"So, I'm thinking about expanding the pack again."
"Oh? And who do you have in your crosshairs this time?"
"Isaac actually picked her out."
"Oo, a she wolf. Better watch out, I hear they're vicious." I smiled.
"Yeah, well, her name is Erica Reyes. In the same grade as Isaac and Scott. She's an outcast, suffers from epilepsy. The bite will cure her, and she's already isolated from most of her peers, so integrating her into the pack will be easy, and with minimum effort."
"That's good. But what about her family though? How will they factor into the equation?"
"Based on what Isaac says, her dad is in jail for insurance fraud, and her mom is more focused on work than anything else. Including her."
"That sound almost... perfect." I said, haltingly.
"Yeah it does. Let's just hope that she doesn't turn into a pain if she decides to take the bite. A transformation like that can cause even the most humble of people to turn into assholes."
"I'll bet." I said, looking at him pointedly.
*
"Why are you looking at me like that?"
"Please tell me you did not bite this Jackson kid."
"..." Derek continued to look away from me.
"Because according to Isaac," Derek glared at Isaac who was hiding around the corner after telling me the news, causing his to yelp in a combination of fear and surprise. "Um, no, don't glare at him." I said moving into his line of sight, hands on hips and blocking his view of Isaac. "Because he did what was right. He was uncomfortable about something, and so he came to me to talk about it. He's mine now, you made that happen. And I protect mine." Derek huffed and lowered his gaze. "Mmhm, that's what I thought. So as I was saying, Jackson Whittemore: Douchebag supreme? Bully? Does not play well with others? Thinks he's already big wolf on campus? What made you think that biting him was a good idea?" I paused for him to answer. He didn't. "I sent you out for one wolf, you came back after biting two." Another pause. "Why wasn't this discussed between us before it happened?"
"Because last I checked I was your wife. I was Alpha Bitch... you don't have anything to say?"
"...still are Alpha Bitch." He mumbled.
"That's what I thought. But here you are, changing teenagers all willy-nilly like this is some 90s werewolf movie or something."
"...Bit him first."
"Oh, okay because that's so much better. So why is it that I'm just now hearing about it?"
"How is that any better Derek?"
"...Didn't work..."
"What do you mean 'it didn't work'? He's still running around alive, being snooty and making it difficult for Isaac to get his status as prime suspect dropped, isn't he?"
"...Didn't manifest..."
"..." She blinked.
"So you're telling me, that we've got some weird not-quite werewolf running around town, doing whatever the Hell he wants, and you've got access to a wealth of magical knowledge," I gestured to myself, "that you didn't think to take advantage of?" He nodded, looking at me from underneath his lashes, working up to his signature puppy pout. "No! That's not gonna work this time Derek. You are so dumb. Like seriously, I can't deal with you right now. I'm leaving..." His eyes flashed red and a whine tore from his throat as he stared at me imploringly. "For an hour." I stressed. "I'm taking the kids. When I get back, that Jackson kid better be here because we have some shit to figure out. I'm so serious. KIDS! GRAB YOUR JACKETS, WE'RE GETTING ICE CREAM NOW!" The scrambling of two pairs of feet were heard as Derek and I continued our stare down. "One hour Derek." I said as I walked away. "Clock's ticking."
*
Jackson Whittemore was having a shitty semester break. He finally figured out what had made McCall so good at lacrosse after years of mediocrity, and wasn't the existence of werewolves just a kick in the ass, and maneuvered himself into a position to also be a recipient of that increase in power, as if he'd let McCall of all people have a one-up on him. So he helped get rid of the old Alpha, got the bite (reluctantly) from the new Alpha, and he still wasn't seeing any improvement in anything. He wasn't stronger, or faster, or dead. The only thing he was, was confused and irritated. Not a good look for a Whittemore.
And as he contemplated this while not seeing any improvement in his aim, the possible answer to his questions came in the form of the black Camaro owned by the one who bit him.
"Get in the car." Derek growled.
"What gives dude?"
"Don't call me dude."
"This bite, was supposed to make me better. I get that it's hard to improve upon perfection," here Derek rolled his eyes, "but I was expecting something. I helped you, now you need to do this for me."
"Get in the car, and we can talk about what's going on."
"I'm not going anywhere with you, until you give me a way to unlock the power I was promised."
"Get in the car of your own volition, or you'll be riding in the trunk."
Suffice it to say he assumes he rode in the trunk, because all he remembers is the scowl on Derek's face, before waking up, tied up and gagged, in the living room of an apartment? he didn't know, all he knew was that the break was pretty shitty as far as breaks in general were concerned.
*
When Pookie returned home, she was happy to see that her instructions had been followed. She was still mad at Derek, of course but he was doing better and the ice cream had cooled down her temper. Seeing that she was the first to walk into the apartment, she saw that prey was bound and gagged, and reasonably told her kids to go straight to their rooms, they complied immediately.
She walked slowly towards the boy on the chair, seeing red eyes flashing in the dark corner of the room.
"Do you know why you're here?" A muffled sound was all she could hear through the gag. "You, Jackson Whittemore, are putting me in quite the difficult position." She said as she circled him, a killer whale circling an injured seal. "There are a few problems that you're causing for me and my family, and I don't enjoy problems, you must understand." He looked confused under the wariness. "I'm sorry, how rude of me, I didn't even introduce myself before all the threatening. My name is Marcelle Char, though you may recognize me by another name...Hale." Eyes turned shocked. "Yes that's right, the lovely werewolf that so kindly bit you and more recently so kidnapped you, is my husband, my mate. And your...odd transition, as well as your unnecessary testimony, which we will be getting to later today, is making life difficult for us. Do you know why I haven't hidden my identity from you despite the circumstance?" She untied the gag so he could answer.
"Because you're going to kill me?" He guessed. She literally cackled at his admission. It took her a while to catch her breath.
"That was a good guess. But no. The reason is, because you need to know who I am. I am your alpha's mate. You may not defer to him yet, but you will. And with that, you will defer to me." He frowned at that and fixed his mouth to protest. She covered his lips with a finger. "No need for interruptions. I'm not trying to scare you into thinking we're a cult or anything, but we are mystical creatures and you're going to want to be in a pack instead of a lone...wolf. It's important to your continued well-being. Instinctual, really. You do know about the Argents, right?" He shrugged. She turned her attention to the Alpha lurking in the corner. "Derek, when we're done here, you'll need to explain to him what their capable of. In detail." He nodded his ascent.
"Now, Jackson, back to your main problem. You were bitten, but you do not show any normal signs of werewolfism. We're going to get to the bottom of this today. Derek, could you bring my grimmoire?"
"...which one?"
"The really big one." Moments later, a massive, old book was placed in her arms, a warm hand lingering over her wrist. Eyes locked. One pair expressed regret, the other acceptance. An apology followed by the forgiveness. "Jackson, this will hurt. Don't scream, I don't feel like dealing with the neighbors."
The ritual was done with little fanfare. Her ancestors were woken using a well loved chant from the book, and in turn they invaded Jackson's very being to determine what he was. The returned to their plane of existence with a whispered word.
"Abomination, they said." Pookie sighed, looking to Derek. "Not the most specific. This requires some research." She turned back to Jackson. "Secondly, you need to go the police, and renege your statement about Isaac's living situation. I don't care what you have do say, you were high, you were drunk, you were hearing sex noises from a different house, I don't care. You get Isaac's name cleared and you do it ASAP. I don't want him missing anymore school. You got it?" He whimpered as he nodded. "Good. I hope that it's clear any... unfriendly movements toward Isaac won't make me happy." He nodded quickly again. "Excellent!" Her smile was so open and friendly, completely different from the steely gaze she used when laying down the law earlier. It gave Jackson whiplash. Derek was just happy he was back in her good graces. "I'm so glad we could come to an agreement. We're all pack now you know. You and Isaac are practically brothers. Derek, you can untie him now. And you can let the boys know they can come out of their rooms now." She walked toward the kitchen, carefree only as one of immense power can be. "Jackson, you're staying for dinner."
*
Isaac, who had been reading to Caleb (how sweet), was greeted with the sight of one of his many school tormentors, Jackson Whittemore, removing the last vestiges of rope from where he sat on a chair in the middle of the living room. He didn't know how to feel about this. So he skittishly made his way past Jackson and into the kitchen, into the protective presence of his Alpha...well, his female Alpha.
Caleb, on the other hand, was interested in this new person, who smelled like pack, but not. He saw how Isaac - big brother - moved away from him quickly, and scented the nervousness on him, but didn't feel the same inclination. Instead he walked right up to this new member, and engaged in a staring contest.
Jackson was so confused. He really didn't know what he got himself into. He was almost regretting not listening to McCall. Bleh. Nevermind. He couldn't believe he even thought that. But these wolves were crazy. He'd just been threatened, then tortured a bit (all those voice in his head were freaky), then smiled at (he thinks that was a bit of threat in itself) and invited to dinner. What? It was clear who wore the pants in the Alphas' relationship. And just who was this little brat? Why was he staring at him like that?
Derek was relieved. Pookie was no longer angry at him, though he'd stay out of her path until she summoned him just to be safe. They were on the track to figuring out what was going on with his first failed wolf. Isaac's warrants would be gone soon (maybe Pookie could work on his next - something to ask probably after sex or a foot rub), and generally speaking, life was good. He saw Caleb trying to intimidate the new wolf? in his den, he had to admit it was pretty cute. But they still didn't know exactly what was going on with Jackson, so he didn't want his pup to get too close to him. He picked up the pup and moved out to the balcony, ready to teach Caleb more about his senses.
Dinner was an awkward affair to say the least.
Right before Jackson was allowed to leave, he was stopped by Marcelle.
"Here. Wear this bracelet." She slipped a bracelet on the wrist that didn't have his rolex on it. It was leather, masculine. He didn't wear bracelets, but if he did, it might have been something like this. "Since we don't know exactly what's going on with you, I'll keep track of you with this. You nor anyone else can take it off. It'll keep me aprised of what you're up to in the mean time. Stay out of trouble. Remember what I said." She grabbed the back of his neck and pulled him in, he thought about resisting, but then decided against it. She rubbed their cheeks together for a moment, and then stepped back. "Derek will take you back to your stuff. You can ride up front this time." She chuckled. I guess sometime between Derek avoiding her and me being tied up, he told her about my trip to the apartment. Great. Jackson Whittemore, butt of a joke.
*
When Derek came back home from dropping off Jackson, he didn't know what to do with himself. The dishes were washed, the kids were in their rooms, Pookie was in their's. He took a shower to waste time. When he was finished, he found himself pacing outside their door.
"Oh my Goddess Der, I not even mad at you anymore. I was barely mad at you to start with. Come inside already." She yelled, exasperated. He hurried to comply, desperate to please her. He knelt at the foot of the bed, taking her foot in hand, starting to rub it.
"I'm sorry Pook. I should've ran it by you before I bit Jackson, we're a team, I know that. I guess I was just a bit high off the power of an Alpha. It still gets to me sometimes, it's so different. My instincts are sharper, everything is so much... more. My inner wolf is restless all the time, demanding that I build the pack. That I make it strong." He switched feet. She sighed.
"I guess that would be my fault. I've been, sorta keeping a secret too. I wasn't so sure about it at first, but then I knew, and you were so busy here, and I wasn't sure how you'd feel about it..." she trailed off.
"What's up Pook? You know you can tell me anything."
"Well, I'm pregnant."
Time stopped.
"I know it's not the best time, but it must have happened a little after Laura left." She rambled to fill the silence Derek left. "We were so stressed, and you know, nothing relieved stress like a good fuck, and I must've forgotten to renew the contraceptive spell - a few times - but there were other things to think about. And then you left to California, and I wasn't feeling too hot, but you know, I'm a witch. Herbs are kinda my specialty so no big deal, and when I visited my parents that last time to pick up Caleb that's when we checked and knew for sure - they're super excited to be grandparents by the way-" She was cut off by Derek tackling her to the bed. He formed a cage around her with his body.
"We're finally pregnant?" He asked hopefully, needing the reassurance. He was basically vibrating with excitement. That made Pookie happy and relieved, she nodded. He gave a short howl of happiness then proceeded to shower her with kisses in between mumbled 'I-love-yous'.
"Wait, wait, wait. What do you mean 'finally'? She asked, frown of confusing on her face. He came up for air.
"Woman, I've been trying to get you pregnant since I met you. As soon as I saw you in the park that day, I knew you were the one. Love of my life, mother of my children." He placed a gentle hand over her still flat stomach and gave his wife a sweet kiss on her lips.
"That shouldn't be as romantic as it was." She said, holding in a laugh.
"But I do have a question...you don't smell any different? And I don't hear another heartbeat?"
"Oh, a concealment spell, now that the cat's out of the bag..." She twisted her fingers around, revealing a ring he had never seen before, then took it off. The effect was instantaneous. Her scent, it was stronger than normal, overpowering in the best way, with a new note in it, something indescribable but similarly delicious. He had to shut his eyes to get a grip on himself at his mate's new scent. Her pupped scent. And didn't that just send tingles down his spine. And then, there was the heartbeat. ...wait a second, he lowered his head to her stomach to hear better. Yes, quick like a hummingbird, and faint, oh so faint, but he heard two. Twins. His perfect mate was gifting him with twins.
He opened his eyes and looked up at her from his place at her stomach, his gaze was smoldering, his eyes glowing red.
"Mate." He rumbled.
"Hm?" She tilted her head.
"Two pups." He answered. Her face was a picture of joyful shock.
He pounced.
If she hadn't already been pregnant, well, he would have made it so that night.
Yoooooo! They're having twins! *blows trumpet and throws confetti* Derek deserves a big happy family, and Pookie deserves a man that will do all her bidding and rub her feet. I think it's a fair trade. Catch y'all on the flip side. I'll try not to wait 2 years to post again. Lol.