Chapter 72: The First Beta III
Are you familiar with the term 'triggering the healing process'? A vague description, but paints a vivid picture. Strong verb. Trigger. It relates to forcing the body into a survival mode to work at top efficiency. Much like we are doing to you, Josefina. Forcing your body to adapt and survive — or die.
The all-consuming rage filled her, like a burning fire going from her inner core to her outer limbs. It spread through her veins; crawling up her neck, choking her; out to her fingertips, making her flex them into her palms; down to her feet, so every step she took nearly cracked the concrete. Function. She had a function. She had to function. Walk. Don't run. Don't panic.
Don't panic.
It took all her willpower to keep her eyes from glowing. Not that it mattered, she doubted anyone would dare stop or question her. People moved out of their way without thinking as she stalked down the streets, fists clenched and fury churning in her stomach. Instincts, probably. Here comes the predator, move or be moved. The pistol tucked in the waistband of her leggings, concealed by the denim jacket she wore, was cold and hard against her skin. She wished she had fangs and claws, so she could snarl and slash the air. She wanted to roar.
She wanted to kill.
The vision of Jimmy lying in the bathroom, chest slashed open by sharp claws, filled her mind every time she blinked. Her Jimmy. Her friend. Her packmate. Her beta, her pack, her turf! How dared he? How fucking dared he? And after what he did? He did not get to have it both ways, did not get to have his cake and eat it too.
Then here are my weapons — my empty hands and feet. Joe had no claws and no fangs — she only had her empty hands and feet. And a 9mm holding no less than sixteen bullets in the magazine and one in the chamber. If you want to end the fight, fight back. No holding back. Holding back means losing. Means dying.
God, she hoped he would fight back.
No turning back now, Joe thought, as she made her way into the apartment complex. Tunnel vision had kicked in and she only saw the elevator, but the doors never opened. Now she noticed how dark it was, both outside and in the hallway — power was cut. Suppressing a human growl, Joe went for the stairs and began to make her way up. Was her newfound stamina worth every broken bone? Was her inhuman strength worth all that pain?
Right now? Yes.
Through the thick walls, she could hear the angry roars and snarls of a werewolf fight. She heard it, but it didn't register. Didn't matter. Not right now.
The door to the stairwell on the top floor stood wide open already, as did the heavy sliding door into the loft. Sounds grew louder — she recognized Kali's enraged outcries and Derek's deeper roars as well as heavy splashes of water. Two familiar figures stood right inside the doorway.
Tunnel vision — she did not even see which one of the twins made a grab for her when she burst through the opening. Muscle memory took over and she pulled on the grabbing arm, twisting him around and slamming his head into the doorway with an ear-deafening crack.
The other twin held the whimpering teacher, the one in a pencil skirt, and took a step back when Joe glared at him, daring him to make a move. He wisely didn't.
The entire loft was covered in a few inches of water and in the midst of it, Kali and Derek fought. Like to water spirits, drenched to the bone and slashing at each other with wild movements. On the window behind them was the Alpha Pack's sigil, painted six feet high. Joe bared her teeth at the sight of Kali — so much for getting the first shot.
Walk. Don't run. The water splashed around her boots as she strode through the loft to the two Alpha werewolves trying to claw each other to pieces.
"Joe!"
Someone at the side yelled her name, didn't matter who, but it was enough to make Derek lose focus as he looked her way. It left him open for Kali to swipe across his chest with the sharp claws on her hand.
Without a single coherent thought, Joe leaped up, twisting around in the air, and smashed her foot into Kali's chest. The impact hurled Kali off the ground, sending her straight into the far wall where bricks crushed around her.
"Back - off!" Joe bit out as Kali, eyes glowing, was already dashing up again. Apparently, Joe's dark expression was enough to make her pause and she stared in part wonder, part anger at Joe. It took everything she had to not bark the word, instead she hissed: "Mine."
Her mate. Her revenge. Her kill.
She finally, finally turned to Derek Hale, who despite his bleeding chest, had uncertain relief written all over his morphed-out face. Just the sight of him made her heart beat so hard she thought she was going to die and she hated it. His mouth opened to say something, but the expression shifted into confusion, probably seeing the same thing in her face as Kali saw.
"You dare?" Joe spat and took a step closer to him, water sloshing by her feet. Her whole body trembled, not just her hands, but everything. It took everything to not just attack him on sight. He had to understand. "You fucking dare to come after Jimmy?"
Instincts probably made him back up, hands coming up in half-surrender, half-guard. Still morphed, his words sounded guttural: "I heard you-"
"Did you?" Her lips shook, it was hard to form words. Fists clenched and unclenched repeatedly. "You heard me? And you what, decided to kill my friend?" The vision of Jimmy flashing before her eyes, bleeding out on the bathroom floor, Erica panicked and covered in his blood.
Joe's voice made the water on the floor tremble. "You fucking DARE?"
"I thought you needed help."
A harsh laugh escaped. "You thought I needed help? From you?"
Something about his expression only made her angrier. Still confused, still worried. He was not getting it.
Her vision went white. White-hot with rage and she pulled back her arm, gaining force from her hip, and punched him in his chest so she felt ribs crack under his skin. Guard up, scales tipped, she did not even feel a twinge as he grunted and was forced back a few steps.
"How's that? Does that feel like I need help from you?"
Her voice did not sound like her own.
Which was fine, because she was not feeling like herself.
And he still looked lost! Not angry, not furious, nothing she needed of him right now.
Joe span around, building momentum to bash her heel into Derek's cheek. Almost in slow motion, she saw the trail of blood and spit glitter in the air from his mouth as the impact forced him to the side.
The rage, the all-consuming fury that had built the last few days, ever since she was forced to endure his pleasure with another woman joined in with the frenzy at seeing Jimmy near death at the hands of Derek fucking Hale.
Confusion in his glowing red eyes — the guy did not even have eyebrows when morphed out, but still looked surprised and confused more than angry.
"Rah!" Joe snarled and jumped up to kick him in his stomach so he flew backwards, landing hard on the floor against the windows.
Through the thick haze, she heard someone — a female someone — scream his name. Desperate. Scared. Pathetic. Someone was also shouting her name, but she did not care. Joe balled her fists again and splashed through the water, following Derek's trajectory where he was getting up slowly. Her hits had hurt him — more than he'd anticipated probably.
"I can take a lot of shit," Joe whispered down at him, "but you stay the hell away from Jimmy."
Another spin, another hook kick to his face. More blood, more spit. Strong as he was, he remained upright on his knees, chest heaving with obvious pain.
Hissing, Joe waited for him to get up. "Fight back. You owe me that."
Derek, on his knees with his head bent, glared up at her. Arms out to the side, open and defenseless. His angry red eyes told her 'no'.
She wanted to hate him so much.
Then here are my weapons — my empty hands and feet. With an angry snarl, Joe reached back for the 9mm, pulling the slider and cocking it at him in one fluid movement. Aiming for his chest and not his head. He had to understand. He had to fight back.
"Fight back," Joe's voice did not waver nor did her aim, "or I kill you where you stand."
There was something in his eyes, daring her to do it. Like he wanted her to do it. Like he knew he deserved it. This infuriating endless guilt.
Most hardheaded werewolf in the world, he growled. "You're gonna shoot me, Joe?" His large fangs glittered with specks of blood as he smiled bitterly. "You know it's gonna hurt you as much as me."
"Wrong."
Someone screamed as Joe pulled the trigger.
The shock and pain washed over Derek's face as the bullet tore into his chest, missing his heart by a quarter-inch margin if her aim held true. It did.
The water trembled as he roared in pain, hands out to either side of his chest where he had left himself wide open. With the scales in a steel grip, Joe did not feel a damn thing.
Movement in the side of her vision — another werewolf roared and attacked. A Beta trying to protect his Alpha. Strong and, above all, loyal Boyd.
Guess he figured out what to do with that honor.
She dodged his first attempt of a strike. Then the second one. He knew it was futile. He had to. She could take on him, Cora, and Erica at the same time. You needed more than three betas to take down an Alpha — they knew because they'd tried.
Ducking down under his arms, she grabbed hold of his belt and shoulder and pushed from the bottom of her feet to sling him overhead with everything she had.
He hit the other wall upside down with a boom, leaving a sizeable dent in the exposed bricks. The floor shook when he slammed to the ground again.
"Anyone else?" Joe roared into the loft with one hand still on the pistol. "COME ON!"
She spun around, seeing Isaac making a few hesitant steps towards her. Isaac, Derek's first Beta, who had been kicked out to create distance between them. He wasn't a threat. Twins still in the doorway, confused, but not about to fight her. The teacher stared with horror, big eyes Also in the doorway were three other teenagers watching her with horror. Among them Cora, who only stared, obviously fighting conflicting instincts. Protect her Alpha by attacking her other Alpha? Not likely.
And Kali by the far wall, watching her with a smile of bloodlust and pride.
Baring her teeth, Joe turned back to the bleeding and choking Derek as no one was inclined to defend him. He was still on his knees, clutching at his chest, and she kicked him down easily. With a grunt, he was on his back on the floor and she leaned over him, his face now returned to normal. To her beautiful stoic Derek. Except he wasn't hers.
"Feel that pain, Derek?" Joe asked, making sure to stare him in the eyes. He had to understand. Next time he had to fight back. She leaned in even closer, giving him all the opportunity in the world to make a grab for her, to attack her, or ward her off. As expected, he did not do a damn thing. Only Alpha in the world as bad as her. Equals. Haha. Ha.
She whispered: "Trust me, the alternative is worse."
One hand on the pistol, the other one balled into a fist and she stood back up. This wasn't about that. Not really.
This was about Jimmy, but she could not deny that Derek smelled of blood and vinegar. Not her Derek. Her Derek didn't have this desperate and scared expression; he was angry and strong and not fervently clutching at his wounded chest, trying not to bleed out on the floor. His eyes followed her as he gasped for breath, but no words coming. If it was the pain or the surprise he wasn't healing was hard to tell.
And his face still held more remorse than anger. She hated him — or wanted to, so bad. One more bullet could kill him. That was not the point. Except Kali had picked up on it too.
"You know that won't kill him?"
Kali had her arms folded as Joe moved through the water back to the door. There were thick wires laying on the floor and Isaac still stood on some wooden planks to avoid touching the water. There had been a failed attempt of a plan here. They didn't get how strong these guys were.
With a shrug, Joe glanced back at where Derek laid and towards Boyd who was trying to push himself up to his feet. "I know. That's what you wanted, right?"
"Yeah." Kali smiled with pursed lips and raised her voice while turning towards the door. "Giving you 'till the next full moon, Derek. Make the smart choice."
She gave a signal to the twins to drop the whimpering teacher, who Isaac immediately dove to catch before she collapsed. Cora stood trembling by the door, staring wide-eyed at Joe and Kali. Looked like Baby Hale had to make a choice of her own.
Kali stalked like a tiger through the opening to the hallway and did not even turn around as she shouted: "Join the pack. Or next time we're actually killing all of you."
The twins quietly followed Kali and so did Joe. Stiles made a sputtering sound from where he stood holding Lydia, both staring with slack jaws at her. "Joe? What? Joe!"
Pistol in a loose hand, Joe did not bother to look at him, just walked calmly after Kali and the twins. She caught how the teacher flinched hard when Joe passed her and she paused, fingers tightening around the grip.
No. Her anger was with Derek, not the other woman. Couldn't be a homewrecker when there hadn't been a home. Joe kept walking, ignoring her name being called over and over again by Stiles.
Something obviously went wrong with you. Perhaps already in the womb.
"Don't think I couldn't tell you were holding back."
Out on the street, Kali walked barefooted next to Joe who was stomping in the general direction of downtown Beacon Hills. Kali had sent the twins ahead of them. To avoid having the police called on them, Joe tucked the pistol back under her denim jacket, now splattered with Derek's blood.
Still angry, still so furious she wanted to scream, Joe tore around to face Kali.
"Did you know I'd come?" she demanded to know. Kali stood maybe an inch taller than her, but Joe was so angry she felt inflated to beyond that. "Is that why you brought her there?" The memory of the pretty brunette held in a chokehold by the twins made her grit her teeth. "I don't appreciate being manipulated."
Nostrils flared as Kali leaned down. "Watch your step, Sefina. I brought her there as leverage, to get Derek one-on-one." Her eyes glittered in the dark. "It worked, eventually, but he was really confused there at first. Are you sure that's the right woman?"
"I-" Joe's mouth opened and closed a few times. Re-thinking everything only brought her to the same conclusion. "Yes, it...it has to be."
Kali tilted her head, but not finding any reason to suspect Joe of lying. "What do you know about her?"
"Nothing." Just talking about the woman made Joe's blood boil all over again. "She's a teacher at the high school. I don't even know her name. Why? Does it matter?"
"No. There was just something," Kali looked to the side, searching for a word, "off about her."
'She's a skank' was Joe's first thought, not one she was proud of. "You never answered my question. Did you know I'd come?"
"Does it matter?" Kali repeated with a slow smile. "You wanted him dead."
Wrong, but Joe could not let Kali know that. "You said I'd get the first shot!"
In a flash, Kali grabbed her around her neck and forced her back into the shadows of a high-rise warehouse. Her claws dug into Joe's skin, but did not draw blood. "For your information," she hissed in Joe's face, "I was there on Deucalion's orders. He still wants Derek to kill one of his betas."
"No," Joe spat and grabbed at Kali's hand to make her loosen the grip. "If he does that, he'll be too strong. I won't be able to take him."
"You're missing the concept of equals, Sefina." Eyes narrowed, Kali tilted her head. "You still think you're ready?"
"Yes."
"Don't lie to me." Her vision swam when Kali increased her grip. "Why waste the chance now? Why not shoot him in the head?"
Joe broke Kali's grip with a hard swipe of her arm. "Because I want him to fight back. I want him to fight me with everything he has and still lose. I want him to know exactly how strong I am! I have to, I need him to understand that."
Not the whole truth, but not a lie either.
Taking a few steps back, Kali tilted her head even further to study Joe. Mixed expression on her face. Joe probably looked like a mess. Dark circles under her eyes, blood in her hair, blood on her clothes — she had forgotten about the large blood stains from Jimmy already soaked through the fabric of her leggings.
"Hell hath no fury, huh?" Kali asked with a mischievous glint in her eye and Joe scoffed. It was not about that.
"He came after Jimmy," she spat, chest heaving at the thought alone.
"Your little pet?" Kali sounded amused and crossed her arms. "Thought that blood smelled familiar. I haven't seen him around lately. Not since he helped you escape. Duke was very impressed by that plan, by the way. With the mistletoe and all. Shame it failed. Not your fault, I suppose. How could you know Derek was finally going to figure things out and try to free his sister and the other one?"
Her words made Joe sick. They had known. All along. Ten steps ahead, Joe thought. Deucalion was always ten steps ahead. Whatever they did, they followed his plan to a tee.
"Go home, Sefina," Kali said, still smiling with closed lips. Her eyes flashed red. "Get some sleep. You're going to need it if you're planning on fighting Derek Hale at the next full moon. You need more training, you know where to find me."
With those words, she left Joe standing in the deserted alley, gasping for breath. Sliding down to sit on her haunches, she buried her face into her arms. Now when she blinked, she saw the same image over and over. The look on Derek's face as she pulled the trigger. The shock and confusion written so clearly on his wolf-like features. She would have preferred anger or disgust. He looked as betrayed as she felt. Deserved it. He deserved it.
Another expression crept into her memory. Cora. Stiles. Lydia. All watching her with apparent horror. Guess it was a hard blow to see her true colors. She did not even kill him. Because of Deucalion? Hardly. Derek deserved a gunshot to his chest. After everything he did, he came after Jimmy.
Who she had left bleeding in the apartment on the night of the half-moon. Now Joe got up and ran.
Bursting through the front door, up the stairs, and to the apartment door. She wondered what the other people living in the building thought of them or if they were so used to the weirdness in this town that they did not care. She fumbled with the keys, getting the order wrong. Trying again, it still wouldn't open. Once more and she realized it wasn't her fault.
Almost a third of the locks weren't latched and when she tried to unlock them, they locked instead.
Her heart thumped hard in her chest. Someone else had been here. She and Jimmy always locked all the locks.
Someone else. Who? The thought made her dizzy. Joe held her breath and leaned to put her ear against the door blade. She could hear something shuffling inside.
Half-moon. Shit. Shit shit shit.
"Jimmy?"
The shuffling stopped, but was replaced with a dark, drawn-out growl. With her night vision, Joe saw the splotches of black blood on the door handle, left behind by whoever had locked the apartment door, apparently in a hurry. Werewolf-proof, Joe thought. Both ways. Someone had locked Jimmy inside the apartment.
If he was in the state Joe feared he was in, he would not be able to open even a single lock.
"Jimmy, I'm coming in," Joe warned, trying to breathe. Trying to steel herself for what waited indoors. His growl grew louder at her words. Breathe, just breathe. He had asked if she was prepared to bring him back — now she had to prove her words. Easier said than done, but she had to try.
One last deep inhale and Joe unlocked the final lock, throwing herself inside.
Mind in overdrive, she took notice of a few random details: the bloodstain still on the inside of the door, now dried and cracked; overturned furniture, deep scratches in the upholstery of Joe's favorite chair; bright yellow powder covering the kitchen counter, looking like mistletoe.
That was all she had time for.
He emerged from the shadows like he was made of darkness itself — a slight purple sheen to the thick black fur covering his entire form. Not a wolf, but a monster straight out of your worst nightmares. Skinny clawed hind legs and long ape-like arms reaching almost to the floor. A large gaping mouth dripping with drool. The arms ended in thick sharp talons that scraped over the floor.
Instead of her, he headed straight for the door Joe had left slightly ajar.
"Oh no, you don't!"
She spun around, kicking it shut with a bang, and he recoiled from the sealed barrier with a high-pitched snarl.
Even fully shapeshifted, he hadn't healed yet and the groves in his torso had closed up, but looked raw and tender. Black stripes of blood still ran down into his fur as he turned his attention to her, purple eyes glowing bright and angry.
"I don't want to fight you," Joe said slowly, scanning the apartment because some part of her insisted there should be another person in here. She held her hands up, showing him empty palms. "But I can't let you leave."
His breath came in hard puffs through the snout. A pause as he sniffed the air and more drool dropped from his mouth. Just then Joe remembered she was covered in blood. Some of it Jimmy's, some of it Derek's.
"Shit."
Jimmy was not a fighter. But right now, Jimmy wasn't Jimmy.
Adrenaline still ran crazy high after the events at the loft, so Joe dodged Jimmy's first strike. Not the second though and his claws scraped across her face, leaving stinging welts behind. Fighting him was not fighting a regular werewolf. There were no moves, no technique, no thoughts — just bloodlust and animalistic fury.
He was as strong as her, as fast as her, but right now, not as smart as her. Cognitive thoughts were her main advantage, but it was hard to appreciate this as his fist cracked against the side of her skull and sent her flying into the kitchen island.
Digging her hands against the counter, she pushed herself up and growled — no fangs, but she got the lungs. "Fine." She drew in a deep breath as she turned around, trying to summon that same power she had once before — only once — and shouted: "Jimmy!"
It didn't work.
"Shit."
He charged at her, snarling and snapping at the air — Joe jumped up on the edge of the island, kicked off, and flew backward over Jimmy. She landed behind him and slammed her foot into his back. This time he hit the counter with his head first.
Light on her feet, Joe tried to find a rhythm. Blood ran from her nose and she used the edge of her hand to wipe it off as Jimmy recovered and came for her again.
Try again. "Jimmy!"
No change, he kept coming. She tried to dodge left, but he was too fast and tackled her to the floor by the desk where they landed so hard some of her books scattered to the floor.
With her elbows pushing into his chest to keep his snapping jaw away from her face, she hooked her legs around his torso to render his too-long arms useless. The hot breath hit her in the face as he snarled, drooled, and bit into the empty air and wood splinters flew from his claws on the floor. A part of her wondered if his insurance would cover that.
"Don't make me do this," Joe huffed and tightened her legs around him. "I don't want to hurt y- ugh!"
In a surprising moment of conscious thought, Jimmy flipped them around and kicked Joe away. Like she had thrown Boyd earlier, she now sailed in a perfect arc and slammed into the wall with a heavy burst of plaster raining around her.
Coughing and spluttering, Joe clenched her fists as her vision went red. Okay, she couldn't bring him back. She could still hold take him. Now she attacked.
You want to end a fight, you have to fight back!
They tore into each other — his claws and fangs versus her empty hands and feet. For every drop of blood he cut from her, she landed a hard punch to his body. Every scratch rewarded with a kick. Every time they wrestled, one of them was thrown into a wall, floor, or eventually, the bathroom door.
It was Joe who knocked down the door with her body, landing heavily on her back on the slick and blood-covered tiles. Where the rest of the apartment bathed in darkness, the overhead light in the bathroom gave everything a harsh shine and Joe barely had time to squint before Jimmy's shadow loomed over her.
Lightheaded from where the back of her skull had smashed into the floor, she glanced sideways. The white tiles were black with blood and some of it stained the drain under the bathtub. Another vision span into her head just as Jimmy dove for her throat. A vision of someone scared, covered in black blood, trying to help Jimmy.
"Erica," she whispered and screamed when Jimmy landed on top of her with his claws piercing into her shoulders. On all fours, he leaned forwards, adding weight and pressure and Joe kicked her knee up, trying to hold him off, groaning at both the pain and effort.
Jimmy's fangs were inches away from her eyes and he roared so spit flew around. His mouth somehow shrank, shifting, and fur retracted in patches around him. Not back to human, but to something in-between. Apparently the name was important enough for him to break through. Enough for him to talk, though his voice sounded guttural and raw. "Gone."
A skeleton hand gripped around Joe's heart and squeezed, a burning sensation overpowering Jimmy's claws boring into her muscles. "What?"
"You," he growled and shifted more weight into his arms, making tears spring in Joe's eyes, "left."
It was like she could feel her own heartbeat in her eyeballs. The smell of fresh blood permeated the air, but Joe could not think anymore. Only one name went on repeat in her head. "Where's Erica?"
"So now you remember," Jimmy snarled, his half-morphed face and large fangs mangling his speech. "She left. She's not safe here. From," he twisted his head in a painful spasm, "either of us."
Half-moon. Joe had to remember that. This was Jimmy. Her ride or die.
"I had to leave," she choked out. "Derek-
"What happens between you and Derek should not affect Erica's safety! Your feelings are not more important than Erica's life!"
Joe whimpered, still holding Jimmy away, but he managed to creep a bit closer to her ear. "You're losing control, Delgadoooo."
This was Jimmy. Ride or die. Her Jimmy.
"Do you know what's real now?"
"Jim-"
"Do you see me?" he snarled, the purple in his eyes growing stronger. "Do you hear me?" It did not sound like him, more like a demonic entity, fighting for control of Jimmy's body.
"I don't wa- Aaah!"
"Do you," he roared, "FEEL ME?"
Joe shrieked again as Jimmy clenched his fists, tearing his sharp claws through her already damaged shoulder muscles. The pain made her mind and vision white out. The pistol was in her waistband, but she did not reach for it. This was Jimmy. This was Jimmy!
The half-morphed face shifted around, the wolf-side taking control again and Jimmy shouted: "Bring me back!"
"I can't!" Joe wrestled, trying to dislodge him long enough to heal. Bloodloss making her dizzy, the smell of blood tipping him over the edge. "I don't know how!"
"Bring me back!"
"I can't!" she cried again, hating the weakness, hating her weakness. It was the truth. She'd only done it once before, a scream in desperation turning into a roar, but she had no way of doing it on command. No idea. Weak. Pathetic. "I'm sorry, I can't."
"Then you," Jimmy's snout settled and he growled deeper again, the last word coming as a deformed hiss, "dieeee."
A split second passed where she considered just letting him rip her throat out before instincts took over and she slammed his head into the bathroom cabinet. His werewolf-talons tore out of her flesh with a sick organic sound, but adrenaline or bloodloss numbed the worst pain. By the time she wrestled him into a chokehold, most of it was healed.
The dire grappling reminded Joe of the full moon with Erica. Dodging claws and fangs, hitting and kicking back. Strong, she was strong and she could take on Jimmy even like this. She had betas, he did not. That made her stronger.
Even if none of those betas were here. Even if she had thrown Boyd into a wall; left Cora behind with her brother bleeding on the floor at Joe's hands; abandoned Erica with a half-crazed Demi Alpha.
Did she have betas anymore?
Did it matter?
Their snarls and growls interchanged throughout the apartment, but Joe managed to clamp her arm around Jimmy's throat, squeezing until he gasped for breath. Not killing him, just weakening him. Keep him inside the apartment until dawn, as Derek had done with Cora and Boyd, when he met the pretty teacher in the pencil skirt.
"I'm sorry, I'm sorry," Joe kept chanting and held Jimmy in a tight grip, not relenting an inch, not letting his sharp claws or dangerous fangs near her. "I'm sorry."
Her muscles screamed at her, but she did not let go of him. He huffed and puffed, like the wolf in Grimm's fairytales, and growled so the primate-part of Joe's brain wanted to hide in a corner. How long until sun-up? Could she do this all night? What about Erica? What about Derek? What about anything?
Every single thought evaporated when she heard a knock on the door.
"Shhh," she hissed at Jimmy, whose wolf-like shape writhed and twisted to be let go, his beast-like instincts returning tenfold at what she assumed was the smell of whoever was at the door. Erica would have had keys, so it had to be someone else? With the commotion she and Jimmy had kicked up, it could be the cops.
A part of her hoped it was Derek, he could help her hold Jimmy until sun-up.
Nothing could have prepared her for the voice that came through the custom-made door infused with mountain ash.
"Joe? Sweetheart, are you in there?"
"No," she whispered, and her lapse of attention gave Jimmy the chance to get one arm free. He used it to slam her away, loosening her grip. Her nose throbbed, a new burst of blood dripping down her shirt and Joe scrambled to get Jimmy back under control. "No, Aunt Mel, go away!"
Aun Mel's voice came through the door: "I'm sorry, Joe, that it's come to this-"
Throwing herself onto her stomach, Joe grabbed Jimmy's thin hind-leg and yanked him down. The claws left furrows in the floor.
"-but I've talked to Scott. Consider this an intervention if you like."
"GO AWAY!" Joe screamed and pulled on Jimmy's foot.
Blood-slick fur did not give Jimmy much leverage and Joe hauled him back away from the door. Nothing left of him now, just the monster remaining.
"Josefina Maria Delgado, you have the choice of letting me in-"
He clawed and scraped on the floor, Joe biting in a scream when he hit her in the face with a long ape-like arm.
"-or I'm calling your father to break down the door. Okay? I'm counting to three and don't think I'm bluffing!"
Jimmy landed a heavy hit so her skull smacked into the wall. "Aw, fuck!"
"Are you okay in there? Joe?"
No time to answer and Joe threw herself onto Jimmy's back, back to wrestling for dominance, trying to get him in a hold. The commotion made the floor shake and Joe barely had time to think whether or not she had locked the door behind her.
"Joe?"
The handle turned. Unlocked. Panic froze every vein in Joe's body for a split second before she managed to yell: "No, no, no-"
Everything slowed down. At the same time as the door swung open, Aunt Mel's silhouette illuminated by the light in the outside hall, Jimmy tore himself loose from Joe's grip. With every fast-paced heartbeat ringing in Joe's skull, she could see him getting closer to her human aunt.
Instincts took over.
Joe leaped up, grabbed Jimmy around his head, and threw him back. The power came from somewhere deep inside of her, pushing through her fury and she roared: "JAAAAMES!"
The force of her roar — because it was not a voice, not anymore — shook the floor, rattled the dishware inside the cabinets, made Aunt Mel bend over in pain. Most importantly, it forced Jimmy's transformation back to Jimmy.
It had been the same after she and Erica freed him from the cage where the South American hunters kept him, after he lost control and tore apart those same hunters, after she and Erica chased him throughout the desert, desperate to catch him before he stumbled across any prey, after he had gone after Erica and Joe had finally managed to roar, an Alpha roar, to bring him back.
There was a myth that calling someone by their Christian name could cure a werewolf. And like in every myth, there was a grain of truth.
Within seconds, the fur disappeared into his skin; the fangs pulled back into his skull; snout transformed back to a nose; claws retracting, leaving blood-covered fingers. Stark naked, covered in scratches and the still-healing wounds from Derek, Jimmy huddled down, shivering and panting, purple glowing eyes staring in shock at both Joe and Aunt Mel.
Aunt Mel.
"Are you okay?" Joe asked, glancing back at the doorway where Aunt Mel tentatively removed her hands from her ears.
"Yeah," she said, a bit unsure and stood back up. Her eyebrows rose as she took in the scene. "How did you do that?"
Joe shrugged. "I'm the Alpha." Grimacing at the memory of someone else using that cliche-statement, she backtracked: "Or an Alpha anyway." Now she turned to Jimmy. "You okay?"
Mouth closed to a thin line, he nodded.
"You sure?"
Another nod. He got up without looking at either of them — in her peripherals, she saw Aunt Mel discreetly cover her eyes — and took a few shaky steps forward. He paused next to Joe, whispered: "Thank you."
Lightheaded from the force of her own roar, Joe patted his naked shoulder. "Ride or die."
He put his hand over hers for a second. "Ride or die."
She and Aunt Mel watched him walk gingerly over the debris-covered floor to his room, shutting the door carefully behind him.
Broken pieces of drywall crunched under Aunt Mel's shoes when she took a few tentative steps inside. Still in her scrubs, she must have come straight from the hospital."I thought they only did that during the full moon."
They, Joe thought, but decided not to comment. "Jimmy's a Demi. His deal is half-moons."
"Is he gonna turn back into that again or...?"
"No," Joe shook her head, "he'll be fine now, I think."
"Right." Aunt Mel had her purse in front of her body, one hand inside of it. "Right, I'll call Scott just in case." Before Joe could ask what this case would be, Aunt Mel continued in a bright tone. "Okay. Nice place. Except for all the..." She waved her hand at the mess. "You have a room here too I presume?"
"First door to the left," Joe mumbled, adrenaline crashing and general fatigue leaving her spacy. Her brows furrowed. It was a weird thing to ask about. "Why'd you-"
Through all the general aches and bruises, Joe felt a pin-prick sensation below her elbow. She looked down at the syringe in Aunt Mel's hand with the needle-tip inside the fleshy part of Joe's arm.
"I'm sorry," Aunt Mel said, her words already swimming through Joe's ears like they were underwater. "I told you. Intervention."
Stumbling back, Joe would have fallen if it hadn't been for Aunt Mel grabbing her to help Joe stand. It felt like walking on clouds, but Aunt Mel guided her down towards her — wasn't it Erica's? — room. Joe's head lolled now, unable to keep it upright. Mind versus body — one wanted sleep, one did not.
"Hate me all you want," Aunt Mel said and suddenly Joe tipped into her own bed face first, "but I'm not standing by to watch you crash and burn."
Eyes rolled back into her skull, she did not want to sleep. Did not want to lose the control. Aunt Mel brushed strands of hair off her forehead, a calming sensation. Whatever drug she had given worked fast. A little something to tide her over. Make her mind quiet down for a bit.
Working, it was working.
"We'll talk in the morning, sweetheart." A light kiss on her forehead, like a butterfly landing. "Get some rest."
The last thing Joe heard before drifting off was a tinny male voice from a loudspeaker in Jimmy's room: "...bring your awareness to the top of your head. Sense or imagine a feeling of relaxation beginning to spread down from the top of your scalp. Let the muscles in your forehead and temples relax. Allow your eyes to relax. Focus on the mantra: Relax, release, ease..."
Relax, release, ease.
Happy Valentine's Day! ❤❤❤
Haha, I know I'm early, but I couldn't resist the ironic poeticness of posting this uber-romantic chapter today. On a second note, today is also Mother's Day in Norway, so that might be more appropriate. Either way, the most epic showdown was not between Joe and Derek as many had expected. Also not a whole lot of conversation, but it's coming. Trust the process and whatnot.
Nice to see that Jimmy's got his fair share of fans. Never thought I'd see so many eager for Derek to get his ass kicked. Don't mess around with Slim Jim, ya hear?
Thank you for reading, as always, and please let me know what you think 😊 Hope everyone had/has a nice Valentine's/Galentine's Day.
Next chapter out on Wednesday, stay safe and healthy!