Trigger Warning: Mentions of rape
Silence filled the veterinarian's office as Scott paced back and forth, anxious and waiting for his wound that Derek left him to be treated. Anabelle couldn't help but stare at the dead hunter that was laying on the bed in front of her. The body was shirtless with long, deep gashes running all the way down from his chest to the top of his jeans. Just this sight alone was enough to make the she-wolf's stomach feel queasy.
As much as it made her uneasy, she couldn't help but study it. Anabelle walked up to it to get a closer look. This was not caused by one of her kind, she knew that right away. The gashes were different. While she could see that each side of the body had five claw marks like werewolves, it seemed to have more space in between each cut unlike if a werewolf did it. And judging by how deep they were, Anabelle gathered that this creatures claws were much longer.
What the hell was running around this strange town now?
Deaton finally came back into the room, making Anabelle take a few steps back from her investigation. He was holding a small bottle and some bandages. He told Scott to lift his shirt so he could attend to the wound.
"They're coming back," Deaton told the wolves, "so we don't have much time to talk."
"What is that?" Scott asked dumbfounded when the vet poured liquid on a cloth.
"Alcohol. You don't want it to get infected, do you?" Scott remained quiet as Deaton went to work. "You will heal the same, just not as quickly. Because of Derek."
"Okay, how do you know all of this? Actually, how- how do you know anything?"
"He's known Derek and my families for a very long time," Anabelle said.
Deaton nodded. "That's right. But that's a longer story. What I can tell you is that I know about your kind. Your kind? I can help. This." He gestured to the dead body, "This is something different."
"Well, do you know what did it?"
"No. But the Argents will." God, the name alone is enough to make Anabelle's blood boil. But she kept her lips shut as Deaton continued to talk. "And this is the crucial part. They'll have a record or book. It'll have descriptions, histories, notations, of all the things they've discovered."
It was almost comical with how wide Scott's eyes got at this new information, like his brain was about to explode. If the situation was not so serious, Anabelle would have let out a laugh. But now was not the time.
"All the things?" The teen asked in bewilderment, "How many different things are there?"
"You would be amazed," Anabelle chimed in, "The things our families have seen over the years… it's almost like you're living in a horror film." She looked out the window where lied the crescent moon in the night sky. "Except this movie doesn't end. There's no escape…"
Scott was a little thrown by the older girl's sudden solemn demeanor. She had clearly seen a lot throughout her lifetime. With her being born into the supernatural to being hunted her whole life.. it had to have taken a toll on her. He could tell by her tired eyes.
Before Scott or Deaton could say anything else, they heard a car pull up to the front of the building. Anabelle grabbed the teen Wolf and pulled him into the supply closet. She put a finger up to her lips to signal him to be quiet when he was about to question her.
A bell jingled as the door opened and Chris Argent and one of his burly hunters entered. They stepped into Deaton's office where he was examining the wounds on the body. He let out an annoyed sigh.
"I'm starting to think I need to buy a more prominent 'closed' sign."
When he turned around, the vet was met with the menacing man that was Gerard Argent, the worst motherfucker of them all. If Anabelle didn't have any self control, she would bust the door separating them down and tear him limb from limb with no mercy.
"Hello, Alan," the elder hunted greeted, "Its been a while. The last I heard, you had retired."
"Last I heard you followed a code of conduct," Deaton shot back.
Gerard glared at him. "If you hadn't noticed, this body is one of ours."
"I did. I also noticed the gunpowder residue on his finger tips. So don't assume I will be swayed by your philosophy just 'cause I'll answer a few questions."
"He was only twenty-four," Chris countered.
"Killers come in all ages."
"All ages, sizes, shapes," Gerard said, "It's the last thing that concerns us."
It wouldn't take a genius the hint the underlying tone that werewolves was heavily implied when the old man said 'shapes'. Anabelle could feel anger bubbling up inside her. Her claws were digging into her palms, causing blood to trickle down her hand. Her eyes kept flashing back and forth from her dark chocolate brown to the tragic blue she earned.
She didn't even notice the effect the hunters' presence had on her until a hand was placed on her shoulder. Anabelle seemed to snap out of her daze when she turned to Scott. His face expressed concern if the she-Wolf was okay. Gaining her composure, she nodded her head in reassurance and turned back to the conversation on the other side of the door.
The hunters and Deaton were now surrounding the body. Deaton turned the lifeless head to reveal a small but very obvious cut on the back of his neck. "See this cut? Precise. Almost surgical. This isn't the wound that killed him. This had a more interesting purpose."
"Relating to the spine." Gerard added.
The vet nodded. "That's right. Whatever made this cut, it's laced with a paralytic toxin, potent enough to disable all motor functions." He pointed to the deeper claw marks on the torso. "These are the cause of death. Notice the patterns on each side."
"Five for each finger," Chris pointed out.
"Each claw," Gerard corrected his son.
Holding up his hands for emphasis, Deaton continued his evaluation on the unknown creature that caused this murder. "As you can see, it dug in, slashed upward, eviscerating the lungs and slicing through the bone of the rib cage with ease."
"Have you seen anything like this before?" Chris asked.
"No."
"Any idea at all what killed him?"
"No. But I can tell you it's fast, remarkably strong, and has the capacity to render its victims essentially helpless within seconds."
Chris scoffed. "If you're saying we should be careful, we get it."
"I'm saying you should be afraid… be very afraid… because in the natural world, predators with paralytic toxins use them to catch and eat their prey. This prey wasn't eaten. That means whatever killed him only wanted to kill him. In fact… killing may be it's only purpose."
Millions of questions were running through both of the wolves' heads as they looked over at each other. Was this the same creature that killed Isaac's father? Does Derek know anything about this creature? What the hell could this be and what is it's motive on terrorizing this town?
Whatever it was, it seems like a new threat has been added on top of worrying about the hunters that are after them…
Not long after the examination, the hunters left the animal clinic. Anabelle and Scott decided they had enough for the day as well and she had offered to drive the teen back home. Now they were driving in silence, due to exhaustion and over analyzing in their minds what to do about this new creature, the hunters, and Anabelle's main issue, what move Derek was going to make next when it comes to forming his pack.
"So…" Scott broke the long silence, "I'm assuming you don't know what it is either, do you?"
Anabelle shook her head. "No. Nothing that Deaton described about it seems familiar to me. You would think after twenty-plus years you've seen everything. I guess not apparently…"
"I can't believe there are actually more things out there that we have to watch out for," Scott said in disbelief, "Next thing you know, you're going to tell me that vampires are real." His crooked jaw dropped when Anabelle remained silent. "Wait, vampires are real?!"
"There aren't any in this country," Anabelle said nonchalantly, "They all reside in Romania so there's no need to worry about them."
"Unbelievable…" Scott slumped in his seat.
It was hard not to feel bad for the kid. Anabelle knew what it was like to not have a choice in being apart of this world. Fortunately for her, however, she was born into it so she had all of her life to develop into her powers and be surrounded by a family that not only were just like her but also supportive and encouraging. She also had a lifetime of experience on how to handle various monsters and hunters.
Scott didn't have that luxury. He was bitten against his free will and while it seemed like his two friends were helpful, they were just human. And it sure as hell didn't help to have Derek being an pretentious asshole and breathing down his back to get him to join forces with him. To make matters worse, the girl Scott was in love with was one of them. Yes, Anabelle hated the Argents with every fiber of her being, but she was also a teenager once. Young love can be a painful thing, she knew firsthand.
Poor kid. He didn't need all of this. His main worry in life should be passing his calculus test, not fighting for his life.
"Look, I know everything seems overwhelming right now," Anabelle said, "but you'll get through it. I know you can. Stiles and Natalie seem to be very useful in helping you learn the ways of your powers. Even though the boy seems a little too twitchy and scared of everything that moves-" That got a chuckle out of Scott, "but he's smart. They both are. Also, if it means anything to you, I can help you."
"You? Why would you help me?"
"Why wouldn't I?"
"Aren't you and Derek working together?"
A long sigh escaped from Anabelle's lips. "It's complicated. He says he wants us to work together but apparently everything I say to him goes completely over his head. So then I get mad when he defies me and then he gets mad at me for getting mad… it's a never ending cycle with that man. It takes a lot of work and patience to correlate with him."
"Yeah, you don't have to tell me twice…" Scott grumbled, "But what's his plan? Is he going to turn others?"
"To be completely honest with you Scott, I don't know," Anabelle answered, "and I don't think he knows either. For all I know, he could be winging it. Which is why we can't risk having him turn anymore people that are vulnerable, let alone teenagers. Because you're young, your minds aren't thinking of the bigger picture. Yes, the power seems like the answer to all life's problems. But is it worth having to run for it every day? Once your bit, that's it. You can't turn back. There's no way out except for death. And you spend the rest of your life trying not to get killed. No one could be properly prepared for that."
The tension felt so thick after that, so Scott didn't say much else for the rest of the drive. Soon enough Anabelle pulled her car up to the front of the teen's house. He gave her a simple 'thanks' and got out of the car. He was about to walk to his house but then stopped in his tracks. Anabelle rolled down her passenger window when she saw him turn around to face her.
"Can I ask you one more question?" Anabelle nodded her head in allowance. "If you weren't born with this… and you know, actually had a choice on whether you wanted to be a werewolf or not… would you do it?"
What a loaded question… no one has asked the pure wolf this before. This has always been a part of her so she never thought about how every aspect of her life would be different if she wasn't a werewolf. Yes, she had these incredible abilities that quite a lot of people could only dream of having. The speed, the strength, the healing qualities… it all sounded attractive written down on paper.
But like all good things in life, it all comes at a cost. If she were born human, would her parents still be alive? Would Derek and her still be the best friends they once were? Would she be the cold blooded predator she had become when she grew up? So much pain and loss haunted her daily as she got older and wiser. There was no way in hell a sane person would want that.
"No. No I wouldn't."
Scott seemed to be taken aback at the honestly, but he didn't comment on it. He wasn't about to press it on even further. Instead, he just gave her a small smile and waved 'goodnight'.
Waiting until after Scott went inside his house, Anabelle checked her watch for the time.
9:26.
Damn. How the hell did it get so last so fast? Time flies when you're fighting with brooding werewolves and hiding from people who want you dead as it seemed. Well that was enough action she could handle for the day, so Anabelle drove to her apartment. She would yell at Derek in the morning.
When Anabelle woke up the next morning, Isaac was already gone. She assumed that he had went to go train with Derek at the subway station. It was about that time of day where her ex best friend needed and earful from her so after she got dressed in a black mock neck crop top, Jean jacket, black leggings, and black boots and did her morning routine, she got into her car and drove. She could hear everything that was going on inside the abandoned building as soon as she parked in front. From what she could make out, it sounded like Derek was teaching the newborn betas how to defend themselves.
Actually, it sounded like their asses were getting handed to them by their alpha. Shocker.
Since it seemed to be that Derek had his hands full, Anabelle decided to be a helpful colleague and give some assistance. That and she really wanted to give the alpha some payback for trying to kill her at the ice rink the day before.
Quietly as possible, Anabelle creeped into the building and followed the sounds of the heavy breathing and punches to her destination. She stopped as soon as reached the top of the stairs. She peeked behind the wall and surely enough, Isaac was standing on one side of the room with an obstacle course in between him Derek as Boyd and Erica watched from the sidelines. Isaac stared Derek down for a few seconds and then took off with as much speed as he could gain. He did a front flip over a trash can and sped through the random items in his way. Then he pushed himself off the way and jumped at Derek. Said alpha however was much stronger and stronger and threw the poor kid off to the side like a rag doll, breaking some bones. Anabelle admired how quick Isaac was able to brush himself off and try it again. But she was familiar with this kind of training from when she was a kid- the blond boy was going to tire himself out real fast.
Derek looked to be pretty distracted so Anabelle used her claws to climb up to the ceiling and onto one of the sturdier beams that was holding up some lights. One hand gripped onto the beam as the other was pressed against the ceiling as she kept her balancing while watching the scene below her.
As she predicted, Isaac was getting tired and in pain due to his bones repeatedly breaking and was quickly losing momentum. It wasn't until about after the tenth time Derek threw him down that he gave up and stayed on the floor. Right away Erica then lunged at Derek from the top of the subway car and of course was immediately dropped next to Isaac.
It was safe to say that the alpha was getting very annoyed with his new pack at this point. Which wasn't anything out of the norm, but still entertaining to see nevertheless.
"Does anyone wanna try not being completely unpredictable?"
That must have been Erica's cue because without hesitation, she pounced on Derek, wrapped her legs around his waist, and kissed him right on the lips.
The pure wolf raised an eyebrow in amusement. Wow. For a girl who had zero experience with even talking to boys her age, receiving the bite certainly gave her some moxie. Anabelle was impressed. Her wolf seemed to disagree as she felt it growl within her but she didn't think much into it and shoved the feeling deep down.
Almost as fast as it happened, Derek immediately pulled Erica off himself and threw her once more. He wiped his mouth with the back of his hand as he walked to her. "That's the last time you do that."
"Why?" Erica challenged, "Because I'm a beta?"
'Because I belong to her,' his inner wolf said.
What? No. Where did that come from? That didn't make any sense to Derek. Belong to who? But he did his best to not let the confusion show and continued to scold the beta. "No, because I have someone else in mind for you."
"Are we done?" Isaac complained, wincing in pain, "I got about a hundred bones that need a few hours to heal."
Derek's face expressed concern that was clearly fake, which Anabelle knew just from memories of him trying to get his way when they were kids. He walked over to Isaac and reached out his hand as if to help him up. "Come here."
But when Isaac placed his hand in his, Derek snapped it back, making the boy cry out in pain.
"A hundred and one. You think I'm teaching you how to fight? Huh? Look at me! I'm teaching you how to survive!" He released Isaac's hand.
The three teenagers were starting to looking nervous, like they were wondering what the hell they signed up for.
"If they wanted us dead, why aren't they coming for us now?" Isaac asked, "What are they waiting for?"
"I don't know," Derek admitted, "but they're planning something." He focused on the blond. "You, especially, know that's not our only problem. Whatever that thing is that killed Isaac's father, I think it killed someone else last night. Until I find out what it is, you all need to learn everything that I know. As fast as I can teach you." He pointed upwards. "Here's your next lesson- being aware of your surroundings. For example, Anabelle's is probably the most predictable person I know. She's hanging onto one of those beams above us right now, watching and waiting to make her first strike."
"Guess again, Derek."
Derek spun around so fast his head could have popped off. He went to swipe his arm at Anabelle, but she ducked just in time and he missed. When she came back up, she kicked the alpha in the chest, sending him flying to the other side of the room. His back created a hole in the wall when he hit in and he fell on the ground. He groaned in pain as the omega strode to him. He tried to sit up but Anabelle pressed her foot against his chest, the heel of her boot digging into his skin.
"Lesson number two, kids," Anabelle announced to the astounded teenagers, "always expect the unexpected." She bent down so her lips were right next to Derek's ear, almost making him shiver when she whispered. "Predictable? Come on, Derek. I thought you knew me better than that."
Once again this closeness between the two was giving Derek that funny feeling in the pit of his stomach that he just couldn't describe. But he couldn't let that falter him, especially in front of his new pack. How pathetic would that make him look as a leader if they detect an ounce of weakness in him? They would never take him seriously. So he kept his cool as stood up and brushed himself off after Anabelle removed her foot.
Isaac stifled a laugh. "Damn, who's the real alpha here?" he joked with Erica. She laughed along.
"Do you wanna make it a hundred and two bones?" Derek snapped, making the two immediately shut up.
"Uh no," Isaac retracted, "I'm good…"
With a huff, Derek walked over to Anabelle who was removing her jacket and setting it on a broken rod. "What the hell are you doing?" He hissed.
"What ever do you mean?" Anabelle said sarcastically, "You said you wanted my help with training, didn't you?"
"By trying to make me look bad? That's your idea of helping me?"
"Oh, Derek. I'm not trying to make you look bad. You're doing that all on your own." The omega patted Derek's cheek, making him snarl. She walked over to the betas who were now giving her their full attention. "You're actually not all looking so bad for beginners from what I could see."
"They're not nearly as fast as they should be," Derek countered, "If they were fighting off hunters, they'd be dead within the first ten seconds. Some of them also seem to be a little too cocky for their own good."
"All things that can easily be fixed, wouldn't you agree? But he's right, we really don't have much time to go over every single detail with you like we did when we first started training. You'll mostly have to learn as you go."
"Why's that?" Erica wondered.
"Because someone or something can attack at any moment," Derek answered, "They're not going to wait until you finish a 101 course come at you. In fact, at this early stage, this is when you are most vulnerable, and it'll be easy for them to take you down."
Anabelle nodded. "Which is why even though yes, getting your bones broken over and over again is not fun, we need to discover what your strengths and weaknesses are. That way we can create a balance."
She then proceeded to walk back and forth along the teenagers, almost like a drill sergeant intimidating his soldiers. It seemed like she was analyzing them and it was making them a little nervous. While Anabelle may not be as scary as Derek with his intense stares and incredible combat, there was something about her presence that made her respected and well-liked. But do not cross her- she could fuck you up real fast and real hard. Almost like their teachers at school.
After her inspection, Anabelle stopped at Isaac first. "You're fast. And you're determined to prove yourself and protect others. However, you're pushing yourself way too much from the get go and soon enough it tends to slow you down. You need to work on keeping that stamina up because you don't get breaks when you're dealing with life or death." Up next was Erica, who wasn't looking as nervous as her fellow beta. "I see that you've been using your new sex appeal as a tactic. I have to admit, I actually respect that." That made Erica beam with pride as Derek rolled his eyes. "But that's gonna end up being your downfall really fast."
Hearing that came as a shock to Erica. "I figured it would be my strategy for distraction."
"Maybe the first few times it'll work, but hunters catch on real fast. They'll remember your plan and will start to expect that from you every time. It'll be used against you and you'll be dead right before you can toss your hair."
Last but not least was Boyd, who Anabelle didn't know much about quite yet.
"You're the newest member. Boyd, isn't it?" Said boy nodded his head. "Hmm… I can't seem to get a good read on you just yet, Boyd."
He shrugged his shoulders. "I don't think there's too much of me to read into."
"I see." A light bulb then went off in the omega's head. Smirking, Anabelle held her arms wide open. "Hit me."
Now everyone was caught off guard, especially Boyd. "I'm sorry, what?"
"You heard me. Hit me as hard as you can."
"Are you serious?" Anabelle nodded her head as the beta shook his. "Nah, I'm not gonna do that. I don't hit girls."
She scoffed. "Hunters come in all genders. Whether a man or woman, it's not gonna matter if they have a gun in their hand. And don't underestimate me because I'm a girl. Come on, I can take it."
Boyd was still very wary but after a couple moments of pondering over it, he drew his arm and aimed at her head. Right as he could make impact, Anabelle caught his fist (that could almost be the size of her head) just centimeters in front of her face. Her swift movement made the other two betas' jaws drop and even Derek had to refrain showing any sort of reaction. Anabelle squeezed Boyd's fingers tightly and everyone could hear his bones cracking. Now he was not a small guy by any means but the she-wolf made it seem like he was as light as a feather when she flipped him over. That seemed to knock the wind out of him and it was like he was completely dazed.
"Wow," Erica spoke up, "She's good." Isaac nodded in agreement.
Derek seemed to think so too. That took him back to when he and Anabelle would train with Peter in the forest when they were in their preteen years. It was the one move Anabelle was never able to get down. She would either put her hand up to catch the punch too late or she wouldn't have enough strength to flip her opponent over. It would always frustrate his then best friend to no end and she was determined to get it right. He never did get to see that day when she finally did, but he was still proud of her. Those were the simpler times.
"What just happened," Boyd breathed out.
Crouching down next to him, Anabelle said, "You're too mellow and that's your downfall. Because you didn't want to hit me, you hesitated. It's a rookie mistake. Don't think twice, just be confident when you strike." She patted his shoulder when he appeared defeated. "Hey, don't feel bad. You'll get there." She gave the most gentle smile Derek had ever seen from her since they reunited to the teenagers. "You all will." Then she helped Boyd up off the floor.
"Isaac?"
A random feminine voice echoed through the subway station. Everybody looked around at each other, unsure of who it could be.
"Isaac, are you in here?"
The boy in question perked up when he recognized the voice. "Delilah? Is that you?"
Right on cue, his girlfriend ran down to the bottom of the staircase. Everyone stared at her and, man. Poor girl looked like she had gone through the ringer. Her light brown hair was tangled, she was wearing the baggiest sweatpants and hoodie, and she wasn't wearing any shoes. Her feet were so scratched up and dirty. But what really concerned Anabelle was Delilah's face. Tracks of her tears streamed down her face and one cheek was bright red which in conclusion was that she had just been hit.
Isaac questioned why she was there but Delilah broke down. She ran to her love and crashed into his body. She sobbed uncontrollably and when he tried to ask her what was wrong, she couldn't give a proper answer. Just more cries that were so extreme that everyone was shocked that Delilah didn't pass out. Isaac did his best to calm the girl down while he held her but to no avail. He looked so panicked even though he had no idea what was happening. His blue eyes were pleading as he turned to his alpha. "Derek, I have to-"
"We'll give you two some privacy," Anabelle interrupted, nudging her colleague with her elbow.
Giving a curt nod, Derek led the rest of his pack upstairs and outside of the building to give the young couple some privacy. Boyd was pacing back and forth, kicking a small pebble every so often to keep himself occupied. Erica acted like she was checking out her fresh manicure while sitting on the ground, but in reality she was trying not to get anxious over what was happening with her best friend. Derek leaning against the brick wall of the building with his arms crossed. It may have looked like he was just brooding like usual, but Anabelle knew that look like the back of her hand. The man was focused.
"You're listening to them."
Derek turn his head to look at her. "No." Anabelle raised an eyebrow, making him roll his eyes. "Yes. Don't pretend you don't want to know what she's telling him, too."
"I don't," Anabelle said, "I said I wanted to give them privacy and I meant it. It's called being respectful." She remained silent for a few seconds as she tapped on a metal railing. "So what's she saying?"
"Her mom hit her."
Anabelle's heart broke for the girl, given the information she had already known about her home life. "Oh, no…"
"They had gotten into a fight.," Derek explained, "Words were exchanged, and she slapped Delilah in the face."
"Fuck, these poor kids can't catch a break…" the omega sighed, pinching the bridge of her nose. She didn't want to listen in on the painful conversation so she just tuned out. Then out of the corner of her eye, she saw Derek's demeanor change in a way that was almost frightening. His eyes turned red and his face looked like he was ready to murder. If Anabelle didn't know him so well she actually would've been afraid. "What?"
"Smell her," the alpha growled.
"Derek, what are you-"
"Anabelle," he cut her off, "listen to me. Smell her."
She was confused. But Derek just gave her another stern look so she closed her eyes and let her nose do the work. At first she was sensing Delilah's personal scent. There was small hints of something sweet like cinnamon but then she was getting fear, pain, anxiety, and sadness. It was all unfortunately ordinary scents Anabelle got from the girl.
Suddenly, a foul stench traveled through her nostrils. She wanted to gag, it was so putrid. But she had to concentrate to detect each scent. First was marijuana… then alcohol… then the one that made her stomach churn, which was a man. Specifically the semen of a man. It smelled tainted and rotten. Like whatever that scent came from was not from love that Isaac had for Delilah, but malice. Evil…
That could only mean one thing…
"Oh my god…" Anabelle had to keep one hand against the wall to keep herself up as she began to feel lightheaded.
What a sadistic son of a bitch.
"Isaac sounds about ready to kill," Derek snarled, "and I think I just might let him." He reached for the door and opened it.
But Anabelle smacked her hand on the door to shut it. "Derek, believe me, I want that fucker dead just as much as everyone else, but you can't make any rash decisions."
"Last time I checked, you weren't alpha." Derek snapped, "Do you really expect me to let him get away with this? Or Isaac, for that matter? You know he won't let this go until something is done."
"And something will be done. But Isaac broke out of jail and you have been a wanted man numerous times. They'll lock you both up in prison once they see actual blood on your hands."
That was a good point, even though it annoyed Derek. "Then what do you suggest we do?"
"We can get the police involved and take her out of that house."
"You can't be serious, Anabelle. The police are useless, especially when it comes to rape victims. Do you think they'll believe her?"
"If she shows them the cuts and bruises, yes!"
Derek scoffed. "Get real, Anabelle. The whole town practically knows she self-harms. They'll think she's just an angsty teenager acting out for attention and you know it."
Another good point. Damn it. "I know," Anabelle admitted with a sigh, "but if we can't call the cops, there has to be something we can do that doesn't result in murder and keeps those two kids together." She leaned back against the wall and rubbed her forehead, angry and sad at the situation.
"Actually," Derek said, deep in thought, "there is one thing."
Immediately Anabelle snapped her head back up to look at the alpha's face. She didn't have to be a mind reader to know exactly what he was thinking. She should have seen this coming. Her blood was boiling. Now she was pissed.
"No."
"You know that's our best option," Derek said.
"Giving her the bite and turning her?" Anabelle said incredulously, "There's no fucking way."
"She's gonna have to back to that house eventually. You don't think they'll report that she's missing? At least with the bite she'll be able to defend for herself."
"What about her claws? Her fangs? Her eyes? If the fucker touches Delilah again and you know he will, she could lose all self control and end up killing him."
"As if that's a bad thing. At least he'll be dead either way." The omega scoffed at Derek's logic. "Besides she'll train with the rest of the pack so she can become stronger."
"If the bite even works. What if it kills her?"
"It won't."
"You don't know that. It's a fifty-fifty chance. Don't make her or Isaac go through that like you did with Paige."
Those words cut Derek deep like a knife at the memory of when they were teenagers. "Don't you dare use what happened with Paige against me."
"I'm not using her against you, Derek. Don't forget, Paige was my friend, too. Her death hurt me just as much as it did for you. I felt your pain and if Delilah dies I don't want you going through that again."
"That's enough, Anabelle. The girl wont die. And if she learns how to control herself, she'll be very powerful. Delilah's not hungry for popularity. She already has that. This could be all about her becoming a fighter. I'm pretty sure she could be the most useful one out of all of them."
Of course that's why Derek really wanted to turn the girl. It always was and always will be about power for him. Whatever made him look like the alpha to beat. Who was she kidding? Anabelle shouldn't have expected anything different from him.
Disappointed but not surprised, Anabelle let out a humorless chuckle. "It's all about you, isn't it? You don't care about helping that girl. You just want another soldier to fight in your war."
Derek started walking slowly towards Anabelle. When he stopped just about two inches away from her face. He could hear her heartbeat fasten slightly but she kept a brave face. "I'm going to offer her the bite," Derek said firmly, "It's her choice whether she wants it or not. Not yours. And there's nothing you can do about it."
Anabelle put her hands up in surrender. "Okay. You win, Derek. Do whatever you want. But don't expect me to stick around and watch you screw this up." She harshly bumped his shoulder as she walked past him.
"Where are you going?"
"Anywhere you aren't," Anabelle said as she turned back to face him. "I'm done." She dug something out of her back pocket and threw it at his chest. "I made Isaac a key for my apartment. Give it to him." With that, she left the scene.
It was always hard to watch her walk away. Especially knowing that Derek had angered her. Why couldn't he just get through to her and get her to trust him already? She needed to understand that he was doing this to protect their kind. And if those he had offered and given the bite to are more than willing to accept, then it shouldn't matter whether they were teenagers or not.
Right?
"You're still gonna give her the bite, aren't you?"
Turning to his right, Erica was looking at her leader with worry in her eyes. It was the first time since Derek had turned her that she looked somewhat scared. He knew it was out of the care she had for Delilah.
He nodded. "Anabelle will see that this is for all of your own good. If she has a problem with it, then she needs to get over it and focus on the bigger picture."
Erica crossed her arms and looked down at her new boots. "Just save my best friend."
There was nothing else for Derek to say. Mostly because he really didn't know what the outcome would be, just Anabelle predicted. But he won't give the she-wolf that satisfaction. So he just placed the key in his pocket and walked back in the building to go recruit his newest beta.
All she wanted to do was scream. He just could not seem to learn from his past mistakes. No matter how many times she warned him of the consequences, he was going to do what he pleased. In return, everyone around him suffered. Because of his selfish thinking, they have both lost everything… their friend, their home, their family… each other… what would finally make him see that nothing good could come out of these horrible choices? Probably nothing. They were doomed from the start...
The rage that was inside her could no longer be contained and Anabelle let out a roar and ended up punching one of her back door windows. Glass shattered all over the ground and the seats.
"Great…"
She slumped against her car and slid down until she was sitting on the ground. She closed her eyes as she tried to remain calm. As much as her eyes began to sting and her throat felt closed up, Anabelle would not cry. She hadn't cried since the fire and shed be damned if she were to cry now. Especially over Derek Hale.
Later that night, the high school had a lacrosse game. Anabelle had never thought to attend one of them before. Sports were never really her thing when she was in school. She was an arts geek. Lacrosse never interested her. But she had a hunch that involved the kids being in danger and felt that she needed to be there. Just because she refused to help Derek with his power scheme, that didn't mean she didn't care about the betas. If they needed her help, Anabelle could never turn them away.
She hid behind a tree on the other side from the field and watched the commotion going on in front of her. Nothing seem to be out of the ordinary from what she could see. But she had no clue about anything when it came to lacrosse so what did Anabelle know. Did it really have to be so violent though? And even though the kid from the other school was not supernatural there was nothing natural about how huge he was.
When Anabelle looked closer at the bleachers, she spotted Erica and Boyd sitting together at the top. Strange. But what was even stranger was Scott's two friends and one other boy that Anabelle didn't recognize was sitting along the sidelines and it was like they were plotting something. She tried listening in on their conversation. They were saying something along the lines of Gerard and keys.
Gerard.
Claws poked and were digging into the barks of the tree the she-wolf was leaning against when she spotted the old man. The predator in her wanted nothing more than to slit his throat just like Derek did with Peter. If she were a killer, she would show Gerard no mercy, just like his family didn't when they killed hers.
But she wasn't a killer. Not anymore.
Turning her attention back to the game, she could see that the home game's team members were dropping like flies. Their coach (who may need to lay off the alcohol a bit) was screaming for new players. He searched throughout the bleachers and Anabelle began to panic when she saw him point to Boyd and ask if he could play. The boy didn't say anything but he was about to stand until Erica stopped him.
"Uh uh," she said, shaking her head, "Derek won't like this."
"Yeah, but I will." Boyd then stood up and took off his jacket.
"Fuck!" Anabelle hissed as she watched him jog down the steps so he could grab a jersey. There was no way Boyd was going to be able to control himself while he played, especially for as big of a guy as he was. He was way too new at this! She finally spotted Scott who was also starting to get worried. "Scott. Scott, are you listening?"
Said werewolf whipped his head around at the faint voice. "Anabelle?" He saw her still hiding behind the tree. "What are you doing here?"
"Watching the same shit show as you. You have to get Boyd out of there."
"What am I supposed to do? I can't exactly drag him off the field."
"Figure it out," Anabelle commanded, "You can't risk him shifting in front of Gerard. Just get him off the field."
Scott stammered but eventually nodded. He ran to Boyd who was already standing in the middle of the field in a jersey. He couldn't get to Boyd in time because the coach blew his whistle, starting the next play. The big player from the other team charged towards Boyd but he was no match for the bigger and more extraordinary beta. Boyd knocked over the player, sending him flying backwards and he fell.
The crowd cheered loudly. Boyd took off his helmet and took in all of the praise that was coming towards him. It certainly seemed like he was enjoying all of the positive attention. Anabelle wanted to be angry at the situation but on the other hand she couldn't necessarily blame Boyd. She knew all he wanted was to be liked just like the other teens that have been turned. And now that he was finally getting that glory… she didn't want to take that away from him.
But then his eyes turned amber and that sentimental feeling was over.
"Scott…" Anabelle warned.
Said boy seemed to have seen this because he ran over to Boyd and said something to him. Whatever it was seemed to fall under deaf ears and he continued to play. Anabelle was hanging onto the tree for dear life, praying that Boyd wasn't going to do anything stupid. Thank god it wasn't long until the game was finally over. It went without any mishaps minus Scott breaking his leg which healed quickly. Soon everyone was starting to leave. But because Erica had left which Anabelle didn't know how she missed that, Boyd was sitting on the bench still riding out his high. She waited until there was only a few people left on the field before she marched up to Boyd. When he saw her coming towards him, he smiled.
"Did you see that, Anabelle?" He breathed out, "That was incredible! I've never felt so alive in my life."
"Yeah, I bet," she said, crossing her arms like she was a mother getting ready to scold her child, "What the hell were you thinking? You could've been caught!"
"It was worth it," Boyd retorted, "Do you know what it's like to not have anyone talk to you every day at school? Or have no one think you're good enough? I do, and it sucks. For once I felt like I could do anything I wanted too. This was a night I don't think I could ever forget."
Anabelle sighed, already starting to pity the kid again. "Boyd, look, I understand that you feel like you have to prove something to world. Truly, I do. But you also have to understand that high will come crashing down if you don't be-"
Hisssssss.
The unfamiliar sound rang through Anabelle's ears. Her head followed the direction that hiss was coming from. Something was inside the school. Something not so good.
"Boyd, go home," Anabelle ordered calmly, not taking her eyes off the school, "There's something I need to take care of."
"You know you're not my-"
"I know!" Anabelle snapped but quickly regained her composure when she saw Boyd's eyes widen and take a step back. "I just need you to trust me."
"I don't have a ride home," he told her.
She pulled out her phone and sent a quick message to Harvey. "My friend will come pick you up. Now, just be careful and go home. Please."
After Boyd nodded his head hesitantly, Anabelle ran towards the school building.
The lights were off as she walked through the hallways. She tried to remain as quiet as possible which was a little bit difficult with the heels on her boots. Another hiss echoed through the halls, meaning that it was close by. She peaked around the corner of a set of lockers and saw what seemed to be a tail disappear behind a wall. It almost resembled something like an alligator's tail- long, thick, and scaly. She went to go after it when she heard footsteps creeping behind her.
Turning around, she saw the back of a boy as he walked backwards, as if he was watching to see if anyone was following him. He almost reminded Anabelle of Shaggy from Scooby-Doo which his appropriately shaggy hair and nervous posture. It was quite amusing to watch actually. Anabelle stood there with her arms crossed and eyebrow raised as she waited for the boy to notice her. Finally his back bumped into her and he spun around so fast Anabelle thought he was going to give himself whiplash.
"Oh my-" His already big eyes seemed to have gotten wider when he saw the she wolf staring at him. "Who are you?"
"Anabelle," she answered simply, "Who are you?"
"Zach…"
"Don't you think it's a little dangerous for you to be wandering around the school at night alone, Zach?"
"I'm looking for my sister," he told her, "She and her boyfriend left me out in the parking lot and I saw them run in here."
"Okay, look, I'll help you find your sister but you have to be quiet. Can you do that?"
But Zach didn't answer. Instead his mouth was agape and he was pointing behind Anabelle. She turned around to see a large creature crawling on all fours. It had claws as well, but just like it's tail, the rest of its body was dark and scaly. The eyes were like a snakes, yellow and slitted. There was just something about that thing that just seemed so… wrong.
That must be what killed the hunter, the mechanic, and Isaac's father.
"What the f-"
Anabelle clamped her hand over Zach's mouth and pushed theirselves back into a corner. She kept still and her breathing to a minimum as the creature crawled past them. It didn't see them and when it finally went away, Anabelle removed her hand.
"I think you have trouble grasping the concept of being quiet."
"What was that thing?" Zach asked in horror.
"I think it was a kanima," Anabelle answered, still checking to see if the coast was clear.
"Are you sure it wasn't a dinosaur?" The omega looked at the boy in disbelief. "What? Judging based off the things I've seen this past month, anything is possible!" Anabelle's eyes rolled when she got a whiff of some scents. "What?"
"I smell something… i think it's chlorine. I'm also getting… strawberries and… what is that, fries?"
"That's them!" Zach exclaimed in a more hush tone, "That's Stiles and Natalie!"
"Natalie's your sister?" He nodded. "Yeah, everything makes more sense now."
One more scent became present, this one making Anabelle's eyes flash blue. Pine needles… Derek's here. Of course he was.
"You stay right here," she told Zach, "I'm gonna go find them."
"What?! You're gonna leave me here by myself when a dinosaur looking thing is wandering around? What if it wants to eat me?"
"It's not going to eat you," Anabelle said as she shrug off her coat, "but if you have to, hide in the janitors closet so it won't find you."
One by one, she began to strip out of all of her clothes. Zach couldn't take his eyes off of this hot older woman getting naked right in front of him. Hey, he was going through puberty- sue him! Once she took off her last article of clothing, Anabelle placed them all in his hands.
"Hold onto these for me." Rolling her neck, she began to shift into the white wolf. Then she took off, following specifically the pine scent.
Zach just stood there in disbelief while holding onto her clothes. "I gotta come to lacrosse games more often."
The scent finally led Anabelle to the pool room. She couldn't see the kanima anywhere, but she knew it had to be in here. She looked up at the second floor and jumped over the railings with ease. Peeking through the railings, she was able to see Erica laying on the floor unconscious and Stiles on one side of the pool trying to call someone while Natalie was holding up Derek in the middle.
If from what she had heard about kanimas was correct, it must have scratched Derek in the neck, paralyzing his body. It seemed like the two teenagers have been holding him up for a good couple hours now and there was no way they were going to be able to last much longer. Anabelle knew she had to get down there.
Stiles angrily threw his phone in the water and swam back to Derek and Natalie so he could help her hold him up, even though it seemed like the redhead was doing most of the work anyway.
"Tell me you got him," Derek said, groaning when there was no answer from Stiles. He must have been trying to get ahold of Scott.
"Figures," Natalie grumbled, "Okay, well what about Anabelle?"
"I don't think she'd be quick to come to our rescue right now." And yet here she was. "Besides, I don't have my phone either."
"What, you can't just howl as a signal for her to get here?" Stiles asked. If Anabelle wasn't in her wolf form, she would've laughed. Seriously, where does this kid get all his information from?
Derek must've been thinking the same thing. "That's not exactly how it works, Stiles!"
"Maybe you don't need to call her."
Anabelle didn't realize that Natalie had already found her. When Derek and Stiles looked up as well, the alpha did not seem happy to see her there. The feeling was certainly mutual for once.
"Anabelle, what are you doing here?" he growled lowly so the kanima wouldn't see her.
'I'm here to rescue your sorry ass,' Anabelle thought to herself. It's not like Derek could read her mind.
"I don't need you getting hurt," Derek responded to her, "You have to get out of here before it sees you!"
Wait. There was no way that was possible. Anabelle couldn't talk as a wolf so she know she didn't say what she was thinking. But that had to mean…
'Derek, can you read my mind?' she thought.
The look on Derek's face confirmed her suspicions. He couldn't believe it himself. He was never able to do that before. Why all of a sudden? Could she read his mind? When he looked up at her, she seemed to have nodded her head, meaning she could too.
"Wait, you can hear each other's thoughts?" Natalie asked the question no one else was asking.
"Not until right now," Derek answered, still staring at the white wolf.
"So werewolves are telepathic," Stiles said, "But Scott can't do that."
"Because they're not." Before he could say anything else, Derek saw a shadow growing behind the wolf. The kanima. "Anabelle, get out!"
Anabelle turned around and was face to face with the kanima, who was hissing right at her. She crouched and growled. The kanima then pounced on her, sending them both flying over the railing and onto the outside of the pool. Anabelle got up quickly and charged at the beast. It whacked her with its tail but the wolf just slid on her feet. She noticed that Stiles and Natalie were getting weaker. They then began to sink to the bottom of the pool, taking Derek with them.
She had to get them out of there. So when the kanima went to attack her, Anabelle scratched at its face, making it roar in pain. While it was distracted, Anabelle ran to the edge of the pool and grabbed the back of Derek's shirt with her teeth and pulled him out while Scott grabbed his two best friends. Anabelle had no idea when he arrived but that wasn't important.
All of a sudden, she felt herself being grabbed and thrown far into the other side of the pool. Derek saw this and he panicked when his ex best friend didn't come up right away. He wanted to go dive in and save her but the paralyzation was just barely starting to wear off. He was still way too weak.
His thoughts were broken when the kanima hit a now wolfed out Scott and sent him crashing into a mirror, shattering it into pieces. Scott grabbed a broken piece and held it up, ready to swipe at it. The kanima went to him but stopped when it stared at its reflection in the glass. Everyone noticed the peculiar reaction as it stood there. Why wasn't it going for Scott? And just when they thought it was finally going to, it ran up the wall, jumped onto the railings, swung across the ceiling, and then jumped out of the building.
Scott looked over at Derek, Stiles, and Natalie and they were all thinking the same thing as he was- they needed figure out what the hell this thing was. They heard water splashing and they turned to see Anabelle paddling across the pool over to them. She then jumped out and shook the water off her fur, getting it all over Stiles.
"Aw, come on!"
Derek went to go wake Erica up while Anabelle lead the three best friends to Zach, who had been hiding in the janitor's closet the whole time. After Natalie scolded her younger brother for still being at the school, they sat out in the front of the building and Scott pulled out the laptop he had found when he was in the Argents' home.
Anabelle had shifted back into her human form and she had started changing back into her clothes away so nobody would watch her. She put her soaked hair up in a bun when a hand holding onto her coat reached out to her. Derek was waiting for her to take it from him. She didn't say anything but took the coat. Clearly Anabelle was still angry at Derek but she wasn't able to read his face. They were both still confused about the whole mind reading thing and weren't sure if they should talk about it.
"Is that even a language?" Stiles asked, breaking the two wolves out of their stupor. The teens were reading through the bestiary the was on the laptop to try to find out more information about the kanima.
"I think it might be Latin," Natalie said.
"Well, can you read it?"
Natalie scoffed. "No, of course I can't. I don't think anyone can read Latin."
"How are we supposed to figure out what this thing is?" Scott asked.
"It's called the kanima," Derek told them, confirming what Anabelle already knew.
The trio and Zach looked at Derek. "You knew the whole time," Stiles accused.
"No. Only when it was confused by it's own reflection."
"It doesn't know what it is," Scott realized.
"Or who," Anabelle added.
"What else do you know?" Stiles asked.
"Just stories," Derek answered, "Rumors."
"We've never seen one in real life though," Anabelle said, "To be honest, I never thought they were real."
"But it's like us?" Scott asked.
"A shape-shifter, yes," Derek said, "But it's… it's not right. It's like a…"
"An abomination," Stiles and Natalie realized together.
Hesitantly, Derek and Anabelle looked at each other. They nodded their heads in agreement. Derek went to leave with Erica until Scott stopped them. "Derek. We need to work together on this. Maybe even tell the Argents."
He had Anabelle right up until he brought up the family of Argents. No. Absolutely no fucking way in hell. That was the only thing she and Derek could agree on.
"You've gotta be kidding me." Not wanting to hear anymore, Anabelle walked away.
"You trust them?" Derek asked in disbelief.
"Nobody trusts anyone," Scott emphasized, "That's the problem. While we're here arguing about who's on what side, there's something that's scarier, stronger, and faster than any of us and it's killing people! And we still don't even know anything about it!"
"I know one thing," Derek seethed, "When I find it, I'm gonna kill it."
He walked away from the teens with Erica in tow. He saw Anabelle on the sidewalk and he knew he couldn't just let her go.
"Go wait the car," he ordered Erica.
"But I wanted to see Mommy and Daddy fight," Erica teased with a devilish smile.
"Go!" He pointed towards the direction of his car. "Now." Erica raised her hands in defense but did as she was told. Derek then ran to go follow the she-wolf. "Anabelle!"
"Stay away from me," she growled as she continued walking, "I don't wanna talk to you."
"Delilah was the last one," he promised her, "I'm done turning people."
"Good, then you don't need me anymore."
"Will you stop!" Derek was finally able to grab Anabelle's hand, stopping her in her tracks. "I'm not going to let you wander around this town alone. You know you need a pack."
"I'll take my chances," Anabelle spat, "I'm not teaming up with you and I'm sure as hell not teaming up with the Argents."
"You could die."
"If I do, then maybe that's just my fate."
"But I need you!" They both were taken aback by Derek's words. The funny feeling that they've been experiencing since they found each other seemed to be growing and they couldn't figure out what it was and it was driving them and their inner wolves crazy. "To help… I need you to help me lead my pack."
And now the feeling was gone. "No thanks." Anabelle yanked her hand out of Derek's and began to walk away again.
"Scott was right about nobody trusting each other," he called out to her. She stopped again. "But you're the only one I do trust. You know that. What's it going to take for you to do the same?"
Slowly, Anabelle looked back at the man she once knew. He was stern, but his eyes read something else. Desperation. Something she hadn't seen from him in years. For just a moment, Anabelle thought that maybe it was sincere. But she couldn't be fooled again. It may have been their history, but something about him always brought her back to him. She couldn't do it to herself anymore.
She walked back to him, stopping until she was just inches away from him. "I've tried trusting you. And I've tried helping you. But you never wanna seem to hear what I have to say. I'm always right but you refuse to listen and look where it's gotten you. And you still haven't learned! You're just gonna do your own thing so I don't see what the point is in trying anymore."
"I know what I'm doing."
"No, you don't, Derek," Anabelle said softly, "And that's what's going to get yourself and these kids killed. And I don't know about you, but I'm not going to be responsible for anymore deaths."
She walked away once more, this time there was no turning back. She just left Derek standing there, watching her leave him again. This time it may be for good. The wolf inside him was clawing at him, begging him to run after her. But he knew Anabelle was not going to change her mind. And he couldn't blame her. So Derek just walked back to his car so he could take Erica home.
All of the lights were off when Anabelle went to her apartment. She figured Isaac must've been sleeping, so she kept them off. Her motherly instincts kicked in and she went to go check on the boy in her bedroom. To her surprise, Isaac wasn't in bed. It was Delilah. She seemed to have been fast asleep. Not wanting to wake the girl, Anabelle crept over to her side of the bed.
Delilah was sleeping peacefully, probably for the first time in long while. Every blemish, bruise, and cut on her face had disappeared. She assumed the ones on the rest of her body had too. The bite worked. And it was healing faster than it normally would. Derek was right. Anabelle hated that. With a sigh, she brushed back Delilah's light brown hair out of her face.
Poor girl had no idea how much harder her life is going to become.
"Oh."
Anabelle drew her hand back at the unexpected voice. She then relaxed when she saw Isaac standing in the doorway with a glass of water.
"Sorry," he whispered, careful to not wake his sleeping girlfriend, "I didn't mean to scare you."
"No, it's okay," Anabelle assured him, "I thought you were gonna be in bed."
"I was but now I can't sleep. I just wanted to get her some water for when she woke up."
The she wolf nodded and excused herself out so Isaac could tend to Delilah. But he just set the glass down on the nightstand beside her, kiss her forehead, and follow Anabelle out of the room. They simultaneously sat down on the couch and let out long sighs.
"Derek turned her," Isaac finally said after moments of silence.
"I saw," Anabelle nodded. It got quiet again. "How do you feel about it?"
"Honestly? I'm scared for her. I didn't want her to take it. I didn't want her to be exposed to this world. But I couldn't say no to her… not when she just looked so helpless and desperate." He chuckled darkly and Anabelle knew he was trying hard to keep it together. "You should've seen what he had done to her… all of those scars… and the smell… I still wanna kill him."
"You know you can't," Anabelle told him.
"I know," Isaac admitted, "And I know she can't hide from him forever. I'm just afraid he'll try to do it again and she tries to fight back." He rubbed his forehead. "He has a gun."
This shocked Anabelle. "He does?"
Isaac nodded. "I saw it sticking out of his back pocket the first time I took Delilah out. If he tries to use it on her…" He let out a shaky breath. "I love her. She's my whole world and I just… I can't lose her."
"You won't," Anabelle promised, "I may not work with Derek anymore, but we can help her become the warrior she's meant to be. We won't let anything happen to her ever again. And I know you won't either."
She gave his gentle hand a squeeze, making him smile just a tiny bit. Disgust soon took place as he sniffed the air.
"Why do you smell like a wet dog?"
That was the first time Anabelle had laughed all day.