Chapter 13

The Alpha

"You think I'm afraid of you?"

"Sweetheart, you should be."

Riley fought the urge to rub her now inflamed cheek in front of Kate Argent. She looked over Kate's shoulder at Allison, "How would you explain the inflamed cheek to Allison? I think you should find another buddy to sit with. Allison shouldn't be sitting with your kind," Kate leaned in close, "Enjoy your wolf while you can," Kate turned around to walk back up to Allison on the bleachers.

Riley was rooted to her spot for a few seconds before heading back to the direction of where she left Scott last. She sat down next to him without saying anything.

"I thought…" Scott started to say when he noticed her pale face and one of her cheeks were inflamed, "Are you okay?"

"I…I'm sorry but I'm going to miss your game and Stiles' first game, even thought he's not even here. I'm just going to go home," she said before getting up.

Scott grabbed her arm gently, "No…you can't go," he managed to get her to sit down again, "I can't let you go home alone unprotected with…everything that's been going on. Derek would kill me. Just tell me why you're upset."

She sighed, "Kate."

"Kate Argent?" Scott asked.

She rolled her eyes, "God Scott, how many people named Kate do you know?"

"Okay, okay, stupid question. Did she threaten you?" he asked.

"She didn't threaten me, she threaten Derek. She knows about me and Derek. She's just a psychotic bitch. There is still so much I don't know about and I think it might have something to do with her," Riley whispered the last part but she knew Scott could still hear her.

Scott looked confused. He was about to ask her about it when, "Scott, get on the field. Getting to play doesn't mean sitting on your ass anymore…I thought told you this is the players bench," the coach said.

Scott looked behind him, "Look there is a spot there," he pointed, "Just sit and don't leave without me, okay? We'll figure it out."

Riley watched Scott run onto the field. She moved to sit on the bleachers where Scott told her to. She watched the game without really watching the game. She just wanted to go home but then she didn't want to go home. She knew that once she saw Derek, she would ask him a question that she already knew the answer to. Was this what she signed up for? A life of secrets. Secrets being kept from her.

XXX

The game was finally over. The team won and they were going to State. The only thing Riley cared about was getting home but she had to still wait for Scott. She waited outside the locker for him. Of course he was taking forever. How hard was it to take off your uniform and put on regular clothes? Apparently for Scott it was very hard. Even Danny was done and out before him.

"Danny is Scott still in there?" she asked.

Danny gave her a weird look, "Yeah. He's the only one in there."

She rolled her eyes, "Does he at least have pants on?" Another weird look, "Never mind," she walked into the boys locker room, "Scott, how long does it take you to put on your damn lady make-up?"

He rounded a row of lockers with nothing but pants on, "You do realize that this is the boys' locker room."

"Do I look like I care?"

"No," he said, "And I don't wear make-up."

She walked further into the locker room, "Just finish already. I'm tired and I just want to go home."

She watched him grab some Axe spray when the lights went out and the entire room went almost dark, "Danny?" Scott called out.

"He already left," Riley said.

Scott grabbed her arm, "Stay close," he let go but she followed him as he looked around the locker room.

"Grab your shit and let's go," she whispered.

"Be quite," he whispered as he tried the light switch.

Nothing.

A lacrosse ball rolled straight into Riley's foot, catching her attention, "Scott?"

He looked and saw another one roll out of the shower room. He grabbed her hand and slowly walked over. He picked the ball up to exam it before walking to the entrance to the showers. There silently stood Derek in the dark. The little light coming from the windows cast creepy shadows on his features and all around the room.

Scott let go of Riley's hand as he step toward Derek. Riley didn't make any move to follow, "Thank God! Where the hell have you been? Do you have any idea what's been going on?" Scott asked.

Derek didn't respond. He didn't even look over at Riley. To her it looked like he was trying to distance himself. It reminded her of the way he acted when she saw him for the first time since before the fire. She didn't like it. And it was scaring her.

Derek looked to the left of Riley, "I really don't get lacrosse," a man said coming out of the shadows. He was holding a lacrosse stick.

Riley walked backward into the shower room to stand next to Scott, "Peter," she whispered.

"It was you," Scott whispered.

"When I played in high school, we played basketball," Peter said, looking up from the stick to look at Riley, "Now, that was a real sport," he looked at Scott, "Still, I read somewhere that lacrosse comes from Native American tribes and that they played it to resolve conflict," he swung the stick over his shoulder, "Do I have that right? Well," he placed the stick against the wall, "I have a little conflict of my own to resolve, Scott."

"Riley," Derek spoke up for the first time. She turned to look at him. He didn't even look at her as he spoke, "Go home."

She looked over at Scott and into his eyes, "Scott…" she whispered.

"I would listen to your…boyfriend, Riley," Peter said from his spot. She now looked at him as he spoke, "We have werewolf business to discuss. So run along home."

Riley looked at Scott and saw him nodding his head for her to go. She looked back at Derek who still wouldn't look at her, "Derek," she said. He still didn't respond.

For the last time she looked at Scott before making her way past Peter toward the exit.

Just as she passed Peter, he reached out a hand to grab her arm, "Be seeing you," he whispered.

XXX

Riley didn't remember her drive home. She barely remembered leaving the locker room to find her car. She numbly entered her home, walked into the kitchen and flipped on the lights. She ran her hands through her hair as she looked around the kitchen. She looked at the table and couldn't help but think that just this morning Derek and she were happy. She was still reeling over the buzz that Derek had bought her house from her mother. She wanted so badly to make this place their home. And now? She didn't know. Derek was still keeping her in the dark about things. And now, Peter is the Alpha. He is Derek's uncle. He is last part of his family. He is the one who killed Laura.

She attempted to make herself some tea to calm her nerves, but her nerves were causing her hands to shake too much. She managed to get the water on the stove when she heard a noise. She turned to find Derek standing in the doorway of the kitchen, just staring at her. Which didn't help with her nerves at all.

She decided to break the silence, "Derek, what is going on? I mean, Peter is the Alpha."

"Yes indeed sweetheart, I am," Peter said, stepping out of the shadows the second time tonight. Derek didn't move from the doorway to let him further into the kitchen, "Derek, I'm not going to hurt her. I promised I wouldn't." Derek sighed before moving out of the way. Peter stepped into the kitchen causing Riley to move back until she was against the sink, "What's the matter? Aren't you happy to see me? When you were little, you used to love for me to pick you up and spin around with you in the air. You used to laugh…"

"Why did you do it, Peter? Why did you kill Laura?" she asked.

Derek stared at her.

"Isn't it obvious? I wanted to be the Alpha. I wanted revenge for what happened to me…to us. I don't anymore, but I know you still bare the scars," Riley looked away, "Don't you want revenge?"

"Not if it means hurting people," she said.

"They're not innocent. That bitch deserves what's coming to her," Riley looked confused. He turned to Derek, "Did you not tell her the truth?"

"Tell me what?" she asked.

Derek didn't say anything, "She was the right to know who was responsible for the fire since it changed her life too," Peter said.

Riley looked at Derek sadly, "You knew. You knew this entire time."

"I didn't have to tell you anything. It wasn't any of your business," Derek said.

"Like hell it wasn't!" Riley shouted with tears in her eyes, "You don't know the hell I went through after the fire. The surgeries, the doctors, the years in the hospital, and you weren't there. You just disappeared and I had to deal with all that without my best friend."

Derek got angry, "Well, I think I lost more than."

"Now, now, kids. Don't need to get into a shouting match," Peter said.

Calmer, "Who was it?" she asked.

"I believe you've already met her, Kate Argent. And with the look on your face I believe you have," Peter said.

The tea kettle started to whistle but no body moved to shut the burner off. Riley just stood there taking in the new piece of information. Everything made since now. The things that Kate said to her. She knew exactly who Riley really was and she didn't care. Riley also figured out that Kate seduced Derek as a way in. Everything made since now. It wasn't their fault. Everything to this moment in time was because of one woman's hatred for werewolves.

Peter removed the kettle, "Almost like a dog whistle. Anyway, now you know everything."

"She was gloating about what she did. She practically through it in my face. About the fire. About being intimate with Derek. She's proud of what she did to us," Riley said.

"Don't you see now why I'm doing all of this?" Peter asked.

"I understand but I don't see why," she said.

Peter was silent for a few seconds, "Derek is going the same thing as I am. He's using the wrong method but it's the same thing." He went around the kitchen making himself some tea. When he was done, "There is one more thing I'd like to discuss. And this one thing involves the two of you," he looked at Derek, "Don't look surprised. You should have known this would be brought up."

"What?" she asked.

Peter looked at her over his tea cup, "How would you like the bite?"

"No," Derek shouted.

"The bite?" she asked.

"I'm sure you know werewolves are made. One bite and you become a member of the pack. My pack, of course," Peter said.

"You said you wouldn't hurt her," Derek said, stepping in front of Peter.

"I classify 'hurting' as killing. The bite won't kill her as long as her body accepts it," Peter explained, "Don't you truly want to be with her?"

Derek was quite before saying, "I can't make her make that choice."

"I can," Peter said, walking around him, "Do you want the bite?"

"I…I don't know," Riley said.

"It's either a 'yes' or 'no'," Peter said.

"I don't want it if it's coming from you," she whispered.

"If that's your choice," Peter said, turning to Derek, "You won't see each other anymore."

"What?" she asked.

"I can't have her as a distraction for you. It's either break up or I kill her," he said to Derek, "I'll give you a few minutes."

Peter left them alone.

"Derek," she said.

"I'm with Peter now. I'm part of the pack," Derek said.

"But why?" she asked.

"I don't have to explain anything to you," he said.

"He promised to help you get revenge on the hunters," he didn't say anything, "But aren't you forgetting that Peter killed your sister."

Derek lunged toward Riley and pushed her against the countertop. She tried and failed to push him away from her, "I'm with Peter because we're the same. You're just a human, its something you'll never understand," he watched tears slid down her face, "You may never understand but I wish you would," he said gentler, "He's family."

"I thought we were," she whispered.

Derek didn't say anything. He let her arms go before kissing her on the forehead. Then proceeded to walk out of the kitchen and out of her life.

Riley slid down to the floor. If she thought she felt numb earlier, she was wrong.

This is what numb feels like.

XXX

Derek and Peter were driving in Derek's car.

"Why didn't you want her to have the bite?" Peter asked as Derek was driving.

Derek didn't say anything.

"You really like to play the brooding type," Peter said, "If I gave her the bite, you two could truly be together. You guys would be happy."

"Who said I wasn't happy with her before?" Derek asked.

"Even when you guys were kids, I knew there was something special between you two. And know, I still see it. Even when it shouldn't be possible, it is," Peter said.

"What are you talking about?" Derek asked.

"I'm just rambling," Peter said.

"I do want her to have the bite," Derek said, "I just want her to want it as much as I do. Its something I could never force of her."

"Because you love her."

It wasn't a question, but Derek didn't answer.

He didn't know if he would know the answer.