AN: Hello Everyone! So, this is the rewrite for chapter 1! It took me forever to get this finished, and I'm still not entirely happy with where I left off, but hopefully it's better than the last attempt. Please, let me know what you think, and enjoy!

"What am I supposed to do, Derek?!" she hissed into the phone. Verena was at school, hiding behind a bus, "I've been losing it all day and my friends aren't stupid! They're going to figure out something is off eventually! Especially if I keep throwing myself in closets every time my eyes flash!"

"Calm down. You've always been the most disciplined out of all of us, despite being the youngest. Just, focus on your anchor –"

"Mom was my anchor, Derek! And now she's gone! And you're too far away for me to try changing it to you! Dad's in a coma!"

"Find something! It doesn't have to be a person! It's probably better if it isn't. Break your arm, if you have to!"

Verena felt her body tense, her stomach clenching.

"You want me to hurt myself?" she asked in a small voice. She heard him growl.

"Of course not! But I don't have any better an idea than you do, Vera! I'm struggling with this too! You're not the only one who lost their anchor that night!"

She scowled.

"Maybe not, but I am the only one that was left to deal with the aftermath, Derek! I'm alone!" she cried, her voice breaking. Her eyes were stinging, and she fought back the tears that were trying to come. He sighed.

"I know. I'm sorry. I've been trying to convince Laura to go back for you –"

She snorted, cutting him off.

"Derek, the only reason I'm not an Omega right now is because of the bonds I can feel to you and dad. Laura isn't my Alpha. Hell, she isn't even my legal guardian. She took you and fucked off to New York without a second thought. She abandoned me! And all I'm allowed with you are phone calls a few times a week."

"I'll come back for you." He promised, "Even if I have to cut ties with Laura and go Omega myself. It may take me a few years, because I still have to get my shit together, but I will go back for you. I swear, Vera. I just need you to have a little patience for me."

She chuckled weakly.

"What are you gonna do, Der? Declare yourself Omega and try to reclaim Beacon Hills?" she asked tiredly.

"If that's what I have to do." He was serious. Completely serious. Her jaw dropped.

"No, no, no, no, no, no, no! You can't! You'll get yourself killed!"

"I'm not leaving you there by yourself. If I have to, I'll find some rogue Alpha and kill them."

She heard the stubbornness in his voice and sighed. There was nothing she could do to talk him out of this.

"Alright, just – just be careful, okay?" she pleaded, "I can't lose you too."

"Of course." He agreed, a smile in his voice now. She sighed again.

"I love you, Der."

"I love you too, puppy. Relax. Breathe. Find your anchor. You can do this. You've done it before. I believe in you."

She grinned slightly. He probably didn't realize it, but that one sentence meant the world to her. She missed her cousin. She heard the bell ring and pouted. Lunch was over.

"I gotta go, Der. I'll talk to you later?"

"Yeah. Talk to you later. Don't hesitate to call me anytime you need me. Okay?"

She nodded, despite knowing he couldn't see her.

"Alright. Bye." She added reluctantly. He chuckled.

"Bye, puppy." The line went dead.

"What the hell is an Omega?"

Verena whirled around to see Danny and Jackson standing behind her and groaned. The Hawaiian boy must have noticed her missing and roped Jackson into helping him find her.

"How long have you been standing there?!" she demanded. Jackson arched a brow at her and Danny shrugged.

"Since 'my friends aren't stupid'." He replied casually. She bit back a sigh. Oh, this was going to suck. She did not want to have this conversation. Not now, not ever. Unfortunately, Danny knew when she was lying. The bastard. She ran a hand through her hair. She cast a furtive glance at the two boys, tugging on her hair.

"Damn it!" she groaned. She bit her lip.

"Okay, I need you two to swear not to tell anyone what I'm about to tell you – and the only reason I'm telling you anything is because you," she pointed dramatically at Danny, who snorted, "can tell when I'm lying. You jerk." She added petulantly. He smirked.

"You're easy to read."

She rolled her eyes.

"The hell I am. The only people who have ever been able to tell I'm lying without listening to my heartbeat are you and my dad. Mom couldn't even tell when I was lying. You know me too damn well."

Danny looked amused, but before he could reply, Jackson broke in.

"Wait, why would anyone want to listen to your heartbeat?"

Verena shrugged.

"When you lie, your heartbeat jumps. That's how lie detector machines work. They monitor your heart-rate to check for irregularities."

"But how?" Jackson demanded. She shook her head.

"That's what I'm about to tell you, Jackass." She answered exasperatedly. Danny cleared his throat.

"You were saying?"

She groaned again.

"Ugh. Fine. An Omega's a werewolf without a pack. They eventually go feral and start killing people."

Both boys stared at her. Danny was frowning.

"Is this for some game you're playing with Stiles?"

She rolled her eyes.

"Yeah, because I would definitely be discussing video games with my jock of a cousin." She retorted sarcastically. His brow furrowed and he took a step toward her.

"So, werewolves are real?" he questioned mildly. She nodded, feeling slightly peeved. He ignored her irritated expression, "And you are one?" he added hesitantly. Again, she nodded, now looking at the ground.

"Yeah. My whole family was – well, most of us. We had a few humans too."

"Can you prove it?" Jackson asked suddenly. Verena arched a brow.

"That I'm a werewolf? Not at school. But if you meet me at the Preserve around four, I'll show you."

"Why four?"

She rolled her eyes.

"Gives enough time for Stiles to go see his mother. If he leaves before I do then he won't be able to ask questions. I'm not ready for the Stilinskis to know yet." She said simply. The two boys shared a look, then Danny turned back to Verena and nodded.

"We'll meet you there. For now, we need to get to class."

Verena sighed. She hoped she wasn't about to make a mistake.

Stiles left sooner than she had thought he would, though she normally went with him to visit her father. She managed to shake off his questions by assuring him that she would stop by the hospital later. She now had half an hour to kill. She decided to go see the vet. He had been her aunt's Emissary. Hopefully he would be able to help her.

She entered the vet's office with trepidation. The last time she had been here had been with her aunt and her father. Now she was alone. She shook her head. Being alone was something she would have to get used to. She wasn't about to go and beg entry to another pack. She shook herself from her musings when the druid came from out of the back.

"Ms. Hale. I'm surprised to see you here."

She arched a brow.

"Are you really? My pack's gone, I have no Alpha, and my anchor died in the fire. I came to see if you would be able to advise me in finding a new one. I also need help completing my training."

He looked at her sadly.

"I don't believe your training is necessary, Ms. Hale."

She rolled her eyes.

"Of course it is. I may not have an Alpha, but I'm still the Left Hand of the Hale pack with my father out of commission. I need to learn. I need to be strong. So, can you help me or not?"

He sighed and went to his office. When he returned, he had a post-it note in his hand.

"This is the number for Alpha Satomi. Explain your situation and she may help you. If she does not, come back and I will help you find another option."

Verena smiled tightly.

"Thank you, Emissary Deaton." She said politely. Then she turned on her heel and left. Hopefully Alpha Satomi would agree to help her.

She'd gotten to the Preserve before Danny and Jackson. Not that she'd expected them to get there before her. She could run faster than most cars, and she knew the Preserve as well as the back of her own hand. Better, actually. She heard a twig snap and looked up. She sniffed the air and wrinkled her nose as the scent of Danny's Armani cologne that he'd started wearing and Jackson's Axe reached her. She tilted her head. They weren't talking. Odd. Most people walking into the woods would have a conversation. Humans usually had a problem with the silence. She smirked to herself. If she was going to out herself, perhaps she could have a little fun with it. She shifted and stepped behind a tree. It took a few minutes for them to reach her. Jackson was scowling.

"Where is she?"

She stepped out from behind the tree, still in her Beta form.

"I'm here." She said calmly. They both looked in the direction of her voice. Jackson jumped back several feet, a look of stark terror on his face. Danny was startled for a moment. Then he leveled her with an unimpressed look and she laughed.

"Sorry, I couldn't resist. I figured I might as well have a bit of fun with this. It's been drilled in me my entire life not to tell humans what I am." She admitted, shifting back. Jackson stumbled forward.

"That's what you look like?"

She nodded.

"In my Beta form, yeah." She confirmed. He nodded shakily and she frowned.

"Are you alright? I was just messing with you. I didn't mean to give you a heart attack or something."

He smirked at her.

"I'm fine, Cujo."

She rolled her eyes.

"You know what, I take back my concern. Screw you."

Danny sighed.

"Guys, can you not?" he asked pleadingly. The two shared a look before nodding grudgingly. Verena looked at the blond boy curiously.

"Can I ask you a question?" she asked. He raised a brow.

"What?"

"Why do you hate me?" she queried. He frowned at her.

"I don't." he answered shortly. She raised both eyebrows.

"So… Care to explain your attitude problem?"

He glared at her.

"Danny always ditches me for you." He snapped. She rolled her eyes.

"You know, there's no rule saying you can't join him when he wants to hang out with me. I never asked you to stay away from me." She finished, looking at him pointedly. He huffed.

"I didn't think I was welcome."

She shrugged.

"You weren't not welcome. You were free to come if you wanted."

Jackson looked stunned for a moment before he cleared his expression. Danny cleared his throat.

"You said something earlier about going feral. Is there any way we can stop that from happening?"

Verena sighed and ran a hand through her dark hair.

"I'm working on it." She assured him. He quirked a brow and she groaned.

"I've got the number of an Alpha nearby, I'm going to call her later and ask if she'll help me find another anchor and help me continue my training."

"Training?"

She shot him an irritated look. Why did her friend have to be so goddamned nosey? She shrugged.

"Before the fire, I was training to be Laura's Left Hand when she took over as Alpha. Now that the pack is mostly gone and Laura's fucked off to New York, I'm a left Hand without an Alpha or a pack to protect. I still have a territory though, and my dad. So I'll protect that." She told them firmly. Danny frowned.

"So the Left Hand protects the pack?"

She shook her head.

"Not exactly. That's the Alpha's job. My job is to do the things the Alpha isn't willing to do. Or to step in if I feel the Alpha is endangering the pack. I'm basically the pack assassin. I need to finish my training. But before I can do that, I need to find a new anchor. My mom was my anchor, but with her dead, I need another one. Something to focus on. Keep me in control instead of the wolf."

Danny nodded, but she could tell he didn't understand, and she sighed in frustration.

"I – the wolf and I aren't… separate entities, or something. The wolf is me. Just… more primal. And it's that primal reaction that I have to control. And with nothing to keep me grounded, control is difficult. That's why I need an anchor. My mom was my anchor, but with her dead and dad in a coma, I'm having a hard time finding another one." She explained. This time, she could tell he got it. They both did. And she was grateful for that. She'd never had to explain what she was to a human before, and she didn't know how to without confusing them. He nodded.

"How did you learn control the first time?"

She shrugged.

"Same way all the cubs did. We have a talisman that's been in the family for generations. We learn to focus on that until we can find our own anchors."

"What happened to the talisman?"

Her brow furrowed.

"It should still be in the vault, but I don't see how –" her eyes widened as she caught on. "Danny, you're a genius! The talisman! I can use that until I gain some control!"

Thankfully she knew where the vault was and could get in without any other member of her family needing to be present. Now all she needed was to get the talisman. Which meant either coming clean with the Stilinskis, or finding a way to sneak out to the high school in the middle of the night. Considering Mrs. Stilinski's current condition, it might be better to try and sneak over after she was done visiting her father tonight. She'd just tell Noah she was walking home and leave when visiting hours ended. Stiles would likely end up being taken to the McCall's after a few hours because his mom usually started freaking out if he stayed for too long. Thankfully, this wouldn't be the first time she had decided to walk home from the hospital, and the Deputy was so busy trying to keep on top of the hospital bills that he barely noticed if she and Stiles were home. Shaking her head, she showed Danny and Jackson back to the edge of the Preserve – Danny's mom had decided to wait on them. She'd smiled when she saw Verena and offered her a ride, but Verena politely declined, saying she was going to walk around the Preserve a bit longer before heading to see her father.

Getting the talisman proved to be ridiculously easy. About three hours into her visit with her dad, there was a commotion on the hall opposite his and she was able to sneak out in the confusion. She'd heard the words flat-lining and prayed it hadn't been Stiles' mom. It was already dark, so no one saw her. She'd sneaked up to the school sign and opened the vault. The talisman had been on a shelf just inside the door, so she didn't have to look far for it. She grabbed it and booked it home.

To her surprise, Noah was there, sitting in the living room with a bottle of Jack in his hand. Verena frowned, making sure to close the door behind her loudly. His head snapped up and his eyes widened.

"Where the hell were you?!" he demanded furiously. Verena arched a brow.

"I went to see my dad for a few hours, then I went and wandered around the Preserve for a bit. Why are you drinking? Where's Stiles?"

He sighed, running a hand through his hair. That's when she noticed the tear tracks on his cheeks. Her heart stopped.

"Claudia?" she asked, her voice wavering. The woman had been kind to her, until the disease she suffered from started to take her mind. Noah nodded. She rushed forward and hugged him. He hesitated a moment before hugging her back, though only for a moment. He pulled away from her, his hands gripping her shoulders. He looked her in the eyes.

"Stiles is upstairs. He was with her when she passed."

Verena didn't need to hear any more. She nodded and swiftly made her way upstairs, forcing herself to go at a human pace. She opened the door to Stiles' room. The lights were off, but she was able to see him clearly on the bed curled up in a ball, his back to the door. She stepped in and closed it behind her before crossing the room. She crawled into the bed and slipped her arms around him.

"Czy wszystko w porządku?"

He startled. She knew he hadn't been expecting her to speak in his and his mother's special language. Claudia's family had been Polish, and she had taught her son her parent's language so that he could speak with them more easily. Neither had expected for a curious little girl to hear them speaking the language at school one day and ask her father to teach her to speak it. But she would explain later. For now, Stiles needed her. He shook his head.

"Odeszła."

She urged him to turn around. Once he had, he burrowed against her. She stroked his hair, murmuring nonsense in Polish. He sobbed, burying his face in her neck. Perhaps she should tell Stiles the truth. Not this week. She would tell him after the funeral. Having something to look into would cheer him up. For now, however, she would comfort her friend, and hope this didn't turn her guardian into an alcoholic.

Unfortunately, it did. The next few months passed in a whirl wind, and Noah spent most of his time either drinking or working. Stiles was spending more and more time with Scott, and she lost the opportunity to tell the boy what she was. Though, with both of them constantly out of the house, it was ridiculously easy for Verena to do what she needed, setting up meetings with Alpha Satomi and attending them. Thankfully, it didn't take too long for her to find a new anchor. This time she had made it the symbol of her family – the triskelion. She was going to have it made into a necklace or something until she was old enough to get a tattoo. Though, she did manage to have her own free time, and usually spent it with Jackson and Danny. He actually wasn't so bad now that she had shared her biggest secret with him. She and Stiles still spent a good amount of time at home, though, and with Noah drowning himself in cases and whiskey, the two quickly learned how to do the house work for themselves. They would take it in turns to do laundry and cook supper, assigning themselves chores so that neither of them was doing all the work or having to do the same thing every day.

This routine went on for well over a year. Finally, Verena had enough. She'd already lost the majority of her family to fire. She wasn't going to watch her new guardian drink himself to death. While Noah was at work and Stiles at Scott's, she decided to take a day off from her training and pour out all the alcohol in the house. Then she waited for the Stilinskis to come home. Surprisingly, Noah arrived first. He smiled when he saw her. At least until he saw her expression.

"Is something wrong?"

She arched a brow.

"Well, that depends. Can you tell me where Stiles and I spend most of our time? Do you know where I go after school? When the last time you spent any time with Stiles was?" she asked sharply. She could see a myriad of emotions going through his eyes – first, defensive anger, then confusion, thought, and, finally, horror as he realized he couldn't answer any of her questions.

"I –"

"I've poured out all the alcohol." She informed him curtly, "And I'll keep pouring it out until you agree to at least moderate yourself."

He stared at her for a long moment, and for minute, she thought he would argue, then –

"You're right. I've been neglecting you and Stiles since Claudia passed. Especially Stiles. I'm sorry."

She looked in his eyes, searching for a hint of dishonesty, despite the fact his heart had been steady. When she found nothing but sincere remorse, she nodded.

"Just… He lost her too, you know? And yeah, I've been there for him as best I could, but he needed you – he needs you." She told him softly. His face twisted in pain and he nodded.

"I'll speak to Stiles when he gets home, and I'll try to be home more often."

She inclined her head.

"We understand that your job will keep you out more often than not, but… Stiles thinks you blame him, because of the way she was acting at the end. He thinks that's why you're barely home anymore."

Noah paled. He'd never meant for his son to think he blamed him for his mother's death, but apparently he did. He put his face in his hands. God, what had he been doing?

Vera smiled to herself at the resolve in the man's eyes. Hopefully things would get better from here.

Polish in chapter:

Czy wszystko w porządku? = Are you okay?

Odeszła. = She's gone.