Bella winces as she pokes her side. The area was very dark with bruising and she could feel the broken bone of her middle right rib. "Holy shit…" Bella drops her shirt and turns to find Stiles standing in the doorway. "Was that from last night?" Stiles whispers, his eyes wide and guilt ridden.

"It wasn't your fault." Stiles moves forward, lifting her shirt so he could see for himself.

"I made you come with me."

"You didn't make me."

"You didn't want to go."

"But I would have gone either way if you went."

"Bella-"

"It was not your fault, Stiles." She reassured, before crying out in pain as he pokes her broken rib. "Stiles!"

"Sorry! Sorry." He says quickly. "I just-"

"Look, no touch. Didn't Noah ever teach you that?"

"Yeah… but it never stuck."

"Clearly." Stiles frowns, his fingers moving to her other side.

"You got bitten?"

"Yeah. Something attacked Scott and I in the woods. I couldn't see what it was. It was too quiet and it was too dark. I turned around right when it was practically on top of me. All I saw was these dark red eyes."

"It looks like it hurts."

"If you touch it-" Stiles held up his hands.

"I won't, promise." Bella goes to lower her shirt, but Stiles stops her. "We should get you to the doctors-"

"I'll be fine, Stiles."

"Your rib is broken!"

"And all they'll do is make me get an expensive x-ray and then they'll say that I just need to wrap it tightly so it doesn't move and don't do any heavy lifting. It's not the first time I broke a bone and something like a rib can't be put into a case."

"Well, they could-"

"Stiles, I'm fine. Now, can you get out so I can shower and change?"

"I'm sorry." She lowers her shirt and pulls Stiles into a hug.

"Don't be. This wasn't your fault. If you want to blame someone then blame Scott. I told him something dangerous was chasing those deer and he insisted on trying to find his inhaler." Stiles chuckles.

"Thanks."

"Your welcome."

"Ten minutes. That's all you got." Bella rolls her eyes, a smile coming to her lips. She took a quick shower, being careful of her rib and bite. She dries off moments later and gets dressed in another pair of jeans, her converses, and another long sleeved shirt. She slipped on Stiles' old lacrosse sweatshirt and then her coat. She slips on a beanie and grabs her backpack.

"Ready to go?"

"You should wrap your wound and your rib."

"I already did, but thanks." Bella smiles at Stiles.

"So… nervous?" Bella's smile falters. "You'll be fine, Bee. Don't worry, I'll be right by your side." She nods and takes his hand in hers, letting him lead her out to the jeep. "So, I called Scott and he said he'd talk to us at school."

"What more is there to talk about? I told you what happened."

"You did, but different perspectives and all. Plus, you summed it up."

"Scott and I were walking back the way we came. We got close to the hill was where we climb up before when a herd of deer came running through. Scott dropped his inhaler and I started to get a bad feeling. I told him to forget the inhaler and to just come back in the day time. He ignored me and that's when he found the body in the leaves- Woah!" Bella squeals as Stiles slams on the breaks, sending her flying forward, forcing her to catch herself on the dash. "Stiles!"

"Body, you never said anything about finding the body."

"I would have assumed Scott told you over the phone."

"You would have assumed? You should have told me that first."

"Oh, I'm sorry, next time I get attacked by some creepy animal then I'll make sure to tell you that Scott found the other half of a body first." Bella snaps.

"Sorry…" Stiles says, flinching in reflex. "I shouldn't have said it like that. Obviously, you tell me how you got hurt first, but still, you should have told me about the body." Bella sighs and leans back in her seat.

"Can you drive? We're going to be late to school if you just stay sitting here." Stiles takes his foot off the breaks and starts driving again.

"Sorry. Are you okay?" Bella just waves his concern off. "What happened after Scott found the body."

"He freaked out and stumbled back away from it. He knocked into me and sent us both tumbling down the hill. I hit my ribs on the tree that Scott had leaned against when we first climbed the hill, and then I hit my head on the ground. After that everything's a bit blurry. I remember Scott yelling at me to get up and run. I turned around and all I saw where these dark red eyes staring at me. That's when it attacked and I fainted. Scott got bit trying to get it off more or so he says. He practically dragged us out of the road. I woke back up as he literally dragged us into the road to almost get hit by a car."

"Jesus, you two are magnets for danger."

"Not the two of us." Bella whispers.

"What?" Stiles asks.

"Nothing. Look, I'm fine, Scott's fine, we're all good." Stiles pulls into the school, picking a parking spot close by, and turns off the engine.

"I shouldn't have brought the two of you out there or at the very least not have dragged you out there."

"It's fine, Stiles, really. I said yes to going. It wasn't your fault."

"You're my cousin. I'm supposed to protect you."

"We're supposed to protect each other, Sti." She takes his hand, giving it a comforting squeeze. "I left you, Stiles. I left you alone with your dad and your grief. I didn't even call you. I left you all alone for years. Yes, you had Scott, but he never lost a parent. He couldn't understand and he was never the most emotional understanding guy. I should have been there for you and Uncle Noah, instead I left. I can never forgive myself for that and never make up for that mistake. You never have to feel sorry for anything, okay?"

"Bee." Stiles stares at her, pain evident in his eyes. "Have you seriously been feeling guilty over leaving?" He cups her cheek. "You were nine years old, Bella. Death wasn't something children should have to handle. I never blamed you for leaving. Never. I understood. Don't feel guilty for leaving, okay?" She nods, tears filling her eyes. "I love you, Bee."

"I love you too, Sti." Stiles pulls Bella into his arms, hugging her tightly.

"Come on, let's head inside. We'll get your schedule and then meet back up with Scott."

"You go ahead and meet with Scott. I can find the office myself."

"Are you sure?"

"Yeah, I'll be okay." Bella promises as she pulls out from the hug, grabs her back, and hops out of the jeep. "I'll see you later, okay?"

"Okay, take it easy today, okay?"

"Okay, I will." Bella makes her way up to the front of the school. The school was nothing like Forks High School, which made her feel better about starting today. She couldn't have handled it if the school looked anything like her last one.

"Forever and always, Bella. That's what you promised me." Bella shivers, shaking the voice out of her head as she hurried up the stairs. She never even noticed that she didn't trip. She makes her way inside the school and down the hall to the reception area.

A nice plump old woman sat behind the desk and greeted Bella with a bright warm smile upon seeing Bella's entrance. "Good morning, sweetheart. How can I help you?"

"Good morning." Bella smiles shyly. "I just transferred."

"Oh, you must be the sheriff's daughter." Bella's heart stops, her eyes shooting up to the woman.

"You mean niece. I'm Noah's niece."

"Oh, my apologies." The woman says sincerely. "I just assumed." She begins to look through her computer. "Right, Bella Swan. You're originally from Washington. You moved from there when you were young. Oh, wow, you've been to a lot of places."

"Yeah, my mom's not much into staying in one place." Bella explains.

"You only moved back to Washington last year. Why move here?"

"Change of scenery." Bella half lies.

"Well, welcome to Beacon Hills, Miss. Swan. Let me just print out your schedule and you should be good to go. If you want I can have the superintendent show you to your first class."

"Thank you, but my cousin, Stiles is going to."

"Alright then, sweetie, here is your schedule. Do you need anything else?" Bella takes the slip of paper, briefly reading it over.

"Books. Do I need to get them through here, at a store, or will the teachers provide me one?"

"Just let the teacher know that you are new and they'll get you your books."

"Okay, thank you."

"You're welcome, dear." Bella heads out of the office and back towards the front entrance. She could see Stiles and Scott. Scott had a dopey grin on his face, While Stiles did not look too happy.

"You're the cause of this, you know." She hears Stiles say as she walks over.

"Uh-huh." Scott's eyes connect with hers, his cheeks growing pink.

"Dragging me down to your nerd depths." He stares at her with an unreadable expression, causing her to frown at him with confusion. "I'm a nerd by association." The bell rings and Stiles turns, his eyes meeting Bella's and flashing her a smile. He laces his fingers with hers and the three start up the stairs, Stiles never missing a beat in talking. "I've been scarlet nerded by you."

"Stiles?"

"Yes, Bee?"

"You're a nerd." He shot her a look, but she simply smiled. "But I love you regardless. What are we talking about anyways?"

"Noth-"

"Stiles' been in love Lydia Martin-"

"Shut up, Scott!" Stiles hisses, his cheeks turning bright red.

"Lydia, who?"

"Nobody!"

"Martin. She's the popular girl around here. Dating star lacross player, team captain-"

"Biggest douchebag around." Stiles adds.

"Jackson Whittmore. Stiles' been in love with her since the third grade."

"Shut up."

"He blames me for her never noticing him."

"If she never noticed you, Stiles, then that's her problem. You're a great guy. You'd make an even better boyfriend. I wouldn't worry too much about some girl. It's her lost." Stiles smiles and squeezes her hand.

"You are the best cousin, you know this?" This time she blushes.

"Thank you."

Stiles showed her to her classes and for most of them she was with either Stiles, Scott, or the both of them. She collected her books no problem, and thankfully she wasn't expected to introduce herself to the class.

The last class came and it was English with a man known as Mr. Curtis. He was a rather overweight, slowly balding, man with glasses. He reminded her a little bit of an older Goyle with Harry Potter glasses. The thought had almost made her laugh. She took a seat beside Stiles with Scott sitting diagonal to Stiles and across from her. She took out her English book, a notebook, and a pencil. Readying herself for class.

She had kept her head down most of the day, hiding behind her long thick hair. Stiles had tried to encourage her to socialize, but that had failed pretty quickly. She didn't like socializing. She was too awkward for small talk. So, she mostly stuck to the boys or sat alone and isolated. Not the best way to live, but she was not good with the whole high school thing.

"As you all know," Mr. Curtis says as he begins to right on the board. "There indeed was a body found in the woods last night." Bella glances over to see Scott and Stiles exchanging looks. "And I am sure your eager little minds are coming up with various macabre scenarios as to what happened." None of the kids were really listening. Bella could see one girl applying chapstick, another two were passing notes, and one of the guys was checking out the ass of the girl in front of him. Bella rolls her eyes, her value of men dropping by the minute. "But I am here to tell you that the police have a suspect in custody," Bella turns to look at Stiles, who shrugs, clearing having only just heard about this. "Which means you can put your undivided attention into the syllabus, which is on your desk outlining this semester." The kids all groaned, while Bella simply picked up the paper.

Most of the reading that was listed on it were things she had already read herself. She was an avid reader and she was constantly reading old books such as How to Kill a Mockingbird, which was listed on the syllabus. She was also pleased to see In Mice and Men, which was one of her favorites.

She was snapped out of her thoughts, however, when she suddenly heard the loud piercing noise of a phone ringing. She drops her paper, holding her hands over her ears, and looking around. She must have looked like an idiot because no one else seemed to have even heard the phone. Scott's eyes met hers and she saw for herself that he too heard the phone. They both looked around, but nobody was even noticing the ringing. Scott tried to clean out his ears, as if the ringing was coming from his ears, but he still could hear because Bella could still hear it.

The ringing stops, but a female voice follows it, as if the voice was speaking right into Bella's ears. "Mom, three calls on my first day is a little overdoing it." Bella follows Scott's eyes and sees him staring at a girl that was outside, on the phone, and searching her bag. "Everything except a pen. Oh, my god, I didn't actually forget a pen." Bella's eyes widen in shock and disbelief. This could not be happening. She had super hearing. She took a deep breath in and could smell the smell of sweat, perfume, calonge, sex, drugs, alcohol. The scents were overwhelming and it hit her like a truck. They were things she should not be able to smell. She hesitates for a second, risking a glance at Scott, before licking her pen. She could taste the plastic and lead on it and even a taste of copper from where it had been laying in with her money. She ran her fingers across the desk, feeling all the grains in the wood. She stared out the window and found she could see so much farther than she used to. She could actually read a license plate from the parking lot, which was a good three yards down the road.

She felt her heart pounding in her chest, her hands shaking in shock and fear. She had super senses. Her fingers move to her side, the side with the bite. She was bitten and now she was experiencing side effects. "Bee? You okay?" Stiles whispers in her ear, causing her to snap out of her panic attack. Never noticing how her nails had started to grow or how hair was beginning to appear around her face. She turns to Stiles, worry and fear in her eyes.

"I…" She wanted to tell him. Tell him that she thinks something was wrong with her. That she thinks she's turning into something, but it was crazy. Hell, two years ago she would never have believed it if she had heard it. But after Washington, there wasn't anything that she didn't believe in and that was even scarier than anything that happened to her. How is she supposed to explain that to Stiles. Angela had believed her, but Angela also witnessed it herself first. If Bella tells Stiles then that could put him in danger. Everyone who knows about her secret are in danger. She couldn't lose Stiles. Not like she lost...

She closed her eyes tightly, trying desperately to calm her heart. "Bella?"

"I'm okay." She whispers, opening her eyes to look at him. "I just got freaked out for a minute there. Everything just suddenly caught up to me, I guess. The whole attack in the woods, the going to a new school thing, and just everything. I'm okay now."

"Are you sure?"

"Yeah, I'm sure." Bella smiles at him and turns back around, her smile dropping instantly, and fear returning to her. She needed to find out what bit her last night and she needed to know what she was turning into. She also needed to know what other side effects she had so that she could narrow the list down. There were many creatures that transferred the disease through a bite. She could exclude it being a vampire, she would have felt the venom for sure. But that still left a long list of possibilities.

"Class, this is our new student, Allison Argent." The superintendent says, snapping Bella from her spiraling thoughts. "Please do your best to make her feel welcome." Bella could hear the girl's heart racing as she walked further into the room and down the row where they were sitting. Taking the seat behind Scott and across from Stiles.

"We'll begin with Kafka's Metamorphosis, on page 133." Bella barely could think after that. She barely remembers how the class went and when it was over, she quickly hurried out to her locker.

"Hey, Bee, you okay?" Stiles asks as he caught up with her.

"No, I'm not feeling so well."

"Do you want me to drive you home?"

"No, you have practice. I'll be okay."

"Bella, you can't walk home-"

"I'm fine, Stiles. I just need to get out of here."

"Scott and I were going to go back to the preserve and find his inhaler."

"I'll meet you there once your practice is over."

"Bella-"

"It's fine. Practice is about two hours long, right?"

"Yeah-"

"Great see you after." She closes her locker and heads out of the school. She makes her way quickly across the street to the woods.

She walks deep into the woods before she starts to run. She wanted to test things out. She ran as fast as she could. It was much faster than she normally ran, but not super speed. Not like the wolves from La Push or the cold ones.

She stopped about a mile in, took a deep breath, and punched a tree. She could feel her bones snap, but just as quick as they snapped they healed. Her eyes widen as she saw the huge dent in the tree. "Holy shit." She whispers. She shakely lifted her shirt, pulling back the wrapping only to find the bite had fully healed along with her ribs. "Super strength, super senses, super healing, tiny bit of super speed…." She raked her mind for anything else that could be different. "Reflexes and agility. Only way to test that out is with someone else helping me." She bites her lip. "That still leaves a whole list of possibilities. I have to get home." She hurried through the woods and got out once she saw her house. She unlocked the door and all but ran up the stairs to her bedroom. She pulled out the chest from beneath her bed, running her finger over the lock. She had swore that she'd leave it locked up, leave the past locked away, but she needed answers.

She pulls a chain out from under her shirt, revealing two ancient looking keys. She took the biggest one and unlocked the chest before opening it. In the center of the chest was a very old looking leather bound book with another lock on the cover. To the right of the book was a pile of papers, to the left was a bunch of items. She grabbed the book, pulling it of the chest and unlocking it. It opened with a click. As gentle as possible, she began to search through the worn pages. It was all written in an ancient form of Latin. One that Bella knew all too well.

"The beastiary." She whispers, flipping through the pages delicately. If what bit her was anywhere then it'd be in this book. She searched through it, turning the age pages, her eyes scanning the words and pictures. "Werewolf." She whispers, her eyes stopping on a page dedicated to the beast. It didn't show the werewolf she has always seen on tv. It showed a normal human with pointed hairy ears, sharp canines, hair around his head, his facial bones pronounced, his eyes a glowing gold. "Along with shapeshifting, all Werewolves possess super-human strength, speed, agility, healing, and senses, among other powers.

In the supernatural community, being a Werewolf is considered a gift, but it is a gift that has a cost—because a Werewolf's powers are derived from the moon, the full moon will cause their abilities and emotions to be so heightened that many lose control of themselves, which can cause death and destruction if not handled properly. For this reason, all newly-turned Werewolves need to be trained in order to resist the urges that the moon forces upon them, which will allow them to remain in their human form unless it's absolutely necessary to change.

"In order to be a Werewolf, one must either be born to at least one Werewolf parent or they must be bitten (or, in some rare cases, deeply scratched) by an Alpha Werewolf in order to change from a human to a lycanthrope. However, these methods are not guaranteed to be successful; children of Werewolves have been known to be born completely human, and in many cases, the Bite has actually killed their human recipients rather than transformed them into Werewolves.

"A Werewolf is strongest when in a pack with one Alpha (who is the leader of the pack) and at least three Beta Werewolves total, which constitutes a basic pack; in most cases, there is usually a defined hierarchy within the pack. ("Ice Pick") The Alpha draws power from their Betas, and vice-versa, which makes them stronger, more mature and more effective in battle. Werewolves without a pack are known as Omegas, who are generally regarded as weaker and easier to defeat and/or kill than their Beta and Alpha peers, who have packs to back them up, though this is not always the case; an Omega could be the sole surviving member of a pack that was decimated, a former Alpha who has been abandoned by his Betas or a Beta abandoned or kicked out of their former pack, or, in the rarest of cases, are lone wolves purely by choice.

"There are enough Werewolves in existence that the community even has its own culture, which includes legends and folktales passed down through the generations, mystical rituals for certain events, and societal protocols for how to deal with intense situations, such as how to respond to the death of one of their fellow packmates." Bella reads, her mind running wild as it processed the information. "What's this?" She whispers as she sees a part of the second page was ripped just after the start of the next paragraph. "The Theta Wolf," That was all that was left before the ripped. It was written in bold and separated from the rest of the text as if it was rather important, but the page was lost.

Bella frowns, staring at the page with confusion and curiosity. What was a theta wolf? The sound of her phone going off has Bella jumping. She looked at the phone and quickly looked at the time. "Shit." She curses, hurryingly locking up the book and the chest, pushing the chest back under the bed to hide it. "Hey, sorry, I feel asleep. I'm on my way to the preserve now. Wait for me, please." Bella says as she rushes out of her room.

"No worries, I'm parked outside. I figured it'd be better if we picked you up. Practice ran a little late, so get your butt out here." Stiles says.

"Okay, I'm heading out now." Bella says as she heads for the door. She locks up behind her and moves to the jeep where Scott was already outside and waiting for her to get in. "Thanks." She says as she climbs in and moves to the back.

"Are you feeling better?"

"Yeah, I was just feeling a tad overwhelmed. I had a snack and took a nap and I feel better now." Bella promises, not wanting to worry Stiles. There was still not 100% guarantee that she was in fact bitten by a werewolf.

"Well, I'm glad you're feeling better." Stiles says as he starts down the road towards the preserve.

"Thanks." Bella smiles.

They arrive at the preserve and start for the hill where Scott lost his inhaler. "I'm so glad we bypassed the hill. I really did not want to have to climb that again." Bella says in relief.

"Yeah, I can agree with that." Scott says as they move across a small creak.

"So, how was practice?"

"It was incredible. Scott was awesome." Stiles says.

"I-I don't know what it was. It was like I had all the time in the world to catch the ball." Bella moves across the fallen tree to prevent crossing the stream and getting her converses wet. Wet shoes did not smell good once they dried. "And that's not the only weird thing. I can hear stuff I shouldn't be able to hear," That catches Bella's attention. "Smell things."

"Smell things? Like what?" Stiles chuckles.

"Like the mint mojito gum in your pocket or Bella's vanilla lotion." Bella sniffed her hand. It didn't smell pretty good.

"I don't even have any mint mojito-" Stiles searches his pockets, pulling out a small package of gum. "So all this started with a bite."

"What if it's like an infection, like my body's flooding with adrenaline before I go into shock or something?"

"You know what? I actually think I've heard of this-It's a specific kind of infection."

"Are you serious?" Bella watches the back and forth between them. Conversation flowed so freely between them. It was how Bella felt when talking to Angela, it was just so easy and never awkward or nerve wracking.

"Yeah. I think it's called Lycanthropy." Bella's eyes widened in surprise. She never doubted her cousin's intelligence, but she did doubt that he actually believed what he was saying.

"What's that? Is that bad?" Scott was the opposite of Stiles. A tad dumb, naive, and oblivious.

"Oh, yeah, it's the worst. But only once a month."

"Once a month?"

"Mm-hmm. On the night of the full moon." Stiles gives an awful wolf howl, causing Scott to shove him.

"Hey, man-"

"Hey, you're the one who heard a wolf howling." Bella closes her eyes. That confirms it. She's a werewolf and so is Scott. He heard a wolf and thought the beast was a wolf.

"Hey, there could be something seriously wrong with me!"

"I know you're a werewolf!" Stiles says with a terrible growl. Scott gives him a look. "Okay, obviously I'm kidding, but if you see me in shop class trying to melt all the silver I can find it's because Friday's a full moon."

"Your cousin was attacked too, Stiles. You shouldn't make jokes. This affects her too." Both boys look at Bella, who had been trying to stay out of their fight.

"We should look for your inhaler. You have to go to work soon, remember?"

"Bella…" Stiles trails off, failing at saying whatever it was that he wanted to say. Scott looks around, a frown on his face.

"No, I could have sworn this was it." He says suddenly. "I saw the body, the deer came running, I dropped my inhaler," He crouches down to look for the inhaler in the sparse amount of leaves.

"The deer came running, causing you to drop your inhaler. Then you proceeded to try to find your inhaler and instead you found the dead body." Bella corrected as she looks around the area. Her eyes stop short, however, when they land on a pair of dark green eyes.

A man stood a couple of yards away. Dressed in all black with a leather jacket, and a seriously angry face. He had short black hair, pale skin, and eyes that seemed to draw Bella in and make her forget about everything else. She could feel her body warm beneath his gaze, her heart pounding in her chest, her stomach tightening, her legs trembling. She felt her core weep for him, her heart long for him.

Images begin to flash before her eyes. She saw a house burning to the ground, the sound of screams echoing into the night, a pair of gorgeous blue eyes glowing in the shadows. The image changes to a black wolf with those very same blue eyes, staring up at her with love, adoration, trust. She could hear babies crying, the soft soothing voices of a man shushing said babies.

"Bee?" Bella blinks, turning to look at her cousin, who was staring at her with concern. "Are you okay?" Bella glances back over to the man only to see him walking towards them. He looked familiar.

"What are you doing here?" None of them answered. Bella was still in awe of the man standing there. She bites her lip, rubbing her thighs together, trying to get some relief. Scott's head snapped towards her, causing her to grimace, knowing he could smell her arousal. "Huh? This is private property." The man says, his eyes drilling holes into Scott's head.

"Uh, sorry, man, we didn't know." Stiles jumps in, trying to ease the tension that was steadily building.

"Yeah, we were just looking for something, but…" Scott says, trailing off as the man glared at him. "Uh, forget it." The man took something out of his pocket and chucked it at Scott, who caught it with very fast reflexes, looking as if he hadn't even noticed he was doing it.

Bella watches the man as he begins to walk away. "Bee?" Bella glances back at Stiles.

"Alright, man, come on, I got to get to work."

"Dude," Stiles slaps Scott in the chest, forcing the teen to stop in his tracks. "That was Derek Hale. You remember, right? He's only a few years older than us."

"I'm new. Explain who he is." Bella jumps in.

"His family. They all burned to death in a fire like ten years ago." Bella's breath caught. Her eyes snapping back towards the direction the man went. Her eyes once again meeting the green eyes. Unknowingly she flashes her eyes at him, causing him to do the same. She gasps when she sees the blue eyes. As she blinks he and his eyes disappear. As if he was never standing there to begin with, like the cheshire cat. "Come on, Bee. Let's get Scott to work."