Bella's Wolf
Part 2
REWRITTEN March 2022
"Bella, you're back! How was everything?" Her aunt Melissa asked her as the younger woman walked inside the house, planning on dropping her bag before driving to the Argents.
"It was fine, I didn't have any trouble with them but I knew I wouldn't. I was prepared and had what they wanted. Plus, they like me. Now Derek is safe and his uncle Peter is probably dead by now, which is fine for all of us. Neither Scott nor I liked that he went on a date with you and that he found you attractive. I mean, don't get me wrong, you are goregous like he said, but we didn't like that he thought so." She smiled.
"Of course I'm gorgeous, have you seen my legs? Anyway, Scott will be happy to finally have Derek in town to help him, I know he was worried." Her aunt replied with a smile.
"He has some things to deal with right now but he'll find Scott later. You're already back from work, must be nice to have a quiet evening home for once. Where's Scott?"
"He had dinner with this new girl, Kira. He called me earlier from her house. I'm guessing he's still hanging out with her now." She smiled.
"That's great! I'll go and see if everything is fine in town, I have a feeling I'm needed somewhere before I have to speak with Argent." Bella replied before she gave her Aunt a hug and grabbed her jacket.
"Go and follow the wind, I'll just enjoy the peace while it lasts. Oh, and Renee called, she wanted to know if you had a man in your life. I told her that you didn't for the moment but I think she believes you're not completely happy if you don't have a man in your life. I tried talking her out of this idea but she might call you anyway." Melissa added, sitting down on the couch, in front of the tv, with a glass of wine.
Bella had dropped the car back at Deaton's place where she had taken her motorcycle back. Following her instinct, Bella drove through town and ended up parking in front of the electric plant. Her aunt had meant it as a joke when she told her to follow the wind but it was kind of what Bella was doing. Her magic was linked to nature and it guided her to what she looked for, her cousin.
She ignored her aunt's comment about her mother. this wasn't new to her. her mother had always needed a man in her life to feel happy and complete, but Bella was fine on her own. Sure, she was now interested in Derek, but she was fine with or without him. Her mother needed to understand that not everyone is like her.
.
Bella arrived in front of a large, industrial building. In front of it stood Scott's new motorcycle and Stiles' jeep.
"Lydia, what's going on?" Bella asked her.
"Bella! Thank God you're back! A guy escaped from the hospital, a crazy one and he has Kira in there. Scott and Stiles are inside. Stiles told me to stay here because he only had one bat." Lydia explained, obviously annoyed at the fact she had to stay behind.
"And you listened to him? Lydia, Stiles might need a baseball bat to defend himself against anyone because he's a simple human teenager whose only weapon is sarcasm but you can hold your own just fine. You need to trust your banshee's instinct and if you don't feel anything coming, just scream. Come on now, let's show them what girls can do when they work together." Bella encouraged her and, with an enthusiastic smile, Lydia followed happily Bella inside.
When they arrived, they could see Kira holding electricity in her hands, protecting Scott in the process.
"What's going on?" Lydia asked.
"She's a Kitsune... a fox." Bella replied.
"Good or evil?" The Banshee asked her.
"They're tricksters but like in every species you can find good ones and evil ones. Though if Scott trusts her, I'd follow his instinct. And if it's anything to you, I don't sense anything evil in her either." Bella smiled.
"Bella, you're back!" Scott exclaimed happily when he turned around and saw her, once he checked Burrows was passed out and Kira was fine.
"Yes and so is Derek. How are you, here? Do you need me for anything?" Bella asked.
"No, we're fine. Why, do you have somewhere else you need to be?" he asked her, raising an eyebrow.
"I do actually. Something I should have done before I left."
"Go then, we're fine. We'll just have to find out what to tell Stiles' dad when he arrives." Scott replied.
"It could be your father interrogating you. Be careful, all of you. Prepare a good, believable, story that covers all the angles before they arrive. Lydia, I'm leaving you in charge of making up this story." Bella reminded them before giving her cousin a quick hug and leaving.
.
Bella drove straight to the Argent's new place and, when she stood behind their door, she could hear Allison and her father yelling for Isaac to wake up. She could have used her powers to break in but instead, she rang the doorbell and Allison is the one who opened the door for her.
"Bella, you're back! Did everything go okay?"
"Yes, don't worry. I was wondering if I could speak with your father for a moment. Is everything okay here?" Bella replied.
"I don't know, Isaac said people came in and dad thinks they were after him." Allison replied before she explained what had happened to Bella on the way to her father's office where he and Isaac were.
"Oni... They weren't after you Chris, they are checking supernatural beings, looking for the nogitzune. If Isaac is still alive, it means that he's not it." Bella explained.
They spent a few minutes talking about what had happened and what Bella knew about it, then Chris Argent told them of his encounter with them.
"Isaac, Allison, would you mind heading for the Sheriff's station and telling Scott about what just happened and what we said please? He should still be over there and he should be aware of this in case they go after one of them tonight. Make sure that Kira is warned also." Bella asked them and they both nodded and hurried out of the apartment.
Once the front door closed, Chris turned to Bella:
"So, what did you want to tell me that required getting Allison out of the apartment?" He asked her.
"You're smart." She smiled.
"Does it have anything to do with Derek and the Calaveras?" He asked her.
"No, not with Derek. You better sit down for this. I figured Allison should leave because I think I know enough about you to know that you won't want her to know about this. If I'm wrong you'll always be able to tell her once she comes back. I'd rather give you the choice."
"This sounds serious." He commented.
"It is... Do you remember that when I came back to town to save you, stilinsky and Aunt Melissa from the Nemeton, I stopped a chase?"
"I do. You called her La Loba, right?"
"That's the name the Calaveras gave her, yes. I was looking for someone the Calaveras were willing to pay a lot of money for, someone who had escaped them. They called her La loba, others call her the Bone woman. To get Derek back, I gave them all the information I had on her."
"I'm not sure I understand what this has to do with me..." He replied, confused.
"When Peter killed Kate, he slashed her throat with his claws, going pretty deep inside." Bella stated, hoping he'd get the clue.
"Oh... You're not saying... Are you?"
"I am. When they heard of the way she died, Araya took a team here and they came to see Kate's body. She was starting to transform so they took her with them and they locked her in a room with a razor blade so she'd kill herself like your code dictates."
"I feel a but coming."
"She escaped, killing half a dozen men doing so. They've been looking for her ever since."
"Unsuccessfully if they're willing to pay for her." Chris commented.
He recognized his sister in this move. She was never one to follow the rules, she hated being told what to do and she had never had much love for their code.
"So far, none of the people the Calaveras have sent after her have returned. That's not all, she's not a werewolf like they initially thought she was. She's a were-jaguar and she has at least 2 Berserkers with her. Serving her, obeying her every word. It makes Kate even more dangerous than they initially thought. They're leaving to get her as soon as they're done preparing and getting everything they need, which include some rare kind of wolf-bane, but Araya asked me to tell you that if you want to join them, you can. If you call, they'll wait for you." Bella explained.
"They're going to kill her?" he asked.
"Probably, but if you go along, you might be able to smooth things over or change their minds, whatever you want. I just thought you'd like the opportunity to be there."
"And you knew I wouldn't want Allison to know about it." he nodded.
"None of us want her to go dark again. Your father, even Kate, they've manipulated her before. I think it'd be for the best if she didn't know for now. Better tell her once it'll all done." Bella replied.
"I don't know if I can leave now though, I don't want to leave Allison alone."
"She won't be, I promise you I'll keep an eye out for her. She'll call you everyday and I'll check up on her at least once a day to make sure everything is fine. I can even put temporary magical protections to make sure Isaac can't go inside when you're not here. Or I can move in until you come back if you'd rather like that." Bella smiled.
"You're right, I'd like that much better, thank you." He nodded, grabbing his phone and calling a Mexican number Bella knew as Araya's.
In the end, Chris simply told his daughter that the Mexican hunters needed his help and that she had to stay home but that Bella would check up on her and spend the nights at the apartment with her. Allison could feel that something was up but she accepted what her father was telling her. She argued a bit about having Bella playing babysitter for her though and her father agreed to let her stay on her own as long as she texted him several times a day and called Bella twice. Bella also promised to come by and check on Allison before she went to school and after she came back from school.
Allison would eat her diner either at home with Bella or with the McCall's. Chris knew that his daughter was safe and well looked after.
.
By the end of Halloween's eve, the Oni had checked everyone but when they came to check Stiles over, surprising them all because, since he was human, he wasn't supposed to get their attention, he killed one of them just when they were about to check him. It was obvious to them that he was the Nogitsune now so Bella worked hard with Deaton to make a drug that would keep the Nogitsune out. The usual drug Deaton wanted to use would have lasted a few days only but Bella managed to change it so that it could work much longer, giving them time to prepare.
Kira's mother had told them her story, admitting that she was the one who had called the Oni in town and that she couldn't call them back now. This had caused a minor drift between her daughter and her, especially since Kira was getting a lot closer to Scott but the elder Kitsune knew that her daughter would understand and forgive her later, once she saw how truly dangerous a Nogitsune was.
On Halloween's early afternoon, Bella was planning on going to see Derek when her cousin called her. Kira had a picture of her in her cell phone that showed that she was a Kitsune and they needed to delete it. Stiles couldn't help because his father was already in a bad situation at the station and so Bella agreed to come and be the look out for them, in the early evening.
"Don't worry Scott, I'll meet you there. Everything will be fine. but be sure to take the phone's charger, it might need a bit of juice." Bella assured him before she hung up.
She still had a few hours before she had to meet him so she got off her motorcycle and was about to enter Derek's building when she saw him standing right next to her.
"Hi!" She exclaimed, surprised to see him here.
"Hi. I was just about to go and see you." Derek admitted.
"Looks like great minds think alike." She smiled.
"What was that with Scott? Do you need my help?" he asked her.
Bella hopped that she wasn't imagining the fact that Derek seemed eager to find any excuse to spend time with her. She, too, would like to spend more time with the Hale werewolf.
"No, don't worry, I'll just have to distract Scott's father while they delete a picture on a phone in the evidence room for Kira. The picture shows her Kitsune and I'm sure experts would be able to tell that no filter was used on it. Best to delete it. So, were you planning on going to see me for a specific reason?" She replied.
"I just wanted to check up on you, see if you were okay. Maybe talk a little." He smiled invitingly.
"I have a few hours now if you want."
"Perfect. Coffee, on me?"
"Sure." She agreed.
Bella half expected him to direct her back to his loft but instead he drove her to a nice coffee shop that had opened not too long ago. They spent a couple of hours there, just talking, getting to know each other and laughing before Bella had to go and help Scott. Talking with Derek was easy. They spoke of Laura, Derek finally asking her the questions he had wanted to ask after the Calaveras. They also spoke of their favorite books, what they liked to do, their lives, the past, what they hoped for the future.
Time passed quickly and before she knew it, it was time for Bella to go and meet Scott and Kira.
Before she left, Bella told Derek that she would go with Scott to the party that was being thrown in the woods to make sure everything went well and he told her that he'd try to make it as well, that he'd see her there.
.
Bella arrived and parked her motorcycle before joining Scott and Kira outside. They went inside together, making sure that they weren't seen, and while Scott and Kira looked for the right phone and the picture in the evidence room, Bella stood guard.
"Uncle Rafe! I didn't know you were still in town." Bella exclaimed, intercepting her uncle before he went in the room Scott was searching and that he was now using as his office.
She had spoken a little louder that necessary. It was just loud enough to look like surprise and to warn Scott of his presence without looking too suspicious.
"Bella? Wow, you've changed, grown at lot... What are you doing here?" He asked her.
"Scott didn't tell you that I moved back in town?" She asked him.
"No, but then again, Scott isn't speaking much to me lately. Last I heard you had left town after graduation. I know you still came over every few months but nobody told me that you were in town right now. But I know that Melissa liked having you around, you helped Scott a lot with his grades, even now. But anyway, they didn't tell me that you were back. That's good though." The FBI agent replied, dropping his guards around the niece he remembered carrying on his back when she was a child.
"Yes, that might have to do with the fact that you're trying to get his best friend's dad fired. A man he loves like an uncle, a man who was there for him when you weren't." Bella replied, doing her best to remain friendly.
"I'm only doing my job." He tried to justify himself.
"Really? You mean you're not doing this because deep down you're afraid he'll end up telling Scott why Aunt Melissa really threw you out of her house? Why you've been so distant for so long?"
"You know? How do you know?"
"Aunt Melissa called my dad after it happened. She was lost and didn't know what to do. You know that she was always closer to him than to my mom. Mom can't live alone without a man and she would have just advised Aunt Melissa to keep you around even if it wans't for the best, she knew that dad's advise would be honest and better. Stilinsky, the same man you're trying to get fired, told her that maybe she should give you another chance. I know all of this because I overheard the conversation. I thought they were calling about a surprise for my birthday so I took the upstairs phone to listen. I didn't hang up until they did so I heard it all. I never spoke a word of it to anyone else until today. And if I can give you some advise, it would be to just be honest with Scott. He won't be angry with you, as long as you stay around and try to make it up to him. He understands that people make mistakes and that accidents happen, what's important to him is that you try to fix them and that you're present now. What matters is that you don't give up." Bella replied.
"You've always been pretty mature. I was sure you'd end up taking psychology in college." he replied with a smile.
"I don't really go to college, but I've been taking online classes. Psychology is one of the subjects I'm studying, though I won't get a degree right away. I'm planning on getting the necessary diploma to be a counselor at the high school. I should pass the exam without trouble in a few weeks and I'm hoping that they'll hire me even though I don't have much experience yet. Hopefully there won't be too many candidates." she smiled.
"I have no doubt about it, and if you need a recommandation letter, I'll happily do it." he replied and Bella could see Scott and Kira leaving from behind him.
"Well, I should go." She stated.
"Wait, why did you come here? Do you need help?" he asked her.
"Oh, you know how Scott and Stiles are. They told me that there was a cute new deputy that I should meet. They've been bugging me with this for a while now so I gave in. I was also a bit curious, so I came. Apparently he's not here tonight because I don't see anyone hot, young and new. I guess I'll see him another time, maybe. If I don't change my mind. I really was just coming here to humor Scott and Stiles." She replied with a smile.
"They're probably speaking about Jordan Parrish, a good man as far as I've seen or heard so far, a good officer as well. He recently left the military. Well, I think he'll be in tomorrow afternoon if you want."
"Thanks uncle Rafe. I think I'll just see if I cross him or not. I was really just humoring them, I've recently met someone I like and I'm kind of hoping it's going to go somewhere so... I'll see. Bye. And remember what I told you Uncle Rafe. Don't give up." She replied before she turned around and went outside where Scott and Kira were cheering and deciding to go to the party.
.
Bella climbed on her motorcycle and followed Scott and Kira to the party. When she arrived, she scanned the parking lot and smiled when she spotted Derek's car. Still smiling, she scanned the crowed quickly. Lydia was here with Aiden while Ethan was dancing with Dany. Allison and Isaac were dancing and Derek was smiling at her from a few feet away. She knew that she wouldn't find Stiles since he was on his way to Eichen House and she hoped they'd find a way to free him soon. He didn't deserve this kind of hell.
"Fancy seeing you here." She said as she approached Derek.
"I told you I'd come." He replied with a smile.
"So you did. You've been here long?"
"No, I just arrived. Nothing happened so far." he replied before they went to dance a little.
"Let's hope nothing does happen, at all. They all deserve a break." Bella smiled.
As they danced, they didn't notice that Scott was close to them and could hear their conversation so when Derek asked Bella out on a date, a real one, Scott heard and when Bella agreed to go with Derek, Scott made a mental note to follow them to make sure that Derek would treat his beloved cousin right.
He owed everything to Bella and Scott was determined to keep her safe.
"What are you thinking?" Isaac asked Scott while he and Allison joined Scott and Kira.
"I'm thinking that I want to follow them on their date tomorrow to make sure Derek threats her right." Scott replied.
"I'm pretty sure she can take care of herself. And Derek might be a werewolf but he seems like a good guy. He has manners and everything." Allison tried to argue, feeling like she needed to in order to respect some sort of girl code.
Bella was important to her too, she had quickly proven to be like a sister to her.
"Bella does a lot for us all. I'm in." Isaac nodded, always loyal to Scott.
Isaac was living with the McCall's now, in the guest Bedroom and Bella was now sleeping on the couch so that he could have a bedroom. He felt like he was part of the family thanks to her. He owed her. She also spent a lot of time helping him get over his past trauma, mainly linked to his father. He could now manage to be locked in a closed space without freaking out.
"If Stiles was here, he'd be on board as well." Scott added.
"Fine, I guess I'm in too, as long as it stays reasonable. We need to make sure Bella's fine." Allison agreed.
The three of them turned to look at Kira who smiled, happy to be included, and said:
"Sure, sounds like fun." She replied, happy to have made so many friends already, especially with Scott.
.
Bella was excited about her coming date with Derek. She had a good feeling about their relationship and she knew that she could trust him. He'd be loyal to her and he'd protect her even though she was capable of protecting herself. He had had bad luck in love as well and she knew that they were both looking for the same thing: a chance to be happy with someone who loved them and trusted them.
She was ready at the exact time he rang the doorbell and she smiled when Scott opened the door and flashed his alpha eyes to play overprotective big brother, even though he was younger than her. It touched her to see that her cousin cared so much and that Derek took it well. Derek seemed more amused than threatened by Scott, but he still promised to be careful and kind.
Derek was a perfect gentleman and drove Bella to a very fancy Italian restaurant. Of course they noticed immediately that Scott, Kira, Isaac and Allison were following them, Derek even smelled them, but they acted as though they didn't notice. When they entered the restaurant, which required reservations, Scott and his friends had to stay outside but they managed to hear and see most of the date through the windows, which went very well.
"Thank you for tonight, I had a great time." Bella told Derek with a sincere smile.
"You're welcome, I hope we can do this again soon." he replied.
"Is this you asking me out on a second date?" She asked him.
"Yes, are you accepting?"
"Of course, I'd love to." She nodded, feeling like the teenage girl she never really was.
"How about lunch tomorrow?"
"I can't wait." She agreed.
"Maybe next time we should invite Scott and the others along though, so they don't have to hide outside and follow us." Derek joked.
"Nah, I think they trust you with me now. Scott just needed to know that you could be a gentleman." Bella laughed.
"Always. I might have been raised by wolves, but I'm not an animal. I've been raised to be a gentleman." Derek replied with humor.
This date marked the beginning of her relationship with Derek Hale and she couldn't help but feel like it was, somehow, meant to be.
Of course she had once before thought that she had met the one in the person of Edward Cullen but this felt different, much stronger. It was easy to be with Derek. They were both strong, in their own way and they even started training together. Derek didn't try to shelter her from the world.
Once, about a week later, Bella was called for help in a small town a few hours away. It was a paid job that required her special druid skills. Derek had gone with her, just to spend time with the girl he loved, happy that she was a good person, and not another psycho like Kate or Julia. he watched proudly and happily as she did her thing and helped the people who needed her, hoping that he'd get to stay in her life for a very long time.
.
Charlie had been nervous and a bit worried when Bella had first decided to live in Beacon Hills but he had to admit that it had done her a lot of good. Every time he had seen her since her graduation, when she came to visit him on that motorcycle of hers that he hated, she just looked more and more like herself. More complete and happier each time she came by.
Of course he had formed a bond with Sheriff Noah Stilinsky, father of Scott's best friend. The man liked Bella too, like a niece, and he felt protective of her because she had helped his son a lot. Charlie had called him once, introducing himself. Bella had told him about the sheriff being close to them, so he had tried his luck. They had talked for about 45 minutes that time, getting to know each other, bonding immediately. After that, They talked about once a week, a bit about Bella and what she was doing in town of course, but also other subjects, they had become friends.
When he came in town for Bella's graduation, Stilinsky had immediately offered a room to Charlie and they had used the opportunity to hang out together, have a beer, what a game together.
When Bella decided that she wanted to study online and drive on a motorcycle around the country, Charlie had been worried too. He had talked with Renee but his ex wife had brushed it off, claiming that it was normal. So he hadn't argued, even did his best to look supportive whenever he saw her.
He did feel like something was a bit different about her. Sure, it was good that she had more confidence, more balance, but he sometimes wished he knew what was going on, really going on, in her life.
"Everything alright, Charlie?" Billy asked him when he noticed how thoughtful he was.
"Sure... I'm just thinking about Bella." He replied.
"Something wrong with her?" Billy asked, curious.
"I don't think so, no. Just... Last time she was here, did you notice how different she seemed?" Charlie asked him.
"I mean, time passed, she's older now. She did seem a bit different, just, more herself, you know?" Billy nodded.
"The last few times she came over, she took a walk in the woods and came back with a bag full of herbs, mushrooms and other thing that she dried out and put in small jars... When I asked her what she was going to do with it, she simply said that it was things she might need later, that she had been taking classes on medicinal herbs just for fun and that this was why she took them." Charlie replied, not convinced by his daughter's explanations.
"Maybe it was. I mean, before she left town she didn't seem like the nature kind of girl, but growing up definitely can change you. Maybe this new her likes to be in nature. Maybe it was always in her but she eneded to be away from her mother for a while before she discovered it." Billy replied, wondering if there could be a supernatural reason behind Bella's change.
"Maybe... Anyway, she's not on the road anymore, she's back in Beacon Hills. Doing some tutoring until she gets her diploma. She's applied for a position at the local high School. Stilinsky said she has every chance of getting it. She's popular, kids love her... The principle told Noah that Bella would probably get the position." Charlie explained, unable to hide the pride from his voice.
"She's always been smart. Maybe being on the road helped her learn faster. If she had gone to college, she wouldn't have been able to learn this quickly." Billy added.
"True, now, let's focus on this game, see who will win." Charlie shook his head, concentrating on the tv.
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Lorelei Candice Black