A call from Derek early friday morning doesn't come as a surprise. It never did. In spite of his anger towards Mara and her pack, Derek seemed to have no problem demanding help from them on the regular.
Did they solve the Kanima problem for him and save his pack? Yes. Did that mean he would take his head out of his ass and ally with them against the next threat? No. He would rather stumble around in the dark with his pride, and when his luck ran out, demand they point him in the right direction.
She valued family too much.
Mara sighed, watching Peter hang up the phone through the mirror in the bathroom suite directly opposite to their bed. He walked out, buttoning up his jeans.
"What is it this time?" She grumbled, sounding quite irritated. She watched him walk across to the dresser and pull out a white long sleeved v neck shirt.
"Isaac found where his missing wolves are, but the alpha's stole his memories." He replied, pulling the shirt over his head, and hooking only the bottom of the three buttons at the neck of the shirt.
"So what does he want us to do?" She replied, pushing herself off the bed, and shuffling into the closet.
"My mistake, he has vague recollection of what happened. Derek wants me to search his memories." He responds, pushing up his sleeves in the mirror. Mara stuck out of the closet, blouse and black jeans thrown over her arm.
"Are you really qualified to do that?" She looks at him, brows raised. He scoffs.
"I've never paralyzed anyone."
Mara walked out fully, still pulling on her clothes.
"That's not very reassuring." She replied. Then she though for a moment and shrugged.
"Derek's problem. It worked out alright last time."
Peter nodded in agreement, then slowed, developing that dumb look he got when he knew he was going to say something that would annoy her..
"We should bring the girls. It's a good learning experience."
Mara barked out a laugh, tying the bottom of her blouse around herself.
"I'm sure the school would be thrilled to know we're pulling them out on their second day to learn about invading people's minds and stealing their memories."
" I told you we should have signed them up to be Women In Black instead."
They both made their way down the stairs, finding the girls in the kitchen, eating an abominably sugary cereal. Mara moved to grab a bowl, and Peter moved to the cupboard to find some real food.
"We're going on a field trip." Mara said reaching for the milk on the counter. Cole snorted, almost choking on her cereal, and Leila rolled her eyes. Her brow was cocked.
"That's an interesting way of saying we're going to do a favor for Derek because he's clueless."
"It's not ALL his fault." Peter cut in, throwing two slices of bread in the toaster. Leila rolled her eyes again, taking a bite of her cereal. Cole swallowed.
"So what does my dear nephew Derek need this time?" She asked with a wide grin, clearly a result of Mara's annoyance and her chase to avoid class.
"Godda go shdeal shme kshds memriesh." Mara replied through a full mouth, already having downed half her cereal. Cole laughed.
"Well let's go get this over with. I have to meet with Coach Finstock at lunch about joining the lacrosse team."
"Does it have to be him?"
"He knows how to do it. I don't. Be more dangerous if I tried doing it myself."
"You know Scott doesn't trust him, right? You know, personally, I'd... well, I'd trust Scott."
" Do you trust me?"
"Yeah. I still don't like him."
"Nobody likes him."
Peter slid the door to the loft open. He entered, followed by his pack, quip ready.
"Boys." He starts "F.Y.I., yes, coming back from the dead has left my abilities somewhat impaired, but the hearing still works. So I hope you're comfortable saying whatever it is that you're feeling straight to my face." Derek was quick to respond.
"We don't like you. Now shut up and help us."
Leila scoffed but Cole shot back just as fast.
"Now that's not very nice Der Bear." She teased. Derek scowled at her.
"Why did you bring them?" He stated towards Peter.
"Learning experience." Mara replied instead. "So if they find themselves in your position, they can get things done, themselves." She quips. Derek scowled again.
The beta, Isaac, remained quiet, and fairly shocked by the sudden entrance of more than just the omega expected.
"Let's start." Peter said, rolling up his sleeves, and approaching the kid. "Relax, I'll get more out of it if you're calm."
Isaac watched the older man with wide eyes as he came closer.
"How do you know how to do this again?" He asks, doubt lacing his tone. He looks up, as Peter guided him into the chair with a firm hand, and the girls flocked around him.
"It's an ancient ritual used mostly by alphas, since it's a skill that requires quite a bit of practice. One slip, and you could paralyze someone. Or kill them." Peter explained, speaking towards the girls as well, who listened carefully. Mara moved to Peter's side, placing her hand at the base of his neck.
"You... You've had a lot of practice, though, right?" Isaac asked, looking absolutely terrified, as Peter moved his hand to the back of his neck.
"Well, I've never paralyzed anyone." He stated again. As Isaac looks as though he is about to object, Peter pierced the back of his neck, Mara following suite on Peter. They all went rigid.
Isaac began to shake violently. Before Derek could react and intervene, Leila and Cole were at his side, holding his arms down. Everyone's eyes flashed in their effort. He could see them all straining.
After a few minutes, which seemed like an eternity for those outside Isaac's memories, everyone tore away from each other.
"What did you see?" Derek demanded, as both girls moved from Isaac to steady Peter and Mara.
"Images" Peter disclosed, leaning heavily on Cole. "Vague shapes, It was confusing."
"But, did you see them?" He looked between Mara and Peter, who look at eachother.
"We barely saw them." Mara continueed, rubbing at her eyes as she regained her balance.
"Blurred glimpses at best."
"But you did see them?" He asked again, frowning as he became annoyed.
"And worse." She replies. Derek stares, waiting.
"Ducaleon." Peter expands.
"He was talking to them. About time running out." Mara says, voice darkening.
"What does that mean?" Isaac asks, voice quiet.
"He's going to kill them." Cole stated, jaw tightening visibly matching Derek's expression. Peter shook his head.
"No, he didn't say that." He discerns. "He made them a promise, that by the next full moon they would both be dead."
"The next full moon?" Leila asked, hoping she had misheard him. Derek was the one to respond.
"Tomorrow night.".
Mara separated herself from Leila, standing on her own.
"You need to find them. Now.".
Derek scowled at her.
"I will. My pack will." He replied, crossing his arms defensively.
"Derek," Isaac cut in suddenly, looking down at his phone. "Scott says we gotta come to the school. Now."
"We're coming." Leila added, starring Derek down.
"No you're not." Derek replies firmly. Cole turns her glare upon him as well, a hand coming down on Isaac's shoulder causing his eyes to widen at her tight grip.
"Yes, we are. " She calmly stated. Derek let out a snort.
"No, you're not. I don't know who you think made you in charge, but I don't care."
Cole put her other hand on Isaacs shoulder, causing him to flinch again.
"I'm your aunt first of all, so I literally am in charge of you. Secondly, I have class with this little wolf in about twenty minutes, so you can give us a ride. Or i'll tell the school a suspected serial killer is on their way."
They glared at each other in total silence.
"Fine." Derek finally broke the stare. A smug look and a proud look cross Cole and Leila's faces respectively. "Let's go"
Cole let go of Isaac, who promptly scrambled over to Derek, to the amusement of the girls.
As the four leave the building, Mara moved to Peter's side. They sat in silence until they could hear the car pulling away.
"Did you.." She started, looking up at him. He nodded.
"It was too much blood, she couldn't have survived." He responded, looking out the window. She turned away as well.
"But we didn't lie." She replied, taking a seat behind Derek's desk.
"No, we didn't." He reassures her, leaning into the window sill, hands wrapped around
the wood.
"I thought everyone was in the house that day." Mara said absentmindedly, brows furrowed as she sifted through what she could remember from six years ago. As far as she knew, everyone had been trapped, and only Peter was lucky enough to survive. She was reminded she didn't value family enough.
**Flashback**
After that sudden searing pain she felt, more excruciating than she ever experienced, everything was a blur. She got up from where she had fallen on the cool tiles, pushing the small crowd that had gathered around her writhing body out of the way and running as fast as she could out of the grocery store. She straight to the forest, leaving her car behind. The fire was still raging upon her arrival.
As disturbingly soft as the familiar heartbeat was, she could hear it enough to tear through the burning cinders of the Hale house, ignoring her own pain. Through the overwhelming scent of burning flesh, and the wailing of sirens near distance, she found her way to the basement. Her claws tore at the edge of the door, until ripping it from the frame completely.
Had it not been for the direness of the situation, she would have collapsed with sorrow right there. The room was scattered with bodies. Some still recognizable, wrapped around each other in their last moments, bones exposed, flesh charred. She was sure there was more out of her view at the top of the stairs. She tore her burning eyes away, and grabbed the body at her feet, still clutching the bars of the banister. The only one who's heart was still beating.
It was a struggle to carry the dead weight as the flames bubbled her flesh away, and her vision began to fade as the burn in her lungs grew. She stumbled through the front door, tripping down the steps, and collapsing a few feet away from the blaze.
The sound of the fire engine was deafening, as she rolled over, trying to stay conscious. The last thing she could remember was grabbing her mates hand, and taking away as much pain as she could manage.
*End Of Flashback*
"She was supposed to be home sick. She was still learning to control her shift." He replied, the expression on his face unreadable. His eyes were drawn to the small scars, peaking from the neckline of her shirt.
"She must have snuck out, been in the forest somewhere. When she saw what happened, she knew she had to run. Honestly, the how is irrelevant." He stopped staring at Mara, who moved to his side. She wrapped her arms around his waist, resting her chin on his shoulder.
" What do we do?" This time, her voice was a low murmur, almost a whisper. He turned in her grip to return the embrace, now resting his chin on her head. He gave her a reassuring squeeze.
"What we always do. Handle it, whatever way we can."
