Ana handed Dean the whole apple pie and a plastic fork. She smiled softly as he perked up and thanked her. She gracefully sat down on the charred floor across from him and dug into her own late night snack of Milano cookies. He glanced at her suspiciously, realizing how close she was and how she didn't appear on edge. He heard Derek, Scott, and Jan talking outside but not what they were saying. It was just himself and Ana within the house, sitting by the space heater.
"Why are you suddenly being so nice?"
Ana nibbled at a cookie and folded up her knees to her chest. She didn't seem to be in a hurry to respond but didn't glare or flash her eyes at him like she'd been doing most of the time. "You're in Beacon Hills now, so I guess in a way you're our guest now. Aunt Sonya reminded me that it's shameful to be inhospitable."
Dean snorted, "I hate to be a prisoner if this is honored guest conditions."
Ana shrugged and propped her chin on her knees and went quiet. She watched him eat the rest of the pie and it reminded her of Stiles when he first turned. A faster metabolism burning energy demanded more calories she assumed. He was going to make a formidable werewolf if he survived. She knew that the last time they met that she was able to take him down only because she surprised him. Hand to hand, he could possibly overpower her. He was solid and practically a giant compared to her. That wasn't what frightened her though.
"Don't take it personally," Ana said, startling Dean. "I know that you're not purposefully behind what's been happening, but someone is."
"What are you talking about?"
"Someone is pulling the strings, Dean. Something more is happening and that's why we can't trust each other completely. So, don't take it personally."
Dean narrowed his eyes at the implication behind her words. He hated not having the upper hand, not knowing what was going on. More so, over the years he grew to hate nothing more than other powers messing with his and Sam's actions. He loathed the feeling of being pawns in a game he couldn't see or understand. What confused him, though, was the sympathy softening the girl's features.
Scott winced a little as he sat down between Ana and Stiles on the floor. Earlier at the clinic a poodle was brought it after being hit by a car and when Deaton was trying to calm down the owner, Scott had used his alpha ability to take enough of the dog's pain to stabilize and save the her. He'd be fine in the morning but his muscles were currently very stiff. Ana slid a huge portion of Aunt Sonya's beet and beef stew towards him and Stiles gave him a worried look. Scott smiled reassuringly and ate the late dinner quickly.
"So… what exactly happened earlier?" Scott asked Dean finally. Dean said nothing. "We can't help if we don't know, so spill it."
There was far too much authority in the kid's voice. It irritated him but at the same time somehow made him relax. Maybe it was the pie. Dean told the three sitting with him what happened as best he could, it was foggy in his memory even though only a hour and half had passed.
The three of them exchanged looks once he'd finished and Ana nodded slightly. "Sounds like an alpha messing with you," Scott said.
"What do you mean?"
"Werewolves instinctually form packs. An alpha's strongest instinct is to make, maintain, and lead a pack. A lone alpha is exceedingly dangerous and unstable to anyone because the instinct can overpower their humanity and better judgement," Scott said, poking at his food.
"Basically they go nuts," Stiles added, his face serious in the dim light.
"So generally when a person gets attacked and bitten without consent, it's usually by an unstable alpha trying to start a pack."
Dean frowned and wondered what Scott was getting at, but for once restrained himself against interrupting.
"Joining a pack isn't automatic. The newly bitten has to seal the bond with a hunt, usually the target is the person's human 'pack', their closest family or friends."
"Shed the old to make way for the new," Ana said bitterly.
"Most people don't agree to that," Scott said.
Dean didn't like where this was going. He felt a wave of rage seize in his chest at the thought of anyone telling him to kill Sam, crazy person or not.
"An alpha can cause the ones they've bitten to hallucinate, mess with their memories, and wage general mental warfare. They can wear you down until they can outright control your actions. What you described sounds like what we've experienced before." The empathy in Scott's voice made Dean still, realizing he'd been on edge.
"You've experienced that?"
"It's what started all of this in the first place," Scott sighed as he leaned back and popped his spine. "Derek's psychotic uncle, Peter Hale, bit me and went on a murderous rampage through Beacon Hills, hell bent on getting me to do the same. I almost killed they people I cared the most about."
Stiles and Ana gave Dean a brief run down on their own experiences; Stiles with the nogitsune when he was still human and Ana's with the crazy bitch who bit her. Stiles knew all too well what it was like to be vulnerable because of 'holes in his head' as Jan and her grandmother called them. Dean all but gawked in horror at Ana's clipped account of fleeing from Marla and then being possesed by the alpha's spirit after nearly dying herself.
"So… you think that's what it was earlier?" Dean asked.
Ana nodded. "You've died before, right? That's why you and Sam smell so off."
"Uh, well, we've both died… a few times…" Dean frowned, trying to follow the sudden change of topic.
"Dying and coming back leaves you even more vulnerable to being mind fucked by an alpha," Stiles explained. "That's how the nogitsune got to me. I died for about twenty minutes one time. So I can't imagine how easy it'd be to get into your head if you've died multiple times. I still can't believe people can come back so frequently, does this bother anyone else?" Stiles huffed.
"How- how do you fix it?"
"Well… there are a few options. It's not the same for everyone, but likely they're all options you're not going to like," Scott said. He was getting tired, he felt like any moment he'd pass out but shook off the feeling. "We'll go over them in the morning. The first step anyway is to learn to control yourself, which'll help with mental defenses." Scott heard Derek's Camaro off in the distance. He was getting back from dropping of Jan and discussing their current problem with Iris LeClaire. Scott stood up and stretched. "Derek will keep an eye out for the rest of the night. If this is an alpha messing with you, they'll be nearby. I'm not having another alpha manipulating someone into causing trouble again," Scott said, his tone leaving no room for argument.