Scott and I had found Stiles in a nearby dumpster, probably the doing of Erica. Seeing as we now had no vehicle and I didn't entirely fancy the idea of Scott giving me a piggyback ride, I'd given Andre a call who had come to pick us up. The three of us explained as much as we could to Andre in the time it took to get to Stiles' house and I realized this was the first time they had truly had a conversation with my sister. Honestly, it was nice to have an adult on our side. It was nice to just have another true ally.

The convenience of Scott living across the street made it easier for the rest of the trip and he waved his goodbye before scurrying inside his house. I was exhausted, to say the least. My night of sleep before was not the best and I was ready to tumble into a mindless darkness for a few hours. I hadn't seen much of Peter since my accident during gym and I was thankful for that. My weird visions of him would not benefit my situation in any way. I also didn't want to hear him preach to me about how Derek is only trying to protect me. I didn't need his protection and I certainly didn't want it. After the stunt he pulled at the ice rink, I was ready to swear him off for good.

One thought that did plague me was Isaac. I couldn't rid the image of the way he had looked at me from my mind and it made my stomach churn. My assumptions had been wrong-that he would understand why I had to leave him at the winter formal. He was angry with me, angry that I had been such a terrible friend after I led him to believe I was someone he could trust. I truly wanted to be that person, but at the time I was too caught up in Peter that I hurt Isaac in the process. It seemed that both of my relationships with Erica and Isaac had been severely damaged in light of their transformations. Erica was the one I didn't quite understand. I had never turned my back on her or betrayed her somehow. In fact, I liked to believe that I was always kind to her. She had been holding my hand during her seizure. There was something there that I couldn't see yet.

Tensions with the Argent's were only steadily rising whilst they suspected more werewolves were coming into Beacon Hills. Allison had called me shortly after I had returned home to inform me that Gerard and her father were still making late night runs. She stressed that battle lines were beginning to be drawn as Derek created a pack and her father readied his own troops. Gerard would provide the intel from school and if Erica, Isaac, and Boyd decided to return, things were about to get messy. The three of them were so caught up in their newfound confidence that they deemed themselves almost nearly unstoppable. They wouldn't understand their need to fear Gerard and only make them a prime candidate for a bullet between their eyes. Yet, if they didn't return to school, that would raise more of a concern to the Argent's. Three teenagers did not just disappear from school when there was a new alpha in town.

I lied in bed, staring at the ceiling as I tried to comprehend everything that had happened in the last couple of days. Derek had now turned three innocent teenagers into his guard dogs, Jackson was practically going off the handle, Lydia was hallucinating things she couldn't understand, and each minute seemed to bring us closer to disaster. I felt helpless, as I often did, and found myself wishing I could do something more than stand around. I had pleaded with Derek to spare Scott because I wasn't able to stand up to defend my friends. How long would it be until my voice wasn't enough and someone truly got hurt because I couldn't do a goddamn thing about it?

Only an hour and a half later, I awoke with a dull thud in my skull. I blew out a deep breath and then raised a palm to press it against my forehead. Sitting up in my bed, the sheet fell down to my waist and brown hair fell in front of my eyes. I pushed it away and then reached over to grab my phone, checking it for any notifications. I secretly hoped that Stiles' name would appear, but I knew things had changed. I swallowed hard and then set it back down on my nightstand. As soon as I did, there was a rapid knock on my front door and I quickly scrambled to my feet.

I grabbed a sweatshirt off the back of my door before scurrying downstairs. I peeked through the small hole on the door and was somewhat surprised to see Scott standing on my step. I opened the door.

"Can I come in?" Scott asked, but didn't give me a moment to answer before he shoved passed me to enter.

"Sure. Make yourself at home." I responded sarcastically, holding out my arm with a tight smile before I rolled my eyes. I shut the door and turned around to look at him. It was then I realized he was covered in a thin layer of sweat and his own orbs were wild. He was fiddling with his fingers while his leg bounced. "What's wrong?"

"I had to go to the vet clinic." Scott began, running a hand through his hair. "My wound wasn't healing so I was worried. Turns out, injuries from an alpha take a lot longer to heal."

I bobbed my eyebrows. "Imagine that." I mumbled and then shook my head. "Why exactly did you go to the vet clinic?"

"Deaton, my boss, he's been helping me out. Ever since that night at the school, he's sort of been like my supernatural guide. He's taught me a lot of the things I know." Scott explained, shrugging his shoulders gently. "Better than Derek."

"Clearly." I agreed, nodding my head.

"I-I came to you first because Stiles is getting his Jeep fixed and he won't answer his phone and I had to talk to someone about this in person." Scott then said. "The Argent's showed up, Gerard and Chris. There-There was this body at Deaton's and it had these long, deep scratches down their chest."

"Like a werewolf?" I inquired, leaning against the wall beside me and crossing my arms over my chest.

Scott shook his head. "No." His voice was low and breathy, something that worried me. "Deaton explained to them both that whatever did this was able to break through the skin and through the bone. The-the body had a slice on the back of their neck and Deaton said that it had some-some stuff on it that could paralyze someone. Whatever killed that guy, it only wanted to kill him."

"That does not sound like a werewolf." I muttered, my eyes widening slightly and my stomach sank. "Does he know what it is?"

"No one does." Scott answered, swallowing hard and looking somewhat anxious. "It's something that's vicious and will kill without any mercy."

"Wonderful." I replied with mock enthusiasm, clapping my hands down at my sides. "That-that is just perfect. What are we supposed to do?"

"I-I haven't gotten that far yet." Scott admitted sheepishly, rubbing the back of his neck and then staring down at my hardwood floor. "I need you to warn Allison and to keep an eye on Lydia. I don't want to take any chances."

I nodded rapidly. "Of course." I assured him, my voice soft. "Whatever you need, I'm here."

"And make sure you watch out for yourself, too." Scott told me seriously, looking up from the floor. "This isn't the time to act like your normal self."

"What do you mean my normal self? I happen to think I'm a blast." I defended, my mouth hanging agape in offense.

Scott rolled his eyes. "I mean, protecting everyone else and forgetting to cover your own back." He stated bluntly and I had to look away from him, knowing he was right. "Tessa, I-I really admire how loyal you are to the people you care about. Honest. But, I never want to see you hurt, okay?"

A few seconds of quiet air flowed between us before I nodded curtly. "Okay." I agreed softly. Then, I let out a deep sigh, a crease forming in between my brow. "I'm sorry, did you say that Stiles wasn't answering his phone?"

"Yeah, I texted him a million times and called him even more, but he never answered." Scott responded, shaking his head. "Like his Jeep is more important."

"You don't find that, like, slightly off putting?" I asked, holding out a hand towards Scott and giving him a narrowed eyed look. "When does Stiles not answer his phone?"

"Well, uh, s-sometimes he-" Scott stammered, his face turning the same shade as a beet as he tried to think of something to say.

"Look, I'll go to the mechanic shop and check on him, okay?" I told Scott, raising my eyebrows. "I'm sure his phone just died or something. Andre has the car here so I'll make a little late night, check to make sure my friend isn't dead run."

"Thanks."

"Now, go see Allison."

"What?!"

I let out an amused laugh and then opened the front door. "She's my best friend, Scott. Don't pretend like she doesn't tell me everything. I know you're supposed to meet her in ten minutes. Now, go. I'll take care of Stiles."

Scott gave me a small smile before he took off running out the door. I watched as he disappeared through the trees and then I let out a deep sigh, grabbing the keys off the key ring. There was only one auto body shop in town which made it easy to track it down. I wasn't surprised that Stiles had somehow managed to keep his Jeep in so late at night. Rain had begun to pour down on the world halfway through my drive and the sound of it was almost soothing.

When I came around the corner, my eyes widened when I suddenly saw ambulances and police cars flooding the front of the autobody shop. I skidded to a stop and practically launched myself out of the car, shoving through officers in search of one person in particular. My eyes frantically scanned the scene, praying I would see a buzz cut head somewhere. Finally, I looked in the back of an ambulance and saw the familiar red jacket he had worn that day, his father sitting beside him.

"Stiles!" I called out and both of the men turned their attention towards me with a look of pure bewilderment.

"Tessa?" Stiles questioned, getting out of the ambulance and walking towards me. "What-what the hell are you doing here?"

"Scott came to see me. He said you weren't answering his phone so I wanted to make sure you were okay." I answered, pulling the hood of my sweatshirt over the top of my head in effort to protect myself from the precipitation. I glanced around. "What happened here?"

"I'll explain later." Stiles sighed, tipping his head towards his father who had moved on to talk to some other officers just a few feet away. "They have to impound the Jeep for evidence."

"For evidence?" I repeated and my eyebrows shot up to my hairline. "Stiles, did someone die? What happened?"

"I said I would explain later." Stiles repeated through gritted teeth, giving me a deadly serious look. "Now is really not a good time."

I wanted to push, but I knew better. I inhaled a deep breath through my nose and swallowed hard before letting my tense form relax. "Can you at least tell me that you're okay?" I requested softly, giving him a pleading look.

I half expected Stiles to brush it off and downplay the entire thing. Or, maybe he'd tell me to leave him alone. However, his reaction was much more the opposite. A smile appeared on his lips and a small snort left him as he nodded. "I'm okay." He vocalized, placing a hand on my shoulder and gently squeezing it.

I couldn't help but smile back at him, placing my hand over the one he had on my shoulder. Then, I let it drop down back to my side. "You know, I-I drove here." I informed him, jutting a thumb towards the car. "Can I...give you a ride home?"

"Well, uh, my-my dad is here so I should really wait for him."

And it had returned.

"Right." I whispered, nodding curtly and then swallowing hard. "I just...um…"

"I'll see you at school, alright?" Stiles said, clearing his throat.

"Yeah." I murmured and tried to smile, but I found it nearly impossible. I turned on my heels quickly to rush back to my car. Eyes were on me the entire time, but I refused to look back.

"Our newest threat is a lizard?"

"Will you please pretend like you don't have an automatic sarcasm switch?"

"Sorry. Sorry." I quickly apologized, throwing my hands up in mock surrender before I let out a deep sigh. "If I don't humor myself, it'll just freak me out."

"Tessa, this thing paralyzed me. You should be freaked out." Stiles explained, giving me a sharp look and adjusting his backpack straps on his shoulder as we walked up the front steps towards the school. "And that thing looked...familiar. Like, a Halloween mask on someone I know."

"Any idea who it might be?" I inquired, pushing hair out of my face.

Stiles shook his head, appearing frustrated. "No. I-I tried to figure it out all night and I couldn't." He answered with a clenched jaw. "It's like it's on the tip of my tongue."

I let out a blustery breath as we turned to stop at my locker. "Look, as long as this thing doesn't kill anyone in the next twenty four hours, I just want you to focus on the game tonight."

"God, I almost forgot." Stiles grumbled, running a hand over the top of his head. "Scott made me ask Allison because he took off last night before their little meeting."

"Wonderful. Relationship problems infiltrating our life as per usual." I hummed, bobbing my eyebrows and Stiles grunted in response. "Whatever. If it means Scott's torso gets to remain attached to his legs, then I'll do it."

"Please, I did not need that image." Stiles groaned, rubbing his eyes. "I'd really not like to picture my best friend cut in half."

"I would assume not." I responded with a look as though that were obvious as I finished grabbing my books. I shut my locker door and we continued on down the hall where we were supposed to meet Scott by the staircase. "Andre's coming to the game tonight. After I told her what happened at the vet clinic and the mechanic's, she insisted on acting as some security detail for us."

"You know, I never thought there was someone more intimidating than you but your sister raises that level by, like, ten." Stiles mentioned, gesturing a scale with his hands. "And, honestly, I appreciate it more than anything right now. Someone who is in the loop and badass."

"You can thank the countless karate and hand-to-hand combat classes." I mentioned with a shrug. "Although I'm hoping nothing insanely catastrophic will happen tonight, I am extremely doubtful. The world has not exactly been in our favor lately."

"Don't jinx it." Stiles said, pointing a finger at me with a deadly serious look. "We need all the luck we can freaking get."

"No kidding." I mumbled, looking down at my shoes for a minute. "When I think it can't get worse, it immediately does."

"Haven't you sort of got the hint by now that it's the only way any of this works?" Stiles asked me rhetorically and I only glared at him in response.

We had finally made it to the staircase where Scott was sitting and when he saw us, his expression brightened. "Finally!" He squeaked, bouncing slightly where he sat. "Sit."

Stiles and I gave each other a slightly exasperated glance before sitting down on either side of the werewolf. "Good morning. How are you, Tessa? I'm fine. Thanks, Scott!" I droned, talking with my hands before giving the boy a bored look.

Scott grimaced and then sighed. "I'm sorry." He apologized. "I've just been waiting since six to talk to you."

"You were up at six?" I repeated, raising my eyebrows in bewilderment.

"That's not the point." Scott responded point blank before looking back at Stiles. "You told me you had an idea of what I should say to her tonight?"

"Oh, right." Stiles mumbled and then cleared his throat. "I'm so sorry about the other day. I'm trying. We'll get through this. Uh, I know because I love you. I love you more than-oh my GOD! I can't. You and Allison just have to find a better way to communicate."

I couldn't help but laugh before Scott responded. "Come on! You two are the only ones she can trust." He said, gesturing between Stiles and I. "Is she coming to the game tonight?"

"Yes. Okay? Message complete. Make Tessa do it next time." Stiles demanded, throwing his hand out towards me and I rolled my eyes.

"Leave me out of this. I don't want to be a carrier pigeon." I told them and Stiles shot me a deadly glare.

"Tell me about your boss." Stiles then said to Scott, nudging him with his arm.

"He thinks Allison's family keeps some kind of records of all the things that they've hunted." Scott began after he had scanned the area for any unwanted ears. His voice was lowered causing me to lean in a bit closer to him. "Like a book."

Stiles clapped his hands together and I could almost see the lightbulb appear above his head. "He probably means a bestiary." He theorized.

"A what?" Scott replied back dumbly, blinking his eyes a few times.

"I-I second that. What the hell is a bestiary?" I hissed, shaking my head.

"A bestiary." Stiles repeated and Scott began to laugh, a slight smile appearing on my own features.

"I think you mean beastilaty."

My smile immediately dropped my features and, instead, my hand came up to slap the back of Scott's head. The werewolf gasped and clutched onto the spot, giving me a wide eyed look.

"Nope. Pretty sure I don't." Stiles interjected before Scott could protest my assault. "It's like an encyclopedia of mythical creatures."

"How am I the only one who doesn't seem to know about this stuff?" Scott whimpered, his shoulders sagging.

"Okay, you're my best friend, you're a creature of the night. It's kind of like a priority of mine." Stiles explained, spinning his finger in a circle as if to emphasize his point.

"Alright, if we can find it and it can tell us what this thing is-"

"-and who-"

"-we need that book." The three of us all finished in unison, a sigh ending all of it.

I got my feet and wiped the dust from the steps off the back of my legs, the two boys following my lead. "We will figure out a plan later." I told them both sternly. "Right now, we have actual school to attend to."

I dramatically tossed my arms towards the hallway and then began to march up the steps. Two pairs of footsteps trampled after me and I smiled somewhat proudly before we continued on our way to class.

I hardly ever used my free period to study, always finding that it was taken over by something of the supernatural sort. So, when Allison asked me to study with her outside the school, I nearly jumped at the opportunity. I was falling behind and the idea of academic failure was just another factor added to my stress. If Andre found out, she'd reign hell on me and the system would probably think she wasn't taking good care of me. My grades reflected who I was and where I was choosing to spend my time. The last thing I needed was to get shipped off somewhere.

Allison and I were quietly reading our books, taking notes as we went when I suddenly heard rapid footsteps heading in our direction at a fast clip. In succession, a pair of hands came slapping down on our table and I jumped.

"Oh my god!" I yelled, my highlighter dropping from my hand as I snapped my head up to look at our newest visitor. "Stiles!"

"Allison," He said, ignoring me and looking at the girl. "Does anyone in your family own a bestiary?"

"Subtle." I whispered sarcastically to Stiles with a smile to which he swatted at my face.

Allison stared at the boy for a moment before a wide grin appeared on her features and she stuck her thumbnail in between her teeth. "I think you mean-"

"No, I mean bestiary!" Stiles cut her off with annoyance. "And, the two of you, I don't wanna know what's going on in your heads."

"Okay, um, can you describe this thing?" Allison requested, shaking her head as if to rid herself of any other thoughts she had before.

"Uh, it's probably like a book. Old, worn…" Stiles described, racking his brain for the best ideas he could think of.

"Like...bound in leather?" Allison suggested, raising an eyebrow.

"That is oddly specific." I noted, tipping my head to the side with a confused look.

"It's because she's seen it before." Stiles murmured and then bounced on his toes. "Where?"

Allison visibly moved away from the spastic character at his sudden demand. "It-It fell out of my grandfather's pocket the other night. He said he would never want to lose it."

"Great!" Stiles cheered before he turned and sprinted off in the direction he had come from.

Allison and I watched the boy go, our eyes wide and mouths agape. "What-"

"I couldn't even begin to tell you what the hell is going on." I told her, shaking my head and then blinking a couple of times. We both turned back to our books, but our minds were now far from studying. "We think that this might be able to help us figure out what killed the mechanic and the guy at the vet clinic."

Allison hummed, thinking over something for a moment. Her eyes glanced down at the table before returning back to me. "You said this thing was strong and killed only to kill, right?" She asked and I nodded. "What if this thing also killed Isaac Lahey's father?"

"Well, then that just adds to this psycho lizard's body count." I answered with a sigh, dropping my head in my hands. "It's like it's just killing at random. Maybe there's some sort of pattern we just aren't seeing yet."

I heard rapid footsteps once more and I turned my head to see Stiles sprinting in our direction. He stopped at the table, wheezing desperately. "Where...does he...keep it?" He managed to gasp out.

"Um," Allison thought for a moment and then lit up. "His office. It has to be. It's always locked and if it was something he wanted to protect, that's where he would keep it."

Stiles brandished his thumb before turning to race off in the other direction.

"He's talking to Scott." I suddenly realized, clapping a hand down on the table. I then looked back at my friend. "Imagine that."

Allison looked sheepish and she shrunk away from my gaze. "It could've been you, too."

"I would've said no." I responded with a venomous smile before it dropped.

"What if isn't a bestiary? Do we have another way of figuring this out?" Allison asked.

"Uh, not really, no." I answered, shaking my head. "This is kind of our only hope. And our only lead in the past, uh, twenty four hours."

It was only a few more minutes before Stiles had returned, significantly more out of breath. Before even saying a word, he dug around in his backpack frantically. He withdrew an inhaler and took a deep inhale of it.

"You know, drug dealers have been using disposable cell phones pretty successfully for years." He suggested through a choked voice before releasing a gust of air.

"My parents check every call, email, and text message I send." Allison pointed out. "Trust me, they'd find it."

"Alright, can you get the book?" Stiles asked, the exhaustion clear in his voice as he looked to Allison hopefully.

"Not without his keys." She replied, not sounding entirely optimistic at the prospect.

"Lovely," I chimed in, folding my arms over the top of my book. "Your creepy grandpa makes things increasingly difficult every moment we choose to live, you know that?"

"We'll figure it out, okay?" Stiles told us, holding his arms out at his sides. "Now, I am going to walk back inside and I will not be coming back out here."

The boy turned on his heels intentionally and did exactly as he had said. Once he disappeared, Allison let out a loud groan and led her head thud onto her own open textbook. "This is a nightmare." She mumbled.

"There, there," I cooed with overemphasized sympathy, reaching out a hand to gently pat the back of her head. "It's not every day a girl gets to have a secret werewolf boyfriend and a psychotic werewolf hunter family with a sociopathic grandfather with a weird God complex."

Allison lifted her head up only to glare devilishly at me. "You are absolutely no help."

"Actually, sitting here through all of that means I am a trooper." I defended, gesturing at the spot where Stiles had been previously. "And the fact that I will attend the lacrosse game tonight and I will do whatever it takes to get those keys makes me an absolute gem of a best friend."

I tacked on the last bit with a smile and I could see Allison trying to hold back her own, but it eventually broke through. "I suppose you're an alright best friend." She teased with a laugh.

"Stop." I joked, pressing my hands to my cheeks. "You're making me blush."

Allison tossed a pen at me and I snickered. She then sighed, shutting her textbook. "So much for studying." She hummed and then chewed on the inside of her cheek. "Does it feel like everything has just been an uphill battle lately?"

"More so than usual." I responded with a bob of my eyebrows, also shutting my book. "In more ways than one, actually."

"I...noticed something has been off between you and Stiles. Care to share?" Allison asked, giving me a knowing look.

"Don't even get me started." I grumbled, shaking my head. "I'm a big, dumb jerk. That's the end of the story. Case closed."

"Come on, Tessa. I saw you two at the ice rink." Allison urged. "It was him handing you chocolate to him suddenly shutting you out."

"Yeah, that's because I told him I didn't know how I felt after I avoided him for days." I pointed out, rolling my eyes. "I'm a total idiot, Allison. I'm caught up in my own head that I can't even tell him how I feel. I've convinced myself that he's going to reject me."

"And why would he do that?" Allison asked, almost looking bored.

"Because he's in love with Lydia!" I squealed, tossing my hands up in the air and making the brunette across from me jump slightly. "Even at the ice rink he was freaking enamoured with her. I can't even compare to her."

"Tessa, you know that isn't true." Allison said to me comfortingly, her eyes softening. "I think Stiles cares about Lydia, but I don't think he's that in love with her."

"Are you sure? Because I'm pretty sure that he's professed his undying love for her several times under several different circumstances." I stated. "To me, more than a thousand times. In fact, he's asked me to talk about him around her so that she starts to think about him."

"When was that?"

"What?"

"How long ago was that?"

"It was the beginning of the year, but-"

"Exactly." Allison cut me off firmly. "That was at the beginning of the year. He didn't even know you, yet. Of course he'd ask you to do all of that."

"Love for someone like that doesn't just...go away, Allison. Could you just unlove Scott in a matter of weeks?" I asked and Allison pressed her lips together firmly. "My point."

"It's not the same." Allison argued. "Scott and I have been together. We're dating. Stiles has spent more time with you since you moved here than he has ever spent with Lydia. And when Scott looks at me, I can just...feel his love."

"Gross." I mumbled, wrinkling my nose.

Allison smacked her lips together and gave me a look to which I gave her an apologetic smile. "My point is, I can tell when a boy looks at a girl and he doesn't just see her as a friend." She explained. "Stiles looks at you like you're the only thing that matters in the room. The more you keep assuming that he doesn't like you, the more you'll never know how he truly feels. Hiding behind your wall will only leave you clueless and heartbroken."

I stared at Allison for a few long seconds before I let out a growl. "God, I hate it when you're right sometimes."

"You have to tell him how you feel at some point." She told me. "Clearly, he's not going anywhere and neither are you. He's probably icing you out because he thinks you don't like him."

"I know, I know." I mumbled, burying the palms of my hands in my eye sockets. "I just don't know how to tell him how I feel. I'm terrible at that kind of stuff. You should know this."

"If you didn't do it in your typical Tessa fashion, I think you'd scare him off." Allison admitted, snorting. "It's what makes you special and that's what he'd want."

"And if he doesn't like me back, I have ruined our entire friendship and the world implodes and everyone dies." I then said with a sarcastic smile. "Both outcomes of this are-are splendid, honestly."

"You are impossible." Allison said and then stood up from the table, beginning to pack her things.

"Wha-where are you going?" I protested, sounding oddly like a child. The girl didn't respond and then began to walk off. "Allison. Allison!"

I quickly gathered up my items and scrambled after her. The day passed with flying colors with the occasional sass from Lydia at lunch. However, she seemed a bit more agitated than usual and insisted on wearing a pair of pink, fingerless gloves. She claimed they matched her outfit and she was in the mood to start a new trend. I tried to brush it off as her just going through a rough patch, but even Allison found it somewhat strange. I felt bad prioritizing other matters over Lydia, but getting the bestiary was the first thing on my list. I chalked it up to me protecting her in this way-figuring out whatever it was that was killing random people in our town. I knew she had started going to therapy-upon her parents' request-and I was praying that talking to someone else might help. She had a hard time sharing with me or Allison and I couldn't imagine what her bottled up emotions would do. She even said she wouldn't be attending the lacrosse game this evening, blaming it on Jackson.

Once I had returned home, Andre had turned the kitchen into what looked like an armory. She had a few knives and guns out on the kitchen counters, all laid out in their dangerous glory.

"What the holy hell is this?" I mumbled as I slowly entered the kitchen, eyes wide.

Andre turned at the sound of my voice, flicking some dark hair out of her face and then planting her hands on her hips. "This is called "I am not going to let my little sister and her friends get brutally murdered by a scary lizard monster at a lacrosse game this evening"." She responded and then smiled. "They're toys."

I hummed and then set down my bag at once to the kitchen chairs before walking over to look at some of the items. I then shifted my attention towards my older sister. "Remember how I told you that Deaton had no idea what killed that guy?" I reminded her to which she nodded. "Well, turns out, there might be a book that can tell us."

"A bestiary?" She asked, raising her eyebrows and I gave her a blank look.

"How-how do you know that?" I demanded, crossing my arms and shaking my head.

Andre shrugged and then took a seat at the breakfast bar. "I've heard of them before." She answered. "If I was going to take care of you on my own, I had to do my research on what the hell could pose as a threat to you."

"Right…" I murmured, nodding slowly and looking at her skeptically before I cleared my throat. "Gerard is the one who has it."

"Creepy grandpa?" Andre clarified and then tipped her head back with a groan. "Ugh, I hate that pill-popping freak."

"Trust me, so do the rest of us." I told her, letting out a deep sigh. "Allison thinks it might be locked in his office which means we have to figure out a way to get his keys. She convinced him to come to the lacrosse game tonight and we're hoping we can conjure up some kind of plan to sneak them off of him."

"Good thing I'm going so you idiots don't get brutally murdered by two very experienced werewolf hunters." Andre grunted. "At least me having guns gives you guys a fighting chance."

"Do you really have no faith in us?" I asked, looking a bit surprised.

"Should I?" Andre countered, tipping her head to the side.

My mouth opened and closed a few times, a choking noise coming from my throat. "Yes." I finally managed to push out. "We are totally capable of this. In fact we've been doing this for nearly two months before you came around."

"Fine, fine. I guess I'll try to give you guys the benefit of the doubt." Andre relented, holding up her hands in mock surrender. "Just, please let me know what's going on this time? I really would appreciate you not showing back up at the house with a gigantic bruise on your head."

"I will give you the plan step by step. I can-I can send you a PDF, if you're interested."

"Shut up."

"Shutting up." I responded with a curt nod.

Andre got back up to a seat and then cleared her throat. "Derek stopped by the house again today." She told me, looking down at a knife.

I swallowed hard, clenching my fists at my sides. I sniffed hard before choosing my words. "What did he want?" I inquired quietly, not sure if I even wanted to know the answer.

Andre shrugged. "He didn't say. He just asked if you had gotten home from school and I told him someone else was giving you a ride home." She replied. "Then, he got all broody and ran off into the woods behind Scott's house."

"You should tell him to not come back. Threaten him with your multitude of guns and knives." I suggested, twinkling my fingers at Andre's arsenal. "Or you could actually stab him. That would be cool, too."

Andre let out a soft snort and glanced at me over her shoulder before she began to fiddle with one of her said guns. "I'm not going to threaten him. He's an alpha werewolf." She pointed out. "Not exactly the best odds."

"I told you what he's done, Andre. I won't forgive him until he realizes that it's wrong." I told my sister sternly, crossing my arms over my chest. "He's-He's not building a pack. He's just giving the Argent's target practice."

"What else is he supposed to do?" Andre asked, turning around to look at me. "I like Derek just about as much as you do, but he's got hunters on his ass. And he's now got another threat no one can see coming."

"Maybe if he didn't kill Peter, then he wouldn't be in this situation. None of us would be here." I scoffed, rolling my eyes.

"And if Scott killed Peter? Then, what? Scott would be in Derek's position." Andre pointed out, watching me closely. "Would you stand behind Scott?"

"Well-"

"Would you?"

I let out a deep breath and shut my eyes for a moment. "Scott is different, Andre. He-He's noble and he's loyal. He cares about people and he would do everything he could to make sure he was safe, not gain power like Derek is." I explained. I reopened my eyes. "You didn't see him at the ice rink. He took pleasure in hurting, Scott."

"Just some food for thought." Andre finished quietly, setting down the gun. She walked over to me and then pressed a kiss to the top of my head. "I love you, Tessa."

"I love you, too, Andre."

A/N: End of episode four! I really loved the interaction between Andre and Tessa in this chapter. I realized I hadn't incorporated much of Andre into this book and I feel like if she knows all of this stuff, she should be more involved. So, I went ahead and did that. Plus, I really love her character and I can't wait to see her evolve more into the pack.

Thank you so much for reading. Please leave a review! They fuel my soul. Love ya'll.

Laura