The Wolf Within

Summary: Having a pack was nice, having her family together would be nicer but Sydney was well aware that things weren't going to be easy when it came to piecing her life together. This was Beacon Hills after all… Season 6: Peter Hale/OC

Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters of Teen Wolf, Sydney however is all mine.

Chapter 21:

"Take the next left, cut over to the highway, and then don't stop." Peter instructed, all the while Malia kept her eyes firmly on the road, her hands on the steering wheel and her focus on getting to the rift.

Sydney hadn't said a word since getting into the backseat and aside from stretching her body out so that her feet nearly touched the door on the opposite side of the car, she hadn't really moved either. This whole entire situation was a little off-putting and the sooner they could get it over with, the sooner she could get Peter back to the house, which meant that maybe she'd be able to rest easy for the first night since…well since she had left Peter in Eichen House all those many months ago.

"We have a deal. I'm not leaving without Stiles." Malia countered.

Sydney rolled her eyes at the girl's words and wondered just how far she was really, truly willing to go. If Malia really, really wanted, there wasn't anything stopping her from doing what Sydney had done and using herself as bait. Maybe Malia could bring Stiles through the rift, but then again, she had watched as the human teenager who had tried to help them in the train station turned to dust at the tiniest bit of contact.

Even Sam, who had been sandwiched between her and Peter, had suffered some burns, there was no way to get Stiles out without some part of him coming in to contact with the rift.

"You're so very loyal, Malia and that is an overrated quality." Peter remarked and Sydney turned her head to face the back of his seat and reached a hand out, setting her palm on his shoulder as best as she could from her position. When he seemed to relax at her touch, she couldn't help but smile.

Peter was a lot of things, but she knew he loved her, and now that he was walking on his own, and his body was healed right up, she wasn't going to let anything get to him again.

"I want to save Stiles too." Sydney murmured and shifted her butt against the seat. She turned her hips towards the front of the car and placed her feet on the floor, leaning in closer to Peter. She slipped her hand down so that her palm was resting against his chest and when his hand came to rest over top of hers, she let out a soft sigh. "Can you please help us save Stiles?"

Peter titled his head sideways but didn't say a word in response. She wasn't entirely sure what his plans were but she knew that if he wanted to remain in her good books, then he would have to do what she wanted. Of course, Peter didn't necessarily want to be in her good books, and there was nothing stopping him from running away on his own to escape whatever fate awaited Beacon Hills.

Malia slowed the car down and pulled off the road, creeping forward in the vehicle until she reached the chained off entrance to the preserve. Good, yes, this looked familiar, at least Sydney could recall that her and Sam had ended up somewhere in the preserve, maybe they hadn't come through the rift very far from Peter, or maybe he had wound up way farther away than anyone could've anticipated.

The car came to a complete stop and the young werecoyote put the gear shift into park before turning the vehicle off. Sydney made a move to get out of the car but before she could pull her hand away from Peter, he gripped it hard and held it against his chest. She could feel the steady beating of his heart through his chest and she knew that he wasn't afraid.

Whatever they were doing, whatever was going to happen, he wasn't scared, which only served to put her on edge. What exactly was he willing to do for her? What was he willing to sacrifice in order to keep Sydney, and Bruin, safe?

"You know what I'm most excited for?" Sydney quipped and shot Malia a quick glance, silently instructing her to get out of the car without them. She just needed a moment with Peter, she needed a moment just between them to make sure they were on the same page.

"What are you most excited for?" Peter countered. "Seeing Stiles again?"

"No." Sydney shook her head with a soft chuckle and rested her forehead against the back of his seat. "Not even a little bit. I mean, yeah, I want to help save Stiles, but there's something really simple that I'm excited for now that you're out of the hospital."

"Okay, and what's that?" Peter asked, turning his head slightly so that he could just barely see her out of the corner of his eye. He loosened the hold he had on her hand and Sydney slipped it away from him, sucking in a breath before answering.

"I'm most excited to be able to sleep next to you again." She answered honestly and she listened to him shuffling. When she moved her forehead away from his seat, she caught the look in his eye and couldn't help but smile. Why was he so confused by her statement, why was he looking at her like she was crazy? "I used to get cold sweats at night, and I'd hardly be able to sleep like at all."

"Do you still?" He pressed and extended his hand towards her, gingerly running his fingers along her jaw.

"Not so much anymore, but I think that's because I have Bruin. She keeps me distracted enough, but before she came along…god it was hell." Sydney explained. "Night after night I'd wake up from nightmares, if I even managed to get to sleep at all, then one of the twins would lay with me until I calmed down."

"I'm…I'm sorry." Peter apologized and she forced a smile at him.

"You're back now though, so I don't have to sleep by myself anymore." She pointed out and Peter pressed his lips together, contemplating his response. "Unless…do you not want to sleep with me anymore?"

He shook his head immediately and settled his eyes on her, taking in the fearful look on her face. He had been gone for so long, he had been without her for such a long time that he wasn't sure how to act around her. He loved her, he would always love her, but they had Bruin, and Sydney had gone through so much without him. It had been such a long time since someone else had suffered from his actions but Sydney had, she had dealt with so much while he had been gone.

He owed her, he owed her so much, and he didn't even know where to start to make things up to her. Part of Peter was surprised that she even wanted him back.

"What happened to my apartment?" Peter questioned and Sydney narrowed her eyes in on him.

"What?"

"I was gone for a long time, I just want to know what happened to my apartment."

"Really?" She cocked her head sideways, confusion evident in her tone. "That's what you're concerned about is 'what happened to my apartment'?"

"I'm curious." He offered with a nonchalant shrug.

She let out a huff and threw herself back against the seat, crossing her arms over her chest like a pouting child. What the hell was wrong with him? What was going through his head to the point where he was more concerned with his apartment than going home with her?

"I emptied it all out and put it on the market." She grumbled and when she noticed his eyes widening in shock, she let out another huff and lifted one hand, her palm facing him. "Kidding, fuck. I talked to the building managed and got all your mail forward to my house in Colorado, I paid every bill, every month's rent, and even stayed there when I came back to visit Beacon Hills before Bruin came along. It's yours if you really want it."

He stared at her, studying her, wondering why she had done all that for him. She was too good to him, too good for him and he knew that she probably deserved better; yet for whatever reason, she had chosen to be with him, she had fallen in love with him.

What the hell had he done to deserve a woman as good as Sydney Vance?

"We could stay there." Peter supplied and she flinched at his words.

"What are you talking about?"

"You and I, we could stay in my apartment- with Bruin of course."

"Or we could stay in my house, where all my stuff is, where Bruin's stuff is…Peter, what's wrong with you staying with me?"

"And your pack." He threw out and she sat up straight on the seat, moving her hands so that they rested against her thighs. "Your pack is there, you have the twins, you have Charlie, and you expect me to just waltz into the house without anyone harboring ill feelings towards me?"

"They're my pack, they'll do what I say. Charlie's harmless to you anyways, she saw what I went through without you, she knows how happy I am to have you back- as for the twins, I don't know that they ever had any sort of vendetta against you. In all honestly, they've done worse things, plus they're as loyal to me as they come. No one's going to bother you."

Peter took her words to heart and gave her a nod of acknowledgement, yet he didn't respond with words. She fought back a growl of frustration and opened the back door, setting her feet on the ground and climbing out of the car, Peter following her lead. When they were standing outside the car, the doors all shut, the two of them looked to Malia.

"I could hear every word." She confessed and Sydney snorted at the teenager's honestly.

"Yeah well, it's fine." Sydney replied and waved her hand towards the entrance to the preserve. "Peter, lead the way."

Peter leaned against the side of the car though and didn't dare move a muscle. He was focused solely on Malia, the smug look on his face that was all too familiar to Sydney was plastered on his face by this point, a look that she wanted to slap right off of him.

"You know, I was in pretty bad shape when you found me. I don't really have a clear picture of where I was." Peter called out to Malia, who was moving closer and closer to the chain, and the sign that said 'no entry after dark'. Oh well, it wasn't like Sydney was much of a rule follower anyways, plus people were disappearing faster than all get out, she wasn't about to stop and pay attention to some sign.

"I marked the territory." Malia turned back to face Peter, who shot her a curious look. Malia let out a huff and rolled her eyes, "visually, I marked it visually. But we didn't see where you came out."

Before Sydney had a chance to question Malia's methods of marking her territory, she moved forward and finally Peter followed her lead. He didn't rush to catch up to them, in fact, he was almost treating this like some leisurely stroll through the forest without a care in the world.

"It's a supernatural rift, Malia, it's not the Golden Gate Bridge. I doubt we can even see it, let alone get through. This is a horrible waste of time." Peter argued.

"No matter what you say, I'm with her right now." Sydney remarked and closed the distance between her and Malia, coming up behind the young teenager and giving her an encouraging look.

"You promised me, on your death bed." Malia threw out and Sydney shook her head with an amused smile. Like that was going to get Peter to side with them.

"I just saw a kid get burned alive trying to escape the Hunt. You try and save Stiles, he's going to die the same way, humans can't get through." Peter yelled at them, yet he seemed to be following their trail, around the chain and onto the rough path of the preserve. Sydney fell in step next to Malia but threw a look over her shoulder at Peter.

She knew all too well what happened to humans when they tried to go through the rift, but she was willing to help Malia, hopefully the girl had a better idea of how to save Stiles than she did. Sydney didn't want to try and bring him through the portal, but she wasn't about to agree with Peter in front of Malia, especially not when they were all looking to help Stiles.

"Then we'll find another way to get him out." Malia hollered back at Peter and Sydney couldn't help but smile at her tenacity. "But first we have to get in."

When Sydney paused to peer back at Peter, she took note that he had stopped walking. He was looking at the back of Malia with a curious expression and Sydney paused too, waiting for him, knowing that she'd rather be next to him than away from him again. It had been too long since she had laid eyes on a healthy Peter, who was also free from the Wild Hunt, and she wasn't going to take her time with him for granted.

"You have no self-preservation instincts; how are you my daughter?" Peter questioned and when Sydney closed in on his, she latched her hand onto his and gave it a rough tug.

"She's wickedly stubborn though." Sydney remarked with a smirk. "Wonder who she got that from?"

Without giving him a chance to respond, Sydney pulled on his arm and felt him fall in stride behind her. She slowed her pace ever so slightly and when he was side by side with her, she shot him a knowing look, the two of them falling silent as they followed Malia, who had apparently marked the spot (visually of course) where she had found Peter.

If the Ghost Riders weren't a constantly lingering threat, then Sydney might've actually enjoyed the walk through the preserve. It was a relatively nice night out and she enjoyed the fact that Peter was with her, even if he was being a bit of a spoil sport. What did they really have to lose at this point, why was he so adamant about not helping Stiles?

"I think you need to admit that you have an unhealthy attachment to Stiles." Peter spoke up and Sydney gave his hand a rough squeeze. "You've got to let him go."

"Peter." Sydney hissed, her voice just short of warning.

Malia paused in her walking just long enough to shoot a glare his way, followed by a menacing growl. Sydney wouldn't admit it out loud but she was starting to like the way that Malia responded to Peter. She wasn't taking any of his shit and she certainly wasn't doing anything that he wanted her to do. She was her own person and Sydney could respect that, even if she didn't like the idea that she was, in fact, Peter's daughter.

"Would you please try to behave like a human?" Peter chastised but Malia didn't even miss a beat.

"I need Stiles for that." Malia countered.

"Why?" Peter pressed. "Is he your human crutch?"

"He's my anchor." Malia retorted, continuing to hike along the worn path.

"I'll get you a new anchor." Peter replied, rather calmly considering.

"You can't just get her a new anchor, this isn't Hush Little Baby, 'daddy can't buy her a mockingbird' and you certainly can't get her a new anchor." Sydney protested. "Give the girl a break."

"He's not coming back." Peter argued. "He was hunted, he got caught."

Malia stopped in her movements and rounded on her heels, "you don't believe that. You risked your life to bring us his keys."

His keys? Peter had brought Malia Stiles' keys? Okay, that was a new piece of news to her, but hell, it didn't surprise her. Peter would've wanted to leave the train station with as much stuff as he could, even if it didn't belong to him, right? It sort of made sense, at least if he had brought back something, then there was proof that Stiles had been there, which would make him more believable if he ever needed something from Malia.

"I risked my life to escape the Hunt. Not to reunite sentimental teenagers." Peter shot back.

"Would you have left without me?" Sydney stopped walking immediately and pulled her hand away from his. He looked from Malia, to Sydney and then settled his gaze on Malia. "Peter?"

With a hesitant movement, he turned back to face her and ever so slightly shook his head no. What did that mean though? Was he saying 'no don't talk about this now' or was he admitting that he wouldn't have left without her? God, she was so frustrated with him and she was starting to miss the Peter who had been confined to the hospital bed- at least that Peter depended on her.

"You wanted us to know about Stiles and Canaan. You were warning us." Malia broke in and Sydney let out a tiny little growl before planting her hands on her hips. Malia moved forward though, ignoring the alpha's malcontent. Peter lifted his hands up in surrender at Sydney and took off in a brisk pace behind the girl that was his daughter.

Sydney threw her head back, took in the sight of the moon glowing brightly in the darkened sky, and then carried on after them. She had come this far, she certainly wasn't going to just turn around and leave because Peter was making her mad. Hell, he lived to make her mad, and maybe she had lost the ability to put up with it since he had been out of her life for as long as she had.

She just needed to stick by him and remind him that she was there for him, no matter what, and no matter how much he threatened to push her away.

After a few more seconds of walking, Malia slowed her pace down, pointed her one finger towards the ground and came to a stop in a small clearing. Sydney held back and watched as Peter looked around at where Malia had stopped.

She took a deep inhale and let the scent of a burnt Peter fill her nostrils. It was faint but it was there and she could just make it out over the fresh scent of Peter standing in front of her. This was the place, this is precisely where Malia had claimed to have found him, and if Sydney hadn't had to worry about Sam when she had come through the rift, she would've been out searching until she located the man herself.

"This is where we found you." Malia stated.

"Like I said, there's nothing here." Peter shot back at her and Sydney brought her arms up, crossing them over her chest. She let her eyes fall shut and felt the moon against her skin.

It was nice, so nice, and she felt an eerie sense of calm flood through her. She had Peter back, she was back in Beacon Hills with her pack, and they were so close to figuring out a way to get Stiles back. They had to be on the right track, everything was falling in to place for her.

"You're not even looking." Malia barked, pulling Sydney out of her head and back to the task at hand. She forced her alpha red irises out and took a step forward, trying to get between Malia and Peter. If she could just gain control of the situation, if she could just-

"You can't just poke around and expect to find a supernatural train station!" Peter argued and Sydney took a step forward, but froze in her tracks.

What the hell was that? What the hell were the sound of horses doing all the way out here? Jesus Christ, and if she could hear them, did that mean-

Peter slowly turned around to face away from Malia and she could hear his heart pick up in pace. Okay, yes, he could definitely hear them too, but what exactly did that mean for them, what the hell were they supposed to do now?

She wasn't going to get taken, again;she wasn't going to leave Bruin and she certainly wasn't going to just let the Ghost Riders do whatever it is they were planning to do. She had escaped from the train station once already and she certainly wasn't going to do it again, plus she wasn't going to let Peter get away from her.

"Do you hear that?" Peter quipped in a low tone and Sydney nodded her head in response, her movements almost robotic. She stepped around Malia and took up a stance in front of her, preparing to fight if it came down to it. Malia could run away, she was quick enough, plus if Sydney and Peter were both there to serve as a distraction, the werecoyote would have to be safe, right?

"It's them?" Malia asked and remained standing stark still. Sydney dropped her head down to the ground and when she lifted her chin up, she could feel the sharp points of her canines biting in to her tongue.

This is what she was made for, she was a born fighter, she had been fighting for her life ever since she was a child. She loved it, she loved the challenge, and with her and Peter together, she knew they stood a decent chance at fighting them off, depending on how many Ghost Riders there were of course.

"Yeah and judging by the sound, we don't have a lot of time." Peter stated.

"What?" Sydney cocked her head forward and forced her claws out, taking yet another step forward.

"Yeah, what…for what?" Malia added.

"For you two to run." Peter countered

"No." Sydney scoffed and felt her body tense. She craned her neck and felt the glowing of her eyes, she was the alpha, she was the stronger one at this point in time, fuck Peter trying to be a hero. She was here to fight.

"You're leaving me?" Malia posed. "You're leaving us?"

"I'm saving you." Peter retorted.

"But if we can hear them, it must be close." Malia tried to argue, she was desperate to stay and figure out a way to help save Stiles. If Sydney was honest with herself, she was ready to stand by Malia too, there were three of them…they had an opportunity.

"There'll be another chance." Peter barked at them both and Sydney made a move to step closer to him, to stand next to him, but he rounded on her, glaring at her. She blinked away her alpha reds, her claws and teeth retracted and she let out a growl in Peter's direction. What the hell was he trying to prove? "Go now. Malia, run! Go! Sydney, get out of here!"

Malia latched on to Sydney's wrist and tugged on her arm, pulling her along behind her as she broke out into a run. Sydney resisted at first but she let Malia pull her along and eventually fell in stride next to her, but she wasn't just going to leave Peter, was she?

After everything she had been through, after being left all alone while Peter had been gone, she wasn't just going to let him take on the Ghost Riders by himself. She was going to protect him, she was going to make sure that her baby girl had another chance to see her father.

Sydney ripped her arm free from Malia's grasp and turned right back around. She could hear Malia's retreating footsteps and knew that she hadn't stopped running. Oh well, Sydney didn't care, she just wanted to get to Peter, she needed to get to Peter. She wasn't going to lose him again.

Letting out a ferocious growl that would rival that of a real wolf, she surged forward and felt her own heart pounding against her chest, adrenaline coursing through her body. This was her chance, this was her shot and nothing, not a damn thing, was going to stand in her way.

She dropped her head down and forced herself to shift but this time it felt different, it felt off. What the…what the hell was happening to her?!

Leaping into the air, Sydney felt her entire body in pain as her bones felt like they were shattering and ripping away from one another. The searing, burning pain only lasted for a few seconds before her bones settled back into their joints, except…no, no she didn't feel right.

It didn't hurt, but it certainly didn't feel right.

She could see Peter, she could feel her red eyes, but when she hit the ground, she was utterly shocked at the sight of paws. What the hell!?

Her feet…were paws? Her feet were paws! Holy hell, was this what is was like to go full wolf, was she really turning into a wolf?

Sydney ran faster than she had ever run before and she surged into the clearing, running around and coming to a stop at Peter's feet. He looked down at the animal in front of him and took a step back, fearful of what might happen to him.

The animal peered back at him and when he finally met the animal's eyes, the familiar red irises were present but what he wasn't expecting was the most beautiful face of a wolf he had ever laid eyes on. Was this…was this Sydney?

Had she learned to shift completely while he had been gone?

His feet moved towards her and she dropped her head in submission. In Peter's mind, she was no doubt an alpha at this point. There were very few alphas that he knew of who could do what she had just done. Derek was the most recent one, and one of the only ones he had seen with his own eyes, until that moment. There were plenty of others, pictures in books, rare sightings via other werewolves. He had seen Deucalion's 'demon wolf' transformation from the rafters in the distillery and he knew what his own alpha form looked like, mostly wolf but with a mutant gene which caused him to be much, much larger than the sleek black and white werewolf in front of him, protecting him.

The wolf circled his legs momentarily, the paws leaving faint marks in the ground as she did so. His feet remained glued to the ground but he twisted his upper body around, watching her as she continued to pace around his legs, all the while his ears were tuned in, listening to the approaching Ghost Rider.

Peter bent down ever so slightly, holding his hand out towards her, and she stopped walking, moving her wolfed out face towards his knees, pressing her muzzle against the back of his legs. Peter squatted down, meeting her at eye level as he smiled at her, not able to hold back the sheer excitement of her new alpha form.

His fingers ran through the fur on her head, scratching behind her ears and moving down her back but Sydney rounded on the approaching sound of horses, forcing his hand away from her. She let out a growl and he forced his shoulders back, drawing out his own shift, which was much less impressive than hers.

Two of the Ghost Riders erupted from the trees and Sydney took a slinking step forward. She continued to growl and even let out a threatening howl, knowing that she was the only thing standing between them and Peter. She wasn't about to let them take him again, she wasn't going to let them take either one of them.

Without hesitating for a second, she lunged forward and snarled at the feet of the horses, hoping to scare them off. If she could strike fear into the animals which the Ghost Riders rode, then she could maybe get them to turn around.

The one rider drew his gun and pointed it directly at Peter, but Sydney kept lunging for the horse's feet. She knew she had to do something and if this was all on her, then she wasn't going to give in. She was an alpha werewolf, she was a full on wolf, she could handle this, she could protect her pack.

A shiver ran down her spine at the sound of Peter growling along with her and she knew she wasn't in this alone. He was perfectly capable of helping her fight the two Ghost Riders off, he was just as capable as she was-

Just as suddenly as they had come, the two Ghost Riders spun around and galloped away, leaving her and Peter all alone. What the hell!?

Where were they going and why did they just leave?

Sydney plunked her butt down on the forest floor and simply sat there, watching and listening to the Ghost Riders retreating. She jerked her entire body at the feeling of a hand on her back and when she turned in the direction of the touch, she instantly relaxed and stayed calm while Peter circled around her.

He came to stand in front of her and when he dropped down into a squat, she raised her head the tiniest little bit and met his eyes, blinking back her alpha reds. He slowly leaned forward, her cold, black nose just inches from his. Without warning, he jerked his head to the side and moved to place a kiss between her eyes, the wolf letting out a whine at his actions.

Pulling away from him, she took a few steps back and let her eyes fall shut, her mind wandering to Peter and all of the wonderful moments they had shared together.

He stood up to his full height and watched her as she shifted back into Sydney the human. She was quick to wrap her arms around her now naked body and when Peter's lips curled upwards into a smirk, she let out a low growl in his direction, yet he just seemed to be staring at her in complete awe.

"Maybe you could loan me your sweater until I get a chance to find my own clothes?" She baited and Peter crossed his arms over his chest, taking a few steps towards her and closing the distance between them.

"You're making a great argument for me coming home with you." Peter teased and reached a hand out, gripping her bare hip with his fingers. She tensed at his touch but leaned forward, collapsing into his hold and letting him hug her tight. "When did you learn how to do that?"

"What?" She murmured and settled into his chest, feeling the warmth of his body against hers. "You mean go full wolf?"

"Yes, when did you learn how to do that?"

"Just now." She answered with a small sigh.

"What?" His eyes widened at her admission and she curled into his chest further, feeling the chill from the night air biting at her skin.

"I was coming back to help you and I just…it happened. It felt really weird too- now can I have your sweater please?"

Peter let go of her and peeled the garment from his body, holding it out for her. She slipped her arms into the sleeves and hugged it against her naked form before turning to face him, a smile on her lips.

"Let's go, before they decide to come back." Peter suggested. "I'll even help you find your clothes."

"Thanks." She snorted. "Let's go home."

"Yes, home." He bowed his head and slipped his arm around her waist, holding her tight.

He would go wherever she led him, and there wasn't anything that would change that.

XxxxxxXxxxxxXxxxxxX

Were you guys surprised that Sydney went full wolf there?