A/N: This fic is the sequel to 'An Alpha's Pack.' The end of that story was cut shorter in order to incorporate my new ideas for its sequel. You might recognize some things in the first couple chapters, but even those have been changed, and beyond that, all will be shiny and new. Thank you my loves. Enjoy!

Chapter One

"Ghosts"

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"Hand me the binoculars. I think I see something."

"What did you see?"

"Hand them over."

"I don't think they're going anywhere soon, Jimmy," said William Cole as he handed a small pair of binoculars to his younger brother. "You didn't see the state of the beta."

"Don't call me Jimmy," retorted the twenty-six-year-old James. "Werewolves heal fast. And please be quiet..." He crouched low on the top of a hill, one of several that bordered Beacon Hills to the south. From there, he could see the busiest streets and the town businesses, including Dr. Alan Deaton's animal clinic.

Beside him, Will shifted position. "Not that fast," he argued under his breath.

With a frown of concentration, James raised the binoculars to his eyes and gazed down toward the clinic.

Will said nothing more. He was restless; too restless for this job. Chris Argent should have had them on the trail of that alpha, but he had sent them on a stake-out.

Will didn't take kindly to being treated that way. Hadn't he proven himself to be worthy of the group? How many werewolves had he killed just to show them it was true? Too many to count.

But all he got from that self-righteous Argent bastard were more rules, more codes, and more bullshit.

Something caught Will's eye in the brightly lit square below. A dark shape had moved in the otherwise silent alleyway between the animal clinic and a neighboring law office. Will glanced at James. His brother's attention was focused on the parking lot, so he wouldn't have seen.

"James," he hissed quietly. "The street - near the corner."

James turned his head, searching the shadowy space between buildings. A moment later, he saw it too.

Someone was moving through the narrow alley. The form was crouched low to the ground, clad in a dark jacket and stained jeans. It was a young, limber male with dark hair and caramel skin.

James watched the boy through his binoculars. "It's the second one," he murmured.

"Are you sure?"

James gave a short nod. "Yeah. It's him."

Will's eyes lit up. He grinned expectantly as he reached for his radio. "Argent. Come in, Argent. Do you copy?"

There was a moment of silence before Chris's voice crackled through the radio. "Go."

"Yeah, this is Cole on the hill. The McCall kid's making a run for it. He's headed back to the forest."

Static crackled. "Anyone else with him?" Came Chris's voice again.

James squinted through the binoculars again. The boy was travelling by alleyways and back yards toward the edge of town. He showed no sign of injury, and he was alone. James shook his head to William.

"That's a negative, sir," said Will into the radio. "He's by himself."

There was a slightly longer pause as the radio crackled statically.

"Alright," answered Chris's low voice, sounding strained. "Don't follow him. Stay there, and keep an eye on the clinic. If Derek Hale tries to leave you let me know right away, you copy?"

Will ground his teeth so loudly that James gave him a quizzical look. A long moment passed, and Will still hadn't replied.

"Cole. Is that a copy?"

Will raised the radio again and ran a hand over his face. "You sure you want to lose the second beta?"

When Chris replied, his voice was stern and full of warning. "Do not follow him, Cole. That's an order."

After another moment, Will nodded his head slowly. "Copy that," he said gruffly, then lowered the radio and stood up. He stuffed the radio into the back pocket of his jeans.

James took his eyes off the beta and twisted around to look at Will. "What are you doing?"

"What the hell do you think?" Will cuffed James on the top of the head. "Get up, Jimmy. We're not letting that beta get away. It's like Kate said - they have the information we need, and probably more on top of that."

"But... you said to Argent - "

"I don't care what I said. I'm done with this nursery bullshit. How long can he keep us out if we keep bringing him what he's looking for?"

James looked doubtful and he didn't stand. He regarded Will silently.

"Get up," repeated Will roughly. He reached down and hoisted James to his feet by the shoulder of his jacket. "You're gonna have to grow a spine, little brother. One of these days, you'll have to." Will grinned savagely, adjusting the gun strap on his brother's shoulder. "Let's face the music."

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Scott McCall wasn't thinking like his usual self. He was stuck somewhere between werewolf instincts and blinding anger.

Adrenaline had burned away any sense of weakness from his healing body, making him stronger and faster. He sprinted along the side of the long, rural road to the Preserve, and darted into the woods the first chance he got. His bare feet made barely any noise in the twigs and dead leaves as he propelled over rocks and large tree roots, heading deeper into the woods.

A crow cawed a warning. Others quickly joined it, and their loud protests made Scott cringe furiously. All his senses felt stronger than usual.

He leaped over a small creek and landed on the other side on all fours. He stayed on all fours after that, and loped through the thick woods with the speed and ease of a wolf.

Soon he came upon the dirt road to Derek's house. He crossed it, then turned and ran alongside it. He stayed slightly behind the tree line and out of sight.

Something ahead caught Scott's attention, making him pause. He slowed down and raised himself to two legs.

There were vehicles in a clearing off the road. Three black SUV's were parked in a defensive triangular pattern. Scott could hear voices issuing from their midst.

He recognized the voice of Allison's father. Without making a sound, Scott watched and listened from behind a large tree trunk.

"...let's move now. The plan is fresh in our minds, and we know the alpha is still nearby." That was Allison's father.

There were murmurs of assent from others, and Scott counted six or seven individual voices.

Someone else spoke up. "We have a chance not to screw this thing up. The Cole brothers aren't here to rain on our parade, so let's do us proud."

"Will Cole is reckless. We're wise to keep him out of this one."

"Wish your sister was here, though."

For a moment no sound reached Scott's ears. Then he heard the distant voice of Chris Argent again. "My sister can be reckless, too. I'm confident in this group right here. We know what we're doing, and we have what we need. That includes the people."

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"I'll be faster than any of you," growled Derek Hale, shoving Stiles back by the shoulder. Stiles had been trying to pull Derek into Deaton's car.

"We need you!" Said Stiles loudly. "Scott needs you!"

Derek squared up to Stiles, who quavered slightly and then feigned disinterest as a coping mechanism. Derek was a big guy. He was a werewolf. His nose was a mere inch from Stiles' face.

"You can't go far off-road in that four-door," said Derek, dangerously quiet. "You won't be able to keep up with me on foot. I have to go. Now, alone."

Stiles' rubbed the side of his head and backed off a few steps, still pretending not to be intimidated. "Alright, yeah - yep. Sure thing... buddy..."

Alan Deaton stepped forward. His tone and demeanor were much calmer and more collected than either of the others. "You're still recovering, Derek. Scott will be recovering for quite some time. God knows what made him think he could face an alpha in that state. He's running on anger. But you can't run on pure anger, Derek. You have to be the rational one."

There was a blaze of displeasure in Derek's eyes. "I know. I am rational. If Scott finds my uncle, I know what I have to do."

"And that is?" Asked Deaton calmly.

Derek stared at him for a moment without saying anything. In that moment, his pale eyes were a roiling fury of mixed emotions.

Deaton could see it. "Derek..."

Derek growled. "What I have to do is go." He sent a last glance in Stiles direction. "Don't do anything stupid." Derek hesitated a moment, then turned on his heel and took off running.

Deaton watched Derek's leather-clad back until the young man disappeared around the corner. He exhaled slowly. "Help Scott," he whispered.

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The Cole brothers rocketed through the forest, swerving deftly from tree to tree to find a clear path.

James kicked his bike into fourth gear and jetted through a clearing. Beside him, Will sped up too.

They grinned at each other. For a moment this wasn't a hunt. Instead, it was a summer afternoon back home in Kentucky, and this was a mud race.

Ahead was a small creek. The brothers nodded to each other, and then revved forward with a burst of speed. They jumped their bikes across the creek and landed pell-mell, dirt flying from their back tires. They yanked the bikes back into balance, huge smiles on both their faces.

"James, look there," said Will suddenly, slowing to a stop.

James clenched the brake and backed up a few meters. His eyes followed where Will was pointing.

There was a large, distinct print in a muddy patch of forest floor; it displayed what must have been large, sharp claws, and a massive palm. James recognized the track of a werewolf without a second's hesitation.

"You reckon that's the alpha or the beta?" Grunted Will.

James got off his bike and kneeled down beside the foot print. He touched the sides of it with his fingers, then looked up at Will. "It's the alpha. The betas can't shift that far yet."

Will made another grunting sound, then gestured to James. "Alright. Get back on. Let's see where they lead."

"What, you want to follow the alpha now?" Said James with a frown as he walked back over to his bike. "We were after the beta. Argent said the alpha is more than even he can handle alone."

Will fixed James with a condescending stare. "What did you think would happen if we came across alpha tracks?"

James shook his head, unmoved. "You're going too far, Will, don't be stupid. The beta is one thing, but we've never faced an alpha."

"Careful who the fuck you're calling stupid," warned Will gruffly. "Dad raised you for a purpose, Jimmy. I'm not the only soldier here. Stop whining and get on the goddamn bike."

James had a sinking feeling in his chest. He knew it wasn't a good idea, and he knew his brother had a habit of running into dangerous situations half-cocked. But he threw a leg over the seat and got back on his bike. He nudged it into first gear.

The bike made a loud clacking sound, and the engine quit.

"What the...?" James turned the key in the ignition. The engine knocked a few times, rolled over, then sputtered out. A thin stream of smoke issued gently from under the engine plate.

"Ah, Jesus. You idiot," groaned William. "I told you - I fucking told you that was too much artillery for that engine."

James tried the ignition again, but it failed. He glanced at the saddle bags. They were heavily laden with a duffel of machinery on each side.

Groaning in frustration, James got off the bike and started unloading the duffels.

"Why do you carry all that shit, anyway?" Will griped impatiently. "You've never used any of it."

James glanced at his brother as he hauled the heavy duffels to the bushes.

Will smirked. "What? Have you? Have you killed a werewolf somewhere that I don't know about?"

James stowed the duffels in the bushes and covered them with branches. He ignored his brother's jibes. "It's Dad's stuff," he said in a would-be-casual way. "It's what he always carried on hunts."

Will snorted. "Because he was a werewolf killer."

James finished hiding the duffels and straightened up. He faced William, trying to look unaffected by his brother's words.

Will guffawed when he saw James' expression. He softened up a little. "I'm just saying... how much could it hurt you to help out on a hunt once in a while?"

James didn't seem amused as he walked over to Will's bike and stood beside it.

After a few seconds, Will raised his eyebrows. "Are you getting on?"

"Shut up," said James. He swung a leg behind William and got on the back of his seat.

Will faced forward with a smirk and nudged the gear shift.

But he didn't finish the motion.

An ear-splitting, branch-shaking roar ricocheted through the forest. It bounced off the trees, scattering birds and squirrels across tree-top branches. The howl rattled around in James's head and he covered his ears with his hands, almost losing his balance on the bike.

Both he and Will had gone as pale as ghosts.

Will looked sharply around them and pulled out his handgun. "Be ready," he murmured, all traces of humor gone from his eyes.

James pushed himself off the back of the bike and his brother dismounted after him.

They both saw it at the same time. There was a large, dark shape in the clearing ahead of them. Red lights gleamed like lasers in a black face, and dagger-like fangs glinted chillingly at them in the muted midday sun.

"It's the alpha..." Whispered James. He was frozen in place.

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