8am and Makena was throwing her second duffle bag in the truck. She had checked out and was moving on to her final destination.
The hour and a half trip seemed to fly by and Beacon Hills came into view. Houses and woods blurred together as she drove through town. Makena saw a motel sign through her windshield and decided that was where she was gonna stay until she could find somewhere permanent. Slowing the truck, she turned left and pulled into yet another substandard motel.
"Can I get a room?" She asked wearily when she walked into the office, not waiting til she got to the desk.
"Sure thing hun" The older woman gave her a key and Makena walked back out to the truck. She left the motel and drove around town. She headed out to the other side of town and pulled up at the preserve gates. Makena jumped down and closed the door; locking the truck before sliding the keys in her back pocket. Inhaling the woodsy smell she thought to herself 'Definitely not in Kansas anymore'. She walked aimlessly through the trees, stretching her legs and letting her mind clear; ignoring the nagging thoughts of what might be going on back at home. Pulling her jacket tighter over her arms, keeping the cold at bay, Makena could smell rain on the way and she sighed. For once there was no trace of heat in the air; the weather was going to be cold and miserable and she found herself completely comfortable and ok with it. Suddenly she caught a scent, it wasn't rabbit or deer and it wasn't human; at least not completely.
"Something I can do for you?" She asked quietly to the seemingly empty area.
"This is private property" A male voice came back in reply.
"Sorry, I didn't know" Makena answered honestly. 'Who would want to own a preserve?' She turned to find no-one behind her but she remained calm; the male's scent still heavy in the air.
"Who are you?" They asked.
"Why don't you come out here and I'll tell you" Makena stopped walking and waited for the mystery person to make an appearance. Dark hair and a leather jacket came into view.
"Who are you?" He asked again; a slight growl in his question.
"Makena Harding" She answered flatly. Recognition hit her like a ton of bricks and she knew what he was; her eyes flashed cobalt. Faster than she was ready for he lunged at her and pinned her to a tree. "That's not very polite" She gave him a cocky smirk.
"Why are you here?" His face close to hers; she could still smell his morning coffee on his breath.
"Why not? Seems like a good place to be" Her cocky sarcastic attitude was going to get her into trouble one day. Her attacker growled deeply and Makena's face changed for a moment as she growled back; her eyes bright blue and her canines' elongated showing the male she wasn't afraid of him. They continued to stare at each other; trying to figure out who would move first.
"You know that's a dangerous thing to be doing around here" His grip on her throat lessened and he stepped back.
"I can take care of myself" Makena stated defiantly.
"Yeah I'm sure' He almost scoffed; Makena glared. She could basically hear him calling her a child.
"Right well this has been fun but I've got places to be" She brushed off the tree bark from her shoulder and turned, walking back to her truck.
"Harding" He called out, "Where are you from?" Makena caught the look on his face; curiosity.
"Why so curious all of a sudden?" Although she was a naturally open person, Makena was getting a very icy cold shoulder from the mystery man so she followed his lead and kept it light. Staring at him for a few moments and realizing she wasn't going to get an answer she sighed "Mississippi"
"Jake" He almost whispered.
"Yeah that's my delightful father" Her bitter sarcastic tone dripping from her tongue.
He took a deep breath and cautiously let it go "I'm Derek Hale"
"I'm sorry for your loss" I apologized. His head tilted slightly to the side but Makena didn't need to say anymore. Derek simply nodded; still not moving from his position.
"You're a long way from home" He stated.
"Look Derek as much fun as this is, I could really use a cup of coffee and I've been on the road for a few days so I'm a little tired" He nodded and didn't say anything else. She started walking away from him again, back towards her truck when she stopped and faced him once more. "You wanna grab a cup with me? Finish this conversation?" She asked.
"Where are you staying?"
"The motel" Derek seemed to cringe at that answer but seemed to accept it.
"I'll meet you there" He simply said and turned away. Once he was out of earshot, the air from her body rushed out. She could feel her heartbeat starting to pick up and she was suddenly very flustered. Makena tried to calm herself down as she walked back to the truck and climbed in. Although the cab was warm, her cheeks were burning. She delighted in the feeling but also desperately tried to get herself under control before meeting Derek again. When she got back to the motel she checked her phone and noticed a reminder on the screen: the anniversary. Four years had come and gone and yet a dull pain still remained, closing her eyes for a moment Makena tried to shake the suddenly overwhelming sadness. When she opened them, she caught her reflection in the mirror and her cobalt eyes looked back at her; she tilted her head and stared at herself.
A knock on the truck window and Makena's eyes flicked back to her natural colour and she looked to her right finding Derek standing there; his hands in the jacket pockets and his eyebrows raised a little.
"Sorry" She murmured. Makena turned slightly to open the door but Derek had thought faster and opened it for her, "Thanks" He nodded. "You don't say much do you?"
"I talk when I have something to say. Not really one of those people that talk just to fill silence or to hear the sound of my own voice" It was Makena's turn to nod as she climbed out of the truck. Derek pushed it closed behind her and she locked it.
"Your car I take it?"
"Yeah, if you don't mind" He answered and she simply shook her head. "What is it?" Makena's eyes flicked up to his and he could see the sadness swimming in her ocean coloured orbs.
"It's nothing. Just a memory from long ago" Derek understood. The day of his family's death came and went and he was more reserved and angrier than usual but she was sad about this; perhaps a close friend or family member. Not to say that Derek wasn't sad about his own loss but he didn't like to show vulnerability like everyone else did; it made you look weak and Derek Hale did not do weak. He nodded and opened the door for her.
"Why thank you kind sir" She smiled at his gentleman ways, enjoying the way he treated her. Derek gave her a small smile and closed the door. He climbed in the driver's side and started the car, Makena smiled as the rumble of the Camaro ran through her, "This is a really nice car"
"Thanks" He smiled again. They made light and surprisingly easy conversation, "So you're a long way from home"
"Yeah I had to leave, my father was treating me like a child and I couldn't take it. So now I'm looking for somewhere to live and a new pack" Derek pulled the car up to the pumps at the service station. He climbed out just as Makena opened her mouth to talk but was cut off by the door closing. "So we're doing coffee at a gas station?" Makena joked.
"Well we could drive somewhere but without gas, we'd get stranded" He quipped. Makena clicked her fingers, pointing at him as two cars pulled up. A red SUV in front and a silver one behind.
"Friends of yours?" The two werewolves looked to both cars before they locked eyes with each other; Derek giving a small shake of his head.
"Nice ride" The man stated, walking towards the pair, "Black cars though, very hard to keep clean. I would definitely suggest a little more maintenance. You have something this nice, you wanna take care of it right?" He spoke, as he cleaned the windshield, "Personally; I'm very protective of the things I love that's something I learned from my family and you don't have much of that these days, do you?" He focused on the car as he essentially taunted Derek. Makena was confused and found herself a little angered; either this man knew that Derek was a werewolf and he didn't care, or he was as stupid as they come. She wanted to gut the man for saying those horrible things to him. Makena suddenly felt protective of the male wolf. 'Why do I care? I barely know him'. She thought but still the urge to fight and protect was there. "Unless you've found yourself a new family" The man locked eyes with Makena.
She heard Derek's knuckles crack as he made a fist, causing the stranger to look back to him. Makena took the chance to whisper softly, so low that she was positive no one else could hear her, "Calm down Derek. He's only trying to bait you"
The interrogator looked back to her, "And who might you be?"
"Just a friend" She drawled innocently; laying on the southern accent so heavy it was sickly sweet.
His eyes squinted a little, "You know, you could find a better friend"
Makena mimicked his eye movements, "You know I think I've got it covered. Thanks for your concern though" The strange man chuckled quietly before looking back at Derek.
"There you go" He said, dropping the wiper back into the bucket, "You can actually look through your windshield now. See it makes everything that much clearer" The two men stared at each other for a moment before the stranger turned back towards his car.
Derek spoke out, "You forgot to check the oil" Makena internally sighed. 'He just couldn't help himself, could he?'
"Check the man's oil" He ordered his two pals. One stepped up to the driver's side and smashed the window.
"Looks good to me" He stated proudly. 'Wrecking a werewolf's car, not the most intelligent thing to do' Makena felt a low growl in her chest an instant before Derek's hand grazed over hers.
"Drive safely" He took in the couple as he climbed back into his car, "Be careful just a friend" She gave him a tight smile and a brief nod. Makena and Derek watched the two cars pull away.
"You wanna tell me who they were?" She asked as they got into the car and pulled away.
"Hunters" He replied simply.
"Oh great, I leave home where there are no hunters and wind up running into one my first night here. Just awesome" She grumbled sarcastically.
"I should probably take you back to the motel"
"Yeah I guess" Makena sighed, looking out the window; her hair blowing gently as the cold night air came through the driver's side.
Derek snuck a sidelong glance at the girl next to him, her red hair exposing her neck where the wind was hitting her. There was something about this girl that he couldn't quite shake. Thinking back to when he touched her hand at the gas station made him a little confused. 'What was I thinking? I was protecting us. Stopping Argent from killing us on the spot'. He reassured himself but still there was something deep inside that was nagging at him.
They both took a deep breath, releasing it slowly before speaking, "Look" They said at the same time.
"You first" Makena got out quickly. Derek remained quiet for a moment, "What were you about to say?"
Her encouragement got the words flowing, "You don't have a pack and neither do I really. It would be safer for us to work together" Makena nodded, keeping her smile in check. 'So clinical. She laughed on the inside. "What were you going to say?"
"Basically the same thing" She smiled weakly and looked back out the window. The Camaro pulled up at the motel beside her truck and she climbed out.
"Thanks for the attempt" She smiled half-heartedly.
He offered her a half smile and she closed the door. Makena leaned against her truck and watched the sleek black Chevrolet pull away. The events of the previous hour ran through her head and she tried to decide her next move. Heading into the motel office, she checked out and climbed in her truck. Makena pulled out of the motel lot and drove along the street. She drove aimlessly, not really paying attention to where she was going until she hit a dirt road. Makena directed the truck around the side of the house, out of sight of any potential intruders. Grabbing her duffel bags, she walked up the stone steps and into the dilapidated house. Mack walked inside and went straight up the stairs in front of her. Checking out the still usable rooms, she decided to take the unused one closer to the bathroom. Dumping her stuff on the floor, she looked around the room; simple but she was ok with it. Makena's head turned towards the wall, hearing a car outside; a familiar car.
Derek stepped out of the car and caught a scent hanging in the air; someone was in his house. A growl rumbled in his chest as he hastily made his way inside. As soon as he opened the door the smell was strong and feminine "Who are you?"
"You know, that was the first question you asked me yesterday too" Makena replied from the room she was in as she made her way to where the other wolf could see her.
"What are you doing here?" He asked, his eyebrow raised.
"Well I thought that rather than living in the dodgy motel and being away from you if you need my help, I could stay here" Makena stood at the top of the stairs, shuffling her feet and looking at the ground, "Unless you'd rather be by yourself" She lifted her gaze, looking down at Derek.
"It's fine. You can take the spare bedroom"
"Thank you Derek" Makena sighed gratefully, "You have no idea how much it means to me"
"What, what means to you?"
"All of it" She looked at the tall man below her and shook her head, "Never-mind I'm just being a girl. So do you want to tell me who those hunters were?"
"Argents" He said as he casually walked up the stairs towards his own bedroom.
"Argents? Wow, haven't heard that name in a long time" She followed him into the room and sat on his dresser.
"You've heard of them?" Derek threw his phone and wallet down beside her.
"Relatives of theirs used to live around my area. Momma and daddy used to tell us stories about the Argent's and their family when we were kids; think they did it more to scare us and keep us in line. But when we got older we helped out" She trailed off.
Derek looked at her, listening intently, "Helped out" He stated, his eye brows raised.
"We killed them. Survival of the fittest I guess, my uncle Ryder was killed by one of them. The family declared war on us and we took them all out" Makena looked down at her swinging feet, "So much for their code" She mumbled; knowing that Derek could still hear her.
"You're with me now, that won't happen again" His hand sitting on the dresser, slightly touching her leg. She nodded but continued to look down; trying her hardest to ignore the burning hot feeling she got from even the minimal contact from Derek.
"Derek, when they find out who I am, I won't be safe" She looked at him with sadness and fear creeping in before sending her gaze back to the floor.
This time his hand rested on her leg, gripping her knee in comfort while his other hand tilted her chin up, "I won't let that happen" His face close to hers. Makena found herself lost in his green eyes, "I promise" He said softly. Makena nodded gently, the movement making Derek move his hand and stand up straighter.
She watched him as he moved around the room for a moment before heading to the room she had claimed for herself, grabbing a book from her bag and flopping down on the bed.
Makena was so completely enthralled with the book that she almost missed the second male voice downstairs.
"You killed him Derek"
"No he died" Derek replied to the unknown voice. Quietly Makena slid off the bed and went quickly crept down the stairs making it just in time to see Derek go flying through the wall. She halted her movements and waited, listening for any movement and finally being rewarded with a groan and bits of debris being thrown.
"That was cute" Derek growled. She could hear his bones shifting as he turned. Makena descended down the rest of the stairs and came up behind the stranger. A deep rumbling growl vibrated through her chest and just as he turned around, Makena shifted and pushed him through the wall where Derek had just gone through and she followed him.
"Who…" He got out before being launched through the air. Makena looked to Derek briefly before the third wolf got up and came at her. He landed on her, pinning her to the ground for a moment before she rolled him off and they growled then rushed at each other; his arms hit her first, sending her across the room; hitting the wall then the floor. As soon as Mack went flying, Derek pushed the amber eyed wolf to the nearest wall. They fought, destroying the already ruined room before Derek pushed him down.
"I didn't kill him" Derek panted.
"Then who did?" The younger boy huffed, "And who is that?"
Derek looked back at Makena, who had since pulled herself up and was standing on his left and turned back to the young wolf "Makena" He turned back to Makena "Scott"
"What is she doing here?" Scott questioned.
"You know she is in the room" Makena spoke up, "I'm here because I needed help and Derek is helping me and vice versa"
Derek nodded, "Consider her part of the pack you'll join. There's another out there, it's called an Alpha. It's bigger, fast and stronger than all of us and I need your help to kill it"
"NO! You did this! You bit me, you made me this way!" Scott yelled.
"No I didn't. It was the Alpha. He's the one that bit you, you're in his pack. But I promise if you help me find him, I'll help you kill him" Scott nodded and soon left the house. Derek stood out on the front porch after the younger wolf left. Makena decided to head upstairs and let him be alone; she dropped down on the bed and stared at the ceiling. She laid there for almost an hour before she decided to unpack her duffel bags.
She had just closed the drawer; sealing her panties away from sight when she heard Derek lean on the door frame.
"What is it?" Makena asked softly.
"We're going after the Alpha" Derek stated. She simply nodded and grabbed her favourite leather jacket from the closet; her body vibrating with the excitement of a chase.
Closing the closet door Makena looks at Derek, her brown leather jacket coming to rest at the band of her dark wash jeans that hug her ass in all the right places and her eyes glowing a bright cobalt, "Let's get it done then" She smiled.