The song for this chapter is Slow Meadow - Lonesome Summer (SleepMusic YouTube)

LYDIA'S POV:

A sat up in the hotel bed, my body covered in sweat. I looked over at Kira who slept peacefully for once.

With a huff, I threw my feet over the bed and sagged toward the tiny bathroom. Malia's apartment was a step up. There was room enough for us all, but if Kylie wanted to permanently stay there one of us would have to double up or move out. I could find a place to stay if need be, Malia needed time with her sister, more time than the past week she's spent with her. They had years to catch up on.

I flicked the lights on in the bathroom, my eyes squinted, and I stilled at the sight before me.

My strawberry blonde hair seemed to glow with darker tones, my eyes danced in invitation while my smirk widened. A breath-takingly beautiful melody floated around me. I couldn't look away. She was so beautiful.

As soon as I reached out to touch the mirror my hand melted into it like it was a portal. My heart quickened at the prospect. I moved my hand on the other side with nothing in reach, so I placed my other hand into the substance. Testingly, I separated my hands and a hole rippled open, big enough to stick my head in.

The second my head was through the sound of pleading cries filled the air. Men's cries. Them begging for mercy or a quick death.

Horrified, I pulled out of the portal with a feeling of panic heavy in my chest. The reflection in the mirror was back to normal this time. Except there was blood on my face. A sense of power filled me with the knowledge that it wasn't my own. My red-stained hand raised in the mirror to wipe away the blemish, but it only made it worse.

I cried out. "What did I do?" I looked down at my hands with the expectancy that they'd be bloody, but there was the same pale tone I walked into the bathroom with. My head swam in confusion. I looked back up at the mirror in horror because I was still blood covered. I raised my hand and it too appeared drenched in the liquid that ran a chill of excitement through me.

My back hit the wall and I stared at my reflection until it turned back into the creature it wanted me to me, her heart felt fleeting and cold. I was scared beyond belief, but she wasn't. She welcomed the feeling.

I didn't want to hurt anyone. I didn't know why she wanted to.

She opened her mouth and the familiar melody came out.

My feet lead me to it instinctively, but her beauty held me captive.

She extended a hand.

I took it only to be pulled forward.

Her hand wrapped around my neck and squeezed until I couldn't get air through.

With a gasp, I sprang up the bed. My hands went to my neck as I caught my breath. Sweat stuck to my skin, my hair stringy against my forehead.

Kira popped up in much the same fashion. She met my gaze with heavy worry in her glowing orange eyes. "Something's wrong with Malia."

With a nod of understanding, we shot out of bed and prepared ourselves to go check on them.

MALIA'S POV:

I sat in the middle of my bed with my knees to my chest, my gaze off into the distance ahead of me.

She was dead. My baby sister was dead. Again.

She wanted to end her life because of Deucalion. How could she do this? How could she do this to us? How could she do this to me?

It was so selfish. Yet I understood completely.

I had cried enough over the last few days so I was dried out. Or maybe it was the shock. How I was upright at the moment was surprising. What I really wanted to do was get in the fetal position and never move again.

Peter sat on the end of my bed. He wasn't exactly the parent best suited for comfort, but he was here and that's all that mattered.

I wanted to be there for Henry, but I knew Scott was with him. Even if I wanted I couldn't muster up the energy or will to go back to that wretched room ever again in my life.

His cries of desperation could be heard throughout the house even if you didn't have super hearing.

Peter shot off the bed and went to them. "Scott,"

Moments later my door creaked open and Scott appeared.

I couldn't look at him because I was afraid of what I'd see.

Kylie meant something different to him, I wasn't sure what. If I even saw him emote I don't think I could hold it together.

Nonetheless, his weight dipped the bed as he got behind me. His arms wrapped around me, his legs on either side of me, and pulled me as close to him as I could possibly be.

My chin trembled with the oncoming of hot tears.

He tightened his hold on me. "You're not alone."

I nodded even though it felt like it.

SCOTT'S POV:

When Malia fell asleep I lifted her head off my shoulder and rested her down on her bed, then I slipped away.

Peter met me in the hall with guarded eyes, a hint of worry in them. "Where are you going?"

"To get her something she needs." I started for the stairs.

He grabbed my arm. "She needs you."

My eyes went to his to find desperation.

That was a new look on him.

I tore my arm away. "She needs this more."

"You don't know how wrong you are, Scott." His voice haunted me all the way to the WalMart.

He was wrong. Malia loved only a few things. Her dads. Kylie. Lydia, Kira, and Allison. Music. That was it.

Sure we had love for each other, that much was obvious. She couldn't say it, even if she felt it. Because of that, I was afraid to think it. But I knew what had sprouted in me the moment I saw her in that classroom on the first day. Even if it was too soon to say it, think it, or admit it...I felt it.

So that's how I knew Malia didn't feel the same way as I did. She needed these strings surrounded by wood to make her feel better in a way that I couldn't.

With the new guitar in the car I debated about calling the others to let them know the tragic news. The only thing that stopped me was that Malia should be the one to tell them and I knew they'd overload her with texts and calls or probably drive down here. She needed time to herself.

Before I went in I took the guitar out of the package so it was ready for her.

Henry sat on the couch with Kylie's favorite doll from when she was little in his lap, a blank stare on his face. He had been through so much in the last week. Finding out the only daughter he thought he had left was raped, then Kylie being alive and manipulated, and lastly her successful suicide.

A bitter taste in my mouth gathered at the term "successful suicide". Like you won a prize for completing it.

Peter walked up from behind the couch, placed a cup of coffee in front of him, but he didn't take it. He only continued to stare. Peter placed his hand on Henry's shoulder in support. He looked at me while I ascended the stairs, his focus on the guitar in my hands. He nodded to himself.

Malia was surprisingly awake when I walked into her room. She sat up when she saw me. "I thought you left." Her voice heartbreakingly tiny for someone so strong and confident in so many areas of their life.

I shook my head. "No, I went to get you something."

Her gaze fell heavy on the instrument in my hands.

I held it in the air. "Do you want to play?"

Her hyper alert eyes assessed it like it could be used against her until she reached out for it.

"I'm just gonna sit and let you play." I sunk into the chair at her computer desk.

She held it properly, but her hands faltered. She chewed on her lip for an answer until she began to hum, her hands strummed. Her usual confidence was gone. Everything about her was unsure from her fleeting eyes, quivering lips, and big, brown, helpless eyes that punched a hole through my chest. Her hands quaked when her gaze caught something behind me.

I snapped around to find the bottle of prenatal vitamins we bought Kylie yesterday.

"Shit." I snatched the bottle and stalked over to the trash where it wouldn't hurt her. When I turned around I stilled.

Tears streamed down her face while she hugged the guitar for dear life. Her wet eyes met mine. "It hurts." She broke out into a sob.

I rushed over and took the guitar from her arms. Maybe Peter was right about this. Maybe I was what she needed. Maybe it was wishful thinking, but I didn't care right now. I only cared about making her hurt go away.

The moment my heart sank was when I neared and she reached out for me like a child to a parent, like they had the power to make their world better again. While I didn't have that kind of power over Malia's world, I could still take some of her pain away.

My arms wrapped around her tight while she wept into me, my hand grasped her arm. I watched as the darkness slid up my veins, the mandatory pain along with it. I bit back a groan so she wouldn't feel bad about it.

MALIA'S POV:

I waited until nightfall to creep down the hallway, shift into my coyote form and descend the stairs as quietly as I was able to. Tip toeing helped in cases like these.

Earlier in the day, I stashed a pair of clothes under the porch so I could have some to change into. Just as I finished getting dressed footsteps quietly tapped the floor. I ducked down to not be seen.

The door opened.

Scott's scent drifted toward me from where he stood on the porch. "I'm coming with you." He whispered.

At this point, there was no reason to try to hide. He could smell me and hear my heart thumping.

I stood while my hand pocketed my tiny case of Wolfsbane in my shorts. "No, you're not." I headed toward my car.

He followed. "You're going to find Deucalion, aren't you?"

"Go home, Scott. Your real home. Deal with your issues, let me deal with mine."

He grabbed my forearm tight. "Wherever you are is where I belong. I'm not going to let you do this alone." His eyes read mine.

I pulled my arm away, my eyes averted to the side. "I'm not going back,"

He tried to catch my gaze. "To school? No, I get it. I wouldn't want to either, but this is your life. Take the semester off. Spend it with your family."

My head shook, I opened my door. "I'm not going back to any of it." I slid into the seat.

He ran over to the other side and got in.

"I don't need you here," I told him. "I can kill him on my own."

He buckled in. "Well, I'm not going anywhere."

The syringe of wolfsbane burned in my pocket. I didn't want to have to do this to him, but there was no way he was coming to fight Deucalion with me. He'd get himself killed for sure. There were too many men under his control and Scott wouldn't stop until he put down the man that had his mother murdered.

"Hold on then." I was going purely off his scent, which could lead me a thousand different places, which was why we hadn't done it before. This time I was properly motivated.

The sky crackled with lightning and I had a gut feeling that Kira was close. If Kira was close then that meant Lydia was with her. They would never let me go to Deucalion by myself, so I had to do this now before it was too late.

My moment arose when the lightning hit miles away on the far right so Scott's attention was on that. I uncapped the syringe quickly and stabbed it into his neck to inject it.

He momentarily froze, then turned to me with disbelieving eyes. "What are you doing?" His eyes weakened.

"I'm sorry." I slowed the jeep to a crawl.

"Lia," His voice became smaller, his consciousness became less of a problem. He tipped into the door. "Don..." His eyes closed.

I got out, opened his door, and carried him to a safer place alongside the road. I propped him against a tree and pulled out the syringe to throw it on the ground.

He was going to be so mad when he woke up, but this was the right thing to do.

My eyes welled at the prospect of leaving him here. It was either this or risk his life and I didn't want him to die for me because I couldn't lose him. I lov-I cared about him so much, probably more than he realized. Before I got him involved with all of this he was a good person. When we met he was firm in his belief of not killing people. Hell, he threatened to stop me if I had. Because of me, he killed people. Because of me, he changed who he was and what he believed was right.

I wasn't naive in thinking I'd come back from this mission so I took a moment to dig deep and search for the words that I couldn't say to anyone else other than family.

My hand went to his handsome face in a soft caress. My eyes ran over him.

If anyone had told me a month ago that I'd be this head over heels with anyone, namely Scott, I wouldn't have believed them. I thought we'd hook up a few times and then whatever. And I know I told him last night that I couldn't say those three words to him that he probably wanted to hear but was too afraid to ask...but when Kylie killed herself and I felt so alone in this world even surrounded by loved ones Scott was the only that made me feel like I had a person to hold onto. It was him.

When he bought me the guitar I thought it work to some degree, that it would give me some peace of mind if only for a moment, but it wasn't music that did that. It was Scott. That resonated in my heart and mind since. The only thing that I loved as much as my family was music and in the end, it was Scott that worked better for me.

So I shoved aside my pride for a few heart palpitating seconds and blew out a heavy breath. My lips pressed a kiss to his cheek and I sniffled. A tear spilled over my eyelid as I said into his ear, "I love you, Scott Alejandro McCall. If I don't find you again I'll find you in the next life. Promise." Knowing that there was a possibility I'd chicken out and stay with him, I kissed his mouth even if it was on the necrophilia side and dashed back to my car.

If I understood Kira's lightning pattern they were getting closer so it was time to go off-road. I turned the wheels so I could drive on the untouched land.

I chucked my phone out of the window and pressed forward with the death of my baby sister in the forefront of my mind. She was getting justice for her sacrifice today if it was the last thing I did and I had a feeling that it would be. I only prayed that my dads and friends would understand.

KIRA'S POV:

Lydia drove while I rested in the passenger seat, my feet up on the dashboard. She kept glancing at me when my lightning tailed us.

I kept my gaze out the window. Lydia was one of the two people that knew me inside and out. Taking a page of their book of friendliness I opened up my heart enough for one more person. Of course, Liam was gay so I didn't have to worry about him screwing me over or hurting me in a way I couldn't recover from.

If I told Lydia I've been having problems with my fox spirit I knew she'd worry herself to death trying to help me control it, but it wasn't her problem to control. It was mine. And I had to be woman enough to figure this out on my own. We were growing up and I needed to rely on myself more. It may look like I isolated even them out, but they were the ones that kept me going.

"I can tell what you're thinking and you know I get like this when I'm worried," I said with my arm propped on the open window, my forehead against my fist.

She sighed. "I know. I just wish she'd answer her phone. Or that Scott would."

I looked at her. "He's not answering either?"

One of her hands against the wheel opened in frustration. "No."

"Can't you track it? Make sure they're okay."

She looked at me and gave a small grin.

"What?" I questioned.

"Make sure they're okay? You're worried about Scott,"

The idea hadn't crossed my mind per say, but now that she pointed it out I wanted to take it back.

My eyes rolled. "Where Malia is Scott's not far behind."

"Do you care about Scott, Kira? Is this really happening?" She teased.

I aimed my hand at her and let out a singe of electricity. "Bite me."

She grabbed the wheel with one hand and used the other to throw a punch my way.

My hand blocked hers while she tried to deliver multiple blows. I wrapped my hand around her fist, a light smirk on my face.

She snatched her hand away. "You're lucky we're sisters or I'd hurt you." Her voice held little promise.

"Yeah, do you want to switch so you can track their phones?"

The car slowed down until she put it in Neutral. We got out and changed spots so she could work her smarty pants magic. I silently prayed that they were both okay, but I'd never tell Lydia that.

Dusk was breaking as we arrived at the stagnant location of their phones.

"Oh my God," Lydia leaned forward in her seat.

I found what she had.

Scott was laid against a tree, knocked out.

I sped up alongside the spot he was placed. "Do you see Malia?"

"No," Lydia shot out of the car before I even parked. She rushed to Scott's side. Her ability to care for anybody was one of the things I envied about her.

Part of me felt like my keeping people at arm's length was a blessing more often than not, but the times it was 'not' I hated that part of me.

I opened the door and went to them.

Lydia crouched down and lightly slapped his face a few times. "Wake up, Scott." She looked up at me with scared eyes.

I readied my hand to dance electricity across his skin until he gasped awake with widened eyes.

"Where am I?" He gathered himself.

Lydia rested her hands on his shoulders. "Relax,"

He looked up at me. "What happened?" He shook his head in confusion.

"That's what we want to know." I glanced around for Malia. "You said her phone was close by."

She pulled her phone out and showed it to me. About a quarter of a mile away. I grabbed her phone and headed in that direction. "I'll be back."

If anything happened to her there'd be hell to pay.

I tracked the phone to the spot it said it was. Only there was no Malia. I grabbed it and headed back for the others.

"Where is my daughter, Scott?" Peter's angry voice carried through the trees.

Oh no.

"I don't know," Scott answered. "She went after Deucalion."

I ran as fast as I could to get to them.

"And you didn't stop her?" Peter demanded.

Scott's head lowered. "I tried."

"Malia must've knocked him out with this," Lydia held up an empty syringe. "Wolfsbane would've done the trick."

Peter fumed, he reeled his arm back to throw a punch at Scott.

I skidded the last little bit of distance in front of Scott and caught the punch.

Peter looked remorseful that he had harmed me, but still said, "Get out of the way, Kira."

My eyes went to Lydia.

She stepped up with me to protect the only person in the world that had proven himself to be there for Malia when we weren't enough. Sure, I wished I'd been that person for her, but if it wasn't meant to be I couldn't fault her for being happy with Scott.

I glanced back at him.

He stood up on weak legs, but his guilty eyes held recognition for what this was; Us protecting an Alpha. He wasn't ours, but he'd bend over backward to help us and protect us like a good Alpha should. If I wasn't so stuck in my ways maybe I'd want to join in his pack. Malia would, I knew she would. And if Malia did, Lydia wouldn't be far off.

He gave a slight nod of gratitude.

I offered one back.

For some reason, it felt like I had protected him before in some other place, but I couldn't figure out where or how.

"Scott wouldn't just let Malia go to Deucalion by herself, you know that." Lydia defended. "This isn't his fault. Now we can either stand here all day or we can get the others to form a plan."

"I vote make a plan," I added.

Lydia cut me a pleased look.

"Not a word." I threatened.

Scott moved for Lydia's car in exhaustion. "We need to call Theo. He might know a location."

"Come back to the house," Peter instructed.

The three of us filed into her car with a wave of eerie silence over us.

MALIA'S POV:

With the jeep going full throttle my gaze burned into the current warehouse of operations. I was aware that finding this place had been easier than it should've been, but there was no way they could've known I was on my way. There was no one that could've told him.

A bead of regret and cowardice rolled around in me. I would most likely die in there, but now was not the time to turn around after what I did to Scott. Kylie's death would not go in vain.

My bumper rammed into the entrance, but not hard enough to get me through. I reversed and tried again. By this time everyone knew I was here. I tried to back up again, but my tires were stuck. I tried to go forward, but no such luck. My fists banged into the steering wheel.

A group of armed men and women circled my vehicle.

I debated what to do next. Fight and die before I had a chance to get to Deucalion. Or surrender and figure out a way to kill him once I got inside. I liked the latter.

My hands raised in the air. "Well, is someone going to open the door for me?" I looked to my left with awaiting eyes.

A man moved forward, his assault rifle ready while another opened the door for me. The second man shoved me against the jeep.

My face pressed against the metal while he cuffed me one of those with plastic handcuffs that were tightened way too much to the point of little circulation, which I supposed could be the point.

He grabbed me and we filed into the building through another entrance while a few stayed behind to take care of my jeep.

"Hey, don't scratch the paint!" I warned.

He pushed me forward.

I corrected myself before I fell. Taking mental breaths in and out was the only thing keeping me calm and from killing these bastards and getting free. If they didn't take me to Deucalion then I wouldn't find him until he wanted to be found. He waited all these years so something told me he had a lot of patience.

We rode in an elevator to the top floor, which was the second floor.

"A little unnecessary to have an elevator, don't you think?" I voiced in the small space with the armed men surrounding me.

No answer.

I shrugged.

The doors opened.

I was lead down the hall to a floor that I imagined Sam's Club or Costco's second floor would look like if there was an evil lair operation going on above it. Who knew, maybe there was?

A door at the end of the hall opened and out came a young girl. Her dark brown hair flowed past her shoulders. A white dress made her creamy skin look even paler. Her doe-like eyes met mine.

Everyone else fell out of flank except for the guard that cuffed me. We walked toward the girl.

She observed me then looked down at herself in comparison. "You must be Malia." Her sweetly calm voice said. "We've been waiting for you."

Interesting. So someone had tipped them off. The question was why hadn't they fled yet?

The three of us entered the room. There were a desk and chair with a single filing cabinet and nothing else.

His scent grew stronger which made bile rise in my throat.

With the door dead bolted behind us, my discomfort grew.

The chair swiveled around.

If there was some disbelief left in me that this monster was still alive it vanished at the sight of him.

My mind went back to that horrid night of victory we felt when we killed him years ago.

"Girls!" Deucalion called. "I know you're out there!"

The three of us huddled under the brush of leaves and rocks, the running water did a decent job of scattering our scents.

"I'm not going back." Kira mouthed.

"Me either." Lydia mouthed.

I nodded.

"Why are you hiding? What have you to be afraid of?" His voice carried goosebumps to our skin.

We were a bunch of preteens against a grown man. What could we do?

"The longer you hide the angrier I'll get and I don't think you'll like me angry ladies."

The odds weren't in our favor. Maybe if we split up, but that would mean someone would have to sacrifice themselves to get captured.

I moved forward.

Their hands grabbed me.

"GIRLS!" His voice grew closer.

We jumped out of fright. Our arms linked up as we looked at each other covered in sweat and fear. Either we fight together or die together. There was no in between.

We stood up in unison and walked out into full view on the smaller rocks by the water.

Deucalion jumped from high on a cliff to the ground, a satisfied grin on his disgusting face. "I knew you'd come to your senses."

"Not exactly," I said. "We won't go back with you. We want out."

His smirk faltered. "That's not going to happen. Who's going to want the three of you as ugly and useless as you are?"

Kira looked at her feet, fully believing what he said.

Lydia's free arm went behind her back and lifted her shirt to pull out one of his guns.

I tried not to look so obvious in shock and kept my eyes forward. "Somebody will," I assured. "My dad could be our Alpha." I just had to find him. He was flighty, he came and went when he wanted. We weren't close, but he was in the background.

"Peter Hale?" He chuckled. "That's rich." He moved forward. "He's a nothing for good, selfish bastard. You're lucky I saved you from him." He looked at Kira. "And you from the foster system." His gaze turned to Lydia.

She froze, the gun paused behind her back.

"You would still be with your druggie mother if I hadn't scraped you from the streets."

Her jaw hardened.

He surveyed her carefully, his gaze nearing suspicion as it lowered to her back.

A bead of sweat trickled down her face.

"Henry loves me," I rushed out. "I didn't need you for that."

He gave a dark laugh. "You were practically begging me to take you in."

"It's not okay," A tear filled manly voice said. "It's not okay for you to die."

My eyes scanned the woods for anyone else but came up short.

"Look at me," The voice said again.

At this point, I was aware I was the only one that could hear it.

"I'd die before I go back with you," Kira announced bravely.

"I love you, Scott McCall. I'm in love with you. I guess I was brave enough to say it to your face after all." A voice similar to mine said, only there was more bass. Like I was older.

My head shook in confusion as I tried to shake it from my mind.

"Trust me, that can be arranged." His face turned wicked as he charged us.

Lydia's hand flew from behind her back and shot him with a shaky hand.

He looked worried at the sight of it. "No, no. Not that gun," He warned, but it was too late. He stopped in his tracks with widened eyes, his hand went to the wound in his chest.

Purplish blue smoke came from the gun.

My eyes glowed. "Wolfsbane."

Lydia raised the gun again and shot him in the shoulder, a tear slid down her face in doing so. She handed the gun to me.

I aimed one at his kneecap.

He stumbled to the ground in pain. "Stop."

Kira took the gun from me and walked a few feet forward to aim it.

He raised his arm protectively while he held himself together on the rocks. "Kira, please. Don't do this."

"Do you know how many times I begged you to stop raping me before I accepted that it wouldn't do any good?" She put a bullet in his neck. She crouched down in front of him.

His hands grasped at his bleeding neck as he gasped for air.

"Do you know how many times I wished I were dead?" She screamed. She pointed the gun at his pants and shot him in the junk.

He howled in pain, his blood filled gurgled cries didn't last long enough because I rushed forward with a medium sized rock to repeatedly smash into his head. It wasn't enough when his head cracked open or when his brain turned to mush under my blows.

With a distant air we all looked up at the prospect of another pack, but it was just an omega.

Lydia and Kira pulled me to my feet. We stood under the full moon, feeling liberated and hopeful for the first time in ages.

Kira grabbed the knife from his hip holster and held it up. "Two years ago none of us knew each other. We never would've known each other if it hadn't been for Deucalion. That was the only good thing to come out of this." She looked hesitant. "I understand if you guys don't ever want to see me again, just forget that any of this happened to us, but I liked to think we could still be a pack."

Lydia shook her head. "No," She stepped forward. "We're not pack, not anymore."

I stared at her in fear. I couldn't lose them.

She wiped her watery eyes and said, "We're family."

I cleared my throat. "We're sisters."

We looked at each other as we stood in a circle.

Kira took the blade across her hand, then handed it to Lydia. "Let's make it official."

Lydia looked afraid of the blade, she didn't have the same healing properties we had. However, she slid it against her skin, then gave it to me.

There was no hesitation on my end, I knew I wanted this. If this was what it took for our bond to become even more real the I'd do it.

The knife cut deep enough to draw my blood. I pocketed the knife.

We pressed our hands together in union.

"I promise to protect you guys with my life," Kira said.

"I promise to be there for you guys all the time," Lydia promised.

I nodded. "And I promise to love you guys until the end of time."

We sniffled.

Kira's hand started to shock us, which wasn't out of the norm because she couldn't control her powers yet. The little lightning that danced from her skin tickled up mine and Lydia's hand. Kira looked just as shocked as we did.

"What are you doing?" Lydia asked.

"I don't know." She defended. "It's like binding our hands."

We pulled apart with great resistance until the bind broke.

She looked guilty. "Sorry."

"It's okay," I assured with a side hug.

Lydia pointed out the obvious. "What are we going to do with his body?"

The water wasn't deep enough and he wasn't heavy enough to stay down if it was.

"We bury him," I decided.

"With what shovels?" Kira asked.

I grabbed Deucalion's leg and pulled his dead weight along. "With our bare hands. That's all we have right now."

So that's what we did. We found a more secluded location that looked semi-untouched by man and dug into the Earth.

"This is gross," Lydia complained. "I keep touching bugs."

Kira snorted.

"The sooner we get this over with the sooner we can leave this behind," I spoke.

There was silence among us the rest of the process. Other than the ironically blissful sounds of nature in the background there was nothing else to distract us.

When we patted all the fresh soil down that we took up I went to get a branch from a tree and a few rocks to cover the area.

"We did the right thing, right?" Lydia asked.

We looked at her.

"Of course." Kira grimaced. "He deserved much worse. Fatherly figure my ass."

We washed off our hands in the stream.

"Now what?" Kira asked.

"I don't have any place for us to go," Lydia said. She looked at me. "Can we go to your dad's?"

Kira seemed apprehensive. "Another man? How do we know we can trust him?"

"He's a good man, he's my father," I assured her. "He won't hurt you. He'll be thrilled we're there."

"Oh yeah, your mom and sister died a while back didn't they? So he's like really lonely right?" Lydia asked.

I turned my heavy gaze to her.

She gave a sheepish look. "Sorry."

I waved it off. "If we're going to go we need to go now before someone spots us."

We rose and headed off hand in hand.

Those devilishly blue eyes stared into mine.

"How?" Was all I said.

A smirk fell on his face. "The truth is I did die that night and each of you took a piece of my power." He rose from his seat. "It took time for me to come back and regain my strength, but I had help. It's amazing what a few herbs and berries can do, isn't it?"

My wrists strained against the tight material. My guess was that it was made with some other substance that could hold a supernatural being.

"What's with the minor sex slave? Didn't get enough the first hundred times?" I said.

A hand slapped me across my face hard. It belonged to the guard. He stood in view. "Watch your tongue, girl."

I cut my eye at him and spat out blood.

"Easy," Deucalion instructed him. "Malia came here for a reason. I'm assuming it's not to return Kylie to me or join my side?"

The fiery burning hate that I kept at bay earlier surfaced at the mention of her. Her slack body and cut open wrists filled my mind. "Let me go and we can talk about it."

"That's not going to happen."

My brow lifted. "Are you that afraid of me, Deuc?"

He nodded for the girl to leave, then his fell on me. "You must think I was born yesterday?"

My jaw clenched. "Fine," My leg kicked out to push the guard's knee out of place.

He hollered in pain as he lowered to the cement floor.

I flipped in the air to dodge his gun shots. When I landed behind him my thighs wrapped around his head while I laid on the floor.

He struggled, tried to twist his head to bite me, his hands beat into my flesh.

My legs were too strong for his resistance and inevitably he moved the wrong way and I had enough leverage to twist his head to the side with a sickening crunch of bone.

He fell slack.

My eyes burned into Deucalion's. "Let me go." My eyes glowed killer blue.

He surveyed the body of his guard, unimpressed. "Why would I do that?"

"Because if you cut these off I'll won't make you suffer. As much."

He grinned. "You have a sense of humor now, I like that." He pointed at me, then sat on the edge of his desk.

Looking at him now, he didn't seem so big and scary as he once appeared.

"You've got to be one sick son of a bitch to keep pulling the same old stunt." I walked around his office. "What kind of person gets off on molestation and rape? Is that what it really takes to get your little guy going?"

He smirked. "You and I know it's far from little."

My teeth clenched.

"How is Kylie by the way? Does she miss me?" He gave a knowing grin.

My hands struggled against the cuffs this time and they gave way with great effort. My eyes glared, my nostrils flared, my hands itched to end his life for every bad thing he ever did.

"She killed herself." The cuffs fell to the floor with a clank.

His smugness fell as did his gaze on the restraints. "What?"

"You got her pregnant, you pedophile!" I stalked forward with a swift punch to his face

He fell back but quickly recovered with a hook to my jaw. His leg kicked me in the stomach.

I stumbled back, but rushed forward with a cross jab, then stomped on his foot.

He groaned.

There were guards trying to get the door open.

He shot up and roundhouse kicked me back with a grimace.

"You can't kill me a second time, Malia. I'm smarter now."

The dead guard's assault rifle caught my attention so I snagged it.

The door flew open.

I turned around and shot everyone that came into view. Their bodies piled up in the entryway. I turned the gun back on him. "She killed herself because of you! Because of what you did to her!" I screamed. "Do you even feel the tiniest bit guilty?"

He raised his hands. "I loved her as you did."

Rage tore into me. I threw the gun down and ran for him with vengeful tears hot in my eyes. "You didn't love her." My fists flew into him so fast he couldn't keep up. "You didn't love any of us." My tears fell heavy and I couldn't stop them this time.

He punched me back so hard I fell onto the pile of dead bodies. He stalked my way and crouched down over me.

My knee flew up to hit him in the dick.

He titled to the side in agony.

More men stomped their way to us.

I pulled him back and shut the door.

My fists wrecked into his face with satisfying blows as bullets dented the heavy door. This was for the younger Kira, Lydia, and I. For us now. For Kylie. And that poor girl out there that was so brainwashed she couldn't even be afraid of her surroundings or situation.

"I don't want to kill you," He muttered through the blood.

"You won't," I promised. I raised my fist high for a final blow.

Fear rang in his eyes for the first time since I stepped into his office. "I can bring her back." He rushed out.

My fist paused mid-air. "What?" I demanded. "What did you say?" I grabbed him by the collar of his shirt.

"Kylie," He coughed. "I can bring her back. I did it once before, I can do it again."

My head shook. "You're lying!"

"If I am would you really risk it?" He challenged. "You know I can."

The thought hadn't even crossed my mind. "Why would you do that for me?"

The door flew open. The men dashed in with their weapons raised and ready to shoot.

Deucalion raised a hand for them to hold off. He motioned for me to get off him. "May I?"

I stood abruptly.

They pointed their guns at me, ready for a fight.

Deucalion rose, a smug look on his face now that he held the power once more. "Let's strike a deal, huh?"

Unease filled me. There had to be a catch naturally.

"What do you want?" I scowled.

He went to sit on his desk again, his eyes ran over me. "You."

My head shook. "Not going to happen. I'm not having sex with you."

He gave a cold laugh. "No my dear, that's not what I meant. Besides, you're far too old for me now."

My stomach felt queasy at his words.

"Then what do you want with me?"

"What I always wanted," Hair grew from his face and his face shifted into a grayish monstrosity. His eyes glowed devilish red. "More power." His demonic voice set the hairs up on my arm. "You have a choice, Malia." His voice grated like nails on my skin. "Try and kill me and get blown to pieces." He stepped forward. "Or join me and save your sister."

What choice did I really have? One move and they'd gun me down like any Black man with a hood on. If I did this, if I joined Deucalion's twisted little army then he'd bring Kylie back and that was the only silver lining in this whole mess.

"How do I know that you really brought her back?"

He stepped forward. "You'll get confirmation." He handed me a phone from his pocket. "Now let your friends know not to bury her or put her on ice."

He was giving me a phone? He must be pretty confident that I wouldn't call for help. Even if I did they'd never get here in time. It was at least an hour and a half out. They'd be long gone by then.

I couldn't bare to hear anyone's voice right now so I sent a text to Peter.

Deucalion knows how to bring Kylie back. Prepare her for it. Don't come looking for me. I made a deal. - Malia

I handed it back to him.

He broke the phone in half. "Let's move out." He instructed.

One of the guards grabbed me up.

I elbowed him in the face.

"Let her be, she's with us now." Deucalion shifted back to his usual creepy self.

The guard held his broken nose and walked on.

"How long is it going to take before she's alive?"

We headed down the hall for the elevator.

"Until we get to the new warehouse. I've had to keep them on stock considering your Scooby Doo gang keeps finding us."

My head shook. "No, not good enough." I stopped with my arms crossed. "Now, you need to do it now or I'm not going anywhere with you."

He sized me up with amused eyes. "Alright," He looked at one his men. "Phone."

They handed him a phone.

He dialed a number and held it to his ear. "I need you now." He stared at me. "Great." He hung up. "She'll be here in twenty."

"Who?"

"The person that's going to bring your sister back to life. With Kylie not being present I can't exactly inject her with the serum. Braeden is versed in dark arts. She needs to be present either way." He looked at his men. "Get everything packed up. We're moving as soon as the ritual is done."

They scurried as ordered.

My mind tried to fill in the blanks. "She's the one that helped you come back to life?"

"Yes and no." He turned from me to answer a question.

This was not what I had in mind on the way over here. The fact that I refrained from ripping his face off now was commendable. Coming here, I was thinking of myself and what I wanted to do to him. Now I had to think of Kylie. That was the only reason I was doing this. Maybe I could get him to agree to leave my friends alone, to leave Scott alone.

I stilled at the memory of my younger self hearing a conversation from Scott and me in that other life. That's why the name sounded so familiar that first day of class. Because I had heard it before.

The minutes ticked by until the girl showed up with a guard escorting her.

I was instantly struck by her beauty. Her mocha skin looked smooth and inviting. Her long, curled hair bounced as she walked. The black leather jacket she wore with dark jeans and combat boots went against the gypsy image I had of her in my head. She held a duffel bag in her hand.

"Thanks for coming," Deucalion told her.

"You called, I came." She shed her jacket with a lacy burgundy cami. She pinned her hair back into a bun, a few tendrils fell from it that framed her face. "Who's the girl?" She glanced at me before rifling through her bag on the floor.

"Malia Tate."

She stilled. She looked up at me, then at Deucalion. "Does that mean?"

He shook his head. "You need to bring Kylie back to life. Her bodies not here so you have to do it old school."

Her head tilted back in remorse. "She was a good kid."

I planted myself firm so I wouldn't sucker punch her for being okay with this setup. Was she brainwashed too?

"I'll need something of hers to do the ritual." She looked at me in assessment. She made a noise of inquiry.

My arms crossed my chest. "Can I help you?" My attitude not lost on her.

She gave a half-grin, then bit her lip. "Not tonight."

Soon she had all her candles and herbs laid out. She drew a pentacle with white chalk, lit the candles on fire, then entered the center of it. Foreign words fell from her lips as the flames grew around her. The flames highlighted her bronzed skin.

The shirt of Kylie's he had on hand floated in the air moments later as a crumbled pile.

Suddenly her hand shot out and the guard with the broken nose fell to his knees lifelessly. The other guard present didn't flinch. He just stood there.

The shirt opened until it was as if someone filled it out.

I looked at Deucalion for an answer.

He held a hand up in patience.

As Braeden threw her head back the flames almost reached the ceiling. They pointed in different directions so suddenly that I had to jump out the way of one before it fried me. Now I knew why the others kept their distance.

All I could do was watch in fascination and bewilderment.

Moments later the flames died down and she stopped chanting.

Her eyes found Deucalion's. "It's done."

He looked at me. "Can we go now?"

I went to him. "I don't know if she's alive yet." I looked to Braeden. "How long does the process take?"

She caught her breath and stood. "Usually a few hours."

I huffed.

"We don't have a few hours," He pointed out. "We made a deal, I held up my end. In a few hours, you'll get your confirmation as promised."

Trusting his word meant trusting him and that was the last thing I'd ever do again. But there was nothing I could do until I got that confirmation. We couldn't stay here.

"Lead the way." He gestured ahead of himself.

I gave a sardonic grin but walked toward the elevator with the others in tow.

SCOTT'S POV:

"Scott, how could let that happen?" Peter demanded once we got back to the house.

"I didn't let anything happen. She did it on her own."

Kira sighed. "We can sit here and blame Scott all we want, but it's not going to change the fact that she went after Deucalion all by herself. Either she's dead or he has her locked up."

Peter's phone went off. "I don't know about that."

"Huh?" Lydia asked.

He looked up and handed her the phone.

She stilled, then handed it to Kira.

What was on that phone?

Kira's lightning crackled in the sky. She shoved the phone to my chest, then stormed outside.

Lydia went after her.

I looked down at the screen and read the text from a foreign number.

Deucalion knows how to bring Kylie back. Prepare her for it. Don't come looking for me. I made a deal. - Malia

So she was alive. But she was with Deucalion now, was that it? That had to be it. If his reputation preceded him he wouldn't just bring Kylie back out of the kindness of her heart.

I handed the phone back to Peter. "You didn't bury her did you?"

He shook his head. "I couldn't."

I nodded. "Where should we take her?"

"Back to school." He started for the stairs. "The others got the apartment I bought for her ready. She can stay there with them in the meantime."

"What about Henry?"

Doesn't he deserve time with his daughter?

He looked at me with eyes unlike the ones I imagined so many times. "I don't think Henry can take that mentally. I'm going to take him to an associate who can help him process better than we can."

This was the plan. We didn't have to like it, but it was our only option at the moment. Deucalion had swept our feet from under us in so many ways. How much longer could this go on?

I wasn't a hundred percent, but I drove Lydia's car because I didn't think either of them was in any mental state to. If I focused on the road I didn't have to focus on Malia. Or the dead body in the trunk.

Explaining everything to the others was harder than I thought. We gathered at my apartment and after a week away it felt foreign somehow. I guess I got used to an actual home with loving parents and home cooked meals, decorated rooms, and family dinners.

Getting Kylie out of the trunk was the fun part. Lydia and Kira carried her up so if anyone asked she was really drunk and hopefully they wouldn't smell her decomposing body.

"I can't believe this is happening." Stiles ran his hands over his face.

Allison shook her head. "You should've stopped her." She paced until Stiles went to her and she fell into his chest.

"How?" I looked around the room at all of them. "How was I going to make her listen to me when it was her sister's life on the line?" My teeth grit together. "She would've done it for any of us."

Lydia stepped forward. "You did everything you could." Her hand rubbed my back.

We waited and waited with no change.

"How long can we keep her here before the humans notice the stench?" Liam asked.

"A few more hours," Peter answered as he walked through the door.

Allison and Stiles stilled.

"How's Henry?" I asked him to let them know for the time being this was okay.

He shut the door and met us. "As well as to be expected. I'm worried one more traumatic event will snap his mind."

My head nodded.

"We're going to figure this out, Scott." He said.

At the beginning of the semester if anyone had told me that Peter Hale and I would be in the same room agreeing on something, let alone talking I would've laughed. At the beginning of the semester, I would've killed him on sight. But things changed, I changed. Because of Malia.

Kylie gasped awake with wide green eyes. Confusion swept over her at the sight of us. Her gaze fell between Peter and me, then went to herself. "I don't...I don't understand."

I helped her up. "Let's get you settled, then we'll answer your questions."

She shook her head. "No, tell me now." She looked around for the one person that wasn't here. "Where's Lizzie?"

I didn't know how to tell her the news, so I just ripped the band-aid off.

She walked around in search of her.

"Kyle," My hands went to her shoulders to stop her. "Malia's not here. She did something to bring you back."

"Where is she?" Worry filled her eyes.

I had a feeling she already knew my answer before I spoke. "She went to kill Deucalion to avenge you and he manipulated her into joining him if he brought you back."

Her head shook. "No," She started to cry. "It can not be."

"I'm sorry."

She looked to Peter. "We have to get her back."

"And we will," He assured. "As soon as we can track them."

If Malia did it, surely we could do it too. They'd be smarter about it now, more on the defense. But I wasn't going to let her get away that easily. Especially not when she whispered those words to me when I kept fighting consciousness earlier

A/N: I hate to keep begging for reviews but I'd really appreciate it if more of yall left them. If you have suggestions leave them, concerns or questions. Do you like where it's headed? If not let me know.