Chapter Twelve
By the time Genevieve finally arrived home it was well after midnight.
She had dropped both Boyd and Erica at their respective homes and talked with each set of parents. After finding the teens in the woods and helping them to clean themselves up with the first aid kit in her car, she helped them had crafted a somewhat ridiculous tale to explain their return to their parents. It had taken more than a few hours but the plus side was that their parents were so thankful to have them home that neither set had questioned why she had brought them home. Both Erica and Boyd had agreed to meet with her and Derek the next day for the first official pack meeting.
She simply took a shower changed into her sleep shirt and shorts and fell into bed. She was awoken a few hours later when she felt a warm presence slide into her bed. "Derek," she mumbled sleepily.
"Yeah, you were expecting someone else?" Derek whispered as he slid his hand over her stomach to pull her back into his chest.
"Is everyone okay?"
"Jackson is Jackson again, I'm not sure if that a good thing. But, he's not a kanima at any rate."
"Good." Genevieve shifted until she found a comfortable position lying on his chest and promptly went back to sleep.
The next morning Genevieve woke up and was surprised to find herself alone in her bed. As she sat up running her hand over the other side of her bed she vaguely recalled Derek telling her he had to run some errands before he left that morning … something about Peter.
She silently rose from her bed and stretched as she headed into her bathroom for her morning absolutions. Since it was Saturday, she intended to go for a morning jog so she pulled on her sports bra and running shorts, socks, and sneakers. Taking a few moments she secured her hair back with a band and grabbed her keys. She left her bedroom intending on heading down the stairs when she felt the subtle shift in the pack bond and stopped turning to the guest bedroom. She paused and knocked on the door once. "Isaac?"
Mere seconds later, the door opened to revealed the fully dressed teen. "Uh, hi."
"Hi. What are you doing here?"
Isaac swallowed nervously. "Derek asked me to stay with you today while he's out."
Thin brows rose in surprise. "I see. Did he say why?"
"No, but it probably has to do with Gerard. He got away last night after Derek bit him." Isaac offered but paused when he noted the surprise on her face.
"What do you mean when Derek bit him last night?"
Isaac glanced away scratching his brow as he tried to think of what to say next. "I guess he didn't tell you about that."
"No, he didn't. But, something tells me that there's a lot he didn't tell me." Genevieve sighed inwardly.
"Where is Gerard?"
"Uh, we're not exactly sure. He started bleeding black blood so I doubt he got far but with Jackson turning back he kind of got lost in the shuffle."
"Uh huh." Genevieve nodded and turned back down the hallway. "Give me ten minutes to change."
"Change for what?" Isaac asked he stepped into the hallway. "I thought you were going on a run or something. Did you change your mind?"
"No, I'm still going out but I'll need something with a little bit more coverage if we're to track Gerard."
Ten minutes later Isaac was in the living room waiting for Genevieve when she walked by. She had changed into dark jeans with black boots and a leather jacket. Her hair was unbound and resting in straight black waves on her shoulders.
She walked pass the living room to her hallway closet and opened the door. She parted the coats in the closet to reveal a false wall with a key pad. She pressed in the numbers she knew by heart and waited for the click to open the safe. She took out a serrated knife and slid into the hidden sheath within her boots. Next, she pulled out a small bottle with clear liquid, a syringe filled with a black liquid, and a gun placing all the items in her jacket pockets. Closing the safe she pushed the coats back in place. "Alright, now I'm ready. Isaac, let's go."
Isaac was standing behind her watching as she secured her weapons. "So… are you really guidance counselor?" He finally asked as he followed out to her garage.
Genevieve glanced at him as she climbed into her car a small smile. "I am but I also grew up in a pack. Didn't Derek tell you?"
Isaac climbed into the passenger seat. "Derek's not really big on talking, especially not about you." He paused as he sniffed and looked in the backseat.
"I found Erica and Boyd last night. They're at home resting." Genevieve explained as she started her car and pulled out of her garage. "Which reminds me we're having a pack meeting later today and they should be here for that."
"How did you do it?"
"I tracked them. The same way I am hoping I can track Gerard. So fill me in. Tell me exactly what happened last night. How the hell did Derek end up biting Gerard?" She asked as she pulled onto the road and began a drive back to town.
By the time she reached the town proper, she had Isaac direct her to the scene as the previous night's events. She parked the car near the abandoned warehouse.
"Derek and Peter tried to track Gerard last night but we lost the scent. He was going to look for him today." Genevieve nodded as she walked around the space noting that the drops of black blood led to a side window at least six feet off the ground. She knelt down pulling out the small bottle and twisted off the cap. She also slid the knife out of its boot sheath and dipped the blade into the blood. She held the blade over the small bottle waiting until the blood dripped into bottle. Sheathing the knife as she stood she closed the small bottle and gently shook it. The clear liquid began to change colors. "Where does this window lead?"
"It goes toward the back of the building. What's that?"
"Show me." Isaac nodded and led the way out of building. "Werewolf blood has a natural healing enzyme built into its structure; it becomes a part of your DNA. I'm trying to see if he's healing or if the mountain ash in his system stopped the transition. This liquid would turn blue if he's in transition." Genevieve explained as they arrived behind the warehouse to see Deaton bending down examining the blood beneath the window. "Alan, you're not planning on getting your hands dirty, are you?"
"I do what I have to"
Genevieve smiled. "Good, I never liked you being retired."
"Whoever said I was retired?" Deaton remarked as he stood up. "Good morning Isaac."
"Doctor Deaton." Isaac replied with a confused nod.
"I sincerely hope your plan wasn't dependent on Derek biting Gerard. Creating a new kanima isn't exactly my idea of containment."
Deaton acknowledged her criticism with a sigh. "Nor was it mine, it was the absolute last resort if it could not be helped."
"I suppose not. Isaac here," she nodded toward the teen. "Is my guard for the day or until this can be resolved. Needless to say I want it finished. Today. It should be fairly easy to resolve everything since Gerard is not transitioning." She offered small bottle to Deaton to hold it to the sunlight to see that the clear liquid faintly turning gray.
"No, he's not." Deaton agreed.
"So that's good thing, right?" Isaac asked crossing his arms over his chest.
"Not exactly. It simply means that he's not transitioning into a werewolf. But, the black blood could mean that he's becoming a kanima which is worse." Deaton answered as he slid the small bottle into his pocket.
"Not to mention that would make him dangerous to everyone. We need to find him while he's still vulnerable. I could try to track him but I'm not sure if I can since he's not a part of my pack." Genevieve added before both she and Deaton turned to Isaac. "Isaac do you think you could track him by scent?"
Isaac nodded hesitantly. "I could try but I've never done that before."
Genevieve gave him an encouraging smile as she reached over and squeezed his arm. "I can help to guide you. I need you to close your eyes and think back to last night." Isaac closed his eyes. "Remember when Gerard came could you distinguish his scent from everyone else?"
Isaac nodded, eyes still closed. "Yes, he smelled like disease … death."
"Good, now focus on that scent. Take a deep breath and release it. Think about the pack. Now, think about Gerard and the pack." Isaac followed her instructions to the letter. "Open your eyes and take a deep breath." As he slowly opened his eyes, she released her hold on his arm. "Can you scent him?"
"Yes, it's like pack but not the same."
"The mountain ash is doing its job then. Now, we need to find him." Deaton warned.
"Not without me, you won't." Chris Argent said as he came up from behind the emissaries and Isaac.
"Chris, we weren't expecting you." Deaton replied wholly unsurprised by the other man's appearance.
"I figured you might pop up to track my father down. If anyone is going to put him down it'll be me."
"That's fine by me, Isaac will point us in the general direction." Genevieve as she nodded to the teenager.
Isaac affirmed his position and took a deep breath taking in the air around him. "He went this way." He gestured down the back of the building lead the way down the alley with everyone falling into step behind him. They went through the alley and past several old warehouses before the entering the woods that were misted with a morning fog. "I can't scent him anymore, the trail ends here." He glanced around at the cluster of trees around them.
Deaton nodded toward the shallow bed of water nearby. "He probably went into the water to get rid of his scent. Without another full moon his transition won't take."
"But, the kanima isn't bound by the moon." Isaac added. "Or at least Jackson wasn't. He could change at will."
"He's right." Chris said as he cocked his gun. "We should split up; he can't be allowed to change into that creature."
"Agreed." Genevieve said with a nod before turning to Isaac. "I need you to go back to my car and wait for me."
"Derek asked me to stay with you," Isaac protested.
If she were another person she might find Derek's heavy handed actions touching. But, she wasn't and she didn't need an untrained beta to protect her. "Isaac, I'll be fine. Just wait for me by my car, please." He seemed to consider her statement before he nodded and took off at a run leaving.
Chris noted that Isaac left without argument which stuck as curious as most beta wolves were reluctant take orders from humans. But, before he could say anything the guidance counselor and Deaton had taken off in separate directions. He filed that action away for later and focused on the task at hand, finding his father.
xXx
Genevieve cautiously stepped around another tree her gaze sweeping the area around her for anything out of the ordinary. She paused mid-stride, tensing as she heard the distinct crack of a branch and turned her head looking for the cause. Upon seeing a squirrel run away, she released the breath that she'd been holding to continue her walk when she felt a something grasp her leg and pull her down.
Dropping her hands to prevent landing head first on the forest floor she landed on her hands and swiftly turned onto her back using her legs to kick at whatever had grabbed her. She swore grasping for breath and she crawled at the dirt struggling to get back to her feet only to be forestall as Gerard grabbed hold of her legs and pulled her down yet again but this time she landed on her back.
"Let me go, Gerard," she said using all of her strength to try to pull free from him but was unable to as he tightened his hold on her and struggled to grab her arms.
It was only when he had effectively trapped her beneath him that she got a good look at the former principal of Beacon Hills High. He certainly looked nothing like grandfatherly man that he introduced himself to her three months before. His pallor was grey as the residue from black blood had left its mark on his face.
"Help me," Gerard hissed as black liquid dripped out of his pores and onto to her. Genevieve redoubled her efforts to get free.
"No!" Genevieve screamed as she got her hands free and pressed them into his chest harnessing all her energy to propel him away from her body. The force of the energy caused Gerard's body to become airborne for a few minutes allowing Genevieve to roll away from him.
Gerard recoiled but landed on all fours. "You won't get away from me this time, witch." He grinned ghoulishly as he spit out the black blood and charged at her again.
But, Genevieve was ready for him as he tackled her to the ground yet again. So intent on taking her down again, he never noticed that she had pulled out a syringe. As she fell back on the ground, she'd plunged the syringe into his neck and pushed down the plunger.
Gerard felt a sharp pain in his neck and reached for the syringe, jerking it out with a spurt of black blood. "You can't kill me with a syringe, Witch. Didn't Celeste teach you any better," he spat at her.
Genevieve laughed as she watched the contents of the syringe immediately take effect darkening his pallor even more causing him to begin coughing up black blood. "Didn't your father ever teach you to never enter a fight you can't win?" She said placing her hands his chest and sending a tread of electrically directly to his heart shocking him as she pushed the man off of her body just as Deaton and Chris came running.
"Genevieve are you okay?" Deaton said playing no attention to Gerard convulsing on the ground as he reach to help Genevieve to come to her feet.
"I'm okay," she replied grasping for breath and she rose uneasily to her feet. She was covered in dirt and her back was killing her but otherwise she was fine.
Chris was leaning over his father who was scratching at his chest and gurgling black blood. He made no moves to help him.
When Deaton was certain that Genevieve was fine he moved to take Gerard's pulse. "His heart rate is slowing down."
"He's dying?" Chris asked incredulously glancing from the guidance counselor to his father. She wasn't as big as Allison and yet she had taken down his father who not only outweighed her by at least 50 pounds not to mention his unknown strength after being bitten by the Alpha. "What did you do?"
"I did what needed to be done." Genevieve said as she walked over and picked up the empty syringe that she'd used. "I used a liquidified mix of mountain ash and put it in his neck. If he's not dead within a few minutes he will be a couple of hours." Her brown eyes were fierce and challenging. "And when he's dead, I want his hunters out of my town by nightfall."
Sparring no glance for his dying father, Chris was singularly taken back by her the look in her eyes and iciness of her tone. "I don't know what you think but I have no control over the hunters in his town, Ms. Morrell. I'm just a business owner."
"Bullshit!" Genevieve slid the empty syringe into her pocket. "I'm not going to play games with you, Mr. Argent; you are no more a simple business owner than I am just a school guidance counselor. You're right the hunters in this town won't take orders from you but they will from your daughter. But, considering how emotionally unstable your daughter is at the moment I don't think you want me to talk to her—,"
"Now, you wait just a damn minute." Chris said as he moved to stand before the guidance counselor.
"No, I will not. Your family has hurt enough people and I don't want to involve the sheriff but I will. So I am going to ask you one last time, get your hunters out of this town."
Chris immediately knew then that she somehow knew about his capture of Erica and Boyd. "They'll be gone by nightfall."
"Good, there's just one more thing that I would like to discuss with you." She sparred a glance to Deaton who gave her a small nod of encouragement. "The Hale Pack has been the propriety pack in this territory for decades. And in that time there were no random attacks or outbreaks, it was peaceful between us for years. I want that peace to return, therefore I am requesting an Accord between the Hale Pack and Argents."
"An accord can only be struck by an Alpha or pack member of senior authority, which at last check does not include an emissary." Chris remarked dryly with an arched brow.
"I am well aware of the guidelines for an accord—,"
"Then, you should know better than stepping outside of those bounds. It's not your place to strike an accord you can only serve as witness. Or are you not aware of the code?"
Genevieve smiled and started to reply when Isaac rushed forward out of nowhere stepping between them.
"You don't speak to her that way." Isaac had heard Genevieve scream and rushed back into the woods to find her. By the time he'd reached them, he could only hear Chris Argent's condescending tone as he attempted to intimidate Genevieve by stepping into her personal space.
"Isaac stand down," Genevieve ordered softly touching the Beta's arm and immediately feeling his tension leave his body. He immediately shifted into place beside her.
Chris noted the actions of the beta in surprise as he followed her instruction without complaint.
"I am not only well aware of the code but I am well aware of exactly how the Argents have violated that code for over ten years. And in the last three months, I would say that you've thrown that code out the window for personal gain more than once. Don't you dare quote that code to me. As for my authority, I am Mate to Alpha of the Hale Pack and you will acknowledge to my authority!"
"Derek's not mated!" Chris protested.
"He is, actually has been for over four years." Deaton replied as he stepped forward. "I am here to serve as the Witness to the offering of an accord between the Hale Pack and Argent family. Do you acknowledge Genevieve's authority and accept her offer of an accord?"
Chris withheld his comment having been properly chastised and gave a quick nod. "Your authority has been recognized. What is it you would like?"
"I want the bloodshed over between the Argents and Hale Pack. No more attacks on my pack."
"Does that include Peter Hale? Can you guarantee that he won't attack me or my daughter?"
"Peter Hale is not a part of my pack. But, if he does anything to you or your daughter then we will take him out. No member of my pack will attack you or your family unless under threat of death. Can you guarantee the same?"
"Agreed but if blood is split by the pack I want your approval to take care of it my way."
"Absolutely not; if the pack spills blood than they will be dealt with internally. I will not cede any authority of my pack to you."
"Fine," Chris said grudgingly after a moment glancing away. She was sharper than he'd thought. He briefly wondered where Derek had managed to find her. "I agree to the accord in order to return balance to Beacon Hill, but we will be watching."
"Good," Genevieve stated and stepped back to glance at Isaac with a small nod. "I trust you can handle getting rid of your father?"
"Of course."
"Isaac and I have somewhere else to be. Have a nice day, Mr. Argent." Genevieve said as she held her hand out for Chris to shake. It was a quick, firm handshake. Then, she turned and inclined her head for Isaac to follow her as they left.
Derek was clearing the last books out of his the remains of the Hale home. It was a slow process at first, but it needed to be done. He couldn't continue to use the house as a crutch to the past. He needed to move on and do that he had to let go. Not to mention that the first place anyone looked for him was at the house.
He placed the last box in his car when his cell phone rang. He pulled it from his back pocket and answered without bothered to see who it was.
"What?"
"I got Isaac's text and I'm not coming."
"Scott?" Derek asked confused as to why the beta would call him to talk to Isaac.
" I don't understand what you want to meet about. We have nothing to talk about. The kanima's gone and I'm not joining your pack. So I'm not coming." Scott paused and then added, "I need to take a break from all of this … stuff."
"Okay," Derek replied not getting a chance to ask what Scott was talking about before he hung up. He contemplated calling the teen back but ended up shrugging and placing the phone back in his pocket. He'd hadn't seen Isaac all day. In fact, the only time he'd even talked to him was before he'd left Genevieve's to look for Boyd and Erica.
Ironically, he'd found the missing teens at their respective homes. So he'd headed to the Hale house to pack up the last of the family documents for safe keeping which was exactly how Peter found him when he showed up.
"Trouble in paradise, nephew? Has your little witch already got your pack in line?"
"What do you want Peter?" Derek asked he placed another box in the trunk of the black Ford Taurus that he'd pulled out of the warehouse that morning. It was the last box of stuff that remained in the house. "Genevieve is a Druid not a witch."
"Isn't she? I did a little checking into the background of your little mate and you didn't tell me that she was one of us. Her line is almost as old as the Argents and just as gray."
"Considering I haven't told you anything about her what makes you think this is news to me?" Derek asked as he closed the trunk of car.
"Oh I don't know given that I know you and how the spoken word is like a foreign language to you sometimes. I figured you may have missed something." Peter said drolly, "Come on, now, we both know talking was never your strong suit, nephew."
Derek rolled his eyes turning away when his cell began to ring again. He pulled it out and saw that it was Jackson calling this time. "Yes."
"Seriously, dude, I know you think that I'm part of your pack now. But, I'm so not. So don't expect me to be at your little meeting with those other losers because I have better things to do with my time."
"Jackson, I didn't–," Derek started as he realized that it must have been Genevieve and that she'd asked Isaac to pass the word.
"Well, well because I wasn't coming anyway."
"Jackson, I expect you to attend any meeting that I—,"
"You can't tell me what to do!" Jackson protested exasperated. "I'm an omega like Scott, a lone wolf."
"No, Scott's Alpha died," Derek eyes flickered over to Peter briefly who listened in on the call with bemusement. "He can do whatever chooses and if he wants to join the pack he can. But you, your Alpha is very much alive and well." He allowed his authority as Alpha to bleed through his voice. "You will attend this meeting and you will be on time. Is that understood?"
"Yes," Jackson snapped hanging up the phone with a bang.
Derek snorted rolling his eyes as he put his phone in his back pocket and headed toward the driver's seat of his car. To his surprise, Peter slid into the passenger's seat. "What are you doing, Peter?" He asked with a sigh.
"Well, if there's a pack meeting, it would be prudent for me to attend wouldn't you say. After all, I'm not only pack, I'm family."
"Whatever." Derek said as he ignored the other man and put the car in to drive.
A/N: And we're back! Sorry for the late update but I was busy with work and had a vacation. I have good news and bad news. Good news - there are only three chapters left and they are finished. Bad news - they need serious editing before they can be posted. Also, there will be sequel which will incorporate some aspects of Season Three and I am working out those plans and will begin writing it soon.