Prologue

Past Undone

Laura Hale was stuffing clothes in a duffle bag when she heard the apartment door open.

"Laura," her baby brother called out. She took a deep breath as she considered how she wanted this to go. It would be a hard sell but at this point she had no choice.

"Hey, I got your call." Derek said as he appeared in her doorway. "What's up?" He took in the mess of clothes all over her bed, in what was a normally an orderly room. "You going somewhere?" He asked, his thick brows arching up.

"Yes, I am," she replied sardonically. "What was your first clue, genesis?"

"Cute, you called me remember. Going tell me where you're going or am I going to have to guess?"

"Would it be cruel of me to say guess?" Laura asked with a bemused smile.

"I have a shift in a few minutes."

"Which is so not my problem since I called three hours ago." Laura narrowed her eyes at Derek. "Where have you been baby brother? Or perhaps a better question would be or who were you with?"

Derek rolled his eyes, crossing his arms over his chest as he leaned back against the doorjab. "None of your business and don't change the subject. Where are you going?" He asked his tone serious.

Laura zipped up her bag and stood up, placing her hand on her hips with a sigh as she mentally prepared herself for the discussion. "I'm going home to Beacon Hills."

"What?" Derek stood up dropping his posture against the door. "Why?"

"Because it's time, Derek. We have unfinished business there, we need to know what happened."

"We know what happened. Our family was burned alive and the only reason we didn't suffer the same fate was because we were away at school. Case closed, there's nothing left to know." Derek argued as he had every time this discussion came up between them.

Laura dropped her hand from her hip. "But, there is Derek, we need to know who started the fire and who destroyed our family, we need this." She noted of change of scent coming from her brother and was taken back to that day six years ago when the connection to their family members had been severed. She remembered driving to the high school to pick-up Derek and how they had raced back to their house to see it burning. "I need this. Look, Derek I know it's not what you want but it's time. We can track whoever did this. They've gotten away from us for far too long, it's time for retribution and I would like it if you would go back with me."

"No, I won't go back." Derek dropped his gaze away from hers as he answered quietly. "I can't."

"Derek-"

"I said no," Derek replied with more force than necessary.

Laura arched a fine brow at him. "As your Alpha, I could force you to come with me."

"And as your brother, I know you won't." They stared at each other, neither Hale backing down. Although, she'd been his Alpha for six years, she rarely ever had the need to use her pull on him to get him to bend to her will. In fact, she'd only done it once four years ago.

Laura snorted as she rolled her eyes. "Fine, I won't force you to come but I need a favor from you."

"Watch the bar and stay out of trouble," Derek mocked.

"Okay three favors, mine the bar, stay out of trouble, and let me borrow your car."

"Did I hear correctly, you want to borrow my car? What's wrong with your car?"

"Nothing. But, I want to be inconspicuous when I drive back into town. And there's nothing that says here I am notice me, like my hotass Camaro."

"Does this mean I get the Camaro?" Derek asked with a gleeful smile mindful of the fact that his sister rarely let him touch let alone borrow her car.

Laura savored the smile on her brother's face for they were so very rare. And when he gifted you with it, it was special. "Yes, you can have my Camaro." She pulled her keys out of her pocket and walked over to hand them to Derek holding them out of his reach. "Derek, you get one scratch on my car and I will have your ass working free for a month." She dangled the keys in the air.

"I got it, and the same goes for you with my truck." He attempted to take her keys, only to Laura pull them out of his reach yet again.

"And no tickets."

Derek rolled his eyes and grabbed the keys, "that happened once and I paid the ticket."

Laura tsked, "So not the point," but swapped keys with him. "I'll call you when I get there."

"Laura, I'm not a child, you don't have to check up on me."

She snorted as she turned back to grab the duffle off the bed. "Yeah, well don't forget to drop off the deposit on Tuesday."

"Seriously, that happened once I was on a deadline," Derek protested as he started back down the hallway with Laura following him.

"And I'm never going to let you forget it." She dropped the bag to floor and pulled on her black leather jacket. I'll call when I get there." She turned and pulled Derek into a hug. "Love you baby brother," she said inhaling her brother's scent. This was her pack, her family. This was why she had to know what happened.

"Love you too, short stuff." Derek replied as softly as kissed her hair and released her.

Beacon Crossing Home – Adult Rehabilitation Center

Laura had driven all day and managed to what make it to the Rehabilitation Center just before visitor hours were over.

The instant she crept to the doorway of his room she felt his grief slip over her like a two-ton weight. Werewolves had natural healing abilities ingrained in their DNA but it required a certain level of consciousness to heal the most serious of injuries. Her uncle had been in a catatonic state since the fire so the healing never took. Not even to the most basic injury to the skin on his half of his face had healed.

Laura released a deep breath and walked over to his bed taking a seat in the vacant chair. "Hi Uncle Peter," she said softly as she stared at his prone body. She had a hard time believing that the man on the bed was the same person who taught her how to control her wolf. Every time, she came to see him she instantly regressed into the ten-year old pup who idolized her uncle.

"Excuse me, Miss but visiting hours are over," a red-head nurse said from the doorway. "Mr. Hale needs his rest."

"Of course," Laura nodded. "Could I have a minute, please? To say goodbye."

The nurse acquiesced. "One minute then you'll have to leave."

"Okay," Laura waited for the nurse to leave before she rose from the chair. She took her uncle's hand and leaned down by his ear. "I know you can hear me Uncle. So I want you to know that I have forgotten what you taught me. I came home to find out who killed our family and I won't leave until I do. I have a name, a place to start and I promise to make them pay." With one last squeeze, she released Peter's hand and rose to leave the room.

A moment later, the nurse re-entered the room and shut the door.

Peter Hale's once blank gaze focused on the nurse. "Follow her, I want to know every move she makes."

"Of course, Peter I'll do anything for you."

"Good, now leave me, I need my rest." Peter looked away from the nurse and closed his eyes.

Laura waited in the dark, when she saw a young boy climb into a Jeep before she slid out Derek's truck. She walked into the Animal Clinic quietly.

"We're closed," the vet said as he walked into the front of the clinic to see Laura Hale standing at the door. "Laura, it's been a long time. I've been expecting you."

"Have you really? I hadn't been planning on coming here at all." Laura offered as she walked toward the main desk.

"Well, you've been here for a week; I figured it was only a matter of time before you came to see me." Deaton slid his hands into his white lab coat.

"Then, you know why I'm here?"

"I can guess, but, I don't know if I can help you. Come into my office, we can continue this conversation in back." He gestured for her to follow him.

Laura followed Deaton back to his office. "Look, I'm not asking you to betray any code that you follow. Even though that code was violated six years ago when my family was burned alive and the hunters in this town buried it like I had to bury my family."

"And as I told you then Laura, vengeance will not bring them back." Deaton said as he settled into the chair behind his desk.

"You were right, but, I didn't come here for that. I've been contacted again."

Deaton leaned forward immediately concerned. "When?"

Laura shrugged, "It's been a while but I know a warning when I see one. I need a pack, a strong one. That's why I'm here; I need to know about the bond."

"Can he sense it?"

"I don't know but I can. His scent was altered and it's still changing. But, Derek is also different."

"We both knew that separating them was risk."

"I know that," Laura stressed her green eyes flaring slightly. "I can't lose Derek, he's the only one left … my family … I-I need him. So tell me what I can do to re-solidify the bond."

"Understand this Laura, once a bond is healed and it can only be broken in death." Deaton warned.

Laura gave a tight nod. "I understand. But, it's the right thing to do. I will do whatever it takes to protect him including this. And if you were so concerned about this bond then you shouldn't have exposed her to him, knowing what could happen."

"And as I told you before, I had no idea this could happen. It's rare for most packs and nearly unheard of with Betas."

"Well, I guess it was lucky that it happened for him. You do your part and I will do mine to get Derek here. If you're right the bond will settle and Derek will be back to his old self." Laura turned to leave.

"Are you certain he'll come?" She paused in the doorway. "I thought you said that he told you he would never step foot in this town again."

"Derek and I have an agreement to check in with each other once a week if we are not in calling distance. When I don't call, he'll come looking for me." Laura replied as Deaton rose to follow her out.

"I'll put in the call but it may take while. What are you going to do till he gets here?"

"What I do best," Laura said with a flash of red eyes. "I'm going hunting." Then she turned and left the Animal Clinic.

A few nights later, Laura awoke from a sound sleep by sound of her cell phone on the night stand beside her. She picked it up without seeing who it was.

"Hello," Laura grumbled with sleep in her voice.

"Ms. Hale, this is your Uncle Peter's nurse at Beacon Crossing Home, the rehabilitation center."

"Yes, is my Uncle okay?" Laura asked as she shifted to sit up and turn on the light in her room.

"I'm not sure Ms. Hale. Your Uncle seems to be missing—,"

"Missing? How can he be missing? My uncle has been in catatonic state for six years!"

"Yes, I understand that Ms. Hale. As I was about to tell you, we switched shifts this morning and when I arrived to check on Mr. Hale, I found his bed empty. I think that he may be awake."

"Awake? I didn't think that could happen."

"You'd be surprised, Ms. Hale. Miracles happen all the time. In cases like these, the patients tend to go to places that hold strong memories for them. Do you have any idea where that might be for your uncle?"

Laura was giddy with relief, Peter was finally awake. "Yeah. I do actually." Her mind racing thinking of the exact place her uncle would go.

"Good, could you tell me so I know where to send the ambulance—,"

"No, no," Laura interrupted. Sending strangers to meet her Uncle who had just awakened could be a disaster especially if he had taken his true form again. Peter attacking strangers would be bad but he would never attack her, she was family. The only family he had left except for Derek. "I'll get him and bring him back."

"Are you sure Ms. Hale? The patient maybe disoriented and could become violent. And I would hate for you to get hurt. I could send someone to help you," the nurse offered.

"No, that won't be necessary. My uncle would never hurt me. " Laura said as she swiftly got out of her bed and begin searching her clothes with her free hand.

"Okay, then Ms. Hale, we'll be waiting for you when you get here."

"Great, thanks again." Laura said as she ended the call and tossed the cell onto the bed. She quickly pulled on her jeans and a t-shirt and grabbed her jacket. Within a few seconds, she was rushing out of the motel and into Derek's truck. She drove back to Beacon Hills to her family home to find her Uncle never thinking that she would that she was headed to her own death.

A/N: The title of the story comes from the song, "We Must Be Killers," by Mikky Ekko.