Author's Note: Thanks so much to everyone who reviewed the last chapter! I hope you all like this one!

Chapter 9

They found another body.

This was the phrase – and this alone – that Derek found on his cell phone the morning after the full moon. The text message was from Scott and it relayed no other details. He called him immediately, but was sent straight to voicemail.

Can't talk. With my mom at the hospital. Looks like a werewolf attack. Amy and Isaac were with you all night, right? flashed across his screen seconds later.

Of course. It wasn't them. Whose body is it? was his response. It hurt him to think that Scott had even entertained the possibility that Amy or Isaac had killed someone. His fingertips hovered anxiously above his phone's keyboard as he awaited a reply and he even felt his heartbeat pick up in anticipation. After what had happened with Jackson, it was admittedly somewhat of a comfort to know that his packmembers were safe, but the discovery of another body certainly didn't bode well for any of them. Unless it was one of the Argents, that is…

Scott's answer was merely Isaac's dad without any additional information; he was keeping things quite vague. Derek's expression must have betrayed his surprise and dismay, for Isaac himself quickly questioned, "What's wrong?"

"They found another body," he began cryptically. "But this one wasn't killed by hunters – it was killed by a werewolf."

"Who?" Amy asked.

He glanced from her to Isaac, hesitance shining brightly in his blue-green eyes. When he didn't say anything right away, the other two were easily able to sense that something was wrong.

"Who?" Isaac repeated, far more forcefully than Amy had. It was like he already knew.

"Your dad," he grit out quietly.

Isaac took a step back, as if someone has struck him, and shook his head. The motion was not done so much out of disbelief, but because he was having trouble registering Derek's words. Amy put her hand on his shoulder, partially to comfort him and partially to steady him. He blinked rapidly several times and said, almost inaudibly, "My dad is dead?"

"Yeah…" he confirmed. "I – I'm sorry."

"B-but… I don't understand. Why?" He wet his lips, still seemingly unable to process this news. "What – what does he have to do with any of this?"

Derek stared at the dirty floor with a furrowed brow, his face cast downwards; he was frustrated with his inability to provide any answers. He only shook his head and said, "I don't know."

Isaac stumbled to a nearby crate and collapsed, cradling his face in his hands. Amy quickly knelt beside him, knowing all too well the shocked sort of pain he was likely experiencing.

"He was a horrible person," he stated, voice rasping, "but it still hurts."

"I know," Amy soothed. "If anyone understands, it's us."

Isaac sat up straight, and when he revealed his face she noticed that there were no tears staining his cheeks. "We're all alone, aren't we," he said gravely. "My mom is gone, my brother, and now my dad. My whole family. And Derek, your whole family is gone, too. Amy, at least you know that your mother and brother are still alive…"

"I guess in that way I'm lucky," she said. "But we're not alone, not really. We have each other, now. You have us."

Derek stepped forward, looking only mildly uncomfortable with this foreign, quasi-patriarchal role. "She's right," he agreed after a moment. "Being in a pack – when everything's done correctly – is like being in a family. I know that doesn't make it any easier, but at least you know that we're here for you."

Isaac's eyes searched his Alpha's, trying desperately to read the emotions concealed there. He judged that Derek seemed earnest, and because of this he felt immensely relieved. "It does make it easier," he said eventually. "And the father I knew and loved… He's been dead a long time. He's been dead since my brother died in combat. I've been mourning the both of them ever since."

XXXXX

"Lydia's moving to Paris," Allison told Amy matter-of-factly as the others – the boys – discussed the death of Isaac's father. The pair of them was sitting on a bench outside the hospital, where it seemed they spent nearly half their time.

"What?" was all Amy could manage. The way Allison had told her – it was like she was telling her that it was supposed to rain, not one of their best friends was moving across the ocean.

"After what happened with Jackson, she said she needs to get away."

"But – it's the second semester of senior year!"

"They're letting her graduate early – you know how smart she is – and she's planning to start at the Sorbonne in the fall."

"But… France… It's so far away…"

"I know. But she's distraught about Jackson and she said that everything here reminds her of him. Plus, she speaks French, and she wants to do this. You know how she is, once she decides to do something there's no stopping her. Maybe this is a good thing."

"A good thing?"

"Yeah. I mean, she doesn't know about any of the you-know-what stuff, and this way she'll at least be out of danger. I honestly think it's for the best. I'll miss her, obviously, but I'd rather know she's safe then have her here."

"Yeah." Allison was right. All of her points were valid, and she truly didn't want Lydia to be in any danger. But Amy couldn't help but feel that horrible albeit familiar tug at her heartstrings because it meant that someone else was leaving her life.

All of a sudden, Scott and Stiles ran out of the hospital, towards them. Allison and Amy stood abruptly, alarmed. There were a whole manner of problems they could be rushing to inform them of; neither even wanted to speculate on what disaster had happened now.

"What's wrong?" Allison questioned.

"It's Isaac," Scott said. "The police are arresting him."

"What? Why?" Amy demanded. They had promised him – she and Derek, they had promised him that they would take care of him. That they would protect him. And just hours later, he was being arrested. She felt sick.

"They think he might have had something to do with his father's murder," Stiles said somberly.

"But it's an animal attack – not a murder," Amy stated.

"That's what it looks like, but they think he might have tried to disguise it as an animal attack. They think he had a motive… Some of the neighbors have said that they heard domestic disputes at the Laheys' house pretty often and they think Isaac might have finally snapped."

"But it's impossible – I can vouch for him! Derek can vouch for him – he was with us…"

"Yeah, that's what Derek's trying to do now. But they're gonna want to know what you were doing and if anyone saw you," Stiles reasoned. "You'll both have to testify. I don't think you should worry, though, there's hardly any evidence."

"But can't they keep him overnight?"

"Yeah, but why does that matter?"

"Because when he's away from us, he's vulnerable – especially since the full moon was last night."

"You think the Argents will try to attack him at the police station?" Scott questioned urgently.

Allison looked particularly pale, as if she agreed with this analysis, but didn't say anything.

"Yes," Amy continued, "I think they're going to try to pick us off one by one. Together we're strong, but alone we're weak – especially me and Isaac."

XXXXX

Back inside the hospital, Isaac was being taken away in handcuffs. He didn't protest or resist, and instead seemed so melancholy that he didn't even have the strength to put up a fight. His father was dead, and werewolf powers or no, people still thought he was to blame. It was ironic, he thought.

Derek, however, was furious.

"He was with me and Amy last night," he viciously told Sheriff Stilinski.

"Ah, so Amy is at home," he noted. "I thought as much."

"That's beside the point. Isaac couldn't have killed his father."

"So he's been living with you, then? I heard he'd run away from home shortly before the murder, but I didn't know he'd been staying with you."

"Yes, he was staying with me."

"You know, Derek, whenever a teenager runs away or goes missing in this town, you always seem to be at the center of it. Don't think I didn't see you here the other night when we found Jackson's body."

He only stared blankly at Stiles' father, unsure of how to respond. Eventually, he said, "I guess I just have a soft spot for people who come from troubled homes."

"Ah, so you can confirm that Isaac and his father had a strained relationship."

Derek faltered, "No, that's not – I mean, yeah, but he didn't kill him!"

At this rather obvious display of dismay, Sheriff Stilinski couldn't help but let his hard exterior waver. It was clear to him that Derek genuinely cared about Isaac, which he found somewhat surprising. "Look, we're going to investigate and get to the bottom of this – but we're going to need your and Amy's cooperation. We still haven't even searched the house, but from the sound of things, Isaac's father was abusive. And while that doesn't bode well for Isaac in terms of painting a picture of what might have happened, it can't act as a replacement for hard evidence. To be honest with you, I don't want to lock up a teenager for murdering his own father. Either way, the man is dead and it can't be easy for Isaac, especially if he is innocent. Believe me when I say that I'm going to try to get this cleared up as soon as possible."

Derek's features softened and he allowed himself to trust Sheriff Stilinski's word. "Fine," he said in quiet defeat. "Just don't let anything happen to him."

The other man's eyebrows knit together in confusion – just as he was about to ask for clarification, though, Derek started to walk towards the door.

He left the building just as Isaac was driven away in the back of a police car; he caught a final glimpse of him through the window, looking numb. Derek's chest tightened. He was failing, again. He wasn't cut out for this – this was why he hadn't wanted the responsibility of being an Alpha in the first place. He knew he would screw it up, just like everything else he touched. His life was just one big screw-up.

He soon spotted his teenaged compatriots sitting around a nearby bench, watching the car carrying Isaac drive off into the distance. Amy was the first to notice his presence as he walked towards them.

"What happened?" she asked.

"They're going to keep him in custody until they have further evidence."

"Look, guys, my dad is a good cop," Stiles insisted. "I know him, and he's not going to keep an innocent person locked up without reason. I'm sure that if Isaac has nothing to hide he will be released soon."

"But I already told you, he's still at risk," Amy stated. "If the Argents come for him, it'll be like shooting fish in a barrel."

Allison, speaking for the first time in a while, said, "She's right. There's been a tension between my dad and Gerard because my dad doesn't agree with mindless extermination, but Gerard is going to use this attack as an excuse to persuade my dad to kill Isaac. Whether he's actually guilty or not, this still looks bad for him. We have to protect him."

Author's Note: Please let me know what you think! What do you think of the pace? The characterizations? Let me know! :-)