So, this is the beginning of a chain of chapters that I have honestly been planning since I started plotting for this story. These scenes are what inspired me to write Jane's story—I am extremely excited to share them all with you, and I truly hope that you all enjoy them very much. Thank you all for your continued support—I cannot find the words for how much I truly appreciate all the kind words you have delivered me. Well, without further ado, here is the next installment of "Howl":

Favorite Line:

"I'm not going anywhere. You can tell your Alpha that, if he wants to speak to me, he can find me himself."


The lacrosse games at Beacon Hills High School had consistently proved to be the perfect tool to assemble the entire town in one single place. Especially that late Friday night, when the lacrosse team was threatening to secure a playoff spot with one win, you could count on almost every citizen of the town sitting in those stands, faithfully cheering on their team. On that clear, crisp, cool night, after a long, hectic week of classes and work and responsibilities, it was the best time to meet up with friends and truly enjoy the few freedoms of life. While the lacrosse game certainly served as an enabler for those who just wanted to enjoy themselves, it could also be used as a distraction for the few who needed a few hours of emptiness to further their agendas.

That was why, on that late Friday night, I was not at the lacrosse game, cheering on the team of my former high school as they battled to emerge into the playoffs. I wasn't even where I was supposed to be—sitting in a restaurant, across from Gavin as I struggled to make him realize that our relationship would only ever be strictly platonic. Instead, I was stopped in the wide, crowded parking lot of the school, blankly staring out my windshield at a pair of teenage boys who leaning against a nearby dumpster, casually sporting cigarettes. Resisting the urge to roll my eyes at their foolish naivety, I continued to listen to my cell phone, still pressed against my ear as several loud rings sounded.

Once I finally heard the click of the line and his voicemail message began to play, I let loose a soft sigh, lightly massaging the tips of my fingers into my left temple. Honestly, this wasn't exactly a good time for a headache to begin forming, and yet there was the throbbing within my forehead. It was as if my body knew that I was poised to unleash a lie and was bound and determined to punish me for it. Unfortunately, I had no choice but to ignore the pain and begin my message for Gavin.

"Hi Gavin, it's just me," I said nervously, already regretting my decision to create this lie. After all, spinning one lie is just the beginning—eventually you'll be left with a tangled web of lies that suffocate you until the very end. "I just wanted to let you know that I'll be running a little late—I, uh, left something behind at work so I have to run over to the hospital and grab it before it gets too late. I'll meet you at the restaurant though as soon as I can. I'll see you soon."

Sighing again, I ended the call and tucked my phone securely into my purse. My fingers itched to run through my hair, but instead I was forced to embed my nails into the soft flesh of my palms. Considering it had taken me almost forty minutes just to tame my wild hair and wrestle it into a decent-looking, long, thick braid, I wasn't going to risk any movement that would ruin all of my wasted time. The slight sting of pain from my hands allowed me to control my nerves and focus my gaze onto my dark surroundings. My window was cracked, allowing the soft gusts of night air to seep into my car and gently caress my pale cheeks as I cast one long glance around the parking lot, patiently searching for the one who had dragged me off course that night in the first place. As soon as my eyes settled on the familiar figure, leaning against a strange white car parked only a few rows from mine and speaking through the driver's own cracked window, I snatched up my purse and slipped out of my car.

Wrapping my long, black cloth jacket tightly around my torso, it took me only just a moment to steady myself atop the cracked pavement before setting off towards both the white car and the entrance to the high school. At the strange clicking sound that was resounding throughout the silent parking lot, I glanced down at my feet, momentarily startled to not see my typical tennis shoes or leather boots peeking up at me, but a foreign pair of black stiletto heels. When she had taken me shopping, Lydia had impatiently tried to convince me to go with a much higher heel, claiming that I would eventually have to get used to walking in them, but I refused. While they certainly were nice looking, they would only appear foolish when I broke my ankle in them. Fortunately we were able to come together on a pair of low heels, giving me just enough height that even Lydia was moderately satisfied.

Inwardly shaking the memories from my mind, I approached the white car, warily watching as my cousin was quietly speaking into the window to the driver. As soon as my rather loud heels alerted him to my arrival, Stiles glanced up and did a double take as he realized just who he was gazing up at.

"Just hang on one second," I caught him saying rather distantly before turning to face me.

Ignoring his strange reaction, I hurried over to him, still rather puzzled about just who he was so gently talking to. Catching my side glance around into the dark window, Stiles shook his head, drawing my attention back to him as he said, "Don't ask."

Cocking an eyebrow but just barely able to bite back my muted interest, I nodded. "So what's the plan?"

After digging into his red sweatpants for just a second, Stiles extracted a silver ring clad with several keys along with a small black flash drive. "These are the keys to Gerard's office," he explained, slipping them into my outstretched palm. Catching my raised eyebrows, he hastily added, "Somehow he was able to get himself hired as the principal. Trust me, it's as fishy as it sounds. But Allison said that he has a leather bound book in there that should be the bestiary. We just need to get in there and find the book before, you know, anyone finds us in the process." Casting one last longing glance over his shoulder, Stiles met my steady gaze and asked hurriedly, "Ready?"

"But what about…what's going on between you and whoever that is in there?" I couldn't help but ask, hesitating as he began to walk right past me. With Stiles no longer able to block my view, I caught the gentle spring of a perfectly curled lock of strawberry blonde hair shuddering away from the outside looking in. "Is that Lydia in there?" I asked Stiles, turning back to see him grimacing slightly.

While I did truly love my cousin dearly, I had never really seen him interacting with anyone outside of our family and, of course, Scott and Derek. We led our completely separate lives, which was quite alright for the both of us, and so it was a little difficult to truly peek into the inner depths of Stiles' life, his friends, his strongest desires, and those he deeply cared for. But in that moment, when I uttered Lydia's name, I caught that familiar flicker within his chocolate brown eyes, that emotion that ran so deep into your veins that you could never truly destroy it. It was a flash that I had even seen within myself, once or twice at least.

Swallowing at that painful prodding that was entwined with those distant memories, I couldn't help but smile sadly up at Stiles as his words finally tumbled out from his lips, "Alright, it is. She's crying right now and, believe me, there's nothing more I'd like to do than wait outside her car all night. But we have to go look for the bestiary. Scott's counting on us and—"

"I'll go."

Stiles blinked down at me, obviously startled by my simple interruption. "B-by yourself?" he stammered out. "No way. What if Argent comes in there, or worse—"

"It's just the high school, Stiles," I told him calmly, already tucking the keys into my pocket as I made to take a few steps up towards the main entrance. "I'll be fine. Go talk to Lydia—I'm sure she needs a friend right now, and you're the closest one she's got right now. Just go—I can take care of myself."

At first Stiles remained hesitant, clearly not thrilled with the idea of me rushing off into the deserted high school after hours in this hunt for the bestiary. But I didn't give him a chance to argue any longer—I offered him one last smile before hurrying off. Just as I reached the main doors, I heard his voice calling for me. "What is it?" I yelled to him, taking a couple strides towards him.

"Why are you dressed like—you know—that?"

Furrowing my brow in puzzlement, I glanced down at my attire, fully expecting to see the jeans and t-shirt that I was usually clad in. But, instead, I found myself blankly staring down at the skirt of the simple halter dress I had slipped on only an hour before, the soft cloth tickling at my knees. The color, a deep, rich blue that vaguely reminded me of the night sky spanning high above me at that very moment, had been a particular favorite of Lydia, who had managed to pick out the dress all on her own. "It brings out your eyes," she had said simply as she held the dress against my hesitant body. "Now go try it on so we can get some shoes."

"Don't ask," I told Stiles now, watching as he gave an amused shake of his head before turning back to Lydia's car.

Slipping through the heavy metal doors that made sure to clang loudly behind me, I hurried down the empty corridors to the familiar principal's office. While I had certainly never been sent to the office by an indignant teacher, I had always had a clear idea where it was located. As I did my best to stay steady and yet continue to keep up a fast pace, the click-clacking sounds of my heels loudly echoed off the rows and rows of identical sky blue lockers. The absolute emptiness and darkness caused a wave of nausea to roll through my twisted insides, forcing me to take several useless calming breaths before finally arriving at the locked office of the principal.

After tussling with a couple keys, I managed to jam the correct key into the shiny doorknob and subtly sneak into the office. The walls were still bare, the purest evidence that there was a transition of position holders at the moment, but the bookcases were still overstuffed with journals and historic novels. The only note-worthy object on the rather empty desktop was a golf trophy positioned right on the far corner, but the name etched into the faux gold barely registered in my mind as my eyes locked on the closed drawers of the desk. After slipping out of my jacket and gently laying it over a nearby chair, I began my search.

Ten minutes passed by and, as I rifled through the drawers and their contents—stacks and stacks of papers, magazines, pamphlets, books, files, and even a medical journal transcribed completely in Latin—I was quite positive that I was going to come up empty-handed. Although there certainly were a handful of books within Gerard's desk, none of them matched the description of this bestiary. Sighing disappointedly, I dug my phone out from my purse and hastily sent Stiles a text, simply saying that the bestiary was nowhere to be found. Once the text was sent, I blew a stray curly strand of dark hair out of my eyes, slowly tucking it behind my ear as I cast one last glance around the office, praying that something would jump out at me before I was forced to leave.

"You know, it's a bit rude to snoop."

With my back turned to the not-so-empty doorway, my spine stiffened, my eyes desperately searching through the dark window before me for any sign of who was standing right behind me. Of course, it was a rather foolish attempt. Even without the reflection I would soon stumble upon in the black glass, I would recognize that coy, sarcastically sweet voice anywhere.

Turning, I glared up at Erica, her bouncy blonde ringlets tumbling down her shoulders as she tilted her to the side as she grinned her perfectly white smile at me. As seemed to be a theme with her attire, her cleavage was spilling out of the low neck of her shirt, the confidence doing nothing to convince me that the look was exactly attractive. Despite her youthfulness, there was an edge of bitterness deep within her golden brown eyes, one that I would hope to never stumble across in anyone. Each moment that she blinked innocently down at me, it seemed that cold edge could only multiply.

"But, of course," said Erica now, her smile refusing to falter even as my narrowed gaze continued to scrutinize her, "you're not really snooping, are you? You're far too good for that, aren't you, Jane?"

Ignoring the bait, I tilted my chin up stubbornly and coolly asked, "What do you want, Erica? Why are you even here?"

"You know, Jane, I could ask you that same question," she replied, arching her shapely brows ever so slightly as she took one step towards me. Instinctively I retreated a stride, tentatively reaching my right hand back to lay flat on the cold surface of the desk, just so I didn't go barreling into the desk. Catching my movement, she slyly smirked, as if she was a gleeful snake stalking her prey. "If I remember correctly, you don't even attend this school. And I've always heard that no one ever wants to return to high school. So why would you bother coming back? Especially, of all places, to the principal's office to snoop around."

Initially I wanted to refuse to reply, to not play into her hand and instead search for a way out of this mess. The only exit, however, was the doorway that she was now blocking, her curvy hips almost taunting me as she sauntered one more step forward. But then, I found my lips forming my irritated words as I coldly told her, "Believe it or not, Erica, I actually don't have to answer to you. And last time I checked, you found me rather boring. Why the sudden interest in me?"

"Well, fine," huffed Erica, although there was a slight glint flashing within her eyes as she crossed her arms over her chest. "If you must know, these aren't exactly my questions. I could really care less what you do—like you said, you're a very uninteresting person, and I'd much rather be using my valuable time elsewhere. But, unfortunately, that's not my call."

"Whose call is it then?"

"We both know the answer to that," she said, and she was, of course, quite right. Even before I uttered out that question, my stomach had already begun to twist into tangled knots, blood rushing to my face just at the sheer thought of him. Sensing my reaction, Erica couldn't seem to stop herself from rolling her eyes before adding, "And, if you don't mind, I'd rather not leave my Alpha waiting. He has quite a temper, but of course you already knew that, didn't you?"

Clenching my fists, I glared up at Erica and shook my head. "I'm not going anywhere. You can tell your Alpha that, if he wants to speak to me, he can find me himself."

"I'll get right on that," replied Erica sarcastically. She continued to near me, although the coyness had begun to slip from her now-impatient voice. "I told Derek I'd bring you to the pool, and that's what exactly what I'm going to do. Now we can do this the easy way or the hard way—which will it be, Jane?"

Instead of awarding her response, I simply stood my ground, my back pressed against the sharp edge of the metal desk. My hand continued to lay flat on the desk top, but my fingers were only centimeters away from the closest weapon I could come up with. I waited patiently, allowing my short breaths to lengthen and allow my nerves to gradually unwind. Just as Erica let loose an irritated snort and abruptly bounded forward, I was already ready. At the last second, I snatched up the heavy golf trophy that belonged to Mr. Argent and, without wasting another moment, smashed it sharply against Erica's left temple.

In an instant, Erica tumbled to carpeted floor, landing in a pile of long twisted limbs and an immense amount of blonde ringlets. She didn't make a single peep, but I supposed that she would have quite a nasty headache when she woke up. Casting a glance around the office, I realized the office of a werewolf hunter hell-bent on avenging his sociopathic daughter's death probably wouldn't have been the safest place for a werewolf to awaken, especially one that was a student.

So, with a reluctant sigh and after hurriedly wiping the droplets of fresh blood from the trophy, I heaved Erica's upper torso into my arms and began to drag her, at least out into the empty corridor. Unfortunately the girl was hardly light, forcing me to huff and puff the entire time I was forced to half-carry Erica down the hallway and to the closest janitor's closet. "It's definitely not the Hilton," I mumbled as I gently set her up against the wall and went to take a step away from the unconscious girl, "but it'll save your life."

As soon as the door snapped shut, I glanced down at my wrinkled dress, the sweat beading on my forehead no doubt starting to cause my unruly hair to frizz. At once a surge of fury flooded my system as I realized that all of this work was truly for nothing—even if I did manage to meet Gavin that night and beg for his forgiveness, I looked like an utter mess. And it was all one person's fault. While she certainly hadn't helped, I wasn't even thinking of the young Beta locked in the janitor's closet at that very moment. No, my mind instead traveled to her Alpha, the one who, according to Erica, who currently was waiting for the both of us to return at the pool.

Well, Derek, I couldn't help but wryly think, you'll get half of your wish granted.


Like the principal's office, finding the swimming pool was a rather simple pursuit. Not a single inch of my body was begging me to turn away, not then—my anger with Derek was suffocating those parts that would dare to disagree with me. As soon as I took one step past those doors, a rolling wave of humidity clung to my bare skin, the flashes of pale flesh reminding me that I had foolishly left my jacket behind in Gerard's office. But, as I cast a hesitant glance around the seemingly empty indoor swimming pool, I hastily realized that I could not retreat so quickly just yet. Derek stood in the corner to my right, an obnoxiously orange basketball clutched in his hands and his penetrating eyes narrowed straight at me.

As soon my eyes met his, a jolt buzzed through my veins. Instantly I grasped that I hadn't seen Derek in quite a few days and that, in spite of all the pain and suffering that he had caused me, I had actually missed him. No matter how many tears I would shed over Derek Hale, I was quite positive now that he could do nothing to make me stop truly loving him. My insides quivered at the sight of him, my lips threatening to betray me as they craved to curve into a smile. Instead, I forced myself to remember how he had sent Erica to retrieve like some petulant child, instead of having the decency to find me himself. My fingers curved into tight fists, and my fury began to rise as my frozen limbs thawed and began to stride towards the silent Alpha, his forest green eyes warily watching me.

"So, you wanted to speak with me?" I began, trembling with rage as I continued to near him. We were just a couple steps away from the edge of the pool, the still surface as smooth as pale blue glass. "What about? What could be so damn important that you would send your Beta off to fetch me like a dog? Actually, it's doesn't even matter—next time you want to talk to me, I suggest you find me your damn self. I'm not some…some puppet that you can pull the strings on whenever you want to, Derek. I figured you'd show me a little bit more respect, but I guess I was wrong."

Derek surveyed me for just a moment, his brow oddly furrowed as he seemed almost thoughtful for just a moment. But then that expression fled from his eyes as he caught me continuing to stare up at him. He remained silent for just one more moment before asking in a cold tone, "Is this going to become a trend with you now?"

"What are you talking about?" I snapped, a little startled as to his random question.

"To rant and rave without giving me a chance to explain myself," said Derek in an annoyingly calm tone. "You did it last time when you had your meltdown after meeting Erica, and now you're doing it again. I'd just like to know if this is something I have to start expecting now."

Spine stiffening, I glared hotly up at him. Could he honestly be acting like such a prick right now, when he was so clearly the one in the wrong? Struggling to keep my cool, I coldly told him, "You want to explain yourself? Fine. Go right ahead. Explain why you sent Erica to drag me back here kicking and screaming. Please, do explain it to me."

"I guessed that you were probably still angry with me about before—a guess that, judging from your anger towards me even at this very moment, was quite correct," he added, almost smirking at my eye roll. "I thought it would be a bad idea if I came to you directly for help. So, I sent someone who was practically a complete stranger instead—I figured you wouldn't react so badly. Obviously that prediction was a little off."

"And you didn't even think about sending one of your other Betas while concocting this plan?" I asked him incredulously. "I'd much rather see Boyd or Isaac than Erica of all people."

"Boyd was a little preoccupied," Derek reluctantly told me, the slight edge forming in his voice forcing me to predict that perhaps his plan hadn't gone exactly as he had hoped it would. "And Isaac is still a suspect in his father's death—I couldn't exactly send him out to the school now, could I? That left me with Erica."

His calm, logical tone was starting to irk me. Derek was sounding more and more strategic with each steady word he spewed out—it was a trait that I had never truly attributed with him before then. It was a trait that, no doubt, was necessary for any Alpha to survive. Nonetheless, I told him, "It wasn't the best plan."

"Was it?" he asked, cocking a thick eyebrow. "You're standing here with me now. I'd say it worked fairly well."

"Your Beta's unconscious in a janitor's closet," I pointed out.

"She'll learn to not underestimate you now."

Sighing, I shook my head, unable to believe what I was hearing. I had expected so much more of a battle, an explosive argument—instead, he was acting so cool and collected, as if he was completely in control. I wasn't quite sure if I was fond of this side of him or not. Instead of pondering his transition any longer, I asked him, "So why did you want to speak with me in the first place?"

Instead of offering me an initial reply, he simply tossed the basketball he had been clutching far away from him before taking a step towards me. Just as he opened his mouth, perhaps to ask me the questions that had inspired him to send Erica to find me, Derek cast a long glance down at me, as if he had just seen me for the first time. Frowning as if he had been taken a little off-guard, he asked in a cool tone, "Why are you dressed like that for a lacrosse game?"

Oh God, I thought to myself as I glanced down at my dress and heels, attire that Derek had most certainly never seen me in before. In our rather calm debate, I had nearly completely forgotten all about where I was supposed to be that night. Uncomfortably crossing my bare arms over my chest, I pleaded with my cheeks not to allow my blush to win out as I told him, "I actually had plans tonight. The lacrosse game was just a detour."

"Plans?" Derek repeated, an edge staining his tone as he continued to stare down at me. As if my intentions for that Friday night were abruptly spelled out before him, Derek crossed his own arms across his chest, his icy tone threatening to dissipate the heavy humidity coating the entire pool area. "Would these plans happen to involve Gavin?"

Spine stiffening simply at the sound of his name, I shortly replied, "No offense, Derek, but you've completely lost all privilege to be involved with that side of my life. I'm not going to ask about what's going on between you and Erica, so don't ask about me and Gavin."

Scoffing, Derek rolled his forest green eyes before turning his face away from me. His frustrated emotions were threatening to spill out onto the cool tile spanning below our feet, but he was desperately trying to keep them in check. Finally, as he closed his eyes and clenched his fists, Derek said, "There's nothing going on between Erica and me."

"Oh come on," I couldn't help but snort. "I'm not blind or deaf, Derek—she's clearly infatuated with you. And let's, of course, not forget about that lovely kiss you two shared." Just the memory of it put an acrid taste in my mouth, one that forced me to scowl up at him.

"That wasn't supposed to happen," he replied. "She knows now not to try anything like that with me again. And her infatuation means nothing to me. I—" Derek hesitated, clearly conflicted with just which words he should use with my presence so near to him. Eventually he said quietly, "I've made enough mistakes in my past with that aspect—I don't need to make another, not now."

At his defeated tone, I found my fury gradually starting to soften towards him. Chewing on my bottom lip as I swallowed the urge to reach my hand out to gently brush against his arm, I instead glanced down at my dress, realizing that I was never really meant to attend this date with Gavin. Whether it be fate or my own determination, I was supposed to be here, standing in this hot, sticky pool area with Derek, not running off to this dreaded date.

"The only reason I went to the lacrosse game was to get out of this….thing that I had planned with Gavin," I told him now, sighing softly before finally allowing my gaze to meet his. A moment passed by as an understanding seemed to float between the two of us, warming my bones and almost compelling me to take a step forward.

But then a soft hiss unleashed itself within that pool, resounding off the cement walls as a flash of deep emerald green spilled onto the floor behind Derek. It was exactly how Stiles had described it—almost snake-like, with four arms and legs that it prowled confidently on. Translucent, razor sharp claws protruded from its webbed hands, glimmering under the fluorescent light as they lightly scratched on the tiled floor. Rows and rows of pointed white teeth bared itself at me as it unleashed a horrible shrieking sound that immediately reminded me of nails scratching obnoxiously against a chalkboard.

Derek had spun around on his heel, hand instantly reaching behind him to roughly shove me back. "Run!" he snarled, glowing, crimson red gaze narrowed at the pacing green creature before him.

At first I almost actually obeyed Derek's order, not sure of how much help I could be as a completely defenseless witness. But then, just as I went to turn, I was forced to watch, frozen, as the creature shot forward, its glittering claws reaching to the sensitive nape of Derek's neck. Just as quickly the creature vanished, its hissing hinting at its presence just as my eyes settled on the small, thin scratch that had formed on the back of Derek's neck.

"Derek," I went to say breathlessly, to warn him of his seemingly small injury.

But then Derek's legs seemed to give out on him, his fingers numbly reaching back to his neck as he felt for the tiny droplets of blood that were staining his skin. Just as he was about to tumble to the hard ground, I sprinted forward, catching his heavy body with my arms hooked under his arms. "I got you," I told him, just managing to slip his long arm over my shoulders as I fearfully glanced around the pool, searching for that creature that had somehow managed to paralyze Derek. "Where is it?"

"I don't—" Derek began, examining our surroundings as well just as I took another step forward.

My foot abruptly snagged in a bright yellow net that someone had foolishly left out. Instantly I pitched forward, losing my grip on Derek as he, as if in slow motion, slipped under the surface of the water. Watching in horror, I took no notice of the creature beginning to near me, fury building in its hauntingly golden eyes. Instead, I dove straight into the pool, ignoring the loud beat of my heart resounding in my ears. All that mattered was that I reached Derek in time, before he was left completely paralyzed under the surface for too long.


So this is where I must end this chapter. I hope you all enjoyed it, as well as the return of Derek. I'm sure quite a few of you had missed him. ;) Thank you so much for reading, and please don't forget to leave a review!