Fireflies

It was proving to be a long night for the pack and dawn was still hours away.

Cora and Boyd had been trapped for months in an abandoned bank vault made of Hecatolite, a material that prevented werewolves from feeling the full moon. Their tolerance for it had been diminished and until morning came, they were going to be nothing but mindless, savage animals.

Isaac's strength had returned and he'd made Peter come with him to help track down and capture Cora and Boyd. Erica and Alison were also doing what they could to help. But even with their reinforcements, the pack was having trouble tracking down and containing Boyd and Cora.

At the moment, they'd split up into two groups, trying to cover more ground. Peter, Isaac, Jackson and Derek had gone off in one direction while Alison, Erica and Artemis had gone off in the other.

The girls found Boyd not a moment too soon, for he was chasing after two little kids who were in the wrong place in the wrong time.

"Hey, Bigfoot! Why don't you pick on someone your own size?" yelled Artemis.

Boyd ceased chasing the kids and turned his attention to Artemis and Erica, who wolfed out fought him while Alison took the chance to get the kids to safety. Despite their efforts, Boyd was able to defeat them and tossed them into trees like ragdolls.

Before he could do anything more, Alison rejoined the fight and fired off a flash grenade arrow, which blinded Boyd long enough for them to make a tactile retreat.

The three girls ran and didn't stop until they'd caught up with the boys.

"What happened to you three?" asked Isaac.

"We found Boyd, but we had to lose him," said Erica.

"You lost him?" said Peter, incredulously.

"We didn't have much of a choice!" said Artemis, irritated. "We were barely able to stop him from going after two little kids and he tossed Erica and I around like ragdolls. He's too strong, too fast and way too angry for just two of us to take on. I'm betting Cora's the same. We can't split up again and we need help with this."

"Huntress is right," said Derek, sighing. "We've been going around in circles for hours trying to find and capture Cora and Boyd." Right before they'd met up with the girls, they'd barely stopped Cora from going after a camper before she ran off. "Much as I hate to admit it, and I really hate to admit it, we need help."

Peter looked confused and then caught on. "You're not serious! You want to ask Chris Argent for help?" he said, disgusted.

"Much as I hate to agree with the nutcase, he's got a point," said Jackson, earning a glare from Peter. "Chris Argent's lost most of his family thanks to our kind and he's retired. Why the heck would he agree to help us? Why can't Alison do it?"

"Because my dad may be retired, but he's not one to turn away someone who needs help," said Alison. "And besides, I'm a decent huntress, but I'm just a rookie. My dad's got years of experience under his belt. He knows how to track werewolves without harming them better than anyone I know."

"Besides what choice do we have?" said Erica. "Boyd and Cora are too strong, too fast and too rabid, even with all seven of us working together. We need help on this if they're going to survive until morning."

Erica was worried sick about Boyd and at this point, she was willing to do anything to get him back. She could feel his emotions and hear his thoughts and they frightened her. Boyd wasn't acting like her protective, powerful and loving mate at the moment. He was acting like an animal. If Erica lost Boyd, she would die with him.

"That may be, but it still begs the question of what we're going to do with them when we find them," said Peter. "We find them and then what, hold them down until sunrise? It might be easier just to kill them."

Everyone glared at Peter at this.

"Killing them is not an option, Peter," growled Artemis. She wasn't about to take a life, especially not the lives of Boyd and Cora.

"Unless you've got something useful to say, shut up, Peter," ordered Derek. He was getting sick and tired of Peter's attitude and was finding it difficult not to beat his brains in. "Alison, where's your dad?"

"My dad's shopping for groceries at the 24-hour supermarket downtown," said Alison. "Should I call him?"

"No, we'll just meet him there. I think this might go over better if you and I talk to him face-to-face," said Artemis.

Chris may be retired from hunting, but Artemis was willing to bet he'd help them if it was her and Alison who asked for it. He had a soft spot for his daughter and her best friend and they could probably use that to their advantage. Plus, he did promise to help Artemis and the pack if she asked.

Just then, Artemis's cellphone went off.

"It's Stiles," said Artemis, as she answered it.

XXX

Despite the late hour, Lydia was out running an errand.

She'd run out of Advil and had gone out to get more. Instead of driving to a pharmacy, however, she found herself at a pool far from her intended destination. Worse still, she had no idea how she'd gotten there or why she was there at all.

Feeling scared, Lydia looked around and nearly had a heart attack by what seemed to be someone lying in the pool facedown. She relaxed, however, when she realized it was just a dummy. But her relief was gone in a flash when she dared to look up and saw someone lying dead in the lifeguard's chair.

Lydia let out a terrifying scream before taking several deep breaths and making phone calls. Knowing Jackson was busy helping the pack locate Cora and Boyd, Lydia called Stiles and the police, and then waited for them to arrive.

Stiles was there first, having nearly broken a few speeding regulations to do so. "Lydia! Lydia, are you okay?" he asked, as he got out of his jeep.

"I will be," said Lydia. She was freaked out and grateful Stiles was there. "But that is not okay. Not okay at all."

Stiles gave her a comforting hug and she returned it. Lydia didn't return Stiles' love, but the two of them had become better friends over the past few months. Stiles was still a dork, but he was a friend Lydia could depend on, which she was immensely grateful for.

"Did you call the police?" asked Stiles, when they broke apart.

Lydia nodded and fresh tears glistened in her eyes. "Yes, but I have no idea how I'm going to explain this."

Stiles frowned in confusion. "What do you mean?"

Lydia sighed. "I was on my way to the store for Advil. I wasn't headed here. I have no idea why I came here, how I found the body. I didn't even know I was here until after I got out of the car. Stiles, what if Peter's—?"

"If Artemis or Derek had the slightest inkling Peter was up to something, they would've dealt with it by now," said Stiles, flatly.

Lydia's fear was understandable, considering what had happened the last time strange things happened around her. Last time, Peter had used her as a pawn in his plans to resurrect himself from the grave and tormented her for weeks in order to do so.

Lydia looked slightly relieved at this, but she was still worried. "Was it a werewolf that did this?"

"I don't know, maybe. But I better tell Artemis anyway," said Stiles. He quickly dialed Artemis's number and waited for her to pick up. "Hey, Arty, it's me. We've got a situation. Lydia found a body."

"What?" said Artemis, sounding shocked. "Where?"

"It's at the public pool. Possibly one of our fugitives did it, but I'm not sure," said Stiles.

"The pool? How can that be? The pool's on the other side of the forest and we haven't tracked them anywhere near there," said Artemis.

"Then how do you explain this, Arty?" asked Stiles. "The fatal wound kind of looks like one caused by a werewolf. But if you don't think it was Cora or Boyd, then are you thinking the Alphas did this?"

"I don't know. Do me a favor, okay? Check the wound more closely and make sure it's one caused by a werewolf," said Artemis.

Stiles didn't want to, but he agreed anyway. "Okay, hold on a minute." He took out his pocket flashlight and looked at the dead man's throat wound. "Okay, my mistake. This doesn't look like a werewolf's M.O. There aren't any teeth or claw marks. Plus, the guy's got a purity ring just like Heather did."

The wound was too neat, too clean to have been caused by a werewolf. Plus, even if a werewolf wanted to cover their tracks, they wouldn't go to so much trouble like this. And since when did werewolves target those who were pure?

"So, what…there's someone else we need to worry about or maybe it's a human crime?" said Artemis, sounding puzzled. "First Heather and now some random guy? What's going on?"

"I don't know, but I don't like it, Arty. Something's not right," said Stiles. He looked up when he heard the sounds of sirens. "I've got to go. The cops are here. I'll call you if I find out anything."

"Okay. Stay safe, Stiles," said Artemis.

"You too," said Stiles, as he hung up.

XXX

Outside in the parking lot of a 24-hour supermarket, Chris Argent unloaded his groceries into the trunk of his car.

As he began to shut the trunk, his hunter's instincts kicked in and he quickly whipped out his gun to face who or whatever was behind him.

"Whoa! Jeez, Dad, it's just us!" said Alison, startled.

Alison and Artemis were standing behind with their hands in the air, looking frightened.

Chris sighed in exasperation as he pocketed his gun. "You should know better than to sneak up on a seasoned hunter like that! What're you two doing out here this late and on the night of a full moon?"

Long as he lived, Chris knew he would never understand the mind of young teenagers. Hunting was so much simpler.

"We came to ask a favor," said Artemis. "After the business with Gerard and the kanima, you said you'd help me if I ever asked for it. Well, I need your help now. Will you?"

Chris folded his arms across his chest. "Depends on what you need my help for." He was willing to help Artemis and the pack if need be, especially if Alison was involved, but he was retired and this might be the time when he drew the line.

"Do you know about the Alpha pack?" asked Alison.

Chris frowned as he nodded. He knew much about the Alpha pack, having been told stories from Gerard and had even tried to hunt them at one time. "Yes. Why?"

"They're here in Beacon Hills," said Artemis. "They arrived four months ago and they kidnapped Erica and Boyd. And not just them. Somehow, Cora, one of Derek's siblings, is alive. She was with them. For the past few months, Boyd and Cora have been trapped in a bank vault that was made of Hecatolite."

Chris rubbed the space in between his eyes. He was well aware of what the mineral did to werewolves. "Let me guess, you found them and they escaped and now they're on the loose, like rabid dogs."

Alison nodded. "We're not having much luck tracking them down. We need to find them and contain them until the sun's up. If we don't, then it's only a matter of time before someone gets hurt. We can't do this without you, Dad."

"Chris, please. I know how much you're hurting right now because of what my world cost you, but we wouldn't have come to you if we had anyone else to go to," begged Artemis. "Please, help us."

Chris hesitated but then saw the desperate look in the girls' eyes and he knew the situation was bad. He needed to help them.

"All right. I'm in. Where did you see them last?" he asked.

Relieved that he was helping, Artemis told him. Chris then got into his car along with Alison and had the pack follow him into the woods.

When they arrived, Chris got out his bag of hunting gear which he kept with him at all times in case of an emergency and leapt into action.

"You've been tracking them by print?" he guessed.

"Trying to," corrected Erica. "We're not really using scent 'cause of the full moon."

With the full moon amplifying their powers and emotions, the six werewolves were having to block off a lot of their abilities in order to maintain focus and control.

Chris shook his head. "You've been wasting your time. There's only one creature on Earth that can visually track footprints and that's man. And if you're not trained like me, you have no idea that these footprints belong to Boyd and you. One of you trampled Cora's footprint as soon as you entered the area."

Jackson had the decency to look away, but there was an embarrassed look in his eyes.

"Listen, I know the six of you are focusing half your energy on resisting your own urges during the full moon, but that puts you at a severe disadvantage to Cora and Boyd, who have fully given in," said Chris. "They've put the pedal to the floor while you're barely hitting the speed limit."

None of the pack looked pleased at this.

"So, what do we do?" asked Derek.

"Focus on your sense of smell," said Chris. "Actual wolves are known to track their prey up to a hundred miles a day by scent. A trained hunter can use scent to track them. If the wind is with them, wolves can track a scent by a distance of two miles, which means we can draw them to us or into a trap."

Chris then began dishing out netting and infrared goggles.

"The full moon does give us one advantage. They'll have a higher heat signature, which can be spotted easier by infrared goggles."

Derek refused the pair offered to him. "Thanks, but I've got my own," he said, as his eyes flashed Alpha red.

Peter rolled his eyes. "Show-off."

Everyone ignored him.

"Remember, we're not hunting wild animals," said Chris. "Underneath those impulses are two intelligent human beings. Don't think that just because the moon's turned them savage, that they can't rely on their human side. It's suppressed, but it's there, reminding them how to mask their scent, cover their tracks, and survive."

"Then we'll just have to outsmart them," said Artemis. "And if we're going to do that, we'll have to trap them and we'll need a place to trap them."

"But where?" pressed Jackson. "What's strong enough to hold two werewolves that're on their full moon crazies?"

"What about the high school?" suggested Isaac. "No one would be there this late. If we got them there, we could lock them in."

"That could work. But where in the school would we trap them? If they broke out of a window or broke down a wooden door, they'd get into the residential areas and it would be chaos," said Erica.

Artemis snapped her fingers as an idea came to her. "The boiler room. The door is solid steel and there're no windows or access points to the outside down there. Plus, Isaac's right. It's a safe bet that the school's empty. No one would be at the school this late." At least, not that she knew of.

"The old trapping-werewolves-in-a-high-school-on-a-full-moon routine. A bit cliché, isn't it?" said Peter, smirking. He was clearly remembering the time he trapped Artemis and her friends in the school all that time ago.

"Peter, shut up!" hissed Derek.

Derek was finding it hard not to kill Peter again and make sure that he stayed dead.

"What's the best way to lure Cora and Boyd to the school?" asked Alison. "The smell of fresh meat or blood?"

Chris shook his head. "I've got something better than that." He got out a series of devices that looked like outdoor yard lights. "These are ultrasonic emitters. They're one of the tools we use to corral werewolves, pushing them in a direction we want them to run." He plunged one into the ground and switched it on. "They give off a high pitch frequency only werewolves can hear."

"Yeah, we noticed. Thanks for the warning!" said Artemis, sarcastically.

All six werewolves had heard the painful, ear-splitting noise that made their ears ring and were trying to block it out by covering their ears. They were also all scowling at Chris for not warning them properly.

So, without further ado, everyone took off to plant the emitters to lure Cora and Boyd into the high school. Once they got to the school, Chris and Alison would use their gear to make sure they entered the building and once they were inside, it was up to the pack to get them into the boiler room and keep them there until morning.

XXX

They ended up separating while planting devices and it wasn't long before Derek finished up his part of the job and Peter took the opportunity to talk to him.

"The hunted becomes the hunter. Wow. Never thought I'd live to see the day," said Peter, sarcastically. "Do you really think the Argents' high-tech dog whistles are going to work according to plan?"

"Not really, but what other options do we have?" said Derek. "If Chris can help us save Cora and Boyd, then I'll do it. We're running out of time."

Peter sighed. "You know the only reason I'm going through with this is because I have to obey you now that you're my Alpha. But if I were in charge, I'd be seeing this mess for what it really is, rather than what you believe it to be."

Derek frowned. "And that is?"

"You may recall that when I was the Alpha and trying to get Artemis to join me, I tried to get her to get rid of the baggage she carried—her old pack. I tried to get her to get rid of them herself so I wouldn't have to. Deucalion's doing the same thing. That's the whole point of this little exercise. And the fact that it's happening out here rather than in the vault doesn't matter to him," explained Peter. "He wants Artemis to take a life—more specifically, Cora and Boyd's and eventually the others."

"Artemis would never do that," said Derek, sternly. "She had a chance to kill you if it meant curing her of her lycanthropy, but she didn't take it because that's the kind of person she is. She'll never be like Deucalion and the rest of them."

Peter shook his head. "You'd be surprised what people can do when pushed over the edge, Derek. Besides, Deucalion already has the elder Moon sister under his control. What makes you think he won't find a way to complete the set? And I think we both know that if she doesn't join his pack, there's no telling what lengths he'll go to in order to keep her from becoming the True Alpha she's meant to become."

"I'm aware," said Derek, through clenched teeth. Deucalion was a monster. He was insane, vain and in love with his power. But even with his status as the Demon Wolf and one of the most powerful Alphas, Artemis's True Alpha potential put him at risk. She had the potential to be more even powerful than Deucalion and he was afraid of what would happen if he couldn't control her. That fear was putting Artemis's life in danger. "But Deucalion's a fool if he thinks we're letting Huntress go without a fight."

Derek and his pack would go to any length to protect their own, especially Artemis. Deucalion didn't realize that.

Peter sighed and shook his head. "And that's why Deucalion has the advantage. He's willing to make sacrifices while you're not."

"If that's keeping me from becoming like him, then so be it," said Derek, firmly. "Now, shut up and come on."

There'd be time for chit-chat later. Right now, they had work to do.

XXX

The high school at night was just as bad as Artemis remembered from the last time she was there—dark, creepy and promising nothing good. It brought back memories of when Peter had trapped her there and tried to force her into ridding herself of her old pack so she would join his own.

But she forced those memories back as she got into position and wolfed out. The rest of the pack was also in there, wolfed out and prepared to strike and get Cora and Boyd into the boiler room as planned.

They didn't have to wait long. Boyd and Cora's howls were heard and then they made their way into the building after Chris and Alison used flash grenades to chase them inside and then they were locked in.

As Boyd and Cora ran through the school trying to find an exit (all the doors and windows were locked, thanks to the pack) Artemis and Derek found them and got their attention. Derek slammed Cora into the wall and Artemis tripped Boyd, causing him to fall flat on his face. This made the two Betas mad, which was what they were trying to do.

"Come and get us," said Derek, smirking at their furious looks.

Cora and Boyd let out angry roars as they chased Derek and Artemis down a few flights of stairs and into the boiler room. Once inside, Cora and Boyd were sprayed with fire extinguishers, which distracted them long enough for Derek and Artemis to get out and lock the door behind them.

For a few minutes, there was the sound of pounding on the door, but then it stopped as Cora and Boyd went elsewhere in the boiler room.

"Did that actually just work?" asked Artemis, in disbelief.

Derek looked relieved as he nodded. "It worked."

Artemis let out a sigh of relief and joy before wrapping her arms around Derek's neck and kissing him soundly as he held her tight against him. Their insane plan actually worked, soon the sun would be up and their trapped Betas would be back to normal. Things were starting to look up.

"I love you, Huntress," said Derek, smiling.

"I love you too," said Artemis, as she kissed him again. "Now, why don't you go tell the others the plan worked? I'll catch up in a minute."

"You sure?"

Artemis nodded. "Positive. Go. I'm just going to rest for a bit. I'll be right with you."

Since Boyd and Cora were locked up, Derek saw no harm in leaving, so he departed to tell the others the plan had worked.

Once he was gone, Artemis sat on the floor and leaned against the boiler room door as she caught her breath. She closed her eyes for a moment and tried to relax. She was tired, sore and ready for a hot shower and a long nap. Heaven alone knew she and her friends had more than earned some rest after the long night they'd had.

Artemis's ears then perked up when she heard the sound of a heartbeat coming from the boiler room. It wouldn't have bothered her if it had been Cora or Boyd's heartbeat she was hearing, but it wasn't. There was a third heartbeat. Someone else was in there and they were locked in with two crazy werewolves.

Oh, crap. Oh, holy freaking crap!

Without thinking, Artemis yanked opened the door and ran inside. She knew she was taking a risk, but there was no other way. There was no time for backup to come. If she didn't act fast, lives were going to be lost.

Artemis found Boyd and Cora about to attack Jennifer, who apparently had come to school early and was collecting office supplies from the boiler's room supply closet. Jennifer was in the wrong place at the wrong time and she was going to pay for it.

Quickly, Artemis shoved Cora and Boyd away from Jennifer, causing them to slam into the pipes and boilers.

"Miss Blake, get out of here!" yelled Artemis.

Jennifer didn't listen to Artemis. Too scared to run, she shut and locked the closet door before she hid behind one of the shelves.

Despite her reluctance to fight Boyd and Cora, Artemis wolfed out and then the three of them fought. Artemis narrowly dodged Cora's swipe at her and then she blocked Boyd's attempts to claw or punch her before she let out a cry of pain from Cora scratching her back with her claws.

Boyd and Cora then double-teamed their attacks on Artemis as she led them towards the entrance, away from Jennifer. It wasn't long before Artemis's strength was nearly gone and she was a mess of injuries. With one last burst of adrenaline, Artemis grabbed Boyd and Cora by the throat and yelled, "ENOUGH! STOP IT!"

Artemis was unaware that for a brief moment, her golden eyes had turned red and was what had caused Cora and Boyd to cease fighting her.

Artemis then released them and the two Betas reverted to their human forms and they passed out just as Derek and the others came bursting in, frantically calling for the three of them.

"Cora?"

"Boyd?"

"Huntress!"

"We're down here!" called Artemis.

Within moments, help arrived. Boyd and Cora were looked over by the pack and the Argents. They were wounded, but they'd recover before too long. Their emotional wounds would probably take longer, but they would be helped by their loved ones during the recovery process.

Artemis tried to stand, only to collapse into Derek's arms. It was no wonder, for her wounds were worse than Cora and Boyd's. As she rested her head against Derek's chest, she could hear his heartbeat, which had been beating rapidly with fear but was slowing down now that she was in his arms.

"You scared me to death. What were you thinking?" whispered Derek.

"I'm sorry," murmured Artemis. "I didn't have a choice. My teacher, Miss Blake, is in here. She would've been killed if I hadn't done this."

Derek sighed and closed his eyes as he carried her bridal style. Next time you want to do something noble and yet risky, tell me first so I can go with you to keep you safe. Promise? He couldn't take losing her.

I promise I'll try, said Artemis. It was all she could do. Aremis closed her eyes as she wrapped her arms around his neck. Someone needs to deal with my teacher. She's locked in the supply closet.

I know, said Derek. Aloud to the others he said, "Peter, deal with Miss Blake. She's in the closet. And by deal with, I mean talk to her and get out of here. Got it?"

Peter rolled his eyes as he nodded. "Perfectly," he muttered, as he walked off.

While he took care of that, the other pack members carried Cora and Boyd out of the boiler room and followed Derek and the Argents into the morning light. The long night was over. Now they could go home and rest before enjoying the sunshine.

XXX

But despite the night of the full moon being over, there was still trouble ahead of them.

Heather and another girl, Emily, had turned up dead. The two girls and the man killed at the pool all suffered the same threefold deaths and they were all virgins. The Alpha pack weren't their only new enemies. Someone was out there making human sacrifices. But who and for what, no one knew.

But they had to find out and stop them.

Somehow…