Chapter 37: Morte

Gerard Argent scowled at the rag-tag bunch of hunters before him, but they would have to do.

"Gentlemen, we've heard reports that our feral unsub is back in Brazil."

"Here?" one of them frowned. "But Interpol says-"

"Interpol doesn't know our wolf like we do. He won't abandon the packs here. He won't flee." Gerard's eyes narrowed into slits as he thought of the Hale wolf with loathing. "Tell your men to go ahead with the pack they found in the mountains. They'll be finished by morning… and our elusive beta - he won't be far behind."

"Why not intercept the wolf before he finds the others?"

"You can try." The old Argent grinned. "But remember he's an evolved werewolf. And he's not alone. He brought a friend. Someone you may have heard of. The chameleon wolf."

"Loba camaleão," The hunters murmured nervously. "You didn't say there would be another wolf."

Their apprehension surprised him. "You're worried about a single wolf when your men have successfully eliminated entire packs?"

The foremost of the Brazilian hunters stepped forward nervously. "This… chameleon wolf. The things we've heard. Even the wolves are afraid of her."

Gerard didn't know much about the revered chameleon wolf - only that she was a part of Deucalion's new entourage. The knowledge that she was working alongside Derek Hale was troubling, but not enough to detract from the ultimate goal.

"Leave the chameleon wolf to me." His placid smile did little to calm the men in front of him. "We pick them apart one by one, gentlemen. Divide… and conquer."

–

Daria raced to the top of the mountain beneath the afternoon sun ahead of Derek, though based on the emotions the wolf was giving off, she had the feeling he was letting her win.

"Enjoying the view?" She raised an eyebrow in his direction.

He grinned, "Oh yeah. Brasilia is beautiful."

"I bet it is," she punched his arm lightly as he joined her.

They'd been searching for the mountain pack for days, but there was no trace of them. Derek had been able to detect faint chemosignals, so they knew the pack was on the move.

"They know someone's after them." Derek gazed across the horizon, the tenor of his emotions sobering as they hit another dead end. "And the hunters are on their trail."

"Maybe there's nothing we can do for them," Daria took his hand.

He shook his head. "The closer we get to the pack, the closer we get to finding out who's hunting them."

"You may not be an Alpha, but you protect others like one." Daria smiled softly. "It's endearing… and annoying."

Derek laughed lightly and tugged on her wrists. "You know this would have been harder without you. Thank you… for being here."

She fought the urge to bite her lip and blushed as she picked up on his desire. "Derek, there's something I want to-"

At that moment the ping of a silenced bullet pierced her back and Daria fell to her knees.

Derek looked around wildly.

"Cover," Daria's eyes rapidly shifted between blue, white, and red, and her breath came in choppy rasps. "Get… cover."

The wolf scooped her into his arms and raced into the cover of the trees as another bullet grazed past them.

When they were several hundred yards away he placed her on the ground. "What can I do?"

She could feel his crazed desperation, and the hint of something else she couldn't quite define.

"I need you… to stand back. And I need you to roar."

"What?"

Daria's eyes glowed a bright orange, and she strained to expel the bullet from her body, crouching on all fours. "That was a wolfsbane bullet," she grunted. "If I was any kind of wolf… I would already be dead."

"What are you trying to say?" Derek bent down on his knee just out of reach in case she went full hellhound.

Bits of metal and bullet dripped and fell from her chest, burning a hole in her shirt, and she inhaled more deeply for several seconds. Daria's mind was in a frenzy, but as she compartmentalized each frantic thought, she was able to piece together what happened.

The ochre in her eyes finally dimmed, and Derek was by her side in an instant.

"Roar," she breathed.

"That'll give away our location."

Daria's head dropped tiredly. "That was no amateur sniper. They chose to shoot me with the wolfbane bullet - but not you. What does that tell you?"

Derek hesitated. "That they think you're a werewolf. A dangerous one."

"A chameleon wolf," Daria whispered, resting against his chest. "They need to think I'm dead, Derek."

The wolf's gaze hardened as he realized what she was saying. "You want to fake your death."

"I don't want to." Tears brimmed around her eyelashes as she felt his sadness. "But they'll know I'm not a werewolf if I stay with you. It was right next to my heart."

"There has to be another way." Derek shook his head.

"Maybe you're right." She clutched his shirt. "But right now - I need you to roar. Please."

–

Gerard answered a cell phone from the hunter's base. "An update already?"

"Our sniper got the girl. We went after them, but then we heard a roar so loud we felt it in our bones. Pain. Despair. Morte."

"Congratulate your sniper, soldier. And congratulate yourself. We eliminated a great threat today." The aged hunter grinned triumphantly. "Everything is falling into place."

The call ended, and his grin widened.

The trap was set. He need only wait for Derek Hale to fall into it. The beta may have been far from home, but it didn't make his bond to Scott McCall any less strong. Gerard would pick them apart one by one. Then and only then, after Scott witnessed the demise of each member of his pack, would he destroy the True Alpha. Once and for all, he would finally be rid of him. He would finally be rid of Scott McCall.

–

"Loba camaleão" - Chameleon Wolf

Morte - death

Hey, readers. My health has gotten so much better the past few weeks! I'm hoping to be able to organize my time and responsibilities and get back to posting for regularly, but for now I appreciate your patience through this difficult time, and I hope you're all doing well and hanging in there in your own lives. Thanks for reading! Leave some feedback! -V