Motel California

The night was dark and damp as the school bus pulled into the parking lot of the Glen Capri Motel. No one was happy about having to spend the night at the motel as it looked like a complete and utter dump.

After everyone got out of the bus and grabbed their luggage, Coach Finstock blew his whistle to capture their attention.

"Listen up!" he barked. "The meet's been pushed to tomorrow. This is the closest motel with the most vacancies and least amount of good judgment when it comes to accepting a bunch of degenerates like yourselves." He held up a bunch of room keys. "You'll all be paired up, so choose wisely."

Everyone quickly paired off and grabbed one of the room keys from the coach's hand before going to their room to unwind and get some sleep.

After taking a long shower, Artemis changed into a pair of sweatpants and a hoodie. She'd just finished washing her face in front of the bathroom mirror when she saw her brown eyes briefly turn bright red.

Feeling startled, a tiny gasp emitted from Artemis's throat. It had happened again. She was getting closer to becoming the True Alpha.

Suddenly, Derek knocked on the door. "Huntress? You okay?"

"I'm fine, Derek," said Artemis. "I'll be right out." She gripped the edge of the sink and took several deep breaths to calm herself down.

I'm fine. I'm not the True Alpha yet. This was just one of those moments. It's not going to happen yet. At least, that's what she told herself.

Just to make certain, she quietly wolfed out for a moment and saw that her eyes were their normal gold color. It was a relief, but it didn't change the fact that the True Alpha business was driving her crazy. Artemis didn't want to be an Alpha and she wasn't seeking power, but she knew that becoming the True Alpha was inevitable. But even so, how could she become the True Alpha that she was meant to be if she was so afraid of it?

With a sigh, Artemis left the bathroom and curled up beside Derek on the bed. She rested her head on his chest as he wrapped an arm around her and stroked her hair with the other. As usual, Derek's touch soothed her fears and calmed her.

"Huntress, you're trembling. Talk to me," said Derek, softly.

Artemis sighed again. Derek could always tell when she wasn't well. "Derek, it happened again. My eyes, they turned red again."

Derek frowned in concern. "Just now?"

Artemis nodded. "Just now in the bathroom. It was just for a moment, but happened. That's the third time in a row. It can't be much longer before it's finished. Soon, I'll…"

"You'll be the True Alpha," finished Derek.

This caused a great deal of concern. Once Artemis became the True Alpha, there would be no telling as to what Deucalion and his Alphas would do. Artemis posed a threat to them because her potential to be something far greater than any Alpha among them. However, Derek couldn't help but feel a sense of pride in his mate's ascension from Beta to Alpha. If anyone deserved to be an Alpha, it was her.

"Yes," said Artemis, softly. She bit her lip as she looked up at her mate. "Derek, I'm scared. I know I can't stop it from happening but…what if I can't do this? What if I can't be the True Alpha everyone's expecting me to be? What if I become like my sister?"

Artemis had established her own authority in the pack long ago, but she never felt like a leader and she worried she was going to let her loved ones down. Worse, there were times when she feared that becoming an Alpha would cause her to become like Kali or Peter. It was a silly fear, considering she had Derek for proof that not all Alphas were bad, but Artemis couldn't help wondering about her own future when she became the True Alpha.

Derek lifted her chin and looked into her brown eyes. "First of all, you're not Kali and you're never going to be. Second, the only True Alpha that we're 'expecting' you to be, is how you are now. You were chosen to be the True Alpha because of the kind of person you already are. You don't need to change and you don't need to be afraid of it. You can do this, Huntress. All this will do is show everyone what I've always seen in you all along."

Artemis couldn't help but smile at this. Perhaps she was worrying over nothing. She didn't need to change to be a better person or leader. The pack trusted her, respected her and were loyalty her as she was now. When she became the True Alpha, she would continue to look after her pack and guide them the same way she always did.

Artemis tenderly kissed Derek. "Thanks for telling me that. I love you, Derek."

Derek smiled as he returned her kiss. "I love you too, Huntress."

After few more moments of kissing, Derek switched off the light and the young couple fell asleep, unaware of the danger they were in.

XXX

Lydia sat on her bed in the room she was sharing with Alison while she waited for her roommate to get out of the shower.

Coach Finstock had refused to let her room with Jackson for the night after she and Alison had more or less stowed away on the roadtrip.

Lydia didn't feel at all comfortable with the idea of staying at the motel. She couldn't explain it, but she just knew something was terribly wrong with the place. It felt like death and she couldn't shake the feeling that they were being watched.

She nearly jumped out of her skin when there was a knock on the door. Jackson came into the room smiling his usual stupid smile.

"Hey, gorgeous. Just thought I'd come see you before—Lydia, you okay?" Jackson looked concerned at the frightened look on Lydia's face.

Lydia shook her head. "I don't like this place."

"Have you seen this dump? I don't think the owner of this place like it," joked Jackson.

It was meant as a joke to lighten the mood, but it didn't work. Jackson quickly became solemn when he saw the look of seriousness on Lydia's face. So, Jackson took a different approach.

"Hey, it'll be okay," said Jackson, as he caressed her face. "It's just for one night. We'll be gone by morning."

Lydia bit her lip in worry. "A lot can happen in one night." How much crap had they all been through, how many disasters and battles, had all happened just in one night?

"Well, even if something does happen, which I seriously doubt it will, remember you've got me and five other werewolves to protect you and the others," said Jackson. "I'll be right next door. Just try and get some sleep, okay?"

Lydia sighed and she nodded before kissing Jackson good-night. Maybe she was just being paranoid. After all, it was just one night in some stupid motel. There were six powerful werewolves there if anything bad happened. What was the worst that could happen?

XXX

Meanwhile, Jennifer was carrying the injured Peter to his apartment.

After Peter had collapsed from his injuries outside of Jennifer's car, she'd taken him away and was driving him to the hospital when he'd woken up and begged her to take him to his apartment.

Against her better judgment, Jennifer hadn't refused Peter's request. She took him to his desired destination, but he'd needed her help to get in as he could barely walk. Carrying Peter was far from easy as he kept going in and out of consciousness and he was very heavy. But somehow, Jennifer managed to do it.

As quickly as she could, Jennifer took Peter's keys from him and got him inside his apartment.

"Holy crap," she murmured. Jennifer was panicking. "This is a very, very bad idea. I shouldn't have turned around. I should be taking you to the hospital."

Peter shook his head. "No. No hospitals. It's too risky." Peter was a dead man and a werewolf. He couldn't very well explain how he'd resurrected himself from the dead or explain his wounds, which should've healed by now. It would raise too many questions that Peter couldn't afford to have asked.

Jennifer bit her lip in worry as she laid Peter down on his bed before her strength gave out from carrying him. Peter's injuries worried Jennifer and she was scared to death that he might die, something she didn't want to happen to him.

"Peter, I need to take a look at your wounds so I can clean them and treat them. Okay? I'll be as gentle as I can," said Jennifer. "I'll try not to hurt you."

"Just do what you have to do," whispered Peter. "Don't worry about hurting me. I've got one devil of a pain tolerance."

Jennifer didn't know what to make of that, so she didn't reply.

Carefully, Jennifer slid Peter's shirt off, which was torn and filthy, and then she examined his wounds. It wasn't good. There were claw marks all over Peter's torso and abdomen as well as his shoulders. The wounds were all deep and bleeding black blood.

"How bad is it?" whispered Peter. She hadn't spoken a word, but he could hear her heart racing with fear and he could see the worried expression on her face.

"Uh…to be honest, the 'oh my goodness' would be for your unbelievable physique if you weren't bleeding black blood," she confessed.

Peter tried to reply, but he couldn't get the words out. Pain threatened to overwhelm him and he coughed as his eyes fluttered shut.

"Peter? Oh, gads, you're not dying, are you?" panicked Jennifer. "Peter?" She touched his shoulder and gently shook him, but there was no response. "Peter, please don't die! Please, don't die!"

Jennifer rested her head on his chest and then relaxed when she heard the soothing lullaby of his heartbeat. Peter wasn't dead.

"Not exactly how I imagined our first date," she said, teasingly.

Peter actually chuckled at this and then he gently stroked Jennifer's hair. "But as first dates go, it's not the worse," he joked.

Jennifer felt a smile cross her face at this as she rose up. "I'm going to get some rags and water to clean your wounds with before I treat them. Just hang in there for me until I get back," she murmured, as she stroked his hair. "I'll be quick, but holler if you need me."

Peter just nodded and fell back asleep as Jennifer went to fetch what she needed to help him heal.

XXX

Back in Alison and Lydia's room, Alison was drying off her hair while listening to Lydia's tale and to be honest, Alison couldn't believe what she was hearing.

Lydia had gotten a paper cut, so she went to the front desk to ask for the first-aid kit so she could bandage it. While there, she'd noticed numbers hanging on a rack on the wall. Lydia had inquired about it and instantly regretted it afterward, for she learned that the numbers represented how many people had died from mysterious circumstances in the motel since its opening more than forty years ago.

"One hundred and ninety-eight?" repeated Alison. "That's how many people have died here since the motel opened?" If that was true, Alison was surprised that the motel had stayed open all these years.

Lydia nodded. "Forty years, one hundred and ninety-eight deaths," she said. "And what kind of person is sick enough to commemorate that with a framed number?"

Alison shrugged. "Evidentially, someone who belongs in the looney bin," she said. "But just to be sure, all of them died under mysterious circumstances?"

Lydia nodded again. "All of them. Some died of fright, but they were in perfect health. Others died of animal attacks but there was no trace of an animal near the premises. Others died in ways even I think are impossible. And others…well, I don't want to mention those." Lydia had done a little research after she'd learned about the deaths and the information had greatly disturbed her. "And according the reports, every single one of them was acting unlike themselves right before they died. I don't know about you, but I—do you hear that?"

Alison looked puzzled. "Hear what?"

Lydia suddenly became very quiet as she stared at the vent on the wall above them.

Alison didn't hear anything, but judging from the look on Lydia's face, Lydia was hearing something that was scaring her. Lydia's eyes filled with tears and she was becoming paler with every passing moment.

"Lydia…?" said Alison, concerned.

Lydia was shuddering and her breathing was becoming increasingly shallow.

"Oh my gads. Oh my gads," whimpered Lydia. Her hand then flew to her mouth as she let out a shriek of terror.

"Lydia, what happened? What did you hear?" asked Alison.

"You didn't hear that?" said Lydia, shocked. "The two people in the room next door, not Jackson's room, the other one…they died for each other!"

Lydia then ran out of the room and Alison followed her to the one next door. Lydia opened the door of Room 216, which wasn't locked to begin with, and went inside. But when she did, there was no sign of anyone in the room save for Alison and herself.

In fact, the motel room wasn't even available for use as it was being renovated. Plastic hung from the walls, tarp and paint cans littered the floor and there was construction workers' equipment all over the place.

Alison looked concerned and worried while Lydia looked baffled and frightened.

"It had to be right here," said Lydia. "I heard them."

"Heard who?"

"It was a young couple. The guy was dying of something, I don't know what. He died and then…" Lydia swallowed painfully. "His girlfriend…she couldn't live without him."

Alison became pale at what Lydia meant.

"I heard them, Alison. I swear to heaven, I am not making this up!" said Lydia.

"I know," said Alison, soothingly. "Lydia, I believe you. After everything we've been through, I've no reason not to."

This wasn't the first time something strange had happened with Lydia and Alison didn't think it would be the last. But Lydia's sudden ability to hear a death raised concerns.

Lydia looked relieved for a moment before she came serious. "I was right. That's it. There is something seriously wrong with this place. We need to leave." She went back to their room and frantically packed her things.

"Lydia, you need to calm down," said Alison. "None of those deaths were murders and it's not like this place is haunted."

Lydia gave her a look. "I'm dating a werewolf who used to be a kanima, there's an Alpha pack and an evil druid on the loose, we're both friends of a werewolf pack, you're the youngest in a family of werewolf hunters, and you're saying a haunted motel isn't possible?"

Alison had to admit Lydia had her beaten. "No, but you've got admit, it's a bit strange even for us. Why don't we talk to receptionist and see if we can't find out more about what it is that's happening here."

"Okay, fine. But I still want to leave," said Lydia.

The two girls went to the front desk but the receptionist was gone and she'd left a sign saying she wouldn't be back until six A.M. at the earliest. However, Alison's worry increased when she saw the numbers on the wall.

"Lydia, didn't you say the number was one hundred and ninety eight?" asked Alison.

Lydia nodded in confusion and then she saw the number had increased. It now read two hundred and one. "It didn't say two hundred and one. It said one hundred and ninety-eight, I swear to heaven!"

"What does this mean? There've been three more deaths?" asked Alison.

"Or three deaths about to happen," said Lydia, gravely. "We need to find Stiles."

Stiles tended to know more than any of them and his instincts tended to be spot on when it came to the supernatural. So, it was only natural that Lydia and Alison would go to him for help.

As it turned out, they didn't need to go to Stiles' room, because the young teen came running over to the girls looking frantic.

"Guys, we've got a problem. Artemis and Derek are gone," said Stiles.

"Gone? What do you mean they're gone?" demanded Alison.

"As in they're gone. You know, gone as in not here, missing, disappeared, A.W.O.L., however you want me to say it!" said Stiles, in worried exasperation. "They're gone. Artemis left her phone in my room after we were done talking, so I went to give it back. The door to the room she was sharing with Derek was ajar, the lights were off and all their stuff was there but they weren't. Something's wrong."

Lydia shot Alison a smug look. "You see? I was right. It is the motel!"

"We don't know that yet!" said Alison, stubbornly.

Stiles looked confused. "Mind clueing me in here?"

"Find the others and get them into our room. We need to talk, now," said Lydia.

And with that, Stiles searched for, found and woke up the other members of Derek and Artemis's pack. Boyd, Isaac and Jackson weren't happy at being woken up in the middle of the night, but their moods changed rather quickly when Stiles told them there was an emergency going on.

"This doesn't make any sense," said Isaac, during their emergency meeting. "They wouldn't just up and leave like this."

"You're sure it didn't look like they were taken, Stiles?" asked Boyd.

Stiles nodded. "My dad's the sheriff. I've seen enough crime scenes of a kidnapping to know what one looks like. Trust me, no one took them."

"Then it's got to be the motel!" said Lydia. "We need to find them and get the heck out of here before it's too late! And while we're at it, someone should learn an exorcism just in case something's mad them go crazy and we've got more ammunition against an Alpha and a potential True Alpha?" As she spoke, she pulled out the motel room's bible and shook it.

"Wait, hold on. What if it's not just the motel? Maybe we were meant to come here. The numbers in the office went up by at least three," said Stiles. "Only in this case, it's not just three more sacrifices, it's three werewolves."

"And Derek and Artemis are two of the Darach's chosen," said Alison, in realization. "Ethan must be the third sacrifice."

Isaac frowned in confusion. "Ethan? Why him?"

"Because he's an Alpha and the only other werewolf here!" said Lydia, impatiently. "Now that we know that, can we find them and get the heck out of here now?"

Jackson was about to reply when he saw the papers sticking out of the bible Lydia was holding in her hand.

"Lydia, let me see that," said Jackson. He took the bible from her and shook it out onto the bed. The papers were newspaper articles and each one told the story of a mysterious death that had occurred in the motel.

"Well, that's not creepy," said Isaac, looking disturbed.

"No kidding," said Boyd, in agreement. "Look at this. Every single one of these deaths mentioned in the articles were here in this motel room. I bet all the other rooms are like this. They all have a bible about some freaky death that occurred."

Everyone looked somewhat disturbed at this.

"Guys, I think I just found out how all of this started," said Stiles. He held up what appeared to be the oldest of the articles. "Look at this. 'Alexander Argent, known hunter, found dead in room 217 of mysterious animal bite and bullet wound. Motel Glen Capri now believed to be cursed.' It's dated March 15, 1977."

"That's when the mysterious deaths started," said Lydia.

"So, this all started when my dad's uncle died," said Alison, in disbelief. She'd heard stories growing up, but she hadn't believed her family was this messed up. "He died here under mysterious circumstances and now others do too."

A cold shiver went down everyone's spines at this.

"Okay, that's it. We need to find Derek, Artemis and Ethan and get them out of here before it's too late," said Stiles. "Come on!"

And with that, they all ran out of the motel room.

XXX

Meanwhile, Jennifer was entering Peter's bedroom with a bowl of hot water and a clean rag so she could tend to Peter's wounds.

Jennifer thought he would be resting, but instead Peter was gasping in pain as he tried to stand up and leave the bedroom. His knees buckled and he would've collapsed again if Jennifer hadn't put down her bowl and rags just in time for her to catch him.

"Peter, you shouldn't be moving like that. Let me help you," said Jennifer. She quickly propped up the pillows against the headboard before easing Peter onto the bed. "You need to rest and heal up."

"I'd love to, but I can't," said Peter. "Everyone thinks I'm dead. I have to find them and tell them about Ennis."

"You're in no shape to set foot outside this room, never mind search Beacon Hills for your friends," said Jennifer, firmly. She began cleaning his wounds as gently as she could. "Besides, maybe everyone believing you're dead is a good thing. Do you know how many characters use a false death to their advantage? Have you ever read Les Miserables or A Tale of Two Cities or Romeo and Juliet?" Maybe the faked death in the last one hadn't been that good, but it got the point across.

Peter smiled before he looked sad. "It doesn't matter. They may not like or trust me, but I've got to tell them." He tried to rise up again, but Jennifer forced him back down. Though, in his weakened state, she didn't need to try very hard.

"Peter, do you have any idea how bad you look? You're like one giant open wound. I'm not even sure you're not really dead," said Jennifer. "You need to regain your strength and get better. You won't be any good to your friends if you don't get better."

Peter didn't reply. He knew she was right, but he wasn't about to admit it.

Jennifer looked worried again. Peter's wounds were cleaned now, but she'd found nothing that could be used to help him.

"Peter, I checked everywhere. You don't have any bandages or any kind of first-aid I can use to help you," said Jennifer. "Is there someone I can call that you can trust? A personal physician or something?"

Peter shook his head. There was Dr. Deaton, but Peter seriously doubted the man would lend any help to Peter, not after all he'd done when he was the Alpha.

"Then what can I do? Why don't you have any first-aid?"

"You can stay here and keep talking to me," said Peter. He wasn't much of a romantic, but Jennifer's voice was very alluring. It was soft and sweet, like a melody and he enjoyed hearing her speak. "And I don't have bandages or first-aid because usually I don't need them. Usually I just need time."

Jennifer didn't seem convinced, but she didn't argue.

"You shouldn't be here, Jennifer," said Peter.

Jennifer raised an eyebrow. "And why's that?"

"Because you don't know me. You don't know anything about me. You think I'm like one of the heroes in your books. I'm not. I'm not a hero, Jen," murmured Peter.

For the first time in a long time, Peter was being selfless. He couldn't help it. Ever since they'd met the night of the full moon, Peter had felt an undeniable attraction towards Jennifer. Love, perhaps? He didn't know for sure. He'd never been in love before. But he did know that he didn't want her to get hurt.

"Maybe not," admitted Jennifer. "But sometimes the dangerous bad boy gets the girl and he's the one everyone likes best."

"You say that now, but Jen…I've done things in my life that I can't bring myself to regret yet are pretty unforgivable," said Peter, as his voice cracked. "It's driven my family away. They'll never trust me again and I can't say I blame them. You'll only get hurt if you get close to me."

Jennifer slid her hand into his and intertwined their fingers. "You could never hurt me, Peter." She gently caressed his face with her other hand, which made his skin break out in goose bumps and then she gently kissed him.

Peter resisted at first, but after a moment he found himself succumbing to his feelings. He returned Jennifer's kisses and her love with an intense passion.

As they lost themselves in their love, they didn't even notice that Peter's wounds had finally healed.

XXX

Stiles was frantically searching for Artemis and Derek.

They'd found Ethan in Room 216 in a hypnotic trance of some sort about to do something very, very wrong. Ethan snapped out of it when he accidentally burned his hand on the heater in the room during a struggle that went down. Despite being a tough Alpha, they could tell Ethan was shaken by what had just occurred for it hadn't been of his own volition. But nor he show any signs of gratitude towards those who'd saved his life.

Finding Ethan in the conditions that they had caused Stiles and the others to panic and worry more for their missing friends. After realizing it was heat that had broken the spell on Ethan, they'd divided the bus's emergency road flares and lighters among them, split up and were searching everywhere.

"Come on, Artemis. Where are you?" murmured Stiles, as he ran his fingers through his hair. Where could his best friend be?

It was then that Stiles dared to look up and he was both shocked and horrified by what he saw Artemis on the roof.

Quickly, Stiles ran up to the rooftop of the motel. Artemis was standing near the edge of the roof, clutching several heavy weights. She trembled and shook from the sobs that wracked through her body. She was about to take a leap of faith into the water that was nestled down below them.

"Artemis, what're you doing?" asked Stiles, as his voice cracked.

Artemis glanced at him, revealing the sad and defeated look on her face. "You shouldn't be here, Stiles. Go back to bed."

"Why should I? There's plenty of room for both of us up here," said Stiles. Carefully and cautiously, he stepped towards her. "Listen, it's pretty wet out here. Why don't you put those weights down and come back inside with me? We'll get you dried off and watch a late-night movie."

Artemis didn't do as Stiles suggested. She just closed her eyes. "I'm so, so sorry, Stiles."

"For what?" asked Stiles.

"For everything," said Artemis, as her voice cracked. "I never should've gone out the night Laura died. Everyone's lives would've so much better if I had just stayed home."

"What're you talking about?" asked Stiles. He was getting closer. He could almost reach the weights. Once he got them out of Artemis's grasp and pulled her away from the edge, she'd be safe. He just needed to keep her distracted and keep her talking. "I thought we had fun that night. It was just like old times."

A sad smile crossed Artemis's face. "You've no idea how much I want the old times back," she confessed. "Do you remember them, Stiles? We thought we were the coolest pair since Holmes and Watson, but the truth is, we were just two stupid kids who kept getting into trouble." She began crying again. "We can never be that way again and it's all my fault. Everything's my fault."

By now Stiles was really worried. "That's not true."

"Isn't it? Look at what's happened since the night you and I snuck out to find Laura!" cried Artemis. Tears streamed down her cheeks. "Peter chose me to be his first Beta and he came this close to turning me into a monster that would've killed everyone I love! He nearly killed Derek because of me. And how many times have I almost lost you or another innocent because my choice to remain what I am? How many times have you had to lie your dad and risk everything just to help me?

"My mom could've died when Gerard threatened her to get me to obey him because he knew how invaluable I was to him. And now Deucalion's here because I'm the one who'll become the True Alpha and there's no telling what he'll do, how many lives he'll take or destroy just to get rid of me because of the threat I am to him. And the next time he decides to take action, he could kill someone I care about. You, Stiles. I can't let that happen. I've got to make sure no one else suffers because of me."

Stiles was panicking now, though he strove to conceal it. "Arty, listen to me. It's not your fault all this stuff's happened. Sometimes the universe is just unfair. I've watched you go through a lot of crap, but no matter what life's thrown at you, you've always come back and you've done so much good. You've saved lives, Arty."

"Yes, I have. I've saved the lives of my friends, saved the lives of strangers and even tried to save my enemies, but I can't save my own sister," said Artemis. Her eyes became dull with grief. "Kali is all my fault. If I hadn't let her go, if I'd been a better sister, then Kali never would've disappeared. If I had just told someone about her leaving earlier, she would've been found. If I hadn't given up on her, I could've found her and brought her home. If I had been better, she wouldn't be with Deucalion's pack and I wouldn't have to fight her. I saved Jackson from being the kanima and he was a jerk I didn't even like, but I can't save my own sister that I love no matter how hard I try. What does that say about me, Stiles?"

By this point, Stiles was face-to-face with Artemis. His heart was almost beating out his chest with fear and he was crying as well.

"It says you're a person with a lot of heart that doesn't quit on people, even when they're awful to her," said Stiles. He tried to swallow the lump in his throat and he failed miserably. Arty, just listen to me, okay? Kali wasn't your fault. What happened to her was her own choice. You are not someone who wrecks lives. You're someone who makes them better. You're more than just my best friend, Arty. You're my sister and I need you. 'Family don't end in blood,' remember?"

Artemis didn't reply, but Stiles could tell that he was getting through to her.

Stiles then placed his hands on hers. "So, if you're going to take a leap of faith, then take you're going to have to take me with you because I'm not leaving you." If he had to, he would go with her. She was more than just his best friend. She was his family.

Artemis's grip on the weights suddenly loosened and Stiles took the chance to take them away before he pulled her away from the edge of the roof. He then took out the lighter from his pocket and brushed the flame against her hand.

"Ow!" cried Artemis. She winced and shook her hand as it quickly healed. She then realized where they were. "Stiles, what…oh, gads." Artemis's knees nearly buckled beneath her and fresh tears glistened in her eyes as the memory of what she'd nearly done threatened to overwhelm her.

Knowing they both desperately needed it, Stiles held Artemis in a tight embrace. "It's okay, Artemis," he murmured. They were both crying, not in sadness, but in relief that they were both still alive and hadn't lost each other. "It's okay."

"Thanks, little brother," whispered Artemis. "I needed to hear that."

Stiles smiled and his grip on her tightened as he felt deeply touched. Right now, in that moment, no one could say that they weren't family. What had just occurred between the two of them proved that they were truly siblings in all the ways that mattered most.

After another second or two, Artemis and Stiles broke apart and then went looking for Derek, who was still in danger.

They didn't have to search for long for down below in the parking lot, Derek was standing in the middle of it. He was drenched in gasoline and clutching a road flare. Like Artemis had mere moments alone, Derek looked devastated but determined.

Alison and the others were watching him, trying to reason with him, but Derek didn't respond to any of them. He didn't even look up until Artemis's voice rang across the parking lot, for she was singing to him.

Artemis knew precisely what Derek was feeling and what he was thinking, for she could sense it all. Like she had done earlier, he was blaming himself for the lives of his loved ones being in danger, grieving for those he could not save and believed that he needed to be gone in order for there to be peace and happiness. Though he was wrong, the Darach was causing him to believe otherwise.

"If I never knew you
If I never felt this love
I would have no inkling of
How precious life can be…" sang Artemis.

At the sound of Artemis's voice, Derek looked up and saw her approaching him. She was reaching for him and there was very little fear in her voice or on her face. There was only love to be found there, love for him that words could never truly begin to describe. Artemis was singing that particular song because she knew it would capture his attention and at least begin to explain to him the impact he had on her life.

"And if you never held me
I would never have a clue
How at last I'd find in you
The missing part of me…"

As she sang, Artemis used her link with Derek to show him just how much he meant to her and how much good he'd done, not just in her life, but in the pack's as well. He'd saved her from Peter, he loved her and he'd given those with nothing everything they'd ever wanted—a family and someone to look up to as an older brother or a father. And no matter what life threw at them, Artemis would never stop loving Derek, not for a moment.

"And I'm so grateful to you
I'd have lived my whole life through
Empty as the sky
Never knowing why
Lost forever
If I never knew you …" sang Artemis.

By now, Artemis was caressing Derek's face with one hand and he was trembling under her touch. She was getting through to him, but she was prepared to go with him just like Stiles had been for her just moments ago. Derek covered Artemis's hand with his own and allowed her to take the road flare away from him.

Quickly, Artemis took the road flare and touched the flame to Derek's hand, which caused him to snap out of it. When he did, he looked shaken like Artemis had never seen before he held her tight against him and buried his face in her shoulder.

"Oh, Huntress…" he whispered.

"Shh," murmured Artemis, as she dropped the road flare and ran her fingers through his black hair. "It's okay, Derek. It's okay. I'm here."

Everyone heaved a sigh of a relief at this. Their friends were saved. The awful night was finally over.

Or not quite yet.

Suddenly, the wind blew the forsaken road flare into the puddle of gasoline and Lydia barely pulled Derek and Artemis away in time before flames roared to life. For a brief moment in the middle of the burst of flames, Lydia saw the Darach. It was tall, dressed in a black hooded cloak and had a face like death.

If anyone had any doubts the Darach had sought to sacrifice three werewolves that night, no one did now.

XXX

After the sacrifices were prevented, all parties involved, save for Ethan, spent the night on the school bus. None of them felt comfortable staying in the motel. But everyone was too shaken to sleep and when morning came, they all felt as tired as they had the previous night.

At eight A.M., Coach Finstock entered the bus and decided not ask questions about the sleepy early passengers in the bus. Instead, he just informed them that the cross-country meet had been cancelled and they were going back to Beacon Hills. While most people were annoyed they'd traveled so far for nothing, Artemis and her friends were just happy to be getting away from the accursed motel.

"Hey," said Ethan, catching Artemis's attention. "Can I talk to you for a minute?"

Artemis was surprised but didn't let it show. She just nodded and made room for him on the backseat of the bus where she, Stiles and Derek were sitting.

"Look, I don't know what the heck happened last night, but I do know that your pack saved my life," said Ethan. "I like to repay my debts, so I'm going to tell you something I think you ought to know. It's about your sister, Kali."

Artemis immediately felt worried. "Is she okay?"

Ethan shook his head. "She's a mess right now. Ennis is dead. He survived his fall, and Dr. Deaton did what he could to help, but apparently he was beyond healing. He died of his wounds that Peter inflicted. And as I'm sure you're aware, Ennis was your sister's husband as well as her mate."

"Oh, gads," said Artemis, horrified. She remembered all too well how she'd felt when she'd thought Derek had been killed. Kali's pain would be far worse. "How bad is it?"

"Very. In all the time we've known her, my brother and I have never seen Kali so broken before," said Ethan, gravely. "But that's another thing. Kali's devastated, but she's also furious. She wants revenge on Peter for his part in his Ennis's death."

"Peter's alive?"

Ethan nodded. "We believe so, yes. His body was gone when we went to take Ennis to Dr. Deaton's. Your pack didn't take him and neither did we, which means he's still out there and if Kali finds him, she's going to kill him to make him pay for what he did to her and to you."

I can't believe what I'm hearing. Peter's still alive, Ennis is dead and Kali's devastated. Oh, goodness. Artemis didn't like the sound of any of this. Now what's going to happen?

"I'm not telling you this to hurt you," continued Ethan. "I just know that if it was Aiden in Kali's place, I'd want to know." He rose up and began to walk to his seat he shared with Danny, only to stop in his tracks. "Oh, Artemis, one other thing. No matter what you may think or what Kali says or does, she does love you and she regrets leaving you."

"How do you know that?" asked Artemis. How could Ethan possibly know about Kali's regrets? She rarely lets anyone in. Did Kali even have regrets?

Ethan gave her a rare smile. "Because she still wears the locket you gave her and I see it in her eyes everyday," he replied, before he took his seat.

Just then, Coach Finstock walked by as he did a head count before they went home and Lydia took the chance to grab his whistle. Once she had it, she carefully blew it into her palm and when she pulled back her hand, there was a yellow colored powder on her palm.

"Derek, is this what I think it is?" asked Lydia.

Derek examined Lydia's hand and frowned at the sight of the powder. "It's rye." His eyes briefly turned red with anger.

"Rye? As in the grain?" asked Stiles.

Derek nodded. "It's not just a grain. If it gets into an Alpha's system, it can cause severe hallucinations."

Alison, Lydia, Stiles and the rest of the werewolf pack looked afraid at this. Now they knew why only Derek, Artemis and Ethan had been affected. Derek and Ethan were Alphas and Artemis was on the verge of becoming a True Alpha.

"So, whenever Coach blew his whistle on the bus, he was accidentally poisoning us with the rye because we were inhaling it," said Artemis. "That's how the Darach got into our heads last night."

"Well, it's not happening again," said Derek. He took the whistle and tossed it out the window before Coach Finstock noticed.

The Darach was proving to be a formidable foe. But they would stop him…somehow.

XXX

Meanwhile, Chris Argent was doing some investigative work of his own.

Ever since Artemis had told him of the Alpha pack's arrival in Beacon Hills, he'd been trying to track them and learn more about them. He'd been surprised when he learnt of Artemis's sister being one of the Alphas, but she was the least of his concerns. Right now, he was visiting someone in order to acquire a piece of vital information.

"A second visit so soon, Chris? Really, you shouldn't have," said Gerard, as he turned his wheelchair around to face his son. "I'm flattered."

After the battle with the kanima that had resulted in Artemis tricking Gerard into taking werewolf venom spiked with mountain ash, Gerard had managed to survive. But he no longer posed a threat as he couldn't even walk and he was still coughing up black ooze. He was forced to rely on special home for his care for Chris refused to let Gerard reside with him and Alison after his betrayal.

Chris narrowed his eyes at his father. "I'm not here for a social visit. I just want some information and then I'm gone."

"Until next time," said Gerard, smirking. "What is it you want to know now?"

Chris folded his arms across his chest. "March 15, 1977 was the night my uncle died at the Motel Glen Capri. He was bitten and took precautions to make sure he wouldn't harm you or anyone else. I want to know the name of the Alpha who bit him."

Gerard looked sickened at having to say the Alpha's name. "Deucalion."