Chapter 5

The true soldier fights not because he hates what is in front of him,

but because he loves what is behind him.

G.K. Chesterton~

''Who are you?''

Slowly she opens her eyes, focusing on the direction the voice is coming from.

''Why are you here?''

Vision still blurry, she tries to make out who is talking to her.

''Are you hurt? Should I get help?''

The voice asks, sounding closer to her than before.

Help? Does she need help? No. She needs to get out of here without anyone knowing she was ever here. That plans screwed now that there's a witness.

A tiny witness from the looks of it. Tiny but still there. There… in the Hale vault.

''I'm gonna get my uncle okay? he'll help you, uncle Peter is the best at making ouchies go away'' the small voice returns.

''No, wait! I'm okay.'' She quickly counters, getting up to prove her claim. ''No need to bother your uncle.''

Then the kid of maybe five years old does something unexpected… he grabs her hand with his tiny one and begins to lead her to the vault door, that leads through the school basement. She's too shocked to protest as they continue to the door at a snail's pace. The kid keeps chattering and asking questions at rapid speed not giving her much room to answer.

''So who are you? Momma said the entire family was already here?'' tilting his head black hair flopping to the side. ''Did daddy forget you were coming? Or were you supposed to stay home?''

''Are you momma's cousin? momma said she couldn't come.'' He continuous shaking his head a little. Redirecting, trying to figure out who she is. He asks more looking straight at her. ''What's your name?''

''Malia, my name is Malia'' She answers. Almost sure the kid, whom she's pretty sure is Alexander Hale, her youngest cousin she never got the chance to meet, didn't hear a word she said.

But she understands now why Derek sometimes looked at his son, Alex a little too long with glazed over eyes. She always thought it was him worrying about his son's future but now she sees she was wrong, he was seeing a ghost of the past, a lost soul brought back to life.

''What are you doing in the vault?'' He asks titling his head slightly.

Deciding to try and stop this tirade of questions she counters ''Me? What are you doing here? How'd you even get in?''

Unbothered by this question he answers ''Through the secret door silly, but don't tell daddy he says it's only for emer… emergen…cies yes emergencies'' tripping over the word emergencies.

''Did your mommy send you here?'' He asks looking at her with big green eyes, not giving her a chance to answer before continuing his interrogation.

''Why are you so skinny? Momma won't like that. Want some popcorn?'' Offering her the little box filled with popcorn. ''Don't tell momma though, you're not supposed to eat candy in the morning'' He whispers conspiratorially.

''What are those things on you? Those spots?'' He asks before she can react to the kind offer of food, making her eyes snap from the box of popcorn to his big green eyes.

''They're called scars'' She answers slowly seeing his confused face she opts to explain them to the small hale ''They're wounds that couldn't heal completely''

''Like when aunty Gil had to go to the hospital when she fell down the stairs and we had to be really careful around her and now she has a 'scar' like you, only on her hip?'' He tells her enthusiastically, enthusiasm of understanding and being able to relate dim however when he thinks it over.

''But aunty Gil is human, to get scars you have to be human and to get into the vault you need to be a wolf cuz you're too big for the super-secret door. How come you have both?'' he asks her with his big innocent green eyes staring up at her.

''How come they hate us, aunty M?'' he asks her, lifting his head of her shoulder to look her in the eyes with his big innocent green eyes.

''They don't hate us, they just… don't understand us'' She says trying her best not to sound defeated as she carries him through the woods.

''It's not fair, I don't understand them but I don't take their mommy's away'' sad green eyes stare into her brown ones ''So why'd they take mine?''

Drowning in those big green eyes, she fails to notice the vault opening until she's flying halfway across the room

''That's what I'd like to know'' A new voice all but growls ''That and who the hell you are!'' well okay that he definitely growled.

She's really lost her touch since coming here and it's costing her. I mean she's a were-coyote, she should've heard him coming way before he reached the vault door. Yet here she sits, thrown to the ground two consecutive days in a row. She's barely been here for two days and her whole plan is already screwed.

''Well?! Who are you!'' He growls while advancing towards her. ''What are you doing here! How'd you even get in?!''

He's different… younger, stronger, still protective of his family but different.

It's the anger, the malicious anger he always seemed to carry around. It's gone… or just not there yet.

Hearing the footsteps closing in on her she decides to fight back, striking out her legs and sweeping them under Peter's effectively flooring him.

Both she and Peter are back on their feet in no time, circling each other trying to find weakness where there is none or at least none that is shown.

''Uncle Peter? Malia?'' Little Alex asks afraid and confused about the turn of events.

This is the weakness Malia was waiting for, as Peter turns around to look at his nephew as if he just remembered he was even there in the first place, Malia jumps forward trapping Peter in a inescapable chokehold that ironically had been taught to her by an older more familiar version of him.

That the hold was inescapable was a fact, another fact was that Peter was a werewolf and thus had sharp as hell nails that do a great job of tearing through skin and muscle. As time went on the scratches became weaker until they ultimately stopped all together. Dropping the unconscious man to the ground she takes a step towards poor little Alex. Who then took three steps back.

''It's okay Alexi, Peter will wake up in a few minutes'' She tried to placate him from where she stood this time instead trying to approach the scared boy.

''Why'd you do that?'' Alex asked looking at her with hurt green eyes.

As harsh as this might sound, she doesn't have time for this. Peter will wake up soon and she needs to have the bearer bonds and be long gone by then.

''Kid, I don't have time to explain now but just know this. I'm trying to help your family and many others packs, I mean you no harm. I just need to borrow something and I'll be gone'' She said looking at him desperately hoping that he somehow understood even a little of what she said.

But that might be too much to ask for, seeing that he hasn't responded. ''Go sit with your uncle while I get going'' she says without looking at him.

As she makes her way to the vault she feels a small body slamming in to her, tiny arms wrapped around her waist. She pats his hair softly before he let's go and skips over to the unconscious body that is Peter Hale.

''You're not scared of me anymore?'' She asks astonished, she didn't say that much to explain and she did just knock out his favorite uncle right before his eyes.

''Why would I be afraid of my guardian angel? That's silly'' He answers, effectively leaving her breathless. She's been called a lot of things in the past few years, an angel is not one of them.

''Your right that would be silly.'' Malia agrees smiling slightly, unseen by Alex because she is turned to the vault extracting the bearer bonds. Holding them to her chest she turns to look at him and smiles a little.

''Bye little wolf.'' Showing her glowing blue eyes off.

''Wait! I'll see you again right? You'll come to visit?'' Alex asks unaffected by the glowing eyes.

''We'll see'' She answers cryptically while exiting the vault, it's better not to make promises you might not be able to keep.

…...

''Do you think she was a hunter?'' Talia Hale asks her brother as all the high ranking adults take a seat around the table her dinner table.

''No, she was definitely a were-something'' Peter answers.

''But not a werewolf?'' Ennis asks

''No, absolutely not but she was something. Strong for how skinny she was and strategic, waiting patiently for the right time to strike,'' Peter affirms. ''She was my age, somewhere in the mid twenties'' he says nodding his head a little.

''What did she say she wanted?'' Talia asks trying to understand exactly how this could happen.

''She didn't, when I saw her she was hand in hand with Alex walking towards the door. Didn't exactly have the time or the patients to ask her what she was doing in the vault, let alone with my nephew.'' Peter answers a little irate by the line of questioning.

James Hale asks looking pointedly at Peter, ''so what? You just threw her across the room and then expected her to be so nice as to answer your questions?''

''How?...'' Peter asks wondering how his brother in law knew that before it dawned on him, ''Alex.''

''Yes, Alex. Who claims that she told him her name, what she took and what she is.'' James, Talia's husband says. Making all the alpha's and their second in commands look at him and then at Peter.

''I'll admit, I might have jumped into the fight prematurely'' Peter starts but rephrases after seeing the alpha's faces around the table. '' Fine. I'll admit, I started the fight but only because I thought she was trying to kidnap Alex.''

''I can see that, thank you brother'' Talia says to Peter, it's not his fault after all. ''Why don't we bring Alex here and see what he knows.''

James leaves to go get Alexander while the rest wait pondering on the unfolding events, they're back in less than a few minutes.

''Well… go on, tell everyone what the nice lady said and how she got into the vault,'' James says softly to his son trying to encourage him, which is nice but little Alex doesn't really need the encouragement.

''Her name's Malia'' Alex starts out, making Talia frown at hearing the familiar name.

''She's really nice and has to be family cuz she came in through the front door, she's got lots of scars like aunty Gil but everywhere not just on her hip.'' He goes on not paying any attention to all the frowning adults in the room.

'Scars?' Deucalion mouths to Talia with a raised eyebrow, call him intrigued.

''Uhm she borrowed some papers from the little vault and she called me little wolf'' He continues unsure what else he's supposed to say. What else did he know?

This Talia already knew, this Malia had taken some of their bearer bonds, but why'd she take so little of them? Why not all of them?

''Honey, you know you're a wolf like mommy and me. What was Malia?'' James asks looking at his youngest child.

''Oh, she's our guardian angel.'' He says looking around the room excitedly. ''She has glowing blue eyes like uncle Peter only a lot brighter.''

''Why do you think she's your guardian angel kid?'' Kali asks, tapping her nails on the table.

''Not just mine! All of ours, Malia said that she was here to help us and lots of other packs and that she didn't mean any harm. Also she fell from the sky''

This alarms the pack leaders in the room, how could a random girl know that they were in town. And what did she mean by help.

''When did she fall from the sky?'' Peter asks.

''Yesterday when we were walking in the woods. You guys didn't see cuz you were talking about stupid adult stuff.'' Alex grumbles.

''Okay, honey why don't you go out to play outside?'' Talia tells her son who complies immediately, who wouldn't? playing outside is the best.

When he has left the room the adults get back to their meeting.

''We need to figure this out later, right now our focus has to be on the hunters not some bastard omega Hale.'' Ennis states after a short discussing.

''I'd watch what you say in my house Ennis.'' Talia says utterly calm with glowing red eyes.

''Although I would not have phrased it so, I must agree with Ennis here. This is no time to worry about one individual when our plates are already plenty full worrying about many more threatening others.'' Deucalion respectively pitches in.

A/N: Review, follow, favorite. Let me know what you think!