PLEASE READ!
If you missed chapter 11 please go back and read that first because I am posting two chapters at once.
This one is much longer than the last.
Willow was awoken by the sound of her alarm going off the next morning. Vaguely she had the memory of plugging in her phone and crawling into bed the following night. As she rose out of the sheets the cold air hitting her naked skin she could already feel the irritation in her eyes from the crying she had done.
Though she wished nothing more than to crawl back into bed and let herself rest in a dreamless sleep she remembered that her alarm meant she only had half an hour to get ready for school.
She gently removed her feet from the mess of blankets and placed them on the floor. The ground seemed colder today than normal, or maybe that was just her current lack of clothes. Either way she got up out of bed and began dressing herself. She wasn't in the mood for anything fancy and settled on some jeans and a dark t shirt with a golden owl design on it. Willow wasn't going to bother with a shower today but she did decide to apply a little more makeup than usual to hide the tired and puffy feeling she had around her eyes. Finally she tied her hair up into a ponytail and went downstairs where she already knew Stiles was waiting for her.
She walked into the kitchen and sure enough Stiles sat with a bowl or cereal in front of him. His eyes widened slightly as he saw her walk in as though he wasn't expecting to see her at all today.
"Hey Will," Stiles said as he swallowed the rest of his food, "how are you feeling?"
"As best as I can be," She said simply as she placed a piece of bread into the toaster. "Have you talked to Scott this morning?"
She would be surprised if he hadn't. Scott and Stiles were like glue before she moved in. And Stiles seemed to keep him updated on everything that was going on. And likewise for Scott.
"I have but I haven't mentioned anything about what you said last night," Stiles explained.
"You didn't?" Willow was surprised at this.
"Its best that none of them know about it," Stiles said seriously, "at least not now."
By 'it' she could only assume he meant her inevitable decision to mate with one of them so that their mess of a problem could get solved already. It was nice of him to remind her of that not even an hour into the day.
Willow sighed. It was bound to come up at some point. She couldn't avoid thinking about it forever. Especially when she had an impossible decision to make soon or bad things were bound to happen. With her luck these alphas were bound to come sooner rather than later. And not only did she have to have a decision by then but she would have to be mated to said decision then to. Probably several times over to be sure her pheromones go back to normal.
Willow was so deep in thought over the whole situation that she nearly had a heart attack when her toast popped up.
"Are you going to be okay today?" Stiles asked her with puppy dog eyes and concern in his voice.
Willow couldn't help but smile at his worried tone. Out of all of the people that she had met Stiles was by far her favorite. She would even go as far to say a good friend.
"I should be fine," she grinned his way, "pills taken and everything."
He didn't seem all that convinced by her argument but he sighed and grinned shyly at her anyways. "We should get to school then."
Both of them hurried grabbing their things and headed out to the Jeep. They still had to stop and pick up Scott on the way. As they pulled in he was waiting for them in the driveway and hopped in the back quickly.
"You know I used to be Stiles shotgun," Scott said to her jokingly as Stiles started to pull out of the driveway and head for school. She couldn't help but giggle at his words.
"Sorry Mr. Spock but you have been relieved by Ms. Uhura," Stiles said with a fake serious tone as he made a turn towards the school.
"It's too early for StarWars references right now Stiles," Scott replied.
"Well it's Startrek I'll have you know and you need more culture in your life. I'm tired of you not getting any of my movie references," Stiles said in his top notch sarcastic tone.
"If we're having a movie night count me in," Willow said, "I've been severely deprived of many films on the reservation."
"How about this weekend?" Stiles asked as he pulled into a parking spot in front of the school.
"Sounds cool," Scott said as he and Willow both exited the cars and grabbed their book bags.
"Can't wait," Willow grinned at them, "I'll see you boys after school." With that she left the two of them to go to her locker.
It was cool that she'd get to hangout with the both of them this weekend and she could only imagine the line of movies that Stiles would plan for them. It would be a nice distraction from things, at least for a little while.
As Willow sat in English class though her mind started drifting less of fun times and movie and more of werewolves and virginity.
It had been foolish of her to come here not thinking there would be any trouble. Maybe she hadn't taken the legends as seriously as she should have. But now was it really all up to one decision? Really she wasn't seeing a whole lot of options. Either she mated with one of the werewolves she knew or waited around of this other alpha to pop up outta nowhere & do who knows what!? Did she want to be mated...no, but maybe she should start considering some of the ones she knew.
It wasn't that she was scared of the actual sex part….well maybe a little. But the thing that was freaking her out the most was that she would have to choose someone soon with whom to do it with. If they even wanted to do it at all! She'd worry about that last part later, the important thing now was actually deciding who it was that she might be willing to do the unspeakable deed with and be mated to them for the rest of her potential life.
As her classes switched from English to AP Chem instead of taking notes on the possible questions that were going to be on the final Willow found herself jotting down the names of the few werewolves she knew.
Scott, Derek, Jackson, Isaac, and Peter. How five names could mean such trouble she doubted anyone else in the world had that problem.
"Try not to overthink things, just focus on what you know and apply it to the steps to get the right answer," her teacher's voice drifted through her thoughts as he taught the lesson. And while she was sure he was talking about chemistry and applying what they know to the test she couldn't help but consider his words to her own situation.
Willow turned the page of her notebook and started on a fresh page, she quickly wrote down the names of all the wolves again but this time each of them had a bracket. If she was going to make a decision like this then she had to think through everything, and she meant everything.
So plus' of choosing Scott, he's a good guy. She wrote a quick little 'good' on the left side of Scott's bracket. Another plus, he's a friend. She made another little jot in Scotts bracket as she continued to think about him. He was an all round good guy and she could tell that he could have a lot of potential as a werewolf and maybe a mate. And even though he hadn't known her long she got the feeling that he kinda cared for her, or she could say he didn't dislike her. But there was the fact that he was almost two years younger than her, probably the youngest out of any of them. He's already been through so much at his age did she really want to add to it by asking him to be mated to her? But Deaton and Stiles both seem to agree that Scott is the best choice. But are they saying that because they like him or because they really think that?
Not to mention that Scott has only ever had one real relationship before. That was still more than her but they did just break up not to long ago. If she were him she might still have some residual feelings for that person.
As the bell rang and Willow realized that she had wasted another class period she looked down at the notes she had made of Scott on her notebook. For the most part Scotts bracket seemed to be fairly even. At least with all of the positives and negatives that she could think of in class.
In math class Willow found herself glancing over at Jackson more than she thought as she started to add to his list in her notes. He was good looking so that was a plus but he was also kind of a prick so that was a minus. But he does seem to have more experience in dating than Scott does. She definitely couldn't say he wasn't a good kisser.
That little kiss they shared in the utility room was more than hot. And he had been so gentle with her, at least out of all of the sudden attacks she had previously faced. And he had the decency to apologize for it. But he was also the newest werewolf in the group of them and that meant he could be unpredictable. Stiles had also mentioned him moving over summer, which could be a positive or negative depending on how you look at it.
It could be positive because she would never have to see him more than necessary, but from what she's heard about mating if you're away from your mate to long it can become unbearable. Even if you don't like them that much you would always feel this draw to go back to them. And Willow wasn't sure she had those kinds of funds to go visit him every so often so she wouldn't feel that way.
And if she was to choose Jackson that wouldn't help with the alpha problem the others faced in the future. Jacksons list was looking a few more negatives than positives but that didn't mean she could rule him out just yet.
As that class ended and she went to lunch to eat with her friends her eyes kept drifting down to her notebook as she chewed on her grilled cheese sandwich. Heather, Allie, and the other girls talking about the typical boys and their upcoming tests. Willows thoughts were too engrossed in the next werewolf on the list to even listen.
Derek, he was an alpha so she guessed that would be a plus right? He was strong, or so she's heard from Scott and Stiles she hoped she wouldn't have to figure that out first hand. He should have the most control out of any of them because of his experience. He's handsome, well handsome would be downplaying it but she didn't have the room for 'super mega sexy, lather me up in whip cream, deadly hot,' in his bracket. She had to start thinking of some negatives here before she started drooling in her food.
One, he seemed the least friendly out of all of them. Actually his exact words were 'get outta here,' so he definitely wasn't getting winning personality. Maybe he was warning her for her own good but it seemed to her like just didn't want another problem to deal with.
This was so confusing, she felt like her brain might explode from thinking too hard if that was possible.
She needed to sit down.
She was sitting down.
Honestly how was she supposed to deal with this? It's not like she could go to just anyone for some advice. Or could she?
"Hey I've got a question for you," Willow piped up and the other girls drew their attention to her, "let's just say, for fun, you had to screw one of five guys you just met? How would you go about choosing?
"Depends," Allie asked her with a grin seeming to jump at the question, "They all hot?"
"Yeah," Willow chuckled thinking vaguely about the boys, "they're all hot."
"Can I get some details," Katie, who sits at their table asked, "ages, height, personality, some specifics so I know what we're dealing with." The other girls nodded in agreement.
"Uh two would be a year younger." Willow thought of a brief description of the boys without giving too much away, "Both are jocks but ones an artist on the side and the other is really popular. One is two years younger but he's the friendliest out of all of them. One is a little older in his 20's and he looks like a walking god but kinda moody. And the last is the oldest, kinda mysterious and partly evil."
They all laughed at that last part not knowing that Willow was entirely speaking the truth. She hadn't even really thought about Peter but maybe it was best to include him in. Five options sounded a little better than four anyway.
"I'd go for the god, you gotta love a good god," Allie said with a smirk.
"No way, definitely the artist." Katie said, "It means he has a sensitive side."
"I think you're all forgetting that evil means he's the kinkiest out of the others." Emma, another girl, commented.
"But Willow said he's like older," Allie said to Emma, "How old are we talking her Will? Like grandpa or the refined with age kind?"
"Uh he would probably be late thirties," she thought to the last time she even saw Peter, "Aged very well."
"See, no problem," Emma said to Katie.
"But you like just met all of them right," Heather chipped into the conversation, "wouldn't you want some kind of emotional attachment?"
"Not if it's just for a quick screw," Katie said, "then it doesn't matter. Or are we talking long term here?"
"Uh, I guess I was thinking more long term," Willow said trying to play off her nervousness with a chuckle.
"See that makes it harder than," Heather said, "I would just go with my first instinct of them then, your first instinct is almost always right. At least that's what Ms. Ramirez said in Spanish when we were going over our test"
The bell for lunch had sounded and everyone began collecting their things to go to their next class.
"That was a fun game Willow," Katie said with a wave as she ran off to her classroom.
Willow smirked at her comment. If only they really knew. She didn't get a lot out of asking them but she sure felt better. It was nice having people to talk to.
If anything Heather's comment was probably the most helpful. Her first instinct? She thought back to the first time she met most of them. Was it fear or was it more cautious? She could recall her first meeting with Scott and Stiles, they had both been really nice asking coach to let her play with the team. And her first real meeting with Jackson was his attempt at hitting on her. If anything he came off as kinda pushy but not a bad guy. When she first met Derek he reeked of alpha but in a super sexy kinda way. And Isaac was there too, a typical beta, seemed very loyal. But Peter, she had only had that first meeting with him at the party, he was curious. And he seemed to know the most out of any of them what was actually going on with her. But he also gave her a bad vibe from that moment in the hunters trap.
Her brain hurt so much from thinking about all of this. At least gym class gave her a small window to just run and focus more on the activity at hand instead of sitting at a desk. Stiles and Scott had met her outside of the locker room where they all proceeded to run endless laps in gym class with no breaks because of some kid named Greenburg that coach Finstock really didn't seem to like to much. By the end even her and Scott were tired and breathing heavy while Stiles and many others from their class had passed out from exhaustion after lap fifteen.
They were all still breathing heavy by the time they made it to History. With Scott practically carrying Stiles to his seat so he wouldn't be tardy. The next hour was spent splitting off into groups to study for the upcoming final. And of course she scooted together with Scott and Stiles.
"Uhhhgggg," Stiles moaned, "I can't feel my face." His head was in his books and his arms dragged over the desk in a lifeless position. "So this is the end, this is how I die."
"No dying in my class Mr. Stilinski," Mr. Spiner said in a sarcastic tone walking by the group to make sure they were all studying.
Willow giggled into her book and looked at Scott with a grin that he returned as Stiles suddenly livened up and grabbed his book with a 'yes sir.'
"Man I hope I pass this class," Scott said suddenly eyeing his book with doubt in his eyes. He seemed to be looking over the last chapter and trying to match it up to his notes.
"We better," Stiles said worriedly, "I've been telling my dad almost everyday that I've been at your house studying for this thing."
Willow let out another giggle as she pulled out the study guide from her binder. "Let's just follow the guide and we can study more before movies this weekend. We should all do fine."
Scott and Stiles reluctantly agreed and they all began to go over the questions. For the most part keeping her mind on the questions and the boys antics of distraction managed to keep her mind off of the whole mating thing. But every so often when she was looking at Scott her mind would slip into making a very harsh decision.
When that class ended she found herself in her last class. Willow really loved her art class. Her teacher was really nice and there wasn't a lot of restrictions. She also liked to turn on the oldies station which she totally approved of. She wasn't the best at art but she wasn't the worst either.
She got working on her final almost immediately as they only had until next week to finish it. It was literally just a charcoal self portrait and while others goofed off with their Willow really wanted to put the right amount of effort into hers.
As she drew and smudge the charcoal to the right shades her eyes wandered over to Isaac who was currently looking at the mirror next to his art stand to try and get the right details in his portrait.
He wasn't a bad looking guy, and he was the closest to her age.
Willow quickly pulled out her notebook and wrote those two in his positives bracket. She thought a little harder to try and come up with something else.
They both enjoy art so that is a plus. But he is also a newer werewolf too.
Willow tried to think harder about some of the things Stiles had told her about Isaac but he honestly didn't tell her much other than he was on the lacrosse team with them. Isaac was more of a mystery to her than any of them actually.
"Everything okay Willow," Mrs. Barak asked her coming over to check out her portrait.
"Yeah," Willow said quickly hiding her notebook. "Uh what do you think I should do for my hair, it being black and all?" She asked her gesturing to the blank shape in the drawing Willow had left for her hair to go later.
"Well even black hair has some shades Willow," Mrs. Barak said, "but if you go dark and then use a white charcoal pencil for definition I think it'll turn out nicely."
"Oh that's a good idea thanks," she said with a grin and waited for her to leave before pulling out her notebook again. Maybe a notebook was to conspicuous, she thought and ripped out the page with the boys on it to stuff it in her pocket.
After class had ended and she put her things away she bumped into Isaac as he was returning his easel to the right spot.
"Uh Willow," he said to her, "Is it okay if I talk to you?"
This was odd, he had never really approached her before. At least not in a friendly manor. Her mind quickly flashed to the last time they were left alone. But didn't she just think about this? He was the only one she hadn't really talked to yet, not including Peter. And he was on her list of potential mates. If she was to get anywhere she had to at least talk to the guy right?
"Uh sure," she said back. "Outside or-?"
"Is the back stairwell okay?" He asked, "I don't really want anyone else to hear."
"Oh uh, I don't know Isaac-?" she said nervously. She didn't want to seem too trusting, she had done that enough already.
"I promise it's nothing bad," he said back quickly, "I just wanna get this off my chest."
"Oh uh," he was giving her those sad eyes again. The ones that make your heart hurt, nothing at all like the hungry sexual look he had given her the other day. No this one was much more sincere. "Sure." She said finally.
He smiled slightly at her acceptance and once they had both gathered their things he lead her down the hallway and opened a door to a back stairway that Willow didn't even know about. He held the door for her and she walked in seeing why he picked this stairwell, it was deserted. She turned to him quickly expecting something terrible to happen next as it usually does when she's in these types of situations but he merely walked in after her and shut the door leaning on it with a sigh as he seemed to be struggling for words.
"I-," He started and then stopped again. Whatever he had to tell her it was eating him up inside. But she didn't want to push him, if she did he might never tell her. She decided to be patient with him as he struggled with his words for another minute.
"I'm really sorry," he blurted out suddenly.
"Wha-?," she started but was cut off.
"For what I did the other day, I didn't mean it!" he said with wide eyes, "I just kept thinking about you all class period and I thought I was okay until you came back. And then you knew and I-I just couldn't stop!"
"Isaac," she said back through his stammering. "It's okay, I know you couldn't control it. I don't think it was your fault."
"You don't?" he said back confused but got another serious look in his eye, "No you shouldn't forgive me, I hurt you, I-I touched you-"
"Isaac, it's okay," she said reaching out to try and give him a reassuring pat.
"No!" He said sharply and swatted her hand away turning his gaze to the side. Willow felt a little hurt at that but looking at him she couldnt be angry. He had gotten so emotional all of a sudden. But why? She had forgiven the others and they had all seemed okay with it.
"I can't-!" Isaac tried to say something again but he kept cutting his sentences short. His eyes were becoming pink as if he was trying to hold something back from them and he started to lean more on the wall for support. His mouth kept opening and closing making small choking sounds as he was verbally having trouble getting the words out.
"Isaac," she said softly taking a step forward and crouching down so that she could be in his downward vision. "Why isn't it okay?"
"I said I wouldn't-," he choked on his words again, "I said I would never hurt anyone like he had."
"Like who Isaac?" She asked softly as she reached up to touch his cheek ever so softly to be sure not to get swatted away again.
"My-my dad," Isaac stuttered out, "He used to hurt her all the time."
Just like that Willows heart dropped and she looked around quickly to make sure that no one was in the stairwell with them before turning her attention back to Isaac. He looked back at her with sad eyes, she thought they were starting to water. She silently cursed the man in her head for making him feel this way. She may have been the less favorite from her father but he never hurt her of her mother physically. He was a hard guy to get along with but this...this made her blood boil.
"When she was gone he hurt me instead, I wish he had just hurt me from the beginning," he said back in a low voice with a slight ring of hostility.
He then turned to her with wide eyes on the brink of tears, "I said I would never hurt anyone like he did but I didn't, I hurt you."
"No," she said back sweetly placing her other hand on his cheek so his face was in her hands. "You didn't hurt me."
He had left a slight bruise on her arm later but nothing her coyote genes didn't clear up within the hour. She couldn't blame him for anything, not after she had been so careless with her actions and pheromones.
She swept his blond hair out of his face to get a better look at him. The closest in age maybe but right now he seemed to be barely a boy. One whose had to deal with too much in this lifetime already.
"That's what she would say," Isaac said back defensively, "But I felt it, I grabbed you and you tried to get away but I wouldn't let you."
"It's not like I didn't like it at first," she said thinking back. Her pheromones had been just as bad and if they had continued any further there's no doubt that she would have let him do what they were both craving. It was only to Stiles quick thinking that got them both out of it.
"But it's still my fault I-"
"Hey," she said back quickly cutting him off from anymore self blame. "If it's anyone's fault it's mine for coming here and starting all this in the first place."
"But if I-," he tried again.
"No, no, Jackson and Scott have both done the same thing and if I can forgive them don't you think I can forgive you too? Or are you any different than them?" She said back stubbornly.
"No, but yes I-!"
"Isaac," she said grabbing his attention again, "I forgive you, for everything, even the parts that weren't your fault." He looked at her with a flabbergasted expression and the self loathing in his eyes started to fade. "Can we just be friends now?" She asked him with a slight chuckle in her voice and a soft smile.
He looked to the floor but started to stand up straightly. He didn't look at her but offered her his hand to pull her up from the ground, which she accepted.
"I can't believe you held that in for so many days," she said jokingly, "that must have been eating you apart."
"It was kinda," he said back with a grin. He looked so sweet with his hair slightly ruffled and a blush coming on his cheeks. He looked up blinking at her then suddenly his expression changed again. "But hey have you decided who your choosing yet?"
"What!?" She asked back totally shocked. "How did you? When did you?" She didn't remember telling him any of that?
"During lunch, I heard you and your friends and I assumed we were who you meant," Isaac said back like it was plain as day.
"Oh man," Willow smacked herself in the forehead. How could she be so dumb? Did all the others hear as well?
"Don't worry, its just me," Isaac said back almost reading her mind. "And Stiles I'm assuming?"
"Yeah, Stiles knows," she sighed back.
"If Scott or Jackson heard they didn't say anything. But they were having their own conversations at the time." He said back reassuringly.
"I didn't want anyone to know yet," she said with a sigh. At least it was only Isaac and not the others just yet, "at least not until I was more settled on an answer."
"I promise I won't tell anyone," Isaac said, "That is if you promise not to…"
"I wouldn't tell anyone anyway," Willow said back defensively. What Isaac had gone through was serious and traumatizing. She thought she had a bad past but having to deal with that kind of abuse your whole life? Maybe she and Isaac had more in common than she first thought.
"We better get you out to Stiles before he starts to worry." Just as Isaac says this Willows phone starts to buzz in her pocket. "That would be him I'm guessing."
Willow pulled her phone out of her pocket but unlike Stiles as she was expecting the name on her contacts read her boss Phil.
"Not always spot on Lahey," she said back cheekily with a wink as she pressed the answer on her phone. He gave her a shy boyish grin back. "This is Willow."
"Willow since you answered I guess your out of school?" She heard Phil's voice ask her on the other end.
"Just got done actually, you need me?" She asked but she already knew the answer, why else would he be calling her?
"Just got a few oil changes we could use your help with. I swear all these people come in at once." Phil replied in a grumpy tone.
"I'll get a friend to drop me off and be there in twenty." She said back simply. She heard and agreeable grunt at the other end and took that as her cue to hang up.
"I didn't know you had a job?" Isaac asked questionably as he opened the staircase door for her to walk through. No doubt he heard Phil's part of the conversation on her cellphone.
"Part-time," she said as they both started walking down the hallway to their lockers. "Runaways don't have a lot of funds."
"Don't I know it," Isaac said with a chuckle. Willow could only assume that was a story for another time.
After Willow had gotten her things and met her two boys at the front she had convinced Stiles to drop her off at Phil's for the evening. He was reluctant at first but with some convincing he agreed to let her stay at work so long as she kept her cellphone on her.
Honestly when Stiles became her dad she will never know. But he was sweet and honestly probably the best friend she's ever had. He's known her what? A week now? And already he's like her brother. And the few times she's hung with Scott she's gotten the same vibe from him too.
She hopes that they stay like this. That they're always best friends and they always look out for each other and the people around them. And that they don't have to get too involved in this alpha business in the future so they can both be safe.
"Just call me if you need a ride home," Stiles says seriously as she exits the car. Scott gives her a high five as he passes he to take his old spot as Stiles shotgun.
"Yes sir," she solutes and he rolls his eyes at her. "But seriously I'll have someone in the shop drive me back. It's no big deal."
"Just call us if something comes up," Scott smiles at her as he cuts of Stiles from what probably would have been another rant.
She waves them both goodbye as they drive off and turns to go into the shop. This time she has an idea of what's expected and goes into the backroom to change out of her school clothes into a jumpsuit. This time though instead of borrowing one of the other boys she sees a shiny new jumpsuit hanging near a vacant locker. As she goes to inspect she notices the white name badge on the chest of the suit with her name in cursive embroidered on it.
Well Phil did say he was going to get her one. She smiled and started to take off her current clothes to put on her new jumpsuit that would undoubtedly be stained with oil by the end of her shift. Just how she liked it.
As Willow took off her jeans though she noticed the small piece of folded paper that fell from her pocket. As she got the rest of her jumpsuit on she reached over to grab it from the floor and unfolded it.
That's right, she took her list from her notebook and put it in her pocket. She had forgotten all about it. Surprisingly, how could someone forget something so huge.
Willow looked for a pocket in her new attire but didn't see any. So she settled for slipping the paper in between her bra strap to be sure she wouldn't lose it.
She got out of the room and went talk to Ben, the only other guy in charge of the garage besides Phil, what he wanted her to do. He went ahead and told her to help the red van with its oil change why he broke the bad news to some poor guy that his muffler needs replaced.
She got to work immediately and didn't even have time to think about anything else in her life other than the car in front of her as she finished with one it was replaced by another and another. She knew Phil and Ben were just giving her the grunt work but still do all of these people wait until the exact same day to get their dang oil changed?
Not that she really minded too much, at least it was something she enjoyed doing and would get an actual paycheck for. She could think of far less flattering jobs that were available for someone with her time and experience.
"Hey Willow," Phil called to her as she drove her last oil change out of the garage and gave the keys back to their owner. "Could you take a look at this guy's audi? Says he thinks there's some kinda leek under the car."
"Yeah, no problem," Willow said taking the keys from him and turning to the parking lot to look for the car. And man did she find it. Phil said it was an Audi but not an Audi R8!? Holy shit this was a nice car.
"Ooohhhhh," she could barely contain her excitement as she when over to pull the thing in the garage. She was careful though to whip both her hands on the front of her jumper to make sure she didn't get any oil on the car. It was a shiny silver that looked freshly washed so she didn't want to leave any prints. The whole thing literally lite up as she sat in the front seat, and the console looked like a fricken spaceship. She knew she had to be grinning from ear to ear as she pulled it into the garage and raised it just enough to that she could skate under it with a flashlight to look for the leak.
The most obvious place she looked was over by the fuel but she didn't spot anything so she looked over by the Anti-freeze but nothing was over there either. She got out from under the car to check under the hood and see if the wiper fluid was okay and that looked fine as well. Not a problem with the oil, in fact it looks like it was changed just yesterday. And not the transmission fluid either.
She let out a sigh and a scratch at her head as she went under the car again looking for something she might have missed.
She heard footsteps and saw a shadow walking towards her and the car. Probably Phil or Ben wondering what her diagnosis was on the car. They were supposed to close soon and she needed to hurry with some kind of reply. Dammit, the only cool car she sees all night and she can't even figure out what's wrong with the damn thing. It didn't look like anything was leaking and the check engine light wasn't on, so what was she missing?
"Having trouble?" a smooth voice asked her from where the shadow was. She knew it wasn't Phil or Ben from the voice but if that didn't help the expensive looking shoes and the blue jeans were a dead give away.
Willow rolled herself out from under the car, one arm still on the edge of the car to hold her steady so she didn't go flying out from how fast she slide out. Looking down smugly at her was none other than public werewolf number one, Peter Hale.
"What are you doing here?" she asked him partially annoyed as she got up from the dolly. Not realizing that standing up put her a step closer to him she took an automatic step back.
"Hoping to get my car fixed," he said in a very sarcastic tone, "did you happen to figure out what's wrong with it?"
"Nothings wrong with it as far as I can tell," she said back with a sting in her voice, "but you knew that already didn't you?"
She eyed him cautiously, trying to remember everything Stiles and Scott had told her about the guy. Her last memory of him was when they had all went running through the forest after her little mishap. He had looked different then. Maybe it was the werewolf part of him, or maybe it was just because it was dark out but he seemed more normal than before. His hair was a rather dirty blond color that was combed back and he had light scruff on his face in the shape of a goatee. He was in plain blue jeans that hung to him very well, with nice shoes that were definitely not meant to be in a car garage where who knows what could get on them. And a white V-neck.
These damn werewolves and their damn V-necks. They were going to be the death of her, with or without pheromones.
Willow suddenly realized that she had been staring too long and looked up at him to see him grinning at her. Busted.
"You can never be too careful," he said very sarcastic again, "cant have a guy like me breaking down on the side of the road. Could be dangerous."
"Yeah for the people who stop I'm sure," she replies back smugly.
He looks at her rather taken aback by her reply to him. The guy looks at her up and down seemingly checking her out. The fact that she had been doing the same thing not moments before set her pride aside to allow it silently. He chuckled to himself lightly before looking her in the eye once more.
"So I guess someone's been telling rumors about the big bad wolf?" he asked her with a smirk.
"Never heard anything about big," she emphasized the last word thoughtfully hoping he would get the sudden joke on his manly pride, "but I did hear plenty rumors about a bad wolf."
"Oh I'm plenty big darling," he smirked, "Bad? I guess that's for you to decide."
She pursed her lips at that comment. This guy certainly had a way with words that's for sure. And his confidence was practically radiating off of him.
Willow turned from him to hit the button that lowered his car. The lift was loud and so even if he tried to say anything she wouldn't hear him. She looked at him though as he had the same smug look on his face. When the car landed in place, Willow grabbed the keys from her tool set.
"Here's your keys," she said tossing them to him which he caught with one hand, "and thank you for using Phil's Auto Shop." She turned to walk away from him to walk to the backroom. "Your bill for the diagnosis will be at the front."
"Now hey," she heard him say and then suddenly he was in front of her blocking her path. Damn werewolf speed. "Now that doesn't seem very fair. The other boys get to see you almost everyday and I have to show up at your work just to talk to you."
"You really didn't," she said back stubbornly. From what the others said this guy really spelled danger. She should call Scott and Stiles to get her now.
"Oh come on," He said in a softer tone and took a step towards her, "I'm really not a bad guy once you get to know me."
"That's about the opposite of what I've heard," she said and stood her ground against him. The last thing she wanted to do was back down to a former alpha. That would make her seem to submissive.
"Isn't that for you to decide yourself," he said as he was now a step away from her. He raised his hand and she almost thought he was going to hit her so she blinked for the impact but she didn't feel on. Instead she felt a small warm pat on her shoulder from where he placed his hand in a gentle manor. "I'm just asking that we talk for a little bit."
Well he wasn't asking to take her into the backroom for some sexy time. And he sure seemed sincere enough. But she couldn't just forget about what everyone else told her. This guy had killed people, family, all for power. Granted he was in a coma and did have a right to kill some of those people but still. He also used Stiles girlfriend Lydia and Derek to revive himself from the dead. At least, that's what Stiles said.
She had never even heard of such magic before. Never in her wildest dreams had she ever even dreamed it possible. But here he was standing before her when he should in fact be dead.
"Willow I'm closing the garage soon!" Phil shouted at her from the front.
"shot," Willow weaved her way around Peter and walked back to her toolbox to shove some of her stuff away and get it in the right place. Next time she could really use a five minute warning. She hurried placing her things away before hustling into the back room firmly shutting the door behind her. She took her time changing back into her school clothes and putting her uniform into the locker that was now hers. If she took long enough than surely he would get bored and go away.
She was half expecting Peter though to be waiting for her outside the door but he wasn't. His car was out of the garage and the door was closed too, he must have left. Most of the garage lights were out and she didn't hear anyone. Phil wasn't kidding when he said soon.
"Phil!?" she called but heard nothing. She went over to the front room where she thought he might be but most things seemed turned off. As she stepped around to the front door she spotted a key on the counter with a green sticky note by it with her name on it.
Lock up, Phil
That was all the note said. Willow was honored that Phil trusted her enough to give her a key after only working here a few days. But flattery soon turned to dread as she realized she forgot to ask Phil for a ride. She let out a sigh and fished her phone out of her pocket to call Stiles as she went out the front door and locked it behind her with her newfound key.
The headlights in the parking lot caught her attention though as she looked closer to see a figure leaning on the hood of his car. That totally gorgeous car.
"What are you still doing here?" she asked Peter walking up to him her arms crossed over her chest. Partially in anger and partially because it was a chilly night out.
"I told your boss, Phil, that I would give you a ride home," he stated getting up from the car. "Told him I was a friend of yours."
"Yeah, well you're not." Willow said angrily as she walked around him and his car.
"A friend or giving you a ride?" he asked her as she walked past.
"Both," she said in a cheeky remark as she walked out to the road. She pulled out her phone again to bring up Stiles contact.
"I'm not going to drive you to an abandoned Inn, I was going to take you back to the Stilinski's," he explained in an annoyed tone, "I was hoping we could grab dinner on the way too?"
The thought of food made Willows stomach growl loudly. She hadn't had anything to eat since lunch and she was starving. The wind blew through Willows hair reminding her infact how cold it was out tonight and that she would have to wait a solid twenty minutes for Stiles to drive out to get her.
"...you buying?" she asked not turning from the road incase she had to make a break for it.
"Yep," she heard him answer and a car door open with a ding. She turned around to see Peter holding the passenger door for her. The inside of his car lite up and she could almost feel the heat coming from the vents.
She bit the inside of her lip thoughtfully and considered all of her options before taking that first step and moving her body forward towards the car. She eyed him with a slight growl at her lips as she walked up to the passenger seat that he still held the door to. She gave him a look that spelled 'don't fucking mess with me,' before she slid into the seat. Her body already feeling warmer and more comfortable than outside. He closed the door after her and walked around to the driver's side before sliding in himself.
Willow turned and locked her seat belt into place. She would never really need it if they got into an accident, but she still felt safer with it on.
Peter had rested his hand on the shift and revved up the engine slightly. And if she was a cat she swears she would have purred at that sound. Holy hell, the sound this car was making was giving her chills.
She looked to Peter as she waited for him to put it in drive and she saw him glancing at her before he turned his attention back ahead and put the car into drive. As he drove out onto the road, they sat in silence for about a solid minute before he reached over and turned on the radio. A smooth song from the 60s turned on. And Willow grinned at his choice of stations.
"Remind you of a simpler time?" she joked.
"How old do you kids think I am? You make it sound like I'm from the stone age." he said back in a very sarcastic tone. He talked this way so often Willow was wondering if that was his normal tone or if he was just sarcastic 24/7.
"Old enough," she said back with a cocky grin.
"Yeah well I'm not for your information," he said back, "I'm only a few years older than Derek."
"Whatever you say," she chuckled and directed her attention on the road. She should be nice to the guy who was giving her a lift back to Stiles, but it was a little more fun to annoy him. She just had to be careful not to push to hard should his homicidal side pop out.
They had driven another five minutes all the while Willow listened to the engine. The car vibrated from 570 horsepower and every time he laid on the gas she got shivers. She longed for him to turn down one of the roads out of town and kick this baby into fourth gear. Music blaring, windows down, and going no slower than 80 mph, that was how she would drive.
Before long though Peter started to slow down and pull into a diner. It didn't look very busy but they must have just missed the dinner rush. He parked and moved to get out of the car.
"Wait," he said quickly. Willow stilled and sat back in place with a questionable look. Where they just getting dinner now? Peter had opened his door and gotten out of the car walking over to her side and opening her door. "Now," he said with a cocky grin.
"Uh okay," she said nervously getting out of the car. She had to take a step back so he could close the door behind her, but she was close enough to smell him. He smelled like pure breed werewolf, with an under layer of musk and...pie? No maybe that was the diner.
He directed her into the diner and lead her to a booth with barely looking at a waitress for permission. She took the seat across from him as he flagged down a waitress.
"Good afternoon," said a woman most likely in her 40s wearing an apron with the diners logo on it, "here's our menu, would you like a minute while I get your drinks?"
"No need," Peter said swiping both of the menus and handing them back to her before Willow had a chance to look at them, "Well both have water to drink. Start us off with your soup of the day, followed by the house special, also a salad with eggs, bacon, and mushrooms. We'll also take a slice of that apple pie we smell."
Willow could only stare as the waitress smiles and took the menus from him telling him their order would be out soon. After she left Peter unrolled his napkin from his silver and made a show of shaking it out to put on his lap. His gaze would often shift to her but he didn't make a sound until the waitress had come back with their water and he started taking out his straw.
"What?" he asked.
Willow bit the inside of her lip again to stop herself from saying something insulting about ordering for herself and all that. He obviously knew what he was asking for when he ordered for both of them. Instead she settled for something simpler. "How did you know I wanted the pie?"
"You and I both smelled it the second we pulled up," he answered simply, "but if you don't want your I'd be happy to eat it."
"No, that's fine," she said back quickly. Never pass up free pie. Never.
This guy was beginning to be something else though. He was smart that was for sure, and highly observant. He obviously had major control over his werewolf half. To sense where her aim of smell was directed was some high level stuff. She had only ever seen the elders with that detailed of a sixth sense. She needed to be careful, he may be one of the weakest at the moment but he was definitely the smartest. He did manipulate her into coming with him after all. Not that she fought much at the mention of free food. Still, she shouldn't turn her back.
"I've been coming to this place since I was a kid," he explained, "haven't had a chance to come back for a while but I'm sure their menus the same."
"Yeah I'm sure being dead can do that," she said back critically.
He grinned back at her with a raised eyebrow. If she said that smug look of his did not look attractive though she would be lying. "Having trust issues are we?"
"Why should I trust you?" she asked him seriously as she crossed her arms.
He looked away from her as though he was considering her question. When he turned back his hands were placed on the table in front of her and he leaned in closer across the table. "Because I promise to never lie to you. Im sure by now you have some speculation of me. Whatever you ask I won't lie."
She considered his words carefully. He couldn't be telling the truth could he? Seems rather redundant if he wasn't. Still if he was, it was a prime opportunity to ask him.
"Is it true you killed your niece to become alpha?" She already knew the answer but it was a test after all.
He looked at her seriously before answering, "yes."
"And that you turned Scott into a werewolf?" she asked.
"It is," he said with a slight grin. "Not that I'm sure he doesn't appreciate it now."
"You're not really helping your case," Willow said back.
"Here's your soup and salad," Willow nearly jumped at the waitresses voice as she placed the food in front of them.
The soup looked like some sort of tortilla kind, and although Willow wasn't a big salad person that looked just as good. He mouth was literally watering and her stomach growled with hunger at the sight. She waited for all of two seconds before grabbing her fork and almost inhaling her salad.
"Younger werewolves are bottomless pits," she heard Peter say across from her. She raised her eyes from her salad bowl to look at him. "I thought coyotes might be the same."
"You thought right," she muttered through her last bit of salad, pushing the bowl away and grabbing her spoon to start on the soup. Her gaze turned down again.
"What's this?" he asked. And she saw a hand shoot out quickly towards her chest. She was about to get up and start yelling about sexual harassment but his hand was already receding back. And she watched him start to unfold a piece of paper in his hands.
"No thats-!" Willow had started and tried to bolt across the table, hand outstretched towards the paper. She had completely forgotten about it. The paper with her list on it, of course he would have spotted it now that she was out of her uniform.
"Taking notes are we," he spoke as his eyes roamed over the paper. She prepared herself for a sudden outburst but to her surprise he only looked amused at her list.
"Well from what you have so far it looks like Scotts your best bet," he said back sarcastically, "but there is that whole him being the youngest thing, why is mine empty?"
"Because you're not really a candidate," she snapped back.
"Well that doesn't seem very fair," he said back in a cheeky tone. "Especially since you don't seem to have many options on who your choosing."
"How did you know-?" she started.
"Well why else would you be making a list?" he cut her off. He leaned back in his seat folding his arms, "My guess is Derek told you what's coming and now you're panicking because whatever you've been taking isn't going to help with this."
"How did you know I've been taking something?" Willow asked defensively.
"You smell different, something chemical coming off of you masking your scent." he said simply.
Willow had to bite her lip to stop her jaw from popping open. "How could you smell that? The others hadn't even noticed until I told them."
He grinned slightly at this. "Well like you said," he leaned forward and took a sip from his water, "I am older."
"And here's your meals," said the happy voice of the waitress as she began placing more food in front of them. Willow nearly jumped from the interruption into the intense situation but all the while her eyes never left Peter's form.
"Thank you darling," Peter said smoothly placing his napkin on his lap, "Do you suppose I could borrow that pen you have there?" he asked the waitress. She grinned and handed his one of the pens she had in her apron as he returned her kindness with a flirtatious wink and a thank you making her blush slightly and walk away.
"Now let's take some notes shall we," Peter said directing his attention at her again and dragging the piece of notebook paper in front of him. "Positives, I can think of a few. Charismatic for one, charming, sexy." He began writing things down under his bracket.
"How about narcissistic," she jumped in finding her voice again, "ex alpha, homicidal?"
She watched his eye twitch slightly at her comment but his cool demeanor returned quickly.
"Now how come I get Narcissistic but Derek gets Experienced? If you want experience dear I can show you all you need." His last comment was dripping with sexual innuendo.
Of course when she put Experience in Derek's column she had put it meaning experience as a werewolf, but Peter had no way of knowing that.
"I'm sure I'm fine," she said back coldly, "don't forget Old Man in that category too."
Willow finally looked down at the food in front of her. Looked to be a salisbury steak, with mashed potatoes, and corn bread. Dang it...she loved corn bread.
She grabbed her fork again and started eating. The mashed potatoes melting on her tongue just right and the steak hot and juicy.
If the guy was paying then she was going to get all she could out of this meal. She had never known that it would come with an extra serving of sass and sarcasm.
She could feel his eyes on her for a minute while she ate but after a moment he put the list he was holding besides him and started on his own meal. They ate mostly in silence, side their forks hitting the plate.
Why did he really bring her here? If he was as bad as the others say then it wasn't without hostile purpose. He was probably just trying to get on her good side. So far he hadn't said anything to bad to her, flirtatious yes, but not bad. He had offered her a ride, opened her door, offered to buy dinner. He had been nothing but a gentleman all night. But there was still that lingering voice in her head. Whether it came from her own voice or the guys she didn't know yet. What she needed to do is start asking more questions.
Willow finished her meal and set her plates on the end of the table for the waitress to collect. She placed her fork in front of her and took a big drink of water before setting it down and turning her attention to Peter working up the nerve.
"What is it you want from me?" she asked him in a low tone. There were other customers so she was sure no one would hear them but she couldn't be too careful.
Peter ignored her for a solid second as he continued eating. "Don't you know it's rude to talk to people while their eating?" she said back.
Willow bit her lip again and scoffed at him turned her head away. She rested her head on her hand in a pouty manner as she waited for him to be done with his meal. She swore he ate even slower as she angrily waited. He took extra time to set all of his plates aside before speaking.
"I want you to choose me," he said simply while taking his napkin from his lap to while off his face.
"Wait what!?" she could have swore she heard his wrong. Her full attention was on him now.
"You heard me," he said looking at her seriously now. "I want you to choose me."
Again their conversation was split up as the waitress came to collect their plates and drop off their order of pie. All the while Willows gaze was locked firmly on his trying to find some sense of reason behind his mad words.
"And just why would I do that?" she said back spitefully. This guy had to be crazy if he thought she would pick him after everything. He may have been nice to her today but that was no reason to jump into bed with the guy.
"Because we both need each other," he said back logically, "you need a mate to protect you from the alphas and I'm your best option." She barely had time to chuckle at that comment before he continued. "I'm a better fighter than any of the others, I trained Derek on combat," he stated. "I'm a direct descendant from the Hale line, who used to be one of the strongest packs in the country. I may be older but wolves age differently than humans, so I'll still be like this for the next 50 years. You'll want for nothing with me, anything you want I can give to you. With the boost of power you possess in you I could easily get rid of the alphas and you or the rest of your friends wouldn't have to worry anymore. You don't need to love me, if you want to leave after the alphas are gone that's fine with me too. If you want to stay for whatever reason than you would always have a place by my side. My goal is to rebuild the Hale family legacy and I need you to help me. Do we have an understanding?"
She was silent for a moment as she contemplated his words.
"You want to use me?"
"Yes and you would be using me, seems like a fair deal don't you think?" he said back. As she pondered his words he took the plate of pie in front of him and began to eat it.
"W-we," she started, "we wouldn't be like normal mates?"
He raised an eyebrow at her as he cut into his pie. "No we probably wouldn't be. We would still be tied to each other but not in a traditional sense."
"But we would still have to-"
"Sleep together yes," he said simply and took another bite.
Willow was feeling dizzy from this overabundance of information. Her head was spinning in one thousand directions. Peter was smart, an evilly smart. He had made his point and each of his statements seemed to drive straight to home. Protection sounded right and all but at what cost? She would still be giving this guy a ton of power and his reputation with that wasn't good. But he does possess the knowledge to help defeat the alphas.
Stiles had said that he was weaker now after being revived. Not yet up to his full strength. He was probably panicking with no real way to defend himself.
His argument had been sound. They did both need each other, she needed a mate and he needed power.
But she couldn't deny that voice in her head. The one repeating over and over again that this was a terrible aweful idea. She could never really accept his offer right? No, she had to deny him. There were too many strikes against him and though he was nice now something told her that the real man was not as friendly as he appeared.
"You don't have to decide today," he said knocking her out of her trance. He put his now empty plate to the side with his fork as he relaxed and looked at her again. "You can give me your answer later, just not late enough for these alphas to show. We would need time to make sure were properly mated."
Willow bit her lip and turned her gaze. She couldn't, could she? She knew what Scott and Stiles would say. She couldn't betray them like that. But what if this actually could solve everything? Then their wouldn't be a problem anymore. But he was much older than her, probably old enough to have a kid around her age. Though they did age slower than humans it could still be an issue.
She couldn't decide on this now. She needed to think, she needed to talk to someone. She needed something that would tell her what to do.
"How long?" she asked.
"You're graduating soon right? That should be enough time to think about it." he said.
"Nice to know your giving me all this time," she said back sassily.
"We don't exactly have long to spare," he said back with just as much sass. She could only scoff at him as he raised his hand to get the waitresses attention. "Can we get a box for her piece please?" he said gesturing to her pie.
She couldn't even deny him the chance to be wrong, she had completely lost her appetite in the last few minutes. Now she was just looking forward to getting back to Stiles home so she could pace her room back and forth all night.
She placed her pie into a plastic box and followed Peter out the door to his car. She was about to walk over to the passenger side before he had stopped her.
She turned to him confused as he held the keys in front of him. He had a smug look on his face as he eyed her and the car expectantly. "Why don't you drive?"
She tried to hide it, she really did. But she could feel her face lighting up as the keys dangled in front of her. "Are you serious?" she asked him expecting a sarcastic no in response.
He grabbed the piebox from her hand replacing it with the set of keys. "Just don't scratch her," he said back cheekily and walked over to the passenger door.
It took all Willow had not to do a little dance. She quickly unlocked the car and hopped into the driver's seat as Peter took his in the passenger. That little drive into the auto shop had definitely not been enough time behind the driver's seat of this car. She started the engine and held her breathe as the engine came to life. With one hand on the shift and the other on the wheel she took a moment to feel both beneath her fingers.
"Hold onto your pie," she said with a grin as she accelerated into reverse and forwarded it out of the parking lot and into the empty street. It was well into 11 by the time they had left and the streets were barren, knowing this was all she needed to floor it.
She made sure to take a path with as few lights as possible so keep minimal stops in their future. She easily was going 80 mph the whole way back but no matter the speed she went her passenger didn't seem fazed. In fact he had an amused look on his face the whole way back. Either he was used to going this fast or he had faith in her that she wouldn't crash, either way she was happy without the complaints.
She wasn't sure if he noticed but she took an extra turn that lead to a few extra minutes driving the car. In the end she was almost reluctant to pull into the Stilinski driveway and put her in park. She sat in the driver's seat for a few seconds pondering how to end this awkward endeavor.
"I believe this is yours," she heard as a box of pie was put into her lap. She smirked as she looked over to Peter who was already turned to her and looking at something from the corner of his eye.
"Uh oh, looks like mom and dad are mad," he almost sung in a sarcastic tone.
She turned to where he was looking to see a very upset looking Scott and Stiles standing outside the front door with their arms crossed. They eyed the vehicle up and down and though she was sure they couldn't see inside because of the tinted windows and it being so dark out, she knew they knew who was in the car.
"Aw man," she sighed, "I'm in for an earful." She chuckled back.
"Then I've got nothing to lose," Peter said quickly and as she turned her head towards him to inquire what he meant he leaned forward and gave her just a small peek on the corner of her mouth. He eyes widened in surprise but he didn't stick around long as he unbuckled and got out of the car.
"Scott. Stiles," he greeted as he closed the passenger door and started to walk to the drivers, "Always a pleasure."
"Yeah, well can't say the feelings mutual." Stiles snapped back.
Peter had come around to open her door again as she slowly climbed out of the drivers side of the still running car. She was reluctant to look at Scott and Stiles but when Stiles gave her a look that just spelled 'WTF?' She shrugged with her best apologetic face towards him.
"Remember," Peter said leaning in to her ear with a whisper, "end of graduation I need an answer."
She gave a quick nod in response and took a couple of steps away from him towards the guys. As she walked up to Stiles front porch she heard the roar of the engine once more and tires of the car pulling out of the driveway. After hanging with dangerous man for a good afternoon was it odd that she felt more fear standing before the boys in front of her?
"Well," Scott said in a slightly upset yet jumpy way. "Care to explain."
"Yeahhhh," Willow said unnervingly, "I got hungry?"
Yep big decisions to be made.
I honestly don't know when I'm updating again. Just please know that I'm not giving up on this story until its finished.
So I thought I knew who Willow was ending up with….but after this chapter I have no clue again. If you all could review and help me decide I would appreciate it. I'm open to all options.
Thank you all for your constant reviews and messages to help me keep writing, I really appreciate it.
