"You're a werewolf."
Dereks eyes widened, as the human guessed what he was, by looking at him.
Jay Reyes sighed, "I grew up in this town. And you're mother didn't actually hide what she was. You're cousin, Nikolas, turned into a wolf as part of the talent show."
Derek couldn't help but smile at the memory. Nick had done a magic act, where he held up a sheet, dropped it, at the same time he turned into his animal form.
"You have no idea how much trouble he got in for that." Derek smile slowly turned sad. As he remembered one of many younger cousins, who died before even reaching adulthood.
Jay sighed, "It was a real tragedy, what happened to your family."
"No... it wasn't..." Derek growled.
Jay blinked, but before he could even ask, the young man explained.
"It was the Argents," Derek informed.
Jay's eyes widened, before slowly turning to a glare. "No wonder the Sheriff is trying to drive them out of town."
"His son is one of us," Derek informed.
Jay nodded, "Figured. Those boys are about as good at hiding as your mom."
Derek smiled again, "How... many people know about us?"
Jay shrugged, "I'd say about a 5th of the town. Mostly our Generation. The local werewolf colony, Kinda faded into folklore. Do... do you really think you could help my daughter?"
Derek admitted, "There is a chance my Venom would kill her. With the severe Seizures she suffers from, the venom would triple it's potency, to cure her... that can be lethal. But Feral's venom is far superior to mine. Although it still be dangerous, her chances would be better... think of it like Surgery. Odds are, she'd be happy and healthy, but there is a chance the procedure can kill her."
Jay sighed, "I take it you would want us to move into your 'cult'?"
Derek groaned, "Until the hunters are forced out, it's not safe to wander. It's the reason my pups are being homeschooled."
"Thank you for coming to me first," Jay acknowledged. "You could have easily gone to my daughter, and forced my hand. It's unlikely a teenage girl could resist a miracle cure."
"You needed to know," Derek grunted.
"Let me discuss this with my wife," Jay insisted, looking at his wife. Who had been sitting quietly, this entire time.
"If you do decide... you should prepare yourself. Out of all the families we've turned, at least one of the parents have died... sometimes both. Teenagers are more adaptable, even the ill ones. It's more likely they will pull through."
Feral sighed, as he heard Derek's car pull up to the wall. The elder werewolf, whose senses were far superior to anyone else in the pack, quickly sent a mental update, through the link.
"Derek is back, but he doesn't have anyone with him."
Natalie scoffed, through the link. "You sound disappointed he didn't snatch some kid."
"We need to increase our numbers." Feral insisted, "This 'you have a month to get your affairs in order' nonsense, is endangering the pack."
Derek grunted, from a mile away, "This couple may take longer to convince. Though they will likely concede, for the sake of their daughter."
"We need this girl," Feral tried to plead. "The venom would give her even greater strength then Scott."
"I'm recruiting from the hospital records, like you wanted!" Derek snapped. "And approaching the parents first, like John and Natalie wanted! What more do you want from me!?"
Feral flinched, "Forgive me Alpha. I speak through fear. Regardless how it looks. The Hunters aren't our greatest threat. We need a pup as powerful as this Erica will be."
"The Alpha pack won't get involved until the Hunters are out of play. So we have time to build our own pack the right way."
Feral sighed, "Alpha... you've been rejected by 5 families in a row, after successfully turning 10 in a row... I know the deaths are waying on you."
"Like you give a damn about the human deaths!" Derek snapped. As he got out of his car.
Exiting the garage, he closed the door, and started climbing up the wall.
Strangely Feral was quiet, up until Derek's feet touch their forest's floor.
"Every human we fail to turn..." Feral tried to find the words. "Is a brother we never got a chance to know. You aren't the only one mourning their loss."
Derek sighed, but before he could speak, Feral continued. "But that doesn't mean you can keep sabotaging our recruitment efforts.
"With your silver tongue, you could easily convince the humans to join us. You have a dozen times before, without fail. If you no longer have the will to convince them. Then send in John. He will give them time to consider, while also holding enough of the villagers' respect, for them to put weight behind his words."
"... how many times do I need to tell you..." Derek sighed. "We don't call people from small towns 'Villagers' anymore."
"Missing the point," Feral growled.
Derek froze, that was a challenge. Derek could feel the challenge through the link. It legitimately shocked him. Feral never challenged him. The others all had, at various points, but Feral never had...
"Feral..." Derek couldn't keep the hurt out of the link.
There was suddenly a mental flinch. Feral obviously regretted his challenge... but he still did it.
Sighing, "Forgive me Alpha," Thought Feral. "I forgot how young you are. Of course this first real attempt to boost your numbers is hard on you."
Derek looked down at the grass... was he really sabotaging them? He didn't have any trouble convincing people to join before all the deaths... but last time... he'd lost the child he was trying to turn, as well as the parents... the whole family.
"Derek..." the sheriff spoke up. "Let me go, you've been on the front lines for long enough... you don't have to take on every burden."
"That's what Alpha's are supposed to do," Derek insisted. He wasn't feeling like himself at all.
"Maybe I can help." Derek jumped, that voice hadn't been in his head. Turning to face it. He saw a man that smelled no different then the forest itself.
It was that vet Scott used to work for.
"A Druid..." Derek heard the Feral whisper in his mind. "Be careful Alpha, this man is guardian to the forest we call home."
Derek gulped. He'd known their was something strange about this man, the moment Scott introduced him... but a Druid?
"What do you want?" Derek scoffed. Regardless what this man might think, this was his forest. He could feel Feral having a near seizure, of his own, at the level of disrespect.
"Please, call me Alan," smiled the dark skin man. Looking around at all the extra trees. The various artificial animal dens, and the plentiful berry and nut bushes. Seeing countless around him, and sensing more scattered all over the forest. "I like what you've done with the place."
Derek snorted, not needing the beings approval. "Don't make me repeat myself," Derek growled.
Alan sighed, "I've come to prevent as many deaths as possible. And consequently. That means helping you." He placed a box on the ground.
"What's that?" Derek eyed it suspiciously.
"Have the people you turn drink one of these potions before you bite them. It will work immediately, and stay in their system for 7 hours. It will insure, whoever you try to turn, won't die, and will become an even more powerful werewolf."
Derek's eyes widen.
Alan shrugged, "I've noticed the death toll, but I realize the only reason there is one, is because your trying to keep the families together. And not just biting random teenagers... I think that lifestyle should be encouraged.
"And if you're interested," Alan continued. "I can teach Scott how to make more."
Derek's eyes narrowed, but before he could ask, the man answered.
"Before the werewolves returned to this town, I had planned to take Scott as an apprentice... I've struggled with this since he was turned... but I'd still like to teach him," Alan explained. "If you'll let me?"
"Say 'Yes'!!!" Feral demanded. "You have any idea how rare it is for a druid to take a werewolf as an Acolyte!!!"
Derek thought at him, "I'm fully aware." Then spoke outloud. "I'll let you come here to teach him. Then once we get the Hunters out of town. Scott can go back to working at your vet."
Alan smiled, "I appreciate that." Before he sunk into the ground, as if it was water, and disappeared.
Derek sighed. What good was a wall when people could just swim through the Earth.
