Mel slide into the passenger seat and buckled up. Her car was in the shop, Sapphire's suburban had transported the pack, and grandpa's truck had taken him to the movies. Meaning if she wanted to help take care of her new pack members, she had to ride with him. He turned the radio on. Mel looked out the window as they drove, grateful for the music blasting in the car. She honestly couldn't think of anything to say. What were you supposed to say in that kind of situation? Good job. Maybe keep up the good work. They had sex several times, including when he joined her in the shower as she attempted to clean up. The memory pushed its way into her mind. The warm water cascading down her. Him just stepping in. Bending her over and coupling with her once again. She tried to keep her heart rate steady, fight the blush that was coming to the surface.
Derek glanced over at his new mate. Could hear the slight uptick in her heart beat. Hell, his heart was doing plenty of that. They were together multiple times, completely forgetting the concept of time. The girl was a damn firecracker. Worrying about how much time had passed, she had rushed to get cleaned up. Despite how quickly she warmed to his touches, the entire mating thing still seemed to freak her out. He figured it was going to be a one night stand, and he was going to make the most of it. That's why he followed her into the shower and took her once more. A smirk grew on his lips. She worked that beautiful body of hers amazingly. His little mate was quite the secret sex pot.
"Welcome home." Ruby called happily as the two walked down the stairs. She was a bit disappointed that they weren't holding hands or showing any sort of affection. Still, at least they walked side by side. It was something.
"What happened here?" Derek asked, glancing at the crumbled bodies of Erica and Boyd. Isaac, Saint, and Hana sat several feet away. They had scrounged up an old round table and sat around it playing cards. Apparently Saint had decided to bring his poker kit along. From the cans and boxes everywhere, they had also taken the liberty of bringing a stack of pizza and several cartons of soda.
"They got a little out of control and Saint had to calm them down." Isaac answered looking up from his hand. "Derek you should have seen it. One smack and Boyd was down for the count."
"You want to join us for a hand?" Saint offered the newcomers. Derek pulled up a couple seats. He sat next to Isaac. Mel chose to check in with her pack for a bit. She checked on Zen and Sapphire. Nothing much to report. Both doing well. She moved on to her other sister.
"So how's everything been?" Mel asked the redhead. The girl looked up from the magazine, and patted the seat beside her.
"Pretty uneventful. They got a little restless but Saint took care of it. Besides, I'm more interested in your evening." Ruby whispered conspiratorially. She leaned over and tugged the collar on Mel's shirt down. "Where's your mark?" Mel blushed at the question. When a pair mated, they would leave a bite mark to show their claim. It was the only wound that wouldn't heal. The body knowing its purpose. Ruby stretched the collar, checking all around the neck. Mel pushed her hands away.
"I…I asked him to put it where it wasn't going to be seen." Ruby bit her hand to stifle the laugh. Mel's blush deepened, regretting her answer. She jumped up and ran to the table. Away from her smirking sister. She stood next to Saint, looking down at him. After a few moments, he chuckled. Still laughing, he switched to the seat next to Derek. Mel sat in the now abandoned spot.
"Grandpa is probably gonna stop by in the morning to help us carry this stuff out." Mel announced, picking up a slice of pizza. She was ravenous. And eager to forget the previous conversation. "So what's the game?"
"I was thinking strip poker." Saint answered, eliciting a chuckle from Isaac. Mel smacked her beta's arm and rolled her eyes.
"3 kings." Derek smirked, laying down his hand. He reached over towards the large pile of chips, only to have another hand come down on the stack. Looking up, he saw the smile on Hana's face.
"Full house. Aces and 3 lovely ladies." She laughed throwing the cards down.
"6 hands in a row." He said in disbelief.
"This is why we don't let Hana play at home." Saint pouted.
"No that's the reason you don't let me play." Zen called, still not looking up from her book. Another romance novel. Mel saw the questioning look of Derek and Isaac. Taking pity, she decided to answer them.
" Zen can pick up on even the smallest signs of emotion. Hana hides hers well enough even Zen can't find them. Hence why at home, they normally don't play." She elaborated. "But I can't fault them. With the newbies out there really isn't much to do on guard duty."
"I know something you could do." Ruby chuckled, glancing up from the magazine again. Mel scowled at the girl. She just laughed louder. Putting the magazine down, she wandered over to the table. Draping her arm over the female alpha, a giant grin split her face. "Tell me, since you so rudely ran out on our earlier conversation, was that not the most awesome night in your 16 years of existence?" Mel focused on her cards, trying to fight the blush on her face.
"Wait, 16?" Derek interrupted.
"Yeah. She's 16. Same age as Sapphire and Ruby." Saint answered. He cocked an eyebrow when he saw the uncertain look on Derek's face.
"I think Derek here is just worried about the whole statutory rape thing." Isaac laughed, throwing his arm over his alpha's shoulder. Just like he saw the other pack behave. Derek looked at him and the beta withdrew his arm. "Or not." Yeah, the other pack was definitely much closer than theirs.
"Relax dude. It's not like any of us are going to run to the cops or anything." Saint laughed.
"Ok, can we please just get back to the game?" Mel interjected, not liking the subject matter. Taking pity, Saint pulled Ruby onto his lap.
"Let's get back then." He shuffled the deck.
"Gramps is here!" Zen called out, dropping her book. The others looked up at her. "I heard his brakes."
"Then we should probably get this stuff packed." Mel ordered. Everyone, including the now conscious Boyd, helped disassemble the chains and pack them away. Erica sat at the table, reading a random fashion magazine the redhead had brought. Derek had stared her down and growled when she refused to help. Mel just grabbed his hand and shook her head. Explained this was something everyone had to get used to. Just give her time. Erica had been surprised by how easy it had been to get him to back off. At random moments, she looked up from the magazine to the girl. She wore a pair of black gym shorts and a dark blue t-shirt with the word Magic across the chest. Some emblem that looked like a tree was under the word. Such a geek shirt. Plain black sneakers with no makeup or jewelry of any kind. What did that girl have that she didn't? Of course she wasn't really interested in Derek. At least not anymore. She just didn't like the fact that he didn't look at her like the other guys did. Especially when she saw him giving that look to the new girl.
The stairs creaked a bit as someone walked down. Aside from the creak, there was hardly any sound at all. Someone was very light on their feet. Derek cringed a little, but seeing his mate relaxed calmed him. He signaled his pack to relax as well. The man walked down the stairs a few seconds later. Tall and lean, with short gray hair and a thick gray mustache. Mel and her pack smiled brightly at the intruder. Zen ran up and hugged the man.
"Did you go through another growth spurt when I was gone?" He laughed as he hugged the girl back. She had never had much family before, and had attached deeply to all members of her pack. After the hug, she went back to the stack of boxes waiting to be lugged away. He looked over at the table. Mel smiled brightly and went to give the old man her own hug. After a few moments, he looked down at his granddaughter. "So, am I going to meet our new family members?"
"Sure. Guys, this is my grandpa. Gramps, that's Boyd, Erica, Isaac, and Derek." She answered, pointing them out as she called their names.
"Nice to meet you. Just call me Kaz." He said happily, looking at the young wolves. He looked back at his granddaughter. "Derek is the Alpha. Correct?" She nodded, missing the hard stare he directed at the young man. Derek felt himself gulp. He wasn't afraid, but the hunter in his lair was making him a tad nervous. Especially with the glare being thrown his way. "Oh, before I forget." He handed a small wrapper and a bottle of water to the girl.
"What's this?" She asked looking at the thing. She read the label and blushed furiously.
"Sorry, but there were a lot of things on your plate and I thought it might slip you kids' minds." He answered. Ruby wandered over, grabbed the small package from her leader's hand.
"Hmm. Plan B. Don't tell me you actually need this?" She looked at the other girl. Mel's eyes fell to the floor, and the redhead laughed. "Gramps, what would she do without you?" Another laugh and she walked over to her pack. Mel's blush got worse when Saint smirked at her. Sapphire turned towards Derek, glaring at him. Had he been weaker, the intensity would have made him hide under the table.
"Now that I think about it, maybe you should let nature take its course." The old man said thoughtfully.
"Grandpa?" She squeaked, hoping she had misheard.
"You getting pregnant would be a bit of a blessing." Kaz answered. The room looked at him. An embarrassed smile formed on his face. "Don't get me wrong, I'd rather you not make me a great grandpa yet. But in the natural world the strongest bond is a mother protecting her young. Hence you will be at the height of your power when you finally have a litter. Sorry bad pun." He threw in when he noticed her face. Mel's eyes dropped to the floor. Even her grandfather seemed suddenly comfortable talking about her sex life.
"Ok guys. Let's pack this stuff up and get going. We have a lot of things to do." Zen interrupted, noticing the distress on her leader's face. Mel shot her a grateful look. Following the orders of their youngest sister, everyone got to work. With the others distracted, Mel ripped the foil open. Placing the pill in her mouth, she took a gulp of water. It tasted bitter as it slipped down her throat. She took another drink before going to help. While some moved the boxes of chains, a few took the trash out. Didn't want to leave the place a mess. Well, more a mess. Derek grabbed a pizza box and threw it into the garbage bag he held. Sapphire wondered up next to him, helping pick up the discarded soda cans.
"Don't you dare put my sister in that kind of danger again." She whispered harshly. He looked over and found her not even a foot away. Glaring at him. Again. "If you are going to continue to mate with her, wrap it up." With those words she walked away, leaving Derek to stare after her. There was no term to express how he felt. Astonishment. Surprise. Shock. All decent words, but none capable of capturing the emotion. The girl had been silent since they arrived. Flipping through that journal of hers, writing a few notes. She was the silent member of the pack, speaking only when she felt it appropriate. And now she seemed to find it appropriate to issue a semi threat. He shook his head, pushing aside the bizarre encounter.
"You ok gramps?" Ruby asked as she grabbed a few empty pizza boxes. Kaz was sweating a bit, his breathing heavy.
"I'm fine. Just need a moment to catch my breath. Getting old and all that." He laughed taking a seat. She looked at him with concern. He waved her off. "I'll be fine in a minute." She nodded and carried the pizza boxes out. Kaz looked around the room. An old train platform. A bit messy, but definitely a good hiding place. Sizing the place up, he noticed the dark haired boy in the corner. Perhaps it was time for a proper greeting.
Derek grabbed a few chains that had gotten busted up and loaded them into a box. Sapphire was going to try to fix what she could and scrap the rest.
"Need a hand?" The voice almost made him jump. Turning around, Kaz stood there, a smile on his face. One that didn't extend to his eyes. The man was impressively stealthy.
"I got it." Derek answered, picking the box up. He walked forward, only to find Kaz blocking his path. "Look, I know you're a hunter. And me being a werewolf makes this a little-"
"Let me stop you right there son. I have pretty much been the only nonwolf in my household for around seven years. I have no problem with werewolves. But I do have a problem with the guy that screwed my granddaughter." Derek tried to think of something to say, but was interrupted when Kaz placed a hand on his shoulder. He sighed and Derek saw the weariness in his eyes. "Sorry. I know this whole plan thing was forced on you. Everyone was kind of backed into the corner on this one. But I'm just so worried about her. The weight of her past. Her responsibilities. She's much too young for the life she has. Just humor an old man as he tries to get used to this please."
"Only if you give me some slack as I try to figure this stuff out myself."
"Deal." Kaz responded, giving the young alpha a true smile.
Mel wandered down the hall like a zombie. They had just finished unloading the cargo and she was desperate for a nap. Really she wanted to just burrow into her comforter and hibernate for the rest of the week. But Ruby insisted they had something very important to attend to that afternoon. She rubbed her eyes sleepily and opened her bedroom door. "Oh, shit."
"What's wrong?" Hana asked. The rest of the pack joined with their own inquiries, having heard their leader. They crowded behind her. Ruby caught sight of the scene and whistled.
"Damn you guys went crazy." She laughed. The comforter was ripped to shreds, the mattress's stuffing spilling out from the slash marks. Mel couldn't even remember when those were made. Grumbling, she went in and grabbed the one pillow that managed to survive the slaughter. She walked out of the room, doing her best to ignore the smirks. Having her fill of fun, Ruby retreated back to her room. The others did the same.
"Move over." Mel muttered as she climbed into bed.
"Huh?" Saint murmured, still half asleep.
"I need somewhere to sleep." She sighed, pushing him out of the center.
"Don't you have your own bed?" Saint grumbled, feeling her shove him.
"Don't want to talk about it." With a groan, he moved a bit, making room for her. She got comfortable and promptly fell asleep.
"For the last time Ruby, what the hell was so important?" Mel grumbled at the beta. 20 minutes ago, the girl had raced through the rooms, ringing a bronze bell. Ruby jumped into the driver's seat of Sapphire's Tahoe. Still half asleep, the rest piled in. She said nothing as she drove. Just smiled when Mel asked why they were at the damn school. She led them over to a field, where at least a dozen high school aged guys were gathered.
"Ok boys, everyone line up. When I call your name, step up and grab your uniform." Coach Finstock called out to the field. "Mccall! Glad to see you buddy. Get those grades up so I can play you the first game."
"Sure coach." Scott answered, grabbing the jersey and heading back to the crowd.
"Stilinski! Keep up the good work and you got a place on first line."
"Thanks coach." Stiles beamed at the man.
"Shut up and take the damn jersey."
"Yes coach." He grabbed the clothing and raced back to the group. Finstock looked back at his list.
"Let's see. Whose up nex-Crap. Greenberg. How many puppies did I kill in a previous life?" The guy stepped forward, grabbed another jersey, and hurried away. "Pain in my ass Greenburg. Pain in my ass." He called out after the retreating form. Looking back at the clipboard, he read off several more names. Each student went forward, received a few words of encouragement mixed with insults. The last name on the list was the only one he wasn't familiar with. "Rajjin. Am I saying that right?"
"Yeah that's right." Saint answered, stepping through the crowd.
"Mother of God, what lab experiment did you spring from?" Finstock said, gawking at the giant that had just pushed through his players. The boy towered over him. Over everyone on the field.
"So you called my name?" Saint tried to push the direction back. Ruby had led them here. It was obvious she had signed him up for this. The question was why. Finstock snapped out of his shock.
"Yeah. Louis?" The boy nodded and he sent him to grab a jersey. Putting another check on the list, he noticed one more name. "Wait. You got a brother named Mel?"
"Ah, no." He answered, turning to the group of girls close by on the field. Finstock erupted in a string of curses at the typo on the list. "But I do have a sister."
"What?" Finstock stopped midway through his explicit rant to ask. Mel heard the conversation. She shot a glare at Ruby, but the girl just shrugged. With a sigh, she pushed through the players. Hoping her sister had a good reason.
"I'm Mel Rajjin." She said, moving up to the coach.
"Ah, what? Excuse me?" Finstock fumbled with words as the girl approached.
"If the name on that list is Mel Rajjin, that's me." She said, a little awkward.
"But, you're a girl. Do you even know how to play lacrosse?" The question slipped out. He regretted it when he saw the girl's eyes harden. Ruby smiled as she heard the bumbling coach's question. Perfect. Mel would never have agreed to this plan. Didn't like a lot of attention. But now. She hated the gender stereotype thing and would dominate the field just to prove a point.
"She was the captain of our coed city league team." Saint said, coming to his leader's defense.
"Is that so?" Finstock evaluated the player. Decent height, but didn't look like she had much strength.
"We won the championship two years in a row." Mel answered voice as hard as her eyes.
"Ok. Take a uniform." Finstock gulped. Girl seemed average, but that fire in her eyes. Maybe she was as tough as she sounded.
"Ruby, what the fuck was that?" Mel hissed as they walked away from the field. The girl stopped and turned back. A giant smile on her face.
"Got to talking with Isaac last night." She seemed bursting with energy as she bounced around.
"For the love of all that is good, what? Spit it out." Mel was exasperated. The girl just seemed to bounce more.
"There's another wolf."
"You sure?" Saint chipped in. The anger dropped from Mel's face.
"His names Scott Mccall. He's on the lacrosse team."
"And we couldn't wait for Derek to introduce him because?" The exasperation was back in her tone.
"That's the best part. Because he's not in Derek's pack." Ruby jumped from side to side.
"An omega?" Hana asked. Ruby nodded eagerly.
"So you thought me and Saint could be around and convince him to change that status." Mel guessed.
"See, Sapphire's not the only one that can make ingenious plans." Ruby said sticking out her tongue.
"So why did you need me?" Mel raised her eyebrows. Ruby put her arm around the other girl's shoulders.
"Because sometimes beauty works where the beast fails."
The pack walked down the hall. Mel led them, surrounded by her family but a half step in front. Half the hall seemed to be looking them. She just tried to pretend it was a figment of her imagination. Zen turned down a hallway. She was just a freshman and would be separated from them for most of the day. She said goodbye and promised to meet them at lunch. Mel felt a twinge in her heart. There was always the tiniest bit of panic when she couldn't see her family.
"Damn, it looks like none of us are on your schedule hon." Ruby lamented, drawing Mel out of her thoughts. The girl held out the papers. "Sapphire and Hana are together all day. Me and Saint share most classes. But they left you on your own."
''No, I think I have a class with her." Saint said, snatching the paper away. "Yeah. We have Biology together 2nd period."
"It's cool guys don't worry about it." Mel laughed at the looks she was given. They reciprocated her fear about not being able to see pack members. Especially since they were homeschooled before and never had to face this type of situation. Even when they joined city teams, at least two pack members had to be there. A rule they had so someone always had their back watched. But now their leader was being forced to wade through this place almost alone. "Really guys. It's just for a few hours. Here's my class. See you at lunch." With that she walked into the classroom.
"Stiles, I just don't know if I can play the first game. I practically have to ace everything they throw at us." Scott leaned on his friend's desk as he talked.
"It's not that bad. It's just….Pretty girl." Scott stared at his friends change in topic, and saw his eyes locked. Turning around, he saw most of the guys in the room were the same. At the front of the classroom was a gorgeous girl. Short brunette hair. Mid-thigh jean shorts hugged her hips. Her faded black shirt cut off above the navel. A picture of Pac man on her chest. She scanned the room, looking for a seat. Every guy seemed trying to make his neighboring seat obviously available.
"Please God, let her sit here. Just give me this one thing." Stiles folded his hands.
"Hey, whatever happened with the whole 15 year plan with Lydia?" Scott laughed.
"Well, Jackson's off to college and she still won't give me the time of day. Point is, the plan is still on. Just a temporary hiatus." Stiles explained. Scott raised his eyebrows at his friend. "What? Is it such a crime to wish a pretty girl would talk to me for once?"
"No, just never thought you would even think about a break."
"Yeah, well not like it even matters. We both know there is no chance a girl like that would ever…sit right next to me. Hi." Stiles said as Mel sat in the desk beside him. She turned towards the two and leaned in.
"Hey, you guys are on the lacrosse team aren't you?" She asked. They nodded and she extended her hand. "Names Mel."
"Scott." He answered, taking her hand. Surprised by her vice like grip. She turned to Stiles expectantly.
"Yeah, I'm uh Stiles." He mumbled eyes and hands on his desk. She withdrew her arm and threw a glance at Scott.
"He's just…um shy around strangers." Scott said. Mel nodded, her face showing slight amusement and disbelief at the excuse. Scott felt his friend kick the back of his chair. "Speaking of that, I don't think I've seen you around before."
"Well my family just moved into town a week ago." She answered.
"Why?" Scott asked.
"My grandpa is a professional painter. Wanted to make a few stills of the forest." The partial lie slide out so smoothly there was no change in heartbeat. One of the things she had learned from her grandfather, mix lies with half-truths and a wolf can't hear the difference. Of course, it often made her question just how honest the man was. She looked back to the two boys. "Stiles. That's a rather unusual name."
"It's a nickname." Stiles finally found the courage to answer. Mel opened her mouth to say something, but the bell cut her off.
"Ok everyone. Settle down." The teacher called out. He waited for the room to go quiet. "Since it's the first day I'm going to be nice. Group up. I want you to discuss amongst yourselves one of Poe's short stories and at the end of class we will discuss what you interpret as the moral of the story. No more than 4 to a group." The sound of desks and people shuffling filled the room. Scott turned back to face Stiles.
"You wanna be in our group?" All three looked up at the voice. It came from one of the jocks sitting a few rows ahead. Three of them had already moved their desks towards each other. Even before Mel answered, she saw all eyes dip to her chest. She smiled sweetly at them.
"No thanks. I'm already with Stiles and Scott." She answered. A look of shock was on their faces as she turned her back. She smiled at her partners. Maybe she could manage being without her pack. "So, where do you want to start?"
"Oh crap." Scott said, rubbing his hands against his face. The two looked at him questioningly. "I forgot to do the summer reading."
"Wow Scott, you aren't really off to a great start on the whole acing everything." Stiles joked.
"I know. I know. It's just-"
"I got you covered." Mel interrupted the spiral. The two looked at her. "My little sister loves Masque of the Red Death. Spent many a night discussing it over hot cocoa."
"Oh, thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you." Scott heaped gratitude on the girl.
"Calm down. It's just one assignment." She laughed.
"Yeah but if he doesn't kick ass these next few weeks they won't let him play the first game." Stiles explained. Mel looked at him. Their eyes locked for a moment, before he broke the gaze to stare at his desk. Mel smiled at the antics. They had done research the previous night. Learned all about Scott Mccall. Member of the lacrosse team. Mom a nurse, father no longer in the picture. Best friend Stiles Stilinski. With the coming nightmare, they needed every hand on deck. She didn't need him to join the pack, just be willing to fight with them. Aside from that, she legitimately wanted to help the young werewolf. Being a born female wolf, she was slightly cursed with a horribly powerful maternal instinct. It made her very protective of her family, and she was driven to guide all young wolves on their path. That was why when she saw him in the classroom, she thanked her lucky stars for the chance to get close to him.
"Why don't I help you study? Don't mean to brag but I'm a whiz at most subjects." She laughed.
"Really?" He asked almost disbelieving.
"Scott, I thought I was going to help you." Stiles said kicking the chair again.
"Why don't you both come to my house after practice?" The two looked at her. "We can all study together."
"Really?" This time the question came from Stiles.
"Of course." She answered, turning towards the human. Instantly, she regretted it. Looking at him, her heat felt like it was being crushed. His slight frame, youthful face, and goofy reactions. He was so much like Denver. The reminder brought tears to her eyes.
"You ok?" Scott asked, noticing the moisture in her eyes.
"Yeah I'm good." She rubbed her eyes quickly, pushing aside the thought. She forced a smile on her face. "Let's get back to this assignment."
"Ok. Mr. Mccall, your group's turn." The teacher called. The three stood up and went to the front. Scott wrote the name on the board. Under the title he wrote one word. Inevitability. "Interesting pick. Go on." Stiles stepped forward.
"The story is about how the black death was going on and a bunch of rich people escape to a villa to hide from it. They throw balls every night. Until one dance, death catches up. They have all gathered in one place making it easy for death to scoop them up." He summarized. Stepping back, Mel took his place.
"The moral of the story is inevitability, because they fled from death. They cloistered themselves away from the world and just ended up making themselves easier targets. It was like the tale Appointment in Samarra. They took active means to avoid their fate, but ended up leading themselves back to it."
"Very interesting. Nice job guys." The teacher said with a smile. The trio returned to their seats, just as the bell rang. "That's all guys. See you tomorrow."
"Where you headed to?" Scott asked.
"I have biology."
"So do I." Stiles said happily. "We. I mean so do we."
"We can show you where it is." Scott offered. Mel gave a smile in acceptance. She gathered up her things, and followed them out the door. They walked for a bit, turning down a hallway that was surprisingly deserted.
"Scott, I think we made a wrong t-" Stiles sentence was cut short when he watched his friend grab the new girl and slam her into the locker. He freaked out at the scene. "What the hell are you doing man?" Scott turned towards him, eyes glowing.
"She's like me Stiles." Scott explained. He had smelled it from the moment she sat down, but hadn't wanted to make a scene. "What are you doing here?" He growled.
"For a moment I was a little worried you were too dense to notice." Mel smiled at him, eyes flashing a bright green.
"Oh man. Oh man. Oh boy. Oh man." Stiles chanted running his hand through his hair. With ease, she pushed him away. Stepping away from the locker, she retrieved her fallen bag.
"I asked you a question." He repeated.
"Cocky little pup aren't you?" She raised her eyebrow at him. Another low growl emulated from his chest. She sighed. "Relax already. To answer your question, we're hiding."
"We, as in more than one?" Stiles jumped in.
"We, as in my pack." She explained. Stiles launched into his chant again. Scott looked at the girl, a thought crossing his mind.
"Does Derek know?" A big part of him expected her to ask who Derek was.
"More than just knows." She said. Before they could ask her to elaborate, the warning bell rang. "You think maybe we could save this conversation for lunch?" Before they could answer, she started walking. Leaving them to follow her.
The classroom didn't have desks, but rather large tables with 4 seats surrounding it. Mel watched the boys take a table in pack and followed. Stiles laughed uncomfortably as she took the seat next to him. Her eyes shined when Saint walked through the door and she waved him over.
"I have so much to tell you." He said sliding in the seat. "I met the hottest guy in first period. I think he may like me, and what the hell is up with the Mexican standoff you're having with Scott?"
"Did you just call me Scott?" The boy asked. Saint turned to look at him.
"I'm sorry was that to forward. Would you prefer if I called you McCall? Hey that sounds kind of weird when you say it like that. Called McCall."
"Hey that does sound weird." Stiles cut in. Scott glared at him. "What? It's not my fault."
"Ok boys, enough playing around." Mel interjected gently. "Scott, Stiles. This is my brother Saint."
"Yo." He said with a quick wave.
"Weren't you the other new player?" Stiles asked. Saint nodded, smiling.
"Stiles!" Scott hissed, getting the attention of his friend.
"Sorry, won't happen again." He looked at the two new wolves.
"Ok, now how do you guys know my name?" He asked again.
"Because we did our research." Mel answered, as if it should be obvious. The bell rang and class began. The class was given a worksheet to fill out. Another group assignment. All books were open as pens and pencils scribbled across paper. Everyone was talking, and the back table took advantage of the cacophony.
"Yes, I'm a born wolf." Mel answered. She was asking plenty of her own questions. It was only fair that he got a few answers out of it.
"Why were your eyes green? I've never seen that." There were a million questions running through his mind, but she already made clear the deeper conversation would be when her pack joined them for lunch. In the meantime, he stuck with a few random curiosities.
"It's because I'm an alpha."
"But Derek's eyes are red."
"A male alpha has red eyes. A female has green. " She explained things in hushed whispers. Saint gave a few answers where he could, but left most of the talking to his sister.
"Psst. Saint. Can I ask you something?" Stiles whispered. "I said, can I ask-"
"I heard you the first time. Was waiting for you to ask." Saint cut the guy off.
"You're gay right?"
"Last time I checked."
"Do you think I'm attractive?" The scribbling of the pen halted and the beta looked up. Giving him a once over, Saint smiled.
"Oh yeah. Totally doable." He answered.
"Yes!" Stiles shouted. The room went quite. He looked at the room. "Sorry. Sorry. Found the answer to a tough one. It was really bad." He trailed off, looking back at the desk. The bell rang, cutting short his embarrassment.
"Well, I have P.E. now, so let's finish this up at lunch." Mel said, grabbing her bag and heading off with Saint. A minute later, the other two walked out the door.
"Stiles you are way too happy about this whole thing." Scott said, interrupting his friend's happy dance as they walked through the halls. "So a gay guy said you were doable. No big deal."
"Wrong my friend." Stiles countered. "By a super-hot gay werewolf's standards I'm doable. Definitely a big deal." Scott laughed as his friend continued to dance.
Mel slipped out of her jean shorts. Changing in the girls locker room for whatever the coaches were grilling up. Oh my god. Check out that hickey on her leg. Out of her peripheral, she saw the two bottle blondes a few lockers down. The taller one with a fake tan had spoken. I know what a slut. The other one answered. Glancing down, she noticed her leg was at the perfect angle to give them a view of her mark. Fuck. She had forgotten completely about the bite on the inside of her thigh. She slipped on the gym shorts quickly and rushed out of the room. She walked out to the field. Some of her classmates were there. Formed into groups chatting. She began doing a few stretches, just to have something to do. The bottle blonds walked out, snickering as they saw her. She didn't even want to think about what they would say.
"Hey Rajjin. Over here, your one of mine!" Finstock called, waving her over. Mel jogged quickly. "You're a lacrosse player. That means during gym you condition with the other athletes in the class. All the other female players are in different classes though, so looks like you train with the boys. Got a problem with that?"
"If I did I wouldn't be in lacrosse."
"Good answer Rajjin." He patted her on the back. She spotted Saint and smiled at him. Moving over, she felt a hand clamp down on her shoulder. "Wait a moment. You are Rajjin." He pointed to her, then pointed to Saint. "And he's Rajjin. How the hell am I supposed to deal with that?"
"Call him Saint and me Rajjin."
"Good. Good idea. Get in line. Suicide runs if you touch that ball again Greenberg!" He yelled. Seeing her opportunity. Mel slipped away to stand by her brother.
"Glad to see you again." Saint whispered to his sister.
"Me too." She smiled up at him.
"Ok, gather around ladies." The coach yelled. He turned to Mel. "No offense."
"Actually coach I think I should be the only not offended." Mel answered. "Well, me and my brother. He doesn't mind being called a lady." Finstock looked at her, then at the behemoth next to her.
"Wait, does that mean you're..."
"Gay coach. It means I'm gay." Saint smiled at the man's reactions.
"Oh, great. Wonderful. Our goalie Danny is gay." He stuttered.
"That's wonderful news coach. Thanks." The team snickered. The awkwardness faded off the coach's face.
"OK. OK. Conditioning time kids. You all have the next 50 minutes to run 30 laps around the field. I better not see anybody slacking, Greenberg. Now let's go! " At the coaches order, the team dispersed. Mel and Saint ran next to each other, keeping pace with the other. They looked around noticing not all the guys were from lacrosse.
"I wonder who this Danny guy is." Saint asked, so low only his sister's ears picked it up. "I hope he's cute." Mel only half listened, noticing the way the girls gym class occasionally looked at her. "You even listening? I said I hope he's-"
"Yeah, yeah I heard you the first fucking time."
"Whoa, what's stuck in your craw?" His normally happy sister was quite disturbed today. What could possibly have happened in the 15 minutes he hadn't seen her.
"Sorry. I'm just freaking out because we aren't here a day and I may already have some rumors about me."
"What rumors?"
"Probably about me being a slut."
"Oh come now, why would they do that?"
"Because they saw my mark in the locker room and high school girls are bitches."
"Honey, lots of girls have hickeys. It can't be that bad. Where is it?"
"On the inside of my thigh." Mel squeaked out, blushing furiously. She wanted to cover her face and hide as she answered.
"My aren't you dirty." He chuckled. She shot a glare at her brother before taking off in front of him. She was careful to keep her speed to the realm of human possibility. Saint laughed again as he watched his sister bolt.
"I told you there would be rumors." Mel hissed to her brother as they walked through the hall. They heard the whispered words floating on the wind. She had definitely been branded a slut. They found the cafeteria with relative ease. Saint found the pair they were looking for.
"Well if it isn't my new favorite toys." Saint laughed as he took a seat next to Scott. Mel took the available chair next to Stiles. She smiled and noticed Scott's eyes were far away. She turned around. Following his gaze, she noticed the table full of people. But his eyes had been focused on one. The pretty girl with black wavy hair. Turning back to the table, she smiled at him.
"What?" The word sounded defensive. She hadn't missed the longing in his gaze.
"She's human isn't she?" She asked. He looked down at the table, nodded his head. "She's also a hunter." His eyes shot up.
"How?" was the only thing he could say.
"She wears the hunter's pendant."
"Call me an idiot or something. It doesn't matter. We broke up." The defensive tone was back.
"I would never call you an idiot." His head shot up at her words. Both he and Stiles looked at her. "I think I'm actually going to root for you guys."
"Why?"
"That's going to be a story for another day." She laughed.
"So how is our fearless leader today?" Erica asked sarcastically, plopping down next to Mel. Using the term her pack used to show affection as an insult. Isaac took the seat at the head of the table.
"And if it isn't my favorite juvenile delinquents." Saint retorted. Erica rolled her eyes, then turned to Mel smirking.
"Aren't you being a little too friendly with these boys here? They are already saying you're a slut. Just imagine what else they are going to call-" Her words were cut off by the low growl echoing from Saint's chest.
"Relax Saint. She's still getting used to this." Mel said softly.
"I think your letting her get too comfortable with crossing the line." He said in a low tone, glaring at the female beta.
"Mamma wolf here Saint. Patience is my curse." She forced a laugh. Scott looked at her curiously.
"There you guys are." Ruby said. She and the rest of the gang picked seats, filling up the table. "It was a bitch finding you guys. Who are these handsome young men, and why does Saint look ready to rip someone's throat out?"
"This is Scott and Stiles. Guys, this is the rest of my pack Ruby, Sapphire, Hana, and Zen." Mel answered.
"And that takes care of the first question. Now can someone please tell me why our gentle Saint looks ready to maul someone?"
"Because a certain little pup has been taken a few to many liberties." He snarled softly.
"Ok, can we please turn this conversation to something more constructive?" Mel chimed in, not liking the look on her brother's face. Zen rubbed her brother's arm soothingly. That seemed to do the trick. "That's better. Scott, Stiles-"
"I'm not joining your pack." Scott said forcefully.
"Well that was rude." Mel joked. "Scott, I'm not here to ask you for that."
"You're lying."
"It seems you've made it abundantly clear you have no interest in a wolf pack. I don't fault you for the decision. To each his own. I, well pretty much we, need your help. There's a bit of danger coming and we all need to rally together on this one. It doesn't mean joining up, just lending a hand." She spoke gently, the complete opposite of the way Derek did things
"What kind of danger?" Stiles jumped in. At that moment, the bell signaling the end of lunch rang. "Really? Now it rings." he said to no one in particular. Mel stood up, grabbing her tray.
"I'll explain more after practice. Just trust me, it's bad." She walked away, pack following. Erica shot a look at Isaac as he joined them. He shrugged at her.
"So, any idea what that was about?" Scott asked Erica. She stood up and shrugged.
"It's not my place." She said sarcastically, walking away from the table.
"Hey Scott. You ever get the feeling you're hearing a conversation, but you're not really understanding the meaning."
"All the time Stiles. All the time."
"Come on. Line it up guys!" Finstock yelled at the team. He spotted Mel. "Oh, sorry, didn't just. Not used to having a girl-"
"Relax coach. Just treat me like one of the guys." Mel offered, taking her place in line. Saint was a few spots ahead. One of the assistant coaches blew the whistle, and it took all their focus to not be incapacitated by the sound. The first player went up. Ran for the goal only to be tackled by one of the defenders. The men cheered like Neanderthals taking down prey. The next player tried, but had the goalie catch his attempt. It was Saint's turn. The burly jocks were a bit intimidated by the giant. He grinned as the ball was tossed to him. The whistle blew and his feet didn't seem to touch the ground. He ran at the goal, but rather then go around the defenders, he went through them. Each one approached, slammed into the wall of muscle and hit the ground. After the last one was down, he rushed the goal. Scoring easily. He trotted back to the line, winking at Mel. Scott admired the way the guy moved. For someone so big, he was really fast. The coach tossed him a ball, and he put his head back in the game. Moving quickly, he dodged the guys easily. Sidestepping, leaping forward. Another easy goal.
"This is gonna be fun." Isaac whispered. Mel looked at the boy in front of her and felt uneasy. The spike of aggression from the humans was extreme. Obviously they couldn't kill, but she was always wary about stupid pissed off humans. Isaac took off, saw the defenders rush him. He kept going, knowing he could easily push them back. At the last moment, one defender lowered his shoulder. Isaac felt pain shoot through his leg as the guy collided with him. Falling backwards, he slammed into the ground.
"Lahey!" Finstock yelled, rushing over. He was beaten by Mel. She knelt next to the prone form. Gingerly touching his leg. "Rajjin, what the hell are you doing?"
"I'm certified in basic field aid. Give him some room." She yelled back. She lowered her face next to his. "You're gonna be ok Isaac. It's already healing. I need you to try to stand on it for me." Her voice was so gentle. Maternal. Isaac nodded at the girl and she helped him up. He draped his arm over her shoulder and she helped him limp across to the benches. It was a multiple fracture. Would take a minute to properly heal.
"Don't you dare do that again or I'll kick your ass off the team." Finstock yelled at the defender. He tried to restore order. Isaac was ok, and they needed to get on with practice. "Ok, who's next?"
"Me." The soft voice spoke beside him. He looked over to see Mel. He was a bit hesitant. The guys were already riled up and he didn't want to bench another injured player so early in the season.
"You sure, I mean you don't have to…And you're going." Mel ignored the coach's rambling as she walked back to the field. A low growl deep in her chest. At the front of the line she picked up the dropped stick. She heard Saint's whisper.
"Give them hell."
"I'm not going to beat them. I'm going to humiliate them." She whispered back. Could practically feel the smile of her brother behind her. The whistle was blown, and the ball tossed. She caught it easily, then took off. She didn't head off to the middle, but rather down the side. Straight at one of the cheating bastards. He braced himself for impact, a smile on his face. It changed to a look of shock as she twirled around him. She ran to another defend that had ran to close in, and did the same thing. She was literally running circles around them. Getting fed up; one of the defenders gave chase. She stayed a few steps ahead. Toying with him. She ran at the other defender, but at the last second turned. Defender one was going too fast, had too much force to stop. Plowed right into the other guy. Defender two crumpled to the ground like a rag doll. Defender one stopped for a moment, dazed. Then she saw his nostrils flare. He was acting the bit of the enraged bull to the letter. She smiled at him, and he charged. She heard the footsteps behind her, knew Defender three was gunning for her as well. She counted slowly. Then took a quick step forward. The two boys crashed into each other, flying back to the ground. She walked up slowly to the goalie's net. The one playing the position was distracted by the carnage on the field. With a quick flick of the wrist, the ball leapt into the net. She walked slowly back to the line.
"Pull that crap again and see what happens. " She said as she passed the crumpled heaps of other players.
"Rajjin, get the hell over here!" Finstock yelled. She raced up to the man. "What the hell was that?"
"I just thought they needed to learn how someone using speed played, instead of just brute force." She answered innocently. "Sorry."
"No, no, don't apologize. I like you're thinking. How'd you like to be co-captain with McCall?"
"Sounds great coach." She couldn't keep the smile off her face. Things were working out surprisingly well. Finstock looked at the players groaning.
"Come on you babies, get up. Lahey's already walking around." He yelled. The three stood up shakily. Mel smirked at them. She had made sure not to let them get too hurt.
"Aw, crap." Scott muttered looking at his phone.
"What?" Stiles asked, pulling his shirt on over his head.
"My mom texted. Says there was an emergency and she had to pick up the car."
"What? Dude no. My jeep's still in the shop. How are we supposed to get home?"
"We could walk." Scott suggested.
"Sure, that's fine for you and your whole wolf super speed thing. Meanwhile, Stiles gets left in the woods to be eaten by a bear." Scott rolled his eyes at his friend's dramatics.
"We could give you a ride." Saint interjected, leaning against the locker. "Sorry I overheard your conversation and thought you are just too cute to get eaten by a bear."
"Thank you!" Stiles said. "See, too cute to be eaten by a bear."
"Just let us finish getting ready and we can go. Meet outside the girl's locker room." He walked away before they could answer.
"I don't know." Scott muttered.
"I do." The other boy answered. Scott threw him a questioning look. "Hmm, let's see our choices. Ride from some super-hot and super nice werewolves. Or get eaten by a bear. I think I'm going with the hot wolves." He grabbed his backpack and walked away, leaving Scott to chase behind him. Saint and Isaac met them outside the other locker room. They threw him a look.
"You're not the only one needing a lift." Isaac explained. They waited a minute, with no sign of the last wolf. "What's taking her so long?" He mumbled.
"Let me check." Saint volunteered. The three laughed at his joke. Realizing it wasn't one when he barged into the room. "Mel get your ass out here already."
"I'm going already. You have no idea how much those practice uniforms get tangled with my bra stra… And I see we have guests." She said. She turned and threw a quick glare at her brother. When she looked at them again, her face was all smiles. "Good to see you again. Stiles. Scott. Isaac."
"These little strays need us to take them to a good home." Saint quipped. Mel rolled her eyes and led the procession. They piled into her green blue impala. Stiles was sandwiched in the back seat between Isaac and Scott. Scott took the time to ask a few questions. Mel did her best to explain. It was all pretty much surface stuff, and she was a bit disappointed that Derek hadn't been more informative to the boy. Then again, females were the more nurturing ones.
"Just drop us both off at my house. It's down the road. The blue house." Scott said. Mel nodded at the information. "Oh shit."
"What's wrong?" She asked, looking back in the rearview mirror.
"Crap, what is he doing here?" Stiles groaned. Mel shot them a final look before pulling into the driveway. Looking through the windshield, she saw the cause for their concern. Derek was there. Leaning against his car. She put the car in park, and everyone seemed to scramble out.
"Hey Derek." Mel smiled walking up. His eyes narrowed as she approached.
"Why are you here?" He asked a bit gruffly.
"Well I could ask the same thing of you." She replied, folding her arms over her chest. He looked over her shoulder and saw the others grabbing their stuff from the car. Saint sat on the hood of Mel's car, watching this play out. Ready to jump in and protect his alpha. The other three stayed a bit away.
"I came to talk to Scott. About everything that's about to go down." He responded.
"So was I." She walked closer. She lowered her voice to a whisper so low, even the wolves could barely pick it up. "I know a bit more about this so I thought I should be the one to break the news."
"I started training him. He's my responsibility." He lowered his voice to match.
"Your training with him is kind of on the level of suck."
"Excuse me?"
"You're used to everyone around you already knowing everything. You get frustrated to easily. I've been doing this since I became an alpha. Teaching them how to fight, about our world. All its little twists of custom and decorum. 5 successful test cases already under my belt. Please, let me do this for you." She pleaded. She grabbed his hand, and interlocked their fingers.
"Oh for the love of all, will someone please tell me what the hell is going on?" Stiles interrupted, getting fed up trying to read lips. Derek glared at him, and Stiles felt himself shrink back, trying to hide behind Isaac. Mel gripped his chin and forced the alpha's eyes back to her. She was not going to let an innocent bystander deal with his frustration.
"It's a lover's quarrel." Isaac whispered to the guy still cowered behind them. Stiles eyes widened at the words.
"Lo...lover's. So what, she's his girlfriend now?" He practically shouted. Isaac stepped away as a fresh glare was aimed at the only human among them.
"No. She's not my girlfriend." Derek said, including everyone in the conversation now. His eyes focused on Stiles "She's my mate."