𝐂𝐡𝐚𝐩𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝟏𝟕

"𝘛𝘩𝘳𝘰𝘶𝘨𝘩 𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘩𝘦𝘢𝘳𝘵. 𝘏𝘰𝘸 𝘦𝘭𝘴𝘦? "

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╰┈˚ · ° .   MATT WAS DEAD. I WOULD NOT SAY THAT I WAS VERY SAD ABOUT IT, or actually even slightly upset about it. But for sure, Matt Daehler as the Kanima's master was definitely better than having Gerald Argent as it.

"We are dead." Alec stated. He was laying on my bed, limbs spread wide dramatically staring at the ceiling "We are so dead, little witch. He is going to use Jackson to make us all fall down one after the other as bowling pins."

"Jesus Christ, Alec. Get a grip" I said with an annoyed groan. I was seated at my desk, charcoal pencil in my hand as I drew. It was probably the fiftieth time Alec had said that. I turned my head to look at him."I'm starting to think that Gerald and Jackson will be too late to kill you because right now, the idea of slashing your throat is sounding more and more appealing by the second."

An infamous grin spread across his lips as he raised slightly so his elbows would keep him upright. "Oh! How I love when you threaten to kill me, little witch. I don't think it will ever stop turning me on." He sighed out a dreamily breath.

"You are sick." I stated before going back to draw

"That is why you love me, amore." He said as a matter of fact. [Love]

"Right now not so much."

I heard him get up from the bed, walking until he was behind me. "Well, for sure it didn't stop you from drawing me." His words caressed the shell of my ear with a lustful breath. My body melted against his without my permission, my head falling onto his abdomen as his fingers started to thread through my hair.

He wasn't wrong. He was the perfect muse, drawing him had become one of my favorite things to do. Catching his grin on paper, how his lips curved in a magnificent grin, how his eyes darkened and half lidded. I loved to capture the way his curls framed his features, his shadows floating around him. I loved even drawing his wolf, a painting of him in that form was framed and hung on the wall of my room where all my favorite paintings were. It was a collage of canvas filled with memories and people that I loved.

"Anyways" He said, stepping back. A frown quickly making itself known on my features at the distance "Geral Argent has a weapon of mass murder in his hands. He is a psychopath who hates the supernatural. But most importantly, he hates the Hales. So you, Derek and apparently Peter. You three are probably the first three on his killing list."

"We have a plan, remember?" I asked him

"You mean Scott's plan?" He counters "Do you trust him?"

My eyes traveled from his to the pair of changing yellow eyes to intense scarlet red that I drew for the first time years ago. Various drawings of the same eyes were scattered around my room, hidden behind other drawings or inside drawers.

"I do" I said sincerely "I trust him"

Once again the warmth of Alec's body neared my back. He kissed the crown of my head before placing his chin there "Then I do too."

───── ⋆⋅⋆｡ ﾟ☽𖦹☾ ﾟ｡⋆⋅⋆ ─────

╰┈˚ · ° .  I walked inside the Hale house knowing that this is where I would find my cousin. As the message from Peter said, he would be here too with a plan on how to save Jackson. What I didn't think of seeing, or actually hear, as soon as I stepped inside, were Erica and Boyd apparently wanting to leave Derek's pack.

"You wanna look for another pack? How are you even gonna find one?" Derek asked his betas. What everyone could hear was the anger in his tone but probably the sadness and fear was probably not captured by the two other teens.

"We think we already did." Boyd told him.

Derek's eyes widened. He snapped his head towards me as I walked past the betas. Our eyes meet in silent dread. They couldn't be here already, right?

"Like all of a sudden we heard all this howling. It was unbelievable." Erica stated, awe in her tone.

"There must have been a dozen of them. Maybe more." Boyd said

"Yeah, or maybe only two. You know what the beau geste effect is?" Derek asked, his anger rising.

"If they modulate their howls with a rapid shift in tone, 2 wolves can sound like 20." I explained to the two betas as I sat on the dusty armchair.

"Look that doesn't matter, okay? There's another pack out there. There's got to be. We've made up our minds." The blonde girl told to her Alpha.

"We lost, Derek. And it's over. We're leaving." Boyd state

"No, you're running. And once you start, you don't stop. You'll always be running." Derek angrily told them.

Gritting her jaw, Erica took her friend's hand ready to drag him out of here.

"Be careful" I told them without an ounce of actual concern "There is a reason why werewolves hunters exist. Not all packs have the same moral code."

The two betas gulped before both walked away.

"It's not your fault" I said to my cousin "Some people are just not meant to fight. We have not lost yet."

Derek sighed out a breath, his jaw clenched from anger "What are you doing here anyway?"

I felt his presence at the same time Derek did "Him" I said as the alpha threw a piece of mirror at the newly alive Peter Hale.

"I expected a slightly warmer welcome." The ex Alpha said catching the shard with his hand easily. The point almost touching his throat "But point taken."

───── ⋆⋅⋆｡ ﾟ☽𖦹☾ ﾟ｡⋆⋅⋆ ─────

𝐀𝐥𝐞𝐜'𝐬 𝐏𝐨𝐯

╰┈˚ · ° .  Isaac had sent me a message asking me to meet to the animal clinic. It was quite unexpected, if I had to be honest, but nevertheless I still rode my bike until the building was in my sight.

I opened the door of the clinic, the bell sounding as I did, notifying the three people I could scent in the room behind the mountain ash tree wood made front desk posing as a barrier for the supernaturals.

"Hello" I slightly yelled with my normal bored tone "McCall, Lahey, I know you are both here"

"What are you doing here?" Scott asked me, confused.

"I don't know, Isaac told me to come here, actually." I explained.

The veterinarian gave me a sincere smile, opening the gate for me to enter "Come in, Alec."

"Thanks Doc." I grinned at the man as I passed him.

The veterinarian returned to his place next to a slightly sedated dog, Scott assisting him. I placed myself with my back to the wall, arms crossed on my chest trying not to scrunch my nose at the horrible smell coming from the little dog. He was not a healthy dog.

"Why does it smell like that?" Isaac asked with a grimace. Both Scott and the doctor smiled at the boy "What?"

"Scott said almost the same thing to me a few months ago. One day he could somehow tell the difference between which animals were getting

better and which were not." Deaton explained

"He's not getting better, is he?" Isaac asked. At shake of the man's head the Lahey boy questioned "Like cancer."

"Osteosarcoma. It has a very distinct scent, doesn't it?" Deaton asked Scott who nodded his head.

"Come here. I know you're well aware of what your new abilities can do for you. Improved strength, speed, and healing. You ever wonder what it

could do for others? Give me your hand. Go on." Deaton placed Isaac's hand on the dog. As soon as his hand came in contact with the skin of the animal, black veins appeared on the teen's hand crawling under the sleeve of his shirt.

"What did I do?" Isaac asked. A mix of confusion, awe and slight fear in his tone.

"You took some of his pain away." I explained

"Only a little bit. But sometimes a little can make quite a difference." Deaton added

Tears started to fall from the beta making Scott smile at him "It's okay. First time he showed me, I cried too."

I furrowed my eyebrows as I approached the trio. I placed my hands on the animal, patting him with gentleness. "People who become werewolves from a bit have a lot more difficulty with adjusting to their new form. For us, born into the supernatural, we live knowing these things. Yes, it's easier but... It can take away some of the magic. These feelings, these moments... never forget them. They can be very few sometimes"

Deaton then took the dog back into the other room leaving us three to talk.

"What did you want to tell me?" I asked Isaac, as Scott finished cleaning up the working space

Isaac sighed out "Erica and Boyd. They're leaving tonight, during the game."

"You are telling us why?" I asked confused once again placing myself with my back to the wall

"I'm not telling you. I'm asking you. I'm asking for your advice." Isaac answered "Both of you."

"From us? Why?" Scott spoke confused

"I could actually believe asking Scott for advice, but me?" I asked slightly puzzled "

"Because I trust you." Isaac stated taking me completely off guard. I was not expecting that king of answer

"Why?" Scott asked

Isaac looked at him, speaking sincerely "Because you always seem to want to do the right thing."

"Most of the time, no all the time my first instinct is violence. I'm more of a do first, ask later kind of guy. It's probably a miracle that I have not killed anyone yet, actually." I said, making both of them chuckle. "Scott is the one who always wants to do the right thing."

"I usually have no idea what I'm doing. Actually I always have no idea what I'm doing."

"Do you want to let me know what you're doing right now?"

"I'm not going anywhere if that's what you mean. I have too many people

here who needs me." Scott answered to the Lahey boy

"I'm not going anywhere either. My only excuse is actually Elizabeth. Probably not very good reasons for many people but I'm not leaving her. She wants to help so I'm going to do it as well." I told him

"Well, I guess that makes me lucky 'cause... 'cause I don't have anyone, so." Isaac said. I could feel the underlying sadness under the strong and seeming unaffected tone that he was using.

He was me before Elizabeth. I had no one, I didn't care. I was alone.

"Are you gonna go with them?" I asked im

"Yeah, I think I will." He answered me as he started to walk away only to stop and turn towards Scott. "Good luck with the game."

"Well, thanks, but I'm not... I'm not going either. Can't even think about playing some meaningless game right now." Scott said honestly, looking completely tired

"You weren't at practice last week, were you?"

"No, I skipped it. Why?"

"And you didn't hear?"

"Hear what?"

"Jackson was there." Isaa explained

"What do you mean 'there' Like, he was..."

"As if nothing had happened."

"That means he is going to play tonight." I concluded.

With a last smile with thinned lips Isaac started to walk away. I nodded at Scott before following after the beta.

"Isaac, wait!" I yelled at him making him turning around

"What is it?" He asked confused

"You are not alone." I said, the words felt forced as I said them. Being open with other people was not something I was good at. "Not if you don't want to be" And after that I quickly left.

───── ⋆⋅⋆｡ ﾟ☽𖦹☾ ﾟ｡⋆⋅⋆ ─────

𝐄𝐥𝐢𝐳𝐚𝐛𝐞𝐭𝐡'𝐬 𝐏𝐨𝐯

╰┈˚ · ° .  "It's quite a situation you've got yourself in here, Derek. I mean, I'm out of commission for a few weeks and suddenly there's lizard people, geriatric

psychopaths, and you're cooking up werewolves out of every self-esteem-deprived adolescent in town." Peter listed. His sarcasm definitely rubbed Derek the wrong way by the angry look on his face.

"Well, he is not wrong" I commented with a shrug

"Thank you" Peter nodded his head at me with smirk

"What do you want?" Derek glared at our uncle, pure rage passing through his veins.

"Well, I want to help. You're my nephew. She is my niece. The only relatives that I have left." He explained starting to walk towards Derek "You know, there's still a lot that I can teach you." He formed a condescending smile on his lips, his hand touching the alpha's shoulder "Can we just talk?"

"Sure." Derek nodded while looking at hand on his shoulder "Let's talk."

"Oh for fuck sakes" I groaned knowing where this was going. Not even seconds after I had talked, Derek kicked our uncle making him crash on the stairs before falling on the ground with a groan.

Night was quickly falling while Derek fought with Peter. Actually, it would be more accurate to say Derek kicked Peter's ass. The ex alpha strength was definitely nothing compared to the new alpha.

"You don't actu... actually think that I want to be the Alpha again, do you?" Peter asked, his voice straining from the beating "That wasn't my finest

performance, considering it ended in my death. Thank a lot for that by the way"

"No need to thank us, don't worry " I commented sarcastically, still not moving from my place on the couch.

"I mean, I'm usually more... okay, go ahead! Come on, do it. Hit me, hit me." Uncle Peter yelled as Derek prepared once again to throw a punch "I can see that it's cathartic for you. You're letting go of all the anger, self-loathing, and hatred that comes with total and complete failure. I may be the one taking the beating, Derek, but you've already been beaten. So, go ahead. Hit me if it would make you feel better. After all, I did say that I wanted to help." He egged his nephew on.

"You can't help me." Derek answered him scoffing even at the idea of it

"Are you two done now?" I asked, getting tired of them already.

As the situation decreased, Derek came to sit next me on the couch, his eyes not looking away from his bloody fist as he tightly clenched it.

"See?" Peter said walking towards us until he stopped near the arch frame, looking at himself in the shard of mirror that Derek had previously thrown at him "Prime example right here. I'm not healing as fast. Coming back from the dead isn't easy, you know. I'm not as strong as I used to be."

"What? Did you expect no consequences?" I asked with a snort. My uncle gave me an annoyed glare before he started to talk again with Derek "I need a pack. An Alpha like you. I need you as much as you need me."

"Why would I want help from a total psycho?" Derek asked

"Because we don't have much choice anyway?" I responded rhetorically.

"See? She gets it." Peter gave me a thankful look, making me roll my eyes at him. "First of all, I'm not a total psycho. And by the way, you're the one that slashed my throat wide open. But we're all works in progress, right? So... we need each other. Sometimes when you need help, you

turn to people you'd never expect."

"You told me you knew something, uncle. Can you just get on with it and tell us?" I asked

"In a minute. I want to know something first." He said "Why are you not in his pack?" He pointed at Derek .

"Because he bit every self-esteem-deprived adolescent in town?" I asked sarcastically using his same words "And I don't need a pack. I have my friends."

Peter placed a hand on his heart faking a soft look "Touching" He said "I think that I'm tearing up a bit"

I groaned out loud, pretty much smashing my own hands on my face "Can we kill him again?" I asked my cousin, earning a slight twitch of his lips.

"You hurt me, niece. And here I thought you cared for me." Peter said, faking a hurt look

"No. Not right now" I told him "Can you get on with it, please?"

"Fine" Peter rolled his eyes before focusing on Derek "You tried to build your pack. You tried to prepare for the worst. You weren't ready. Because of it, Gerard is winning. He's taking his time. He's toying with Scott. He's going after your wolves, one by one. He's relishing in his victory."

"How about you tell me something I don't know?" Derek spitted out

"Oh, I'm going to. And it's gonna prove why you should trust me. Why you need to trust me. Because I'm going to tell you how to stop Jackson."

"What do you mean?" I asked sitting more upright as his speech got the point

"Know how to kill him?" Derek asked

"Actually, how to save him." Peter confessed "There's a myth that you can cure a werewolf simply by calling out its Christian name."

"It's just a myth." Derek said

"Well, sometimes myths and legends bear a hint of truth. Our name is a symbol of who we are. But the kanima has no identity. That's why it doesn't seek a pack. It seeks a master. And who else grows up with no pack? No identity?"

"An orphan." I said with a far away look. I was an orphan like him but I knew who I was. I knew my family, where I came from.

"Like Jackson. And right now, his identity is disappearing beneath the reptilian skin. You need to bring him back."

"How?!" Derek shouted tired our uncle not going straight to the point.

"Through his heart. How else?" Peter sain using the same tone of Derek's

"You know, in case you hadn't noticed, Jackson doesn't really have too much of a heart to begin with." Derek said sarcastically

"Not true. He'd never admit it, but there is one person. One young lady with whom Jackson shared a real bond. One person who could reach him. Who could save him." Peter said, looking towards me. Lydia. "Your best ally has always been anger, Derek, but what you lack most is a heart. Even you Elizabeth, your anger and pain cloud your judgment and mind most of the time. That's why you've always known that you need Scott more than anyone. And even somebody as burned and dead on the inside as me knows better than to underestimate the simple yet undeniable power of human love."

"Alright then" Derek said as he rose from the couch "Let's go."

"There is a lacrosse game going on at school. Everyone will be there" I said, following after my cousin who nodded at me. Derek was the first to walk outside but when Peter started to follow him I stopped him by grabbing his arm

"Need something?" He said with a raised eyebrow

I looked at him, my mind swirling around thinking of a million different things but still it didn't change how I felt. I wrapped my arms around my uncle's neck, jumping slightly at the height difference. It took him a couple of seconds to unfreeze but then, his arm came around my middle hugging me back.

"I'm sorry." I said " I missed you and I'm happy that you are back, uncle" I whispered, the words slightly muffled by my head buried in his neck. He kissed the crown of my head before I felt his arm strengthen his hold around me, hugging me tighter.

✎

˗ˏˋ 𝐀𝐮𝐭𝐡𝐨𝐫'𝐬 𝐧𝐨𝐭𝐞 ˊˎ˗

Hello everyone!

The Hales family dynamic is so chaotic and I love it. The three of them are such a mess lmaoo. I really wanted to make Peter and Elizabeth very close in my story, so... cute little ending of this chapter.

I love the first part. It shows a bit of Ellie and Alec's dynamic together.

Only one chapter left of season 2!!

Anyways, thank you for reading this chapter, I'll see you on Thursday!

˚ · ° . 𝐔𝐩𝐝𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐬𝐜𝐡𝐞𝐝𝐮𝐥𝐞 . ° · ˚

𝐓𝐮𝐞𝐬𝐝𝐚𝐲

𝐓𝐡𝐮𝐫𝐬𝐝𝐚𝐲

𝐒𝐚𝐭𝐮𝐫𝐝𝐚𝐲

𝐒𝐭𝐚𝐲 𝐬𝐚𝐟𝐞 𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐲𝐨𝐧𝐞!

– 𝐋𝐨𝐥𝐚 ☾