Chapter 5

Different

(Time skip six years)

"Alex!" He heard his name and turned towards the sound. He barely registered the name to the voice when his arms were filled with a small child. He looked down at the hair of coppery brown locks and straight into those creamy chocolate eyes that he could never say no to. He spun the kid in a circle making the child squeal in laughter. "You're making me dizzy!"

"I'm sorry Mieczyslaw," Alex whispered, smiling as he placed the boy back on his feet. He grabbed the kid's hand and started walking towards his house.

"I keep telling you to call me Stiles, but you never listen," 'Stiles' pouted looking up at the older boy.

"But I like your real name," Alex laughed trading places with the boy putting him on inside of the sidewalk away from the road.

This had become his routine since Mieczyslaw had started school. He would have his mom drop him off at the Stilinksi house and he would walk to the school with the kid by his side, always on the inside of the sidewalk. Mrs. Claudia would pack them both a lunch and kiss both boys on the cheek before they left, though from time to time he caught that baby blue jeep peeking around every turn they took. He knew that it was her way of keeping them safe.

The cream-colored house came into view and on the front porch was Mr. Noah. He always waited on them after school to make sure they made it home safely. The light brown uniform was always in place, because after he spends a little time with his son it was time for the deputy to get to work, and every day they watched the cruiser pull out of the drive.

'Stiles' took off in a full sprint screaming 'DADDY' as he went. He was swept up into the arms of his father and pun around as Alex had done earlier. And as just like before he complained of getting dizzy. They made their way in the house and Claudia handed them a snack of apples and oranges, freshly picked from the Hale home.

"How was school?" Claudia asked joining them at the kitchen table a small smile on her face.

"It was so much fun! Scotty and I got the same group for a collage project!" 'Stiles' yelled, pure joy clear on his face. "Can he stay over this weekend?"

"Of course!" She said looking over to Alex, "No Derek today?"

"No ma'am, he got a girlfriend and doesn't spend as much time with us," Alex said disappointment in his voice.

"You don't seem to happy about that," Noah said munching on an apple of his own.

"Oh, no, sir!" Alex amended, "I'm very happy for him. If he's happy then I am. I just don't get to see him as much since they hang out after school in the music room."

Noah raised his eyebrow at that not liking the sound of it. Alex immediately caught on to his train of thought, letting the words left unspoken wash over his mind. He tried to ignore it, but the words were there in his brain and it was giving him a headache. It had been happening more and more frequently the last few days and he had to catch himself before he replied to a person's thoughts and not the words that they had spoken.

"She practices on the piano and he likes to listen, sir. Derek's so shy I doubt he'd actually try anything funny," Alex said looking down at his pile of oranges. He pushed them over to 'Stiles' letting the boy eat the last bit of his snack.

"Alex, are you okay?" Claudia asked watching the boy closely, seeing the flicker of purple for just a moment.

"Just a headache, ma'am," He said, flashing a smile towards her.

Then it hit him, his eyes glazed over as he was sucked into a different setting. He was in a gym and red eyes glared daggers into his very core. He shook with fear as the beast ran past him towards a girl trying desperately to open the doors she had slammed into. The Alpha grinned a dastardly smile as he opened his eyes wide and bit into the flesh around her shoulder. Someone rushed to the girl and lay her head in their lap.

Alex automatically recognized the two people sprawled on the gym floor. Both had tears in their eyes as the girl mumbled something to his brother. He cried out when he saw the black blood that coughed out of her lungs. Her body was rejecting the bite. The bite of a feral Alpha rarely took, and almost always killed the receiver. His brother saw and knew what was happening when Derek placed the smallest peck of a kiss on the girl's forehead. Alex felt tears rush down his face, and felt his eyes burning. He caught his reflection in the glass on the doors and saw the gold bleed to blue. Knew that this was his brother's fate.

"DEREK!" Alex screamed pulling himself out of the vision before his brother killed the girl suffering in his lap.

"What happened!?" Claudia asked as Alex resettled himself.

"I've go to go! You need to call my mother now, tell her I am at the school, and to get there asap," Alex yelled as he sprinted to the door and out of it. He took off full speed, not feeling his body shift until he felt four legs hitting the ground instead of one.

This transformation was the one that took him longer to learn than the beta shift. Only born wolfs tend to be able to shift into the full wolf form. He had seen his mother do it several times, had seen the pain in his father's eyes when he watched her, and couldn't join in on the romps with his kids in that form. Cora came to be the only exception, her emotions too high and uncontrollable for her full form to shift. His shift was harder cause only a part of him was a wolf, the other part being a witch. The two forces tended to war within him one trying to take control, while the other fought just as hard. SO everything he did at the moment was a drop of the hat situation. It was only on occasions like this where they both agreed, the true wolf form was the best solution.

'Gotta get to Derek. He needs me. Brother.' All these things were rushing through his mind at once, his thoughts focusing on rushing to his brother, hoping the Alpha wasn't still there when he arrived.

Luck wasn't in his favor when he burst through the gym doors in his wolf form. The Alpha was circling his brother and the, thankfully still alive, Paige. He could see the grin that the beast was wearing on his muzzle. Alex growled at the thing, warning him away from his twin. He flashed his teeth, snarling as he and the Alpha circled each other snapping their teeth. Derek glanced at him, sorrow filling his eyes as he looked on to his brother.

'Little wolf wants to play,' Alex heard in his own mind. 'You don't know who you're messing with little wolf. I don't like to play with my food, but you might make it worth it.'

Alex jumped at him then landing a bite to the Alpha's ear. He heard Derek scream at him to stop. Heard him yell his name, yet he was in protective mode. He would protect his brother at all costs, protect what was his, his family, his twin. This was his fight and he would win or die trying.

'Don't tempt me, little wolf,' this mind thing was starting to irritate him. He didn't like the advancing of his powers, the more that he gained the harder it was to control, but this particular 'gift' was starting to piss him off. He could see into the wolf's mind, see his plans for the three of them.

Alex watched, circling the wolf, waiting for an opportunity, a change in the demeanor of the Alpha. He paced himself not letting too much energy out at once. He growled in warning when the beast got too close to his sibling, snarled when he was hit with a heavy claw. He swiped back hitting the Alpha in the face with his own claws, watching blood trickle from his muzzle to the ground. Then Alex pounced, his teeth tearing into the fur on the neck of his enemy and he held tight as the beast thrashed back and forth attempting to dislodge him.

He bit down harder, feeling the blood rush into his mouth. Finally, the Alpha broke loose of the hold and threw Alex across the gym floor, managing to sink his claws into the side of the smaller wolf. He smiled when he heard the cry of pain, and stalked closer as the wolf reverted back into a boy. Alex's side gushed blood, and he held his hand to it, trying to stop the bleeding.

There was a howl from the front doors and the alpha jerked his head back at the noise. He took in the other wolf, practically laughing at the kid that rushed forward. He just stood in place letting the boy jump over him to stand over the one bleeding on the floor.

"THAT IS ENOUGH!" A roar sounded from the doors, causing Derek to shrink closer to his brother coving his human body with fur and weight. "GET THE HELL AWAY FROM MY KIDS!"

Talia snarled and even in her human form, she was scary. The other alpha shifted, his head turning as if questioning her. Her eyes flashed red at him, daring him to take another step. He turned to look at the boys behind him and seen that they were both in their human form now, watching the uninjured one trying desperately to help the other. Talia followed his gaze and saw the blood, just them recognizing the scent of blood hanging in the air. She narrowed her blazing eyes at the beast and roared.

Her wolf burst forward the russet-colored fur sprouting and covering her naked flesh. She charged at him before her paws even hit the floor. She snapped her teeth at his neck, catching skin as he jerked away from her powerful jaws. She swiped her claws at him, not giving him a chance to turn or to run. When her claws connected with his eyes, she took her chance and bit down on his shoulder. Growling she brought her paw up, raking the claws down the center of its muzzle. Finally, she jerked her head to the side decapitating the wolf with a flick of her jaws. Derek watched in awe, at how easy it was for his mother to take the head off of the wolf with three moves. He reminded himself to never piss his mom off, after seeing that.

"Alex!" Derek heard his dad shout and saw as four people rushed forward. He moved to the side letting his dad have a look at the claw mark on his brother's side. It wasn't too deep, but any wound inflicted by an alpha took forever to heal.

"Peter, Oscar, Get that thing out of here I don't care where you take him but load him in the truck and get it out. Derek, Laura, get the girl she doesn't have much longer, make her comfortable. Thomas, love get him in the car and take him home. Have Olivia help bandage him up, it's going to take a while for him to heal. June, Julia, there are towels in the locker room, grab a couple, and get all this blood cleaned up. Claudia they're coming out do not let that boy see the state that Alex is in. Take him to the Hale house, there will be a pack meeting soon." Talia ordered, and everyone scrambled to get the job done.

Derek rushed back to Paige, watched as her body convulsed as it rejected the bite on her shoulder. He cried in silent sobs, seeing everyone exit the room. He placed a kiss on the girl's forehead whispering apologies in her ear as he snapped her neck. He felt his eyes burn and knew the reason why. The next time he looked in the mirror in his beta form his eyes would no longer be the bright gold they normally were, instead would be a piercing blue for the innocent life that he had taken.