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Songs:

~ Skin // Zola Jesus *

~ Coattails // Broods **

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Scott sags at his ex-girlfriend question, shoulders dropping a little as he lets out a heavy sigh. His eyes flick up as he catches on the brunette's unsure gaze, her expression wary. He takes a few steps forward, reaching out a hand to guide the girl toward the other end of the hallway slowly.

Charlie pauses before turning away to give them some privacy, the girl freezing as her eyes catch on a cupboard on the other side of the vault. A chill runs over her, her eyes narrowing as she slowly steps across the threshold. She moves past Derek who was looking down at his phone, oblivious to her change in focus. Her hair stands on end as she walks across the room, the feeling increasing markedly. A quiet exhalation escapes her, expression twisting at the unease in her gut.

A hand reaches out, the girl twisting the knob of the door before pulling it open slowly. Charlie freezes, breath catching as her eyes land on the body of a girl slumped over, dark blood dried around her eyes and mouth. "Derek," the name she lets out is accompanied by a heavy sigh, her lips pressed together tightly. "Derek, you need to see this," at her voice the man walks over, a ragged gasp escaping him at the sight of his beta. *

The alpha tries to reign in his emotions, head dropping a little as he kneels down near the girl. His eyes close at the absence of a heartbeat, Charlie watching Derek carefully. There is a silence, a tense pause, before the man slowly moves an arm around the girl before lifting her up. The girl's face twists a little as her eyes flicker to the heartbroken expression on the werewolf's face.

She follows behind the alpha who walks toward the edge of the vault, the sound of footsteps causing Scott and Allison to walk over, the latter letting out a shocked gasp. There's a stunned silence until Derek's expression flickers, resolve tightening. "I-uh, I need to bury-"he clears his throat against the anguish in his voice. "I need to bury her."

Scott nods in understanding, looking at the dead werewolf with a sad expression for a few seconds. "I'll call Isaac," he states, letting out a harsh breath before pulling his phone from his pocket.

The alpha nods a few times, eyes moving to stare at the werewolf's ex-girlfriend. "Go home," he states, expression stony as the girl's eyes widen. She then nods hesitantly, looking toward Scott who agrees reluctantly. Her gaze flicks between the three for a second before she turns, heading to her car.

Charlie follows after the alpha as he walks across the road, keeping silent as they head toward the forest next to it.

While Derek has no trouble with the weight of the girl, his footsteps are heavy and slow; as if trying to delay the inevitable. He stops still just as they reach the edge of the woods, eyes moving to look at Charlie as he takes a breath. "Can you get the shovel? It's-uh, it's in the back," while she does notice the slight tremor in his voice, the girl doesn't mention it, nodding before walking to the Camaro. She opens the trunk, spotting a black bag with a few supplies, including two folded shovels. Charlie grabs both, shutting the door behind her and walking past Scott who was just hanging up the phone. She heads right back to where she left Derek, noting the other werewolf following behind her.

The alpha had laid his beta on the ground and cleared any debris off an area that was big enough to hold the girl. She passes a shovel to the man who grips it tightly, keeping the other one to herself. He pauses as he eyes her for a second. "You don't have to," he states, gaze flickering as he spots Scott lingering behind Charlie.

"It's fine," she replies, shaking her head a little. "I get it," at her response, he nods minutely. His gaze then shifts to the werewolf behind her, locking eyes with him.

"Are you able to track Boyd and Cora?" Derek asks, causing Scott to nod a few times. "We can come help after."

"Yeah, I'll call you if I find anything," the werewolf then takes off into the woods at a run, leaving the two in silence. It takes around half an hour for the two of them to dig a hole large enough to fit the girl, one of Derek's other betas arriving about ten minutes in to help. The older man pauses for a second, looking down at the area with a haunted expression, both of the teens giving him a moment. **

They finish covering the grave just as Derek's phone rings, the alpha walking away from the group to answer Scott's call. "I lost them, I'm sorry," the younger werewolf voice is hesitant, the alpha's eyes widening.

"You lost them?" Derek replies incredulously, sighing loudly.

"Yeah, I kind of had to."

"Wasn't exactly the plan," the man's eyes roll up to the tree covered sky, wincing.

"I know, which is why I think we should stick together," Scott continues, causing the alpha to frown. "They're too strong, fast and way too angry for one person to handle. We've got to do this together."

"We're just leaving the forest near the bank, so why don't we meet at the trails near the entrance to the preserve?"

"Sure, I just have to drop something off first," Scott answers and then ends the call, both of the teens following as Derek motions his head toward the Camaro. They all get in, and the moment the back-door closes, they speed off.

They make it to the preserve in about ten minutes, just as Scott parks his motorbike in front of the Beacon Hills Preserve sign. "Do you have any idea where they went?" Derek locks the door behind him, walking quickly up to the boy.

"Definitely east," Scott replies with a nod, head turning to look at the dark woods with a breath in.

"We should split into two groups, cover more ground," the alpha states, eyes flicking to the teens. "Isaac, you go with Charlie toward the deeper side of the preserve, we'll take the side closest to the town," he continues, all of them nodding in agreement.

Scott and Derek take off first, both of them running toward the trees and in a feat of strength, both of the werewolves' leap into a large oak. The younger boy then forward flips into a roll, Charlie rolling her eyes. Her gaze then slides to Isaac, the boy already looking at her. "I swear to god if you do a flip, I'll punch you," she states, causing the werewolf to let out a sigh and take off deeper into the woods.

The girl shakes her head before sprinting after him, the moon shining brightly through the sparse trees. She catches up easily, Issac looking at her with wide eyes as she shoots him a wink. They continue running for about ten minutes as they track the scent, slowing slightly as they get closer.

Charlie suddenly hears a deep growl, head whipping around to spot Cora stalking a terrified girl. The girl turns around just as the werewolf lets out a roar, gasping wildly. Isaac then leaps down, landing behind Cora who turns around at the sound. Charlie jumps from the rock as well, growling under her breath at her friend.

The male werewolf suddenly charges forward, causing her to let out a huff at his rash decision. Cora snarls, whipping a hand out to stop the boy, who then swings his claws at her head, sending her to the ground. Issac stops turning to smirk at Charlie who was moving behind him, and consequently, taking his eyes off the werewolf.

Cora flips up with a speed that Isaac can't match, the girl sweeping his legs causing him to falter and then throwing him into the air. The werewolf lets out a gasp as he hits a tree, falling to the ground heavily. "Nice job," Charlie states sarcastically while stepping over him, walking casually over to the rabid werewolf. She throws up a hand, stopping the claws flying toward her face from scratching her. The girl directs Cora's arm toward her right shoulder with a tight grip, using the momentum to force the werewolf to turn. She then kicks out the girl's bare feet with her boots, causing her to hit the ground, Charlie resting her weight on the girl as she holds one of the clawed hands behind her back. Cora growls furiously, twisting wildly as she tries to escape.

The sound of Derek and Scott running up behind her, causes her attention to divert, grip loosening on the werewolf unconsciously. Suddenly, Cora throws up an elbow into Charlie's gut, a puff of air releasing suddenly. With surprising strength, the rabid wolf throws herself upward, effectively knocking the girl off of her. She then digs her claws into Charlie's arm, raking them downward with a growl.

The girl hisses at the pain, standing up quickly as Cora runs backward, eyes darting between the four wolves. Derek suddenly growls at his sister who snarls in response, the girl then turning and sprinting off into the woods.

Derek and Charlie exchange a look for a moment before chasing after her, Isaac running after them. Unfortunately, the chase was futile; it was is if Cora had vanished into thin air, her scent disappearing after a few hundred feet. Scott quickly catches up to them a minute later, the alpha shaking his head at the boy.

The silence is broken by the younger werewolf's phone, causing him to frown as he digs it out of his pocket.

"There's a body at the pool, it's gotta be Boyd and Derek's sister," Charlie's head tilts a little as she listens into the conversation, recognizing the boy's voice from the loft a few hours ago.

"Are you sure?" Scott questions with a frown, causing Stiles to let out an exasperated sigh.

"Yep-uh definitely, throat ripped out, blood everywhere," he replies quickly, the muffled sounds of sirens in the background. "I swear to god, it's like the freaking Shining over here. If two little girls come out of the woods and start asking me to play with them forever and ever, I'm not gonna be surprised," Charlie frowns a little at the boy's pop culture reference, his friend's eyes widening in exasperation.

"Uh-can you get a little closer to make sure it was them?" He furthers and then winces at Stiles' exclamation.

"Make sure it was them? Scott, who the hell is going around ripping people's throats out apart from them?"

"Please just do it," the werewolf repeats, causing the boy to let out a sigh.

"This doesn't make any sense," Derek then breaks in after Stiles confirms Scott's question after a few seconds. "The public pool is on the other side Beacon Hills, there is no way Cora could have gotten there in time, the same with Boyd."

Scott then ends the call, walking back toward the alpha with a clenched jaw. "Derek, they killed someone," he counters in a tight voice, causing the werewolf to cross his arms over his chest. His posture shifts, shoulders tight. Charlie's eyes flick between the two, watching them with a slight frown.

"But how are they moving so fast? They couldn't have gotten from the woods to the other side of town that fast on foot," Derek is unrelenting, face stony as Scott tries to convince the man.

"They killed someone. Some totally innocent kid is dead and it's our fault," the younger boy lets out a breath, pausing for a fraction of a second as he steels himself. "Derek, we need help," Scott continues, looking at him imploringly.

"We have Isaac and Charlie now," the alpha counters, frowning at the werewolf.

"I mean real help. They're just too fast for us, too rabid," Scott replies, the sentence following a harsh breath out.

"We'll catch them," Derek states bluntly, jaw tight as his dark eyes lock onto the boy.

"What happens if we do?" Isaac then joins in, expression wary as his eyes flick between the group. "We're just gonna hold them down until the sun comes up? Maybe it would be easier just to kill them..." His sentence causes the group to still, Derek turning his thunderous gaze toward his beta who flinches slightly.

"There is no fucking way I'm killing my best friend," Charlie argues, shaking her head, voice coated in steel.

"What if it's the only thing to do," Derek's opinion changes quickly, a concerned expression setting as he considers Isaac's question. "If we can't even catch them, what else do we do?" There is a hopeless tone at the end of his question, lips thinning.

"We need to find someone who knows what they are doing," Scott breaks in, drawing the alpha's gaze, the man raising a brow. Charlie frowns a little at the younger werewolf's statement, arms crossing.

"Who?" Derek questions brashly, causing the boy to take a breath before replying.

"Someone who knows how to hunt werewolves," he answers, jaw setting. "Argent."

Shit.

At Scott's offer, Derek immediately disagrees sharply, the group beginning to walk back toward the direction of the Camaro. "He's the only one that I can think of that might give us a chance at catching them," the younger werewolf implores, arms raised a little as he keeps pace with the alpha's quick strides toward the edge of the Preserve.

"No," at the alpha's reply, Scott lets out another sigh.

"What if I just talked to him?" At this, Derek pauses, raising a brow at him. "Just to ask, you wouldn't even need to speak," at Scott's offer, the werewolf then sighs before nodding slightly.

"Fine," he states before motioning for Charlie and Isaac to get in the car. They all sit inside while Scott quickly calls his ex-girlfriend, trying to find out where her father is. After a few minutes, the werewolf walks up to the window, Derek rolling it down.

"He's grocery shopping," at his statement, the alpha rolls his eyes, giving the boy a flat look.

"This better be worth it Scott," at this, the younger werewolf nods, moving away from the car to get on his bike. Derek turns on the car, watching as the boy pulls out onto the road. They follow him for a few minutes until he pulls into the carpark of a grocery store, parking it before motioning his head at Argent's car. The alpha pulls up a few hundred feet away from the SUV, all of them watching Scott walk up behind the man slowly as he opens the trunk.

It was strange seeing him again.

Charlie leans forward with her elbows on her knees, sitting behind the two werewolves. They both tense as Argent suddenly whips around, pulling a gun from his jacket and pointing it at Scott who raises his hands. "What a surprise," the girl drawls, earning a side eye from Issac who then turns to his alpha with a frown.

"Do you really think this is gonna work?"

"Nope," Derek answers after a breath in, keeping his eyes on the two as they begin talking. Silence overtakes the car, the young werewolf fidgeting a little as he flicks his eyes to the man.

"So, your uh-sister?" Isaac asks, the inflection in his tone causing Derek to slowly turn toward him with a dark look. "Sorry, uh, bad timing," the boy opens his mouth, pausing for a second. "How about her?" Isaac asks again, throwing a thumb toward Charlie who stares blankly at him. "Is she your long-lost sister too?"

"You could just ask her," she replies in a flat tone, raising a brow. "But no," her voice then changes, becoming deeper as she throws a wink toward the boy. Isaac stutters a little, turning around to face Charlie fully.

"Can you both flirt somewhere else?" Derek shoots a glare at the two of them, the girl pouting at him. She then resumes her focus on Scott and the Argent, the boy nodding at them before getting on his bike while the hunter gets in the car. The werewolf then starts the Camaro as the SUV pulls out, all of them following it as they head back toward the Preserve. After a few minutes as they near the woods, Derek makes eye contact with Charlie who presses her lips together tightly.

"What will Argent do when he sees you?" The alpha breaks the silence, causing Isaac to turn toward him and the girl to release a heavy breath.

"Hopefully not shoot me," she answers with a tilt of her head, breaking the eye contact as they pull into the woods.

"You should probably stay in the car," Derek states the two werewolves begin to leave the car and join Scott, gaze moving to Charlie who nods.

"Fine by me," she replies easily, leaning back into the seat and hiding in the shadows. She watches as Argent dumps a bag onto the forest floor once the two werewolves walk up.

"Were you tracking them by print?" The man asks, gaze shifting between the three.

"We were trying to..." Scott sighs, shaking his head as he stares at the Argent.

"Well then you've been wasting your time," he replies with a harsh tone, cold eyes fixing on Derek. "There's only one creature on Earth that can visually track footprints, and that's man. If you're not trained by me, you have no idea that this print is Boyd's and these-"

"-are Cora's" Isaac interrupts quickly, smirking a little at his answer.

"Nope, they're yours," Argent replies throwing the boy a flat look, causing him to look down in embarrassment. "You trampled Cora's footprints as soon as you walked over here," he pauses, sighing a little. "Listen, I know the three of you are focusing half your energy on resisting your own urges under the full moon, but that puts you at a severe disadvantage."

"Don't you mean four?" Isaac interrupts, causing Argent to frown in confusion and Derek to roll his eyes as he shoots his beta a glare.

Fucking Isaac.

"Four?" Argent questions, sharp eyes fixing on the werewolves, Derek looking back toward the car with a nod. Charlie groans, letting out a tense breath before opening the door and slowly getting out. Her arms cross over herself once she shuts the door, the man's eyes snapping to hers. "Charlie?" Argent frowns at her, extremely surprised at her appearance since he last saw her in New Jersey.

"Don't shoot me," she states, arms raising a little. "If you really want to, you can do it later when we don't have two rabid werewolves to worry about," Charlie's jaw tightens as Chris takes a tense breath in.

"As long as you're in control..." Argent glares at her in warning, voice grating. The tone sends her back six months ago. Back to a time where she was gone; only ruled by instinct and fear.

She nods sharply, causing him to pause before continuing on with his lecture on werewolf tracking. "Wolves can track a scent up by a distance of up to two miles, which means we can draw them to us or into a trap," he explains clearly, walking in front of the group. "However, with a full moon, Boyd and Cora will give off a higher heat signature, making them easier to spot with infrared," Chris states, tossing Isaac some IR goggles who catches it in a hand quickly.

"Thanks, but I've got my own," Derek counters roughly, blinking once to reveal his bright red eyes easily. Argent barely contains a biting response, choosing to take a deep breath instead.

"Just remember, we're not hunting wild animals. Underneath those impulses are two intelligent human beings," he changes the subject, hands shoved into his pockets. "Don't think they can't rely on their human side, even though it's suppressed, it's still there. It will remind them how to mask their scent and cover their tracks. How to survive," Chris develops his point, stepping away from the werewolves and moving into the woods.

The group follows him as they walk through the forest, looking over the expanse of Beacon Hills. "When's the last time you saw your sister?" Argent asks the alpha, raising a brow as the man frowns.

"Nine years. I thought she died in the fire," Derek replies in a tight voice, causing Chris to nod.

"Do you feel like you have a lock on her scent?" He questions further, drawing the werewolf's gaze to his, shaking his head in reply. Argent pauses, sighing a little before turning to the younger boy. "Scott, how confident are you in your skills?"

"Honestly, most of the time I'm trying not to think of all the things I can smell," Scott replies with a slight wrinkle of disgust in his expression.

Chis then turns to Charlie, sharp eyes pinning her. "How about you? Better than last time?"

"I'm fine," she replies tightly, quickly flashing her eyes at him which causes him to nod a little.

"All right. The problem we have is when they breach the woods and hit the residential area. Once they are past the high school, they are right in the middle of Beacon Hills," Argent states, running a hand over his chin in thought.

"They're not gonna kill everything they see, are they?" Isaac questions, a tinge of worry in his voice, frowning.

"No, but there is an important difference to recognize here," Chris counters. "Wolves hunt for food, and at a certain point, they get full. Boyd and Cora are hunting for the pleasure of the kill, for some primal apex predatory satisfaction that comes from the ripping of warm bodies to bloody shreds, and who knows when that need gets satiated?" Argent explains graphically, the werewolves tensing at this. His eyes then slide to Charlie who glares at the man.

"We can't kill them," Scott counters, breaking into the conversation and drawing the attention to him. The girl nods in agreement, hands shoved into her pockets.

"But what if we can't catch them?" Derek asks in reply, letting out a sharp exhale.

"Then maybe we just need to contain them," Argent answers, frowning in thought. "There's no one in the school at night is there?" He asks, the girl quickly jumping to the point he was making.

"You want to trap them inside Beacon Hills High?" Charlie questions, causing the man to nod.

"As long as there's somewhere with a strong enough door, no windows or alternate access to the outside."

"What about the boiler room? It's just one big steel door, right?" Isaac offers, causing Argent to raise his brows in acknowledgment.

"And you're sure the school is empty?" Chris asks, turning to stare at the teens who all nod in agreement.

"It has to be, there can't be anyone this late," Scott replies with a slight frown, the man nodding. "But how do we get them to the school?" At this, Argent turns to his car, opening the trunk and pulling out a long metal stick shaped object.

"With ultrasonic emitters," he replies, quickly impaling it into the soft dirt and staring up at the group.

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Updated: 30/1/19

This is my first big update after removing basically all of my chapters of Kurasa. I did hesitate a little, but after my account was deactivated twice, I figured that this was a good opportunity to revamp the story and get rid of my trashy writing.

ailie-willow xx