Wasteland

by TweakerWolf

Imagine if you were living in a Wasteland, surviving as best you can after a nuclear war. Scott and Stiles travel together, trying to make the best of cards they were dealt. In another part of the Wastes, Derek tries to come to terms with his past, even managing to gather a few Betas on the way. Fallout: New Vegas AU. More in the Setting

9. A Brief Meeting

*On the road*

Scott and Stiles were on the road again, heading towards Primm, hoping to get some answers; the people of Goodsprings were nice, but they work to do so it was time to move on. They were definitely willing to head back after they'd dealt with Peter though. As they traveled down the road, they decided to keep quiet, just in case there were any other groups of Powder Gangers around. Melissa had warned them that the correctional facility wasn't all that far away so they didn't want to get taken by surprise. Scott honed his hearing, focusing on the sounds behind them while he let Stiles visually focus on the road in front of them. It wasn't long before he saw someone up the road, sitting on one of the rocks with a Brahmin standing beside him. As they drew nearer they realized that the guy was actually a Werewolf, maybe a year or two older than them, his ears and tail being a dead giveaway.

"Hey there, how are you?" Stiles asked, hand casually resting against his rifle, just in case.

The dark-skinned teen looked them over, "I'm good, and you two?"

"We're doing just fine. I don't suppose you'd be a merchant?" Scott asked, listening carefully to his heartbeat.

After taking a moment to look them over, he nodded, "Yes I am, although I don't have much right now. You're free to check out what I've got though."

"Oh good! I'm hoping you've got some food, I'd rather not eat Gecko meat if I don't have to," Stiles sighed in relief.

"I'll trade you for some Gecko meat, as long as it's fresh."

Stiles nodded his head, "We killed these ones ourselves the other day and harvested them just a short while later so we know exactly how old they are. I just don't like the chewy texture so if we can get rid of it, I'm down. What do you have to trade?" The group bartered, the Were offering them three boxes of Dandy Boy Apples and two coyote steaks for four of their Gecko steaks. Stiles rubbed his hands together as Scott packed up their new food, happy to have some variety. "Thanks a ton man, maybe we'll see you around again if we come back this way," Stiles said, waving to him.

"Name's Boyd, I work with Werewolf Wares, a small trading group made exclusively of Wolves. If you give me your names, I'll let them know that you're safe to trade with. I'm sure you can image we're a bit wary when it comes to Humans. We don't refuse to trade with Humans but we tend to focus more on Weres since we're discriminated against a little more. Nice Humans get a discount though," he explained with a smile.

Scott nodded in understanding, "Yea, we've come across a few people that are very anti-Were… and it makes no sense I mean, some of us started out as Human, got Bit without our consent… it's not our fault. And those that are born this way, they aren't all bad, most of us are just doing the best we can. Look at you, you're making an honest living and you aren't hurting others, so they have no right to discriminate against you. But that's how it is right now…"

Boyd narrowed his eyes as he listened to him, picking up on the fact that he was including himself in the group.

Scott noticed the look and quickly flashed his eyes at the merchant, grinning as he did a double-take. "I only look Human. Stiles here is Human though… and we'd appreciate if you didn't tell too many people about me."

"Yea, of course! I guess I'm getting a little rusty, I'm not used to seeing Weres without tails and ears. I mean, Alphas usually keep it all hidden but they give off a really strong aura most of the time. As a Were you have every right to trade but I'll pass your names along as acceptable Humans all the same, since you can pass as Human."

"Thanks. His name is Scott by the way; he gave you mine but not his own. It was nice to meet you Boyd. Stay safe out here! Although, you look pretty intimidating, I'm sure you don't run into too much trouble," Stiles joked lightly.

Boyd shrugged, "Usually not, but there is the occasional racist. For the most part, Humans refuse to trade with me on principle so I don't even have to turn them away. Some, like you, I'll take a chance on but there are others that get pissed when I refuse to trade with them. Turns out they don't like being discriminated against- who would've guessed?" Boyd chuckled and shook his head. It was always fine for them to look down on others but no one was allowed to look down on them. "But regardless of what they might do, I'm not supposed to fight back unless my life is in danger, Humans are too easy to hurt you know?"

Stiles couldn't hold back his laughter, gesturing to his scar-covered body, "Oh yea, we know that all too well."

"Yea, and you don't want to get pegged as an aggressive Were either, then the NCR will be after you. It sucks to get attacked but all-in-all I think that's a good policy to have. Otherwise we'd be like Deucalion and that's just going to cause more hate," Scott said.

"Exactly," Boyd agreed, "We're trying to fight that kind of ignorance by showing that we aren't monsters. Maybe one day we'll all get along."

"Hopefully."

The three of them waved to each other and split apart, Boyd sitting back down on the boulder as he watched the other two continue down the road. He had seen them coming and debated with himself on whether he should stay on the road or not and he was glad that he did. Another safe Human to add to his list! Maybe his good fortune would hold up and he'd meet a few more safe traders before setting up camp.

The boys continued at a leisurely pace, not seeing the point in wasting energy by rushing to Primm. They had set off during the early afternoon and figured if they made it to Primm by nightfall, they'd be doing well. They were also probably going to take a break during the worst of the heat, not wanting to tax Stiles too much. He had seemed fine during the fight and everything but he had been shot in the head the other night, Scott wasn't going to act like it was all business as usual.

Most of the trip was uneventful but about an hour after they talked with Boyd, Scott motioned for them halt. His eyes suddenly turned golden amber as he sniffed the air… there was an Alpha nearby.

"Peter?" Stiles mouthed, glancing behind them as he raised his rifle.

Scott shook his head, no, he wasn't the Alpha that he smelled but he wasn't any less on edge… he held up three fingers and then held up two fingers on either side of his head to let Stiles know there was a group of all Weres out there. As they looked around, Scott reached out and lowered Stiles's rifle, pointing it at the ground- he wanted to try to get through the encounter without violence. He wasn't getting a hostile vibe from the hidden group… but that didn't mean they were friendly. Eventually he pointed to a small outcropping of rocks as he zeroed in on their heartbeats. Since they had decided to hide, he was hoping that they weren't looking for confrontation, and were just trying to avoid them.

Stiles waited a moment, internally debating if they should just keep going, but in the end, he knew it would be safer to confront them. "Come on out, we know you're there. I'd prefer to just meet face-to-face so we both know that we aren't planning to ambush each other," he called out. He stood there with Scott, stock-still as they patiently waited. They weren't going to back down, not when they knew someone was hiding, but they didn't want to come across as aggressive so they didn't step any closer either. As they waited, Stiles started to get antsy and impatient… what was taking so long? They knew they were outed… By the time the three of them finally appeared, over five minutes later, Stiles was irritated. That feeling quickly went away as he registered the group of them. He really didn't want to get into a fight with that bunch; the man in the leather jacket had to be the Alpha that Scott had sensed and he looked formidable. The two with him, presumably his Betas, looked like tough fighters as well.

Stiles quickly assessed the Betas; one was fairly tall and had his mouth and nose covered by a blue scarf, his eyes hidden behind dark sunglasses, and the hood of his jacket was pulled up over his head. He had his arms crossed menacingly and his stance was aggressive, blonde tail whipping the air behind him. The other Beta was a girl, she had on ripped jeans and a skimpy tank top, but she had her fangs and claws bared, ready to tussle. Her stance, coupled with the fact that she had a machete strapped to her thigh and a machine gun hanging at her side, made Stiles pause. She was the most aggressive of the three and he was going to need to tread lightly. As he continued to look her over, he noticed the singed hair on her tail and frowned, wondering what had happened to her. He looked up, seeing her amber eyes glowing and a snarl on her red lips and realized she probably didn't want to talk about it. "Easy everyone, let's just stay calm," Stiles started to say, right as she took a few menacing steps forward.

Scott immediately stepped between her and Stiles, baring his fangs at her. There was no reason for her to be acting to aggressive! He didn't want to fight them but if she started something, he was going to protect Stiles.

The Alpha held out his hand, stopping her, but he let out a low growl, staring daggers at Stiles. "How much did you have to pay to get a Were as a personal bodyguard? Where did you buy him?" he snarled, red eyes showing through his sunglasses. Weres didn't exist to be slaves! It was because of people like him that Weres like Deucalion were gaining traction in the first place.

Stiles's mouth dropped open, "What?! What the hell are you talking about? Scott's my brother, you asshole! I didn't buy him!" That was a first, he'd never heard someone accuse him of that before… did people really do that kind of thing? He thought only Deucalion and his Legion dealt in slaves around here…

Derek's eyes dimmed, hearing the truth in his heartbeat, "So he isn't a slave?"

"NO! Do I really look like a Legion member to you? I'm not wearing Legion clothes! Oh, I forgot, I'm also a Human! If anyone was more likely to be a slave in this duo, it would be me. Or have you been living under a rock?"

Erica sneered, "Humans are known to look down on every species except their own!"

"Yea, Humans can be pieces of shit but considering that it's Deucalion and his army of Weres going around kidnapping people and enslaving them, it doesn't make sense that you'd assume I own him. God, why are all the Alphas attacking me lately?"

Erica started forward again, struggling against Derek's hold on her arm, "Maybe because you're too mouthy for your own good!"

"Erica, hush," Derek told her, pulling her back again. The guy was mouthy but she had been the one to start it, she'd taken the first step forward. And it was his accusation that had offended the guy. If he didn't de-escalate it then they'd be forced into another fight and Derek just wasn't up for that. "I didn't mean to offend you, it's just that I haven't really encountered too many Weres traveling with Humans over the years. At least not voluntarily. We don't have the best of relationships and it seems plausible that a Human might 'retaliate' against the Legion by keeping a Were as a slave. We don't want any trouble, right Erica?"

"No, we don't want trouble," Erica grumbled, crossing her arms and jutting out a hip. She was probably going to get reprimanded for her attitude but she didn't like the way he'd been studying her. Not after having to put up with Beagle for months. And she was supposed to making a good impression on Derek as a freshly accepted Packmate…

Scott slowly nodded his head, dropping the defensive posture. Erica seemed properly reined in so he didn't feel like he had to guard Stiles any longer. "We didn't want trouble either, we just didn't want to take a chance they you might attack us after we'd walked by."

The Alpha waved his Betas back towards the road and was getting ready to move on but Stiles held out a hand. "Wait, while we're talking, can I ask you a quick question? We're uh, looking for someone, maybe you've seen them on the road? Older man, Alpha, might or might not be traveling with a couple of Khans. Oh, he was wearing a really nice suit, like super clean and high price, goes by Peter." Stiles turned to Scott, frown on his face, "What was his last name? Hane? Halk? No… Hale! Peter Hale!

Derek had been shaking his head, they hadn't encountered anyone on the road… but when the kid said that name he stiffened. "Why are you looking for him? Peter Hale is dead…"

Stiles blinked in surprise, "What do you mean he's dead?! How did he manage to go and get himself killed? How are we supposed to get revenge now?!" Stiles almost threw his rifle in frustration but stopped himself.

Derek frowned, "Revenge? For what?"

"You see this scar?" he said, gesturing to his temple, "He gave it to me- shot me in the face!"

"You've taken a bit too long to decide to track him down… he's dead, I assure you." When had Peter run into these boys? And what reason did he have for trying to kill them? The thing that confused him the most was that the scar looked fresh… very fresh…

"Okay but how do you know he's dead? And what do you mean I took a long time? This was like… two nights ago, right?" Stiles asked Scott. That wasn't long at all.

Scott nodded his head, "Yea, two nights ago. And he's supposedly heading down the highway… but depending on where you're coming from, you might've missed him. He would've been booking it this way after he tried to kill Stiles the other night."

"Wait… now that you mention it, I remember the other waitress talking about a guy matching that description…" Erica spoke up, curious.

Derek shook his head sharply, "No! That's impossible; my uncle died 6 months ago in a fire… along with the rest of my family…"

Stiles slammed his mouth shut, what, his uncle? "You're related to Peter Hale?" He couldn't stop himself, his grip tightened on his rifle again, alarmed. The two Betas immediately noticed and bared their fangs.

Scott stepped forward again, trying to defuse the situation, "Let's not attack each other, we don't know for sure that the Peter we're looking for is your Uncle Peter… It would be pretty crazy that they both had the same last name too but if you say your uncle is dead… and we know that we were attacked by someone just two nights ago… they can't be the same person, right?"

"My uncle… he was about 5'10", in his mid-thirties, brown hair, not black like mine… a neatly trimmed goatee. And he kept his hair gelled up a bit- he was always very fastidious about his looks. He did like to dress up, always made sure he had clean clothes…"

Stiles and Scott shared a look, that sounded exactly like the Peter they had encountered. Stiles nodded, "Did he also like the sound of his own voice? Peter wouldn't shut up about himself, took his sweet time talking my ear off before finally shooting me."

Derek nodded, a ghost of a smile on his face. That was his uncle. Had Peter survived the fire? How had he never heard about it?

"Wait, one other thing, the Peter we're looking for, he was the one that turned me six years ago. So unless your uncle was also an Alpha back then-"

"Actually… he stole the Alpha power when he was about 17… he was frustrated that his sister, my mom, had inherited the family's power instead of him. So he went out and found an Alpha and killed him, not to be outdone by his sister. I don't remember the details, I was too young to be involved in the family politics, I just remember he disappeared for awhile after he did that."

"Well, this is awkward then… because what you just told us pretty much cements it in my head that we're talking about the same person. Peter is all about power… And I just told you that we want to kill him…" Stiles said with a grimace.

"I… as far as I know my uncle's been dead this whole time. Now I hear that he might be alive but that if you get your way, he'll be dead soon anyways. How am I even supposed to react?" Derek sighed, shaking his head, "I'm not going to fight you though, whatever happened between you and Peter, that's your business. Maybe I'll find him alive or maybe I won't."

"Thanks… I guess? Is that the right response? I'm not sure what else to say… um… I guess we'll be going then," Stiles fumbled, completely at a loss. He was glad that the Alpha didn't feel like attacking them in defense of his uncle but it felt weird to say thank you… but he had to say something!

Scott waved, wanting to end their meeting on good terms. "Be careful on the road to wherever you're headed. Goodsprings is Were-friendly by the way, just so you know. You'll be coming up on it pretty soon."

"Yea, and free of Powder Gangers too!" Stiles snorted.

"Goodsprings was attacked?" Isaac blurted out, speaking for the first time. "Please tell me Melissa's alright!"

Scott raised his eyebrows, "You know Melissa?"

"Yea, she gave me shelter when I had nowhere else to go, we're on our way to go visit her. Don't tell me she got hurt…" he whimpered.

"Naw dude, she's fine. She's a tough woman- she wasn't going to let no gang come in and raid her town!" Stiles laughed. "Tell her hi from us, Stiles and Scott," he added, gesturing to himself and then Scott.

Isaac slumped in relief at their words, glad that she was still alive. "Thanks, I'll tell her we saw you on the road. I'm Isaac by the way..." his voice trailed off before he introduced Derek, realizing that maybe he didn't want to be known... And he'd been about to tell them that Primm was Were-friendly (mostly) but he realized that Scott knew how to control his Beta form already… they didn't need any help from him. So he just waved and watched them walk away. Then he shyly looked over at his Alpha, surprised by the information he had let slip. Isaac couldn't help but notice that Derek hadn't shared anything of his past in the few days they'd been traveling together. He listened and asked questions about his time with the Scorpion Gang but never offered anything in return… and yet those two strangers had unwittingly forced him to share information. If his whole family was dead, it was no wonder he'd kept it to himself. And just six months ago! Maybe one day Derek would warm up to them enough to tell them his story, the good and the bad. He knew that he felt a little closer to Derek just by sharing his own story- with Erica too after she told him about Nipton and everything. So he couldn't wait to finally hear more about Derek and deepen the bond they were creating.

Derek stood there a moment, watching the two boys walk away, still feeling very conflicted… not to mention a little embarrassed. He could sense the curiosity coming from his two Betas but he definitely wasn't ready to tell them… it hurt too much. Why had he even explained it to those two? He should've played dumb! But he couldn't mask his reaction at hearing his uncle's name, and that he was still alive- in Nevada no less. What were the odds of that? "Come on you two, might as well keep going, let's just forget about this. At least we know we won't have to deal with any damn gang members when we get there. Twice in one day is just too much."

The Pack turned and continued to head north, staying on the road now that they were alone again. Derek had been surprised at first that they had been called out like that but he hadn't scented the air, if he had, he would have quickly realized one of them had been a Werewolf. Derek had been more focused on keeping his two Betas out of view, which of course hadn't gone according to plan. Luckily for him, they hadn't been looking for a fight-as it was, the two boys only seemed to call them out so they would be comfortable knowing they weren't planning a sneak attack. But still, that news about Peter, that was throwing him for a loop… there was no way Peter could still be alive, he had been in the house with everyone else. If he had survived the fire somehow, why hadn't he looked for Derek? Even though he was already an Alpha, he would've received his sister's family power by default if he was the only one left. And since Derek got it and he didn't, Peter should know that there was another Hale alive out there… right? He was pulled from his thoughts as a loud voice carried to him from a little further up the road.

"What'd you jus' say to me you useless pile of fur?!" a gruff voice shouted.

Derek was rooted to the spot for a moment as he watched the scene unfold. He hadn't been paying attention, assuming that it they were just trading with each other but then it had turned violent… He could hear the thump of their boots as they kicked the guy on the ground, they had become enraged at the drop of a hat. Then it clicked… they were attacking a Were… and he was just curled up on the ground, not doing anything to defend himself.

Beside him Erica whimpered, hand reaching out to clutch at her Alpha, eyes wide. "Why are they hurting him?" she asked. It was the first time she'd seen anyone react so violently… some people had looked at her with suspicion or fear but no one had ever attacked her. As she watched, she knew that she couldn't just stand by and let it happen… She started growling but even as she took her first step in their direction, Derek let out a loud roar.

His eyes were red as he charged forward, claws and ears out. His Betas were trailing behind him, spurred into action through their Pack bonds. As mad as he was, he had the frame of mind to mentally remind them both to go easy on the Humans. As the three of them charged, one of the men fled while the second completely locked up in terror. The third straightened up and struggled to pull his pistol out of his holster, hands shaking too much to get a good grip on it. Derek went straight for him and let his Betas take care of the other two. There was a loud bang and Derek felt a twinge in his shoulder but he kept going, barreling into the Human. He deftly knocked the gun out of his hand and rolled them across the ground. In a flash he had the man pinned beneath him with one clawed hand at his throat and the other hand pressing his face into the hot sand.

Erica sprinted after the man who had ran, easily catching up to him and tackling him to the ground. Vaguely she was aware that she wasn't supposed to kill him but she wasn't sure why she felt that way… But her Wolf told her to listen so she settled for snarling in his face as he sobbed in terror. Once he was properly scared, she hauled him to his feet and dragged him back to the others. She dropped him next to the man that Isaac had knocked unconscious and stood guard over them as Isaac helped the beaten Were to his feet.

"What the fuck do you think you're doing?" Derek growled out.

"He refused to trade with us! Jus' because we're Human- that ain't right," the man cried out.

"And that gives you the right to attack him? Who do you think you are?"

"I-I ain't scared of you Wolf! We was just teaching him his place in the world and if you ain't careful-"

Derek roared again, not as loudly as before but enough to make the man's ears ring. "You smell scared! You look scared! And you certainly sound scared. You know that I could rip your throat out right? You know that your tiny little bullet did absolutely nothing to stop me? So-"

"Now yo-you listen here beast! I'm a Human and I deserve respect!" he interrupted with a shaky voice.

"You think Werewolves are beasts do you?" Derek asked, letting the tips of his claws press into his skin. "Those are pretty dangerous words to say when the guy that holds your life in his hands is a Werewolf. I could kill you, or not. Maybe I just decide to maim you, break your knees, your fingers, some ribs. Or I could Bite you, how would you like that? What would you do if you became a Were?"

"You can't Bite me- that's against the law here. You ain't got my consent!" the man wailed, careful not to squirm because of the claws in his neck.

"I'm sure if you were to have some sort of fatal wound, and turning you was the only way to save you…maybe consent wouldn't be as important then, don't you think?"

"I ain't got no fatal wound, and even then I'd rather die than become one of you!"

Derek smirked, "Again, not the smartest thing to say to the man that has his claws in you. You know why you're afraid of becoming a Werewolf? It's not because you would think you're a monster… it's because you know that your friends would be the first to hunt you down. You would be afraid of being treated like a second-class citizen, you would hate to become that which you look down upon. You call us beasts but you're the one that beat up an innocent person who didn't raise a finger to defend himself. We have mutated wolf blood in us to explain our aggressive nature, what excuse do you have? Just that you're a piece of shit? Know this, regardless of what you think of Werewolves, the NCR sees us as people, with the same rights as you. And if the NCR ever caught wind of three grown men ganging up to beat on one teenage Were, they'd throw you in jail. One of these days you're going to pick a fight with someone who doesn't care about the law and you might just find yourself bleeding out, wishing you could take it back. Now take your friends and get out of here; and if I ever see your face again, I won't be so nice." With one final snarl, Derek hauled the man to his feet and shoved him towards the other two.

In a flash, the two men grabbed their unconscious friend and started dragging him down the road, not looking back.

Derek scowled and dug the bullet out of his shoulder, tossing it onto the ground… just another hole for him to patch up later. Maybe if he was lucky he could find a leather jacket in better condition and retire his current one. Satisfied that they weren't going to try and sneak back to shoot at them, he turned around and checked on the new Were, "Are you alright?"

"Yea, I'm okay, they didn't do any serious damage. At least nothing that isn't already healing. They did ransack my pack though, bothering poor Callie," he said, reaching out to pet the stressed out Brahmin. They heard her give out a high pitched moo, clearly unhappy.

"I'm sorry, I'm sure our sudden, loud appearance didn't help things either," Derek muttered apologetically.

"Naw, she's used to Weres, my merchant group, Werewolf Wares, breeds them. So she's been around a few different Were fights. She's come to realize that we never hurt her, regardless of what scary sounds we make. But being handled roughly by some strangers definitely isn't going over well with her," Boyd explained, patting the bovine-esque creature on her muzzle.

"Why don't you come to Goodsprings with us, I'm sure Callie here would like a safe place to recover, and our kind are welcome there," Derek offered, not wanting the other Wolf to just be left there on his own.

Boyd nodded his head, "Yea, that sounds like a good idea, I'd rather not sit out here alone and encounter someone else. I think now's a good time to pack it in for the day and I wouldn't say no to some company. I'm Boyd by the way, thanks for stepping in… and sorry to cause you trouble with Humans."

Derek shrugged, "Trouble is nothing new to me, and I doubt they'd come looking for me- they're the kind of guys that only fight those that can't fight back. And I highly doubt they'll report it because harassing innocent Weres is frowned upon."

Erica crowded in a little closer to the new Were, if he was going to be going into town with him, she figured she'd check him out a little more. "Hi, I'm Erica, newest member of the Pack, just joined today! And this is Isaac, he's kinda quiet but he's a good guy. That's our Alpha Derek, who failed to introduce himself, nice to meet you Boyd," she offered with a smile on her face.

"Nice to meet all three of you," Boyd responded, nodding his head in greeting.

"All set to move on? The sooner we get to Goodsprings, the sooner we can rest," Derek said, looking at the group. When all of them nodded their heads, they began walking, knowing they'd be there before too much longer.

The silence only lasted for a moment, Erica speaking up again, "Hey Derek… how come people hate us so much?"

"A lot of it stems from fear and since people don't know how to try and understand something different than them, that fear turns into hate. And they're scared of us because we're 'other'… we aren't considered Human anymore. Our ears and tails mark us as different. Even if most of our body looks Human, it's still obvious that we're different. On top of that, we're faster, stronger, and not much if fatal to us- at least not by Human standards."

"But still…"

"Now that you're a Were, your experiences are different but before, what did you hear about us?" Derek asked. "I'm willing to bet that most of the stories you were heard were bad. Stories about unruly Alphas going around and Biting people against their will or Rogues going around and attacking people in broad daylight. Those Werewolves are dangerous, extremely so, but they are such a small percentage of the population. And this was fear that Humans felt even before Deucalion rose to power. Now they hate us because he's going around enslaving people, spouting hatred against all Humans. But really, he only gained traction because Weres were tired of being treated so poorly in the first place…"

Erica's ears drooped as she realized the truth in his words. She didn't think that she would've ever attacked a Were or accosted them but she was always a little fearful. And she had been turned against her will, attacked by one of the dangerous ones… but now that she was a Were, she didn't feel too different. Well, on the full moons she did of course but in general, she felt the same as before. She had to be turned to really understand that… But as she thought of that, she looked at Derek again, remembering that he was a Born-Were… he'd never been only Human. She at least had the benefit of experiencing both worlds before getting stuck in one form. Plus if she learned, she could pass as Human in the future! "I guess it does make sense, hearing you say it like that," she murmured, "I just… it was so shocking to see! I guess I got lucky; I never felt too welcome but like, people were never mean to me."

"You mentioned 'Rogue' before… what does that really mean?" Isaac asked as Erica went quiet.

"A Rogue is just another name for a feral Werewolf, someone that has completely lost touch with their Human half. The Wolf side has complete control of them. It's similar to what you feel on the full moon only it would be all the time. They become more animal than Human and will attack anything they think is prey or a threat. Like the difference between a regular Ghoul and a feral Ghoul. Most Ghouls are capable of rational thought but some of them have just given up and the only way to deal with them is to put them down."

Isaac frowned, remembering how he'd been warned about trying to shun his Wolf and how it could lead to trouble… he was still learning but… "What if I become a Rogue?"

"You won't!" Erica argued. He might not have experienced his first full moon yet but there was no reason for him to go crazy.

"But I've been shunning my Wolf this whole time! Derek told me that was bad!"

Derek held up a hand to stop the conversation, "It is bad to shun your inner Wolf but that takes time, longer than just a month. And now you're working on bonding with yourself- you're actually making good progress! Not to mention, you're in a Pack and your Alpha is supposed to help you maintain balance. Since I'm a Born-Were, I might take some things for granted when it comes to explaining things but I absolutely won't let you go feral. It can be dangerous if the Alpha is inexperienced or loves violence too much but it won't happen to you. And it's not just the Alpha, the whole Pack helps you as well because you bond with them in ways that Humans can't achieve. Feeling that togetherness makes your Wolf happy and a happy Wolf isn't going to just take over control and turn you feral.

"If you're ever really concerned about it, I want you to remind yourselves of something. Despite what Humans say, we aren't monsters. And not because you don't act like a monster. In my experience, Humans take their humanity for granted, they act violent and give into their urges and it's normal. But because we have mutated animal genes, when we act violent, we're giving into the animalistic side of ourselves. That isn't true. We act violent for the same reasons Humans do. But it is because of our experiences with our inner Wolf that we will never take our humanity for granted. We know what it feels like to lose control, every full moon. It's the on-going cycle that reinforces our dual nature. We are not less than Human, we are more than Human. Never forget that."

All three of the Betas Werewolves stopped and looked at each other… none of them had ever thought of it that way. All their lives they had heard people say that because Weres were part animal, that clearly made them less Human. And yet Derek had easily spun that thought on its head. Each of them felt that it was true too, they all had experience with being Human and now with being Weres. None of them felt less like themselves, they felt like they were capable of more!

"C'mon, I know I just blew your minds but we've got a town to get to, I want to get out of the sun!" Derek called out from ahead of them. He was grinning to himself though, glad that he was able to help them understand their gifts a little more. Maybe he wasn't going to be too horrible of a teacher after all. He would never live up to his mother's legacy but he could at least try.

*Meanwhile*

Stiles and Scott walked in silence for awhile, not wanting to talk about anything important-just in case the other Wolves were listening. Stiles was thinking about what the Alpha had told them… Once he was certain they were far enough from the other group, Stiles turned to his brother. "Hey Scott, how many other kids do you think have been attacked by Peter over the years? I mean, he's been an Alpha pretty much as long as we've been alive! That's pretty scary… I had no idea that he might have that much experience…"

"Yea… it's pretty intimidating. Not to mention that now we know he's a Born-Were too… The guy back there was hiding a lot of his aura and despite that he raised my hackles so to speak. If Peter comes from the same family then he would still have a lot of natural power too, even if he didn't inherit the Alpha role for the family. Can you imagine being our age and attacking an Alpha? Like, being so power hungry that the first thing you do is go hunt one down?! I know our plan is to kill Peter but that's including weapons and planning… not me going hand-to-hand with him so I can steal his powers."

"Yea, doesn't that only work if you kill him with your claws? Shooting him won't work, or having him step on a land mine that you planted," Stiles asked, squinting his eyes as he tried to recall. "I can't remember all the stuff we've heard over the years… we never really planned on fighting Alphas so I didn't file that away as something important."

Scott nodded, "Yea, I'd had to physically kill him with my own hands… or I guess my teeth. You have to be able to prove that you're better… although I guess there's a loophole where I could trap him somehow and weaken him before killing him. That would seem kinda cheap but as far as I know it still counts. As long as I physically deal the killing blow."

"I guess it's a good thing we ran into them… I didn't really think about it but… we've been going through this pretty blind so far. I think we let our anger get the better of us. I mean, I still want to kill him for thinking that he can just shoot me! And also for thinking that he can just force you to do his bidding! But… I think we're going to have to do a lot more research on Peter before we just go knocking on his door."

"I completely agree," Scott answered. There was a thoughtful frown on his face for awhile as he planned out his next words. "I know that Peter admitted that he killed most of his 'projects' and that he was pleased with me… why do you think he left me alone all those years? If he wants power that much, why doesn't he actually stick around and work on building a Pack with his Betas? Wolves usually have to be loyal to the Alpha that created them but I never felt a pull to find Peter, which means he severed ties with me before I even knew what was going on. Why?"

Stiles shook his head, "I have no idea, it doesn't make a lot of sense to me either. The smartest thing would be to amass a large amount of forced-to-follow-him Betas. Instead he leaves them to their own devices and kills them when they don't meet his expectations. I never thought about the Pack bond between you and your mystery Alpha… like you said, at first we had no idea what was even going on. After we learned more, I just never connected the dots, that you didn't feel compelled to find your missing Pack leader." He paused, thinking of something else, "How did Peter even recognize you then? It's been 6 years… I doubt he recognized your face, especially if he's burned through so many failed 'projects'… maybe it was your scent but he was there and gone so fast! Was that really enough time?"

"We're assuming he attacked the minute he saw us. For all we know he stalked us for a long time before making his move. If that's the case then it's possible that he memorized my scent… but yea, it does seem pretty crazy. He is smarter than we ever thought though. Now that we've actually spoken with him, I don't think he went around attacking people senselessly. That would've brought the NCR down on him, especially if he kept 'recruiting' people from the same area. It's possible that we just missed him all these years but the fact that we've never even caught a glimpse of him anywhere around… I have to wonder if he's even been in Nevada this whole time. Maybe he wandered around a lot."

"Yea, that would explain how he managed to get away with turning people without their consent for so long."

"I guess we'll just have to ask him when we see him again," Scott shrugged. They could talk about it all they wanted and make guesses all day but they would never know unless he actually told them. "Do you think we'll find him before that other guy does?"

"I dunno, why?"

Scott nudged Stiles, "You can't be that dense… he said that he wasn't going to fight us, like, in the moment, because he doesn't know what happened between us and Peter. But they are still family! So… what if he rejoins Peter's Pack?"

"Wait, can an Alpha even submit to another Alpha like that?"

"Yea, I think so… Alpha inheritance can only go to one Pack member but like, say I was your Alpha… I don't think you'd get forced out of my Pack just because you went off and stole another Alpha's power. You could if you wanted, having the ability to actually start your own Pack but, I don't think you'd have to. And if that's the case, can you imagine how much stronger Peter will be if he has another Alpha under him? One with a powerful family inheritance…"

"Things just keep sounding worse and worse…" Stiles sighed. "Let's… not think about it. For now. Obviously we are going to need a strong plan for when we confront Peter but we've got time. For now let's just piece together his path and gather clues on the way to New Vegas."

Scott readily agreed, not wanting to psyche himself up over something that might not happen. They'd figure it out- they always did. It was easier to just cross the bridge when they got to it rather than try to plan and worry about how to cross it ahead of time. Besides, he could see the giant roller coaster that Melissa had told them about, they were finally coming up on Primm. "What do you think the town is like?" Scott asked as they wandered closer.

Stiles looked around and noticed the NCR tents and soldiers standing around on one side of the highway, "Looks like maybe they're in trouble?"

"Oh god… I hope not…"

None of the soldiers even looked their way as they walked by so the boys kept going, doing their best to act casual. It was weird that there was an encampment so close to the town but that they weren't actually trying to grill them about why they were passing through, or who they were… that was what the NCR usually did. They liked to keep track of people. As they came up to the overpass that led into Primm, they paused to update their Pip-Boys. Primm was officially a marked place on their maps.

"Place looks kinda run-down, I'm not too surprised we haven't been here before," Stiles muttered as he looked around.

Scott rolled his eyes, "It's got a casino, they can't be that bad off. And a pretty large motel, I hope they have public rooms. Look, there's the Mohave Express headquarters."

"Want to stop by there first? We might as well see if they have any clues like Melissa suggested."

"Yea, that sounds like the best place to start. I hope they have something helpful to tell us about the package," Scott said as he followed Stiles to the door.

Stiles shrugged, there was only one way to find out! He held the door open for Scott and followed him in. It didn't look like anything fancy and he had to wonder who would've put a headquarters in Primm… Maybe the town had seen better days in the past but as it was, Stiles didn't really see it as a bustling metropolis.

The man behind the counter waved belatedly, welcoming them. "Hi there, welcome to the Mohave Express Headquarters here in Primm. I'm Johnson Nash, how can I help you?"

"Heh, what a small world, we're couriers with Mohave Express," Stiles scoffed. That was kinda the reason they'd come into the building after all. He felt Scott nudge him in the side, reminding him to try and be nice.

"Oh, well I don't have any work for you right now. I hope you boys didn't come from too far just to be turned away… maybe you can help spread the word, we're going to be out of commission for a bit. Things got ugly around here, had some Powder Ganger trouble this morning," Nash told them.

Stiles blinked in surprise- seriously? Ganger trouble here too? Those guys were raising a stink, why didn't they just lie low? Stiles cleared his throat, "Sorry to hear that, we've dealt with them before, real annoying. We're actually here because, well you see, we've recently lost a package we were supposed to deliver…"

"Hmm, I can try to help you, do you have a delivery order you can show me?" Nash asked.

Stiles dug around in his pockets and pulled out his order slip, handing it over to the older man. Good thing Deaton had held onto it for him! Stiles should commit their orders to memory, just in case he ever lost those slips but he never did.

"Oh, one of those packages… that job had weird written all over it, but you know how it is… we just couldn't turn down the caps."

"What was strange about it?" Scott wondered, leaning on the counter. No one had mentioned 'strange' when they had been given the package, why had they left out that little detail?

"Some cowboy robot hired seven couriers to deliver seven different packages, things like some dice, a poker chip, a deck of cards, stuff like that. All with no explanation, just that they were all very important pieces and to send the best couriers. People say all the time that their package is worth a lot, to be careful with it, but most of the time they just want to make sure it gets to where it's going. This robot though, he actually wanted to go over every courier's record and cherry-picked who was assigned the packages. He paid well though so it wasn't like I could say no." There was a pause as he looked over his computer, "Hmmm, I got notice of payments delivered for six of the seven packages, so it was just yours that got taken… Could be that you were just unlucky; some folks were willing to take a chance that you might have something valuable. Do you happen to know who took the package?"

"Yea, we know who it was, well, not like he's an acquaintance of ours," Stiles clarified, not wanting Nash to get the wrong idea. "He introduced himself before he shot me in the head, but he didn't seem like he was out to return the package to its rightful owner…" Peter had definitely wanted it for himself.

"But he is more than likely heading to The Strip, that's what Melissa guessed," Scott said, thinking aloud. That was where the package was going in the first place… was it just a coincidence that he was taking it there or did he maybe know the recipient? If so, then why had he attacked them? Was it because it would've been too hard to steal it from the person in New Vegas? Scott couldn't imagine there were many people in the area that Peter would be afraid, or unable, to go up against. He'd have to bring that up with Stiles later…

Stiles noticed the deep look of concentration on his brother's face… he was trying to put pieces together… Stiles was doing the same. He kept thinking about the fact that the package had been Peter's original target, something he'd been more than happy to elaborate on. He mentioned the platinum chip specifically, which they had been carrying. He'd made no mention of having to find the other couriers… After that he had jumped topics, telling them about his surprise to see two familiar faces. Maybe he was lying but Stiles's gut was telling him that it was the truth, a crazy coincidence. He had seemed genuinely surprised about running into them, commenting about how it saved him the trouble of planning out a meeting. So had he been keeping tabs on Scott the whole time? Was that how he'd found them after they'd gotten the package? But that didn't make sense… if he'd been keeping tabs on them then he wouldn't have been surprised to see them with the package! Not to mention, they'd been picked at random to by the robot… Stiles shook his head, he was starting to go in circles… but maybe he was onto something about the robot. "You mentioned a 'cowboy' robot, the one that hired the couriers. Can you describe it?"

Scott snapped out of his thoughts at Stiles's question- the robot! If they could track down the robot then maybe they could figure out why Peter wanted the package in the first place. Figuring that out would go a long way to demystifying the Alpha.

Nash shook his head, "I don't remember his name… but he looked like a securitron model. The only thing that stood out about him was that he had a cowboy face on his screen instead of a police officer. And he talked with some sorta 'yee-haw' accent, it really sticks out. That's why I called him a cowboy robot, all that was missing was a hat on his head."

Scott and Stiles shared a look, that sounded exactly like Victor back in Goodsprings... How was that possible? Had Victor lied to them?! He hadn't said anything about them being couriers that he had hired… surely he would've said something? God, why hadn't they thought to ask around about him while they were in Goodsprings?! He made a quick note in his Pip-Boy, for the next time they passed through the town. Even if Nash didn't remember the robot's name, there couldn't be too many out there with cowboy accents. The whole thing was getting more confusing… but they weren't even here to talk about Victor in the first place! Time to get back on track, "Okay, so the guy that stole the package, he goes by the name of Peter. He had a really, really fancy suit on, like there's no way it should be that clean out here in the Wastes. Kinda makes him stand out. And he had some hired thugs with him, two Khans. Did they happen to pass by this way?"

"You know what, I think a group matching that description did come through, just the other day. It was the Great Khans with him that made him stand out even more, you wouldn't think they'd be keeping each other company. I overheard them talking about a chip of some sort… and now that I'm looking at your packing slip, you were carrying a platinum chip, so that had to be this Peter fella."

"Could you possibly tell us where they were headed?" Scott begged, fingers crossed.

"Naw, can't help you there. I was just passing through the casino, wasn't paying attention. If you want to know more about that, you'd have to go ask Deputy Beagle. He was pretty interested in following them around and might have overheard more of their conversations."

"Okay, thanks. You've helped out a lot," Stiles said, running his hands through his hair. It wasn't great information but it was better than nothing. At least they knew for sure they were still on the right path. And now they had even more to think about, with Victor as a potential source of information.

"Um, about the chip, I promise we'll work on finding it and delivering it. I mean, it was paid for so we have to keep working in it," Scott assured him. He felt bad that they had to report a stolen package, it made the whole company look bad. It didn't seem like Nash was going to ream them out for it but still… Scott didn't want to tarnish their record by losing a high-price item.

"Don't worry too much about it, a lost package isn't worth your life- and from the sounds of it one of you already almost died. I'm just sorry I couldn't give you anymore to go off of. I'm sure Deputy Beagle will have something useful. More than likely he'll be in the casino," the kind man told them.

The boys nodded in thanks and went back out into the heat, quickly making their way down the street and into the casino. It was apparently where everyone decided to hang out, Stiles could see quite a few people sitting down at the various machines, a few waitresses wandering about here and there. It was surprising considering how rundown the town looked from the outside.

"I smell food, and that makes me want to eat something, do you think they'd get offended if we ate what was in our pack?" Scott asked in a quiet voice.

"Naw, besides who cares anyways? I just want to find Beagle and then get out of here and be on our way," Stiles commented. There was a fair amount of people milling about but it didn't take him long to find the lone officer sitting at the bar. The star sewn into his uniform stood out just a bit. Stiles plopped down into the seat next to him, "Deputy Beagle?"

"That's me, how can I help you fellas?"

Stiles gave the man his best smile, hoping that this would be a quick conversation, "Well I'm looking for a man named Peter. I'm a courier and he stole a package from me; I want to get paid so needless to say I'm trying to find him so I can get it back. Nash told us that you might know where he was heading?"

"Yea, I heard," Beagle replied, giving Stiles a slimy smile in return.

There was an awkward moment of silence before Scott spoke up, "Can you tell us where he went?"

"Well I could, but I'm not a fan of just giving information away you see."

Stiles rolled his eyes and started digging in his pocket for some caps, but Deputy Beagle held out a hand, "Now, now, I don't want caps."

"Okay…?"

"I want you to do me a favor, then I'll tell you about your friend Peter."

Stiles and Scott looked at each other- seriously, he wanted a favor? They didn't have time for that!

Scott spoke up, since Stiles was sure to have an attitude at that point, "What is the favor exactly?"

"It's pretty simple really, Primm needs a new sheriff. Those Gangers that came in this morning killed our old sheriff," Beagle explained.

Stiles cut in then, already tired of Beagle's lack of intelligence, "Why aren't you sheriff now then?"

"Because I'm a deputy, and I can't be a deputy without a sheriff, called a chain of command kiddo," Beagle sneered, looking at Stiles like he knew nothing.

Stiles glared at the guy, "Yea but if you're the only officer left here, why don't you just step up?"

"I'm not exactly qualified to be a sheriff, just because I'm the only deputy left here," Beagle told them.

Scott rolled his eyes, he could tell that this guy just didn't want to be responsible for the town. Knowing that they needed the information on Peter, Scott decided to ask, "So what are the qualifications of being a sheriff exactly?"

Deputy Beagle sat up straighter and rubbed his chin, "Well someone brave, like that Derek fellow that helped us out...but obviously someone that is willing to settle down here, and a Human of course. Primm doesn't need a nasty heathen to be sheriff, so Human is a must. Do you know he took Erica with him?"

"No, I have no idea who Erica is," Stiles replied dryly. Beagle needed to be dropped off the top of the rollercoaster. Stiles was glad that Scott had learned how to control his phases years ago… no way Beagle would have talked to them otherwise, racist asshole.

"She was one of the waitresses here, real pretty, you know despite the wolfy tail, and ears. She was blonde, real fiery, huge rack- I was planning on making a move on her, but then she up and left with that beast."

Scott and Stiles both did a double take- that sounded a lot like the female Beta they'd seen on the road. So that meant that Derek, the Alpha, had saved this town from some Powder Gangers, and probably saved Erica from this asshole too. No surprise that she decided to leave with someone like Derek rather than stick around here.

"Ok, anyways, about the sheriff position? Any idea where we might find someone?" Scott asked, wanting to change the subject.

"I did overhear some of the Gangers talking about a convict named Meyers back in the correction facility, he might be worth looking into... and there is also the NCR, I mean, they are right there... Honestly though I have no idea how good of an idea that is. They were camped out over there when the Gangers took over the town, did absolutely nothing to help us. You find us someone and then I'll be happy to tell you about Peter."

"Ok fine! We'll help out Primm...then can you tell us about that asshole in the nice suit and we're out of here!" Stiles agreed angrily. God, he was ready to be out of this shithole; he slid off the stool and out of the casino, Scott right behind him.

"Okay, despite the fact that Beagle in there said that the NCR obviously has their heads up their asses, let's go ask them to look after the town," Stiles raged, already stomping back over to the bridge. "The sooner they agree to do it, the sooner we can find out about Peter and then go find him."

"Do you really think that's best?" Scott asked. He wanted to go after Peter too, but what good was the NCR going to be if they didn't even step in this morning?

"They'll be good enough," was all Stiles said.

As they strolled through the make-shift camp asking where the person in charge was, one of the soldiers pointed them to the command tent. As soon as they entered, an older man in his late-30's stood up and greeted them.

"Lieutenant Stilinski, New California Republic Army, 5th battalion, 1st company, how can I help you boys?"

Stiles felt himself relax just a bit, the Lieutenant seemed like a friendly man- unlike some of the other NCR officers they've come across. He took a deep breath and started his plea, "Primm is in dire need of some real law, I'm sure you heard about what happened in the town…"

"Yea, we heard… I was sent here along with some men to try and control the flood of convicts from the mass escape from the correctional facility. We were waiting on word from my commanding officer on how we should proceed and then the next thing I know the townspeople are exiting the casino and are saying the Gangers have been taken care of…"

Scott spoke up then, "So, you were planning on helping out the town?"

"Yea, well, if we could. We're a little short on man- and fire-power here. If the Gangers were more organized that we might have anticipated, or had larger numbers than us, we might have been ordered to stand down."

Scott relaxed, at least now he knew why the NCR hadn't done anything this morning. It wasn't because they were indifferent but because the higher-ups hadn't made a decision yet; everyone knew they wouldn't act until they had orders. In a perfect world they would've just stepped in because they knew the Powder Gangers were dangerous but… at least they had structure. It sounded like Derek was in the wrong place at the right time and was able to help out.

"How exactly did all this happen anyways? We heard that they escaped from a nearby correctional facility or something," Stiles asked.

"Not long ago, the convicts in the correctional facility staged a coup and killed all the guards, or at least all those that didn't manage to escape. Some of them managed to smuggle the dynamite they were supposed to use for the railway, someone wasn't paying close enough attention and they've been wrecking havoc on the area ever since… causing a lot of problems for us and everyone else," Stilinski explained, looking tired all of a sudden.

"Well, since the Ganger problem has been taken care of here, why don't you just kinda take over as the law for Primm? I mean, you're here already right?" Stiles pointed out, hoping the problem was going to take care of itself.

"We don't have the supplies or manpower needed to defend this area. Primm is a pretty strategic location though, one that I'd be happy to obtain. Problem is, I haven't been able to get any help from the Mohave Outpost. I was barely able to get out here to help clean up after the Powder Gangers, we just don't have what we need."

"Well, what do you need?" Stiles complained, not understanding why the six men in the camp couldn't just become the new officers for the town.

"More bodies mostly, with even one more squad here we'd be able to protect the town properly and establish law and order."

"Really, another squad? How come the six of you aren't enough? There isn't that much crime in Primm is there?"

Lieutenant Stilinski chuckled, "No, not that I'm aware of, but like I said- Primm is a powerful location. There are lots of troublemakers out there that might try to take over the town once they hear that the sheriff is dead. I'd want to be absolutely certain that my men would be able to take them on."

"Yea, I suppose that makes sense. Anything we can do to help out with the situation?" Scott stepped in.

"Talk to Major Knight at the Mohave Outpost and see what he tells you. Until he says otherwise, my hands are tied."

"Okay, we'll see if there is anything we can do to help, we want Primm to be safe. Best way to do that is get a new sheriff in there one way or another," Stiles said. With that they left the tent, his smile dropping off his face as soon as they were outside. "Dammit! I don't want to have to go all the way to the Mohave Outpost just to try and convince some other NCR asshole about getting more troops here. You heard what he said… they are shorthanded already, what are the odds that we can get more people out here?"

"Well we have to do something," Scott told him. "I have no idea if the info Beagle has is worth it but we can't really take any chances…"

"Yea, exactly… and apparently our options are either head to the outpost, or head to the correctional facility, where a bunch of convicts are running rampant. Great choices…" Stiles groaned. The boys went back over to the maps, seeing that the outpost was a good day's hike away; the facility was bound to be closer to them. Stiles flipped through the maps, looking for one with a more detailed view of Primm and the surrounding area. The correctional facility had to be near both Goodsprings and Primm since they had attacked both those towns… "Okay, here's the facility- it's actually pretty close. We're probably better off going there first, since it's closer. If it's possible to get inside and not die, I'd rather take the shorter route."

Scott glanced at his brother, "How easy do you think it will be to head into a facility that is guarded by a bunch of idiots with dynamite?"

"Well, we aren't the NCR, so what beef would they have with us?" Stiles shrugged. It's not like word would've spread that they were the ones that killed the small group in Goodsprings, none of them had survived to tell. He used the map to update his Pip-Boy, not wanting to get lost in the dark.

Scott couldn't really come up with a counter-argument so he just shifted his pack and looked up at the sky, "Can it at least wait until later? I'm still hungry and we really should take a break during this heat."

"Yea, I hear ya there Scotty. Let's head over to Nash and see if he'll take some of our stuff off our hands, then head to the hotel and get a room. We can crash for a few hours at least."

They walked back across the bridge once more, heading back into the Express building, Nash greeting them warmly. "Back already? Did you find Deputy Beagle?"

"Yea we did, but he's not going to tell us- we have to do him a favor first. So I figured we could hang out around town as we come up with a plan. Are you open for trade or is this only for Mohave Express business?"

"Yea I'm open to trade, wouldn't have all that much business otherwise. Are you looking for anything in particular?"

"Would it be too much to hope for that you have an extra pack lying around? I feel really bad making my brother carry all the stuff."

Nash went around back to check his stock, telling them he might have something they could use. They heard him move some stuff around and then heard a low cheer; Stiles smiled at Scott, he must have found something.

"How is this?" Nash asked, coming back to the counter with an old backpack in his hand. It was brown and had 2 large pouches and then a small pouch, as well as a small side pocket.

"Oh man, that looks awesome, the zippers all still work?" Stiles asked, flipping the bag around in his hands.

"Yes sir they do."

Knowing that this was a good bag, Scott put his pack on the counter and started fishing out some of their spare items to trade for it. Might as well save as many caps as they could by trading items first; Nash was glad to take all their excess ammo that they'd collected for guns that they didn't have. He also took a few of their pistols that they'd gotten from the Powder Gangers in Goodsprings. A lot of wanderers were always in need of gun parts and ammo so it was smart of him to take what he could.

"Thanks a lot, this is perfect! And we managed to free up some weight by giving you a few guns, win-win. Oh, could you tell us how much it is for a room at the hotel?" Stiles asked as he grabbed his new bag.

"Oh… well the hotel is closed, maybe for good. The Gangers that came storming in here earlier… they shot Laurie, she was the one that managed the rooms. We're still trying to figure out what to do about the bodies as well. Sorry."

"Oh, well that kinda sucks. Thanks for the heads up," Scott offered. He wondered just how many might have died when those punks came into town. Scott followed Stiles outside, wondering what they were going to do since they didn't really have a place to sleep, or rearrange their gear… neither of them were big on gambling so there was no reason to go back to the casino. As he turned to ask what the plan was, he saw Stiles heading straight for the hotel. "Stiles, where are you going? There's no one in there to give us a room."

Stiles turned around and smiled at Scott, "That just means it's free. C'mon, before someone sees you."

"Stiles!"

Stiles grabbed Scott's arm and pulled him along, "It's not hurting anyone. You know we would have paid for a room if the building was still open. But it's not, and there is nowhere else for us to stay. It's not like we're cheating someone else out of money by squatting there. And it's only for a few hours bro, come on!"

Scott realized that it was a very strong point… they always paid fair prices but in this particular circumstance, there was no one to pay. And it didn't look like there was anywhere else to go so they weren't forgoing another business just for a free room. Still, it just felt wrong to Scott, especially knowing that innocent people had died just that morning.

"Beggars can't be choosers Scott; I'm sure we'll be able to find a clean room," Stiles said, knowing what Scott was thinking. They'd been friends for years, it wasn't hard to figure out what was going on in his head. "It's just a few hours, enough time to rearrange our stuff and catch some sleep. Then we'll be on our way."

"Okay, okay. I just hope it doesn't stink too much… my nose is sensitive you know."

Stiles clapped his brother on his shoulder and opened the front door to the building, both of them quickly ducking inside. Scott sniffed the air and scrunched his nose but it wasn't too bad. It seemed like someone had already gone through and collected the bodies so the entrance was clearly the worst of it. As long as the upper floors didn't have a strong lingering scent it would be okay. They could tell that the bodies had already been looted, but they quickly picked through the rooms just in case. They were still scavengers after all, and it was always a good idea to keep an eye out for hidden prizes.

It only took Stiles a moment to find the locked safe in the gift shop. "Oh, a 6-digit code, this will be fun!" Stiles cackled with glee. He crouched on the floor and started attempting to guess the combination while Scott looked around for anything else of value. It only took him a moment as he judged the various levels of wear on the keypad, getting it right on the second try. He yanked the safe open and gasped in surprise. "Holy shit! Scott c'mere and look at this!"

Scott turned around and saw Stiles holding something reverently, mouth hanging open. As he walked closer he could see that Stiles was holding some sort of pistol.

"Do you have any idea what this is?"

"A pretty cool pistol, but judging by the look on your face, there must be more to it than that."

Stiles looked at his brother, eyes lit up, "It's Lucky."

"You found a good luck charm?" Scott asked, completely perplexed as to how Stiles could know that. Was there a clover taped to it somewhere or something?

Stiles ducked his head in disappointment, eyes shut as he sighed, "You are the worst scavenger in the entire Wastes Scott! Not a good luck charm, this is Lucky, with a capital L, see?" Stiles held the gun out for Scott to inspect. Scrawled along the bottom of the handle was the name Lucky in elegant letters. Aside from the name, the handle, which was mad out of ivory, also had a clover symbol carved into it as well as a very intricate design on the barrel. "This thing will go for like 1500 caps to the right buyer! Or I mean, we can hold onto it, it's a great shot, I can tell already. It's in great condition! Hell, it probably is a lucky charm too."

"Very good find Stiles, I'm glad you know your guns. I would have thought it was neat and then just stuffed it in my pack."

Stiles smiled at Scott, "That's why we travel together, someone has to look out for you Fluffy-Butt."

"Ha, ha, I think I do a lot more of the 'looking after' Stiles."

The boys laughed and decided to just head up to the second floor, figuring that one find was the best thing they'd get from the hotel. They were sure Derek had grabbed the rest of the stuff, he probably just didn't know how to unlock the safe. As soon as Scott found a suitable room, the boys started unpacking their things so they could rearrange it all. They tried to distribute the weight evenly although Scott was determined to carry more since he didn't fatigue as quickly as Stiles. Once they were both satisfied and had eaten a small meal, they climbed onto the bed and fell asleep.

*Goodsprings*

"There it is!" Isaac called out, tail whipping the air.

"Sounds like you're pretty excited to see Melissa again," Derek commented, patting his first Beta on the back.

"Yea, it's been awhile since I've seen her, I want her to know that I'm doing okay." Goodsprings had been one of the first towns he'd come across after escaping from the angry Scorpions. A month in the Wastes was a long time, especially for a freshly turned Wolf, alone, with nowhere to go.

Erica smiled, "I can't wait to meet her… she seems to have made a really good impression on you. I want to thank her, for being so nice to you."

Isaac felt his cheeks flush and his ears fluttered- Erica was acting like his big sister or something. She was totally going to embarrass him in front of Melissa… thank God she didn't know any embarrassing stories about him or anything. She was totally the type that would share a story like that just because. Isaac lead the small group towards the saloon, eager to get out of the sun. He tucked his sunglasses onto his head as he entered the dark space, eyes adjusting easily. From the far side of the room, they heard someone calling out to them.

"Welcome to the Prospector Saloon here in Goodsprings, come on in and have a- Isaac? Is that you?"

"Hi Melissa, it's me, still alive and well," he assured the older woman as she raced across the room and pulled him into a hug.

"I didn't realize it was you, I saw these others with you and just assumed you were some travelers. Come on in, all of you I want to hear about how you've been," Melissa said, ushering them all to the bar.

After they all had some drinks in front of them, Isaac began the introductions, "This is Derek, he found me a few nights ago. He saved me, I honestly think I might have died if we hadn't crossed paths. He's uh, my Alpha now."

"Nice to meet you Derek, and thank you, for taking care of him; I might not have known him for long, but I can tell he's a sweet boy."

Derek nodded his head, "When I first laid eyes on him, he was a mess, I couldn't just leave him alone. But I mean…"

Melissa looked between him and Isaac when he paused, not understanding what was making him hesitate.

"You're a great Alpha Derek, you've already taught me a bunch of new stuff and saved my life. I don't regret becoming your Beta," Isaac assured him before turning to Melissa. "Derek told me that he wasn't really planning on starting a Pack, at least not for awhile. I'm, um, not sure why… I mean we're still getting to know one another. But despite his hesitance, he took me in when he could've just walked away. Erica too, just this morning."

Erica smiled as she was introduced. "It's nice to meet you, I only just joined these guys and already I'd heard some great things about you so I was happy to find out we were heading here," she told her.

"And last but not least, that's Boyd, we ran into him just up the road… some Humans were beating him up and Derek scared them off. We brought him here with us to give him a place to recover, him and Callie," Isaac said, pointing to Boyd.

"Speaking of Callie, she's my Brahmin, is there somewhere I can pen her up? The whole ordeal has been a bit much for her and I think she'd feel better being around some other animals," Boyd asked quietly.

"I'm sure Brad would let her graze in his pen, he's the one with the Bighorners," Melissa offered.

"I'll go talk with him, thanks. I'll be back in a little while," he told them, sliding off the stool to go tend to Callie.

Erica watched as he walked away, turning to Derek after he'd disappeared out the front door, "I like him, do you think he'll travel with us?"

Derek shrugged, "I have no idea… he mentioned being in a merchant group, one that's actually Were-oriented so he probably already has an Alpha. But if he wants to stick with us for awhile, I'll allow it. It's a lot safer for us to travel in numbers and he doesn't need any more trouble."

"See, he's a great Alpha, I have no idea why he was so hesitant on starting a Pack," Erica gushed to Melissa.

Melissa laughed as she watched Derek duck his head at the praise, clearly he had a troubled past but thankfully he hadn't let it stop him from welcoming these two Betas into his heart. "So tell me Erica, why did you decide to join Derek and Isaac? I know what happened with Isaac and why he was wandering alone. So now I want to hear about you as well."

She lit up, eager to make another friend, "Sure, I can tell you my story. Um, I'm from Nipton, my life was pretty normal until I got Bit about 3 months ago. The Alpha that turned me got hunted down, so I was on my own; the people in Nipton weren't mean to me or anything after I'd been turned but… they also weren't friendly y'know? So I packed up my stuff and left after about a week. I made it to Primm and luckily they were pretty Were-friendly there so I got hired as a waitress. My pay sucked, but it was caps so I wasn't complaining… what really sucked was that me and any other Were in town got locked up every full moon. Since I didn't have my Alpha to teach me, and the other Wolves around were also Omegas, none of us really had any practice. We all just kinda fueled each other's bloodlust the whole night, so I guess I'm not really surprised we got locked away… But they didn't even try to help us out, just assumed we had no control and would never learn control either. When Derek and Isaac came in, I realized that this was a golden opportunity. I'd never actually met another Alpha before so I didn't want to pass up the chance. I asked if I could join up with them and Derek said yea."

"Didn't give me much of a choice," Derek grumbled, but his tone wasn't harsh. "Isaac wasn't going to let me leave without her."

Isaac smiled and wagged his tail, glad that Derek hadn't berated him for that. He was still trying to get used to what was okay and what might set Derek off, but he had been so upset by Erica's story that he couldn't just walk away. And since she was so talkative he was sure that he'd learn a lot from her, even if she only had a couple of extra months as a Were compared to him.

Derek finished up his glass of whiskey and stood up to excuse himself. "I'm going to go look for a safe place for us tonight but you two can stay here if you want. Since it's the full moon tonight, I'm sure no one in town wants two inexperienced Weres sitting on their couch."

The Betas nodded, happy that he was thinking ahead. Already the two of them could feel an itchy feeling all throughout their body, making them want to just run and hunt. Since it was still day time, they could control it; they were content to sit there and talk with Melissa. Once the sun went down, they knew the urge would become a lot stronger. Hopefully Derek would be able to keep both of them in line by himself. Isaac really didn't want to hurt anyone in Goodsprings because this was his first full moon.

"First time Isaac?" Erica asked, seeing his faraway expression. She'd spent the first half of their trip talking about her own experiences and before Isaac could share his, they'd run into Stiles and Scott. And after that they'd run into Boyd and the Humans. Derek kept mentioning how inexperienced he was so it wasn't hard to assume he was coming up on the very first one. When he nodded, confirming her guess, she leaned over and patted his back, "It's intense, this will be my third one. But my first with any Packmates so I'm hoping that will make it different. I think if Derek will be in control, it will help us stay in control y'know, since he's our Alpha and has influence over us. I know a bunch of Omegas locked in cages together definitely didn't help us at all."

"I'm sure Derek will keep you both safe, if he thought that it wasn't safe for you to be near town, he would have waited to visit until after the full moon," Melissa assured them. Derek might seem a bit self conscious of his abilities, but that meant he'd always err on the side of caution. So he must have faith in them to make it through the night.

"Callie is safely tucked away with the Bighorners now, thanks," Boyd called out as he came back into the bar. "Where'd Derek go?"

"He went to go look for a place for us tonight. Full moon you know, and we're a bit new at this," Erica told him.

"A bit? This is a first for me," Isaac scoffed, still clearly unsure about this whole thing.

"Do you think he'll let me stay with you? I know how to control my bloodlust, it's something all the Weres in my group have to be able to do before going out on your own. For safety reasons obviously. I might be able to help out," Boyd offered.

Erica lit up, "That would be great! I'm sure more help would be appreciated- not that Derek is a bad Alpha or anything, just that it's better to be cautious. And I mean, you know about control so it isn't like you're adding to the burden, he won't have to babysit you and us."

The group continued to sit at the bar and talk, Boyd telling them a bit about his time with the Were merchant group. A few other townspeople came and went, all of them politely giving the Wolves some space and none of them complained about their presence. There were a few that even came up and said hello to Isaac since they recognized him from before. The three of them had even stayed at the bar as the regulars came in, not feeling like they had to sequester themselves in a corner. It was pleasant considering Goodsprings was such a small town.

Eventually Isaac's itchy restlessness got the better of him and he excused himself, explaining that he was going to go for a short walk. He promised to be back in time, he still had a few hours before the sun went down completely. Plenty of time before Derek would want him to be safely tucked away. As he walked outside, he was amazed at how much time had passed, the sun was a little lower than he thought… was Derek having a hard time finding a place? Of course he'd come back and get them before the sun went down but if they had nowhere to go… Isaac shook his head and started walking, telling himself not to worry about it, to trust Derek. He hadn't wandered far from the bar when a woman and her young son came up to him, the little boy clutching a piece of paper.

"Ex-excuse me sir…?" the woman started, pausing with uncertainty.

"Can I help you?" Isaac asked, keeping his voice soft so he didn't scare them.

"You're a-a-a Werewolf right?" The boy asked, looking at his tail and ears.

"Yes I am, but I won't hurt you," he promised, smiling at the boy.

The boy smiled back, "Being a Werewolf means you're strong right?" When Isaac nodded, he continued. "My Daddy works in Sloan, and I wanted to send him something. But I missed the courier… And Daddy says it's not safe to go visit him anymore, so Mommy won't let me go see him. Can- can you take this to him?"

Isaac blinked in surprise as the boy held out the slip of paper, his mother was standing behind him with a hopeful look in her eyes. Isaac had been to Sloan before, so he knew it was really close, especially if he ignored the road and took a more direct path. Again he looked at the sun, knowing that if he ran, he'd be able to make it there and back with enough time to find Derek and get to a safe place. "Sure, I can take it to him, I know the people working there won't shoot me, and I can make it across the Wastes safer than if you and your mom were to go."

"Oh thank you," the lady said. "Tyler here has wanted to see his dad for awhile now, we used to make trips up there, but lately it's just become too dangerous. I have a few caps for you, I'd hate to impose on you and make you head that way and not give you anything for it."

Isaac took the paper from the little boy and hesitantly accepted the handful of caps from the woman, promising to find her husband and deliver the message. He tucked the note securely into his hoodie pocket and started jogging towards Sloan.

---

A/N: 9-15-18 edit: Changed the interaction between Derek's Pack and Stiles&Scott when they meet on the road. Derek is the one to give them a little information about Peter. I also changed part of what Nash tells the boys about the package as well as the fight between Derek and the Humans that attacked Boyd. All in all I think the changes are for the better, I added like 5600 words... I almost decided to split it up but there isn't anything 'exciting' that happens in the second half that would warrant it's own chapter so I left it super long.