APRIL FROWNED AS SHE WALKED TOWARD DEREK'S APARTMENT WITH Allison and Lydia. The Martin girl was trying to figure out her powers and how to control them, and she had somehow ended up with Peter helping her. Allison breathed out, "While it's smart to bring me with you, I still think the rest of this is totally insane."

"I don't understand why I have to be here," the blonde girl groaned since she was not contributing to the situation at all. Allison was there for protection, but she was just...there. She could be back at the hospital, waiting for Isaac to wake up.

Allison's dad was currently at the sheriff's station with Derek. They were both being held for the murder of Katashi because Rafael had caught them with the case full of money and discussing everything. The Sharpe girl did not have all of the details, but she knew that they believed that Stiles had framed them for murder.

"It's not good for you to be stuck in the hospital all the time. You needed to get out of there for a while," Lydia explained to her before pausing at the door and turning back to Allison. "I tried to find Stiles, and I led everyone into a mental institution! I call that a colossal failure. Look, I just need to figure this out, and he's the only one offering help."

The Argent girl was still not convinced at all since Peter had never done anything for anyone but himself in his entire life, at least for as long as they had known him. "Peter doesn't offer help — he offers a chance for you to be manipulated into giving him what he wants!"

"Fine. Let's see what he wants..." Lydia told her, and they all glanced at each other before sliding the door open to reveal Peter standing dramatically by the window and staring out at the city even though the glass was too dirty and fogged up to see through.

"The hunter and the Banshee..." the man greeted with a slight smirk before his eyes shifted over to the Sharpe girl. He mused, "And the boring one." April just threw her hands up and shot him a glare before he continued. "Ladies, come in." They stepped to the table, and he glanced to the Argent girl. "She goes."

April was about to ask why he did not ask her to leave, but then, she realized that it probably meant that he thought that she was not a threat. The strawberry blonde girl just scoffed because there was no way that that was going to happen. "The last time I was alone with you, I almost bled out on a lacrosse field. She stays."

"Do you actually think I was trying to kill you when I bit you? You were my back-up plan, remember? Not to mention, the bite is what brought out your nascent abilities. You think power like that was going to come out on its own?" He clicked his tongue. "I'm the spark that lit your fire, sweetheart."

"You attacked her and nearly killed her," the blonde girl pointed out.

He just shrugged in response like it was no big deal that she almost died and ended up spending twenty-four hours wandering naked around the woods in the freezing cold. "Power doesn't come without a little pain and struggle."

"I didn't ask for it," Lydia informed him, he already knew. Again, the only person that Peter Hale cared about was himself. He did not care who he hurt in the process of getting what he wanted.

He smirked as if trying to convince her that she should thank him after he almost murdered her, like she should thank him for all of the trouble he caused them. "But you're embracing it now, aren't you?"

"How about the fact that you brainwashed her and used her to bring yourself back to life?" Allison questioned, and April nodded along because she had completely forgotten about that part. She had never really gotten the complete story to that, so she was still really confused.

"So that I could be here today to help you master your abilities!" he exclaimed with a grin, but he was not swaying any of them. He knew it, too. "Isn't it amazing how things come full circle?"

The Argent girl rolled her eyes and grabbed Lydia's and April's arms and pulled them toward the door. "He's insane. We're leaving."

"You want the truth, Lydia?" the man called to them, causing the Martin girl to turn around with a curious expression. "It's not the scream that gives you power. All the scream does is help drown out the noise, allowing you to hear what you really need to. I can help you focus your hearing."

"But you want something in return," the Sharpe girl guessed because knowing him, there was no way that he was doing all of this for free.

The Hale man shot her a look that said 'seriously?' in response. "No, I'm dedicating my life to helping narcissistic teenage girls. Of course I want something in return."

《❀》

"THESE ARE THE CLAWS OF DEREK'S MOTHER?" ALLISON ASKED, holding up one of the claws that Peter had just dumped on the table in front of them. She and Lydia were picking them up and observing them, but April was a little hesitant. She was not sure she wanted to know how he got the claws of his sister that died in a fire that he was also in.

"My sister, Talia," he added after nodding. They looked at him in confusion, wondering why the hell he was showing these to them. He explained, "Before she died, she stole a memory from me. It's something only a very powerful Alpha can do. That memory is locked inside those claws."

The blonde girl furrowed her eyebrows. She must have not been a very nice sister, unless it was some traumatic memory that she did not want to scar him forever. "Why would your sister want to steal a memory from you?"

"Well, if I remembered the memory, I might be able to tell you," Peter replied irritably, shooting her a glare. She mimicked his actions because she had just been trying to help Lydia help him, and he was being all salty.

The Martin girl sighed and leaned her hands on the table. "So, what am I supposed to do?"

"Focus," the Hale man ordered. Lydia was now holding the claws in her hand and just closing her eyes and praying that a vision might appear. In April's opinion, she was as sure that it was going to work as she was sure that her mom and aunt were going to magically come back to life and want to play Barbies with her.

The strawberry blonde girl whipped around to face him because his commentary was definitely not helping. She responded, "I am focusing!"

"You're not!" he insisted, banging his hand on the table and gesturing to her eyeballs with his middle and pointed finger. "I can see the wheels spinning behind your eyes. Your hearing is attuned to a level of the universe no one else can hear — but only if you're listening."

"I'm trying!" she groaned, turning around so that she would not have to look at him while she did it..

"Try harder!" he yelled, stepping forward, but before he could go any further, a weapon crackling with electricity was placed right in front of his neck. He stopped just in time before looking to Allison who was holding the sword-looking thing. His claws were out, and April was pretty sure that his fangs were as well. It was obvious that he was teasing her when he said, "Your aunt had one of those. Auntie Kate?"

Lydia glanced between them because there was no way that they were going to get anything done if they just kept arguing. "Stop it. Both of you."

"Didn't do her much good as I ripped her throat out, did it?" Peter said smugly, ignoring what the girl said and continuing in his attempt to rile Allison up for no good reason at all other than to just be annoying.

The Argent girl, keeping the sword where it was just in case she wanted to shock him a little bit, replied bitterly, "She didn't shove it up your—"

"Stop it!" the Martin girl shrieked, and April ducked just in time so that the claws in her hand did not go flying into her face. They all watched as she threw them all of a sudden, and they all stuck directly into one of the wooden posts behind Peter. Her head tilted as she began to walk toward the pillar.

"Lydia? Lydia, did you hear something? What is it? What are they saying?" the Hale man asked, begging for an answer as she continued to stare blankly at the claws. "Is it the memory? What did Talia take from me? Tell me what she knew!"

The girl seemed almost terrified and shocked as she turned around to face them and looked him right in the eye with an unreadable expression. All of their jaws dropped at her words. "You're not just an uncle."

"I said I don't know. I don't know its name, if it's a boy, or a girl, or if it's some mutated wolf baby," the girl explained to him as he started to back her into a wall.

"You're lying," he responded, shaking his head, still shocked and confused by the news. His eyes had gone dark, like, scary dark, and he was starting to seem like he was about to transform as he grabbed her. "Tell me what you know! Tell me! Tell—"

All of a sudden, the taser sword hit him in the back, and he fell to the ground, twitching. Allison grabbed Lydia's arm, and April followed them out. "Now we're leaving..."

"LYDIA!" Peter screamed as they left, the name trailing for a long time until they could not hear it anymore over the rain.

"There was a what?" April exclaimed as they walked down the stairs. She was on the phone with Scott, and he was rambling about something that happened while they were at the apartment. It turns out that Derek's apartment had awful service. "Wait, Scott, slow down."

He sighed, and it was obvious that they were on the road. "There was a bomb at the sheriff's station. Tell Allison that her dad is fine. Derek's okay, Stiles's dad is okay, but we did lose one of the deputies."

"Who would set off a bomb in the sheriff's station?" the blonde girl asked, causing both of her friends to whip toward her in shock because they had not heard that part. She waved them off, letting them know that she explain in a second.

"I'll tell you everything later," he told her. "Right now, we're headed to the animal clinic. They won't be able to get in there easily. Just go home and lock all of the doors. Oh, and if you find a random present anywhere, don't unwrap it. Don't touch it. Just call me or the police or someone."

She nodded, even though he could not see her. "Okay, stay safe. Don't get killed by the ghost ninjas. You sure you don't want me to come and help?"

"Absolutely not. Go home," he practically ordered before hanging up.

"I got mine," Allison informed them as they were researching in the car. She was finding a picture of Peter, and Lydia was supposed to be finding a picture of Malia. "Did you find yours?" The Martin girl nodded, and they held their phones together. "Peter and Malia?"

"Father and daughter..."