AUTHOR'S NOTE: So sorry for the shortness of this chapter! Today kicked off the start of the Strawberry Festival that my town hosts every year and I just got back from wristband night! I don't think my body liked being thrown in every direction on the rides, haha. Anyway here's just a small filler that will set up the next chapter which is, by far, my favorite :) Hope you enjoy!

And also, thank you so much for those who are reviewing. You guys are the ones that make me think a sequel could be possible ;)

"So the full moon is tomorrow. You going to join us?" Allison ask from her spot sitting against a tree in the park.

The entire Pack, including Lea, had been called back to Derek's house the following morning and were put through more training. While Lea put the wolves through hell yet again, the humans just had target practice with Lea as their target. Derek instructed her to pose as their target but to not harm them since her blood was still running through their system. She had no problem with it. After practice though, the Pack separated to do their own thing.

Derek and Peter opted to stay at Hale Manor while Boyd and Erica went back to her home to heal their wounds. Jackson took Lydia back to his place while Scott, Allison, Stiles, Isaac, and Lea opted to hang out at the park for a bit and relax.

"I don't know." Lea mused from her spot next to Allison. But instead of leaning against the tree, she was reclined back, her elbows holding her upper body up with her ankles crossed as they watched the boys kick around a soccer ball. "I'd need Alpha's permission if I were going to go." She shrugged. "And anyway, isn't it dangerous for you to be there. You know, being human and all while the others wolf out?"

"We used to be banned from Pack gatherings on the night of a full moon." She grinned. "But now that everyone has found their anchor, we're allowed to be there."

"Anchor?"

Allison looked shocked for a moment that Lea didn't know what she was talking about but then she remembered that Lea was only part wolf and a different type of breed. "Yeah. The werewolves, here, go crazy on the night of a full moon. They have the urge to fight and kill but if they have an anchor, they're much more subdued. An anchor can be a memory or a person that helps the wolf cope and stay in control of themselves."

"And all of them have an anchor?" Lea's gaze wandered back to Isaac, Scott, and Stiles who weren't paying them any attention.

"Yep. The wolves wolf out and enjoy rough-housing while us humans just sit back and watch." Allison filled her in. "Or if Derek feels like it's going to be a rough night, he has us sit up in the trees out of reach and makes sure we have our crossbows ready."

"Well isn't that comforting." Lea drawled with an amused grin. "But yeah, if Derek permits me to be there, I'll be there to check out your Pack gathering."

"That's great." Allison suddenly beamed. "I'll ask him to talk to you. Or you know, get Scott to ask."

Lea laughed, knowing full well that Derek could be intimidating to those less powerful than himself. By the time her chuckles came to a stop, the boys were making their way over to them. Scott immediately dove so that his head rested in Allison's lap and Isaac curled up by her side, his head resting on her knee. Stiles grinned down at his friends before choosing to lay on Lea's right side, his head using her upper thigh as a pillow. Lea swore her breath didn't catch in her throat but the sudden quirked amused eyebrows she was receiving from Scott and Isaac said otherwise.

"Shutup." She grumbled at them as Stiles only seemed to get more comfortable against her.

Scott and Isaac held in their snickers as Allison held in her aww'ing at seeing how Stiles and Lea looked together. "Anyway," Scott's lips twitched as he tried to be serious for a moment. "We heard Allison ask if you were joining us tomorrow. You should totally go."

Lea felt Stiles' shoulders tense against her leg and on pure instinct, one of her hands dove into his hair and started to massage his scalp. He immediately relaxed and closed his eyes, enjoying the sensation. "Yeah but as you heard, I need permission." Lea murmured softly. "I might be older and more powerful but I won't disrespect your Alpha like that by intruding on your gathering."

Scott looked impressed with her admission and went back to relaxing against his girlfriend and fellow pack mate. Lea finally realized that she had her fingers running through Stiles' hair and almost stopped but when she realized that Stiles' breathing had evened out, she kept doing it. A blissful grin tilted her lips upward and Allison broke her out of her trance. "You really like him, don't you?"

Lea and Allison now had Scott and Isaac's full attention. As Lea thought over Allison's question, her blissful grin suddenly faltered. "It doesn't matter if I do." She told them honestly. "After these vampires are taken care of, the Council is going to want me back to give them a full report."

"But you could always come back." Allison encouraged her. "Until they have another mission for you. I'm sure Stiles would gladly wait for you. He already seems so comfortable with you."

Lea sadly shook her head before catching Allison's gaze. "I'll be lucky if they let me out again. To them, I'm one of kind. I'm the only hybrid known to exist besides my sire and the only ones who know about me are the Council, Niklaus, and Elijah. I'm their greatest secret weapon and since Louis has already seen Stiles, I'm sure he's going to find a reason to keep me in the compound to make me remember that I shouldn't be fraternizing with people who I have no future with."

"That's bullshit." Scott harshly whispered. "They can't do that to you."

"They can and they will." Lea sighed. "And if I rebel, if I go against their wishes, I'll be hunted down."

The small group of friends fell into a tense silence after that, Scott still mumbling beneath his breath about how wrong it was that the Council could control her so easily while Allison tried to soothe him by running her fingers through his hair as Lea was still doing for Stiles. Isaac was the only one who seemed content after such a tense conversation though he was slightly miffed about the whole ordeal as well.

A phone vibrating broke everyone's trance-like state, each of them sans Stiles looking around to see who it was. It ended up being Allison's dad texting her to let her know that he wanted her home for something that he didn't go into description about. Isaac, Scott, and Allison all stood up to get ready to leave and when they looked down expectantly at her and Stiles, she waved them off.

"Let him sleep. We'll catch up with you guys later."

Allison smiled at them, though it didn't really reach her eyes and the boys just shrugged it off and walked away. As her fingers continued to play with Stiles' hair, she watched as his eyes suddenly fluttered open. "So you like me, huh?"

Lea gulped at his sudden question, her fingers coming to a halt. "Wh- how did you.."

"I've been around werewolves for a while." Stiles grinned. "I've mastered the art of slowing my heartbeat and leveling my breathing so they'd think I was sleeping."

"That's just cruel." She pouted, her fingers absentmindedly running through his hair again.

"So yeah," He decided that he didn't want to get off track. "You like me? Like, you actually like me?"

Lea bit her bottom lip, her gaze catching Stiles' as his head was still in her lap. "Why do you sound so surprised?"

"Because it's me." He frowned. "Have you actually taken a look at me?" Now it was Lea's turn to frown. Did Stiles think that he wasn't attractive? Did he have self-esteem issues? She locked gazes with him again and she could see the vulnerability there as well as his heartbeat starting to pick up it's pace. "You know what, just for-"

And to both of their surprises, Stiles suddenly found Lea's lips on his, effectively cutting him off. The kiss was chaste and as soon as it had started, it was over. "Yes, I like you." She breathed against his lips before fully sitting back up because kissing someone upside down wasn't comfortable at all. "You're good-looking, you're a spazz, and you're totally different than most guys of your generation." She grinned before it suddenly faltered. "But to be very blunt, don't read too much into it. Like you heard, I'm leaving soon and this," She gestured between them. "-can't really happen without one of us getting hurt in the end."

Stiles sat up, turning so he was facing her. "Well, then I guess we're just going to have to make the best of what little time we have left, huh?" He tried smiling at her but Lea could still sense the small amount of sadness radiating off of him.

Instead of shooting him down, Lea gave him a grin in return and nodded. "I guess we will." She stood up, dragging Stiles up with her and hooking an arm around his waist. "Now let's go. We thought you were sleeping and I didn't want to disturb you, 'ya jerk."

Stiles response was to laugh at her playful glare, wrapping an arm around her shoulders and heading for her car near the park entrance.

..

..

..

By the time night had rolled around, everyone was back at their own home. After seeing the state that her kitchen was in, Lea decided to clean up a bit and take out the trash. While she was dropping the two bags into their appropriate waste basket, the rumble of an engine made her ears twitch.

Turning to towards the approaching car, Lea realized it was Derek's Camaro that was coming to a stop right in front of her. When the tinted window rolled down, Lea crouched so that her arms rested through the window hole. "Heya, Alpha. What brings you here?"

Derek studied her through the window before setting his car in park and turning towards her. "Scott and Allison came by earlier. We had a talk about the full moon tomorrow."

"Oh." Lea's grin faltered. "Yeah, about that, Allison asked me if I wanted to go. I didn't mean to intrude or any-"

"Relax." Derek cut her off. "I'm fully aware of who asked who and what your response was about getting my permission first so you didn't come off as disrespectful."

"Okayyy.."

"And I'm here just to let you know that, if you want, you're more than welcome to join us." He finally told her. "But be warned, should you lose control, I won't hold back in protecting my pack."

Lea playfully rolled her eyes before nodding. "Like I told you before," she sighed. "I don't have to turn if I choose not to. You all should be perfectly safe."

"Right." Derek dead-panned. "Well, see you tomorrow." Lea took that as a dismissal and stood up, only to have Derek call back out for her.

"Yeah?"

"Just so you know, if you hurt Stiles, the girls aren't the only ones you'll have to worry about." Lea's mouth fell open, promptly closing as Derek flashed her an earsplitting smile and speeding away from her home.