Sorry this chapter is uneventful and short, but hey Meg and Derek make an appearance and I promise the next chapters will be worth your while! :)
xxx
SSC
Ariel and Stiles were in his jeep heading for downtown where Derek's loft was. During the ride there, Stiles was explain to her everything that had happened at the Motel and his theories regarding the Darac.
"That's all that happened so far and that's everyone I suspect." Stiles concluded glancing at Ariel who was silent the entire time he spoke.
"From what you said everything seems to centers around one place—the school."
"Why do you say that?" Stiles had considered the possibility before but he wanted to hear her opinion.
"Well the fact that majority of the victims have a connection to Beacon Hills High. The warrior sacrifices chosen all came from there and then there is the whistle."
"What about the whistle?"
"Whoever that is doing this has access to the school. He or she knows your patterns and knows who the threats are and how to eliminate them in the sneakiest possible way." He blinked in wonder. The storm in his mind slightly clearing.
"Do you think it might be one of the students, anyone that was on the bus?"
"It is a possibility but you said that he blew the whistle frequently on the bus. It was around his neck the entire time so it would have to be sometime before he got on the bus." The mist was back, Stiles sighed leaning back against the seat while keeping a steady hold on the steering wheel.
"That could have been anyone." He pointed out; Ariel nodded and shot him a pitying stare.
"Looks like you got your work cut out for you." She mused. He looked to her and raised an eyebrow in objection.
"You mean us."
"Right because I am your confidante," Stiles looked to her from the corner of his eye. She was staring out her window. The wind blowing at the red tresses of her hair. The street lights flashing in her pretty eyes, he felt his heart rate elevate again.
No, you are more than that. Stiles was surprised by his own realization but this time, he didn't deny it.
They were climbing up the steps to Derek's loft. Stiles was constantly looking in Ariel's direction. She wore that same passive expression but he knew it was a defense to hide how she was really feeling.
"Are you nervous?" He asked though slightly unsure despite his gut feeling. She regarded him with her stunning eyes. The corner of her mouth curving up in amusement.
"I don't get nervous, but I suppose this isn't going to be easy, good thing you are here." Her words surprised him but he recovered and shrugged.
"Yeah my opinion matters very little to Derek."
"Well he lacks brain." Knowing she found his opinion higher than Derek's—and gets annoyed at the thought that his ideas didn't matter— made him feel smug but grateful at the same time. They arrived at the steel door and Stiles lifted the latch and pulled at the handle. The door slide open with a shrieking roll of iron wheels.
Derek and Meg were standing facing each other in the middle of the living room. Stiles could tell they were in a heavy discussion because his sudden appearance snapped them out of their conversation.
"You, what is she doing here?" Derek demanded glaring in Ariel's direction. She stared back fearlessly and Stiles was surprised when Meg's reaction was equally fierce.
"Before you jump to any conclusions here me out first, you owe me that." Stiles stood defensively in front of Ariel, surprising them all. Meg and Derek's stances eased but their wary expressions didn't "Yeah Ariel is part of the Alpha pack but there are reasons—"
"Which are?" Hale cut in. Stiles looked to Carden and she glanced at him.
"You better start from the beginning." He mused. She nodded and began telling the story. They listened intently as she recited every detail—with a few changes—but everything that she had told Stiles. He watched their reactions, especially Meg's since what Ariel had to say affected her more. She was shocked but Ariel's past at first, but then again who wouldn't be? But when Ariel mentioned Bridget's real identity, Meg was astounded, Derek even more so.
"My mother is a werewolf, how is that possible? Wouldn't I be a werewolf at birth then?" The young beta stumbled in alarm, looking to Derek for answers. He snapped out of his thoughts.
"Not necessarily, the gene isn't always inherited by a werewolf spawn." Ariel answered nodding in affirmation. Meg still wasn't assured, Derek sighed and uncrossed his arms to gently grasp her hands.
"The gene when present is dormant until the child reaches puberty, that's when it is activated but in your case it never did." He said with such patient solicitude Stiles had never heard in him. Stiles really pitied Meg in the moment. She was still trying to absorb the news with wide unblinking eyes.
Ariel sympathized, one look at the girl's face she knew it was still hard to comprehend. The girl riffled through her pant pocket and pulled out a paper she had been safe keeping and handed it to Meg.
"Since we can't really take any pictures. I used the assistance of an artist once to draw her for me." Meg hesitantly accepted the folded square paper. She began to unravel it and stared down at the sketch of the woman.
"You don't have much to validate your story, how do we know this isn't another scheme?" Derek hissed glaring down at Ariel. Stiles remember how threatening one look from the male made him want to cover or run for the hills. Which was why he was surprised when Ariel remained calm and still.
"I think we can establish that this is a little too elaborate when penetrating your defenses was so simple." Stiles stifled his laugh behind a closed fist, at her words. Derek was not pleased.
"Besides Deucalion doesn't know about this, I've made sure." Ariel added vaguely while holding Derek's accusatory glare.
"He is your Alpha leader, why haven't you told him?" He demanded, Stiles saw the distaste in her eyes.
"I am not his little follower. He only accepted me to his pack to make up for the guilt years ago and I agreed because I knew it would get me here, to you." She looked to Meg who's eyes were wavering in uncertainty.
"I need your help finding her." Ariel insisted softly, the girl stared back clearly troubled.
"How can Meg help you? She hasn't met her mother." The broad alpha defended. Meg immediately looked to her boyfriend.
"No but I—"She began but hesitated in her protest, staring down at the drawn image of Bridget.
"You recognize her don't you?" Stiles asked knowing that look anywhere. Meg raised her amber gaze to him and nodded reluctantly.
"Derek this is the woman I saw in my nightmare, the one with the blue eyes." She said looking to her alpha. His eyes widened in surprise. Stiles and Ariel glanced at each other, unsure of what they are referring to.
"Are you sure?" Hale asked Meg nodded silently and looked back at the image, conflicted by the realization. Derek's brows furrowed in worry.
"I dreamt about her, it was a blur and most of the details are a little foggy. I dismissed it as my wild imagination but now that I look at this drawing—I am sure it's her." Meg raised her gaze to meet Ariel again "Did she have blue eyes?"
"When she is a werewolf yes, but when she is a human they are green—well more hazel than green." The female answered calmly. The words brought out a fond little smile from the Beta and she looked to the image again.
"Hazel..." She mused. Derek watched his girlfriend intently.
"You know you look a lot like her, same hair and eyes but she seems more serious." Stiles pointed out gesturing to the drawing.
"You think so?" Meg wondered holding the paper up at an arms distance before bringing it to her side again. She looked between Stiles and Ariel and smiled "So this is the girl you were talking about eh?"
"Stiles mentioned her before, why didn't you tell me?" Derek asked crossing his arms over his chest, emphasizing his bulging pecs. Meg shrugged at her boyfriend. Stiles avoided Ariel's very inquisitive stare.
"Well he didn't give a name or the fact that she is one of the alphas—just this whole deep sentence about how there is always someone who can see the darkness in—" Stiles panicked and instantly clamped his hand over her mouth and pulled her to his side, dimming her words to incoherent mumbles. Ariel who was listening very carefully watched with gleaming eyes as Stiles dragged the struggling beta to a side.
"Okay that's enough out of you." He chimed sending an innocent grin in Derek and Ariel's direction before abruptly glaring down at Meg, he released her and she beamed up at him.
"Dude she is hawt, you dog you." She teased nudging his side with her elbow, Stiles blushed.
"It's nothing like that—"
"Not yet right?" She cut in.
"Yes—I don't know—how are you feeling about this?" He wanted to avert the subject, fast. Considering Meg's easily distracted nature it wasn't so hard.
"The fact that my mom is a werewolf and it wasn't her that left my dad but the other way around?—still processing the guilt will sink in eventually." She murmured rubbing the back of her neck in thought.
"Guilt?" He echoed, she nodded with a hapless smile.
"For thinking the worst of her."
Stiles wanted to ask more but then his phone rang. The sound piercing the air and everyone's eyes fell to him. He answered the call—it was Scott.
"We have another missing case—it's a doctor this time." The beta said.
"A doctor?" Stiles repeated.
"Yeah, one never made it and isn't answering the phone and the one who did answer the phone—only her car made it to the hospital."
"With her in it?"
"No Stiles just the car."
"So that's two missing cases?" Stiles confirmed.
"Yup, you better get here soon." His best friend replied.
"K I'll be there." He hung up and looked to Meg who stared back at him.
"A doctor is missing?" she repeated he nodded in reply.
"I have to go meet Scott at the hospital." Stiles announced looking to Derek and Ariel, mainly the girl.
"Do you have anything to do with this?" Ariel didn't appreciate the alpha's accusatory tone and shot him a flat look.
"I an alpha but I am not a magician and, why would Deucalion target doctors? This is clearly the work of the Darac."
"He is going for healers now. The third one could be anyone." Stiles said.
"Do you need a ride back?" He asked Ariel. Her lips to reply when her own phone beeped and she fished it out and nodded.
"Apparently, Deucalion is asking for me." She stated this grabbed Derek's attention.
"Why?" He asked, she pushed her phone back into the pocket of her jeans.
"I don't know yet, I'll let you know once I do." She answered Meg and Derek exchanged dubious glances.
"So you are going to tell us what's going to happen in your little alpha gatherings." Meg asked. Ariel nodded though the female beta's words confused her.
"Yes...that is what I just agreed to, unless your question was rhetorical."
"Well, we didn't think you would agree." Derek retorted.
"Clearly," She mused bluntly, Stiles took that as his cue to intervene.
"Well we better get going. See you Meg, Derek." He said with a firm nod. Meg grinned and Derek nodded in silent acknowledgement, though he was glaring at Ariel the entire time.
"Bye you guys." Meg chimed waving with her usual enthusiasm. The door rolled shut when they departed and she smiled turning to her boyfriend.
"Well that was interesting." She said Derek nodded in agreement.
"It was," He mused and averted his gaze from the door to the beta "I don't trust her."
"I know, but it didn't sound like she was lying."
"Yeah but that could be something she was trained to do."
"I guess we will know in time besides now that I think about it. She could have done a lot more damage to me and Cora that day at the abandoned mall but I left with a broken wrist and most of the damage done to Cora was through Ennis." Her revelation intrigued and astonished him at the same time.
"What are you saying?" He asked she regarded him her brilliant amber eyes.
"I am just saying it's a little odd and Stiles trusts her and I trust him—and you trust me." She added with a sheepish smile. His dark brows rose up and the corners of his lips curved up into a wolfish smile, dimpling his cheeks.
"Is that so?" He mused and she nodded firmly. He just had to cave and agree.
"Fine...but this thing about your mother. Are you going to help her?" His tone changing to one of concern. She heaved her shoulders momentary, studying the floor boards under her bare feet.
"I don't know I am still trying to wrap my head around that." She looked to him again "What do you think?"
Derek sighed, reaching out and grasping her soft hands in his "I think we shouldn't jump into anything."
"You are right, besides we have more problems to deal with." She agreed smiling up at him. He stared down at her with his pale grey eyes that were slowly deepening in to smoldering silver.
"Let's not think about that now, it's nearly ten." He spoke with sensual intent lining his words, but Meg didn't catch on to his meaning.
"Yeah I know I have to catch some Z's." She yawned just at the thought of sleep. She attempted to turn away when Derek abruptly reeled her back, in one simple tug.
"I meant it was late, I didn't say I was tired." He retorted and before she could protest. He lifted her up and swiftly threw her body over his shoulders.
Her stomach hit the hard muscles of his shoulders. He kept one arm around her waist and the other around the back of thighs, steadying her. Meg sprawled her hands on his back to stop his shoulder from biting into her abdomen when he walked in the direction of the bed—correction, it was their bed now.
"You know that thing I said about this being addictive. This is what I was afraid of." She chided. He threw her down on to the matters and she bounced once until he steadied her with a single palm on her waist. Derek loomed above her, his broad body making her feel small and feminine.
"You don't seem afraid." He noted in a husky murmur. His fingers trailed up her smooth bronze skin of her left leg. She rolled her eyes and rested her arms around his neck.
"I said was, past tense." She retorted. He grinned and leaned down pressing his mouth against hers in a heated kiss.
"Darkness in space, darkness in time, darkness in—"
"Okay I get it. You are pretending to fill in the sentence so I would admit to what I told Meg."Stiles grumbled and Ariel grinned.
"If it makes you this uncomfortable then you don't have to repeat it. Though my curiosity has been sparked." She stated.
"No... really?" He retorted sarcastically though the smile wormed his way on to his lips. His expression sobered when he thought's drifted back to his friend "Meg took everything surprisingly well, I am glad."
"Indeed, it when better than I anticipated. It all depends on how things go from here."
"Do you know what Deucalion is planning next?" Stiles asked averting his eyes from the road for a moment to look to her.
"Just theories, but I have a feeling it has something to do with your friend, Scott." Her statement surprised him. His hold on the steering wheel tightened and he took a sharp left in the direction of her apartment.
"What does he want with Scott?" He demanded she held her calm exterior and sometimes Stiles thinks she stays calm just to assure him.
"It's just something I noticed when the whole fight that happened in the abandoned center. He said something that seemed to hint at Scott's potential as a werewolf—I wasn't going to say anything till I was sure but I thought you had an idea." He absorbed her words with furrowed brows and great intent.
"Not yet but it makes sense to why he would assign Ethan and Aiden to Danny and Lydia and you to me."
"I never said Deucalion assigned me to you—"
"But you—" He began, she cut in.
"No, you assumed. Our meeting at the cemetery was completely coincidental." Stiles parked the vehicle one block away from her building and in the darkness of an alley way. That way Deucalion or the others wouldn't spot them.
He turned to her the moment he parked the car. "Then what were you doing there?" he asked, she looked to him and smiled.
"Morbid I know," She opened the door and climbed out before spinning around to face him, popping her head through the open window.
"But maybe someday you will come around to understanding the darkness in me." He didn't get a chance to retort because she winked and that act alone rendered him speechless and sent his heart escalating. She walked past the jeep and Stiles stared after her, utterly entranced.