Author's Note: I know, why am I starting a new story when I have so many unfinished ones? Because I'm crazy and need to multi-task when I can't think of ideas for my other stories. This is a story about the pack and Stiles is the alpha. Their backgrounds will be rooted in canon, but have some variations from the show. Malia just may be a villain in this... at least for now. But who doesn't love a good story about how opposites attract? Enjoy, Stalia all the way!
Chapter One: She Bathes in Red
Song Inspiration: Zombie By The Cranberries
Stiles breathing echos through the trees, his pack following close behind. A cacophony of heavy foot falls beat against the ground as they each race to keep up with him. The air vibrates harshly, dangerous strikes of lightening going off in a static frenzy. There's a storm rolling in.
We have to move faster, come on guys!
Stiles eyes flood a vibrant red as his keen senses are on full alert, scanning the area for some source of a threat.
They've got to be around here somewhere, let's keep moving!
Derek had warned them about this, the Tate Pack. A full-fledged group of blood-thirsty, super werewolves that have gone on a deadly rampage through out California, leaving piles of dead bodies in their wake. They had left the spiral symbol on Derek's front door this morning. This isn't a warning, it is an announcement... They are here.
It's too late...
The metallic stench of blood saturates the expense of the woods, making Stiles gums ache deeply for the sweet relief of letting his canines finally drop down.
The trees begin to blur together as they pick up their pace, running blindly into to an unknown destination and an unpredictable threat. Scott, Stiles' most trusted Beta, runs a step or two behind him, keeping his back shielded. Scott would die for his Alpha... His best friend. Stiles had saved him from a wendigo that attacked the hospital a few years ago. He had been bleeding out and Stiles had given him the chance at a new life, taken him in with open arms and gave him a place to call home. They formed a special bond that he just didn't share with any one else, being more like brothers than pack mates.
Lydia leans against Isaac's back as he carries her throughout the woods, looking over his shoulder from time to time. Stiles had found Lydia laying bloodied and broken on the lacrosse fields of Beacon Hills high school. She'd been bitten by Derek's uncle Peter and he cleaned her wounds and helped her through her transition.
Isaac, however, was found unconscious in the town graveyard that he had worked at a couple years ago with a fresh bite mark on his wrist. To this day, no one knows who turned him, but Stiles knows that it still weighs heavy on his mind.
Liam, the youngest and newest member of the pack, lags behind the group, still adjusting to his new strengths. He was a run away that happened to walk right into a supernatural fight that broke out between the pack and a couple of nomadic kanimas. He had been hopeless and lost, trying to find a purpose. With a wave of adrenaline, he had jumped in front of Allison and took the brute of the sharp claws that were aimed at her throat. Stiles saw the way he had risked his life for a complete stranger. He may have been a little reckless, but he would definitely be a loyal asset, thus earning him the bite.
Kira's effortless acrobatic skills are used to their advantage. She swings from tree to tree with her Katana nestled between her boot, giving them the surprise advantage over the wild card of a pack they are about to face. She had met them through school when she moved here from New York last year. She established an easy friendship with the group and after the initial weariness wore off, Stiles asked her to join them.
Allison hides in the shadows, her bow aimed and ready to strike. She had been with them from the beginning, her and Scott discovering what they were together which brought them closer. Coming from a family of hunters, Allison had helped Stiles learn how to defend himself against the different weapons that could be used to harm him. She even helped him build up an immunity to wolfsbane. Besides Scott, Allison is the one Stiles trusts the most.
The trees begin to disperse and the smell of rotten, burning flesh crackles in the middle of a lone pit of fire that sits dead center in a large circle made of mountain ash. The smells burn their noses and Stiles swallows the urge to vomit.
"Beautiful, isn't it? It's kind of like a form of poetic justice, don't you think Theo?" A low, feminine voice purrs.
"I think a masterpiece is nothing without the artist. You always do leave an impression." Comes a deep, husky voice in response to the woman's question. He must be the Theo she's referring to.
Her back is turned, but Stiles can tell that she knows that they are there watching. Five looming silhouettes mirror themselves around her, the shrouds of smoke making their faces difficult to detect. But the girl... She must be the leader.
Malia Tate.
Stiles had heard about her before. There had been rumblings of mystical stories, different variations of myths and folklore about a hybrid werewolf that would mount the world, bringing pain and suffering to those who cross her path. By different definitions, she was an exquisite creature and an interesting woman. Rumor has it that she bathes in the blood of her enemies and sings to the sound of their screams. No one really knows what other supernatural part she is mixed with, or if they did, they didn't live long enough to tell the tale. And of course there were whispers of her undeniable beauty, however, no one had ever been able to even get a photo of her. That made it almost impossible to see her coming. She came and went, ghosting from place to place like a riddle without any clues. She became a mystery.
Her Beta, Theo Raekan, is her most trusted ally. He is known to be impulsive, sporadic, and a loose canon with a mean streak. He does everything that she says with blind loyalty and devotion. Some say it's because she put a curse on him a long time ago, others say it's because he's in love with her. All that is known from the rumors is that once, a rogue werewolf tried to strike her down and the next second his heart was pulled clean from his chest and his spine snapped in jagged, bloody pieces on the ground. Theo had forced the man's pack to watch on helplessly as he tore their alpha apart and then burned his body.
There isn't much information about the other pack members, only that they possess outrageously, unique powers. Apparently Malia had saved them from being lab experiments for a group of doctors that aimed to eradicate the supernatural race by creating a new kind of creature. Werewolves who hunted werewolves, the ultimate killer. For this, her pack is loyal to her without question. She had promised to reign terror on their enemies and to protect them with her life. This is what makes her strong. It's been said that the Dread Doctors, as they are called, are still after her to reclaim what they believe is theirs. But she's always one step ahead, evading their grasp.
Behind them, Liam finally catches up, but his foot gets caught on a twig and it snaps, the sound making a loud crunch.
A seductive laughter can be heard from across the field.
Finally, the one they presume to be Malia turns, and all Stiles can recall is the way everything seemed to happen in slow motion. Her body moves with a natural charisma, her steps graceful and lithe but sharp and demanding like a compilation of paradoxes. She's close now, and they can finally see her face. Prominent cheekbones are visible, set above full, red lips and a pearly white smile. Her jaw could cut diamonds and her dark hair blows behind her.
Her eyes go up in flames, reflecting the flickering embers of the fire. And a shadowy aura seems to weep black around her like a blanket of ash as she saunters towards them with a sensual sway of her hips. The naughty quirk of her lips falls into a siren's smirk as she wipes a drop of blood from the corner of her mouth and unashamedly sucks it off her thumb. She raises an arched brow as a direct challenge and flashes her dimples at the disgusted looks she receives. Ultimately sensing that Stiles is the leader, she faces him head on, her boldness staggering and the blackness of her eyes resembling a starless sky. Those eyes never leave his and the flames that lived in them before erupt in a vision of Hell. When the heat burns out, her irises flash red and that's when it becomes so strikingly obvious that she isn't just any werewolf. She's an Alpha, too.
"Stiles Stilinski. It's truly a pleasure to meet you. I've been awaiting this moment for a while now. I've heard all about you and your rag tag team of misfits." She speaks, caressing the syllables of his name with a confident and commanding tone, letting her eyes travel the expanse of his lanky frame.
"Can't quite say the same about you, unfortunately." He bites out, trying to control his rising temper. Scott lays a hand on his shoulder to calm him down and steps back when his body begins to lose it's tension.
Stiles can't stand her already. And yet, even with the irritatingly condescending ego she holds above herself, Stiles is helpless to the pull he feels that is inevitably drawing him in, like a tether bounding the two of them. His body is charged and on edge, waiting for her next move. It's like a silent game of chess, and she's a step away from knocking over his King.
She moves closer into his space and stares at him in wonder, running a her finger down the side of his face.
"You haven't always been the good guy, have you?" She taunts, with an all-knowing look. "Your heart... It's stained. I can feel it. But something brought you back from the edge, right? What's your sob story? Your source of salvation? It's a girl, isn't it?" She states more than asks.
Her gaze falls over to Lydia as she walks closer towards the strawberry blonde. Allison jumps in from of her, resting the sharp point of her arrow right in between Malia's eyes.
"Wrong move, bitch." Allison grits out, a scowl etched on her beautiful face.
Malia's grin widens. "You're a hunter, aren't you? And Argent. Well, would you look at that. You remind me so much of your mother... She tried to kill me once, you know? Would have succeeded too if I had underestimated her. She was a smart one. Had a quick wit. What about you, Allison? Do you have what it takes to kill me?" Malia mocks, taking hold of the arrow and pressing it harder into her skin until it draws blood.
"Have you ever killed before? Do you want me to be your first? Go ahead, let go of the arrow. But I can promise you that your next kill will be your pretty little friend here, Lydia. Theo will make sure of that. He'll force your hand, that I can promise." Malia continues to goad her, trying to get Allison to feed into her anger.
Allison's bottom lip quivers and her hands falter in their movements before she drops the bow and steps back, pulling Lydia with her.
Malia makes a tutting noise with her tongue and mercilessly chastises her."I really expected more out of you, Ally. Pity, I thought you would be the one Argent that actually broke the mold. Tell your mother I said hello, I hope death is treating her well." She grins devilishly, basking in the fire that returns to the hunter's eyes.
"There's my girl. I was wondering where that spirit went." She says before moving past Lydia, twirling a piece of her hair around her finger.
"Or was it your best friend that changed your heart? Scotty boy here really can work wonders with those adorable, puppy dog eyes." She continues, taking Scott's chin between her fingers before he jerks out of her grasp and growls.
"Easy there boy, you wouldn't want to make a scene, would you?"
Scott urges his growling to stop and falls back in line next to Stiles.
"That's what I thought."
"Malia, do I need to convince these guys to get their shit together, their disrespect is making me hungry for a little baby wolf." Theo chimes in from his spot behind her, making a show of messing with Liam.
The younger wolf counts to ten and tries to control his breathing. His explosive disorder couldn't be anymore annoying than right now.
"No, it's okay Theo, I've got this. Why don't you go check on the others, huh Sweets?" She pacifies him with a bloody kiss to his cheek, putting on a sickly, saccharine smile that he easily can't resist.
"Of course, what ever you want. Let me know if you need me." He cautions, leaving the group with a final glare.
"Don't mind him, he can be such a sour wolf, sometimes." She says nonchalantly, picking at the dried blood underneath her nails.
Stiles has finally had enough. "Look, what is your angle here. What are you guys doing in Beacon Hills? I'm tired of the mind games." He shouts, wrapping both hands around her throat.
"Oh, but baby, I love games." She moans, not looking even slightly affected by the chock hold he has her in. She looks more turned on than anything.
Theo is back as fast as he left and grabs Stiles by the arm in a steel grip. "Get your fucking hands off of her, mut." He snarls, digging his claws into Stiles' skin.
Malia looks annoyed. "Theo, I told you I got this. Don't disregard my order again, understand me?" She questions, looking him in the eye and daring for him to disobey.
"Fine." He mutters, stalking off embarrassed with his tail between his legs.
She faces the group again. "You see those bodies over there? That's what happens when you get in my way. My pack and I are going to be in Beacon Hills for an extended amount of time. Don't bother us, we leave you alone and nobody gets hurt. Fuck with us and I'll start taking each of you out one by one and delivering different body parts to your door step, got it?" She threatens, meeting each of their eyes to show that she isn't kidding.
"We understand." Stiles begrudgingly agrees, releases her from his hold.
"Great." She says, before stepping closer and leaning into Stiles' ear. "And hopefully the next time you're choking me out, it will be under more pleasurable circumstances. Maybe you'll even let me return the favor." She breathes out, her lips brushing the shell of his ear.
Stiles shivers involuntarily at the sexual innuendo and she chuckles at the affect she has on him.
"Until me meet again."