It was dark out, I knew I should be laying low because of the Alpha pack but I had been restless every night of this summer. Not being able to tell Scott and Stiles about what was coming was hard but I was still angry with Scott for putting us all in danger. I couldn't tell Stiles because he would tell Scott and we had been sort of dating this summer much to Derek's chagrin. As I ran along the rooftops there was the sound of tires screeching the next street over. I cracked my neck ignore it ignore it, not your problem, you're not a bloody hero. I heard the same tires screeching again and a shout and I sighed resigning myself to investigate. Just as I got to the edge of the roof there was a crash. I looked down as someone got shot with an electrified bullet, well that's new. I focused on the two figures on the ground who had crashed and my heart stopped when I saw a head of curly hair. "Isaac?" I yelled out and leaped off the building landing in a crouch next to the boy so I could turn him over. It was him.

I felt tears welling up. He had only been missing for a few days but Derek and I were so scared. Boyd and Erica still hadn't been found even though we knew they were being kept by the Alpha pack. I called an ambulance and checked on the girl who was with him. I didn't recognize her but she was definitely not a werewolf and she would be sore when she woke up. I picked up Isaac ready to take him away from the scene but it looked like his wounds weren't healing, which meant an Alpha had been involved. I looked over to see if the guy who got shocked was still passed out but no one was there.

I rode with them to the hospital, told Melissa what I could and went home for a change of clothes and some sleep before I had to go to school the next day. I got a text from Stiles telling me about Scott's, in his opinion, horrid idea for a tattoo and how it disappeared and he was glad. I was too tired to respond so I let myself pass out.

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I was just about to get into my car when I got a phone call. "Arielle honey its Melissa. I wouldn't have called but Isaac is healing too rapidly and I can't get ahold of Derek or Scott. Is there anything you can do?"

Crap, I was going to be late on my first day of school this year "I'll be there in five"

While driving to the hospital I forced myself to take deep breaths. Ever since I had shown that I was an angel everyone seemed to be asking me for help with everything, that isn't necessarily bad but my father had been angry and insisted that we train together during the summer. Stiles told me I was becoming more despondent as summer passed, more abrupt. My father had gone really hard on me and I just haven't felt like myself, because of that I have been hanging back more. I was trying to not be a hero.

As I got to the hospital I saw the light on my phone blinking telling me I had a missed voicemail. As I walked I listened to it realizing it was from last night "Hey Ari, I text you earlier about the tattoo thing but I just wanted to let you know that Allison is back! Also what else did I want to tell you….oh yeah a giant freaking dear smashed into Lydia's car with them in it. Can you just call me back? Tonight's been weird, well night…..I can't wait to see you tomorrow." I felt so bad I hadn't heard Stiles call but just then a frantic Melissa found me. Isaac was going to be taken to surgery soon and I had to get him out of it.

I went to his room just as a female nurse came out. I felt something off about her but couldn't place it, so I just slipped in behind her back. Something was wrong though, Isaac was definitely passed out and he shouldn't be. More nurses came in and told me I had to leave so they could get him into surgery, I was too late. All I could do was make it look like an honest mistake that he was sent down there.

I walked down the hall to the nurse's station and noticed a tired younger looking male nurse. Bingo. I walked confidently towards him and gained his attention when I got close. He looked at me a bit blankly when I smiled at him and touched his chest. "I just wanted to say thank you." I told him widening my eyes and trying to look earnest "My friend was brought in earlier, he was in pretty rough shape and I saw you were one of the hospital staff that cared for him so well."

"oh uh...no problem, just doing my job," he told me gulping as I slid my hands down his torso. He was too distracted to notice I had just slipped his badge off of his belt as I pressed myself up and kissed his cheek.

"Still thank you!" I told him as I turned to the stairwell. I think he said something but I ignored whatever it was as I went down one floor to see if I could get to a computer. Luckily no one was paying attention so I was able to slide into the seat and swipe his card to get into the system. I quickly changed Isaac's info so that it looked like his records had gotten duplicated from another accident that came in at the same time. Right now though they would be figuring out that he didn't need surgery and I had to get down there.

I opened the stairwell door just as I saw a man with claws wheel a passed out Isaac into the elevator. I heard a snarl behind me as I did a running punch right into the unknown man causing us to both fall into the elevator. It became pretty cramped when Scott jumped through the closing doors to help. We were fighting him the best we could in the little area but he had hooked his claws into Scott throwing him against the ceiling when he crashed back down I had to stop attacking to catch Isaac before he slid off his wheelchair. Scott was being held by the neck by the werewolf and I was debating letting go of Isaac to help "Don't you realize what you're dealing with? I'm an Alpha." He growled as the elevator doors opened and claws ripped through the alphas back.

"So am I," a surprisingly calm Derek told him before throwing him down the hall with one hand. He looked at both of us on the ground, me holding up Isaac "Aren't you supposed to be at school?"

"Screw you." I panted out as he picked Isaac up easily. He just shook his head and started to walk away like he knew we would follow him. Damn those jeans made his ass look great.

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I was confused when Derek drove us to the Hale house, I knew for a fact he wasn't living there so what were we doing? "You too weak to walk him up to the loft?" I snarked at him. No sex was doing wonders for my sass.

He gave me a pointed look "I think you know that I can hold up someone else for a long period of time. You know against a wall….in the shower…on top of-"

"Okay okay I get it, I know!" I told him blushing bright red at the insinuation and knowing tone instead focused on listening to a frantic Stiles on the phone who was none too pleased to have to come to Derek's. Scott sighed and looked around.

"You don't still live here, do you?"

"No. The county took it over, but there's something here that I need. It'll help heal a wound from an Alpha."

Scott looked confused "Yeah, but it did heal."

"Not on the inside."

"Hey, are you gonna tell me who that was back there? That Alpha." Scott asked and then turned to me "Do you know what's going on?"

Derek interrupted before I could answer "A rival pack. It's my problem. I know you wanna help, and you did. I owe you one. Now go home. Go back to being a teenager."

I had to scoff "You owe me to Der. I was the one who changed all the files and kicked his butt first."

He rolled his eyes at me and pat me on the head like I was a puppy "Good girl Arielle, you did so well." I batted his hand away and glared at him.

"I didn't say that for the praise you dick, just because Stiles and I are sort of together doesn't mean you shouldn't remove the wolfsbane shoved up….."

"Uh, hey, Derek. If you wanna repay back that favor now... There is something you can do for me." Scott interrupted me turning pink and at where this conversation could be going. Stiles practically fell through the doorway at this point and we all turned to look at him unimpressed.

"hi," he said and then his eyes focused on me "Ari, hey you weren't at school and you haven't been answering any of my messages. You okay? What are you doing at Derek's?" I just waved my hands in the air and left the room leaving Scott to fill him in. I wasn't mad at him or anything, I was just frustrated and tired.

After a couple of minutes, Stiles called for me to come into what used to be the living room where Scott was sitting on a chair while Derek was seated in front of him inspecting his arm. "What's going on?" Stiles explained about the tattoo and Derek asked why it was so important.

"Do you know what the word "tattoo" means?" Scott asked him

"To mark something." Stiles looked pretty proud of himself and I had to smile at my dork.

"Well, that's in Tahitian. In Samoan, it means "open wound." I knew I wanted to get a tattoo when I turned 18. I always wanted one. I just decided to get it now, to make it kind of a reward."

"For what?" Derek asked

"For not calling or texting Allison all summer. Even when I really wanted to, even when it was so hard not to sometimes. I was trying to give her the space she wants. Going four months later, it still hurts. It still feels like a, uh..."

I had to roll my eyes but Stiles nodded empathetically. "Like an open wound."

Derek's eyes were focused on me during the whole exchange and I don't think any of us missed it. "The pain's gonna be worse than anything you've ever felt."

I heard Stiles gulp and Scott told him to do it. All the sudden Derek held up and lit a blowtorch. "Oh, wow. That's a... that's a lot for me. So I'm gonna take that as my cue. I'm just gonna wait outside." Stiles groaned and went to walk away when Derek grabbed him roughly.

"Nope. You can help hold him down."

"Oh, my God."

"Hold him," Derek ordered him and I rolled my eyes again as I used most of my strength to push down Scott while he yelled. When he passed out and Stiles looked like he was going to hurl I had to ask.

"Why the hell do you have a blowtorch in an abandoned building made of wood?" I heard him snort and then wrinkle his nose at the cooking meat smell.

"I don't actually know the answer to that,"

"It's like you were expecting this to happen. Like it was in a script" He just chuckled and finished his work and Scott woke up.

Stiles came over and looked at it "Well, it looks pretty damn permanent now." They got up and started walking to the door.

"Yeah. I kind of needed something permanent. Everything that's happened to us... everything just changes so fast. Everything's so, uh... Ephemeral." Everyone paused and looked confused, then Stiles just nodded his head.

"Studying for the PSATS?"

"Yep."

"Nice." He said looking at him approvingly. They had such a cute bromance.

I was about to follow them out when Scott looked at the door questioningly "You painted the door. Why'd you paint the door?"

"Go home, Scott," Derek said in a warning tone which only made Scott more suspicious.

"And why only one side?" Scott asked flicking out his claws. This time I stepped forward to stop him.

"Scott." He started to scratch away the paint and I went to step further forward when Derek put a hand on my shoulder to stop me.

"The birds at school and the deer last night... just like the night I got trampled by the deer when I got bit by the Alpha. How many are there?" Scott asked of the symbol, although I hadn't heard about the symbol on the deer in Stiles' message.

"A pack of 'em. An Alpha pack."

"All of them? How does that even work?"

"I hear there's some kind of a leader. He's called Deucalion. We know they have Boyd and Erica." Derek looked at me and everyone else did too. "Peter, Isaac, Arielle and I have been looking for him for the last four months."

Stiles jaw clenched and Scott looked worried "Let's say you find them. How do you deal with an Alpha pack?"

"With all the help I can get," Derek said placing his hand on the small of my back and looking at me expectantly. The boys looked upset and I had to rub my eyes because the stress was getting to me and we all jumped at the sound of Isaacs' voice.

"Where is she? Where's the girl?"

Derek looked confused "What girl?"

We decided to leave to let them talk. Stiles looked like he had just about enough and he came and grabbed my hand "Scott I'm dropping you off first," I heard the unspoken we have to talk as he lead me to the jeep and opened the door for me to get in the back. During the drive Scott almost said something but a look from Stiles shut him up. It was tense when we dropped him off and even tenser when we stopped in front of my house. We sat in silence for a little while longer "Why wouldn't you tell me?" He asked quietly

"You would have told Scott."

"He's my best friend, of course, I would have. Also, that doesn't sound like an apology," he muttered

I snarled "I don't need to apologize!" he looked like he was going to interject so I glared at him until he closed his mouth "I do not need to run everything by you. This has to do with Derek, Scott has already made it abundantly clear he doesn't want to be in Derek's pack. Plus I still can't trust Scott after last semester, not yet at least. Anyway, it's neither of your guys' business!" I fumed

He looked at me a little blankly "It's because of Derek, isn't it? You wanted to be with both of us again even though we agreed to try dating. That's why it's none of my business." I looked at him shocked.

"Of course not! It has nothing to do with being with him. I happened to be there the day he found the symbol and what it meant and I've been helping when I can."

Stiles scoffed "So you weren't with your dad as much as you said you were this summer. I knew you were being weird!"

"No, I was with my father most of the time. When I was back I would hang out with you and when you were busy I helped Derek and his pack."

"Please Arielle, I saw the little touches and looks, didn't look like he was too bothered by the fact that we are pretty much together."

He was being so unreasonable "Actually Derek has taken that fact very well so far, and he was just being a good friend today"

Stiles rubbed his face "Maybe we should take a small break from each other," I was shocked

"Why? Nothing is going on with Derek!"

"You have been lying to me for four months!"

"I never lied and it wasn't my information to tell!"

"We were in a relationship, you should have told me," He said

I was officially pissed "Like. I. Said. It wasn't for me to say." He shook his head

"We'll talk about it tomorrow." He said not looking at me. I choked back some frustrated tears that were threatening to fall, got out and slammed his door. He was so upset he didn't even protest at the abuse of his beloved Jeep.

I ran up my steps dialing Allison who I figured would be with Lydia "Allison I heard you were back! Do you guys want to hang out? Great, be there soon."