid to me." Scott swallowed, glancing at Stiles and Harper to his left. "Now listen, guys. Yes I am the principal, but I really don't want you to think of me as the enemy."

Stiles shook his head, letting out a sort of fake laugh. "Is that so?" He looked at Harper, as inconspicuously as he could. But Stiles was the opposite of sly so when he turned to look at her, it was quite obvious. Harper was already fighting back a smile but one that only widened when she saw Stiles turn over and look at her.

"However, as this is my first day I do need to support my teachers. So unfortunately someone is going to have to take the fall and stay behind for detention." Gerard explained, his eyes locked on Stiles.

Scott slowly leaned over, looking at Stiles wearily, who was oblivious to the looks. Harper nudged him with her elbow, and he hummed looking up and finally catching up to what everyone was implying. Harper still had the faint outline of a smile and shrugged whilst Stiles sighed and sunk even further into his seat.

* . °•★|•°∵ ∵°•|☆•°. *

A/n

Yall gotta be honest, is the whole Harper & Selenes old pack becoming repetitive, i feel like it is. But it is a key part of Harpers character but I don't know.

SORRY FOR THE LATE UPDATE. Writers block is kicking my ass rn.

Hope you enjoyed! Don't be a ghost reader!