"Rach, come on, you can drive faster than that."
"Oh, shut up, i'm not trying to get arrested." We all laughed.
Rachel, Kay, and I were headed to Rachel's house in Beacon Hills, that'd been left to her by her grandparents. We'd left our previous town to get out on our own, and this was the perfect place. Rachel had already gotten a job set up at the hospital, and I was going to go to the high school.
"Oh, Kay, did you remember to grab my pills for me?" I took
sleeping pills at night for my insomnia, or else i'd wake up every hour or so, or not sleep at all. Kay shook her head. I cursed loudly.
"Can you get more?"
"Maybe...It'll take a few days though, if the pharmacy here even carries them." My sleeping pills were very strong, and few pharmacies carried them, because they weren't usually prescribed to anyone. I usually had to get mine from the hospital pharmacy where we'd lived.
"We can go after we get settled in. Do you need to see a doctor to get a new prescription?" I nodded. "Then Rachel can take you to the hospital then when she goes for her new job. Right Rachel?"
"Yeah, yeah...Just don't expect me to be doing you any favors like bring you pills when you lose yours." She'd gotten in trouble several times for doing that before.
"Thanks Rach. Hey, isn't this it?"
Rachel pulled into a driveway, up to a big house with a multi-car garage and a huge yard.
"Wow Rachel, your grandparents must've been loaded." She laughed.
"Yeah. And since I was their only grandchild, I got it all." We got out and she went and unlocked the door, and Kay and I started grabbing boxes and bringing them in.
The inisde of the house was huge, and furnished nicely. A flat-screen and surround system graced the sitting room, with two white leather couches and a recliner, and a marble-topped coffee table in the center of it all. The other rooms were just as nice.
"You know Rach, I think I love you a lot more now." She laughed again.
"Just don't go all lesbian on me. I do like my men." Now I laughed.
"Oh, I don't think we have to worry about that. With my devilishly good looks and awesome personality, I should have no problem finding guys."
"Like you did before. Everyone always thought your white hair was weird. Still is, in my opinion..." I made a face and she stuck her tongue out at me.
"You're just mad because it's awesome. And who knows, maybe guys here will think it's cool. It's a small town, they tend not to get awesome people like me very often." She rolled her eyes and went out to the car for more boxes.
I took my stuff upstairs and into the master bedroom. A king-size bed with a cherrywood frame and matching dressers were spread about the room, and what looked like black silk adorned the pillows and hung from the poster bedframe.
"I call the master bedroom!" I heard groans coming from downstairs and laughed. I set my things on the dresser and laid on the bed, and smiled. It was incredibly soft. Rachel and Kay came in and laughed when they saw me. "This is awesome...Come lay down, you'll love it." They laid on either side of me, and let out sighs.
"This is awesome...Screw you for calling it first...even though it's my house."
"Yeah...I might just have to sneak in here while you're sleeping, Ian." We all laughed and got up.
"Hey, what do you say we go into town and get something to eat? I haven't eaten since last night and i'm starving..."
"Sure, just let me get my last box out of the car." Kay and I followed Rachel downstairs and as she got her last box out of the car, and Kay hopped in the driver's seat. "Hey!"
"You drove all the way here, so i'm relieving you of your duty...Plus you don't get to drive an Audi everyday, you know."
"You do." I laughed as Rachel climbed into the seat with me. "You just didn't want to be squished up with me in the passenger seat..."
"That too." Kay backed out of the driveway slowly, then sped up considerably once we were on the road.
In town, we passed the high school and several homes before getting into the center of town, and Kay pulled over to the first pizza place we saw. Her and Rachel took a seat at a booth and I went up to order. 10 minutes later, I carried our large meat-lovers pizza and 3 large sodas to the table and we ate. Rach and Kay talked a little, mostly about Rachel's new job and what the town would be like, but I just stared out the front windows at the passersby.
It looked like a pretty standard town, Beacon Hills:nice houses, nice cars, some restaurants and stores, and pretty normal looking people. Some older people, some kids, and a lot of teenagers. Perfect.
As I finished off my fourth peice of pizza, Rachel and Kay were still talking, I stood up and headed for the door. Their heads turned in my direction.
"I'm gonna go outside for a bit, get a feel for the town. Meet you back here in an hour or so?"
"Just don't get yourself hurt or anything, Ian." I nodded at Rachel and opened the door, and got blasted by a breeze of cool air.
I pulled my hoodie tighter around me and shoved my hands in my pockets, and walked down the street towards the center of town. I passed more stores and the hospital, and as I passed the downtown area, an animal hospital. I went in and there was a bald black guy at the front desk, and someone else in back. The guy at the front desk smiled.
"How can I help you?"
"Oh, i'm new in town, trying to get a feel for things around here. Do you guys...sell pets here?" He nodded.
"Sometimes we find abandoned or hurt animals, and we keep them until someone wants to adopt them. Would you like to see them?" I nodded. "Scott! We have someone that wants to see the pets up for adoption."
"One minute." I heard the clang of a cage and an attractive boy came out of the back. He had brown hair and tan skin, and bright brown eyes. Almost reminded me of a boy Rachel used to date...He held out a hand to me and I shook it. His skin was very warm. "Scott McCall, resident animal expert." I smiled a bit.
"Ian Moore, new girl in town." His head turned a bit at the mention of my name. I shrugged and said "My parents thought I was going to be a boy, hence the name." He chuckled.
"You said you wanted to see our animals? Follow me." I followed him behind the fornt desk and into the back room. The was an examination table and a counter with a sink to one side, and on the other side of the room were several cages, each with an animal. "As you can see, there's a few cats, a couple puppies, and one older dog. She's been here a while, because everybody wants puppies..."
"What kind of dog is she?"
"A pitbull/rottweiler mix, I think...She's actually very nice."
"And this one...what breed is this?" I pointed to a small black puppy.
"Great Dane, another female. We think she might be the runt because of how small she is." I got close to the Great Dane puppy, and she put a paw to the cage door, and I smiled.
"How much for the big one and this puppy?" Scott shook his head.
"We do free adoptions here, no payment is neccesary."
"Well...how much is the average donation? I feel like I have to give something."
"Well, we do accept donations...I guess whatever's fine. I'll go get the paperwork for your new dogs, ."
""Please, it's Ian." He went to get the paperwork and I went back out to the front desk guy. "Where should I be giving my donation?"
"Did Scott tell you about our free adoption policy?" I nodded.
"I told him I wanted to donate something anyway."
"Well, you can give that to me, and i'll put it in the safe." I pulled out my wallet and handed him the contents:$500. He went a little wide-eyed. "Thank you very much, this will come in handy taking care of the other animals."
"Hey, I live to take care of animals." I went in back and Scott had the paperwork out on the countertop. As I started filling it out, I asked him "You look young. You go to the high school?" He nodded.
"Are you in high school?"
"Yeah, i'm a senior. I start tomorrow. Me and my friends Rachel and Kay just moved into town today, into a house Rachel's grandparents left her. You're the first person i've met here." He chuckled.
"I'm honored. Maybe I can bring a couple of my friends over for a little housewarming? I know they're probably bored out of their minds." His brow furrowed and I got the impression he was lying, but I didn't pursue it.
"Cool. I can give one of them a ride, if there's not enough room in your car."
"Oh, my friend Stiles has his jeep. No car for me...Anyway, I think it'd be cool. Mind if I bring my girlfriend Allison?"
"Sure...See you tomorrow morning Scott?"
"Absolutely...Ian." I took my two new dogs by the leashes and walked them out the front door, waving to the front desk guy as I passed.
As soon as we were outside, the two dogs got excited, running more and jumping around. I could tell it'd probably been a while since they had a good, long walk. The big dog's leash in my left hand and the Great Dane puppy's in my right, I walked back towards the pizza shop.
Rachel and Kay were just coming out, and went wide eyed when they saw me.
Kay said "Where'd you get those dogs?"
"The animal hospital had them up for adoption. The guy, Scott, said they'd been there for a while and hadn't been adopted yet..." Kay held up a hand.
"Wait a minute...Scott? Don't tell me you've started flirting with people already!" I laughed.
"He works there, and goes to the high school. After my first day tomorrow, he said he'd bring a couple friends over for a 'housewarming'. I thought it was a good idea, considering we don't know anybody yet."
"If you throw a party and ruin the new house..."
"Relax, he didn't seem the type of guy to throw parties on a whim. Besides, his girlfriend Allison will be there."
"I guess that's better...What do you think Rach?" She shrugged.
"Sounds okay to me, as long as only a few people come. It'd be good to meet new people, you know? Maybe meet a new guy...But why'd you buy the dogs?"
"Because I wanted them and it was my money. I'll walk them back to the house so they don't scratch up your car, Rach." She nodded.
"Don't take too long. We're in a new city and you never know what might happen...Plus I want to make dinner for us, and don't want you to be late."
"I'm not going to be late, its only like 3 miles away...Besides, both me and these dogs need to stretch our legs a bit. See ya in an hour or so." Rachel and Kay waved out of the car window as they got in and drove away.
I started walking in the same direction they'd drove off in, one dog leash in each hand. I smiled as they attempted to pull me along, but neither had much strength to do so. I kinda felt sorry for them...
As we walked slowly along, I noticed that it was starting to get dark, fast. I could see the sun barely clearing the tops of the trees on the edge of town, and hurried the dogs along. It wasn't that I was afraid, I could handle myself well enough, but I didn't want anyone to try to take my dogs. I really had to think of names for them...
As I passed one of the last buildings in town and started on the road through the woods, the sun began to sink further, and I feared an oncoming car might not be able to see me and the dogs.
As I turned to look behind me, a pair of headlights approached and slowed down, and I saw that it was a Jeep with Scott in the passenger seat.
"Hey Scott. You live up this way?" He nodded.
"Oh, Ian, this is Stiles. Stiles, Ian." I nodded at the guy in the driver's seat. "What are you doing out here so late? It's probably not a good idea."
"I can handle myself."
"Against a wild animal? Like a bear or...a wolf?" I noticed his slight hesitation at the word wolf.
"I know what to do in those types of situations, and having a pocket knife helps." Both Scott and Stiles' eyes went wide as I reached down my shirt into my bra and pulled out my folded pocket knife. As I put it back, I said "Forget you saw that. Rachel and Kay would kill me if they knew I was carrying..."
"I won't tell, don't worry. I'm sensible enough to know a girl needs protection. Do you need a ride too? I'm sure we could fit the dogs in the back seat..." Stiles groaned a bit, and I chuckled, knowing he was probably imagining his ruined backseat.
"It would help...Do you mind Stiles?"
"It's...alright. Just make sure they don't take a dump on my seats." I laughed and ushered the dogs toward the Jeep.
I ended up being squeezed up against the window, both dogs on my left, and the window of the Jeep to my right.
As Stiles put the Jeep into gear and started driving, I heard the distinctive howl of a wolf, and it sounded relatively close by.
"See? Like I said, wolves..." Again, there was the note of disdain in his voice. Had something happened to make him hate the animal? I couldn't see it. I loved wolves more than any other animal, for their beauty and abilities. He/ll, i'd probably be a wolf if I had the chance.
As I heard the howl again, I felt a small twitch in my neck and my hairs stood on end. I looked out the window and, impossible as it seemed, I saw a glimpse of a pair of shining red eyes looking at the Jeep as we drove. I shook it off. Maybe I was hallucinating. It wouldn't be the first time.
As Stiles pulled up to the house and Scott got out to let me and the dogs out, I couldn't shake the feeling there was someone watching. I looked around, but didn't see anyone.
"Scott...do you feel something...weird?" He raised an eyebrow.
"Weird? No. Might just be that you're new and it's nighttime and...stuff..."
"Maybe, but I could've swore someone was..." I stopped and froze in place as I heard the crunch of leaves on the ground. I turned and didn't see anyhitng right away, but a few second later, a lone figure came striding up the driveway. Scott stepped between me and the person, who was still hidden by the darkness.
"Stiles, would you take Ian and the dogs inside the house please?"
"Sure...Ian, would you come on..." He took the dogs' leashes in one hand and pulled on my arm with the other, but I didn't budge.
"You can go inside if you want, i'm not moving. I wanna know what the he/ll is going on, and who the he/ll is on my property." Stiles went up on the porch and knocked on the door, and was welcomed inisde my Rachel. When she looked at me oddly, I waved her away, and she went back inside. I knew either her or Kay would probably be looking out the curtains within seconds.
"Ian, it'd be a really good idea if you'd go inside...For your sake." His voice seemed lower, almost like a growl.
"My sake, my a/ss. If someone wants trouble with you, they're gonna have to go through me. My property, remember?" Scott tensed up as the figure finally got to us, and was illuminated by the porch light.
He was tall and lean, with tan skin and windblown black hair, and the most beautiful green eyes i'd ever seen. He approached wearing dark jeans and a leather jacket, hands jammed into the pockets. He practically screamed bad-boy loner.
Scott forced an a smile and introduced him. "Ian, this is Derek Hale, my...aqquaintance. Derek, this is Ian. She just moved here today." He simply nodded, looking uninterested. I kept staring into his bright green eyes, and as they moved to look at me, we held eachother's gaze for several minutes.
"Hey." Derek's voice was gruff, and extremely se/xy. I glanced back at the house and saw Kay, Rachel, and Stiles peeking through the curtains at us. There was something interesting about how Scott and Stiles reacted to Derek...I wanted to know why.
As I stood there and looked him up and down in the awkward silence, a strange feeling spread through me. Not a yearning type of feeling like i'd expect, but something...angry. Hatred, rage, fury. As I stifled the urge to tear something to shreds, I wondered why such feelings would come up when I just met the guy. Maybe it had something to do with the way Scott had tensed up as he approached.
"I'm going to head inside awhile, and the two of you can have a few minutes alone, but you'd better come inside. I won't force Stiles or myself to eat what Rachel's made without a little support." Both of their eyes followed me as I turned and went into the house, shutting the door silently behind me.
Rachel and Kay rushed over as soon as I was inside. "Who was that?"
"A friend of Scott's. I told them that they're staying for dinner, because i'm not eating your food alone." Rachel made a face and went into the kitchen with Kay. Stiles came over to me, looking hesitant. "Yeah, I know, I lied to them. Big deal."
"It's not that they're not friends, some...things, came between them recently." I nodded.
"Why don't you head out into the dining room awhile, get yourself seated." Stiles nodded and walked into the other room. I plopped down on the couch, right in front of the windows they'd been peeking out of. I turned and looked out the curtains, and it appeared that Scott and Derek were arguing. They weren't loud, not at all, but I could somehow still hear what they were saying...
"What are you doing here Derek?"
"I saw you pick up that girl and decided to follow you. What did you expect? You did notice, didn't you?"
"Notice what?"
"Don't lie to me Scott. You know she's one of us. I could smell it on her from all the way over here..."
"If she somehow was, why didn't she point either of us out?" I saw Derek shrug.
"I don't know, but i'm going to find out." They turned and started toward the house and I quickly shut the curtains. I appeared in the hallway just as they opened the door and entered. Derek looked at me suspiciously.
"Glad the both of you could stay. Follow me." I led them into the dining room and Scott sat beside Stiles, and Derek sat beside the chair at the head of the table, where I was going to sit. I narrowed my eyes at him as I sat, and Rachel and Kay brought the food out and sat it on the table.
Rachel had made orange chicken, and there was also white rice topped with spanish pork, which I had guessed Kay made. Rachel could never make rice right, simple as it was. I stood and dished some out to each of the 3 guys, then myself. Derek removed his leather jacket to reveal a black T-shirt stretched over a sculpted torso.
"Derek?" I held my hand out and he handed me his jacket, and I walked it out to the hall closet. On the way, I patted the pockets but there was nothing inside. When I got back, everyone had started eating, and Rachel and Kay had already started fawning over the guys, especially Derek. I smiled as I sat.
Rachel and Kay asked him multiple questions at a time, and he replied with simple one-word answers. They eventually gave up and turned to Scott and Stiles, and I smiled further. Derek turned to me, a look of indifference still on his face.
"Happy?"
"Amused. You seem to have a knack for repelling people."
"And yet you don't seem to be repelled." My smile disappeared as I stared Derek down. I didn't miss the occaisional glance from Scott as he talked to Kay.
I spoke in a hushed tone. "I'm not as easily fooled as they are. I know something's up with you. I saw you arguing with Scott outside."
"Did you hear us as well? You should be able to." I bit my lip, and a look of satisfaction took over Derek's face. "You are one of us. Whether you admit it to me or not, I know you are."
"Are what? You said the same thing to Scott outside, and I still don't know what you're talking about." A look of frustration replaced the satisfaction.
"You mean...you don't know? You don't know what you are? How could you not?" I shrugged. "Don't you ever go out at night, hear the wolf howls, see the full moon?" I shook my head.
"Still not knowing what it all means, no. I have insomnia, so I take sedatives to keep me asleep during the night." Derek leaned in closer to me, and I noticed Scott tense up. I knew he could probably hear our entire conversation.
"That's not insomnia, that's your natural urge to go running into the woods at night, to let your human inhibitions go, to howl at the full moon...Do you understand now?" I stared blankly at him, unwilling to accept what he was saying. The howling, the moon, the woods...A wolf? He was insinuating that I was a wolf? Impossible! I was obviously human. Unless...
I laughed out loud and everyone looked at me.
I leaned closer to Derek and whispered "Impossible. What you're insinuating doesn't exist, it's a myth."
"A myth, huh?" As I looked into his eyes again, they flashed bright red, like the eyes i'd seen on the way over here. Could that have been Derek on the side of the road? As his eyes returned to normal, he said "It's no myth. I was born with it, and Scott was bitten. You don't look like you've been attacked, so i'd say you were born with it too." I shook my head, refusing to believe it.
I stood and walked away from the table, out into the front room. I could hear Derek's quiet footsteps following me, and behind him, Scott. Scott approached me as Derek stood across the room.
"Scott, please tell me what he was saying isn't true...it can't possibly be true!"
"I'm sorry, but it is, unbelievable as it sounds. I didn't take too kindly to it at first either...But you'll adjust. I did." I shook my head.
"You're crazy...And what's the deal with you two anyway? What's with all the tension?"
"Derek is...the alpha. The leader of the wolves in Beacon Hills. Right now, that's just us three here."
"I know what an alpha is...And he's no leader of mine. I don't take orders from anyone." Across the room, I saw Derek's eyes flash red again. He was irritated.
"Don't think you can move into my territory and act this way...You'll have to join the pack, or be left to defend yourself." I raised an eyebrow. "Scott's girlfriend..." He said it with a hint of loathing. "is a member of a wolf-hunting family that helped kill my family years ago. Scott and I are peaceful with them now-for the most part-but that doesn't mean they'll welcome you with open arms. You won't last by yourself."
"How do you know?" He jerked his thumb at Scott.
"He tried and got shot, and I had to save him. Several times. The last alpha tried to kill the both of us, and I had to protect him. I killed the alpha, and now i'm alpha."
"Who was it?" Scott looked at the floor, and Derek looked me directly in the eyes.
"My uncle. He rampaged through the town and killed several people, and turned Scott. But he's dead now...No threat to you, obviously. But that doesn't mean you can protect yourself alone. You've obviously never used your wolf capabilities." I narrowed my eyes at him again.
Still looking at Derek, I said to Scott "Why don't you take Stiles and get outta here? I need to talk privately with Derek." Scott hesitated before going into the dining room to grab Stiles. I heard him mutter something to Rachel and Kay about his mother, and they appeared. Scott nodded at me before he and Stiles went outside, and I heard Stiles' Jeep go down the driveway.
I led Derek outside onto the porch and shut the front door.
"About this pack thing..."
"We're stronger as a pack, more able to protect ourselves against threats." I nodded.
"I'll need time to think about it. This is all so...unreal to me."
"But it is real. You can't deny that. Just like you can't deny being able to hear your two friends talking about us in the kitchen right now." I could hear Rachel and Kay squealing about how Derek and I would look together. I smiled.
"That is kinda cool, to be able to hear them like that. But I have to ask...The full moon. What happens then?"
"You'll change...Not fully into a wolf, but you'll change and probably lose all control, go purely on animal instincts. It can be...messy, if not properly handled."
"Will you help me handle it?" He waited a moment, then nodded.
"I don't want any more people to get hurt, so I will..."
"Thank you." Against what I was thinking, I wrapped my arms around Derek, embracing him in a hug. I smiled to myself when he hugged me back. "See? Being a little compassionate isn't that hard."
"Easy for you to say." Derek slipped into his jacket and stuffed his hands into his pockets, and walked away. I waited until he was out of sight to turn around and head back into the house.
Instead of going to the dining room to face Rachel and Kay, I headed upstairs to my bedroom and plopped down on the bed. I kicked my shoes off and went under the covers, pulling them tight around me.
I was unable to get to sleep though, not because of the insomnia, but because of all the thoughts swirling around in my head. Images of Scott, Derek and me morphing into hideous mutated wolves, blood spattered everywhere, a dead body on the ground...
I shuddered at the thought.