Chapter 21

I glance down at Scott's sleeping face; he looks so young and peaceful. It's hard to tell that he's been to hell and back over the past few months. His world has been going bad ever since we were trapped in the closet together at the school, which feels like years ago. My world had been bad before that, with my father and all, but Scott has been put through so much lately that he's starting to lose himself.

In fact, most of the wolves have changed somewhat since all this started. I mean, Ethan wasn't even on our side before this. We've lost a lot of people and we can all tell, even Allison and Lydia, that something big is happening. Its as if you can see the pressure building up; any second it's going to burst and a huge shit storm will be left in it's wake.

Tears form in my eyes at this realization. If there's a fight, or war, or whatever, people are going to get hurt, maybe even killed. We've lost Danny and Stiles already, and maybe Boyd since nobody's updated me on his whereabouts yet. But Boyd will be fine; he always is.

"Why are you crying?" Scott whispers. I open my eyes, not realizing that I had closed them, and watch a few tears fall onto his face. He reaches a hand up and rubs his thumb across my cheek. "What's wrong babe?"

I grab his wrist and press his hand harder into my cheek. "I'm just worried." I whisper.

"About what?" Scott asks as he sits up.

I close my eyes. "I just don't want to keep losing people."

He pulls my head into his neck and rubs my back. "We'll be okay."

"Scott, I don't want to lose you. I love you more than you will ever know and I suppressed my feelings for so long because I was scared of what you would think. I stayed out of the way in school and never made friends because I was afraid of what my dad would do to me. I've lived almost my whole life in fear and you were the one thing that has been able to distract me from it. But now, I'm scared again. I can't lose you." I admit, pulling away from him so I can look into his eyes.

Scott puts his hands on my shoulders. "All that's in the past, where it belongs. You have me now and I'll do everything I can to keep this pack safe. I promise."

I bite my lip. "Scott, I have to tell you something."

"What is it?" Scott asks, his face sympathetic.

"Your mom and Boyd were attacked by what we're thinking is the alpha pack. Your mom is at Deaton's and is fine, but Boyd's still missing. Lydia told me not to tell you when she called about an hour ago, but I can't stand having you in the dark. You have just as much a right to know as anybody." I whisper.

Scott stares at me blankly for a few seconds as if in shock. "C-can we go see her?" He whispers.

I shake my head slowly. "No, the alpha's are still out there. We can't risk getting attacked."

"But-"

My phone rings, interrupting what Scott was about to say. "Hello?"

"Isaac, Derek and I are on our way there. H-he found Boyd, in the woods by the store, but it's not good." Allison says quickly.

"How bad?" I ask, my heart starting to race. Scott looks at me with a concerned face when he hears it.

Allison is silent for a second, and then, "He's dead."

I feel the blood drain from my cheeks. "A-are you sure?"

"I'm sorry Isaac, I really am." Her voice sounds nothing but sympathetic.

"H-how long until you guys get here?" I whisper, my voice suddenly quiet and raspy.

"About five minutes." Allison says. "I'll see you then, okay?"

"Okay." I say before hanging up. I drop the phone into my lap and put my head in my hands.

"What happened?" Scott asks, his hands grabbing my wrists.

"Boyd's dead." I whisper.

Scott's hands squeeze my shoulders. "Look at me." My gaze shifts from the floor to his eyes, although I can't see much of anything through my tears. "You're going to be fine, you hear me? We'll make it through this together."

"He was a brother to me, Scott." I choke out.

He moves closer to me and his hands move to my back, rubbing slow, comforting circles. "I know that it's hard, Stiles was like my brother too, but life goes on; that's one thing that I've realized from all this. I've wasted everyone's time by being childish and wallowing in my sadness, your pack needs you to be able to handle this. We can help you heal."

I try to listen to what Scott's saying, but I can't; I feel detached from reality. My head is spinning and I can't focus on anything other than the sound of my racing heart. I'm faintly aware of Scott's hands on my shoulders, trying to tell me something, but I don't know what he's saying. I try to put my hands on Scott's and tell him that I'm fine, but they're shaking too much, in fact everything's shaking too much. I feel my lungs start to burn, and suddenly can't shake the feeling that I'm about to die. Just like everyone else; my mom, my brother, Danny, Stiles and now Boyd.

"Isaac!" A loud, commanding voice cuts into my thoughts.

I inhale sharply and my eyes focus a little more. "S-Scott." I stutter.

I feel him grip one of my wrists and move my hand to his chest. "Breathe with me." He says. "Just match my breaths."

When I feel his chest move out, I force myself to breathe in, despite the fact that my lungs are burning and I feel like I could pass out any second. I exhale when Scott does and slowly everything becomes clearer; Scott's face, full of concern, comes into view first, then the feeling of the couch beneath me. And last, my sense of detachment dissolves, leaving me a sweaty, teary mess. This has to be one of my worse panic attack yet. "I-I'm sorry." I whisper, my voice still shaky.

Scott's grip on me tightens in comfort. "There's nothing to be sorry about." He whispers.

I pull his head closer to mine, so close that we can taste each other's breaths. I'm about to finish closing the gap and kiss him when I hear a car pull into the driveway; most likely Allison and Derek. "T-they're here." I say, pulling away.

Scott gently pushes me onto the couch so I'm lying down. "I'll let them in, you stay put."

He crosses the room silently and opens the door before they knock. Momentarily Allison and Derek come in, and Scott closes the door. "Nice to see you up." Allison says to Scott, sounding surprised.

"Yeah." Scott says blankly, while looking at a very distraught Derek. "I'm done being selfish; we've all got it rough right now, so who's to say that I get special treatment."

"Where's Isaac?" Allison asks.

"In here." I answer, my voice cracking.

"I'm making him lay down for a bit; he had a panic attack after you guys hung up." Scott says. "And he told me something interesting about my mother. I assume that now Derek's here you'll take me to go see her?"

"No," Allison says, "no I'm not. Judging by the look of Isaac and Derek, they can't take care of themselves."

"You know that I'm right here, right?" I say.

Allison looks over at me and smiles. "Shut up Lahey."

I know that she's kidding, so I don't bother getting mad. "Argent, since I'm apparently incapable of taking care of myself, can you make me some food? I'm wasting away over here."

Allison groans. "Fine. Scott, get Derek talking; he's been too quiet, even for him, since he I got him in the car. I don't want him bottling up his emotions, he could burst later, when we need him."

"Melissa, can you hear me?" A voice creeps into my thoughts. I groan, hoping it will stop; I'm enjoying the weird sensation flowing through my body, it's as if I'm floating. I haven't felt this relaxed in weeks. "Come on, Melissa, wake up." The voice says, slightly more stubborn this time.

I try this time; the voice sounds more commanding than it's first try. The moment I open my eyes a tiny bit, a wave of pain courses through me. I groan and squeeze my eyes shut again.

I'm aware of a slight pressure in my hand. "I know it hurts, but you need to open your eyes." The voice, that I now recognize as Ethan's, says to me.

I take a deep breath, my lungs burning, and slowly inch my eyes open. "What happened?" I groan.

"You were beaten badly by one of the alpha's, but you're alive, which is what matters." Ethan says gently.

My head spins as I try to remember, but only brief flashes come to me. Most of them involving Boyd. "Where's Boyd?" I wheeze. "Is he okay?"

Ethan squeezes my hand. "He was shot in the chest; he died just after Derek found him."

Tears spring to my eyes, but I refuse to cry. "Is everyone else okay?" I whisper.

"Yes, they're all fine in a physical sense. Derek's a little beaten up about it, and according to Allison, so is Isaac. But Scott seems to be almost back to normal; he was walking around and talking to Allison when she got there." Ethan says.

I smile. "Good."

"They're all waiting for you." Ethan tells me. "Deaton will be back in a second, he went to get some painkillers."

I wince as I become aware of my pain again, "Yeah, I'm going to need lots of it."

Ethan rubs my hand, "You'll probably be done healing by tomorrow. But Deaton has all your limbs in casts, just to make you that you'll heal properly. So, I'll be carrying you around for the next twenty-some hours."

I hear Deaton step into the room. "How are you feeling?" He asks, leaning over me so I can see him.

"My ribs and legs hurt, but other than that I'm okay." I reply.

Deaton smiles, "Great. I'm just going to give you a shot that will help with your pain, and send you home with some pills; just take two when you feel any disomfort. I'll stop by sometime tomorrow to take the casts off."

"Sounds good." I say.

The shot takes about thirty seconds and within five minutes I'm in the back of Ethan's car, on the way to Lydia's. "Ethan, we've got to be careful." I say.

"Why?" He asks.

I snort, it should be obvious. "The alpha's are still in Beacon Hills for all we know, and the Darach is still out there. Either one of them could attack us at any moment, and we need to be ready."

Ethan glances back at me before looking back at the road again. "I'll talk to Derek when we get back. But I agree; we need to have some sort of plan if something happens."

"What happens if your brother attacks us?" I ask quietly.

Ethan slams on the breaks, jolts me, causing my body to scream in pain, and comes to a dead stop in the middle of the road. He sits completely still, as if in a trance; lasting only a few seconds before slowly starting down the road again. "D-don't worry about it." He says quietly.

"Ethan, it's obviously something that we need to worry about." I whisper.

I feel his mood change as we pull into Lydia's driveway. He's scared. "Deucalion had warned my brother and I about what would happen if we were ever separated for a long period of time."

"What did he say?" I ask.

Ethan's knuckles turn white against the steering wheel. "I-it's why he taught us to morph together." He takes a slow, deep breath. "Aiden's worried too, which is why he won't leave Beacon Hills without me."

"What is he worried about?"

Ethan sighs. "It doesn't matter right now. I'll tell everyone later, because if we don't figure something out soon, it'll become a problem."

He gets out of the car without another word and opens my door to carry me inside.

"What are we going to do about her?" Allison asks.

Everyone glances down at the girl that I rescued in the woods, who is currently lying unconscious on the floor with a pillow under her head. "She's my beta now." I say. "I'll take care of her, and the rest of you need to be nice to her, she's pack now."

Isaac groans. "Why do we need to expand the pack anymore than it already is?"

Scott smiles and kisses his cheek. "What, do you feel threatened by a girl?" He teases.

Isaac looks at Scott, "No, but more people in the pack means more that we can lose, and since she's young she'll be the weakest one for a while. We don't need new beta's at a time like this."

I smile, "Well, I'm going to be scoping out for more beta's. We can all feel it; there's something big happening and we need to be ready for it. I suggest that Derek and Peter do the same."

The girl suddenly jolts awake, her heart racing and breathing heavy. I kneel down next to her, and touch her arm, which instantly calms her down. "You're okay sweetheart." I say gently. "What's your name?"

She looks wearily around the room before answering. "Monica."

"How old are you Monica?" I ask.

"Fifteen." She replies. "My birthday was two weeks ago."

I smile. "Happy belated birthday. Now, do you remember what happened?"

I can see her thinking, and can almost picture gears turning inside her head. Finally, she slowly shakes it. "I don't remember much." She whispers. "I ran away from home; I took a trail in the woods behind my house, but when I heard people behind me I had to leave the path. I was just wondering around when this...creature popped up in front of me. It stabbed me, and everything is blank until you told me that you were a..."

She pauses, "A werewolf?" I finish.

She gulps and looks around the room. "Yeah. A-are all of you werewolves?"

I smile and sit her up. "Most of us." I point to the corner of the room where Allison and Lydia are standing. "They're humans, but they know about us. The strawberry blonde is Lydia, and the one with the dark hair is Allison."

Monica looks at me. "A-am I a werewolf?"

"Yes. You would have died if I didn't turn you." I say.

"So, you're a wolf too?" She asks.

"Yes, but I'm an alpha. Derek over there," I point to him, "is also an alpha. We have Peter as well, but he usually does his own thing. Only alpha's can make new wolves. When an alpha turns someone, they become a beta; my only beta, besides you, is Melissa, who is currently napping upstairs, nursing some injuries."

Monica nods. "Then I'm assuming that the other two are Derek's betas?"

"Close." I say. "Isaac, the one with the curly hair, is Derek's. Scott, well he was Peter's beta, but he chose to be an omega not long after he turned."

"So there's two alphas, three if you count Peter?" She asks.

I nod. "Yeah, but we all usually follow Derek."

She nods to herself. "So, you're like one mega pack?"

I grin. "Well, I've never thought of it that way, but yeah, I guess so."

She takes a deep breath. "You guys seem nice."

"You'll get tired of us pretty quick." Scott says. "There's a lot of sassy people, Peter probably being the biggest one. And then Isaac can get pretty annoying."

Isaac flicks Scott's shoulder. "Shut up. You know you love me." Scott sticks his tongue out and Isaac kisses him on the nose.

"Oh yeah, Scott and Isaac are together." I say to Monica. "That's pretty much the only relationship right now. Lydia had a boyfriend, but he moved and Derek had a thing with Stiles, but Stiles was killed recently." The mood in the room becomes gloomy in an instant. I quickly try to change it, but say something that I'll regret for the rest of my life. "But Derek has a girlfriend now."

The world comes to a halt and all eyes jump to Derek, who is growing madder by the second. "Who told you that?" He growls.

"I did." A girl with dark hair and an average face has suddenly appeared behind Derek. "I needed him to do something for me."

She walks over to me and pulls me up onto my feet. She throws some sort of powder in my face and my body suddenly has a mind of it's own. I grab her shoulders and inch my face closer to her neck, opening my mouth when I'm a few inches away. I try to force my jaw shut, but my body won't respond to me; I can't even back away from her.

"Ethan, what are you doing?" Derek yells, stepping towards us. A force brings him to a halt and the girl smiles.

"He can't control what he's doing." She says. "I've been hiding something from you Derek, and it's time you know what it is." My lips make contact with her neck and my fangs come out, digging into her skin.

And suddenly, I am freed from whatever type of trance I was in. I back away as fast as I can, but the damage has already been done. The bite starts healing instantly, and the more it heals, the more the girl's appearance changes; and when the scar is gone her face is so distorted that she doesn't even look human.

Derek stares at her in shock. "You're the Darach." He says.

"Very good Derek." She says.

Derek lunges at her, claws out, before anyone else can take a breath. But she sees it coming and grabs his arm, picks him up, and throws him across the room, breaking a chair. All at once, Lydia's living room becomes a battlefield.

Allison pulls a knife out of her boot and one out of her sleeve and hands one to Lydia. Scott and Isaac are transformed, circling with the Darach while the two girls wait for a moment of weakness. I bend down and grab Monica's hand, pulling her up and dragging her to the side of the room. I flash my red eyes at her, warning her to stay where she is, and she nods.

I turn back to the scene and flick my claws out in anticipation of a fight. Scott jumps forward, reaching for her head, but she sticks her hand out and a force throws him straight back, slamming right through the stair railing and into the wall. Before he even lands, Allison has thrown a knife in her back and Isaac has pounced on her, ripping her head off before she has time to react.

Isaac smiles slightly, "Scott, she's dead." When there's response, Isaac turns around. Scott is still lying motionless in the wall, blood spurting from his arms, legs, torso; it's as if his body is trying to drain itself.

"Scott?" Isaac yells, now panicking as he runs towards his boyfriend. He pulls him out of the wall, and shoves his ear against Scott's chest. "I can barely hear his heart." He whispers, full on panicking now. "Someone call Deaton! We need to get him to Deaton!" Isaac yells.

Out of the corner of my eye I see Allison pull her cell phone out of her pocket and start dialing. Derek, with a little blood on his shirt but otherwise fine, moves over to Isaac, and picks Scott up. "You drive." He says to Isaac.

Isaac nods quickly, and starts wiping tears away as he and Derek run for the cars.

"Ethan?" Monica asks in a quiet voice from beside me on the couch.

"Yeah?" I ask.

"W-will Scott be okay?" She whispers.

Everyone in the room twitches at the sound of his name, but they leave it up to me to answer. I sigh and turn to look her in the eye. "As a werewolf, you have super healing abilities, but sometimes injuries are too severe to be healed. We all know that we risk being killed everyday, and in Scott's case, well, he might not make it."

"How do you know?" She asks. "What if he's back to normal by now?"

I shake my head sadly. "If he was, Derek would have called by now; if he was even stable, he would have called. If he dies, well, Derek will call. Scott was in a really bad shape, even by werewolf standards, Monica."

Lydia gets up, her legs visibly shaking. "W-we need to tidy this mess up. My parents will be back in a few days."

My hearing shifts to upstairs, where Melissa has just woken up, by the sounds of it. "I need to go check on Melissa, and tell her what happened. I'll be back down in a few minutes. Monica, you be good and listen to Lydia."

She nods wordlessly. I'm at the bottom of the stairs when the chime of Allison's cell phone fills the room. She looks at the caller ID on the screen, "It's Derek." She whispers.