✧･ﾟ: *✧･ﾟ:*  1.12 *:･ﾟ✧*:･ﾟ✧

'i'll make sure that the night you burned was heaven compared to what i'll do to you.'

✧༺♥༻✧

"No. We can't just leave her here." Stiles panicked looking at Lydia as Peter lifted Lottie off the floor.

"Would you rather we leave Lottie?" He asked. "That was rhetorical before you waste your breath. Lottie is coming either way."

"We aren't leaving either of them." Stiles argued, hating the way Peter spoke about Lottie, like he was planning something.

"You're coming with me, Stiles. You don't have a choice."

"Then kill me. I don't care. Lottie will kill me anyway, if we leave Lydia anyway." Stiles said, determined. Peter listened to his heartbeat, nodding in satisfaction when he heard Stiles telling the truth.

"Call your friend. Tell Jackson where she is. That's all you get."

With shaky hands, Stiles rang Jackson and told him where Lydia was before following after Peter, who was holding his world in his arms unconscious. As they reached his Jeep, the screams started. Jackson came out of the edge of the field calling out for help as Stiles bit at the skin around his nails as Peter looked on calmly.

"Oh, don't feel so bad. If she lives she'll turn into a werewolf. She'll be incredibly powerful." Peter mused.

"And once a month she'll go out of her freaking mind and try to tear me apart." Stiles fumed quietly, driving away, glancing back at Lottie who was still unconscious laying across the back seat. He hated it. She was supposed to be sitting next to him. The passenger seat was hers. Actually what they were supposed to be doing according to Stiles, was dancing, preferably slowly, wasting the night away in each other's arms.

"Actually, considering she's a woman... twice a month." Stiles glared at Peter before putting his foot to the metal and speeding on, desperate to get this over and done with.

✧༺♥༻✧

Stiles drove his Jeep in a quiet underground parking garage at top speed, skidding to a halt upon Peter's instruction. The brake lights fading as Peter steps out, opening the backdoor and lifting Lottie out with caution. Peter went to get Stiles out of his seat but the boy was already standing in front of him, running his eyes over the girl in his arms.

Walking along the rows of parked cars, Stiles tripped over his feet trying to keep up as Peter turned and rolled his eyes at the boy. Handing Lottie over to him, Peter reached down to the tailpipe of a car, digging until he found a set of keys. Stiles adjusted the girl in his arms until he had a tight hold on her. He had never wished more to be a werewolf, he'd run with her in his arms and never stop.

"How hard did you hit her? Shouldn't she be waking up soon?" Stiles worried.

"It's an Alpha thing. Her heartbeat is fine. Now shut up."

"Whose car is this?" Stiles asked as Peter pressed a button on the keys and the trunk popped open.

"It belonged to my nurse." Peter explained, rummaging through the trunk.

"What happened to- Oh my God." Stiles gagged as Peter lifted a very pale and very dead arm belonging to his nurse. She was folded up in the trunk of the car partially covered. Peter shrugged as he lifted his laptop bag from underneath her.

"I got better." He smirked, resting the laptop on the car as he shut the trunk.

"Good luck getting a signal down here." Stiles retorted, the ability to use sarcasm never leaving him. "Mifi? And you're a Mac guy. Does that go for all werewolves or just a personal preference?" Stiles pushed as Peter took out a small device and attempted to hand it to him.

"Turn it on and get it connected."

"With what hands dumbass?" Stiles asked, referencing the girl in his arms.

"Oh for fucks sake." Peter grumbled, taking the girl from an angry Stiles who attempted to argue the switchover as Peter put her in the backseat of his dead nurses' car. "Now shut up and get it connected." Peter instructed as he handed Stiles the device.

"You're really killing the whole werewolf mystique, you know." Stiles told the older man as the connection went from red to green. "You're still going to need Scott's username and password. And sorry, but I don't know them."

"You know both." Peter deadpanned.

"No. I don't." Stiles argued.

"Even if I couldn't hear your heartbeat, I'd still be able to tell you're lying."

"Dude. I swear I-"

Peter grabbed the back of Stiles' neck, effectively cutting him off before guiding his head closer to him so that he can be heard clearly in his ear. "I can be very persuasive, Stiles. Don't make me have to persuade you."

Stiles nodded, frightened, moving to type on the keyboard, desperately trying to stop his hands from shaking. Catching a glimpse of Lottie's hair he took a deep breath and the shakes disappeared.

"What happens when you find Derek?" Stiles asked as the 'WHERE'S MY PHONE PRO' application came up on the screen, pausing to try and get some control back to a situation that was spiralling.

"Don't think, Stiles. Just type."

"You're going to kill people, aren't you?"

"Only the responsible ones." Peter mused, smiling lightly at the thought of it.

"If I do this, will you leave Scott out of it?"

"Do you know why wolves hunt in packs? Because their favoured prey are too large to be brought down by one wolf alone. I need Derek and Scott. Both of them." Peter explained.

"He's not going to help you."

"He will if it saves Allison. And you're going to help me, because it'll save Scott. And you don't want me to kill your girlfriend."

"She's not- What do you mean?" Stiles asked.

"When they catch him, you really think they're going to let him live? Especially after having been that close to one of their own? All the power is in your hands now. It's your choice. Are you going to save his life? Your best friend, whom you know so well, you even have his username and password."

Stiles reluctantly began to type the username and password into the app, glancing at Lottie every few seconds.

"His username is Allison?" Peter asked, annoyed. "His password is also Allison?" Shaking his head in disbelief at the stupidity of the boy.

"Still want him in your pack?" Stiles asked sarcastically back at the man.

Watching the GPS load slowly, Stiles walked round to the opened door where Lottie lay. Resting his hand against her forehead and checking her pulse he sighed in relief.

"She's not gonna die. Stop stressing before you have an aneurysm. It's stressing me out." Peter sassed as Stiles walked back to the computer screen.

"That's where they're keeping him? At his own house?" Stiles asked.

"Not at it. Under it." Peter replied, shaking his head.

"What's under it?" Stiles questioned.

"The tunnel and basement I used to escape during the fire. I know exactly where it is." Peter started, stopping as a howl caught his ear and his head snapped to the side. "And I'm not the only one."

Peter tossed the laptop bag into the passenger seat of the car, tucking Lottie's legs into the car and shutting her door with a slam. As he rested his hand on the door he picked up another howl - Derek - howling back at Scott. Stiles noticed his face and glanced around the garage as if he might be able to hear it too.

"Give me your car keys." Peter demanded.

"Careful, she grinds in second gear." Stiles explained, handing them over, gasping as he watched them get crushed in Peter's palm. Taking them back as Peter hands them back looking at him confused.

"You're not going to kill me?"

"Don't you understand yet? I'm not the bad guy here." Peter explained, standing by the driver's side of the car.

"You turn into a giant monster with fangs and red eyes and you're not the bad guy?"

"I like you, Stiles. And since you helped me I'll give you something in return. Do you want me to bite you?" Peter offered sincerely, causing Stiles to stop. Stop everything. He glanced between Peter and the girl locked in Peter's car.

"What?"

"Do you want the bite? If you don't die--and you could--you'll become like us."

"Like you." Stiles deadpanned as Peter stepped closer, taking his wrist in his hand, making the young boy flinch.

"Yes. A werewolf. Do you need me to draw you a picture? That first night in the woods, I took Scott because I needed a new pack. It could easily have been you." He taunted, turning Stiles' hand over palm up. "You'd be every bit as powerful as Scott. No more standing by his side watching him become stronger and quicker, more popular. Watching him get the girl. Speaking of the girl. You'd be able to protect her. Keep her from harm. You'd finally get the girl." Peter turned back following Stiles' gaze to Lottie.

"You'll be equals. Or maybe more. Maybe for once in your life, you'll exceed expectations." Peter continued, exposing his fangs and bringing Stiles' hands to his mouth. "Yes. Or no?"

Stiles hesitated. He thought about it, he really did and he couldn't decide. So he did what a special girl taught him once. He made a mental pros and cons list. He lacked the glitter pens and paper but his mental one would be enough this once.

"I don't want to be like you." Stiles muttered, pulling away from the werewolf.

"You know what I heard just then? Your heart beating slightly faster over the words I don't want. You can believe you're telling me the truth. But you are lying to yourself." Peter said, turning away from the boy and heading back for his door.

"Wait- give me Lottie."

"Ah. I knew I forgot something. Sorry Stiles. Whilst I like you, I like her more. I have big plans for the girl." He smirked evilly, knocking the boy out. Carrying him to sit in his Jeep, Peter dusted off his hands and got into his stolen car with a smirk. "Off we go."

✧༺♥༻✧

Groaning, Lottie woke with a moan as she went over a bump in the road. Opening her eyes slowly she met Peter's eyes in the rearview mirror.

"Ah. Finally, you took a bit longer than I thought to wake up. No bother." Peter smirked.

"Where's Lydia? What did you do to her?" She asked.

"Same thing I'm going to do to you. Gave her the bite. Curious about that one. Not so sure she'll be a wolf." Peter mused casually, ignoring the look on Lottie's face. He should've paid more attention as Lottie took off her heel that had somehow stayed on her foot and held the point up to his neck.

"You'll heal but it'll still hurt like a motherfucker. What or where are we going?" Lottie asked, ignoring his comment about biting her. Scott or Stiles would save her before that happened.

"To save Derek. Scott's already there which means we have to take a slight detour."

They drove along, taking a sharp turn and going off road into the woods near the Hale house. Instead of taking the left turn, they went right.

"Where's Lydia?" Lottie asked again.

"Jeez, you don't let up do you? She's fine, your boyfriend came and saved her. She's probably in the hospital." Peter danced around the truth, grinning when Lottie's face fell for a second before watching it mould back into one of anger.

"You've just ruined her life. You know that right?" Lottie fumed. "Lydia doesn't know anything about this world. She- you can't just go around biting a bunch of teenagers you freak!" Lottie shouted as Peter stopped the car.

"That's a shame."

"Wh-"

"Because that's exactly what I'm going to do to you." Peter smirked, pulling Lottie out of the car.

"Scott will kill you. Hell Derek will kill you. You don't want that do you?" Lottie tried to kill time, she was out of luck she knew it. Stiles was with Lydia and Scott was with Allison, Derek was missing and she was in the middle of the woods alone with a madman.

"I'm doing you a favour. You'll be unstoppable. There's something-"

"I. Don't. Want. It."

"Tough." Peter lunged at her as she ran. She wouldn't beg for her life, but she certainly would run for it. She ran as he laughed behind her, catching up slowly, a game of cat and mouse. She ran until she had nowhere to go. She paused, almost toppling into the lake she'd run to.

"Well, as invigorating as that was. I have a very busy schedule." Peter mused as he walked up to Lottie.

"I'll make sure that the night you burned was heaven compared to what I'll do to you." She spat at him.

"We'll see."

Lottie made one last attempt to run, turning slightly as Peter grabbed her arm. With a sharp intake of breath Peter bit into her neck. Keeping his fangs in for a few seconds Lottie let out a gasp of pain, the venom spreading quickly. Suddenly Peter's head snapped up.

"Duty calls." He smirked, using her words against her. "Although, thinking about it, I can't have you get in the way. Forgive me?" He asked sarcastically as he knocked her out again before running off with the aim of collecting her later. Only he wouldn't live to collect her later and in his haste he hadn't realised she'd landed with half her face submerged in the lake.

✧༺♥༻✧

Lottie had got two things very wrong in her assumptions. Stiles wasn't technically with Lydia and Scott definitely wasn't with Allison.

Scott was at the Hale house less than a mile away, defending Derek against a sociopathic hunter, revelling in fact his ex-girlfriend who was just accepting him again had now discovered he was in fact a werewolf.

Stiles was panting, running to the hospital, hoping that Lottie was there by some miracle or at the very least Scott or someone who could help him find her. Unfortunately for him neither were there. His father, however, was. And boy was he angry.

"It's a good thing we're in a hospital. Because I'm going to kill you." Stilinski told his son, dragging him off to the side of the corridor as Stiles caught a glimpse of Lydia.

"I had to run here. My Jeep--the keys--lost my keys." Stiles panted. "Is Lottie he- Lydia–" He started to ask as he saw Jackson, cutting himself off.

"They don't know. Partially because they don't know what happened. She lost blood, but there's something else going on with her."

"Like what?" Stiles asked.

"They're saying it's like some kind of allergic reaction. Her body is just going into shock. Did you see anything at all? Any idea who or what attacked her?" His father asked, receiving silence as Stiles debated the truth only to shake his head no. "What about Scott?"

"What about him?" Stiles asked, confused, trying not to panic at the lack of Lottie.

"Did he see anything?"

"Wait. He's not here? Is Lottie here?" Stiles asked, looking at Jackson who shrugged confused.

"I've been calling him, but there's no response. And no she's not here, I assumed she'd be with you?"

"Oh my God..." He muttered, feeling a horrendous panic attack coming on. Stiles distracted himself by following after his father.

"Go back and stay with your friends." Stilinski instructed.

"Dad, tell me. You know it has something to do with Derek."

"I thought you three barely knew him." Stilinksi asked, stopping in the corridor.

"We might know him a little better than that." Stiles admitted bashfully.

"You do realise I'm elected to this job?" Stilinski groaned, looking to the ceiling.

"And if I help you figure this out you'll get re-elected, right? Dad? Come on."

"That girl in there has nothing to do with a six year-old arson case." His dad slipped up, letting on more than he planned.

"When did you decide it was definitely arson?"

"We have a key witness. And I'm not telling you who. But yeah, we know it was arson. And that it was probably organised by a young woman."

"What young woman-"

"We don't know-" He was cut off by the sound of his phone ringing - which he ignored.

"Was she young then or young now?" Stiles pressed, putting together the pieces.

"Probably in her late twenties now. And I have to take this call."

"You don't know her name?"

"No, but she had this--she had a very distinctive--what do you call it?" Stilinski thought aloud, trying to figure out the name of the object, clicking his fingers he pointed at his son. "A pendant."

"A what?" Stiles asked, as the pieces fell into place.

"Stiles, I have to answer."

"A what? What was it?" Stiles insisted as his father raised his phone to his ear.

"A necklace."

✧༺♥༻✧

Meanwhile in the abandoned basement of the Hale house, Derek struggled with one of his restraints, turning to Scott.

"Scott, help me with this."

"No." Scott replied bluntly.

"What do you mean no?"

"Not until you tell me how to stop Peter." Scott took a few steps back as Derek lunged at him.

"You want to talk about this now?" He fumed.

"He's going after Allison and her family. He's going to kill them." Scott argued, forgetting about the other important people in his life.

"So what?"

"So tell me how to stop him." Scott insisted.

"You can't." Derek panted as he tried to escape his cuff, too weak from the torture he'd been enduring for the past few days.

"Listen, I don't know when Kate's coming back. Get me out of this now." Derek demanded.

"Promise you'll help me."

"You want me to risk my life for your girlfriend? For your stupid teenage crush that means nothing?" Derek spat with a ferocity that insisted his tone was about more than Scott and Allison. "You're not in love. You're sixteen years old and you're a kid." Derek told the boy, almost like he was trying to convince himself.

Nodding, Scott looked down. "Maybe you're right. But I know something you don't. Peter said he didn't know what he was doing when he killed your sister." Scott told Derek, taking out a crumpled piece of paper from his pocket. "He lied. Remember this?" He listed the paper to show that same spiral design that had been carved into Laura Hale all those months ago.

"This is what brought your sister back to Beacon Hills, right?" Scott probed.

"Where did you get that?"

"My boss told me three months ago someone came into the Clinic asking for a copy of this picture. You want to know who it was? Peter's nurse. They brought your sister here so Peter could kill her and become an Alpha. And that's why you're going to help me."

Derek sank at the realisation that he'd been lied to and his sister was murdered in cold-blood by his uncle who was more than aware of what he'd been doing.

"Say you'll help me and I'll unlock your other–" Scott began, only to be cut off by the sound of metal crunching as Derek broke free of his own accord. A new level of power and fury filled the young man.

"I'll help you."

✧༺♥༻✧

"Where are you going?" Jackson asked Stiles who was high-tailing it down the hospital corridor.

"Finding Scott, then finding Lottie."

"Where's Lottie?"

"With the Alpha." Stiles deadpanned, trying to stay calm. Scott was on the agenda first because God knew they'd need all the help they could get.

"I'll drive." Jackson offered.

"Just because you feel guilty all of a sudden doesn't make it okay. Half of this is your fault." Stiles fumed.

"I have a car. You don't. Do you want my help or not?" Jackson asked. "Lottie's my friend too." He mumbled.

"You have the Porsche?" Stiles asked, hating the fact he needed Jacksons' help.

"Yeah?"

"Great. I'm driving."

They turn the corner with the aim of speeding out of there only to be stopped. By Chris Argent and two hunters.

"Boys." Argent started, sending the boys a friendly smile. "I was wondering if you could tell me where Scott McCall is."

"Scott? Haven't seen him since the dance. Jackson? You?" Stiles lied so effortlessly he thought Lottie would be proud.

Jackson gasped out a few sounds, nothing coherent much to Stiles' annoyance. "Oh, for the love of–" He was cut off by the hunters grabbing him and Jackson and sliding them across the floors of the hospital, crashing through the morgue doors with a bang.

"Let's try this again. Where is Scott McCall?" Argent asked again as the other hunters took out their guns and stood by the only exit. When he received silence for an answer he picked Stiles up the lapels of his jacket and pushed him up against the wall. "Let me ask you something, Stiles. Have you ever seen a rabid dog?"

"No, but I'll put it on my to-do list if you let me go." Stiles replied sarcastically.

"I have. And there's only one thing I've ever been able to compare it to. Seeing a friend of mine turn on the night of a full moon. Do you want to know what happened?"

"Not really. No offence to your storytelling abilities."

"He tried to kill me and I was forced to shoot him in the head. But even while he lay dying, he was still trying to claw his way toward me. Still trying to kill me like it was the most important thing he could do with his last breath. Can you imagine that?"

"No, but it sounds like you could be more selective with your friendships." Stiles retorted as Argent lost his tether, getting closer to the boy.

"Did Scott try to kill you on the last full moon? Did he try to kill Lottie? Did you have to lock him up?" He asked. Jackson looked up expectantly too.

"Yeah, I did. Handcuffed him. Would you prefer I put him in a basement and burn the house down around him?" Stiles asked with a minute level of fury sneaking into his voice.

"Sorry to dispel a popular rumour, but we never did that." Chris replied.

"Oh, right. Derek said you had some kind of code. I guess no one ever breaks it." Stiles rolled his eyes.

"Never."

"What if someone did?" Stiles pushed.

"Someone like who?"

"Your sister." Stiles dropped the bomb, earning Argents attention instantly.

✧༺♥༻✧

Scott had just finished pulling Derek out of the mine shaft entrance. Now donned with his leather jacket on him now, Derek was still weak, moving slowly, breathing hard the after effects of being tortured taking longer to heal.

"Hold on. Something doesn't feel right." Derek paused, holding a hand in front of Scott.

"What do you mean?"

"I mean something doesn't feel right. Getting out of there was... I don't know. Kind of like it was–"

"Don't say too easy. People say too easy and then bad things happen." Scott interrupted, ignoring Derek's nervous glances around the eerily quiet woods. Swearing he heard a cry of pain in the distance but ignoring it. "You think finding you was easy? Getting away from Allison's Dad? None of this has been easy. So if for two seconds something is going right, can we not question it? Can we just shut up and thank God we have the tiniest bit of luck for once?"

"Yeah, okay. You're right." Derek agreed quietly.

The two begin to start their journey again when the sound of something soaring through the air at high speed. Derek suddenly gasped, holding his head up in the air as an arrow stuck out of his collarbone, piercing through his jacket. Time seemed to slow down as he pushed Scott out of the way, trying to keep him out of the line of fire. Scott focused his gaze with heightened speed and accuracy to a silhouette holding a compound bow.

"Now the leg." Kate Argent instructed, her voice filling the woods.

Allison stepped into the light as she took aim and fired a second arrow, hitting Derek directly in the leg as he cried out in pain. Scott flinched like she'd hit him.

"The flash bolt. Now." Kate continued.

Allison loaded up her bow with professional expertise.

"Your eyes--Scott!" Derek shouted, but the boy could only stare at the girl he loved as she shot the flash bolt at the tree next to him.

The white hot flare blinded him, sending him staggering backwards, falling to the leaves and dirt as the world burned around him. Somehow, impossibly, Derek stood, he reached over to Scott, dragging him towards the house. A way away Kate led Allison down the ridge towards the two retreating figures.

"See? Natural talent." Kate smirked as Allison kept her eyes on Scott.

"Allison, I can explain." He pleaded as the girl stood a few feet from him.

"Stop lying. For once, stop lying." Allison begged.

"I was trying to tell you the truth at the formal. I was going to tell you everything. Because everything I said, everything I did–"

"To protect me?"

"Yes." Scott breathed, exasperated.

"I don't believe you." Allison stated.

"Thank God. Now shoot him before I have to shoot myself." Kate groaned in boredom as her niece sent her a look of surprise.

"You-you said we were going to catch them." Allison stuttered confused.

"And we did that. Now we're going to kill them." Kate smiled, almost singing the menacing words. Pulling out her glock she cocked it and shot Derek straight in the chest, utterly too casual. "See? It's not that hard." Kate shrugged, not understanding the big deal.

Allison looked up at her aunt, seeing her for the woman she truly was. An unrepentant sociopath.

"Okay, I know that look. That's the you're going to have to do this yourself look." Kate groaned, switching her aim to Scott's forehead.

"What are you doing?" Allison asked, panicked. "Kate?"

"Love those brown eyes." Kate pouted, looking at Scott.

"Kate." Argent bellowed, walking out of the shadows, his own gun aimed at his sister. "I know what you did. Put the gun down."

Kate's eyes slipped to the burn remains of the house. Allison and Argent noticed. "I did what I was asked to do."

"No one asked you to murder innocent people. There were children in that house. Ones who were human. Look at what you're doing now. You're pointing a gun at a sixteen year old boy with no proof he's spilled human blood. We go by the code: Nous chassons ceux qui nous chassent." Chris spat furiously.

"We hunt the ones who hunt us." Allison muttered to herself, translating the code.

"Now put the gun down..." Chris instructed, raising his gun higher. "Before I put you down."

Kate began to lower the gun, seething in bottled rage but unable to do anything. That was before the door to the Hale house began to creak and Argent noticed something.

"Dad?" Allison called out.

"It's the Alpha..." Scott replied. His eyes glowing in sync with Derek's, a response to their Alpha.

✧༺♥༻✧

Stiles was still at the hospital. Not by choice. But Argent had warned him and Jackson that if they followed there would be consequences.

"Just give me the keys. I'll go alone." Stiles argued. Jackson was adamant about following the orders of a man when a gun collection. Stiles, however, didn't care.

"Nope. You aren't taken Sharon without me."

"Sharon? You named your car Sharon... Irrelevant, another time. Look, I need to find Lottie." Stiles pleaded.

"You said it yourself, the Alpha said he wouldn't kill her. Stop worrying." Jackson tried to convince himself as well as Stiles.

"Doesn't mean he won't hurt her. Or what if he does whatever is happening to you? Lottie- she, she deserves better. She's been there for you, albeit a bit rudely, but she'd been there for you. And now when she needs us, you're shutting her out. Left alone." Stiles tried.

"Let's go before I change my mind."

"Thankyouthankyouthankyouthankyou." Stiles rambled as he ran off down the hallways, Jackson trailing behind.

"Come on. Come on." He muttered to himself, starting the car waiting for Jackson to catch up. Grinning as Taylor Swift began to play on the radio. It was like a sign, she was waiting for him. "I'm coming, Lotts. I promise."

✧༺♥༻✧

"​​Get out of here. Run." Argent instructed his daughter. He was unconscious in seconds. Allison screamed looking down at her father, but she too was knocked off her feet by a blurring figure, knocking her compound bow right out of her hands and across the yard.

Scott dashed forward, aiming to get to Allison but he was knocked off his feet and landed with a pained cry as Kate loaded her glock, calling to the Alpha.

"Come on." She whispered. Turning in a circle, trying to trace it. "Come on!" She shouted.

Spinning, Peter grabbed her arm, clutching it tightly in his hand, his eyes flashing red. As she attempted to fire her many rounds, Peter simply twisted her arm, snapping it in two causing her to scream out in pain. Peter disarmed her and threw the weapon across the clearing, lifting her in the air before dragging her through the house's threshold as Allison screamed, following them.

Allison held her breath as she followed. Finding Peter holding Kate in front of him by the fireplace in the charred living room. His fingers press to her throat, right at her larynx.

"She's beautiful, Kate. She looks like you. Probably not as damaged. So I'm going to give you a chance to save her. Apologise. Say you're sorry for decimating my family. For leaving me burned and broken for six years. Say it and I'll let her live." Peter offered sincerely.

Kate and Allison looked at each other.

"I'm... I'm sorry" Kate apologised... but not to Peter. No she was apologising to Allison, for she could not bring herself to apologise, even if it saved her life.

Peter nodded, mockingly thinking about it. Then he pressed his fingers tighter into Kate's throat. And with the sound of tearing flesh, his claws had protracted and dug into Kate's neck, digging so deep that his thumb's claw connected with his fingers that had been digging in the other side of her neck.

"I don't know about you, Allison. But that apology? It just didn't sound very sincere." Peter mused as Allison let out a scream.

Allison stared in horror as Peter made his way to her. Transforming with every step, he crawled closer to her, his black coat falling away as his pants began to rip at the seams until he was standing before Allison fully transformed.

Standing seven-feet tall the Alpha makes his way to Allison, stopping when a growl sounded from behind him. There stood Scott, fully transformed, looking furiously at the Alpha with his yellow orbs.

Another growl from the other side of him sent the Alpha's vision to a fully transformed Derek who stood with a new fury, his blue eyes glowing luminous. The two beta wolves circle the Alpha slowly, crouching in a fighting stance. And for the first time, Derek and Scott seem like part of the same pack. Leaping to the Alpha they attack. But Peter was expecting it and he sent them both flying in different directions.

Allison fell back, as debris was flying through the air and the wood around them began splintering. She moved for the door, crawling outside of the house as the fighting continued. Derek and Scott took turns pounding at Peter to no avail, eventually resulting in Derek falling as blood tumbled past his lips whilst Peter grabbed Scott by the scruff of his neck like a mother pup does and threw him through the wooden walls of the house.

Scott tumbled along the clearing spotting the Alpha stalk outside, aiming for Allison who was trying to wake her dad when suddenly two blinding lights obscured his vision. Jackson leaned over and held his hand on the horn of his Porsche as Stiles got out of the car and threw a self-igniting Molotov Cocktail at the Alpha. Turns out Jackson had taken it upon himself and copied Lydia the night they were locked in the school - keeping a couple for himself. The group of teenagers watched as the bomb landed in the Alphas hand - and did nothing.

"Fuck." Stiles muttered.

"Allison!" Scott shouted, throwing the girl her compound bow. Catching it expertly, Allison loaded it as the Alpha looked between her and the jar confused, only realising what was happening a second too late. As Allison had already fired the arrow, and it was aiming straight for him. Hitting its target expertly as his hand went up in flames as the chemicals leaked over him.

Taking his cue, Jackson climbed out of the car, stepping forward and threw a second beaker. This one exploded across the Alpha's torso, bursting covering him in flames, from head to toe as he roared in pain. Finally, the shrieking subsided and Peter returned to human form, dropping to the wet leaves underneath him, rolling to a stop as the fire dissipates to black smoke.

Scott turned to Allison, surprised to see her already making her way over to him. Not an ounce of fear in her eyes. He was still weak and hurt, he didn't want her to twist the knife anymore and he attempted to back away, only for her to kneel next to him and hold a hand out to him. He kept his head facing away from her trying to keep his altered face in shadow, not wanting her to see him up close as a werewolf. As a monster. But she didn't care. She gently reached up to guide his face to hers, dropping to place a kiss on his lips.

"Why did you do that?' He asked as she pulled away, confused.

"Because I love you." She looked down lovingly at the boy who'd stolen her heart.

Scott noticed her dad glaring in the background but before he could reply to Allison, his attention was caught by Derek stalking over to Peter.

"Wait. You said the cure comes from the one who bit you." Scott shouted out to Derek who stood over Peter's body as Stiles took a step forward. Derek hesitated, glancing at Scott. "You do this and I'm dead. Her father, her family... What am I supposed to do?" Scott pleaded, his voice cracking.

Derek raised a perfectly clawed hand in the air, looking as the moonlight lit it up. Making the decision in an instant, Derek slashed down at his uncle.

"Don't!" Scott shouted.

But it was too late. Derek had slashed Peter's throat, severing the artery, killing him almost instantly. Eyes glowing red, he turned to Scott.

"I'm the Alpha now."

"Guys?" Stiles called out, gaining the attention of everyone. "Where's Lottie?" He asked, looking around, trying to spot her.

"She's with you?" Scott asked, confused.

"No Peter took her. She should be here. She- she should- Oh my God." Stiles panicked, his breath quickening as he realised she wasn't as safe as he thought she might've been.

"We'll find her- we. We'll work together." Scott told the boy, a sick feeling settling in his stomach. "Have you got anything with her scent on?"

"I have her shawl. She- she dropped it when Peter knocked her out."

"We'll find her." Derek promised.

✧༺♥༻✧

Did you know you can drown in as little as an inch or two of water? Lottie had had her right nostril and half of her mouth submerged in the lake for an hour and a half. Unconscious. The only thing stopping her from dying? The venom coursing through her veins. She'd wake so briefly as the venom jolted her back to life, only to pass out from the pain in her head, still suffering from the crushing agony of drowning. She was determined though, in those few seconds she'd try and move and every time she moved half an inch. She hadn't got very far.

Lottie was determined to get out of the water, no matter how inviting the idea of going to sleep without the agony of waking up was becoming. There was something in the water calling her name, she was sure of it. Luring her in. She flashed awake with a jolt, scrunching her face in agony as she let out a gasp. Pulling her head out of the water, she shouted.

"Help!" It couldn't even really be classed as a shout, it was so croaky the sound barely left her lips, moving her body slightly, she rolled slightly, using the last of her energy to finally get her face out of the water. Feeling the weeds of the lake wrapping around her neck like a noose.

Fading in and out again she could have sworn she heard the sound of water being broken, splashed even. But as she drifted off, she told herself it was the sounds of Stiles saving her. If only she'd stayed awake a little longer to see the hands reaching out of the water.

✧༺♥༻✧

Derek pounded through the woods. Despite making an enemy out of Scott, Lottie was still his friend and the thought of her being alone out there after being with his uncle made him sick with worry.

Pausing his run he sniffed the air, not catching a scent. There were too many smells surrounding him. He craned his ear trying to pick up on a sound - anything. And he struck gold. A cough. It was faint but it was something. Following the direction of the sound, he sprinted, slowly picking up on my sounds, the slow, pounding heart, a raspy breath, water rippling slowly.

Derek broke through the tree level, panting as he looked around before focusing his gaze on the girl lying on the floor, dressed in a torn green dress that matched the ground he walked on, he was so distracted in his relief that he didn't notice the hands disappearing under the surface.

"Oh Tiny. What did he do to you?' He asked, crouching down to the girl, untangling the weeds from around her neck, gasping quietly as he saw the bite on her neck, weeping with green pus. He sighed conflicted about whether or not to say anything to Scott, deciding it would be in his best interests to keep it to himself. Wrapping his jacket around her, he picked her up before calling out to Scott.

"I've found her. I'm taking her straight to the hospital. She needs help. Badly."

"We'll meet you there."

Walking back to the car he saw on his way to Lottie, he noted that the keys were still in the ignition, laying her gently in the passenger seat, he buckled her in and sped off. Glancing over occasionally to make sure her small puffs of breath were escaping her nose as he turned the heating up.

✧༺♥༻✧

"Where is she?" Stiles shouted as he entered the hallway. "Where is-"

"She's being seen by a doctor. She woke up before she was taken in, they are going over her vitals." Melissa reassured the boy, making him sit in the waiting room with Allison, Scott and Jackson.

"Where's her dad?" Scott asked.

"Don't get me started. He's in a surgery that is apparently more important than his daughter almost drowning. The doctors are stumped, there's no feasible way she could have survived being even slightly submerged for that long. What was she doing out there anyway?"

"When can I see her? I- I need to see her." Stiles ignored the question.

"Soon. Just sit tight okay. There's a lot of checks they need to do, make sure her lungs are clear and there's no internal damage. She'll probably be knocked out when you can visit." Stiles flinched as Melissa used the words knocked out.

The minutes turned to hours and slowly Allison and Jackson left, demanding updates on both Lottie and Lydia as and when they came. Eventually a doctor walked out.

"Charlotte Bailey." he called out, causing Scott to jolt up, having been dozing on Stiles' shoulder.

"Yes." Stiles stood to attention.

"Good news. We found no evidence of hypoxic brain injury, nor did we find any evidence of respiratory compromise or trauma to the head or cervical spine. Since there is no inadequate respiration or dyspnoea all we need to do is observe her for eight hours after the drowning occurred and she's free to go. Of course we recommend you keep an eye on here for the next few days. Any problems bring her back in." The doctor smiled as Stiles felt the weight of the world lift off his shoulders.

"Can we see her now?" He asked in a small voice.

"Of course she's in room-" Stiles was already gone.

"Thank you Doctor." Scott thanked before following after his friend slowly, determined to let them have a moment alone.

Stiles paused at the door nervously. He was beating himself up for not finding her himself or for letting her get taken in the first place, slowly opening the door he looked at the floor as he walked in.

"There he is." Lottie croaked, smiling at the boy.

"You're- you you're-" He stuttered, falling to pieces as the girl's face crumpled.

"I'm okay. I promise. Come here." She beckoned him over to her bedside before she pulled him up onto the bed next to her, wrapping her arms around him as his tears began to fall. "Shh, shh. It's okay. We're okay."

"I-I thought-"

"I know. It's okay. I'm here. You're here." Lottie reassured, stroking his head softly.

"I should've done more. I could've stopped-"

"You stop that nonsense right now. Stiles I adore you, but there is nothing you could've done against Peter. He's the Alpha. He's-"

"Not anymore. He's dead."

"What?' Lottie blanched.

"Derek killed him. Derek's the Alpha now."

"No fucking way. He dropped me off and said nothing."

"You were unconscious." Stiles deadpanned, looking up at the girl.

"Be nice. I am a recovering drowning victim." Frowning at his face. "Too soon?" She asked as he rested his head back on her chest.

"It'll always be too soon."

The two stayed there, their breathing in sync as they slowly drifted off, comforted by the arms they found themselves wrapped in. Lottie dozed off quickly, the events of the night overwhelming her. Just as Stiles was about to fall asleep too, Scott creaked in.

"Stiles. You'll never guess what?"

"What?" Stiles whispered, lifting his head from Lottie's chest. Scott smiled at his friends before getting back on track.

"I snuck into Lydia's room to check on her bite... It's still bleeding. Like not healing at all."

"What does that mean?" Stiles asked, confused.

"I have no idea. But the bite is not healing like it did with me. Which means she's not a werewolf."

"Then what the hell is she?"

The boys were too distracted by their newest problem and the relief that their friends were okay to notice the bandage wrapped around Lottie's neck. If they had, they might have unravelled it and noticed that blue veins were glowing under the bite.