A/N: Hey guys! I know it's been awhile and I know this chapter is, like, super short in comparison to the rest of my story. :/ Sorry about that! But I felt this should stand on its own, to help you guys get to know Steven. ^.^ Hopefully I'll crank out the next chapter in about a week. Happy fourth of July!

I gripped the steering wheel as I drove to the warehouse Papa Argent usually trained me to meet Steven. Kira had her katana in the back and was mindlessly chatting about how excited she was to see me develop my Raven powers. Her phone beeped and she said, "Scott and Stiles said they're almost there."

"Great," I responded, not really caring. It was sweet that they cared and wanted to watch over me during the "special training" but I had Kira. That should've been enough.

Sensing my dislike of the overprotective boys, Kira, raising her hands up, changed the subject "Okay, so Kate killed your dad?"

"Yes, according to Diana," I said, loosening my grip from the steering wheel. She hesitated for a second, before asking, "And you think she's telling the truth?"

"Why would she lie about that, Kira?"

"Because she wants to give you another reason to hate Kate? I don't know, V. But sometimes the people you're supposed to trust don't always tell you the truth."

"Look, I know your parents lied to you last year. A lot. They shouldn't have done that. But I don't need another reason to take Kate down; she's already tried killing me multiple times. Even when I didn't know it," I pointed out. Parking my car outside the warehouse, I saw the boys leaning against the Jeep. Stiles was in his signature flannel and Scott looked like he was trying too hard to be like Derek or Isaac, wearing a slightly too big leather jacket, dark wash jeans, and sunglasses.

Kira snickered. "I know he's an Alpha. And that's pretty sexy. But I'm not gonna lie, I do miss his puppy-like demeanor."

"Well, tell him that. Guys love knowing what turns their girl on," I said, winking at her. She giggled and replied, "Like he needs help turning me on."

I shook my head in gross disbelief and hopped out of the car. Stiles trotted over to me, wrapping his arms around me. There was a half-second where he awkwardly started pulling away before I let go of his torso, causing us both to chuckle nervously. Scott snorted behind us, throwing his arm around Kira and tugging her towards the entrance of the rundown building.

He took my hand in his, which was incredibly soft, and we headed towards the wolf and fox together. But I took a second to tiptoe and placed a light peck on his cheek. A smile crawled onto his face and I grinned, dragging him into the warehouse.

To see Steven already there. He was in black everything: basketball shorts, v-neck, sunglasses. And barefoot. Seeing him in the day time was eye-opening; his presence felt older, wiser, more harmless. The feeling I used to get around new supernatural creatures was strong and thick. I could tell Steven was older than what I assumed him to be. After a minute under my scrutinization, he clasped his hands together and said, "Hello, Veronica! I see you brought a little army."

"No, I brought my pack. But good to see you too," I said, a little too harshly. "Kira. Stiles. Scott. This is Steven. My new- um."

"Mentor," he finished. He took a few steps toward us, pointing to each of my friends. "Ah, yes. The fox, human, and wolf. Quite an interesting combination. In my past experiences, wolves and foxes don't get along. In fact, they enjoy feeding on the naivety of humans."

"Yeah, well, we do things a little differently in Beacon Hills," Scott defended.

"We're aware. But Veronica. Getting started, I know you know how to use guns and daggers. Quite fantastic really." Steven started to walk back towards the middle of the room, and in his stance and his walk, he had to be at least 10 years older than us. Of course, his skin showed no wear or tear from time, perfectly smooth and tan. "Since you're only used to banshees, werewolves, and hunters, we'll go over what you can't do: not as strong, no canines, no nails."

My face fell at the lack of abilities. "But, as a raven, you have speed and agility. And an amazingly intelligent and strategic mind. Paired with the physical skills Argent taught you, you will be a force to be reckoned with."

I hesitated before speaking, a bit in awe at his words. From behind, Stiles voiced my thoughts, saying, "You guys really believe in her, don't you?"

"Of course. She might be young. And though she never had a conspiracy to teach you anything in 17 years whereas that's where some of the most crucial training takes place. But you are one of the strongest and best fighters I have seen."

"Make me stronger. Now."

"As you wish." He led me to the middle, thanked me for wearing my black yoga pants, and instructed me to stand shoulder width apart and put my left foot in front of my right. Steven guided my hands slightly away from my body, almost as though I were a werewolf, extending my claws. "Think of something that makes you angry."

Eyes closed, I thought about Kate killing my dad, torturing Derek, attacking me. But I knew I was still emanating body heat. Steven spoke, "Clearly, whatever you're thinking about is not good enough. I want you to be angry, Veronica. Channel it. I know it's in you."

I slipped into a deeper concentration, brows furrowing. Malia, Homecoming. Steven's voice rang, breaking my thoughts. He taunted, "Veronica. You're better than this. Kate killed an entire conspiracy. Kate killed your dad. Kate turned a member of your pack against you."

If anything, it all just made me sad. But he kept talking. "If fighting to stay alive in a feud that isn't yours doesn't make you angry, I suppose I should appeal to the teenager in you. You'll never be with that wolf of yours. What's his name? Isaac. There seems to be a human boy over there who likes you. But you'll constantly put him in danger and he might not even like you. He might still be in love with your best friend. Are you angry yet?"

My eyes were still closed and I shook my head. "You have a dead girl in your dreams and your pack would gladly choose her over you any day. Your father abandoned you when you were a baby. Anything?"

"No," I whispered. My ears were ringing and my head was throbbing in pain, but I wasn't mad. I couldn't even muster it up. I could feel Steven's presence, inches away from my face, as he said, "Either you're better at controlling your anger than I thought, or you just don't care about your friends or your family. Or maybe you're just inadequate. You're not cut out to be a Raven. I can't believe we thought you could handle this. You can't. Because you're weak."

"No!" I said again, shouting this time, my voice booming through the warehouse. Scott and Stiles groaned from wherever they were and I opened my eyes, scowling at my mentor. His eyes were black too.

"There. You've channeled it. Now control it. Find your humanity," he demanded. With my voice low and even, I said, "I can't. Not. Without. Isaac."

Steven shrugged. "That's too bad. He's not here. Do it yourself."

"You were a lot nicer before." My hands balled into fists at my side, my mind calculating

"I always am." In an instant, his eyes blinked back to hazel. "Your friends are frightened, Veronica. Especially the fox. Go back." I relaxed my body and waited. But nothing happened. One look back at Kira, Stiles, and Scott confirmed that I was still turned. "Do it for your friends. Relax your body. Let it all go."

And I did. Steven walked over to me and patted my back. "Good job. Now turn back."

For some reason, I wasn't able to grasp that previous anger again. Maybe I couldn't— Not weak. Strong. Allison's voice soothingly repeated the words over and over and over in my head. Do it. I let it happen, the anger take over me. More slowly than I was used to, more in control. One look at Steven's smirk, I knew I had changed.

For the next hour, Steven rapidly spat commands and I shifted back and forth between states as fast as I could. Each time I could feel myself gaining more and more over it - and it was liberating! - but I knew I hadn't mastered it. Glancing over my shoulder between shifts, I noticed that Scott had already taken Kira back home and Stiles was sprawled across a few chairs leftover from when the building was still in use.

Steven walked closer to me and patted me on the back. "You've done good, kid," he said. I tried to give him as nice a smile as I could muster. "Do you wanna try something new or go rest? These are basics you learn as a kid, so I know that it has to be exhausting trying to catch up as 17 year old."

"How old are you?" I blurted. I grimaced after the words left my mouth. "Sorry. You don't have to answer. Why don't we try something new? I can't rest now."

He chuckled. "Don't worry about it. I'm almost 42 in human years. But we age much slower than humans." Steven paused for a moment as I digested his answer. "You still want to keep going?"

"I want to learn more," I stated, crossing my arms over my chest. "I want to be good."

"And you will be," he replied. "But you also need rest. We'll work for about 10 more minutes, previewing, so to speak, what we'll do tomorrow night." I nodded reluctantly. "Okay, turn."

When I opened my eyes after the change, his own eyes were pitch black. In a flash, Steven was at the other end of the building. I smiled and followed, but by the time I reached him, he was already gone. Stiles jerked awake and yelped at the sight of Steven hovering close to him. I laughed and ran towards them in a few seconds, but once again, he managed to move before I caught him. Stiles whipped his head back and forth between the two of us, a mixture of wonder and confusion on his face. With my back facing the rest of my building, I listened to see if I could pick up on any movements. I was careful not to twitch or give any indication I was about to move.

There was a light patter in the left corner of the building and in a few strides, I found myself tapping Steven on the shoulder, saying, "Tag. You're it."