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 28:

Months, it had been months since Peter had seen the last of the Ghost Riders, not to mention the crazy Nazi werewolf that had tried to take on Scott. Yet in those same months, he had witnessed Sydney losing her pack one by one, a piece of herself disappearing with each member that left.

Okay, it wasn't like they were leaving her permanently, or even for a hugely extended period of time, but he could easily see that with each member that left the house, it was getting harder and harder for her to keep herself together. He wasn't leaving her though, if he had anything to say about it, he'd stick right by her side until his very last breath.

He had gone without her before and Peter certainly wasn't going to do that again. She meant too much to him, she was way too important, plus now he had Bruin to look after, and Sam, who was growing on him too. It was his little girl though, Bruin, yes, she would keep Peter grounded, she would remind him of what he had to lose in case he ever had another lapse in judgement like he had in the past.

She was his world at this point in time, nothing was ever going to hurt his little girl.

Well, his little girls. Yes, Sam, she was definitely a beta that Peter liked having around.

Sam, poor little Sam. The girl had lost her own pack and it wasn't like Sydney hadn't tried to find Satomi and hand her back over, she had. There had been desperate searches, group outings into the preserve to catch a scent, but the alpha werewolf was nowhere to be found, barely even a trace was left for them to find. The only pack members that Sydney had managed to locate were some betas who she seemed to know quite well, a teenager named Brett and his sister, who were around the same age as Charlie. Where had Satomi gone and why had she left a defenseless little girl behind?

In all honesty, Peter didn't really care though, even when Sydney had exclaimed that Sam would stay with them, he hadn't objected.

The little girl was extremely intelligent, she was incredibly brave (as he had witnessed when he had gotten her and Sydney out of the train station) and she'd make a great beta for Sydney when she was older, plus since she was still young, she could be molded, she could be influenced, she could be guided to her fullest potential. Perhaps that was part of why Peter hadn't been opposed to the idea of the girl becoming part of Sydney's pack, whether it was temporarily or permanently. He could help her become the most loyal of betas, he could teach her everything he knew, and in turn, she could learn to become a protector for Bruin, his little girl.

Watching the others leave though, that was what had Sydney so down, that was what had his mate struggling through each and every day. She tried to maintain a sense of normalcy, desperate to let Sam see that things were just fine.

First it had been Derek, who had claimed that he needed to go, he needed to step away and deal with some things on his own and Sydney hadn't objected to whatever journey of self-discovery Derek seemed to need. He had reassured both Sydney and himself that he wasn't pulling out of her pack, but that didn't make it hurt any less when he loaded up what little belongings he had into his Camaro and pulled out of the driveway. In fact, his leaving had seemed to upset Sam more than anyone. Apparently the little girl had grown accustomed to Derek being nearby and for whatever reason, she had liked his broody nephew.

Seeing Derek with the child had been a little off-putting but Peter could still remember the times when Derek had looked out for his own siblings. He was a much better werewolf than he gave himself credit for.

Without Derek though, it didn't feel the same, at least not to Sydney. She refused to bother him with incessant calls just to see how he was doing though, no, she knew better. If Derek wanted to talk to her, he'd do it on his own terms and maybe Derek would come back sooner rather than later, she just had to give him the space that he seemed to need for whatever it was he needed to do.

Peter hadn't been invited to join him, and even if he had, he would've turned his nephew down. They had spent enough time together for Peter to know that they rarely saw eye to eye, so what good would it do spending one on one time with the one other Hale male remaining in Beacon Hills. Wherever Derek had headed off to was a secret to even him. His promise of calling Sydney if he ever needed anything had not fallen on deaf ears. Derek had easily accepted the offer and had even hugged the female alpha goodbye, promising to take care of himself so that he could come back to her pack one day.

Derek had been the first beta of Sydney's to leave, but he wasn't the last.

When Ethan had announced that he wanted to fly over to London, England, Sydney had been shocked, as had Peter, but it wasn't like the man wasn't capable of handling things on his own. Peter had barely managed to keep himself interested long enough to overhear the twin telling his alpha that there was someone over there that he wanted to see, someone that he had been talking to secretly for quite a while. The name Jackson had come up more often than not and Peter couldn't help but wonder when this had all started.

It was obvious that Ethan hadn't mentioned anything about Jackson, or England, to Sydney, but when Peter had caught the knowing look in Charlie's eye, he knew that not everyone was as surprised by his announcement as Sydney had been.

That made it two, two betas of Sydney's had packed up their things and left the house, leaving her with a dwindling pack that seemed to be getting smaller and smaller with each passing week.

She had held her head high though, trying to remain strong and unwavering, and she had succeeded for the most part, at least until Charlie had begun packing her things, readying herself to move back to Colorado in order to attend university. This one hadn't come as quite a shock, no, Sydney had known that Charlie would be heading off to further her education, but that didn't mean it hurt the alpha any less.

Peter wouldn't admit it to anyone but the loss of Charlie had affected him as well, though not as badly as it had wounded his mate. The girl, as irritating as she was, had begun to grow on Peter, and she had proven to him, time and time again, that she was a perfect beta to Sydney's alpha. She listened when she needed to, she was strong enough to handle herself and she was smart, smarter than he had initially believed.

So when Charlie's father had arrived to pick up his daughter in Beacon Hills, there had actually been tears in Sydney's eyes. Not his though, no, he wouldn't cry over the loss of a hormonal teenage beta that he hadn't even had a say in choosing.

Steve had backed out of the driveway and took Charlie away. The girl had left and she had taken Isaac with her, leaving Peter, Sydney, Bruin, Sam and Aidan in her former childhood home in California.

Her pack had split up, gone their separate ways, they were growing up. He wasn't leaving her though, he'd never leave her. There was nothing in the world that would force him away from Sydney, or Bruin for that matter. Wherever she went, he'd go too, though he wasn't about to confess that out loud. Peter didn't need to announce his weakness to the world, no, people didn't need to know that he'd do anything to keep Bruin and Sydney safe.

Curling up with her the first night that Charlie had been gone was hard on them both. She wouldn't admit to him that she was missing her female beta and he could easily sense that she was hurting. Peter knew better than to bring it up to her though, if she wanted to suffer in silence, then he'd let her. She'd come to him on her own, so instead of bothering her, he simply let her nuzzle her face against his chest and cling to him while she slept, fearful that if she let go of him, he'd leave her too.

Her body was always warm next to his and even Bruin was starting to sleep right through the night, leaving him alone with his thoughts when the sun went down. He had so many regrets but leaving Sydney the first time, going behind her back and making a deal with Kate Argent, was at the top of his list.

He had missed the birth of his child, he had missed her first few months of life, hell, he had missed Sydney and the formation of her pack, a pack that was strong even without his presence. Those were things he'd never get back.

She had done very well for herself without him though, proving to him that she didn't need Peter.

And that hurt more than he'd care to admit.

Without him she'd still be a strong alpha, her pack would still be able to protect her, and Bruin. He wasn't necessary, not to the pack anyways, but he knew that he was necessary to Sydney. She needed him, and he needed her.

The day that Aidan came to him and confessed that he was thinking about finding a place of his own, Peter was quick to offer the younger man his old apartment. He figured, for Sydney's sake of course, that the man would thrive near his alpha, especially if his twin was thousands of miles away. Aidan had jumped at the opportunity and had moved out of the house rather quickly, leaving Sydney all alone with Peter and the two girls.

He hadn't needed to convince her that it was for the best, and Aidan still popped over almost daily, but it was easy to see that Sydney was heartbroken by his choice. He had been such a staple in the household and now he was across town on his own.

In less than a few months, her pack had disintegrated and that wasn't even counting Stiles.

Stiles: who had gone off to become an FBI agent. The same Stiles, the very human Stiles, that had been there for Sydney when Peter himself had been gone. If it hadn't been for Stiles, god only knows what would've happened to his mate, but that was yet another thing that he filed away under his 'never admitting out loud' list. With all but one of her betas out of town, Peter knew that it would become more and more difficult on Sydney.

She didn't have as many people to easily rely on as she once did. She didn't have the amount of back up that she was used to having and she certainly didn't have the numbers that would help her if she felt threatened, no, all she had was Peter, Sam and baby Bruin.

She made it though, day in and day out she managed to keep herself together when he knew she was falling apart. She was saddened by the lack of her pack around her, and Peter, even though he wasn't all that fond of the idea of sharing Sydney with the others, quickly realized that he needed to give her everything he had, he needed to let her know that even though the pack was gone, it didn't mean they wouldn't come back to her eventually.

And he had, at least, until he had received the phone call from the one and only Scott McCall, requesting that they meet up for some sort of discussion.

While relaxing months had passed since he had been freed from the Wild Hunt, since they had defeated a maniacal Nazi werewolf and forced the Ghost Riders out of Beacon Hills, Peter couldn't help but feel a sense of exhilaration flowing through his veins at the prospect of something new threatening their wellbeing. Maybe this was what Sydney needed too, except, no, he'd keep her out of things for as long as possible.

It had been quiet, too quiet, and for too long, for his liking and now that the true alpha needed him for whatever, Peter wasn't going to let the opportunity pass him by. He wouldn't tell Sydney about the proposed meet up, he wouldn't bother her with anything until he knew more about why Scott needed to meet with him, though it wasn't hard to sense it all around him.

Things in Beacon Hills were changing, he could feel it in his bones, and the changes were definitely not for the better.

Whatever was happening wasn't going to be good, but could Peter avoid it all together? Could he manage to stay out of trouble?

For Sydney's sake, he sure hoped he could, because if she lost another pack member, he wasn't sure what would happen to her, but he knew it wouldn't be good.

XxxxxxXxxxxxXxxxxxX

Part of him didn't want to interrupt but another part of him, a bigger part, knew that Sydney deserved to at least know that he was taking off for a little bit. Peter didn't want to have her worrying while he was gone because if she didn't know where he was, and he didn't answer her when she called, she'd be liable to come looking for him and that was something he certainly didn't want.

Not when he was going to meet up with Scott McCall, not when he was hoping to gain some sort of advantage. Sydney could stay at home with Bruin and Sam and not worry about him, so long as he let her know where he was going. The only problem was, the three females were curled up in the bed, Sydney reading to Sam who held a small paperback book open, Bruin sleeping against Sydney's shoulder- a situation he didn't want to disturb.

It was such a lovely, peaceful sight, a sight that he would never grow tired of, but if Scott needed to talk to him, well that had to mean bad news.

Peter, though he wasn't about to admit it out loud, wanted nothing more than to protect his family, Sam included. Sydney had done more than enough for him, she had loved him when no one else had, she had forgiven him for going behind her back and she had taken him into her home, her pack, without a second thought. Did he owe her? Of course he did, but he wasn't going to make that public knowledge.

Instead, he would trust in himself to try and make things even between them. She could stay safe in the house with the girls and he could head out to see what Scott wanted to talk to him about, hopefully handling it without involving his mate at all.

"You're staring is rude." Sydney spoke up louder than she had been previous, when she had merely been reading to the little blonde girl curled up just in front of her. "And super distracting."

"You can come join us." Sam threw in, her eyes moving from the book in her hands to Peter. He cocked his head sideways and studied the girl for a moment, wondering how she had managed to weasel her way into Sydney's heart. Sam was nothing short of amazing, she was well behaved, incredibly smart and very, very obedient, especially when it came to him giving her instructions. She liked Peter too, which was odd in itself because for the life of him, he couldn't remember a time when anyone other than Sydney cared to have him in their presence at all.

"While I appreciate the invitation, I'm going to have to decline." Peter replied calmly and brought his arms up, crossing them over his chest. He stepped just inside the bedroom door and casually leaned against the wall, looking back at the bed and meeting Sydney's curious gaze.

"Really?" Sydney scoffed at him and rolled her eyes. "What reason could you possibly have to decline story time with us?"

"Scott called me." Peter answered bluntly, Sydney's eyes widening ever so slightly at his admission. There was no point in hiding where he was going or what he was doing, if he was honest with her then at least she knew what to expect. There were never any guarantees on him coming back home in one piece, especially when it came to meeting up with the true alpha or any of Scott's pack.

"What for?" Sydney pressed and readjusted her hold on the slumbering Bruin. The baby didn't wake and when Sydney was sitting up that little bit straighter, she leveled him with a glare, looking at him over Sam's head. "You two going on a man date?"

"What's a man date?" Sam piped up and looked up at Sydney, whose glare immediately softened. "Can I come too Petey?"

Peter hesitantly shook his head no and pushed himself off the wall, wandering into the room further before coming to stand at the foot of the bed. He sucked in a deep breath and wondered how best to approach the situation.

Would it be best if he asked to speak to Sydney alone, sending Sam out of the room for the time being so that she didn't end up between them? Or would it be easier if he just said his piece before taking off, no matter how Sydney felt about him going?

"You want me to call Aidan, see if he can watch the girls so I can go with you?" Sydney quipped, watching as Sam carefully closed the book and let it fall to the bed. "Because I can do that if you need me-"

"Nope, not necessary." Peter cut her off, shaking his head at her offer. "I can handle this on my own."

Sydney eyed him, her expression laced with skepticism, but what was she supposed to do? He figured she wasn't going to object to a night in with Bruin, in fact, if he hadn't gotten the call, he would've been on the bed with them, reading away to Sam until it was time for her to go to bed. Instead he was going to venture out of the house, meet up with Scott and hear the boy plead his case.

Sydney remained quiet though, not saying a word as Peter studied her, taking in her delectable scent. She didn't smell pissed off, she didn't even smell slightly angry, instead, it was almost like she was relieved.

Was she relieved? Did she not like the idea of going out in search of an adventure? No, no the Sydney he knew was the first one to jump in at the sight of danger, so why was she so nonchalant about him leaving her in the house alone for the evening? Peter had expected her to argue with him, point out that they couldn't trust Scott, but maybe she didn't actually feel that way?

Maybe Sydney liked the idea of leaving Beacon Hills in Scott's hands.

"How long do you think you're going to be?" Sydney whispered and Peter offered her a slight shrug. "Well can you try not to be gone too long?"

"With any luck I'll be home before you even go to bed." Peter countered, forcing a smirk onto his lips. "I don't like the idea of you going to bed alone."

There was a certain air of teasing to his words and he knew that she got it. She was his, he was hers, and the more that he got to sleep next to her, the more he regretted getting himself locked away in Eichen House. How had Sydney not been enough for him back then? Why had he given her up for a chance at revenge?

"She's got us." Sam grinned and set her hand on Sydney's knee, pushing herself up into a kneel on the bed. "If you don't come home quick, I'm stealing your spot in the bed."

"No chance Sam." Peter shot back, a teasing growl emanating from his throat. "You sleep in your own bed."

Sam let out a giggle and when Peter leaned forward, scooping her up into his arms, she shrieked in excitement. Sydney clutched Bruin tight against her chest and made her way to her feet, standing beside Peter, who struggled to get Sam to stop flailing before he managed to prop her against his hip. The little girl ran her hands down the side of his face and pressed her palms firmly against his cheeks, even going as far as to use her thumbs to pull the corners of his lips into a forced smile. She smiled at him and when she moved her hands away from his face, Peter smiled on his own accord, letting the girl stare into his eyes.

"As long as you promise to come back, I'll sleep in my own bed." Sam murmured, Peter wondering how truly intelligent this little girl was. Was she picking up on his slight anxiety involved in leaving the three of them alone for a while, or was she merely acting like a normal little girl, wanting him to come home in one piece?

"I promise." Peter said softly, feeling his heart pick up in speed the slightest, so small a change that Sam didn't pick up on it, though with one quick glance sideways, he could tell by the look on Sydney's face, that she had heard it. "Now, why don't you go pick out another book from the shelf in your room and give me a few minutes with Sydney so that I can give her a proper goodbye?"

"Okay." Sam wiggled against him and Peter immediately set the girl on the floor, watching in awe as she took off running for the door, pausing just outside to turn to face them once again. "Don't forget to give her a goodbye kiss."

Peter merely laughed at the girl's words and Sam was off before he had a chance to say anything more. When she was gone from his sight, he turned his attention towards Sydney and gingerly took the baby from her hold, cradling Bruin against his own chest momentarily while he wandered over to her crib. Leaning over the side of it, he cautiously laid the sleeping tot down and ran his hand over her head, ghosting his fingers through her hair. Without getting the chance to turn around, he felt Sydney's body press against his back, her arms banding around his middle as her forehead rested against the back of his shoulder.

"It's been too long." She mumbled, Peter stiffening at her words. Too long since what? Too long? What did she mean? What was she referring to?

"It has." He agreed, without thinking too much about it. Surely he could get it out of her without seeming like he had no idea what she was talking about.

"Do you know what Scott wants?"

Oh, now it all seemed to make sense. Yes, she was referring to Scott, it had been too long without some sort of contact with Scott, which in turn meant it had been too long without something weird happening to them all. With any sort of luck, Scott would want his help with something simple and then he could traipse back to Sydney's bed and they could carry on living peacefully without any sort of threat.

He didn't figure luck was on his side though.

"I'll find out soon enough."

"Okay." She let out a soft sigh and reluctantly peeled herself away from his back. He turned to face her and she crossed her arms over her chest. "Be careful okay, and you call me if you need me for anything."

"Of course." Lie.

He had no intention of dragging her into anything if he could help it but she didn't need to know that.

"Well, have fun then, I guess." She backed up and lowered her butt down so that she was sitting on the edge of her bed. Peter studied her for a split second before moving towards her, leaning down so that he was eye level with her, his palm snaking around to hold the back of her neck gingerly. "I love you."

"You're making this sound more and more like you're not expecting me to come back." Peter stated. "I won't be gone that long."

"Yeah but if Scott wants to meet then he must be pretty desperate."

Peter scoffed at her words but found that she was fighting off a smile. Okay, so maybe she wasn't really all that concerned about him, maybe this was a good thing. He could go off on his own and she'd stay back, hardly worrying at all because she knew he could handle himself, right?

Closing the distance between their faces, Peter pressed a lingering kiss to her lips, basking in the feeling of her right there in front of him. When he pulled away seconds later, she raised her hand up and rested her palm on the side of his neck, the warmth from his skin giving her enough comfort so that she could remain relaxed until he left the house.

"I'll be waiting for you." Sydney said, her voice barely louder than a whisper. "So that you can tell me all about what Scott needs you for."

"I wouldn't have it any other way." He countered and moved back, peeling his hand away from her while her palm fell away from his skin. "Have fun reading."

Sydney's lips curled upwards into a smile and she didn't say another word as he stepped away from her heading towards the doorway. He approached the hallway at the same time that Sam made her grand reappearance, giving his thighs a quick hug while squishing past him. He paused and watched for a few seconds longer, catching the sight of Sam jumping up onto the bed and walking up to the pillows, where she promptly flopped down, Sydney getting comfortable next to her.

Peter turned away from them, still smiling, and mentally promised that he was going to come back to them soon, and he was going to be in one piece when he made it back home.

Nothing was going to keep him away from Sydney.

XxxxxxXxxxxxXxxxxxX

Author's note: ugh, sorry for the long delay, I was having a hard time figuring out how to get going on this...anyways, for those of you still with me, I'd love to hear your thoughts!