Chapter One: The Arrival

(Lyra's POV)

What drew me here? What was it about this place that called to me?

I looked around at the trees, the hills, the streams and the stretch of sky that was Beacon Hills. The wind tossed my hair over my shoulder and made me draw my scarf tighter around my neck. The birds were calling in the distance and the squirrels were playing in the autumn leaves all around me. I sat on a large rock next to a small stream and inhaled the cool, pine scented air.

Another year had passed since I lost track of the Alpha Pack that had murdered my family, but I never stopped searching.

Finally, I found a remote house on the edge of the town called Beacon Hills. It was a little run down, one story cottage that sat in the edge of the woods with a dirt road that lead back towards the heart of the town. I decided after so many years on the road, I needed a home to return to, not a hotel room. So I made the little cottage my own, just shy of my 23rd birthday.

I sighed, thinking of how I had found my way to Beacon Hills through rumors circling the area. I wrinkled my petite nose as I thought of the things I heard on the news.

Animal attacks, killings, people going missing, an array of other strange behaviors and occurrences… I mused to myself. I brushed a stray lock of hair away from my face.

That only seems natural in a place like this, considering the large stretch of woods. Perfect place for any sort of animal to hunt. Especially a couple of werewolves, I thought.

I got up and stretched before walking back towards my new home. Even if the rumors were true, I wasn't afraid. Why would I be? I might be alone, but I was still an Alpha regardless.

Besides, I wanted to scope out the new town.

Ooo0ooO

(Lyra's POV)

When I returned to the cottage, I went into change into warmer clothing. I slid on tight jeans, a thick violet sweater as well as sturdy boots and a leather jacket. I toyed with the necklace I always wore around my neck before sliding it underneath the sweater.

The night was creeping in when I reemerged and I inhaled the cool air. I walked down the dirt drive, pausing to eye the car I had stolen back in Oregon. It was a sleek, black Audi A4 with a black leather interior and darkly tinted windows. I shook my head, turning to head into the forest.

Wandering, I listened to the sounds of the night life around me. I heard the call of an owl, the flapping of bat's wings, and the distant shuffling of some smaller animal.

Suddenly, I heard the sound of footsteps running towards me from a distance. I turned and narrowed my eyes, using my sharper wolf vision to see more clearly in the dark. I inhaled deeply and froze, everything inside me bristling.

It was them. I could recognize that scent from anywhere. The Alpha Pack was here and they were close. Snarling under my breath, I took off into the trees.

When I came to a hill, I saw two teenagers sprinting through the trees as fast as they could. The male, who was tall and muscular, stopped, leaning against a tree. I was just far enough away so they didn't see me but I was not able to make out what they were saying. By the blonde girl's gestures, it looked like she was urging the boy on.

As I watched, the Alpha Pack slithered out of the shadows, forming a loose circle around the younger werewolves. I stepped halfway behind a tree, my lip curling in anger.

When the teenagers realized they were surrounded, it was too late. The Alphas unsheathed their claws and roared at them, making them cower in fear. One of them lunged for the blonde girl, who screeched when they yanked her away from the tall boy. He snarled terribly but was subdued when another Alpha punched him, knocking him unconscious. They dragged the teens away, with the girl screaming and crying.

I followed them, keeping to the shadows of the trees. I made sure to keep my footsteps as quiet as possible.

"Well, well, what do we have here?" I whirled around, snarling. The only female Alpha of the pack stood behind me, her claws out and eyes glowing red. I bared my fangs and growled fiercely.

"Let them go," I snapped. The female laughed.

"Are you going to stop us?" she taunted. I let my wolf surge forward and I half shifted, letting my claws grow and my eyes glow.

I lunged for the woman, slicing my claws through the air, tearing her chest. She howled with rage and tackled me down, sinking her teeth into my arm. I snarled and pushed her off of me, snapping my teeth at her.

With one quick movement, I turned myself to send the heel of my boot smashing into her cheek, causing her to spit up blood. She bared her fangs and slashed my face, opening my cheek up to the bone. I cried out and came up swinging, catching her under her chin, causing her to fly into the trunk of a tree.

Before I could lunge for her, a set of claws ripped into my back, lifting me up and throwing me through the air. I crashed into a tree, hitting my head, causing the wood to splinter. I gasped and felt my vision blur.

"Let's go," one of the Alphas hissed. I heard the teen girl cry out again as I struggled to get back on my feet. I stood on shaky legs and shook my head. When I looked around again, the pack had disappeared with the younger wolves.

"Damn it," I cursed, clenching my fists. I winced as my wounds started to heal slowly; I looked down at my torn jacket and saw the bite marks close. I hissed sharply as the claw marks in my back closed, causing a bolt of pain to shoot up my spine.

Disgusted with myself, I trudged back to the cottage. I couldn't fight the pack as a whole; I would have to take them out individually. Hating how defeated I felt, I growled the whole way home.

Once I was back, I tore off my clothes, throwing them into the hamper. I turned on the shower and stepped under the hot spray, washing away the dried blood and dirt from my skin. I looked down at my arm again and saw the bite marks were still there as angry red scars. I traced my fingers over it and clenched my teeth.

"Fuck!" I shouted, slamming my fist against the tile of the shower wall. The grout gave a little under my hand but I ignored it.

Snapping the water off, I dried myself off with a towel before putting on some loose cotton pants and a tank top. I collapsed on my bed, falling asleep as soon as my head hit the pillow.

Ooo0ooO

(Lyra's POV)

When I woke up, the sun had just begun to peek its golden head over the horizon. I narrowed my eyes at the bluish pink sky and got out of bed.

Grabbing an apple from the kitchen, I began making myself some breakfast blend tea. As the water heated, I stood at the kitchen window, leaning against the counter and looking outside. The world looked quiet outside except for a few birds chirping in the trees.

I poured the hot water in a mug and dipped my tea bag inside, before adding in a few scoops of sugar. I sighed, holding the mug with both hands. I finished the apple, then the tea, before rising out the cup and putting it away.

I went back into my bedroom and looked around a little. I didn't have any decorations to brighten up the place really; I had just bought simple dark blue sheets and a matching comforter with two decent sized white pillows. There was a small nightstand and a dresser, with a small jewelry box on top, which served as the rest of the room.

The closet was a good size too, which I filled with some new clothes I had bought when I first began settling down here. I chose my outfit; jeans, a loose blue and purple flannel shirt and my hiking boots, along with some simple studs and my necklace.

I slipped the necklace over my head and studied it in the small mirror I had nailed to the bedroom wall. It was a simple silver chain, with a tiny, flat obsidian carving of a howling wolf. My father had given it to me for my eighteenth birthday, saying how the jewels used for the wolf's eyes matched mine. I frowned. That had been just a few weeks before he had died, yet the pain was still very fresh.

I finished getting ready, slapping on some makeup- just some mascara and blush- before heading back outside. I chose to head through the forest on foot again, unsure about drawing attention to my flashy toy that was still parked in front of the house.

I took a different path then I had last night, which lead me farther away from town and deeper into the woods. The sun was rising slowly and I let myself enjoy the nice morning.

When I came to a small clearing, I picked up an unfamiliar scent, one that I hadn't come across yet in my short time here. I followed it, curious and wary. But I stiffened when another scent trial overlapped this one. It was the Alpha Pack.

I inhaled deeply, not noticing how my claws instinctively became unsheathed. I jogged through the trees, tracking down the fresh scent trial.

When I heard the sound of male voices, I froze and hid myself. Peering around a tree, I spotted an old, graying house that looked like it had seen better days. Three males were approaching it. My spine bristled as I realized they were all werewolves. I wondered how many more here were in this town, and if they knew about the Alphas.

One of them was a tall, lean teenager with curly, light brown hair. He walked a little ahead of the other two, looking around. I glanced over at the others. They were obviously older; one looked like he was possibly in his thirties and the other, the one with black hair, looked like he was around my age.

I eyed the eldest at first, taking in his confident stride and nearly carefree demeanor. When my gaze shifted to the black haired wolf, I found myself stiffening again. I could tell by the way he moved, with an almost arrogant air around him, he was an Alpha. Were the other two apart of his pack?

He was tall and well built, with broad shoulders that tapered down to a narrow waist. His hair was a deep black and he sported scruff along his jaw, giving him an almost rugged look. Even from a distance, I could see his eyes, which were large and green.

My staring got interrupted by the tall teenager stopped abruptly in front of the house, causing the other wolves to freeze. The older wolf rolled his head towards the guy with black hair, giving him an annoyed, nearly exasperated look.

"You haven't told them everything yet, have you?" he asked. The younger werewolf turned to the others and gave them a confused look.

"What do you mean?" The older werewolf turned his gaze to the teen, cocking a brow at him.

"Why do you think Derek was in such a hurry to build his pack, so eager to strengthen his power in numbers?" The man stepped to the side, glancing down before looking back up. "When there's a new Alpha, people take notice."

I narrowed my eyes at that. Was the black haired guy named Derek then? Was he the new Alpha? I nearly gasped when I realized he must have been the reason why the Alpha Pack went down in California in the first place.

"People like who?" the teen demanded, looking at both men. His gaze suddenly shifted back to the door and he walked up the porch steps, pointing to the door. My hands clenched when I saw the black symbol painted on the old, chipped door.

"What is this? What does it mean?" The guy, Derek, shifted on his feet.

"It's their symbol," he replied. "And it means they're coming." I eyed him suspiciously. Did he know about the pack?

"Who?" the teen asked.

"Alphas."

"More than one?"

"A pack of them." The older guy stepped forward, crossing his arms.

"An Alpha Pack, and they're not coming, they're already here," he declared.

Not paying attention, I shifted to get a better look at the symbol, and a twig snapped under my boot. All three werewolves' gazes shot in my direction and I stiffened defensively as they spotted me.

I rolled my weight back, ready to bolt, but the guy Derek beat me to the punch. He appeared behind me, tilting his head at me, before grabbing my arm and yanking me out from my hiding spot. I struggled against his strong gasp.

"Who are you?" he demanded. I pinned him with a heated glare.

"I'm the girl who's going to help you with your Alpha Pack problem," I sated firmly, meeting his eyes steadily.

Ooo0ooO

(Derek's POV)

I stared at the girl in front of me with a mixture of surprise and wariness. Her stance was defensive and I could tell by her scent she was another werewolf, though one that wasn't from here.

I watched as she glared at me, taken back not only by the amount of contempt in them, but by their startling blue-violet color. They were large and dominated her face, surrounded by thick, long lashes.

"You're going to help us fight an Alpha Pack?" I asked doubtfully. "You're just a girl."

Suddenly, those eyes darkened into a deep red color as she bared a set of very sharp teeth at me. My eyes widened as I took an instinctive step back.

"I'm a girl who can kick your ass from here to Sunday if I wanted to," she shot back. Peter, who seemed to be unaffected by this, stepped by my side.

"You're an Alpha," he said slowly. The girl just nodded shortly.

"Then…where's your pack?" Isaac asked, looking around worriedly. The female Alpha pinned him with a glare.

"I don't have one," she said flatly. Her eyes met mine again, melting back to that blue-purple color. "Listen, I'm sure we can bond over sob stories later, but right now you guys need to get ready. I have been tracking this pack down and they're not bad, they're much more than that."

"Why have you been tracking Alphas?" Peter asked, crinkling his brow. The girl growled.

"They killed my family," she hissed. We all stilled, unsure of what to say. The girl shifted, obviously not happy with having to confess something so personal to complete strangers.

"Now that that's over with, can we move on? First off, what are your names? Are there more werewolves here? How many?" Peter took a cautious step forward, offering his hand to shake. The girl ignored it and Peter slowly drew it back.

"I'm Peter Hale, that's Isaac over there and this is Derek, my nephew," he said, clapping me on the shoulder. I ignored him, keeping my gaze attentive on the small Alpha in front of me. Her eyes met mine against and she stared back without an ounce of fear in her expression. She was very bold; I had to give her that.

"There's only a few others," Isaac said, stepping down from the porch. "We're just Betas. Derek is our Alpha… well except-,"

"Isaac," I growled. The female's eyes narrowed at my interruption.

"I'm Lyra," she said, her posture finally relaxing a little. She crossed her arms and I noticed how the heavy shirt she wore bagged on her lean, athletic frame.

"So Lyra," Peter began, shifting a little to face her. "How can you help us?"

Lyra turned her gaze to Peter and she slowly smiled.

Ooo0ooO

(Derek's POV)

At first, Lyra didn't tell us much. It took a lot to get information out of her. She was very secretive and very defensive. Even Peter, with all his charisma and charm, couldn't even get a smile out of her most of the time.

Slowly, over the next few weeks, she told us how she tracked the Alpha Pack and what their habits were like. She told us about how she saw them take Erica and Boyd, warning us they might be dead and if not, they were probably being tortured in some hold in town. Isaac seemed upset by this, since they were his friends.

Peter and Isaac set off to find the missing werewolves, while I did everything in my power to keep the others from finding out they were in town. Chris Argent and his daughter had finally backed off after the incident with Gerard, which was a relief to me.

The only thing was bothering me was Scott. He still refused to join my pack, even though deep down I knew he wasn't meant to join my pack.

Then there was Lyra. In general, she seemed like a nice enough girl. I learned she was a year or so younger than I was and had been born into a werewolf family like me. She never went into detail about her family's death, all she said was she lost many loved ones and wanted to kill the wolves who had slaughtered them mercilessly.

She was unlike any girl I had met. She didn't worry about wearing a lot of makeup or dressing nice. I noticed she seemed to favor jeans and t-shirts. Her honey blonde hair was hardly down, since it was usually in some sort of twist or something girls do to keep it away from their faces.

As summer progressed, we learned to work together well. We ran into the Alphas from time to time, but were unable to take any of them out. So we strategized with Peter, deciding how to attack and when our best chances of succeeding were.

Lyra didn't necessarily become one of us, or at least part of the pack. She was still very distant, and even with her strength, I was surprised she didn't want to form a pack or become part of one to become even stronger.

I didn't have time to really dwell on these thoughts, since the Alpha Pack became more and more of a nuisance as time went by. By the time fall started arriving, they were spread out over town, causing trouble anywhere and everywhere.

Ooo0ooO

Author's Note: Hey everyone! Thanks for all the encouraging reviews so far, I'm glad you like the story! Right now, the story is right at the beginning of Season 3. The next chapter will be part of the season premiere and yes, there will be more action going on between all the Alphas in Beacon Hills!

Please review and let me know your thoughts on the chapter and if you have any questions!