Summary: Derek Hale recruits his new pack WARNING: ANGST/SADNESS/DEALING WITH TRAUMA ESPECIALLY IN LAST SECTION!

Note:this chapter changes a bit of the events of what happened in season 2 and 3a in the show, so bear with me. Most of it you already know from Teen/Alpha She-Wolf.


Disclaimer: I do not own TW or the characters, just my AU/AR. (and MY OCs). Also FYI, this is un-betaed, so all the mistakes are mine

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Life and Times of a She-Wolf

The Wolves of Beacon Hills

The Bite Is A Gift


Derek Hale had been an alpha for five whole days and he was completely lost. He knew what he needed to do; he just didn't know how he would do it.

He needed to protect what was left of his family legacy: his baby sister and his family's land. That was his job now; make sure his sister and their territory were safe from harm. But to ensure that, he needed betas. And with Argents in town, and his uncle's clueless beta running around, he had no clue how he would make his home territory his again.

Braeden Deaton snapped him out of his thoughts. "Derek, Dad says dinner is ready." The sixteen year old huffed "And stop brooding, you're worse than Aunt Marin."

Derek smiled at the young druid, who was in training to be his emissary and followed her from the living room into the dining room where Alan Deaton was setting the last of the meal onto the table.

"Thank you again for taking me in while I find a place to stay." He told the Deaton family while they prepared to sit down for the meal.

"It isn't any trouble at all Derek. Marin hasn't been back to use her room since Mother died, I'm sure she wouldn't mind you using it, she didn't when Laura stayed over." His mother's oldest friend said.

"Our families are linked Derek," Braeden sighed, "I still don't know why you wont let me be his emissary Dad. I know things! I watched you and Grandmother growing up!"

"When you're older dear, for now, I'll be Derek's emissary. I made a promise to my best friend to look after her children if she were ever unable…I failed with Laura, I will not with Derek."

"Alan, you didn't fail Laura." Derek insisted, "I did, I kept her from this territory and evil took root in my Uncle."

"We can go back and forth with blame all night Derek, but the fact is Laura is gone, and you must do what you can to do to make her, and Talia proud. I shall help you."

"I need betas." Derek sighed. "But if I give the bite to a human, the Argents will have them killed."

Alan Deaton smiled, "They will be quite preoccupied with the news that it was Kate that killed your family. The Hale Family was well loved in this town Derek; the Argents will not know peace. If they make a fuss you and I will be having a chat with Chris Argent about how Beacon County belonged to the wolves long before his ancestors started hunting, his code is void here, just as it was when your mother, and her mother reigned. If he and his kills a wolf, then he shall face your wrath."

Derek nodded. "I want them all dead Alan, for what their kind has done to my family."

"Derek, did Laura ever share the journals of the Alpha's of your family?"

"Yes, Mom kept most of them in the vault under the high school. I know I can't hunt them down, the pack and the land has to be first. I understand that."

"Good."

"Laura, Cora and I had been making plans on building a new den, with some security improvements, I was wondering if you could help?"

"Of course Derek."


Three nights later he had found himself a four-bedroom apartment in an industrial building his family had owned in the next town over. His Mother had the old factory converted into an apartment building when Hale Steel had to close their operation in Beacon Valley*. The building was centrally located with his new job as CEO at Hale Holdings HQ in Beacon City*, Cora's classes at Hale College in Beacon Hills, and their family lands on the border of Beacon Hills and Beacon Valley.

He still hadn't found a beta to recruit, but he had hired a contractor for the rebuild, and Marin Morell had shown up out of the blue yesterday, vowing to help her brother help Derek, saying she had to 'make amends'. Derek had no clue what she meant but was glad to have another druid on his side.

Things were on the right track, but he was nervous. Cora would be finished with school for the semester and on her way back with all their things from New York, and he didn't have the power to keep her safe.

Which is why he was trying to build a porch by himself over the ruins of the house he grew up in, in the middle of the night, like a normal person.

He could almost hear Laura's voice taunting him for being creepy. He looked over his shoulder at the family mausoleum that held her bones, and the ashes of all the dead Hales (except Peter) and was disappointed when he didn't see her standing there smiling at him, and calling him a little turd.

He needed his big sister to tell him what to do. He didn't know what to do.

That's when he heard jeep approach the house.

"Why would he be here Scott?" The Argent girls' voice said.

"I asked Deaton, apparently he was a friend of Derek's mom." His uncle's beta responded.

"Are you sure you trust this guy buddy?" the human sidekick asked.

"Deaton trusts him, and I trust Deaton. Derek and I may have gotten off on the wrong foot but this is your life Stiles, I can't lose you. Derek is our only hope."

"I shouldn't be here, my bigoted family is the reason for his pain…"

"Allison, we're mates, and once your family finds out… I'm sure Derek will understand."

"I'll be worse than a wolf in their eyes. I'm with you guys. If Derek accepts us you both I'll pledge loyalty to the Hale Pack."

Derek was intrigued by the conversation, so he let them approachand waited for them to get out of the car. "What can I do for you Omega?" he said addressing Scott, but then he smelt it…

The human sidekick, had mostly smelt of anxiety and fear in their previous encounters, but there had always been the underlying sent of something else, with his alpha abilities Derek was able to place the scent.

"You're ill, it's in the beginning stages but it smells deadly." He said addressing the human.

"I've been exhibiting signs of what killed my mom for a while now, but, mostly been denying it, Scott made me see a doctor after he was turned, said I smelt like what his mom smells like when she's working the cancer ward but worse. It's beginning stages." The human said.

"If I give you the bite, and you survive, you will be apart of my pack. Omega's die fast in this world, and cannot see another packmate die." Derek said.

"If Stiles is apart of your pack than I want to be too." Scott said. "And Allison is my mate…"

Derek thought for a moment, could he allow an Argent into his pack? "Have you mated?"

The pair blushed. "Yes."

"This means that when I claim Scott as my beta, Allison will become pack, I'll sense her, and an alpha command will work on her as much as it would for a beta. But you must pledge fealty to my pack, and give up your family's legacy."

"I will." She said.

He turned to Stiles. "Are you sure you want this? The bite is a gift that your friend didn't want. I need you to be sure Stiles."

"Yes. I'm sure." He said.

Derek was convinced of his answer and bit him swiftly.

Within the next hour, his new pack members were cuddled together in one of his guest rooms sleeping soundly. And Derek texted Cora to let her know that he had just added a two beta wolves and a human to their pack.

"I'm proud of you big brother. I can't wait to meet them. Now go the fuck to sleep its your first day as CEO tomorrow." Was her reply.

Derek went to sleep with a smile on his face, feeling high from the power of having three betas and a human to call his pack.


After breaking the news to Stiles' and Scott's parents about their new supernatural status, and notified them about their child's decision to stay with him until Stiles transition settled, things were okay. Yes the parents were freaked out at first, but they believed him once they all shifted and explained the story of how Scott was bitten, and of Stiles' illness. The Sheriff was even relieved he wouldn't have to lose his son the same way he had lost his wife.

Every morning he would leave them to study the handwritten books that his great-grandmother had written with everything a bitten wolf needed to know about being a werewolf. Things that pups were taught as they grew up; everything from pack dynamics, to the nematon, to the history of their territory to how to control their new abilities. He left separate reading for Allison; journals of his human ancestors, they talked about what it was like to be mated with a wolf and be human in a wolf pack. They were all surprisingly quick studies.

Every evening they would get to know one another and Skype with Cora so she could bond as well. Things were going well, and Derek began to see these boys and the Argent girl as more than just a way to protect his sister and territory…they were his pack and he wanted to protect them too.

A week after he bit Stiles, Lydia Martin went missing from her hospital room, which sent Allison into a panic. Lydia was her friend and was injured by Peter not long before Derek killed him.

"Did he bite her?" Derek asked.

"Yes, but she smelt human." Scott said.

"When an alpha bites you, one of three things happens; you've been reading this." Derek sighed.

"Nothing can happen is one option, but only if you are supernatural…" Scott said,

"…you reject the bite and die." Allison said.

"Or you change into a wolf." Stiles said.

"No, that's not what the passage said Stiles." Derek nearly growled. "It says that you change, either that the bite triggers a dormant supernatural ability or changes you into a shapeshifter most likely a the same type of shifter as the alpha that bit you. There are many types of supernatural creatures, and most of them smell human at first smell."

"Peter triggered something in Lydia?" Allison asked worried.

"Yes, don't worry, the boys and I will find her before your family does. My uncle made her, so she's my pack now."

Scott and Stiles followed him out the door, and hopped into Stiles' jeep. They followed his camero toward Beacon Hills. The last sighting of Lydia had been near the preserve, so Derek had a feeling on where she'd go.


The redhead was crying on the brand new porch that stood in front of the ruins of the Hale House. She was also naked and Derek could sense a raw power radiating from her.

"Lydia, my names Derek." He said taking off his jacket and approaching her,

"Something's wrong with me." She stammered. "There's a man, with red eyes, like yours but his are cruel, he's telling me if I don't save him he'll live in my head forever."

Derek sat down next to the girl and wrapped his jacket around her. "My uncle changed you when he bit you, I don't know what you are yet, but I promise I'll protect you and help you. We're pack now."

She nodded and leaned into him. Derek knew she didn't understand, but she would.

They returned Lydia to her hospital bed, and the search was called off. In the week following she was visited everyday by Scott, Stles and Allison, who explained to her what had happened, and what being apart of the Hale Pack meant.

The day she was released from the hospital, Lydia Martin stomped her stiletto clad feet into his apartment with her packmates on her heels. "I, Lydia Martin, swear fealty to you, Alpha Derek Hale." She said with head held high, holding out her hand to be bitten. Unlike Allison, she wasn't pack with simply an oath.

But it was quite refreshing to not have to tell someone what oath to say to him. Derek had a feeling Scott and Allison had told her what needed to be said.

"I, Derek Hale, accept you, Lydia Martin as a member of my pack." he said in return before biting her wrist.

He felt her in the pack link immediately, and the power she brought to the pack was immense. Lydia Martin would be a force to be reckoned with once they found out what she was.

"I'll take you all to meet the Deatons in the morning." Derek said, "Typically emissaries' are considered full pack members, but Alan, was my mothers emissary and is only doing the job until Braeden is old enough. He feels its best for her training to keep her distance until she is ready to take over."

"Do you think they would know what I am?"

"I think so, you smell similar to a druid, so that would narrow it down considerably."


Derek arrived home from the airport to a conversation about someone named Jackson cornering Scott and asking how to become a wolf, Stiles was insisting that the option never be brought to Derek, because Stiles did not want 'that snake' in the pack.

The moving truck from New York with all of his, Laura's and Cora's things had arrived two days ago, and he, Stiles and Scott had put most of it into storage, Cora herself had arrived a few hours ago, with her remaining belongings. Derek had spent the whole trip from the airport listening to his sister talk a mile a minute about how excited she was to meet their new pack in person.

They walked in the door and set her bags down against the nearest wall, watching the pack talk in the living room of the open space.

Cora had taken a sniff of the room and marched towards their new packmates. Stiles was going on and on about this Jackson person and how he would like nothing more than to chase him around town in his wolf form to notice Derek or Cora. But Cora was looking at him like he hung the moon.

Oh no. It couldn't be.

He wasn't prepared for his sister to find her mate. And he definitely wasn't prepared for Stiles to be said mate.

"Hey Freckles, if you don't shut up, I'll punch you in that adorable face."

Stiles turned around and grinned. "Is that a promise Ms. Hale?"

Cora laughed and pounced on him.

Lydia smiled fondly at the couple rolling around laughing and kissing blissfully, and Allison and Scott looked at the pair of the floor confused.

Derek knew that he would have to have this talk with them eventually. Even though they were mated, their mate bond wasn't complete. He knew it, but it didn't really become apparent that they knew it until they saw Stiles and Cora together. After second of being in each other's presence, it was apparent that their worlds began and ended with each other.

He pulled them aside and explained to Scott and Allison about Triad mating bonds. The rare bonds where three souls came together instead of two. He explained to them that the incompleteness they had been feeling was not because they don't love one another, but because they had another mate to find.

"That explains this guy I have been feeling a pull too!" Scott exclaimed.

"I didn't want to say anything, but is he kinda tall with curly blondish hair? He works at the cemetery and has sad eyes?" Allison asked.

Scott nodded. "It feels exactly the way it felt when I first saw you. I just thought it was wrong because I'm already in love with you."

"I love you too Scott. But if what Derek says is true we could love Isaac just as much…"Allison suggested.

Derek left the two of them too talk more and mad his way to the kitchen to find Lydia crying.

"What's wrong?"

"What if banshees don't get mates?" she cried.

He pulled her into a hug. "I didn't have many friends before the pack Derek," She said "And I only ever loved one person, and I can't talk to him about it because the pack hates him!"

"This Jackson kid?"

"He's kind of an ass, but that's only because he thinks no one will ever love and accept him."

Derek sighed; Lydia had caught on quick on how to manipulate him. "You want me to turn him?"

"He already knows! And you need another beta!"

Stiles had pulled himself away from Cora long enough to object. "I hate Jackson Whittemore."

Derek glared at the kid who had been shoving his tongue down his baby sister's throat a second prior, and made his decision then and there.

"Any beta I make will be my choice Stilinski! And when I bring a new beta in, you will welcome them with open arms."

"We should make a puppy pile with each new beta! I haven't had a proper one since before the fire." Cora suggested, "Puppy piles are great for beta bonding. It could be like a pack tradition!"

Stiles looked intrigued. "Lets go unpack your things while you tell me all about this puppy pile idea…"

Lydia was still looking at him with wide-pleading eyes.

"Fine I'll look into this Jackson and into this Isaac."


Jackson Whittemore practically begged Derek to be changed. He did need another beta, and he did want Lydia to be happy (because he was terrified at the prospect of a pissed off banshee), but mostly he bit the boy to annoy Stiles, his baby sister's mate.

He took the groggy boy home and let him lay down in the living room to recover a bit before the pack came by for the pack meeting. One by one his pack tiptoed into the apartment (he didn't think they knew the word, let alone the action until then) and settled themselves in the living room whispering their hellos and 'welcome to the pack's to the half awake Jackson. Even Stiles whispered his greetings to his first beta-sibling, apparently the bond of pack was enough to dull the hatred the two had toward each other to a familial annoyance.

Once Jackson was wide awake, Cora, Scott and Stiles initiated a puppy pile while Derek, Allison and Lydia looked on with laughter. Derek was happy with the decision to turn Jackson, yes he seemed like a bit of an ass, but so was Derek before Paige's death. Derek had a feeling that Jackson would be a good wolf. Lydia was a bit disappointed when it turned out they weren't mates, but was happy to have a friend that knew her for a long time in the pack.

The pack meeting that evening turned to how Derek needed numbers for the pack to gain power, and to be able to protect their territory. Which meant he had to bite humans, or recruit other supernatural creatures to pledge fealty to the Hale Pack. He explained that people who had survived great personal or emotional hardships made the best candidates for bitten wolves, because they were twice more likely to survive the bite (according to his great grandmother's journals). She also wrote that the younger a human is, the more likely they were to accept the bite.

His pack promised they would keep an eye out for people at the college to fit the description. Scott and Allison also insisted that they would try to approach Isaac first with a relationship, and if he agreed to be with them, then once he met the pack it would be his decision to take the bite or not. Derek was inclined to agree. His selfish wanting of Paige to accept what he was all those years ago, led him to ask Peter to find someone to give the bite to her without her knowing, so she would be like him and accept him. That was not the way to treat someone you cared for, the bite should always be a choice, Laura raised him better than to bite people without their consent.

There were a few names passed around, and of the names Isaacs's roommate Vernon Boyd, and Jackson's best friend Danny Mahealani seemed like the best candidates to join the pack. In the days following Jackson joining the pack, Derek began surveillance on the two boys, to see if he thought they would be a good fit. Stiles insisted he was being a creepy stalker, and it did nothing for his reputation.

Derek only growled in response to that and left the room.


Scott had called Derek in a panic the night after he bit Jackson, saying that a rouge omega had hurt Isaac (who as Stiles would say, Scott was "Derek-Hale level of creepy stalking"). Derek bit Isaac to save his life, wishing he had the kid's permission before he did so, and prayed to Mother Moon and his ancestors for forgiveness. Derek had to remind himself, that Isaac was pack even if he didn't know it, so he had to try to save his life at all costs.

Derek had researched the kid when he found out that he was Scott and Allison's mate, and anyone who could survive what he had in his life, had enough inner strength to survive the bite, and thrive once he turned. Derek wasn't worried about his survival, just worried that Isaac would never forgive him for being turned against his will.

Isaac survived after a few days in in a feverish coma, and woke up to find Allison and Scott at his bedside.

Derek really didn't want to be in the apartment as the three of them explored their connection, so the pack fled from the apartment for the night to escape the triad mates. Derek found himself making up a bed on the Stilinski's couch.

"A grown man fleeing your own home…I'd feel sorry for you Hale, but I don't. You subjected me to my son and Cora." John said as he brought him some spare blankets and pillows.

Derek shrugged, not feeling any regrets at all about banning Cora and Stiles from the apartment the night they met. He did not want to hear his little sister mate with his beta. They still weren't allowed back until their honeymoon phase wore off, and they could keep their hands to themselves in front of him.

"That's my baby sister, if I couldn't stop it from happening I wanted it happening far away from me."

John grinned. "I suppose what they've done makes us in-laws in your world."

Derek shuddered. "if they have mated, then yes, but I told my sister no mating until marriage so I'm going to assume that she listened for my own sanity."

John laughed and went up to his room.

The man was just as unhinged as his son.


Isaac wasn't the least bit angry with Derek about the way he was turned, which was a relief to Derek. He fit in with the pack great, and seemed happy.

Isaac was a gift: he stopped Allison and Scott from being so mopey, and he provided an ally in his Not-A-Fan-Of-Stiles Club (with Isaac it was mostly jealousy of the bond that Stiles had with Isaac's mates, and Derek knew the new beta would get over it once he realized that Stiles wasn't into anyone besides Cora). Derek decided to savor these days, because he knew a day would come that Isaac and Stiles would like each other, and would team up, and he was terrified for that day.**

In addition to being a gift, Isaac was also a blabbermouth; he had went back to his dorm room the week after he was turned and blabbed the entire story to his roommate, who had been worried over his disappearance.

Now, Derek had already made his mind up about Vernon Boyd, so Isaac showing up at the apartment with his roommate in tow, asking if he could join the pack and would Derek mind if he and Boyd room with him and Cora this semester (because they were having a hard time paying their room and board costs) wasn't as big of an annoyance as it could have been. His pack would definitely benefit with the addition of the strong soul that was Vernon Boyd. Someone that experienced as much loss as he and Cora had as was still standing on his own feet, despite being all alone in the world.

"Are you sure you want the bite Vernon?" Derek asked.

Vernon Boyd nodded. "Isaac says that The Pack is a family, and I want a family."

Derek understood, and gave the boy the bite.

Surprisingly, Vernon's transition was the quickest so far. As soon as Derek bit him he felt Boyd in the pack bond, and Boyd's eyes flashed yellow a minute post bite.

"Welcome to the pack Boyd."

His new beta grinned in response.


Derek didn't like to play favorites with his pack, but why couldn't Boyd have been Cora's mate? Derek's bond with Boyd felt familial, like his bond with Cora and Stiles was, it felt different than the bond he had with the rest of the pack, like Boyd was supposed to be family.

The horrible thought crossed his mind that Boyd had been meant to be Laura's mate, and that's why he liked the kid so much. But for Boyd's sake he hoped not, the kid deserved a living soulmate.

He was roused from his thoughts by his desk phone ringing, which was odd, because calls usually went through his assistant, a young woman from his mother's godmother's pack. Satomi Ito^ had been more than helpful when the his family lived in New York by making sure no other packs laid claim to their land. The least Derek could do for his great-grandmother's childhood friend was to hire her grandnephew's mate, who needed a fresh start after her mate was killed a few years ago.

"Isabelle?" He called out to his assistant.

"They have your direct line Mr. Hale, must be your sister, she's the only one with the number." Isabelle Ito called back.

Derek sighed, Cora was in class, if it wasn't her, it must be Stiles.

"Hale Holdings, Derek Hale speaking."

"Sour-Wolf! You finally picked up! That was unprofessional leaving me waiting for five whole rings!" Stiles exclaimed into the phone.

"How did you get this number?"

"Cora gave it to all of the pack, in case you didn't answer your cell phone and there was an emergency."

"Is there an emergency?"

"Yes, I worry you are a homophobe."

Derek gritted his teeth. "And why would you think that? And how is that an emergency?"

"Well, you haven't reacted positively to any of the flirting I have done at you, and you refuse to bite Danny. I want Danny in the pack, Danny wants Danny in the pack, and everyone in the pack is pro-Danny joining the pack but you. It's an emergency because I overheard Cora, Allison and Lydia's secret-girl-talk-lunch-date and Lydia's nightmares are getting worse, and she woke up this morning where Peter is buried, and she was injured. Something's happening, and we need more wolves, so she can be strong and fight this, and we can be strong and protect her."

Derek's annoyance changed to concern as soon he heard the worry in Stiles' voice, and the situation at hand. "I was planning on talking to Danny this weekend. I'm not a homophobe. I need you to calm down. Deep breaths."

He waited until Stiles inhaled a few times to talk again.

"We will help Lydia through this, okay? As for Danny have Jackson bring him by my place tonight. I'll have a chat with him. Who spilled the beans about wolves to him?"

"He's not stupid Sour-Alpha…he's seen Scott shift during a game back when Petey was pulling his strings…he put claws and super-strength together and took a wild guess."


Derek was glad to have a pack again, and loved all these people that were now family and more to him…but he needed some time alone every once an awhile.

So he lied and told then he was working late and just drove. He listened to the radio and just thought. His fears about being an alpha, his loneliness despite not really being alone anymore, his grief for the family that was lost to him… he just thought, and was glad he didn't have anyone yelling at him to stop being so grumpy, or creepy or overprotective. He was their alpha, it was his job to make sure they were safe and that they were the best wolves they could be… most of them didn't understand (they were still learning, they were allowed to not know) but it didn't stop it from hurting when they complained that he was a bad-alpha, even if he knew that they were mostly joking.

He needed a Third, he and Cora needed help with all these people, but none of his betas were strong enough or knew enough wolf lore to be up to the task…he knew something big was coming. He would just have to wait until one of his betas proved themselves, until then he and Cora would have to lead them through whatever mess was coming together.

He ended up at the construction site of what was to be the pack home, the wall around the property was complete now, the underground tunnels and bunker were all nearly finished, all that was left to do was the construction of the buildings. That would take a few months, but by the time his pack started school for the fall semester, they would be moved into the pack home.

As he was leaving he could have sworn he heard Laura say, "You're on the right path you little turd."

Who would have ever thought he'd miss being called a little turd?


Fantastic, his uncle had risen from the dead.

He was grateful to have the pre-fire Peter back at least, but also kind of heart breaking. He was alive and Laura wasn't!

Derek was grateful for his help during the mess with the Argents…but once Gerard was dead, they disowned Allison, and left town, Peter's presence began to make Derek angrier and angrier.

Thankfully Peter took the hint that he wasn't wanted around in late April, and the pack was free of him by the beginning of mating season, with the parting words of "Places to go and people to see…"

The after the mated pairs were done with their heats, the summer was uneventful, just blissful pack bonding and prepping for their new home. It was decided that everyone would have their own space at the new place, but not everyone had to live there full time. (Judging how frequently the entire pack slept in the apartment, Derek suspected there weren't going to be many nights when the pack was not sleeping at the Den.)

They moved into the Den in August, the outbuildings and the smaller houses would take another few months, but for now everyone was able to have a room in the Den, until their homes were finished.

The home was filled with joy and happiness, they had the Deatons over for a pack house-warming dinner, to thank Alan and Marin for their help and have more time to bond with Braeden, as she would be pack once her training was complete. It was a happy affair, until Alan and Marin pulled him aside from the laughter and conversation to talk in his study.

"My sister has something to tell you." Alan whispered so prying ears would have difficulty.

Derek waited; he knew it was bad as they both reeked of anxiety and fear.

"When I was twenty I ran away from my family, and my responsibility of being Laura's emissary because of a stupid argument and I was afraid of the life that had been planned for me since I was born. In rebellion I joined up with another alpha. At that time your mother was allowing packs to use Hale Pack land as a neutral place. There were a few packs here at the time…I'm sure you remember one of the alphas…Ennis?"

Derek tensed. The alpha Peter asked to bite Paige.

Marin continued. "I joined with a man named Deucalion. Thought I could forge my own path with him. Soon after, Gerard Argent blinded Deucalion and drove him mad. He asked the two alphas in town for the summit, Ennis and his new-found mate Kali, to kill their betas and emissaries, take their power and join him in a pack of alphas. Before I could stop it, it happened. I parted ways not long after and simply was pack-less, I figured if I made such a terrible choice in pack the first time, I might again…since then Deucalion and his pack have been traveling around to small, or weak packs, and forcing the alphas to either die or kill their own and join his pack. But these unsuspecting alphas don't know that either way they will die. I haven't been able to stop him yet…and now he's on his way here. He heard there's a new Hale Alpha, he wants the power your mother once had. "

Derek let out a roar in response to the news, unable to contain the anger at Marin's tale any longer. "He will not harm my pack, and he will not have the power of my ancestors." Derek growled.

"Well, there's good news, or bad news I suppose…" Alan said, "There have been a series of sacrifices in town, only a few, but I believe there's a Darach in town, wanting to awaken the nematon. I know all the druids that live or have lived in this town, and only one is unaccounted for. She disappeared around the same time that the alpha pack did. If we can find her, and get her to stop killing innocents…and make ourselves known as allies, we have a more than fair shot at beating the Alpha Pack."

Awaken the nematon? Was Alan insane? Derek couldn't let this Darach do that. His pack wasn't nearly strong enough to defend it. And he wasn't about to let someone who had been killing residents of the town he was meant to protect go unpunished no matter who she could help him defeat. The Hale Pack's duties were clear; protect the pack, protect The Great Tree, protect the territory, and protect the residents of the territory; the people of Beacon County, specifically Beacon Hills, were the residents of his territory.

"No." He growled, "We will find a way to stop the Darach and the Alpha Pack. I will not excuse what she has done to those innocents."

"You're an idiot. You'll die a stubborn like she did!" Marin yelled as tears filled her eyes.

He had no time to decipher her meaning. "Alan, take your sister and leave. My pack and I have a discussion."

They began leaving the room and Alan called for his daughter.

"No." Derek said, "Braeden stays, I need information on Darach, and I am angry at your suggestion. I wont involve her beyond information tonight. I'll bring her home in the morning."

Alan nodded reluctantly and left.


So there was a little brightness in the midst of the Alpha-Pack threat and the search for the Darach. Boyd had found his mate, and brought her to meet the pack.

And it was clear now why Boyd always felt like family…His mate was a Hale, Derek's little cousin.

Malia Tate was a strong wolf (a bit insecure and frightened that she was destined to be like Peter) she was knowledgeable and powerful. A strong omega seemed like an oxymoron, but Malia had Hale blood and the powers of one who could change into an actual wolf, she was every bit as powerful as every Hale woman before her. The only thing that changed when she pledged fealty to him was that power was heightened in a pack, and aided in strengthening her packmates.

It was pretty clear to Derek who his Third was, and no one could cry nepotism at his choice. Cora and Malia were the strongest in the pack after him, it made since that they would be his Second and Third. It was only a bonus that they happened to be his sister and cousin.

Malia had brought her kitsune roommate Kira Yukimura into the pack. Kira turned out to be Jackson's mate, and fit in nicely. Most importantly, she didn't tease him like everyone else in the pack seemed to love to do; she would just offer her sympathy with a hug.

He thanked her for her kindness with a leather jacket, it was getting chilly and she was so tiny, he worried she'd freeze. Unfortunately everyone in the pack got jealous and demanded his or her own leather jacket. After he gave in and got each pack member a jacket, Cora got the idea to give everyone some sort of jewelry that had a triskele on it, declaring it an early Samhain present.

(Cora and Malia explained to the pack that each supernatural creature celebrated Samhain for different reasons. Wolves celebrated living through The Hunter's Moon in October and prepared for the celebrating the coming New Year and the celebrations of The Wolf Moon in January. It was basically Christmastime for wolves, even if they celebrated the human holiday. It was a time to celebrate love, pack, family, Mother Moon and life.)^^

He was starting to think the suggestions were less about pack unity and celebrating life and more about seeing him squirm spending all that money to make his pack happy.


Honestly, surviving the Alpha Pack was the combination of dumb luck and reckless stupidity. Yes, they fought them, but as soon as the Darach showed herself, Deucalion had more interest in her.

Jennifer Blake/Julia Baccari/The Darach had completed most of her sacrifices before the pack found her, and decided to capture Derek and the newly-wedded John Stilinski and Melissa McCall to use as the final sacrifice. The Deatons helped Cora, Stiles and Scott do some sort of proxy-sacrifice to save their respective 'Guardians'. Derek was half tempted to kill the three himself for risking their own safety, and for awakening The Great Tree.

The Darach was powerful enough to take on Deucalion now, and didn't want to wait for the Lunar Eclipse to do it.

And unfortunately for the alpha pack, Ethan and Aiden Jones had chosen then to declare they were leaving Deucalion's pack to join their mates in the Hale Pack, meaning the alpha pack lost all the power the twins brought.

The Darach and Alpha Pack wiped each other out that night, and when the Hale Pack arrived at the scene they only found the barely breathing twins, with beta-blue eyes.

Once the boys could stand on their own two feet and could be pried from Danny and Lydia, they pledged themselves to the Hale Pack.


Alan had found that the tree awakening would only strengthen the humans and supernaturals that called the land home, and wouldn't be of harm to anyone as long as it had a strong group of protectors.

The Hale Pack qualified as protectors, Derek would prefer if The Council was still around to help, but he hadn't heard a peep from them or smelt anyone in town that wasn't human besides pack. So he assumed that all the supernaturals and their leaders either left town when the Hale Pack was destroyed, went decided to hide themselves and their scents, or they simply thought they were better off without a pack in town. In any case they were on the pack was on its own, they just had to keep proving themselves worthy of The Nematon's blessing.


He had a mate. Lydia and Melissa had taken care of her during her seizure today and he smelt her on them this evening.

The alpha in him wanted to use what resources he had and find her. But the man that his mother and big sister raised him to be knew he had to wait until she was eighteen to meet her. She deserved to live her own life, have what was left of her childhood without an alpha werewolf luring around.

He knew one thing. Her name was Erica.

It took all he had not to search for her, knowing it wouldn't be hard to find seventeen year old girls named Erica with epilepsy in Beacon Hills…but he waited, Mother Moon would bring him and his mate together when it was the right time.


He made it until just after the New Years and Wolf Moon celebrations before his resolve broke.

Melissa had called him out of courtesy and friendship to tell him Erica was in the hospital again after having a seizure at school. She told him that Erica hadn't been taking her medication, and the doctor and her parents would be having a talk with her. She told him that yes, it was risky to not take the medicine but the doctor and her parents would be more watchful now, that everything would be okay.

"Don't worry Derek, she's in good hands. She'll be fine." was what Melissa said

His inner wolf however was livid. Mate is putting herself at risk. We must save her. Give her the Bite. Mother said the bite is a gift. Mate will survive, she was meant to be a Hale, human or not. This way she will be healthy.

He didn't like taking what should be Erica's choice from her, but his hesitation was enough for the alpha parts of him to take control and do what it thought was the best way to protect his mate from herself.

He woke from his haze in the hospital's morgue; a girl with a mass of blonde hair was passed out on the gurney in front of him her neck bleeding from his bite.

His mate had the worst first impression of him, and it was his own fault.

If Laura were still alive she'd beat him black and blue for this. This was wrong. Unlike Derek turning Isaac without permission, Erica wasn't in immediate danger of dying, he had time to ask her for permission, she should have had the chance to say no. He robbed her of that because he was worried he'd lose her before he even got to know her.

Now he was at an even greater risk of losing her.

So he picked up his phone and dialed his sister. "Cora, I did a stupid thing. I need your help, call Malia and mobilize the rest of the pack, I turned my mate without asking and we're at the hospital."

Cora surprisingly was able to hold her tongue at that moment, but once Erica was safe at Wolf's Run, and he was preparing to go see her parents with the Sheriff to tell them what he had done, she kicked him in the balls.

Luckily no one but his cousin was in the study to see his pain, unluckily though Malia decided that he needed another kick to the balls for his misdeeds.

"You are an idiot Der!" Cora yelled.

"I don't disagree." Derek gasped.

"You deserve way more pain than what we gave you for this." Malia hissed, "What were you thinking?"

"I wasn't, the alpha took control."

Cora looked disappointed. "Don't use that excuse Derek, take responsibility. Just because the more primal side of you took over doesn't mean it wasn't you too."

"The alpha is me, I know that. I take full responsibility for it. I'm just saying at that moment I wasn't thinking, I was running on wolf instinct, and the instinct was to protect her. I wasn't thinking about anything but her survival."

They both nodded their heads, looking a bit relived that he was at least taking responsibility for what he did and not trying to minimize his role.

"Go meet John at the Reyes house okay?" Cora sighed, "We'll look after her."

Meeting his mate and turning her marked the end of his first chapter as alpha, and the beginning of a new chapter for him and his pack.

He felt her thriving in the pack bond already. Erica would be a powerful she-wolf, and a great alpha-mate given a bit of time.

He hoped one day she would forgive him, but if not he thought he could be okay with not being with her as her mate. As long as she was happy and alive everything would be okay.


Andromeda closed her father's journal after that passage. She read her mother's journals over and over as a child, the ones she kept from the day she was bitten until…well until her last entries. But her father's journals had always been taboo. She had never been allowed to read them…her parents never wanted her to know exactly what Kate Argent had done to her father's psyche…but they were gone now, and they couldn't exactly stop her.

She couldn't stop crying. She spent her whole life preparing for this day, and still they left her too soon. She wasn't ready to be an alpha.

She skipped ahead a few journals to the one from when she was sixteen.

Andromeda has changed. Her eyes are blue now, like mine once were. I worry that my brilliant little girl will be forever scared.

Why is she so much like me? Sacrificing her own innocence to ensure her first love didn't have to suffer any longer? The irony would be funny if it weren't so cruel.

I watch her closely now, to make sure no one sweeps in to take advantage of her grief, to make sure no one rapes her and tortures her as I once was raped and tortured. Erica thinks I'm overreacting, but she doesn't know what that woman did to me after I killed Paige. No one does. I haven't even written it all down.

My baby girl's wants to be just like me when she gets older, but I want the similarities to stop now. Let her have what's left of a childhood, let her grow; let her smile again…Please Mother Moon! Let my daughter know no more grief!

I worry what will happen when Erica and I are gone. Who will take care of Andromeda when her eyes glow red instead of blue? Will I have had the time to teach her enough? Will my other children be old enough to help her? Will she have surviving uncles and aunts to guide her?

I hope she doesn't loose us until we are old and grey. But I know it's foolish to hope that. Things have been too good for too long. Evil doesn't rest for long.

She had been hoping to find some wisdom in her parents' journals or in any of the Hale journals, but the only thing she was able to take from it was to keep moving on, and protect what was yours with everything you have in you.

Mommy and Daddy were gone and she wasn't anywhere near ready to be alpha, but she had to be. She had a family to protect. She had siblings, cousins, aunts and uncles that survived the battle, and she had to lead them. She had the next generation of the Hale Pack, including her own child, to protect; they had survived this battle too, and most of them didn't understand what was happening.

Her eyes glowed red and she stood, dusting off her black dress readying to leave the room. She had already avenged the dead, now all that was left was to bury them.

This was how her reign would begin, like her father's did, like all alphas reigns began, with loss.

She would do her best to make sure the rest of it was only filled with good things.


Footnotes:

*The Hale Pack's territory covers all of Beacon County (a fictional place in the USA); In the most states in the USA counties are a group of cities and towns. In my AU Beacon County is located in Northern California, about an hour or two drive from San Francisco. The Beacon County Sheriff's department oversees the policing of the whole county, even though some cities may be large enough in population and size to have their own police department. Beacon City is the counties largest city (where the headquarters of Hale Holdings is located), and Beacon Hills is the second largest city in Beacon County (and is where the nematon/ Wolf's Run is located). Beacon Valley and Beacon Township are other cities I made up for this county. I may make up later, but for now we can assume there are at least three other cities in the county (perhaps not all of them having 'Beacon' in their name, that was kind of silly of me).

**Derek may seem anti-Stiles, but he doesn't regret turning him. Stiles is pack to him, the first beta he turned, Derek likes him. He just really, really hates that Stiles is Cora's mate. Older siblings sometimes don't like our younger siblings partners because we still see our siblings as the kids they once were.

^I made Satomi a childhood friend of Derek's great grandmother, friend of his grandmother and godmother to his mother. To make it clear why Satomi would protect the territory while Derek, Cora and Laura were away. It was said on the show that Satomi is the oldest wolf alive, and she was older in the 1940s so I figured it was possible for a great-grandmother of Derek's to have been a child when she was a child.

^^I've been trying to make up a religion and mythology that Derek and his family and other wolves in this world would believe in/practice. You've seen hints at this before. Mostly its drawing from wiccan, pagan and Native American beliefs and customs and applying them to what I imagine werewolf's doing. Sorry if its too weird, or inconsistent. I try to keep continuity but I fail sometimes. And sorry if i've offended anyone by taking their personal beliefs or culture history and trying to fit it into this AU.