Chapter 8:

Astrid took pleasure in Erica's exhaustion. The fact that it wasn't as bad, nor lasted as long as her own, went ignored. Due to Isaac and Erica being wolves, and therefore having wolfish stamina, meant that they had to work harder, faster and longer than Astrid, with her barely average human stamina, did. Another thing she took sadistic joy from. The downside, however, was that Derek had her doing actual studying. Nothing that would actually be of use to the pack, and therefore interesting, but her school work. Apparently he wasn't oblivious to the fact she wouldn't have been able to get the past year of her education under her belt, and so was made to study while her adrenaline was still pumping.

So when two more hours had passed and Derek cleared his throat before calling an end to their training, Astrid happily slammed shut the book she was reading from, but only after finishing her sentence, with a sigh of relief.

"I still need to recruit one more member to the pack. A pack is only ever really stable when there is one Alpha, three wolf Betas, and a human to remind the wolves of their humanity." Derek explained to them.

"So, I'm kinda useless to the contribution of stabilising this pack then." Astrid muttered forlornly.

"That's not true." Derek told her, turning earnest eyes her way. "Every member of the pack helps with keeping it stabilised. You more of a secret weapon that this pack can fall back onto and rely on in case of an emergency." He stated. "For example, if you weren't part of the pack, Isaac would be a wanted man on the run. If it hadn't been for you, Stiles and I would've had to break him out."

Astrid nodded her understanding as Erica perked up. "Does that mean Stiles is the human of our pack?" She asked eagerly, her eyes bright.

Derek sighed and shook his head. "No." Erica's face dropped. "He's not. He'll be siding with Scott, and Scott has been refusing to join up due to…" Derek paused in consideration. "Personal issues between the two of us. If it weren't for that, Stiles would most likely be more than willing."

"What about the other one that was a potential member? The one you went to see along with Scott?" Astrid questioned.

"Also rejected the offer to join our pack. If he survives, he'll be an Omega wolf." Derek said gruffly as he folded his arms over his chest. "So, do either of you have any thoughts about who would be a good fit for our pack?" He directed to the two wolves.

Astrid also looked at them curiously as they thought. After a moment Isaac shrugged and shook his head, indicating he didn't have anyone in mind. Erica, on the other hand, hesitantly opened her blood red lips with a suggestion. "What about Boyd?" She asked. Isaac lit up in recognition at the name, while Derek looked at them in interest, and gestured for Erica to continue talking about Boyd with a flick of his wrist which was tucked under his other arm. "He's always alone, and doesn't really have any friends." Erica explained.

"Yeah, and he's the person the students go to if they want to use the ice rink after hours. Cause he works there, he'll lend out the keys for extra cash." Isaac butted in, having overheard the conversation between him and Stiles when they were in the canteen before Erica's stunt.

Derek nodded, his face pulled into an expression of thought. "Alright." He started slowly. "Can either of you get ahold of him?"

"Yeah!" Erica exclaimed. "We were paired up for a project before, and swapped numbers. I can call him out."

"Bring him to meet me at lunch time tomorrow. I'll wait for him in the car park." Derek order. "For now, we'll all go and get some rest at home." Derek dismissed, turning away as he went to get his discarded jacket and car keys. He was almost at the stairs, the teenage trio close behind, when he suddenly stopped and turned around to look at Astrid. "How did you know where Isaac was?" He questioned her, pointing her way with the keys, jacket laying over his arm. Seeing her lack of comprehension, he further explained. "When he was in the station. How did you know he was still there?"

Astrid shrugged. "I didn't." She answered truthfully. "I can track him, now. And you."

"How?" He demanded, his head jerking up in demand.

"I'm not completely sure, but it's kind of like I'm keeping track of my prey, or whatever." She shrugged helplessly, not entirely sure of what was happening with that herself.

Derek looked thoughtful for a moment, eyes squinted slightly in thought, before they flickered over to Erica and then back to Astrid again. "Kiss her." He ordered.

Stunned silence followed his order. Derek cocked a brow in demand, causing Astrid to internally shrug before turning to face Erica. From the corner of her eyes, she could see Isaac covering the amused smirk with his hand as he watched on. Erica's eyes widened considerably as she took in Astrid's advancing form, taking a self-conscious step back. "Wha-?" She started to protest before Astrid hooked one arm around the blonde girls waist, then reached the other hand up to tangle into Erica's hair so that she had leverage to pull the taller girl down. With two small tugs, Astrid had pulled Erica into her and then fused their lips together. The effect was instantaneous. Having not closed her eyes, Astrid saw as the pupils of the other girl blew wide before the Beta gold flared up and eyelids flutter closed.

Closing her own eyes, Astrid felt as Erica's arms snaked around her own body, dragging her closer still. A moan escaped her lips as Erica pushed her top up to put her hands on Astrid's back. The thrum of pleasure lighting up her veins and sending a slight tremor through her body, her tail uncurling from her waist to coil and whip in the air behind her. The vibration that accompanies a growl echoed through her chest as Erica pushed and pulled them closer still. The prick of claws along her back caused her to arch into the blonde with a breathless cry. Having tilted her head back, allowed Erica access to her throat where she licked and bit gently. Not having noticed Erica's hand moving, the surprise of her leg being pulled up around the blonde's waist had her gasping at the pleasurable shock to her system, her own talons slicing through the fabric at the back of Erica's top.

Which was when they were pulled apart.

The two girls were left panting, eyes lidded and glowing their respective gold and purple. Derek had a hand on each of their arms, holding them as far away from one another as he could, eyes red and emitting a dominating aura, commanding they submit to him. Both girls settled down after a few moments.

"So that's what kissing a sex demon is like." Erica huffed out with a wistful smile as she tried to regain her senses. Astrid's reply was a smug look and cocky smile. Isaac snorted from his place by the stairs, eyes dancing with amusement.

"Wait till you pin her to a wall. It's a whole new ball game." Isaac teasingly informed her.

Erica looked marginally intrigued, but before she could comment further, Derek rolled his eyes and gave their arms a gentle tug. "Come on. Time to go." He said as he wandered away from them, and towards Isaac, taking back the car keys and jacket he had tossed at the boy in order to separate them.

Sharing a look, the girls followed behind, meeting up with Isaac before following their Alpha out the warehouse and to the car. Where they proceeded to argue over who sat in the front. Astrid won with a gentle touch to each teens arm and a hypnotic; "Let me sit shot gun." And flirty smile. They relented quickly, causing Astrid to fist-pump her victory and miss the calculating look Derek's eyes held while the two Beta wolves climbed into the back.

The drive to Erica's was loud. The teens spent the entire ride trying to out sing the other with their own choice of song. Derek was a cross of amused and annoyed as their voices reached higher and higher volumes. The singing died instantly when Erica's house came into view and they said their goodbyes to one another. "Don't forget to contact Boyd." Derek told Erica gruffly, earning an obedient and happy nod, before she waved to the car as a whole and walked up to her house. Derek waited until the front door had closed behind her before pulling back out onto the road.

"Derek…" Astrid called quietly from where her head was rested on her hand and leant against the window.

Derek's eyes momentarily flicked from the road to her and then back again. "Yeah?"

"I've fed more in the past week than I have in a month, but, every now and then, I'll still feel a tug of hunger." She told him worriedly. "On top of that, since I shifted, when I feed I shift involuntarily." She looked at him with wet eyes. "What if, instead of getting better control, I'm getting worse?"

"You're not." He told her confidently. "You're stabilising."

"What do you mean?" Astrid asked confused.

"Before, you were on the run, it wasn't safe and you were consciously, as well as subconsciously, rejecting what you are." Derek explained. "Now that you do accept what you are, and have somewhere to turn when you need to, you're maturing." Astrid nodded along to what he was saying, her brows furrowed in concentration. "You used to push feeding back to once a month, which is why you'd drop bodies, in order to sustain yourself enough for the next run. Now that you don't need to run, you can feed regularly and without, or at least with a minimal, risk to another person's life."

"Hmm…"Astrid hummed contently, oblivious to the confused, and mildly accusing, look Isaac was sending Derek. Derek's eyes flared red in a silent command for Isaac to remain silent about the irregular beating of his heart.

Astrid opened her eyes to a familiar room, which she had never actually entered. She was standing next the bed, on which lay a sleeping Stiles. Cute..! Astrid thought giddily. Letting out a sigh as she looked around, she pursed her lips and poked Stiles to see what would happen.

She was greeted by silence.

She raised a challenging brow before prodding him continuously until Stiles emitted a deep groan and rolled away. With a proud smile, Astrid performed a quick spin-jump and landed so that she was sat on the bed facing away from the teenage boy, and then proceeded to drape herself backwards and over him.

Raising her hand, she gently stroked the side of his face, to which he let out a soft sigh in response. "Stiles…" She called softly. "Oh, Stiles..!" she sang again, amusement coating her words as his face twitched, and a grumble of butchered words sounded from the sleeping boy. Astrid rolled onto her front, bringing her arms up and stretching as she did so.

After a bit of shuffling and maneuvering, she was on the bed and straddling the boy. With a wiggle and a sigh, Astrid snuggled up to Stiles, head over his heart and one hand fisting his shirt in front of her face. Her eyes fluttered close to the slow and steady rhythm of his heart, her whole body relaxing, muscles uncoiling and all tension melting away.

She stayed like that for a while, before her surroundings began to become fuzzy and blur away until there was only the bed, until there was only Stiles, until there was only sensation and the sound of his heartbeat.