The sun wasn't even close to setting when Derek summoned the whole Pack to the lair. If it had been just me I would have been a lot more annoyed at being treated like a child. But with Erica and Boyd yet to experience their first full moon, I could understand were he was coming from. I was still annoyed with him though, and I was very conscious of what the full moon was doing to my mind. I'd been sticking close to Erica for most of the day, her physical presence for the most part, enough to keep me relaxed. It seemed to do the same for her, but as the day went on, we both began snapping at each other. It was something we rarely did and we were both very much aware of what was going on, which lead to quick apologies until we both got sick of hearing them and said we'd apologise to each other for everything tomorrow.
It was probably the best idea we'd had all day.
Even so, having already gone through a full moon, I was keeping it together a lot better than Erica was. The same went for Isaac, but Boyd nearly got into several fights throughout the day, until either me or Isaac snapped some sense into him. For that reason we all went in my car to Derek's, sticking together as a Pack in hopes that it would diminish the effects of the full moon even if only for a little while. And it worked, pretty damn well too. Apparently being in a Pack even gave you mental strength, not just physical.
Once we were at Derek's we gathered around as he dragged out the same chest from before. The one with the three interconnecting spirals. As he flipped open the chest, Isaac bent down to examine it. The rest of us were stood over by the subway carriage. Erica leaning against the entrance with me leaning on the outside next to her. Boyd was stood a little of to the side of us, his arms folded.
"What is that?" Isaac asked as he bent down, gesturing to the three interconnecting spirals.
"It's a triskele," Boyd answered, catching us all by surprise as we turned to him. Even our dear Alpha was impressed. "The spirals mean different things," Boyd then went onto explain. "Past, present, future. Mother, father, child."
"Do you know what it means to me?" Derek asked.
Boyd hazard a guess, and it was clear it was a guess by his voice. "Alpha, Beta, Omega?"
Even more impressed than before, Derek actually looked taken aback now. "That's right," he admitted, that ghost of a smile back once more. He stood up, giving us a mini lecture on why the interlinking circles represented the different classes of Werewolf. "It's a spiral. Reminds us that we can all rise to one or fall to another. Betas can become Alphas, but Alphas can also fall to Betas or even Omegas."
"Like Scott?" Isaac interjected, to which Derek turned to him. Here we go, I thought. Despite our partial success with the Kanima during the rave, Isaac still didn't like Scott being with the Pack. I wasn't too happy about it myself but I'd seen the results having Scott in the Pack had produced. It had given us our closest shot yet at the Kanima. All right it had mucked up a little at the end but it was still better than anything we'd done without him. Plus having saved his ass, he now owed us, big time. I preferred having my favours close and at the ready.
That said, he still didn't feel like a part of the Pack, something we Betas were all agreed on.
"Scott's with us," was all Derek said.
Isaac gave an exaggerated look around the room. "Really? Then where is he now?"
"He's looking for Jackson," Derek answered. I very much doubted that. He hadn't told me that prior to this and if it was true that meant he wasn't keeping me in the loop. Neither option I liked and the third was that he was simply saying it to shut Isaac up. Besides, Scott finding Jackson tonight wasn't going to do anybody any good. The only two that would be able to go after him would be Derek and possibly Scott – and while they would both be fighting to stay in control, that thing could be even more powerful and savage than normal.
Basically his answer didn't satisfy me, or anyone else in the Pack.
"Don't worry, he's not gonna have it easy tonight either. None of us will," Derek continued as he reached down into the chest to start pulling out the chains we'd be using tonight. The last time he'd taken them out was to check them over, make sure they were ready for tonight. I should know, it had been me and Isaac who helped him check them over. Although personally I was sure Isaac had been half arsing his work, though he denied it when Derek and I confronted him.
We'd find out tonight in any case.
"There's a price you pay for this kind of power," Derek went on, reminding us of what he'd said when he first bit each of us, as he handed off the first set of chains to Isaac. "You get the ability to heal, but tonight you're gonna want to kill anything you can find."
"Good thing I had my period last week," Erica spoke up, sighing dramatically as the rest of us looked to her. Isaac hid a smirk, conveniently taking an interest in the chains he was holding. Boyd was taken a back and I fought the urge to laugh, although I let a little slip. Shockingly Derek was a little amused by her remark, grinning as she looked his way with her head cocked. I briefly wondered if the full moon put him in more of light mood.
"Well, these two are for you and your sister," Derek said, revealing the reason for his grin as he held up two metallic headbands with screws all around it. Screws that when twisted far enough, would imbed them in our heads.
I looked to Erica. She was still smiling confidently but now had a frown along her forehead as if to ask, 'Is he serious?' I very much suspected that he was, which was why I smirked when I turned back to him, Erica backing me up with a grin of her own. "Kinky," I shot out with a flirtatious shrug.
"Since you think so, you can go last," Derek said, apparently thinking that was the worse option. Whether it was or not, all I knew was that I heard Erica groan, knowing she would be going before me. I turned, sticking out my tongue before she playfully pushed me and we laughed. Isaac and Boyd joined in before Derek then got us to help him with the chains.
Once we had all that sorted, it was time to start. The sooner the better being Derek's choice of sayings as we all piled into the subway car.
First to be chained up was Erica and Boyd, since they were the newest and therefore more susceptible to the effects of the full moon, having never experienced it before. So we all helped lug in their chains before Derek set to work chaining them both up. He got Boyd right at the back of the carriage, chaining him to the back seat and then his arms to the two rows in front. The goal with him was to restrict him as much as possible, since the more he could move, the more strength he could gather. And as the strongest physical member of the Pack other than Derek, we didn't want to give him a chance to use that strength of his.
"What if we break free?" Boyd asked nervously as Derek tied off the last of his chains.
"Then you'll do anything you can to get out of here. Probably try and kill me, then kill each other and kill anything else with a heartbeat," Derek listed off carelessly, having no time for questions that none of us should really be thinking about, especially with the sun now setting, and the moon now raising.
With Boyd then done, Derek turned to Erica, who he was going to be chaining up closest to Boyd at the back end of the carriage. "I need you to hold her," Derek instructed Isaac who pulled Erica's arms behind her. I moved to help but Derek shock his head as he picked up the headband. "Not you. You sit, because once I'm done with her, we're doing you next," Derek explained. So I sat down in the area were I was going to be chained up, near the front of the carriage across from where Isaac would be.
"So how come she and Dylan gets to wear the headband things?" Isaac asked.
"Because they'll be able to withstand more pain than you or Boyd," Derek answered. Erica seemed amused by this answer, though uncertain, but I knew it was true. I didn't know if it was a genetic thing with Werewolves, that females could stand more pain, or if it was all because of how we'd grown up. Then again, Boyd had constantly been alone and Isaac had been abused by his dad, so I couldn't see that making much sense.
"I've got an extra one if you really want it," Derek then offered Isaac. Part of me wanted him to take it, to test my theories on whether it was gender or personal experiences that dictated how much pain we could take. But Isaac turned down Derek's offer, so I wouldn't be getting an answer to my question today at least.
"You ready?" Derek asked Erica, who nodded. She was clearly nervous, but it would be over soon…I hoped. And then it would be my turn.
Lifting up the headband, Derek placed it around Erica's head before he then began with the first screw. At first Erica seemed to be able to handle it, letting out short gasps of pain. But then as Derek twisted it further in, her screams grew louder and more painful as blood began to dribble down from her forehead. And it wasn't quick either. The first screw took Derek almost a minute before he was satisfied with how tight it was, and then he had to do that another eleven times after that until he was finally done. With each screw he took more time, making sure it was tight as it could be before going onto the next, and then, even when he was finished, he went around and did them all again.
It amazed me Erica was still standing, never mind that she was conscious with the headband around her head. The rest of her chaining up didn't take as long. And then it was my turn. Isaac held me from behind like he had with Erica and I apologised for kicking him in the balls in advance. I didn't end up doing it but I thought better to be safe than sorry.
When the first screw was twisted in, it went much like it did with Erica. It wasn't so bad, just an irritation against the skin. But then it broke through, and I realised why it was so painful. While Derek was twisting the screw in, he was fighting my healing process, the regrouping tissue hindering his progress as he continued to twist, tearing away at my head from the inside. Trust me, it was worse than any pain a headache or migraine could give you, and even when he was done the pain was still there – before it then erupted in another part of my head as the next screw started to get put in. I honestly had no idea how Erica wasn't screaming even now. I wondered if she really had passed out from the pain and was just somehow remaining on her feet because of the full moon.
I must have blacked out a couple of times during the process, because some screws seemed to go in faster than others. I did shift a couple of times too, trying to claw at Derek while Isaac fought to hold me in place. It was only his hold and what little will power I could afford to spare, that stopped me from breaking free and tearing Derek a new one. By the time it was done, my head was throbbing and covered in blood. I didn't even want to think about what it was going to be like taking this thing off.
I sank down into my seat, letting Derek guide me as he chained up one of my arms to the seat I was sat on. He only did one though, wanting to get Isaac started since it had apparently taken longer than he thought to get me and Erica set up with the headbands.
I had no idea what he was talking about, until I felt the moon. My blood began to boil and I could feel the bloodlust raising like before. The beast inside of me was waking, thrashing about as it tried to get out, take over and kill everyone in sight, everyone I cared about. It didn't care, it just wanted the satisfaction of the kill, and I was already struggling to hold it back.
From behind me, Erica and Boyd started to scream. The beasts would be too much for them to contain tonight, it was their first time. The only reason me and Isaac weren't screaming was because we'd gone through it before. Knew what was to come and how to prepare ourselves, at least for the initial surge of the bloodlust. But we still had a full night to get through before this was over. And Derek still hadn't finished chaining me and Isaac up.
"How do you not feel this?' Isaac growled, not having shifted but in clear irritation, brought on by the full moon and the wolf inside him that was trying to escape and kill.
"I feel every second of it," Derek growled back, making his point as he finished securing Isaac's arm, having only done the large chains around his waist so far. Those were attached to something in every direction, making it near impossible for him to move or get up. The only part of him that could still move, was his arms and Derek was almost done with those as he started on the other one.
"Then how do you control it?" Isaac asked, after a period of Erica and Boyd's intense screaming. I wanted to be there for them, but right now I had to focus on myself. The Pack bond wouldn't help us now, it was every wolf for themselves, fighting for control.
"Find an anchor. Something meaningful to you. Bind yourself to it. Keep the human side in control," Derek explained, glancing over at me as if to make sure I was doing it. I had been, I'd been doing it all day, thinking about Erica, staying close to her, and it had helped. But now, I was feeling the real challenge. My anchor was beginning to slip, it's hold weakening as the moon tried to lift me up and away from my body, leaving it to some mindless blood thirsty beast.
I shook away those thoughts, reminding myself of Erica. Not the Erica behind me that was turning into a savage beast, but the Erica that was my sister and I used to play doctor with in our back garden, using the old cardboard boxes that dad had thrown out to make up the hospital, or spaceship or home. I remember that, those happy moments with my sister. It soothed the pull of the moon for a moment, but when I lost my concentration I felt it's pull again.
This was not as easy as Derek made it look.
"What is it for you?" I heard Isaac ask Derek.
"Anger," Derek answered. "But it doesn't have to be that for everybody," he added as he finished off Isaac's chains.
"You mean Scott?" Isaac asked intuitively which caused Derek to look back to him.
"Yeah," he answered, before adding, "And Dylan too," as he turned around to chain my free hand to the seat in front. While he did that, Isaac looked over catching my eye. It was a little harder for me to turn and face him, what with the headband on that was chained up to the poles around me, but I managed to turn a little, acknowledging him.
"What's your anchor?" he asked, trying to get a better idea of what his own one might be.
"Erica," I answered, her name making me smiling wholeheartedly back at him. Because it was the truth and it always would be. Erica was my other half, she might as well be my twin. Not because we had similar hobbies or interests or because we looked like, but because of our bond, a bond that went beyond sisterhood, after everything we'd endured together. That was what made it impossible to imagine that first year of my life without her in it. She'd always been there and always would be. Me and her verses everything else.
Silence took ahold after that, with the exception of a screaming Boyd and Erica anyway. While that was going on, Derek finished chaining up my wrist and then did a series of chains around my waist, buckling me down to the seat before he stood up and nodded to himself. "All right, that should do it."
Despite saying it though, Derek still needed to be sure. He bent down, giving a tug on Isaac's chains. I presumed he was going to do it with all of us, but when he then pulled Isaac's chains and the board it was attached too broke free, he froze. His head snapped to Isaac, then to me, and we both looked to him. The chains might be good, but this subway carriage was never going to be able to contain all four of us in this state. And that was before we started trying to break free.
"Probably should of thought of that shouldn't we?" I murmured, watching Derek's eyes fill with dread as my own began to glow, feeling the moon pulling that little bit harder. And it was only going to get worse, we probably weren't even at the apex yet.
"Gee, you think–" Isaac got out before he growled in pain, his own eyes flashing. He bit back the rest, fighting the moon like I was, searching for his anchor. I doubted it would do him any good. After all, I had my anchor and I didn't think I could hold out much longer. But if anyone lost control and got out, it wouldn't matter if I stayed in control, they'd tear me to pieces.
As if to remind me of that very real fact and danger, Erica and Boyd growled from behind. I knew then they'd given in, been unable to fight off the pull of the moon. They'd left their bodies, or been shoved to the back, watching as the feral beasts they now were looked around their enclosure, already searching for weakness – and more importantly – prey.
"This isn't going to get any better is it?" I asked rhetorically as I felt my canines begin to form, my face and hands shifting as willed by the moon. Derek looked to me, confirming what I was thinking. That didn't help me, the wolf inside seeing a chance to thrash about even more as my insecurities gave it an opening. It would get out soon, I new it would. Even with Erica in the forefront of my mind, I knew I couldn't hold the beast in for long. I wasn't that strong.
"Stay with me, Dylan," Derek said leaning over before all hell broke loose from the back. Erica and Boyd had fully shifted now, growling madly as they began to thrash around, pulling at everyone of their restraints. Across from me, Isaac was crying out, his shift more painful than usual as it was forced upon him. His claws were coming out, and he couldn't stop them. Maybe that was why it was so painful for him, because he was trying to fight it and he was losing as he spasmed a little in his seat.
I was holding on, but I could feel my anchor about to slip away, the wolf having dug it's claws into my mind. Now all it needed to do was pull me out. "Derek…" I growled out, anger filling my voice without my intention. He looked to me, and I could see the reflection of my furious, glowing amber eyes in his. I was fully shifted now too, having given in to it while trying to hold onto my mind. That was Isaac's mistake, he thought if he could stop the shift he'd be able to stay in control. But that was the next level, and by jumping to it he'd only caused himself more pain, as evidenced by his horrific howls as his body twisted and turned, fighting the shift that would inevitably win.
Looking at Derek now, I could tell he was worried. So was I, but more than anything I was hungry, hungry for the kill, the satisfaction of slitting his throat and killing him right here and now.
A random thought of Erica laughing managed to pull me back, but I knew I had seconds before I lost my grip again. "Get…out!" I growled before I yanked at my chains, trying to get at him as I growled in rage. I was trapped, unable to get to my prey as he backed away.
Glaring at my restraints, I snapped my teeth at them as if that would get them to back off. It didn't, so I began thrashing around, trying to find a weakness like the other mad wolves in the cage with me.
My growls and howls mixed in with the wolves around me, and I was suddenly reminded of the other threats in the room with me. My head swung towards Isaac and his towards me, both completely shift and out of our minds. We began snapping at each other, trying to claw at one another, but unable to because of the chains around us.
At that point Derek returned, his own claws out, but otherwise he hadn't shifted. But I didn't see my Alpha in that moment, I saw another predator, a challenge, and I lunged. The chains pulled me back, but when I lunged again my right arm got free enough to start clawing at my chains. Derek started shouting at me but I was too far gone, thoughts racing a mile a minute and in dire need of a kill. All around the clicking of metal echoed until something else snapped from behind. I wasn't the only one starting to get free.
Derek tried to get past me and Isaac but Isaac had enough wiggle room to lean over into the aisle. Derek would have been able to get around for sure, if my right arm wasn't free, currently now trying to claw at Isaac's face as he tried to bite my arm off. There was space between us, both of us unable to reach the other, but nowhere near enough room for someone the size of Derek to get through.
Even so though, he tried, waiting for an opening before jumping through. He managed to avoid Isaac who'd turned his attention to his arm restraints, but I slashed his arm, making him wince in pain as he landed behind me. I tried to claw my way towards him, having my first taste of blood – coming so close to the kill – but he was out of reach, my own arm wrapping around my neck in an idiotic attempt to grab hold of him. Not that Derek was paying any attention, he was in the middle of fight with Erica. A fight I very much wanted to be involved in.
Then I heard more metal snapping and turned to see Isaac now free. He lunged at me and I threw my claw out to meet him, scratching him across the face. It threw him back into his seat, screeching as his claws covered his face. I tried to reach over, to get another scratch in, but my restraints stopped me once more. Sick of the damn things, I turned my claws on them. Thrashing and scratching until I finally got my other arm free.
At that point Isaac lunged again, this time getting on top of me. We began tussling about on my seat as much as my remaining chains allowed us too. It gave him an advantage, as did his position on my lap, but logic had gone out the window by this point and we were both slashing away at each other. However, completely unintentionally Isaac managed to help me by chipping away at the chains around my waist, to the point the I ripped them off as I shoved Isaac out the window with a dominant roar.
"Dylan! Dylan!" It was Derek shouting my name, but all I heard was the weakness of an injured animal. I turned, the only thing holding me back now was the headband. I saw Derek, having been shoved in between two seats, with Boyd and Erica over him, clawing at him with everything they had. He needed me, and for a brief moment I saw that and I fought to get back in control, thought of Erica and how she needed me. But then I saw Erica, the Erica that was here and now. The Erica that had lost compete control and give into the full moon. The one that had shifted into the animal…and I'd done that to her.
What ever grip I had slipped away as if my fingers had been holding on to a wet cliff face – the animal in control once more. I roared, but the only one who paid me any attention was Derek who kept shouting my name. I reached up then, grabbing hold of the headband and pulling with all my might. It creaked, and then suddenly it gave way, the thing snapping in two as I throw it aside, roaring in triumph.
More shouting from Derek, and I turned to glare at him with my bright Werewolf eyes. But rather than join the dog pile, I turned, leaping out the smashed window Isaac had gone through. Why face a large prey and compete for the kill when I could find something small for myself, something outside. However, outside the subway carriage was another obstacle, though not as large as Derek. It was Isaac, at the top of the stairs, on the railing with all four limbs supporting him. From his high ground position, he looked down at me, and roared.
I roared back, accepting his challenge, and he dove off the railing, leaping towards me. I jumped up to meet him and our claws dug into one another as we came crashing down. What followed was a frantic and random series of slashes and flailing limbs as we fought. Every now and then one of us would knock the other off and jump on top, only to get forced off and for the cycle to repeat as we chased each other around the room. But this wasn't like a game of tag, this was survival, and I was going to be the one to survive.
I leapt up to the subway carriage, roaring at Isaac before he lunged up to meet me. I kicked both my legs out, using my hands for support and sent him flying back down. I heard the snap of bone and roared in victory before leaping off and slashing Isaac across the face once more. His previous scratch had healed but this one would take longer, because I got his eyes this time. Now blinded and slashing about in wild hurt, I had him. He'd never be able to beat me now, not like this.
I went low, clawing at his feet when he tried to get back up and forcing him back to the ground. He tried to get away after that but I grabbed his ankles and hauled him across the floor. He wasn't escaping me, and now all I had to do was claim my kill. With his face to the floor I got ready to slash his neck from behind. Still holding one of his ankles to keep him from scurrying off, I swung my claws down. He howled in pain as I dug them into his neck, blood sprouting out and covering my hand.
I began to drag him again, back across the room, the clatter of my feet on metal following. I got ready to turn him over, but then saw Boyd coming right towards me. I was ready to take him on, more than confident after my conquest over Isaac. But then I saw Erica at the back of the carriage, Derek chaining her up as she struggled and something flashed before my eyes. Before I could even understand it, instinct took over. But it wasn't the wolf's, it was my own. The instinct to protect her.
Unleashing a howl, and still holding Isaac by the ankle and neck, I threw him around towards Boyd. The two collided and collapsed into the seat where Isaac had originally been. I didn't give them a chance to recover, landing on top of them before pinning down the arms that threatened to claw at me.
"Dylan?" I looked up at my name, seeing Derek having stepped away from Erica who was now chained up once more, thrashing about as she tried to get free. He was looking at me, trying to judge if it was me or the wolf. I answered him.
"Could you give me a hand?" I asked through a strained voice, only just holding onto my anchor. To Erica. "These two are a lot stronger than–" I didn't get to finish, being forced from them both as Boyd, who was beneath me and Isaac, unleashed a surge of strength. I rolled off, landing on the floor with Isaac now on top of me as Boyd shot up. He swung down, ready to kill Isaac with a slash to the throat. He was still blinded, unable to see it coming so I shoved him aside, ready to take the attack when Derek shot forward and grabbed Boyd's arm and throat. He shoved him into the wall, trying to hold him, but before I could get up to assist him Boyd freed himself by slashing Derek neck. I briefly panicked, but saw him still moving and made the assumption he was alive.
Boyd, realising the Pack he was facing instead of the lone wolf, decided to make a run for it. He got past Derek but I lunged and ended up on his back, my legs and arms going around him. I dug in with my claws, holding on for dear life as he swung me about, trying to get me off him. In the end a random swing of his claws caught my arm and I lost my grip, falling towards Erica who then tried to claw at me. Thankfully she couldn't reach that far down and had to settle for kicking me which only sent me back towards Boyd.
The largest Beta roared, claws raised as he got ready to slam them down on me. I curled in on myself quickly, arms raised to block the attack but then something tackled Boyd. I lowered my arms assuming it was Derek, but he was still by the front of the carriage, hand at his neck as it finished healing. I turned towards Boyd, finding it was Isaac who had pinned him against the wall. He was like me I could tell, in control but unable to shift back.
Catching my eye, he nodded, and I nodded back before getting up. Once Derek was then healed up, he came over and finished Boyd off by knocking him out. Just to be safe he then did the same to Erica, which then resulted in me clawing at his back. He accepted my excuse of it being the full moon, but I could tell I was going to pay for that later. After that he chained Erica and Boyd once more. With as much care as he needed, making sure everything was extra secure as he tested their restraints. Then it was time for me and Isaac to be chained up again.
We might have been in control for now, but I knew that could change at a moments notice while the full moon was up. I'd done better this time than last though, the same for Isaac. Which meant after another one or two full moons, we'd be like Scott. Able to resist its pull and live our lives as normal, even when it was in the sky. It just took practise and a good anchor. And I had the best on ever in Erica.
Sat down, Isaac was in his original seat once more while Derek had moved me to the very front seat by the door of the carriage. Turns out in my thrashings about, I'd successfully unhinged both my seat and the seat in front, so it was better for me to move before Derek chained me up again. If he'd left me there and I lost control, I'd get free again for sure.
While he was restraining Isaac, I listen, my hands in my lap as I kept Erica at the forefront of my mind. "I think you'll be okay now," Derek said to Isaac, who was also sat patiently, arm held out as Derek chained him down. "Looks like you found an anchor." I was proud of him for that, just like Derek was. But what he said next did honestly confuse the hell out of me.
"My father," Isaac answered, telling us what his anchor was.
"Your father locked you in a freezer in the basement to punish you," Derek pointed out as he finished the job.
With a sad smile, Isaac simply said, "He didn't use to." Derek silently took that in, before giving a tug on Isaac's chains, making sure they were secure before leaving him to his thoughts.
Joining me at the front, Derek stopped before me, looking down. I looked up, offering what I doubted very much looked like a smile. He sighed, tired, and the night wasn't even over yet. "You busted up most of your chains, I'm going to have to get new ones out." I nodded, not particularly wanting to speak and risk breaking my concentration. I could feeling it slipping already, the moon lifting me up slowly, like weak gravity that wasn't able to keep me grounded, but able to slow my ascension into space. It was fine for now, but sooner or later I would be in a battle for control again, and I wanted to put that off for as long as possible.
Placing his hand on my shoulder, I looked up into his green eyes, again seeing the reflective light of my own. Only now it wasn't a furious amber, but more of a tranquil steady yellow glow. It was a lot nicer to look at now. "You did good tonight," he said. "Keep this up and soon I'll have taught you everything you need." I smiled at that, taking the compliment straight to my heart and using it to help fuel my anchor.
"Then we move onto the really hard stuff." I lowered my head, shaking it, feeling like it took less effort than rolling my eyes. Now he was cracking jokes. That settled it, the full moon definitely put him in a light hearted mood. When I looked back up, I caught his grin, before he stepped out of the subway carriage to get the extra chains.
But no sooner did he step off the carriage, did he stop and turn. Having been watching him, I followed his gaze to see what he was looking at and frowned when I saw Lydia stood in the lair with us. I was about to ask what she was doing here – presuming Derek didn't speak up first – when she then lifted up one of her closed fists. Once in front of her face, she opened up her hand to reveal a purple powder in her palm. My frowned deepened as she then blew the powder right into Derek's face. He seemed unfazed at first, but then dropped back, landing on the ground out cold as Lydia stared down at him.
"Lydia!" I shouted, standing as the urge to protect my Alpha took over me. Already shifted, I thought that would be enough to scare her off, but all I got was her blank stare. I climbed out the carriage, flexing my claws and ready to strike her down when I realised something. She wasn't fazed by any of this. But she had been, she'd always been fazed. She'd become the town nut case because of how freaked out she was by all this. Nothing had changed since that night with Kanima, when she'd been freaked out and hadn't even known we were all trying to kill her, and nothing had changed since that night…in the forest.
The night in the forest. That was where I recognised her blank stare from. It was the same one she'd had over her face during that night. And again she was in that same trance like state.
I thought about saying something, trying to snap her out of it without killing her then and there. I wished I had just offed her though, because if I had, I wouldn't have been bested by Lydia Martin yet again.
Lifting her other fist, she unclenched it to reveal more of the purple powder, and as I went to speak, she blew that into my face too. I should have caught on before, but it was only now I knew what it was. Wolfsbane.
I was out of it before I hit the floor, and for the rest of the night I was tormented by Lydia Martin. At ever corner she mocked me, at ever challenge she bested me. Whether she was in that creepy trance or just plain old popular Lydia, she always won.
She and her friends bullied me around school, they brought me to parties just to torment me with sick games – whether it was with spin the bottle, when they'd have me kiss their dogs, or just locking me in the closet after tricking me inside with false promises of a boy waiting to kiss me. They even held slumber parties, were they stole my cloths and locked me outside, leaving me to run home naked while everyone stood on their front lawns and laughed at me. Then back at school, she bested me in front of all the classes we didn't share, getting every answer right in math, english, science, you name it. And all while I stood in front of the room stuttering like a car engine failing to start.
It was humiliating, a nightmare, and all very familiar of a time before I became a Werewolf. Only in this hellish world I didn't become a Werewolf, I was just powerless old me. It reminded me of all the reasons why I hated Lydia, made me regret not killing her on the spot, for not giving into my urges and taking her life when I had the chance. But I hadn't, and now I was being punished for it, punished by Lydia herself, as she mocked and made fun of me. Never letting up, never tiring, just going on and on while I cried. And what made it even worse, was the fact that Erica was no where in sight. I was completely alone, abandoned by my sister, unable to talk to anyone because I now had no one. A fact that Lydia had never let me forget.