◤ chapter thirteen: ❛ origin story ❜ ◢

✧

COOPER PURPOSEFULLY LOOKED AWAY FROM SCOTT. The stars twinkled above them, the ambulance loading Deaton on, Sheriff Stilinski finished searching the scene and headed off, presumably to the station or home. Scott stared at him, obvious in his attempts to catch Cooper's gaze, but he refused to give in.

         I imagined Deucalion also has a special interest in you.

         A few months ago his largest concern was school. All he had to care about was school, his brother, and parties. He got drunk, took men into his bed, and life was good. There were no wolves, no death, no fighting. Life was peaceful when it was normal, and now he had to worry about the leader of an alpha pack coming for him because Sirens are rare beauties.

         He didn't understand the appeal of people like him. He drew people in without meaning to, could deafen people with one whistle, kill them if not careful. He could essentially compel people, like he was a vampire on that stupid Vampire Diaries show. Rare and wanted, but not wanting his abilities.

         He realized now why Julia looked so sad when he presented. When Jackson the kanima attacked him, without even realizing it, he started to sing. The song came from depths of his soul he didn't know existed, causing the kanima to retreat. He remembered his aura projected so strongly, tempting everyone who was remotely around him. And then there was Julia, looking at him not with lust but sadness.

         Oh, you poor dear...

         Mind wandering, he wondered if Julia knew that Deucalion would want him. Julia was removed from Scott and Derek, and Penelope hadn't been bitten yet, but Cooper was prime real estate. Perhaps that's why she wanted him to stay out of it. It was too late for that now. Deucalion knew there was a siren, knew it was him, and wanted him. A rare gem.

         "Cooper..."

         "Do you think it's true?" he cut off Scott, finally turning to the boy and putting him out of his misery, "About you being a true alpha."

         Scott clenched his jaw, pausing before sighing. "I don't know," he admitted, "I don't think I'm worthy of being a true alpha, but my eyes...I saw it before, at that motel."

         "I remember. I thought you were just going insane, but tonight – your eyes were red, and you were pushing through the mountain ash. I didn't think that was possible," Cooper shook his head.

         "I don't want to join Deucalion."

         "I don't want you to either," he confessed. A selfish request, wanting to keep Scott here and all to himself, "I know I'm not going to join him. No matter what."

         A bold statement, one he couldn't be sure about, but one he said with full confidence. Scott's lips quirked upwards. Cooper smothered his face with his hand, wiping at his eyes. "It's been a long day, I think it's time to head home."

         Scott nodded. He opened his mouth, but his phone rang. Putting a pin in it, he reached for his phone, accepting the call. "Allison?"

         Cooper wanted to groan. Of course it was Allison calling. Scott's face morphed into a frown.

         "Are you sure? Fine, we'll be right there – I'm with Cooper. Okay, see you soon."

         He raised an eyebrow, and Scott gave him a sheepish smile. "I know you wanna go home, but Allison's with her grandad, and she said he knows something about Deucalion. Will you come with?"

         Internally, he screamed. No, he didn't want to meet Allison, or her evil grandad. He remembered Jackson telling him that Gerard took control of him after Matt's death, that he had an agenda to become a werewolf all because he didn't want to face his own death. But Scott was smiling at him, looking so hopeful, and how could Cooper ever resist him?

         If Cooper didn't know any better, he would think it was Scott who had siren abilities, drawing him in and compelling him to say yes. "Let's go before I change my mind."

         He purposefully did not look at Scott's elated face. Waiting for Scott to climb into his motorcycle, Cooper again hopped on behind, wrapping his arms around Scott's firm midsection, pressing himself close. With such a small distance between them, all his senses were attuned to Scott.

         He felt the soft cotton of his shirt and the abs underneath, saw only his neck and the road ahead, heard his almost silent breaths, smelt his cologne and his general scent, almost tasting it on his tongue. The werewolf invaded him, but the invasion didn't feel like an intrusion, but a return to peace. A safety.

         Tightening his grip as Scott began to drive, he pushed himself further into Scott. He squeezed his eyes shut, feeling the wind beat onto his face. Eventually, the ride ended and Scott stopped the bike. Cooper released his grip on Scott, sluggishly standing up.

         Outside the nursing home stood Allison who had her arms crossed to better brave the cold wind of the night. She led them inside to Gerard's room, where he saw in a wheelchair, staring out the window, coughing black ooze into a tissue. Cooper grimaced.

         Allison aimed to grab her grandfather's attention, Scott standing beside her. Cooper went to make himself comfortable, grabbing a seat and placing more distance between himself and the hunter. As a hunter, Gerard was hardly a threat, but the growing displeasure for him meant Cooper wanted to stay as far away from him as possible. He didn't know how nicely he would be able to play with the old man.

         "They found a third body?" Gerard asked, once situated, eyes scanning the room. He held no surprise at the appearance of Scott but his eyebrows lifted at the sight of Cooper, along with mild confusion. Cooper refused to introduce himself.

         Allison nodded. "Another doctor. Right after Scott found Deaton," she confirmed.

         While Deaton was saved, the darach still had the sacrifice ring completed. It was a bitter victory for them.

         "Right after?" Gerard questioned before muttering, "Almost like it was expected he'd survive..."

         "What's that supposed to mean?" Scott demanded.

         Gerard's eyes turned to slits, suspicion laced in his tone, "How do you know your dark Druid isn't your wise veterinarian himself? Maybe he knew you'd find him. Maybe he planned it that way."

         Cooper clenched his jaw. While his knowledge of Deaton was lacking, he didn't like the accusation. Why would Deaton help them just to betray them? According to Scott, Deaton had been a help from the start, not just popping in right before the darach started their sacrifices.

         "He would never let anyone innocent die," Scott firmly denied.

         "Don't be so sure – you'd be surprised how far some people would go to get rid of someone like Deucalion," Gerard shook his head.

         "Or someone like you?"

         Gerard's lips quirked upwards in amusement. "I don't go easily, though, do I? You know, Scott, you've made me something of a celebrity here. I'm a medical mystery. The cancer is now virtually undetectable, but the doctors have no clue why my body keeps producing and ejecting this bizarre black fluid..."

         "I did what you wanted me to do," Scott said, unamused, "Tell us how to beat him."

         "You can't. I've tried."

         Cooper rolled his eyes. "Great."

         Allison dropped her arms. "Then this is a complete waste of time. He doesn't know anything," Cooper eyed her with displeasure, it was a huge waste of time, "Sorry you did this. Let's go."

         She led them to the door. "Wait!" Gerard called out, stopping them in their tracks. Slowly, they turned their heads. "I can tell you one thing – Deucalion may have lost his eyes, but he's not always blind."

         They resumed their previous positions. Gerard coughed, covering his mouth with a tissue as black ooze spilled out of his mouth. Cooper couldn't imagine that it tasted good. Then, the idea of that made him shudder.

         Gerard began his story, how years ago all the alphas were in Beacon Hills, and the Argents hunting them. "They were all there...Ennis, Kali, Deucalion...Each with their own packs...before they'd killed them all and decided to form their little all-star team."

         "But they didn't all live here, did they?" Allison asked.

         "No. BU there was an exceptionally powerful Alpha who did live here – she had a capacity to shapeshift that was rare among her kind, that made her something of a leader. The kind of person that they would go to for advice and guidance...Talia Hale."

         Cooper's eyes locked with Scott's then Allison's. The Hales were involved in this story – Derek had met them before then. It made sense now how he knew their symbol when they came back to town.

         Gerard explained more of the story. Told them of a Nemeton, an older tree in a grove that represented the world, the symbols of the druid. "How does he know all about Celtic symbols and Druids...?" Allison questioned.

         Gerard turned an inquisitive eye on his granddaughter. "Know thy enemy, Allison," his eyes then turned to all of them, "The older wolves had a relationship with the Druids. They called them Emissaries."

         "Like my boss, Deaton..."

         "Do you know the myth of the Lycaon?"

         "I know it's where we got the word lycanthropy."

         "According to myth, some Greek citizens believed they owed their lives more to Prometheus than to the gods of Olympus, and some followers even took names to honor the Titans instead of the gods."

         "...Like Deucalion."

         Gerard nodded. "The son of Prometheus," he coughed again, black ooze shot out, "Lycaon didn't just refuse to honor the gods – he challenged them. He invited Zeus to a banquet and then tried to serve him the flesh of a human being. Angered, Zeus blew the place apart with lightning bolts and then punished Lycaon and his sons by turning them into wolves. The part that's lesser known is how Lycaon sought out the Druids to help him turn back to human."

         "Why Druids?"

         "The belief was that the ancient Druids knew how to shapeshift. They couldn't make Lycaon and his sons human again, but they did teach them how to shift back and forth. And so, the Druids became important advisors to the packs."

         Cooper had a grim look on his face. Greek mythology had always been taught to be that: myths. Zeus wasn't supposed to exist, neither was Prometheus. But, then again, sirens were apart of mythology, and honestly, how could he say what was real and what wasn't?

         He didn't think werewolves were real until a few months ago. Didn't believe in any supernatural creatures, so were gods so far out of the question? No, they were viable. And everything Gerard spewed could have truth, but they could all be lies as well. The source of information was not one Cooper would trust with answers on any occasion.

         "I wasn't really surprised when Deaton came to arrange a meeting with Deucalion," Gerard continued, "As William Blake said, 'Any sinister person who means to be your enemy always starts by trying to become your friend'."

         "How do you know he wasn't there to make peace?" Allison frowned.

         "Because I'm not an idiot!" Gerard shouted, anger morphing his features, "Do you know the Sanskrit fable of the Scorpion and the Turtle?"

         Cooper blinked. What?

         "Yeah," Scott nodded, Cooper blinked at him again, "The Scorpion asks the Turtle for a ride across the river..."

         "And when the Scorpion stings the Turtle, dooming them both, what does he say to explain his behavior?" Gerard goaded.

         Scott hesitated before answering, "...It's my nature."

         "I know a werewolf's nature. I knew exactly what was coming...a trap."

         Gerard explained to them how Deucalion slaughtered the hunters, how he barely escaped, but blinded Deucalion in the process. And yet...

         "He sees as a wolf?" Scott exclaimed in shock.

         "He's not always blind," Gerard repeated.

         "Maybe we can use it against him," Allison looked hopeful.

         Cooper stared at Gerard. He didn't trust the old man. It is not a wolf's nature to attack first, or to set a trap, and he hardly believed that Deaton would help facilitate one. Nothing about it sat right with him.

         "Scott," Gerard drew out, "Oh, I think about you sometimes, Scott. I do! I wonder, what if I'd done things differently? Getting the bite to cure my cancer? And I wonder when it became my nature to believe most things couldn't be asked for, but had to be taken."

         "I don't believe you," Scott shook his head, "The whole time that you were telling your story, I was listening to your heartbeat. It never went up. It never went down. It was steady the whole time."

         "Because I was telling the truth!"

         "Or because you're a really good liar," the wolf shot back, Cooper felt a sense of pleasure that Scott felt the same about Gerard as he did, "If you lied, and it gets people hurt, I'll be back to take away more than just your pain."

         Cooper stood from his chair, the first time making his presence known. He smiled down at Gerard, but he knew it looked more sinister than anything. Then, he projected his aura. He made it loud, unable to be missed, and directed it towards Gerard solely.

         "It was a lovely story," his voice sounded sweeter than normal, lighter than the usual gravel.

         Gerard's eyes widened. "Siren," he sneered.

         "Yes. Glad you finally figured it out," he continued to smile, voice so dreamy, capturing everyone with a single syllable, "But I have to ask. The ambush...what happened?"

         "I told you," but the words were weak. He was resilient. Gerard was right when he said he was stronger than he looked, but Cooper was a siren in his prime, tasting so much power, more than he had ever used.

         "You don't seem so sure of that," his sweet voice tutted. He whistled, the song of truth and temptation spilling from his lips, watching as Gerard fell deeper into his trance, "Was it an ambush?"

         Gerard was still, unable to move as Cooper had not commanded him to. "No," it came out emotionless, monotone with no life behind it, Gerard only staring up at him like he was the entire world.

         The wicked smile of the siren grew, and he sung another song. This one not of temptation, but of sleep, and he watched as Gerard was pulled under, as if by waves, until sleep took him prisoner completely. That task complete, he drew his aura in, diminishing it and with it, his power until he was back to little Cooper Whittemore.

         Blinking, he realized himself again, and began to stumble. It was such a surge of power, and while the feeling of that power kept him high, the usage of it drained him. Scott caught him and kept him steady, moving him out of the room.

         "Are you okay?" Scott asked, concerned laced in his tone.

         "I'm good, just tired. I think I need to sleep for centuries," his voice was sluggish, the words not fitting in his mouth well anymore.

         "I'll take you home."

         "No," Cooper shook his head, "Take me to Julia's. I'll direct you there."

         "Cooper..."

         "Julia's," he repeated firmly, "I need to talk to her."

         "Scott!" Allison's voice called out from behind them. Cooper had forgotten she was even there, but unfortunately she was. God, he didn't know why, but something about her just irked him. Yeah, he wasn't her fault that she had a messed up family of hunters, but something about her just pissed him off. This was not an exception.

         "I have to get Cooper home..."

         "I know, I just wanted to say that you should ask Deaton about his side of the story, and maybe Derek," her eyes turned to Cooper, "Get some rest."

         "See you later," Scott told her. She waved them off, going to the direction of her car while Scott steadied Cooper long enough to get on the bike before helping him climb on.

         Cooper kept his eyes open this time, telling Scott directions to Julia's house. There, Scott helped him to the door, which Julia had opened before they made it to the front porch. She eyed Cooper with concern, taking him from Scott then sending the boy off.

         "Need to talk to you," he said in slurred speech. Julia heard nothing of it, just laid him on the sofa. He tried to protest, but laid down with a pillow and blanket, sleep captured him as well.

✧

         STIRRING, HE COULD hear the sizzling of something on the stove, feel the stiffness of his neck, and he groaned softly. Stretching of body, feeling the coldness of his toes where the blanket didn't cover, he blinked open his eyes, taking a look around the room. Oh. He didn't really remember coming here, but as he spent more time awake, his memory started working.

         Right.

         He rubbed his eyes, waiting for another moment on the couch before standing up. Walking over to the kitchen, he saw Julia at the stove cooking breakfast and Penelope at the table waiting on her phone.

         "Morning!" Penelope chirped, "How did you sleep?"

         "Good," he replied, "My neck hurts though."

         "Sorry about that, the couch isn't the comfiest to sleep on," Penelope explained.

         Cooper took a seat. There were four chairs open at the kitchen table. Penelope sat at the one by the wall closest to the stove, Julia sat opposite of her. Cooper's usual place was with his back towards the kitchen.

         "Honey, can you excuse for a moment? I'll call you down when breakfast is ready," Julia's voice called out.

         Penelope looked less than pleased with the request, but didn't refute it. "Fine," she stood up, leaving the kitchen through the doorway Cooper passed through.

         "You didn't have to do that," Cooper shook his head.

         Julia sent him a look. Finishing off the bacon that was currently on the pan, she turned off the stove before sitting down next to him. "What is it?"

         "What?"

         "Cooper," she warned, "You come here last night half-asleep already. I imagine you have a reason. What is it?"

         Guiltily, his eyes flickered to hers. "Had a bad day. Busy day. The darach took Deaton – the vet Scott works for – and we had to save him."

         "Hmm," she looked less than impressed with him dressing up the story. She always was straight to the point.

         "Well, after we saved him, he was talking about Deucalion, and why the Alpha pack was here. He told us that they weren't here for Derek like we thought, but for Scott and I. Deaton thinks Scott could be a true Alpha, and I'm a siren."

         Julia's eyes fluttered to the ground. "Sirens are rare beauties. Powerful, deadly even."

         "Did you know?"

         "Hmm?"

         "Did you know that Deucalion would want me?"

         She hesitated. It was the first time she had ever hesitated answering a question he posed. "I had suspicions," she corrected, "It is not the first time a werewolf pack has wanted one of us. I have been sought after before."

         "Why would a werewolf pack want a siren?"

         "As I said, we're deadly. You know your abilities – the songs, the temptation, the suggestions. Anyone who wants to convince any party would want a siren on their side," Julia explained, "But I didn't have it confirmed."

         Cooper looked away. "What do you think they'll do to get me?"

         "The usual threats, I imagine. Packs tried to coerce me through love or lust, but death was not an uncommon tactic."

         I'm not going to join him. No matter what.

         He knew it was a bold claim to tell Scott, but it felt even bolder now, and his confidence wavered in it. Joining wasn't always just a choice for him to make. If Deucalion is coming here, his pack set on revenge, joining would hardly be a simple choice for Cooper to make without outside pressure.

         No, it didn't seem like a choice at all, but a future if they didn't defeat him.