AUTHOR'S NOTE:

This chapter is different than originally planned because it got way too long and I'm still perfecting the end, so instead I cut it into two chapters. This has a cliffhanger, a little sex in it, and definitely a lot of important developments, the most important of which happen next chapter.

WARNINGS: Language, Violence, Gore, Sexual Situations

ENJOY!

xxxx

Scott wanted to talk to Charlotte about what was going on with her pack and Stiles wanted to talk to Caroline, but Caroline didn't want to talk to him. She was afraid that she was going to get rejected by the one guy that had always been by her side no matter what, and Scott? He was determined to make sure that Charlotte was going to do right by his sister because now that his sister was part of the pack, she was somewhat bound to her. Scott didn't know much about who Charlotte had become, but he certainly remembered who she used to be and he remembered the good times with her, Phasmi and Stiles…but this was different.

Having a pack meant that Charlotte was stronger than she had been before and while he appreciated her mother bear behavior, she controlled his sister. Wasn't that how it worked? She could force Caroline to turn and what if there was more to it than that? What if it was important to keep Caroline away from all of this completely and to just go at it alone like him? All Scott knew for sure was that he wouldn't have any answers unless he talked to his cousin, who had a lot to deal with.

For one, because of him and Stiles confirming it, Derek was a wanted man and though no one knew he was around because Melody was hiding the scent, Charlotte was angry. There had been policemen at her house and she had had to give statements to Sheriff Stilinski and Scott knew that as angry as he was at Charlotte, she was just as angry. That, and she was upset about Derek being 'dead' even though there had been no body, so Scott had a feeling that Charlotte knew more about that than she was letting on. Still, he had to talk to her and it surprised him that Stiles was at her door as well when he got there.

"So…" Scott said slowly.

Stiles looked at Scott coming up the walk. "You're here to apologize, too?"

"I was, uh…here for some answers…" Scott explained, taking a deep breath.

"I'm here to get her to protect Care from the Alpha," Stiles replied looking to the door as it opened.

Phasmi was there and she sighed loudly, not happy to see either of them either, but she let them in and Scott looked at Eric in the living room, looking at Phasmi. Everyone here knew the truth about werewolves and Scott had a feeling that if he just asked her something then she would give him the right answer whether he liked it or not. After all this was Phasmi and she never sugar coated anything at all no matter what the subject matter was.

"He's a wolf…really?!" Scott asked Phasmi angrily.

Phasmi took a deep breath. "Why are you asking when you know the answer to that?"

"You have a full pack already?" Scott asked her shaking his head. "What is wrong with you! These are people's lives we're talking about!"

"Wait, a minute, what?" Stiles asked, utterly confused. "Full pack? What…oh my God. Charlotte. Charlotte has a pack?"

"Do you want the full version, or do you want the angry Charlotte version?" Phasmi asked with a laugh, closing her mouth as Charlotte came down the stairs. "Angry Charlotte version it is…"

Stiles started to protest that he wanted the other version, but Charlotte motioned for them to come up the stairs and Phasmi shook her head at them. She returned to the couch to do some homework with Eric since school had been closed since the incident and it made Scott pause a moment. It kind of made sense given Eric's history with everyone and yet he was still upset and was bound to do what it was that he came here to do. Stiles as well, so he ascended into Charlotte's bedroom with her without so much as another word because when Charlotte was angry, all bets were off—Eric had always kind of had a thing for Caroline.

Eric liked to spend time with the Gracelands because much like Scott's and Caroline's mother, Charlotte's and Phasmi's mother was more than happy to have people over to play with Charlotte and Phasmi. He normally only chose to go when both Caroline and Phasmi were there, but that was because he liked both of them the best. Still, he used hanging out with Scott and Stiles as a pretense and Charlotte always tended to do her own thing…like moon over Derek or play with Laura.

One particular day, Eric had come over on his bike when Derek was leaving the house in a huff, knowing that Scott and Caroline were due to arrive soon. Stiles was finishing up something and so it would just be him and Phasmi, especially since he knew well enough to know how Charlotte felt about Derek—it was obvious. Derek rarely saw any of them, but Laura said 'hi' on occasion when Eric was there with just Phasmi to do homework or go out to ride bikes around the neighborhood. Mostly, the Hales kept to themselves and Eric didn't even know if Scott and Caroline even really knew them.

"You don't have to even come back!" Charlotte yelled after him as he huffed out to the sidewalk.

Laura sighed and reached out to stroke Charlotte's hair. "He'll apologize."

"No! I don't want to talk to him!" Charlotte said, going back into the house.

"Char," Laura said lovingly, following her up.

"You came at the best time," Phasmi told Eric sarcastically as she fastened her helmet and motioned to the garage. "We're going to go and get Caroline. She doesn't want to hang out with Scott and he decided to have Stiles over there and it's just one big mess. Good thing too, because Charles is in a mood today…"

Eric nodded at that, able to tell, going with Phasmi to go and get Caroline, smiling when they got there—he always did like her. She had this spark about her that made him feel bright inside and it made him want more than ever to just say what he felt, but she wasn't like that. Caroline liked him as a friend, as Phasmi did and so he just kept his mouth shut and smiled at her. She was more than relieved to see them and hopped on her bike, loving that her friends were here.

"So where are we going?" Caroline asked them.

Phasmi shrugged. "Somewhere that we're not supposed to go, but let's not tell Charles—you know how she gets when she can't control things. That temper…"

No one spoke for a couple of moments, Charlotte sighing in her button up and jeans and Stiles trying to figure out what kind of tactic to use here. If he didn't still think Derek was actually away, he would think he was with Charlotte because only three of the buttons were buttoned and that screamed 'sex' to him…even though Charlotte had told him more than once since she got back that she didn't sleep with Derek anymore. Still, it was suspicious and as he opened up his mouth to speak, Scott had dived right on in and Charlotte was giving him a look Stiles didn't want trained on him.

"Why did you do it?" Scott asked her.

Charlotte took a deep breath. "Because it was the right thing to do, Scott."

"She couldn't just leave Derek to die, Dude," Stiles admitted with a sigh. "Not her fault the Alpha tricked her—she's just as unstable as you the closer to the full moon it gets."

"That's not what I'm talking about," Scott said as he looked at Charlotte. "I mean, I just…I hate this."

"Care doesn't think it's a walk in the park either, but better me than him," she explained running her fingers through her blonde locks. "She was dying and I had to act."

Stiles stood up from the end of her bed. "Wait a minute…you turned Care? She's part of this full pack of yours? What the Hell, Charlotte?!"

"The Alpha's scratch was killing her," Scott told Stiles with a sigh. "Her body was trying to turn but it was rejecting the bite too much and she would have died had Charlotte not turned her. I don't know why she didn't tell us though…or why she decided to take it this far."

"Do you want to get killed by the Alpha?" Charlotte asked them, nodding when they shook their heads. "Me neither, so I made myself stronger and with my strength my pack is stronger and that means that they can defend themselves and then there's you two. I mean really? Throwing the man that I love under the bus like that? What were you thinking?! Were you thinking?!"

Scott and Stiles both caught the word 'love' before Charlotte did, their whole faces changing as they took that in and beamed at her. For a moment they were both feeling a bit guilty, but then they had gotten something that they could use in the future if they ever needed it and like teenage boys, decided to keep her on that subject. That meant she'd stop yelling at them even though she was really angry and as it was the day before the full moon and Scott was still dealing with his break-up with Allison, they didn't want any more yelling to be had.

"You love him?" Stiles asked his cousin.

Charlotte blushed. "I said the man I 'like'."

"You definitely said 'love'," Stiles said laughing as Scott nodded.

"Get out of my room," Charlotte told them as she sighed loudly. "I will protect Care because she is my pack and tomorrow night I will hunt the Alpha down."

"Won't you be compromised too?" Stiles asked Charlotte as he and Scott moved to leave.

Charlotte smiled at him. "I've been through a full moon or like twenty, so I'll be fine. Just keep your eye on this one and if you're nice, I'll even try and convince Care to return your texts."

xx

"What are we going to do?" Caroline asked upsetting and it's slowly as she flexed her fingers. "I feel like I'm…"

"…itching for a fight?" Eric asked her.

Phasmi laughed as Caroline nodded. "The first full moon tends to be the moon where you think everything is possible. It's where your strength flows, but there's no control. That's why Charlotte and I are going to be there to help—it gets easier."

"Alright, but…Isaac?" Eric asked as Caroline nodded and smiled. "He's like jail bait for you."

"We're friends, okay?" Phasmi snapped as she felt her cheeks burning red.

"Younger men…" Caroline teased, getting a hard push in the shoulder.

The three of them smiled at each other even though Phasmi was blushing and then Eric closed his eyes and tried to take a deep breath. All of his emotions were heightened because of the lunar cycle and he was trying to keep himself under control but it took a considerable amount of concentration that he didn't really have. Caroline reached over and stroked his hair, though she was feeling considerably less in control as well and they just wanted to have Charlotte there to teach them.

"This mating thing…how does it work exactly?" Eric asked slowly, opening up his eyes. "I mean, Charlotte made it sound really intense and where is she? Is she with Derek…mating?"

Phasmi laughed a little bit. "It does involve sex and they're probably doing the horizontal mamba, yeah, but it's a lot more than that. I swear they were mated before they started sleeping together. I know they weren't but I mean…it was a long time coming."

"So you just…pick a mate…?" Caroline asked slowly, curious as well.

"It involves the wolf state and it involves a lot of animalism," Phasmi told them with a gentle shrug. "In the wild, wolves find a mate and they mark them—it's the same with werewolves."

"Mark them?" Eric asked, scrunching up his forehead. "Like…what kind of marking? Males do some strange things out in the wild…"

Phasmi chuckled and shook her head. "It's nothing like a dog marks a tree or anything, it's just a bite and not any bite—a wolf bite. You know how Charlotte explained that wolf scratches unlock memories of the wolf that scratched you inside your mind?" She asked them and nodded when they nodded. "Well, when a wolf lets their fangs out and marks another wolf during sex, they become mates. It's a mark of territory."

"So does that last forever?" Eric asked her.

Caroline wondered why he was suddenly asking about mating after she ran her fingers through her hair and blushed because she had a feeling that it had something to do with his crush on her. That was gone though, wasn't it? Maybe he just wanted to know more about Charlotte and Derek and what that meant for the pack and she kind of wanted to know too. What did that mean about her and Stiles? Did that mean that they couldn't 'mate' the same way since her bite would turn him?

"It lasts for forever unless a mate is challenged and defeated. I mean we're all human and so the rules of the animal kingdom are a bit different, but it remains true. Charlotte has a scar from Derek's bite on the back of her neck and Derek's is on the inside of his wrist. They have been marked so other wolves can smell it and it normally warns them off…like a danger scent." Phasmi explained to them. "It bonds them together and they're far more susceptible to each other's emotions and they smell each other and sense each other better than anyone else. It works in wolves and that's about it. This bond of theirs has been threatened—back in their old pack—but Derek never gave up. Not until he thought that he was going to lose her and then he ran scared."

Caroline swallowed gently. "Sounds like Derek. He doesn't seem very good with emotions."

"He sucks at them," Eric chuckled, shaking his head. "So why can't they admit that they love each other already?"

"If you figure that out," Phasmi began shaking her head, "then you let the rest of us know."

xx

Charlotte remembered it like it was yesterday. The closer to the full moon that it got, the easier it was to remember how this all began for her and Derek and she almost wanted to give in already and feel him there with her…but she couldn't. A challenge was a challenge and she wasn't about to let him win because she won everything and Derek was just trying so hard to change her mind—not that she could blame him because it was becoming almost impossible to avoid each other now and with the full moon approaching they were hormonally imbalanced.

And it all began with a bite mark.

Mating as wolves seemed like a really terrifying idea, but at the same time Derek and Charlotte seemed really ready for all of this. They were already bonded and happy to be together and Derek wanted this more than he could ever explain to anyone, even though everyone seemed to think that this was really Charlotte's idea in the first place. Charlotte was nervous, but she was pretty sure that it was all go smoothly and Derek had been desperate to have her as the moon got closer and she kept denying him sex so they'd go a bit crazier than usual and have to wolf out when the moon peaked.

"Are you sure you still want this?" Charlotte asked as they made it to a little place in the woods. "I mean…you can still back out."

Derek shook his head, lips colliding with hers. "I couldn't back out even if I wanted to—and I don't."

"That's just the horniness talking…" Charlotte teased, but kissed him back hungrily.

As the kiss escalated, Derek felt his teeth elongating, Charlotte's too, and her claws started to replace her nails under the light of the moon. The whole day had been stressful and all he'd wanted to do was to claim her, but for some reason this was also different—Charlotte was letting him have control. That made him feel powerful and he turned her around, moving her hair from her neck and nipping at it with his teeth as she moaned and whimpered, both of them making quick work of her clothes without a simply care in the world.

Right now, all that mattered was the moon.

Derek wasn't entirely sure what was happening when Charlotte dropped to her knees, but he did the same, up behind her, getting into a position he knew would ultimately pan out for both of them. They had never considered themselves to really be all that wild, but when Derek leaned forward and bit her ear as he pushed his flesh into hers, they both moaned loudly and Charlotte felt the incisors come out for both of them, Derek running his along her earlobe. To some, the wolfing out was a little weird, and kinky, but to them it was a natural part of who they were and as Derek put his hands firmly on a log near them in front of her, Charlotte arched, feeling his teeth on the back of her neck—then it happened.

The prick hurt at first and Derek tasted the copper taste on his tongue from her blood, marking her as his mate and she turned her head to the inside of his wrist. Biting down as well as she felt him setting a different pace, Derek whimpered and then howled, which just turned Charlotte on even more, and even turned Derek on more. They were lost in all of it, slaves to the wolves within, collapsing as they peaked together, Derek pulling Charlotte's sweaty body to him and nuzzling her affectionately. He wanted to tell her that he loved her…in fact he always would after this intense coupling…but he kept his mouth shut and pressed to her, tongues mingling, fighting for dominance.

Tasting the bond that now held them for life.

Charlotte wasn't exactly the happiest that morning because all she wanted to do was screw Derek's brains out, but she was going to hold out…even when Derek came in her room and it felt impossible to ignore him any longer when her body was crying out for him and her mating scar throbbed—his did too. She could smell Derek and his arousal and while she shook her head, she felt his mouth cover her own and his hand slip up her nightgown, cursing herself for wearing it when this was the full moon tonight. This was when she was weakest and now Derek's fingers were in her underwear stroking her wet folds with the intent of slipping in and making her orgasm right then and there…and Charlotte wanted it…desperately.

"You can't be here and you know it," Charlotte tried, wanting to be strong even though her confidence was wavering as she ran her nails along his muscles, making Derek's resolve shatter completely.

Derek growled lustfully. "Your scent is hard to ignore…"

"Oh, God," Charlotte said arching her back, whimpering as Derek teased a little more, turning her head and feeling his hot breath touch the edge of her scar. "Mmm…we can't though…"

"Just let me," Derek told her, growling when she pushed on him.

She used as much strength as she could muster to turn to over, getting off of him and shaking her head, breathing heavily. Charlotte was trying to get her head on straight even though she wanted to just climb on top of Derek and be done with it—but she couldn't just do that. This was a very important day and getting involved with Derek was going to mess with her head and she really couldn't have that on her conscience when she had new wolves to train.

"Derek, I mean it." Charlotte told him shaking her head, her voice shaky but determined.

Derek made fists with his hands, trying to calm his body down. "You are not the only one that is feeling crazy right now."

"Yes, well, I'm the Alpha. Get used to disappointment." Charlotte threw at him to make him get mad instead of wanting to have her as much as she wanted to have him.

"Are you trying to make me angry?" Derek asked angrily, growling at her throwing rank in his face.

For a moment Charlotte just stood there, but then she shrugged and Derek did something unexpected: he let his teeth and eyes show. Now his eyes were glowing blue and his fangs were elongated and Charlotte was feeling more turned on as her scar throbbed. She wanted Derek to sink his teeth in again and it hurt her that she couldn't just let him. Charlotte wanted more out of this and Derek wanted more out of it too even though neither of them were willing to admit it and now Charlotte was just getting defensive about all of it.

"Flashing the teeth and the claws isn't going to make me cave!" Charlotte yelled at him.

Derek growled at her. "If you weren't going to follow through, you shouldn't have touched me in the first place! That's what I'm mad about! I can smell you, Charlee. Smell you!"

"Then obviously today, you have to stay away from me!" Charlotte retorted, also yelling at him now as he was yelling at her in his sexual frustration.

It was hard for her to just ignore this and she knew that it was hard for Derek too, but she was emotionally invested in him and he never truly made it seem like to her that he was just as invested as she was. So, she had to put a stop to it and she certainly didn't want to blurt out anything that she was feeling in case Derek would make her feel bad about it somehow. Right now, Charlotte just wanted to get as far away from Derek as possible even though him calling her 'Charlee' rooted her in place.

"It's not that simple! We're mates!" Derek countered, taking a step toward her.

Charlotte shook her head and headed out the door. "I never said it was simple! Just do what I say!"

xx

Caroline and Eric skipped school because Caroline didn't want to see Stiles and Eric didn't want to embarrass himself. Phasmi didn't really know what to do with them, but Charlotte seemed incredibly preoccupied, so Phasmi took them to the abandoned warehouse they were going to use and though she had a bad feeling about this, she knew that at some point, Caroline and Eric would be like her—controlled during the moon. It was only as they neared the full moon and Phasmi started to tie them up, that she felt like maybe things were starting to get a little bit out of hand.

"It hurts!" Caroline screamed as she tried to think about Stiles, her eyes yellow and her fangs evident. "How do you…?!"

She trailed off and screamed again as Eric did and that was when Phasmi's ears perked up and she had a feeling that there was something else at work here…the Alpha had showed and Charlotte was absolutely nowhere to be found.

Note: Cliffhanger, I know, I know, but next chapter this week, I promise you. I just need to perfect a couple of things and then you may have it and the one after it really quickly. Feedback is always appreciated!