So... I'm here. This has taken longer than I hoped and less than I feared. Also, I need to warn you right now that the story hasn't been fully written (which is rare for me, but I really would love some feedback, the fic is fighting me more than usual. I have all these ideas but am having trouble putting them together in a more-or-less coherent manner, so I'd love some feedback, suggestions, anything's good). I do know what I want to do with this story, have some pretty specific ideas, just am not sure how we're going to get from point A to point B (and C) exactly, just yet. I'll try to update weekly, but will also be honest and admit that might not be possible. Still, I'll try.

Regarding possible warnings, should I warn for Major Character Death if I'm planning to kill a character that might be big in the series, but not in the fic? I don't think anything in this fic is triggery, but if anyone's worried, ask and I'll tell you yay or nay. Straight out I can tell you that there will be hetero and homosexual relationships in this fic, also, polyamory, if you won't like it, you're free to leave, I won't listen to flames on that front. There will be no graphic torture, a lot of violence but nothing graphic exactly (the show is way worse), the only non-con and underage is the one concerning Derek/Kate and will mentioned only, no details. There will be death, how descriptive I haven't decided yet, though no worse than the tv show, I promise.

Chaos Rising

Pack

In the beginning, packs worked their hierarchy very much like any human dynasty did. There was the King/Alpha, his Queen/Mate, their offspring, among which their firstborn was considered as the rightful heir and was trained as such almost since birth. Only, just like how that sometimes didn't quite work for humans, a time came when it didn't work for a werewolf pack either. The Alpha of a pack in Romania, he had twelve children, all but one of them males. He was old, and knew his time was coming to a close. He knew he should have passed on the alpha spark already, it was what was expected, but he just couldn't imagine any of his sons as the pack's alpha. He didn't trust any of them to hold the position, to truly be what their pack needed. But he was running out of time. In the end, the old Alpha did something that had never been done before, that no one ever imagined being done: He called the pack together, to pass on the alpha spark, as was tradition, except instead of naming his heir, he called for Mother Moon to bless whoever she saw fit, who'd be the right Alpha for their pack. It so happened that the Alpha Spark, and Mother Moon, bypassed all eleven of his sons, and instead granted his daughter the power. And thus Diana became the first female Alpha in the history and the packs, and her rise to power marked the beginning of a new age, for her park, and all werewolves, as the old alpha's choice of ritual became the norm.

Of course, every so often there were still those who believed they knew better… Diana's alpha and father defied history and tradition, true, but he asked the aid and blessing of Mother Moon, and he did it because of his pack, because he wanted what was best for them… Not all were thus inclined…

"So… the Hales decided to rebel against wolf tradition and Mother Moon?" Stiles asks before taking a piece of melon and biting into it.

It was funny, back when his mom had just died, Stiles got it into his head that he needed to ensure his dad wouldn't die too, in any way he possibly could. He couldn't exactly keep his dad safe while at work… or anywhere else really, he was just a kid and his dad was a deputy. In the end, all he could really do was pester his dad about sleeping, drinking plenty of water, eating healthy. His dad was always moaning about the last one. Then the fire happened, Peter became an alpha, and the first thing he did after fully recovering, was offer Noah the bite. Not Stiles, because Stiles was a Spark, and Sparks were incompatible with the werewolf bite, depending on the strength of the human and the wolf the reaction could be like with a mild allergic reaction… or it could be death (Peter knew the last time a Spark was bitten she died…). Noah was so sure that, with the metabolism of a wolf, Stiles would no longer have a reason to control his food so much. And he didn't. The problem? Noah could no longer stand most of that food. The steak and potatoes from his favorite dinner were suddenly too greasy and salty, the meat-lover's pizza he absolutely loved tasted… wrong. It was Cora who explained to him that wolves had all their senses heightened, not just sight, hearing and smell, but tact and even taste as well. There was a lot of foodstuffs they couldn't stand, because they could taste the chemicals, and really, everything that went into the food. The more organic something was, the better. The Hales even used to have a fruit and vegetable garden (with everything from carrots, lettuces, tomatoes, to strawberries, apples, pears, etc.) in their backyard for a reason.

Which is why they all have fruit and sometimes oatmeal for breakfast (the traditional cereal brands are all big no-nos). Stiles has a bit of a herb garden, and he and Cora will pick things from the preserve every so often. For everything else Peter paid to have groceries delivered to their home once a week from places he knows will suit the wolf palate. Stiles is the only one who doesn't need to eat everything organic, but he actually likes it (and it wouldn't be fair to his family if he were to eat things they cannot).

"Some would say they just went back to how things were in the beginning." Peter says with a slight shrug as he sips his coffee.

Stiles says nothing, his whole attention on his own cup of coffee. Truth is he simply doesn't know enough about alphas and how they 'pass the torch'. And in any case, the whole 'heir chosen by the alpha' vs. 'heir chosen by the moon' debate only applies when the alpha chooses to pass on their power. If another wolf kills them the power goes straight to them (granted, it's not exactly easy to kill an alpha, but it's not unheard of either); and then there are Hunters, if they kill an alpha and manage to take him fully by surprise (so that they cannot surrender their alpha spark), then it is lost.

He still thinks it was wrong of the Hales to revert to choosing the heirs rather than letting Mother Moon (The PtB? Fate? Chance?) choose them. Talia might not have been the worst Alpha ever, but she wasn't very good either, and she certainly was a shit mother, and an even worse sister, from the few stories Peter and Cora have been willing to share concerning them. In the most basic level, Cora has never seen her as a mother, Talia has only ever been 'her old alpha' to her. And to Peter… to him Talia will only ever be the woman who tried by all means to separate him from his mates, and managed to do so permanently from one. Kit… it's not like Peter hasn't looked for him, both he and Noah have (and Stiles and Cora too, even if they'll never tell their fathers that), but it's as if he vanished into the ether, or worse, as if he never existed…

"Any news on the Omega front?" Cora asks as she picks at most of the fruit on her bowl, only leaving the blueberries, which she then passes to her little brother to her left.

"Nothing," Peter sounds honestly affronted as he admits that. "They keep eluding us."

"They could have just been passing through, be gone already." Noah offers, though his tone of voice alone is enough to let his family know he doesn't actually believe now.

"We need to find them." Peter insists. "If they killed Laura…"

Right, because after almost six years life has decided to go and get complicated on them, again.

It started earlier in the year when, after more than five years the authorities finally decided to auction off the Hale property. Officially, they waited long enough for any possible heirs to make an appearance and they didn't; also, they're claiming the Hale House can be considered a security hazard, what with all the crazy teenagers that insist on venturing to the place, despite knowing it isn't safe. Peter warned Noah that it'd bring trouble. That the auction, especially done so publicly, would call all sorts of attention… and he was right. They were expecting Laura to return, because despite how she chose to abandon pack and territory so easily over half a decade prior, the wolf in her (the Hale) would never stand for her territory just being sold to the highest bidder. What they never expected was for Laura to get killed before they ever got the chance to see her. Really, the only reason they know she's dead, that she did in fact come to Beacon Hills, was because of Derek. Because he arrived almost a week prior, full of pain and rage, seeking to avenge his lost sister and alpha.

That's when things got… interesting. If one called interesting having a grief-rage filled werewolf in beta shift bursting into their house and straight out attacking someone, all while howling accusations that said person killed someone else…

Stiles honestly has no idea where exactly Derek got the idea that Peter being an alpha meant that he had to have killed Laura for the power. It's absolutely ridiculous! Not so much the 'killing Laura' because Peter himself admitted that, with how serious his injuries were, without a pack he not only wouldn't have healed, he'd have gone insane. Had he ever come across Laura after that he wouldn't have recognized her, she would have been nothing other than a strange wolf, a trespasser, to him. She was still a trespasser actually, but Peter wouldn't have gone after her, not unless she threatened their pack.

In the end Derek only stopped his ranting and his crazed, uncontrolled (and very badly executed) attacks when Cora rushed into the room and screamed at him to stop. Derek's reaction at her presence, at her being alive told its own story.

So apparently Derek was so shocked in the aftermath of the Hale House fire that he couldn't actually remember the first few days following it. It was Stiles's belief that the trauma was so badly he just 'checked out' for a while. By the time he was fully aware again he and Laura were almost in New York, Laura was an alpha, and the only one he had a pack-bond with. Stiles could still remember Cora telling them how fragile the pack-bonds were immediately after the fire. How, when learning that Peter was alive, in a coma, in the hospital, she did her best to hold tightly onto the bond to him, so focused she was that she didn't actually notice when the thready bonds tying her to her siblings vanished entirely. While she always held onto the hope that they might be alive, somewhere (mostly for Derek, as she never liked Laura much, if she were to be honest), Cora never knew for sure, until Derek showed up.

Derek seemed more than a little lost. And it wasn't just Laura's death (Stiles almost believed it wasn't at all her death), but her lies, all the lies that Derek no longer seemed to know what was real and what wasn't. Because if Peter was truly the one to inherit the Hale Alpha Spark… then how had Laura become an alpha? Did she know about Peter? About Cora? Did she knowingly abandon them both? If so, why abandon them and not Derek? And what about the Stilinski Pack? Did she know about it? That Beacon Hills was their territory now? Shouldn't she have known? And if she did, why did she never tell Derek? Why did she even go back to Beacon Hills? Right then, and alone… she didn't even tell Derek about it, barely leaving a note where she gave no reason, no explanation whatsoever! So many questions, no way to get the answers.

"I think I'm gonna go for a walk, before first period." Stiles decides as he sets his empty dishes in the sink. "Talk to Paige, see if she knows anything. Either about the rogue or about Laura."

"We need to be on alert," Cora points out. "Laura and Derek won't be the only ones that auction will attract back to this town…"

"If an Argent so much as thinks about setting foot in our territory…" Peter mutters, the threat more than evident in his voice.

"If Argents show up, I'll arrest them." Noah states in a stern tone.

It's not that simple, and he knows it. They have no way of tying the Argents to the Hale House fire (Peter's contacts are good, but there's no way for their testimonies to hold up in human court, and America has never been big on keeping a supernatural court, not like what happens in Europe and Asia). Derek's the only one who could do that, but it won't be easy to convince him to testify, even just to make an official statement that will allow Noah to get the ball rolling. He doesn't even know that the pack knows about it. About 'Katie', the lies, the seduction, and everything else; sometimes it pays to have some of the strongest psychics in the world among your friends, along with many other supernaturals. More than a few who've expressed a willingness (at times even more than that) to 'deal with' Kate Argent (Stiles and Cora are quite sure that if Noah hasn't found a way to go after her legally before the end of the year Peter will just pay someone to handle it; he won't even fake ignorance if it came to it, they're all perfectly aware of the kind of person he was, is, always has been).

"Are you leaving right after your shift?" Cora asks their parents.

Peter just nods as he finishes his own breakfast.

"We'll be back in time for Samhain." Noah promises.

It's a tradition of theirs, or technically two. Peter has a cabin/lake-house on the edge of the Napa river, south of the actual city of Napa. The place is secluded, away from civilization. The whole family likes to spend at least a week there during whatever week Noah could take off in the summer; and then there were the weekends Peter and Noah would spend there, just the two of them: on their anniversary and on each of their birthdays (or as close to those dates as they can). Peter's birthday can be tricky, with Samhain so close, but that's why this year they're leaving on Friday and returning on Sunday.

Stiles smiles at their fathers and nods, picking the keys for his jeep before leaving the house. He still manages to hear his sister call loudly:

"Come on Jax! You're giving me a ride to school and we're both gonna be late for practice if we don't leave now!"

He doesn't stay long enough to hear a response, but he doesn't have to. It's not exactly a new thing. Cora's part of the swim-team, the star of it in fact (he's heard the swim-coach actually cried when she reminded him they're graduating next summer). As for Jax… he's in lacrosse, the new captain, even though he's still just a sophomore, and much as Stiles might tease him sometimes, he knows his brother really is that good.

His brother… He will never forget the day he met Jax… Perhaps, in some ways 'met' isn't the right word for it, it's not like he hadn't known the boy before (before the years spent in San Francisco, before the Fire) but seeing each other a few times during playdates some mothers insisted on organizing didn't amount to much, especially considering they were never friendly with each other, much less friends. And yet, that's precisely it, he might have seen Jax before that day, but never knew him (Stiles wonders if anyone did, know him, the real him, not just 'Jackson Whittemore…). Stiles will never forget that day, the sad, lonely boy trying so hard to be good at something, all while a man (his father) kept yelling at him, insulting him, kept stating what a waste of time it was to spend time with his son! Stiles has a feeling that even if they hadn't discovered that Jax was Peter's son (a son he never knew existed), their fathers would still have gone after the Whittemores with everything they had until they let the boy go, allowing the Stilinskis to adopt him.

It wasn't easy. David Whittemore wasn't the kind of man who took defeat easily, the whole opposite in fact. And while he clearly didn't love his son the way he should, he obviously saw the whole 'letting the Stilinskis adopt him' as him losing, and he refused to accept that. The man was rich, with friends in high places, and a hell of a reputation… then again, so was Peter. The hardest part was when the man tried to use their marriage against Peter and Noah, claiming that they weren't 'normal', wouldn't be able to raise the boy 'the right way' (nevermind that they already had two children, in Stiles and Cora). Peter came close to losing control entirely at the mere suggestion that they were bad parents, or that there was anything wrong with their marriage. Noah for his part, it wasn't easy for him, but it wasn't like he wasn't expecting it, he knew not everyone would agree with his choices, that some would find it hard (particularly as he was married to a woman before, not many people seemed to understand the concept of bisexuality, believing that those who claimed to be bi were just confused, hadn't made up their minds what they really wanted just yet). Still, that he was more controlled didn't mean that Noah just took the insults and the attacks on his suitability as a husband and a father lying down; it just means he was smarter about the way he countered that.

By the end of it all former-DA David Whittemore was under investigation for presumably taking bribes, and for turning a blind eye to the abuse one of his neighbors (former) Coach Lahey dealt his younger son. Lahey was heavily fined, his parental rights terminated, while the boy was sent to a temporary home until his brother could be brought back from overseas and a new military commission arranged for him on a base in the continental US, allowing him to take custody. The two left town before the end of the year). Last they knew Whittemore was working on some minor firm in Seattle; his wife, having divorced him, left town as well. As for the once sad lonely boy… he's Jackson Stilinski now, and for the most part those feelings are a thing of the past.

xXx

Stiles catches up with his siblings during lunch-hour. While he and Cora share some classes (as they're both in the same AP program), they only share lunch hour with Jackson on Fridays. He's already sitting on his usual table, with his girlfriend: Lydia Martin, and best-friend: Danny Mahealani, when the siblings arrive, bypassing the lunch-line completely (they bring their own lunch from home most days). Lydia's a banshee, fully aware of her heritage and abilities, even if not fully 'awake' just yet, having decided to take things slow, so as not to risk possible trauma (her paternal grandmother, the last known banshee in her line, went crazy when her abilities grew too fast too quickly and she couldn't cope). She's as much of a genius as Stiles, but has chosen not to skip years so as to stay with her mate. Jackson is someone who, with enough effort, could have probably skipped one grade, but in the end decided not to (as doing all four years of PE, three of those as captain of the lacrosse team will look good when college-recruiters come sniffing around and offering scholarships).

Danny is perhaps the only one fully human in their little group (according to everyone, Stiles being a Mage means that he doesn't count as 'entirely human' anymore). He's fully aware of the supernatural, and while very supportive of everything, and especially of Jackson (the two have been friends practically their whole lives), he has no interest to be full-on part of the pack. A choice the Stilinski Pack respects completely.

The real surprise comes when the Stilinskis realize there's someone new sitting at their table, beside Lydia.

"Hey guys!" Lydia greets them with a smile, before turning to the girl. "These are the ones I've been telling you about."

"The Stilinskis, right?" The girl with brown eyes (that seem almost like a dark-honey shade when the light hits them just right), wavy dark chestnut brown hair falling loose to the middle of her back, her skin is pale (almost as pale as Stiles's) and when she smiles and waves hello… she reminds Cora powerfully of someone, but cannot place who exactly.

"Hi, I'm Cor, this is Stiles." Cora speaks for the two of them.

"Are you twins?" The girl asks unexpectedly.

"No," Cora answers immediately.

She tries her best to make her voice sound perfectly even, and while she manages for the best part, it's obvious that the new girl didn't miss the way Stiles's expression went blank abruptly, at the same time he went very, very still (even with all the training and the teas and the magic, he still has ADHD… even if not as bad as it used to be when younger and less busy), or the way Lydia closes her eyes briefly and Jackson winces (he's the most obvious).

"Oh… I'm sorry, I didn't mean to offend, really…" The girl is practically babbling, her scent souring with embarrassment as she tries to apologize.

"You're not at fault." Cora assures her. "You wouldn't be the first to ask. Though no, we're not twins. We're siblings by marriage actually, our fathers married a few years ago. Jax is our brother too for that matter. My half-brother, to be precise."

They usually don't explain things so much, but Stiles is still quiet, and so still… and it makes them all nervous when Stiles gets like that. Stiles is never more dangerous than when he goes still and quiet…

"I was a twin…"

The statement seems to take everyone by surprise, not just the new girl. And she can tell, by the way everyone around her seems to be holding her breath.

"I… what happened?" She asks, so very softly, hesitantly, like she isn't sure she should be asking at all, and yet, if he mentioned it there must be a reason, right?

"She was ripped straight out of my mother's arms by some psycho bastard when she was just days old." Stiles answers, voice completely devoid of emotion. "Her name was Addy."

He doesn't tell her the rest. How he was still in an incubator at the time, his mom having gone into labor early, his birth having been so traumatic that the doctors were all sure he wouldn't survive (one even called time of death once!). How his parents were all alone, beyond exhausted, when his father went to get the jeep so Claudia wouldn't have to walk all the way to it from the hospital doors, with the baby girl in her arms. How the nurse left Claudia, a mother who had just given birth, to twins, less than a week before, who was worried, and sore and exhausted, all alone sitting on a wheelchair. How the crazy bastard managed to get all the way to her, to rip that little baby girl out of her mother's (his mom's!) arms without anyone seemingly seeing, hearing or being able to do anything at all!

"Oh my god!" The girl gasps, hand covering her mouth in horror, eyes going glassy in apparent sympathetic pain. "I'm so, so sorry!"

Stiles says nothing else, just shakes his head and finally sits down. He doesn't open his lunch, isn't hungry anymore, but he's called enough attention upon himself already.

"It's not your fault." Cora assures her as she too takes her seat. "But hey! You haven't told us your name…"

"That's right!" She giggles, sounding somewhat nervous still. "I'm Allison, Allison Vermeil, pleasure to meet you!"

xXx

"She's a Huntress."

"What?!"

Clearly no one was expecting that announcement from Stiles the moment they were all in the privacy of the Stilinski home. They know Derek isn't in, which isn't exactly rare, he tends to leave the house early and return late. None of them know for sure where he spends his time, and they don't dare press him on the matter, not wanting him to decide to leave entirely. While strictly speaking he isn't pack, they want him to be. Peter especially, as Cora has said several times, half in teasing, half seriously, Derek has always been his favorite nephew…

"It's not possible," Jackson's the first to go into denial. "I know what hunters smell like, you all taught me! Gun oil and wolfsbane, perhaps even gunpowder, depending on their weapons of choice. She doesn't smell like any of those."

"No, she smells like… lemongrass…" Cora breaks off briefly, eyes widening as she realizes what her older brother is thinking.

"That's something you use to make tea, right?" Jackson asks. "What's so special about it?"

"It's also used to cover other scents." Cora explains evenly. "The flowers rather than the leaves, though they both smell similar enough."

"There are two kinds of hunters." Stiles elaborates in a very serious tone. "The most common ones are those that either are so new to it that they don't know how to hide or simply don't care to; they're the ones that smell like the weapons they use to hunt supernaturals. There's another kind of hunters, the elite of their kind, the ones who won't go after mere omega wolves, because they focus instead on going after stronger opponents: like alpha werewolves, vampire elders, or other rogue creatures. They know not just how to kill, but how to ensure they're never seen coming, that others will never know they were there. And that starts by making sure that no one will pick up on their profession by something like scent. You won't be able to track them by scent alone either. Lemon-flowers… while it's enough to cover other scents in them, it's not enough to leave a trail." He exhales. "They're no mere hunters, they're assassins."

"And they're here…" Cora mutters, not knowing if she ought to be angry or scared (she'd rather be angry… she hates being scared).

"Allison…?" Jackson's still in denial. "But she… she's just a teenager! She's seventeen!"

"So am I." Stiles deadpans (and Jackson knows how strong his brother is).

"Vermeil…" Lydia speaks up for the first time since Stiles threw the unexpected bomb, all eyes turn to her immediately. "Her name is Vermeil."

"What about it?" Cora asks.

"It's a term used to refer to a certain kind of jewelry, silver plated with a thin layer of gold." Lydia explains. "The word is french and literally means 'silver gilt'."

"Silver…" Cora repeats, tone dropping as realization fills her.

"Argent…" Stiles's voice is practically a growl.

For the longest time no one says a thing, each of them busy contemplating the implications of everything they know (and all they're assuming).

"So… are we calling our dads?" Jackson eventually asks, because while he's not entirely sure if they should or not, he really thinks someone has to.

"Not yet." Stiles shakes his head. "We don't fully know what the situation is just yet. Better not bother them until we have all the facts straight."

"It's just two days." Cora adds for good measure. "Argents or no Argents, nothing will happen if we wait two days."

She'd probably come to regret saying those words before the end of the weekend…

This fic will be updated weekly (hopefully).

Full-sized poster/cover and other fanarts for this series can be found in my DA account, where I go by Princess-Lalaith.

Please don't forget to like/kudo/recc and comment/review. Love ya all!