Author's Note:

Hey guys! So many people subscribed, and I'm so excited you guys are reading the story! It makes me unbelievably happy that I'm writing something you guys like to read! But, please, give me some feedback, it is greatly appreciated :) And who else is loving the side of Derek shown in the new episodes...? I know I am!

Enjoy :)

So, Jeremy went and picked a fight with a full-grown werewolf last night.

Heath left flowers on my doorstep along with a letter in apology for ignoring my calls the other night.

Jessie sent me two text messages urging me to forgive him.

And now, courtesy of Jeremy and Keelan, my kitchen now has one less barstool to be sat in.

Just another normal day.

I'm running through my usual trail in the woods, my heart beating loudly in my ears and sweat pouring steadily out of my body. I missed my run yesterday, but I've fallen into the routine like I do every time, as if I have been running all my life. It's not too far from the truth, considering my brothers urged me to start jogging with them when I turned twelve, and since then, we'd jog every morning. It used to be our thing.

Now it's my thing.

I love these woods. They're not the same woods I used to run in with my family, but they're similar. Every now and then I come across couples escaping for a while or hikers looking for the creek, but for the most part, my morning runs are about finding some time alone. What with the animal attacks and all, even the occasional fellow jogger has disappeared. Hell, I'd disappear too if I thought there was a mountain lion loose in the woods.

But there isn't, and I know the Alpha isn't going to bother me right now.

I turn a bend in the trail, and am surprised to see someone several yards ahead of me. It's strange for anyone to be out here at nine in the morning, but it's even stranger that he's seemingly doing nothing. He's just standing in the middle of the trail, hands in his pockets as if he's waiting for someone. It's only once I get closer that I recognize him, and when I do, I feel no relief whatsoever.

Derek, the guy from the hospital. I'm sure he thinks I didn't notice him stop by Stacey's last night, but I did, and seeing him now only makes me more suspicious of him. He turns around as I approach, and surely enough he holds his ground, confirming what I had hoped to be a ridiculous assumption. He's waiting for me.

I don't bother with pleasantries as I slow down and stop a couple of feet away from him. "Stalking is either illegal or frowned upon in every single one of the fifty states, so you sure as hell had better have a good reason for being here," I say, my breathing heavy from the exercise, but not taking away from the warning in my voice. I don't take well to being followed, and this has just crossed the line between us running into each other being coincidence and being creepy.

His expression doesn't change, and it's much different from the friendly, albeit awkward guy I met at the hospital only the day before. He's serious and is looking down at me with cool confidence, as if trying to let me know who's in charge. In all honesty, I don't like this Derek too much at all, and glare shamelessly at him. He doesn't say anything for a minute and I don't back down.

"We need to talk," he finally says.

"About what?" I demand. He raises his brows.

"How about we start with the fact that you've caught the attention of the Alpha in town?" he suggests.

My stomach drops and I stop breathing for a second. He knows. Does he know about Keelan and Jeremy? Or the rest of my old pack? I ignore the ice sliding down my back and scoff. "Alpha?" I repeat. "What is that, some gangster code or something that guys with leather jackets use?"

"It's not a joke," he says calmly, "and don't pretend you don't know what I'm talking about." I roll my eyes.

"Yeah, sure," I say sarcastically, shaking my head. "Look, I'm going to leave now. Ask Jeff to take your order next time you stop by the shop." I move around him quickly, but not so quickly that it seems suspicious. I hardly take four steps before he calls after me, saying the last thing I expected him to say.

"You know, it took me a while to heal after you shot me."

Of course he'd wait until I left my gun at home.

And of course the full-grown beta from last night would be my own personal stalker.

I let out a breath, cursing myself for being so damn clueless. I should have known that he was the wolf. Hell, my family would disown me again if they knew I'd let a beta get one up on me. I'm the daughter of an Alpha for God's sake! I hear him coming up behind me and I don't move, keeping my jaw set and my breathing steady.

"Do you really put wolfsbane in your bullets?"

I glare at him, no longer acting. "What the hell do you want?" I ask in a growl.

"To help," he answers. I narrow my eyes at him. "You're shifting, and you're going to need someone there to stop you from hurting anyone."

"I'm not turning," I state. He raises a brow.

"Really?" I nod. "So you didn't get mauled by the Alpha the other night."

"It was just a scratch!" I exclaim defensively.

"And it's not gone yet."

"I'm a fast healer."

"Not that fast." I groan, but he doesn't stop there. "Have you felt angry lately? So angry you think you might kill someone?"

"You'd be surprised what a good night's sleep and regular exercise does for the soul." He doesn't appreciate the humor at all, but I don't care. "Look, I mean it. I know what it looks like when someone's bitten and turns, and that's not what's going on."

"How do you know?" he challenges.

"That I'm not turning? I feel perfectly fine, and-"

"About us."

Of course he would want to know. "I can't say," I answer.

"Do you know one of us?"

I hold up my hands and take a step back. "Trust me Derek: when I say that I can't tell you, I mean it," I say, putting all of my sincerity into the statement. "There are things about me that I can't tell you, no matter how good your intentions."

"Are you protecting the beta?" he presses. This has already gone too far, and he's going into forbidden territory, asking about my cousins. Jeremy had tried to protect me when he realized there was a wolf around, but he's too young to be brought into the mess, even if he is stupid enough to jump into a fight with a full-grown wolf.

"Don't go there," I warn. I expect him to press the subject, but surprisingly he doesn't. He tones down the superiority and looks at me, those pale green eyes looking straight into mine.

"If you want to protect anyone, you need to learn control," he says, lowering his voice. "And we need to work together if we want to take down the Alpha."

"I just want to be left alone," I say honestly, frowning. "And who's 'we'?" He opens his mouth to answer, but hears something. I hear it too, and turn around with a confused look on my face as I hear people approaching. "Friends of yours?"

"Not exactly."

Three men approached then, rifles held in their hands and their eyes trained on Derek and me. I don't recognize any of them, but it's clear that they know Derek by the way that they sneer at him. The leader, a thin-faced man with bright blue eyes, looks at me curiously.

"Good morning," he greets, smiling at each of us. "Good day to go hunting, isn't it?"

"Not my sport," I answer with a smile in return as I scan the two henchmen. Something is off about them, and I can't quite place it. "What are you guys hunting?"

"Mountain lion," he answers, looking at Derek. His voice is one that commands authority, and I get the feeling he doesn't like Derek very much. "Haven't you two heard? There's an animal going around attacking people."

"Yeah, I heard about that," I comment carefully. "Is it legal to go hunting it, though? I thought mountain lions were protected."

"That stops mattering when it comes to protecting family," he says, but it comes out as more of a warning directed at Derek. Derek's jaw is tight, but he doesn't say anything. Something is going on here, and it's all unspoken, but very much present. "Oh, where are my manners? Chris Argent," he says, extending his hand. "I take it you're a friend of Derek's?"

"Conner Fitz," I respond, shaking his hand and ignoring the implication that Derek and I are friends. He has a firm grip, but so do I. I step back when he releases my hand, and can't help but notice that he doesn't bother introducing his two companions.

"You might know my daughter, Allison," Mr. Argent says friendlily. "She goes to the high school here." I shake my head.

"I graduated already," I explain. He raises his brows.

"So young?"

"Yeah, well, you know, advanced a year..." I trail off, not really wanting to explain it all to a stranger. I don't trust him farther than I can throw him, and he's setting all of my instincts on red alert. "I'll let you three get back to your hunting. It was a pleasure."

"You want us to give you a ride?" he suggests. "The car is parked not too far from-"

"She's with me," Derek cuts in, stepping up next to me. I wouldn't have accepted the ride from Mr. Argent, but I can't help but appreciate the save. Mr. Argent smiles knowingly and nods.

"You drive safely now," he says, and waves. "It was a pleasure to meet you, Conner Fitz." And with that, the three turn around and walk away. I stay where I am until they're out of ear shot, and then look at Derek.

"Okay, what was that?" I demand, pointing after them. "Everything he said was so laced with subtext, it's a miracle I could understand anything!"

"They're hunters," he replies. His jaw is still tight and he is clearly not happy at all about the encounter.

Just as I'm not happy about the news. "Hunters?" I repeat, my jaw dropping. He doesn't need to specify what kind in order for me to understand, and I want to slap myself in the face for not figuring it out myself. "Are you kidding me? We have an Alpha and hunters to worry about?"

"So it's 'we'?"

I realize my slip and throw up my hands. "Look, we don't have to be enemies," I surrender. "I'm not joining any packs or going after any hunters or any alphas, but it seems like we're on the same side here, and it's tiring to hate somebody." Before he can say anything, I hold up two fingers. "But catching up on our earlier argument. One. I'm not a werewolf." It's clearly a physical effort for him not to argue, but I don't take the chance that he'll say something and continue. "And two. The beta from last night?" He nods to show that he knows who I'm talking about. "He's untouchable, under all circumstances. If anyone so much as looks at him, I'm grabbing my gun and going wolf hunting."

"Anything else?" he asks sarcastically. I consider it and nod.

"Yeah. No more of this stalking. If you needs to talk to me, show up at my place like a normal person. I have a boyfriend, and I'd rather he not find out about my wolf-y background." He looks like he's trying not to say something, which gives me a bad feeling. "What is it?" I ask, instantly regretting the agreement to not hate him.

"Who's Linda?"

And that says it all. "Have you been spying on Heath?" I exclaim incredulously. He doesn't react. "How do you know about Linda?"

"That's not the point," he argues, the serious and superior look back on. Oh, how I'd love to smack it off his face. "Whether you want to accept that you're a wolf or not, you're an Omega surrounded by people who know nothing about us, and that's a death wish right now."

"I've been an Omega for a year," I say, not liking his condescending attitude. "I've gotten used to it, and I like being left alone."

"You're lying," he informs me calmly. "You need a pack. And now there's an Alpha that wants you in his, and you either join, or he kills you."

"What makes you so sure he wants me in his pack?" I challenge.

"Because otherwise, you'd be dead." I can't think of anything to say, and he takes advantage of my silence. "And now, I'm not the only one you have to worry about digging in to your business. The hunters have seen you with me, and they're going to find out everything they can about you. The best thing you can do for that kid is leave him before they take him out."

"What do you propose I do?" I snap. "According to you, I have to deal with hunters, an alpha, and imminent death, so enlighten me, what do you want me to do?" My situation seems more and more dire the more he talks, and it's setting me at my wits end.

"Get the beta out of Beacon Hills for now. He's too young to be any help." Seems reasonable enough. I'd pretty much decided I was going to do that the moment he told me there were hunters in town. "We stick together, and we'll be able to take him out."

"Who's we?" I ask tiredly, repeating my question from earlier.

"Believe me, you'll know soon enough." Before I can demand more details, he's turned around and is walking away.

"I'm not part of your pack!" I yell after him, just to make sure we're clear on that detail. He continues to walk away, not acknowledging what I've said, and making me wish I could go back to a week ago, when being an Omega was the only thing I had to worry about.

All it takes is a bullshit lie about it being my time of month to have the twins packing their bags. Jeremy and Keelan, my two twin cousins, seem to zip around the apartment in super-speed picking up their belongings, folding up the cots they leave here, and getting rid of any evidence of property damage. Heath arrives just as they're finishing up, greeting them with a warm smile.

I'm sitting at the kitchen counter with my laptop when Heath arrives. I don't like being at a disadvantage, so I've been google-ing "Derek Hale" and "accused of" to figure out if there's a criminal record I should know about. Five dollars says he's been accused of stalking before. Much to my frustration, however, I've had no luck at all in finding anything. After some digging I've managed to find a recent newspaper article, but Heath sits down next to me and I have to close the page.

"Investigating the Hale family?" he asks, an amused look on his face. Immediately my attention focuses in on him.

"You know them?" I ask eagerly. He hesitates, but nods.

"Knew," he corrects. "I haven't met Derek face-to-face, but his sister used to babysit me."

"Aw, that's so cute!" I exclaim. "Heath used to have a babysitter!" He rolls his eyes, and his expression becomes somber.

"Yeah... She died recently," he says, sadness in his voice. I gasp, unable to help it. Derek's sister died? "I found out about it yesterday at work."

"What happened?"

He shrugs. "Animal attack. Turns out she was the first victim." He frowns and crosses his arms, leaning them onto the counter. "They arrested her brother for it, though."

"Derek?" I clarify. He nods.

"Yeah. Part of her body was found buried outside the old Hale house ruins." I stay quiet and listen, not wanting to give away what the news means to me. "They let him out, but really, I wouldn't be surprised if the bastard did it."

"Why?" I try not to sound too appalled by his assumption, or the use of the word. Heath is normally the type to find the good in anybody, so it's strange to me that he would so easily say that a man went and killed his sister. It's clear that the subject is one he doesn't like, but he continues anyway, indulging what he must believe is simply my insatiable curiosity.

"Their whole family died in a fire six years ago," he explains. "He and Laura moved away afterwards, but really... Something like that marks a person. There has to be something wrong with him."

"Doesn't mean he killed his sister," I mutter.

"Doesn't mean he didn't."

I figure it's better to drop the subject, and decide to move into more peaceful territory. "So, are you working tonight?" I ask. He nods, grinning.

"Jessie and I got a gig across town," he says, clearly excited about it. "And you?"

"Hospital shift," I say with a shrug. "They'll most likely have me sing for the kids again and do some paperwork."

"You sure you up for that?" he asks concernedly. His worry brings an involuntary smile to my face and I lean forward.

"I faced down a wild animal and survived; I'm sure I can handle some kids."

I lied.

Don't get me wrong, I don't hate children. As a matter of fact, I love children. But sometimes... Last month one girl threw a block at my face that ended up cutting right into my eyebrow. Heath's dad had to give me two stitches! And last week, one kid threw up all over my lap. I mean, it happens (it's a frickin' hospital, for goodness' sake), but sometimes I just don't have the energy for it.

Today, however, on one of the days that I'm completely pumped up to go entertain the children? Nurse McCall pulls me to the side to tell me I've been relocated to a different hospital wing. The "home" part of the hospital, where all of the long-term patients stay. I don't complain, a job is a job, but as I push through the doors and step into the building? Silence. It's unnerving. A red-headed nurse is waiting for me, which is a very pleasant surprise, I have to admit. She helps me by giving me a brief tour, and gets me started doing rounds.

Now, about my job. I'm not a nurse: I'm part of the new holistic approach some of the doctors are trying to take to treating long-term patients. Patients who have family and friends visit them have a tendency to recover more smoothly than patients who are alone with only hospital personnel. So, that's where I come in. I come in for several hours every other day to visit different parts of the hospital where I'm needed, and do what I have to do to keep patients' spirits up. Children are easy to cheer up. For the most part, we all sit in a circle and sing songs; sometimes we do silly dancing.

It's these patients, however, that kill me. The elderly whose family members have all either passed away or moved on, leaving them to simply wait for death... It breaks my heart. So, I attack my job with a passion. The first patient I visit is a war vet, and I listen while he tells me war stories and gushes about how big his grandchildren have gotten. He's lost both of his legs, but the handicap doesn't seem to have affected his soul.

The second patient is an elderly woman, and she seems like she doesn't want to talk to me. She even goes so far as to insult me several times before I pick up a box of dominoes from the bedside table, and from that point out, it's like I've waved a magic wand. Turns out she was a champion in her home town. Of course, she beats me at every game, and I'd be lying if I said I let her win. The great-grandmother has crazy skills, and cackles like the witch from the Wizard of Oz every time she wins. It's actually quite hilarious, albeit embarrassing on my part that I've been so severely beaten.

And then there's my third patient. He's a burn victim from a house fire, and the nurse warns me that he hasn't spoken or reacted to anyone in six years. Even so, I walk in and smile at the man sitting in the wheelchair, staring off into nothing. The red-headed nurse closes the door behind me, and I sit down on his currently empty bed.

He's younger than the other long-term patients I've been to see today, and the unburned side of his face is actually quite handsome. He has bright blue eyes that stare into nothing, but something about him appeals to me. Normally these patients creep me out, and yet I feel drawn to this man and smile at him.

"Hi there Peter," I greet, using the only name the nurse gave me. "I'm Conner. Conner Fitz. It's a pleasure to meet you."

Normally I have a book on me for these situations, but today I only brought my guitar to play for the children. So, I pull that out, cross my legs, and after asking for his permission, start to strum out a simple song to sing to. My voice isn't a powerhouse like Whitney Houston's or anything, but I've been told it's soothing, and the nurses appreciate me singing lullabies to the babies and children. I don't know what song would be appropriate to sing to a comatose burn victim, so I sing the song my mother sang for me the last time I was hospitalized before she passed away.

Blackbird singing in the dead of night

Take these broken wings and learn to fly

All your life

You were only waiting for this moment to arise...

I get lost in the song and sing it on a loop for a couple of minutes. After a while, though, my fingers start to hurt and I stop. When I look up at him, his eyes are trained on the guitar, when I could have sworn he was staring at the wall a few minutes ago. Gulping down the nerves, I smile at him. "Beatles fan?" I ask conversationally. I wrinkle my nose. "Yeah, between you and me, I'm not. I mean, my brothers were semi-obsessed with them, and I like some songs, but..." I trail off and shrug. "Guess that's something else I didn't inherit."

Now I swear I see his eyes flicker away when I look at him. "Do you have any siblings?" I ask. Of course he doesn't answer. "I have four. I have two older brothers from my father's previous marriage, and my stepmother adopted two little girls a couple of years ago. The girls weren't too fond of me, but my brothers dragged me along everywhere." I chuckle. "I've heard it's supposed to be the other way around, but it just didn't happen that way."

The nurse opens the door, sees me talking to Peter, and smiles warmly. "Dr. Stanley says you can leave at eight," she says. I look at my watch: seven thirty. "Just stay here with Peter, the other patients are either in bed or getting their baths."

"And Peter?"

She smiles and shakes her head. "Stay with him. He needs the conversation more than sleep." And she leaves again, this time leaving the door open. That lady smiles way too much. I turn back to Peter, and he's still staring at the guitar.

"Well, apparently you need to hear more about me," I say, scratching the back of my head. "To start of, I'm still a minor, but I have my own apartment and I'm taking some online classes. Just general stuff until I decide exactly what it is I'm going to study. I live alone, but my cousins visit every other weekend, and I love that." I trail off, the things that I really want to say begging to be vocalized. He isn't going to tell anybody any time soon, is he? Even if he can hear me and understand what I'm saying, most of the time, all of the things that everyone's said jumbles up into a confused mess, and chances are that he'll write off any strange thing I say to confusion of all those memories. So, taking a look at him, I lean forward and start to talk.

"About a year ago, my family left me." There. I said it. To an unresponsive person, but it's a start. The words are heavy on my tongue, and I have to swallow and take a deep breath before continuing. "See, apparently my mother cheated on my father while she was living, so there's a very large chance I'm the other man's child. Dad kept it to himself, and I thought maybe the rumors were just that: rumors. But, the night of my birthday, they packed up their bags, and left after drugging me with sleeping pills."

I take a deep breath. Heath had heard rumors (they left because I got pregnant, the family was really a band of criminals, etc.) and never dared ask about it, so this is the first time I verbally tell someone what happened. "I miss them every day. So much, in spite of everything.

"Why am I telling you this? I met a guy recently." I pause, shaking my head. "Not like that. I already have a boyfriend with a large family and a huge heart. No, this guy... He has pain. He lost his family too, and seeing that somebody else lost a family in the blink of an eye... It's just brought all those memories back." I shrug. "I'm starting to see that, even with such great people around me... I don't have a pack." Realizing my slip, I reflexively try to fix my mistake. "As in, I'm all alone. You know, it's an expression.

"He's the first person in a while that insists I shouldn't stay alone, and I know he wants a pack again, but I don't think I know how not to consider myself an omega anymore." I don't bother explaining my use of the word this time. "I haven't felt the need to tell anyone before, but I'm starting with you." I clear my throat and grab my guitar again. "How about I play something a little more cheerful, and you keep my secret, huh?"

Of course, Peter still doesn't respond, and that's okay. Our conversation might just be the most honest human contact I've had in a whole year.

For most people, a girl walking alone at night is asking for trouble.

Well, it is. Last time I walked around alone at night, I got attacked by an Alpha. At least that time, the problem had been one as simple as my car running out of gas. Tonight, I have no idea what the hell happened to my car. Halfway home, it just turned off. I tried to start it again, but it didn't react at all, as if the battery was dead, which it isn't. I got a new battery just last month!

So, that's why I find myself walking home at night, my guitar case in hand and my backpack slung over my shoulder. It's starting to get cold and my jean jacket just isn't cutting it, but I don't know who I can call. Heath is playing at his concert with Jesse, and Stiles is at a lacrosse game, leaving me with nobody else to call. There's only ten more minutes left to walk now, so I suck it up and pick up the pace.

Then I hear it.

It's quiet, but it's very close by and freezes me in my tracks. My hair stands on end and my heart starts pounding loudly against my chest as the howl sounds through the night, coming from an alley down the road behind me. Without thinking much about it I throw my guitar into the woods and run, not bothering with pretending I haven't heard him. There aren't any cars out on this road, and quite frankly, I don't want to die tonight.

As I'm running I open my backpack and pull out my pistol, taking off the safety once I have it firmly in my grip. The Alpha howls again, louder and closer this time, and pick up speed, turning a corner onto my neighborhood's street.

Headlights blind me and I reflexively dodge to the side, rolling onto the sidewalk again. When I open my eyes I see a shiny black sports car skid to a halt, and the driver's door open. I open my mouth to yell for the driver to run away, when I see who it is.

"Derek?" I exclaim. He marches towards me.

"What the hell-?" He stops when we both hear a growl close by, and over his shoulder, I finally see it. My mother was an Alpha, but she didn't look anything like this creature. It's massive and dark, with a menacing face and sharp teeth, its eyes glowing red as it looks between Derek and me. Derek moves in front of me, and I swear I hear the Alpha chuckle.

You can hide from me, but you can't hide from what you are.

His voice goes straight into my head, stabbing through my skull with an almost physical force. I cry out and grip my head as the pain shoots through it, making it impossible to think or run away. I hear movement around me and I know I should open my eyes and get out of here, but I simply can't.

Then, suddenly, the pain stops. I'm lying face-up on the sidewalk and there's silence save for the sound of Derek's car and my uneven breathing. Sweat has broken out over my skin and I feel even colder than before, a nasty side effect of having my mind messed with. Derek's face comes in to view, and with some difficulty, I manage to sit up.

The Alpha is gone. I can't sense him anywhere, and if Derek's calm is any indication, I think he's too far away to track. Derek offers me his hand and I gratefully accept it, getting to my shaky legs after a moment.

"What happened?" he demands. I shake my head, trying to pull myself together.

"My car broke down, so I was walking home." I notice that I still have my gun in my hand and I put the safety back on, then stick it inside my jacket. I'm not taking any more chances tonight. "What are you doing here?"

"Looking for him," he answers, nodding in the direction that I guess the Alpha disappeared in. "Are you okay?"

I nod, rubbing my forehead. "Yeah, just a bit shaky." I take a look at his car and whistle. "Very subtle ride you have there."

"I'll take you home," he says, the words not a question, but a statement. I smile, but shake my head.

"Thanks. I'll take a rain check," I decline, waving a hand. He raises a brow.

"It's not exactly close by," he reminds me. "And the Alpha is still out there." I wave a hand.

"I mean it, thank you very much," I assure him, and start walking down the road.

"Why are you so against accepting help?" he calls after me. "You're weak on your own." I stop and look back at him, and as much as I hate it, I know the sadness is clear on my face.

"I'm an Omega. It's the way it is."

He doesn't follow me, and I walk the rest of the way home without any more threats on my life. But I'd be lying if I said his words didn't hit a part of me I've been trying to ignore ever since the morning I first woke up to an empty home.

Post-Chapter Note:

For those of you upset that she isn't joining Derek immediately, be patient! And please, let me know what you think :)!