A/N: I know it's been forever! I'm sorry D: I got really busy IRL, I was helping my cousin with one of her classes, so I was spending a lot of time tutoring and that left very little time for writing... BUT I'm back, summer is here and I don't have anything else taking up my time heehee. So back to Kira and the others, learning about their abilities! And of course Peter/Kira ;) although I know some of you are reading this mostly for Kira and not the pairing lol, that's fine. Hope you enjoy this chapter and the next chapter shouldn't be nearly as far away in the future!
*Wednesday*
Kira groaned as the alarm went off, was it morning already? She turned away from the noise and snuggled into the warm body next to her, taking a moment before her brain registered her companion. That was right, she had stayed with Peter last night! As she registered this fact, Kira snuggled into his chest more, smiling as his arms wrapped around her a bit tighter.
"Are you going to turn that off?" he mumbled.
"No… because if I turn it off, I'll fall back asleep and then I'll miss school. But I also don't want to roll over and acknowledge that it's time to get up," Kira admitted. But she did turn over and grab her phone, turning off the alarm. "I didn't even grab my shower stuff… I mean I got my toothbrush but I didn't think to grab my shampoo or anything…"
Peter grinned, "You can just use mine. Then you'd smell clean but still like me."
"Mmm, smart idea," the Fox agreed as she sat up. "Even better idea, you come with me and help me get clean."
"Did you really think that I wasn't already planning to do that?" Peter smirked. He sat up and stretched, rolling out of bed and grabbing Kira as he went. "What about breakfast, what do you normally have?"
"Um usually just like toast and cereal… I'm not a huge fan of breakfast food. But like, I know better than to go to school without eating anything."
"Both are things I can do," he assured her as he turned on the shower, letting it warm up.
"You're already spoiling me," Kira laughed.
"What, how? By getting you cereal and toast for breakfast? That's hardly unobtainable…"
"Well, not just that…" she explained as she undressed. "You talked to my parents for me, paved the way for me staying overnight… You made a delicious dinner… Now you're showering with me and breakfast too? I know breakfast isn't like, hard but, I don't know… all of this on top of teaching me stuff?"
"I'm older, I can afford to provide you with these things. If I were your age, I wouldn't have a place of my own for us to stay at, which would be a huge setback. I'd have to convince your parents as well as my own. I'd be seen as much less responsible too, I hardly think I would've succeeded in convincing your parents into letting you stay. Same with teaching you, if I was your age, I wouldn't have as much… hands-on knowledge as I do now. It would only be family knowledge and I'd be no better at teaching you than Scott… okay, maybe a bit better but not by much." Peter followed her into the shower, closing the glass door behind him. He pressed in close to her smaller body, taking a moment to run his hands over her bare skin. He smiled as she sighed and leaned into his touch. "You wash your hair, I can wash the rest of you," he commented, leaning down to kiss her neck.
Kira slowly nodded her head, heart racing at the thought of such an intimate moment. She stood there for a moment as he started in with the body wash. The fact that it was his body wash made the scent marking even more intense; it wasn't just Peter's hands roaming her body, leaving a light scent, instead it was the stronger scent of his bathroom products. Something that would last through the day. Eventually though she opened the bottle of shampoo and started in on her hair, letting Peter move her around so she could get clean.
Peter felt a calmness settle over him as he washed her off, happy to just have this closeness with someone. It wasn't even the naked aspect of it, he just loved that they could do intimate stuff like this together. And it was a big weight off his chest that the whole Pack knew now… it hadn't gone according to plan but now he didn't have to worry about looking over his shoulder for an angry Alpha, and he didn't want to worry about Kira stressing herself out over keeping the secret. Since she was still in high school though, they'd have to be careful, if anyone outside of the Pack found out, there would be trouble. He hugged Kira close after she rinsed out her hair, kissing her shoulders.
"You okay? You seem so… serious. I thought showering together was supposed to be fun?" Kira teased lightly.
"I'm just thinking about how lucky we are that things settled down. I'm sure the Pack doesn't really understand but, I do feel like they are at least trying to be open-minded about it. And as much as I would love to have that kind of fun, let's try to get you to school on time," Peter laughed.
"Ugh, right, school. But… I like being here with you… Do you think maybe my parents would be okay with us doing this again? I don't want this to be a one-time thing until I turn 18."
"It can't hurt to ask but let's wait a few days so they at least think we have some self control. Time for breakfast though." He turned off the water and slid open the glass door, lightly smacking her ass as she stepped out. So, maybe he couldn't help himself. "I don't actually have a blow dryer since I have no real need for one, so you might have wet hair for today…"
"No, I brought mine," she commented, wrapping herself in a towel before heading back into the bedroom.
Peter followed her, "So, you remembered to bring a hair dryer but not shampoo?"
"It was in the drawer with my toothbrush so I saw it, I never looked in my actual shower for body wash or anything though. Don't judge me."
Peter laughed as he toweled off, throwing on some clothes and heading into the kitchen to scrounge up food.
Kira smiled to herself as she took her stuff back into the bathroom, thinking of the future and how one day, maybe she'd just have some of her stuff here. That way she wouldn't even have to pack a bag before coming over, wouldn't that just be awesome? Thoughts of the possibilities filled her mind as she finished getting ready for school. By the time she went out to the kitchen, Peter was just finishing up with some toast.
"Ah, perfect timing, I wasn't sure if you were a butter or jam person, and I went with lightly toasted."
"Butter is fine, I mean, I do jam sometimes but not all the time, only when I'm in the mood for something sweet."
Peter nodded and spread some butter over her slices of toast, "I'm pretty much the same way, just eat what I'm craving. No need for the same routine everyday if your taste buds want something different."
The two of them sat down and started to eat, Kira casually making some of her electric orbs dance around the room. She knew that she couldn't really practice during school, mostly because it would be too noticeable and her secret was sure to get out, but also because that would mean she wasn't paying attention and her grades would slip. But she just wanted to get a bit more practice in before school! This time though, she started with already small orbs with low power and was trying to increase their power without messing with their size.
"Finish your breakfast," Peter nudged all of a sudden, breaking her concentration.
The orb expanded suddenly before just fizzling out of existence. "Wha? Oh, right, food."
"Yea, we're going to have to leave soon."
Kira nodded and finished her meal, repeating, again, that she'd need to pay attention in class.
*School*
"I'll text you later, I think Mom wants to work on training after school today," Kira told Peter as she climbed out of his car. It was nice to get dropped off by him, hell, it had been nice to wake up in his arms! Peter had been right, by spending time together last night, Kira felt so much closer to him already, their bond strengthened. It would definitely help her get through today… facing the rest of the Pack was probably going to be a little awkward… Especially since she totally smelled like him (but at least she didn't reek of sex! That was a plus). She'd get through it though.
"Let me know if anyone gives you trouble."
"I will, bye."
Peter waved before driving off, it only felt a little weird to be dropping his Mate off at school… high school. Not much he could do about that though, and it wouldn't be much longer before she graduated anyways. It was probably a good thing that Kira would be busy after school though, if his guesses about Malia were correct, she'd contact him, wanting to train as soon as possible. And it would be best that their first session was one-on-one; Malia wouldn't have to feel self conscious that way. As his thoughts wandered back to Kira, he hoped that the others wouldn't give her too much hassle about yesterday.
Kira hurried into the school, heading straight for her locker, heart sinking when she saw Allison and Lydia already there. But she wasn't going to purposefully avoid them, that would be childish- plus she had nothing to be ashamed of! She was just hoping a conversation wouldn't be happening quite so soon. "Hi guys," she called out as she got closer.
"Hey Kira," Lydia replied back, doing her best to act nonchalant. But of course Allison jumped straight to the point.
"You aren't mad at us right?" the brunette asked.
The Kitsune paused, "Wait, mad?" Definitely not the direction she'd thought this conversation would be going right off the bat.
"We did kind of insinuate that your boyfriend is a creeper-Wolf and that he was up to no good…"
"Right… I mean, I was a little riled up yesterday, at the loft… hearing you guys say that about him and just, seeing everyone act so hostile towards him. But I know that Peter's past is, troubling to say the least; I do understand that. That was why Peter and I wanted to keep it secret, at least for a little while longer, until we knew how to break the news to everyone," Kira told them as she grabbed a few books from her locker.
"Yea, that was… maybe an overreaction on my part," Lydia whispered, looking over Kira's shoulder. She didn't feel like it was an overreaction at all but she liked Kira and wanted things to be okay between them. They weren't going to be like the boys and awkwardly dance around the 'I'm sorry's', both her and Allison wanted to clear the air.
Kira knew she was lying though, "It wasn't an overreaction at all, I know you don't think that. You were concerned about me and you had absolutely no proof that Peter wasn't being shady. There is no reason to get mad at the fact that you were just trying to protect me. I am sorry though… about what I said… I didn't mean to make it sound like, you had purposefully worked with Peter, back then. I was just mad that everyone was ignoring me and talking about how I wasn't in control of myself when I knew for a fact that I was. I know it upset you."
"Yea… well, the memories of it upset me, I know that you didn't mean anything by it. You weren't even around to see what it was like, so of course you didn't realize how it sounded. And I was just… very upset over the whole thing so I reacted out of defense." Lydia sighed, maybe Derek was right, and she needed to have words with him. "Just as long as we're all still friends?"
"Of course, nothing awful happened yesterday. There was some yelling but I mean… we're all still Pack, no hard feelings. But please… don't feel obligated to… be friends with him, I know things are probably really awkward… just don't totally hate him?" Kira asked.
Allison shrugged, "I generally try to avoid him as much as possible so it shouldn't be a problem to just continue to not interact with him. And I'll do my best to not… trash talk him. Scott did say we need to give him a chance to prove that he really does want to be different."
"You're right, things are going to be weird for a long time but… it will all figure itself out."
"I'll do my best not to gush about him all the time," Kira offered. She felt better, knowing that it was all out in the open now. It was going to be a little hard for her to not just, tell them everything like she normally would have but… well she did manage to keep it a secret before, surely she could rein herself in now.
The girls all laughed and hugged before going their separate ways. Kira smiled to herself, relieved- that wasn't so bad at all! If Allison and Lydia were able to openly talk to her about yesterday, then the rest of the Pack should be just as easy. She hurried to her first period, running into Malia as they both walked into class.
"Oh, hey, um, Stiles and Scott didn't give you too much grief about training with Peter right?" Kira asked as they both sat down.
"Well, Stiles seemed a bit upset still but that's not going to stop me. I'm doing this to protect him," Malia stated, lightly clenching one of her fists as she recalled how close she came to hurting him yesterday. It hadn't even been the full moon!
"So, you're not… nervous at all? I mean, I'm sure they've told you all the stories about Peter as well."
The Coyote just shrugged, "That's in the past and has no bearing at all on my training. He has no reason to kill me since I had nothing to do with the fire. He… when he made a bond with me… I… I finally felt like I belonged here, with the Pack. Before it was just Stiles and I tolerated the rest of you."
"Well yea, coyotes are solitary creatures, so it's not really surprising that you bonded with Stiles but still adjusting to everyone else." Under different circumstances, Kira might have been offended by her callous attitude but she knew that Malia was just stating a fact. To her, Pack was something new- hell, making friends was something new to her still… Of course she didn't understand the intricacies of being in a Pack, Kira was still adjusting herself. The only reason she had a better grasp on the whole thing was because she hadn't been stuck as a coyote for 8 years.
"Exactly! You understand! Self preservation has always come first for me but Stiles is also important to me as well… he… we connected while we were in Eichen together. Otherwise, wolves still make me nervous, especially Weres. But Peter showed me what it felt like to be a part of a Pack and I think I can do this. I mean, you've come a long way, so I know he's a good teacher."
Kira smiled and nodded her head, pulling out her notebook as class got started. If only Malia was more… of a teenager. Would it be okay to talk to her about Peter? She wasn't like Allison and Lydia, she didn't have this huge mistrust of him, or these bad experiences with him… Besides, she and Stiles… did stuff together. But Malia didn't talk about it, so would she feel weird if Kira shared stuff? Besides, even if they barely knew each other as family… Peter was Malia's dad… it would probably be super awkward. She didn't have time to dwell on it though, Coach usually talked fast and Malia was probably going to ask her for the notes.
Class passed by in a blur, Kira barely managing to follow along with what Coach was describing, how could he expect Malia to pass? It wasn't like Kira could really tutor her on the subject when she was having a hard time following along too. Maybe, with Peter taking over Malia's lessons, Stiles would have more time to focus on being her school tutor instead of her Were tutor! That could work out! Kira was startled out of her thoughts as Malia nudged her on the way out the door.
"Does Peter text? Can I have his number, I want to figure out how my lessons are going to work," the Coyote asked.
Kira smiled, Malia must be excited for this since she generally disliked initiating conversation, probably due to all that time she spent alone. "Yea, um here," she grabbed Malia's phone and programmed his number in, "And yes, he knows how to text."
"Thanks." Just like that, Malia was walking away, heading to her next class, phone in hand.
Kira pulled her phone out too, asking her mom a question.
*Loft*
"So, in your opinion, since we didn't get a chance to talk yesterday, how do you think things went?" Peter asked.
"Which part? Lydia ran out of the loft and Scott was ready to disown you… Malia got into a fight with Liam and almost hurt Stiles…"
"Wow, such a pessimist…"
Derek glared at his uncle, "Realist."
"Okay, none of those things are new though… Lydia has never wanted to be in a room with me, Scott has wanted to be rid of me for a long time now, and Malia has fought with Liam before. As for the hurting Stiles, that's his own damn fault, which again, is nothing new. So besides all that…"
"I… I think it went okay. I was busy with Lydia so I didn't hear what was said in the loft but things didn't feel as tense when I came back down. I didn't hear any yelling so I mean, they were at least discussing things calmly."
"Yea, although calmly doesn't necessarily mean rationally," Peter mused. "But, if Malia wants me to teach her, Scott can't really say no, can he."
"He could, he's the Alpha. A better question is, would Malia listen to him? If he knows that Malia is having such a hard time he might try to teach her instead."
Peter shrugged, "Only if he changed his mind, he did offer to give me a chance, and considering that he never kicked me out of the Pack, that means Deaton and the Yukimuras backed my side of things. So I'm thinking I at least have a chance to meet with them and train them."
"Yea, and Scott wants me there for that…"
"You don't have to come if you don't want to," Peter suggested with a grin.
"Peter, I thought you were trying to show Scott that you'd changed. Trying to convince me to skip out on babysitting the training isn't going to make him trust you," Derek chastised.
"I was just saying. You don't have to be there if you're busy or something. Malia and I would get by without you and I don't think she'd tattle to Scott about your absence." Really, it's not like he was planning on hurting her or anything.
"No, she wouldn't, but Scott is bound to ask and I don't think her lying skills are that great," Derek countered.
"True enough. But, back to her lessons… I know she can't drive so, where should we meet? I can't just go pick her up, I'm sure that would come across as… too much," Peter confessed, knowing full well how most of the teenagers thought of him.
"Do you even have her number?"
"Well, no… I've barely said a few sentences to her, I never had the time to ask," Peter admitted dryly. Sure, he could've grabbed it when he went through Stiles phone this last time but, he figured stealing Malia's number wasn't the right way to start their bonding.
Derek nodded, "How about I send her yours, then she can decide when to make contact."
"Oh, yea, that-" Peter was interrupted when his phone went off. As he dug it out of his pocket he frowned, "I swear if they already cornered Kira and upset her, I… oh…"
Where did you want to meet?
"Oh what? It isn't Liam right?" Derek groaned.
"No… it's from Malia. Well I'm assuming it's Malia… she didn't put her name."
"Kira must have given it to her, or she bullied Stiles into telling her. Okay, that works then." Really, Derek shouldn't have been surprised, and now that he thought about it, he was shocked Malia hadn't managed to get a hold of Peter last night. She was definitely interested in learning, so she would have wanted to seek him out as soon as possible.
Peter nodded, "Guess that just leaves setting up a meeting…"
How about at the old Hale house, do you know where that is?
Yea, I used to go there as a coyote sometimes. I'll be there after school.
Need a ride?
No
"Well, I'm not sure how she's going to get there but… she doesn't want a ride…" Peter mumbled.
"She'll probably run," Derek guessed.
Peter nodded in agreement. Well, that answered that, after school he'd be training with his daughter. If he was religious, he might've actually said a prayer, hoping that this didn't end in complete disaster…
*School, lunch*
"Hey, Malia, did you get a hold of Peter?" Kira asked, clearing her throat and looking towards Scott and the others a few tables away. She knew that they were listening in, there was no way they weren't.
"Yea, we're meeting at the old house in the woods. Why?"
"Well, I talked with Mom and I got out of training with her today…"
"Why?" Malia asked. Peter was going to be busy training her today, so why wouldn't Kira do more weapon training with her mom?
"I know that you probably want to do this on your own but, I figured maybe I could be there as emotional support?" Kira suggested, smiling hopefully. She knew that Malia wasn't the best at making friends but the two of them were the newbies of the Pack (excluding Liam), they were outsiders to the strong friendships the rest of the Pack already had. So, the two of them stuck together more times than not at Pack events, not sure how to close the gap between them and the others. Kira wasn't a Wolf, and Malia had no reason to be afraid of a Fox, even one that could wield lightning, so when Malia wasn't with Stiles, she was with Kira… or on her own in the woods of course. Plus Kira was the most patient out of the girls, so she was usually stuck explaining schoolwork to her and stuff during lacrosse practice. Surely if Malia would allow anyone to be there, it would be her. "Besides, my mom can drive us, that way you don't have to walk all the way there, sound good?"
Malia chewed on her food while she thought it over… The Coyote might not want to admit it but, she didn't know Derek or Peter that well, and both of them were Wolves, they'd set her 'smaller', inner Coyote on edge, just a bit. Scott still did even though Malia knew that he wasn't really going to hurt her but… he had a lot of power as an Alpha and she was still adjusting to interacting with Wolves. Having a friend with her might help. Besides Stiles, Kira was really the only one she felt comfortable calling a friend. Isaac she didn't know that well, Allison… Allison was nice but she was a Hunter and Malia could sense that she was always on edge around Malia because of her lack of control. So of course that put a strain on their interactions. And Lydia was Lydia. "Sure, you can come if you want, I know you won't make me feel nervous or anything, not like if the others went. I just hope… I can focus with Derek being there. Do you think that… I know Scott told Derek he had to be there but…"
"Did Peter say that Derek was too busy to come to the training session?" Allison asked all of a sudden, dropping down across from them. Lydia joined them as well, startling the two girls.
"No, he didn't say anything about it…" Malia hedged. How much had they heard? They weren't going to try to come too right? She didn't want them there…
"Oh, I just heard you talking about Derek as we walked over, and how Scott wanted him to be there. I thought it just meant that Derek had plans and couldn't make it. Which would mean you'd have to postpone, Scott doesn't want you alone with Peter," Allison told her.
Malia curled her lip a bit but managed to not growl, reminding herself that Allison had more history with Peter, was just more distrustful. It wasn't like she was trying to sabotage Malia's training, she just wanted to follow Scott's rules.
"Um, what made you decide to join us?" Kira asked, hoping to change the subject. She knew that Peter was going to take Malia's training seriously, if Malia didn't feel comfortable with Derek there… Kira would be there, that should make it okay.
"Scott and Stiles were complaining about how things are going to be really awkward now that you're dating Peter. Stiles was also still pouting about Malia going to Peter to help with control," Lydia supplied. "I got tired of listening to them, plain and simple. Aren't you glad we got our apologies out of the way earlier?"
"Yea, definitely. And I would've gone over there to sit with you but Stiles totally gave me the cold shoulder in History. And I saw Malia sitting here by herself so obviously she and Stiles are still disagreeing… I figured it might be better to just… give them some space. I can try talking with them tomorrow, after Malia has her first lesson with Peter and they realize that he's actually good at this." She looked over at Scott pointedly, causing him to look away in a hurry.
Malia chewed on her lip, thankful that only Kira was able to pick up on her sudden change of scent, that Lydia and Allison couldn't tell how suddenly nervous she was. Even though Peter had managed to pull her out of her shift yesterday and he managed to pull Stiles away from her in time, what if she couldn't learn control? If she failed at this… they'd all blame Peter. If Stiles, one of the only people she really trusted, couldn't help her learn control, then how could anyone else teach her? No… she had to have faith in Peter, she'd witnessed his ability the other day. She wasn't a lost cause, she had to believe that.
Allison sighed when her phone went off, she knew that Scott had been listening in- he'd been listening even before she and Lydia had come over here.
You have to make sure Derek is there today…
How am I supposed to do that? I don't get along with Peter so I know he won't want me there for the training.
Kira mentioned them needing a ride right? Maybe, you can take them? You wouldn't have to stay, just… make sure Derek is there and leave
Okay, I can do that
Allison smiled at the girls across the table, "I can take you if you want, do you know where you're going to be meeting with Peter?"
"I, uh, my mom was going to give us a ride… I know you and Lydia usually stay and watch practice."
"I thought you didn't like Peter, why would you volunteer to go then? What did Scott say… or was it Stiles?" Malia accused. She did not want Allison there, period.
"Scott," Allison admitted. She wasn't going to lie to them, they were all supposed to try trusting Peter… there was no reason to try and sabotage this. "He just wants me to make sure Derek is going to be there, I won't stay. I know Peter and I don't get along so my presence will just make things tense, I know that. The boys just all have practice so they need someone else to double check."
"What's wrong with Kira being there? If Scott was listening this whole time, he knows that she's going with me."
Allison paused, unsure of what to say. It wasn't because they didn't trust Kira, there was no way she could say that… Kira was already glaring at the Alpha though, daring him to say that he didn't trust her to be honest with them. What could Allison really say? She'd let Scott handle this one.
"Peter needs to know I'm keeping an eye on him, no offense to you but that means sending someone who I know won't lie," Scott whispered, knowing that Kira, and Malia, could hear him. They couldn't argue with his logic, surely the two of them would understand.
"I only lied because I knew you wouldn't understand our relationship. But I know Peter is fully capable of helping Malia and Liam, he doesn't need me to cover for him for that. Do you really think I'd lie to you if he hurt Malia? I'm just as capable of stopping Peter from going too far!"
"You're too much of a softy, you'd tell him to stop way before I even reached my limit," Malia pointed out.
"Yea… that's true, I'd be way worried, I mean, it's good that Derek is there, I do trust his judgment and if he doesn't freak out then I won't. But still! Acting like I'd cover for Peter at Malia's expense? I can't believe you…"
Scott shrugged but he at least looked guilty, "I'd feel better knowing that Allison went and saw him there. I know that she wouldn't hide the truth."
Kira felt her Fox bristle at the insult. After everything she'd done to help them, he was implying that they couldn't trust her? All of that went down the drain because she dared to associate with Peter? Like Scott had never lied to be with Allison, or Malia with Stiles! She was just about to stand up and storm out of the cafeteria when Malia's hand touched her shoulder.
"Your eyes…"
Furiously Kira blinked and looked away from Scott, pulling back her anger; she knew part of it was just because she had a strong bond with Peter now. That bond, combined with her Kitsune nature, made her not only defensive about her reputation, but Peter's as well. Where Wolves might feel protective, Kira felt pride; she didn't need to protect him, but she would defend his honor. Sure, Scott wanted to make sure that Derek kept his word, that Peter wasn't trying to sneak off to train Malia without their appointed babysitter. But there were other ways he could have gone about that without blatantly admitting that he didn't trust her. Hell, he could've just asked Derek to send him a picture! That wouldn't have been nearly as insulting, if he just messaged Derek at some point and asked for a quick photo, to show that he was really there. Whatever… Peter would make them eat their words, she just knew it! She'd continue to train with him and get stronger, and Malia and Liam would too! Eventually Scott would see that he was wrong about him… that he could be trusted. Until then, she'd have to talk with her mom about how to rein in the possessive Fox spirit, she didn't need to snap at Scott in the middle of the cafeteria every time he said something rude about her or Peter.
Allison and Lydia looked at each other awkwardly, but they knew better than to say they were sorry, it would only upset her more. Mostly because it was Scott that was giving the order, he was the one that insulted her just now, not them. They also knew that Kira was smart enough to know that Allison's trust issues weren't with Kira, they were with Peter, and that she was doing it because Scott asked Allison to check. If Kira was mad at them too, she would've been glaring at them just as hard. Allison let out a small sigh of relief, glad that Kira hadn't gotten mad at her. She really wanted to stay friends with the Kitsune despite who she might be dating. The group of them finished their lunches, Lydia changing the subject to something a little safer while Kira messaged her mom about the change of plans.
*After School*
Kira grabbed a few books out of her locker, mentally going over her list of assignments, making sure she wasn't forgetting anything. Just as she closed the locker, Malia jumped on her, startling the Kitsune.
"Are you ready to go? C'mon! No time to waste!" And just like that Malia had her hand wrapped around Kira's wrist and was dragging her out to the parking lot. "Do you know where Allison parked?"
"I still can't believe that Allison is the one taking us… Are you really okay with that?"
"I don't have much of a choice, Scott would've thrown a fit if I argued. Stiles freaked out enough when he couldn't talk me out of it last night. If Allison is stopping by to make sure everyone is following the rules, so be it… just as long as she doesn't stay," she added on quietly.
"I won't let her, I know she'll only make things stressful for you. But… Is it really okay for me to stay, I don't have to if I'll just be a distraction…"
Malia shook her head, "You won't be because I don't feel nervous around you at all. And you have your own training to keep you occupied, you won't just be… an audience, like Allison or Lydia would be."
"Okay, just double checking. I promise I won't stare too much, I mean, I am interested in seeing you progress and everything, to learn more about control, but I won't like… you know, make it weird or anything," Kira reassured her.
"Hey, I see that both of you are ready to go?" Allison said, walking up to them. "I'm this way, um, where am I taking you exactly? We never got that far at lunch…"
"The old Hale house."
"Oh, right, I know how to get there."
With that, the three of them went off to the car, Lydia deciding to stay back and watch practice like she usually did. As they all piled into the car, Allison paused before putting the keys in the ignition, "I'm sorry about lunch. I know you probably just want to not talk about it but it's been bugging me. I trust Peter probably even less that Scott does, but that doesn't mean he has any right to just… say what he said. You haven't done anything to lose our trust."
"So you don't think that it was awful of me to lie about seeing Peter?"
Allison shook her head, "No. I might not understand why you picked Peter but… I mean, Scott and I did a lot of lying to my parents when we were dating. He was a Were and I was a Hunter, it was forbidden- not quite in the same way as you and Peter but close enough. That part I understand, that you thought it was better to keep it a secret because of how we'd react at first. Scott just doesn't trust Peter and it makes him nervous that Malia will be there with him. I don't think that he distrusts you in the way he implied but… I don't think he really knew what he said would upset you so much."
"That's one thing he needs to learn about Kitsunes I guess, that we're proud creatures. I know that I've done nothing to lose his trust, my Fox knows that too. I haven't betrayed the Pack in anyway yet Scott flat out said he doesn't trust me not to lie. Yea, the Fox got a little upset- that and the fact that he's still so… resistant to Peter."
Malia leaned forward from the back seat, "Is that because he's your Mate? I mean, if people talk trash on Stiles I get mad too but… it kinda seemed like more than that."
"Yea, I think so. I don't know for sure but, it definitely felt different yea. And, yesterday Scott was totally willing to give Peter this chance, even though the others were against it but he agreed to it. But now he's… all defensive about it?" Kira said, confused.
"I think he's just trying too hard to be the Alpha. He was fine admitting that we had control problems yesterday, right after Liam and I got into a fight, but he had all night to think about it. He wants to make sure Peter isn't going to steal us away," Malia stated. When both girls looked at her, surprised, Malia clarified, "I may not understand Pack dynamics very well, but I understand our animal instincts and I know what being an Alpha means. It makes total sense that he feels threatened right now."
"Well, like Peter said yesterday, he's a part of the Pack too, he follows Scott and he's not even an Alpha, it's not like he can steal you anyways."
Allison nodded, "I can try to talk to him about it. I know I was against it yesterday but, after hearing you and Peter talk about it, seeing how he was with Malia… I thought about it last night… Maybe Peter deserves a chance." Now, if he made any wrong moves at all, Allison would be all too happy to cut him open but, she wasn't that blood-hungry girl from last year. She'd at least wait until Peter made a mistake, she had that much control. Satisfied that Kira really wasn't mad at her for tagging along, she started the car and pulled out of the parking lot.
*Hale House*
Peter was sitting on the hood of his car while Derek paced around the porch. "Derek, why are you so nervous? I'm the one training her, not you."
"I've interacted with Malia a little more than you, I know how hard control is for her. We're lucky no one at school has seen her shift yet. Lydia's told me about a few different times her claws popped out because she got frustrated with a simple math problem…"
"Oh, do you and Lydia talk often?" Peter asked, brow raised. Derek just glared at him, not answering. "Anyways, this isn't math, it's Were stuff, far more interesting. Besides, it's not like she can't shift out here. Part of learning control is understanding what it means to be out of control. You know that better than anyone."
"As long as you're sure you can-" Derek stopped talking as a car came into view.
"About time, I was starting to… what's wrong?" Peter looked at his nephew as he groaned and furrowed his brow. So… it wasn't Kira and Malia then… must be Chris. Damn, Peter wasn't looking to have this conversation right now. Of course Allison had told him about his relationship with Kira and now the Hunter wanted to threaten him. Peter muttered to himself, "I'm not in the mood for Argent…"
"Not the Argent you're thinking of I'm sure," Derek replied.
Confused, Peter turned around just as Allison's car pulled up next to his. Before he could ask any questions, Malia hopped out of the car and he could hear Kira complaining.
"See, Derek is here, Scott has nothing to worry about! Next time tell Scott to just ask for a picture! But um, thanks for the ride."
Allison nodded awkwardly, waiting until the door was closed before backing out and turning the car around. She thought about offering them a ride home too but she had a strong feeling that neither girl would need it.
"This is… surprising… Kira, what are you doing here, I thought you had training? And what was the deal with Scott exactly?"
Kira blushed and looked at Malia, "I totally forgot to text him to see if it was okay…. Um, I got out of training with Mom just because I knew today was going to be her first day and I thought having a non-judgmental friend here would make her less nervous. Is that okay? Does me being here mess up your plans?"
"No, it's fine. If Malia is okay with you being here, I don't mind either," he assured her. "I just wasn't expecting it. As long as your mom is okay with you putting off training with her."
"Yea, she understands that this was for Malia, not because I just wanted to spend more time with you. I mean I'll be practicing my Tail stuff but, you'll be helping Malia. I'm her emotional support."
"Enough talking, let's get started!" Malia whined.
"Easy there, we have to lay down some ground rules-"
"Always with rules! Ugh."
"That's just the wild side of you talking. You had rules as a coyote didn't you? They were just different than these rules and you don't like them."
Malia thought for a moment, "Yea, I did have rules back then too, but you're right, they were totally different than the rules Scott wants me to follow."
"Well, these aren't rules that Scott wants you to follow, these are just rules on how to be a Were- not a Coyote, not Human, but a Werecoyote."
"So, you aren't going to teach me Pack rules?"
Derek snorted and rolled his eyes, "Peter doesn't even follow Scott's rules, he's certainly not the right person to teach them to you. Granted, he hasn't gotten in trouble in the past few months, he still has a disregard for the rules."
"Thank you for that add-on there, I was about to point that out myself if you hadn't," Peter said, only slightly miffed. Of course everyone knew that he wasn't a big fan of the rules, but no need to point it out in such a way. Malia was depending on him to teach her and he could tell that she needed to see confidence in him in order to find confidence in herself. "Pack rules are important but that wasn't what you asked me to teach you, you want to learn control so that is what we're going to focus on. I won't be overwhelming you with all these other rules, just the ones that apply to being a Were."
Malia smiled, she liked this already! Stiles was always trying to tell her rules that people needed to follow. There were Scott's rules, school rules, the law, traffic rules… so many rules! But here she could focus on just this one thing, she didn't have to worry about homework or the law, just on her inner Coyote. She followed as Peter guided her closer to the house, letting Derek and Kira fade from her awareness so she could concentrate better.
"Okay so, first rule, what happens here, stays here. If I'm going to teach you control that means we also have to work on not having control. You want to learn how to utilize your Were abilities, in order to teach you, we have to fight. But once the lessons are over, they are over, no holding grudges, no getting mad, understand?"
"Yea, this is for training, not real fighting."
"Good. First question, how good is your overall control- I know you are having trouble with shifting without command but, what does it feel like to shift? Do you feel out of control at all, too angry to focus?"
Malia thought for a few minutes thinking back on all the different times she shifted during classes, or when feeling threatened. "The most out of control I felt was when Liam made me mad the other day. The Coyote just… got all worked up and took over, although I didn't even try to hold it back. Most of the time though, during school, I shift when I'm stressed and I don't even realize it."
"What comes out? I haven't heard about anyone freaking out so I'm assuming that no one has seen you fully shifted?"
"No, it's usually just my claws, and the others will see them and warn me. Occasionally I think my eyes flash blue but it's just really quick and only when I'm mad. I haven't felt my fangs grow at all, those only come out when I'm ready to fight someone."
"Hmmm, it doesn't really sound like you're losing control then, not like Scott and Isaac did when they were first turned. How are you at calling them up whenever you want to, are you still having trouble with that?"
"Not really." She raised her hands and extended her claws freely, "I can bring them out whenever I want, I mostly just have trouble with them coming out when I don't mean for them to."
"That's good then. And of course, the full moon transformation you're still having a hard time with. It seems like you just need help finding an Anchor, one that you can easily call up at school when you notice you're starting to feel anxious about something. You're still very much in survival mode, so your shifting is different from what the others experienced," Peter informed her.
"So… I'm not broken?"
"No, you aren't broken at all. You lived as a coyote for years, your recent life experiences are very different from the rest of us. You lived cautiously, wary, that's why your claws come out readily whenever you're nervous about something but you have no problem with the Coyote overriding your senses and taking over You've bonded with your Coyote differently than the rest of us, anger isn't her driving force since you had to adapt to a very different situation. Of course, if you lose your temper you still lose control, which is natural, you are still a Were. I haven't really heard of any instances of you losing control, except with Liam, so it's safe to say that anger isn't a problem."
"Yea," Kira cut in, hoping it was okay. "Even when Liam went after Stiles, you were pissed but still in control. You didn't just fly off the handle and attack with rage. You wanted to hurt him but you were still able to communicate and realize that I wasn't going to let you hurt him."
Malia slowly nodded, remembering that, "Yea, you're right. I was angry but in control even then. The only time I really have trouble is on the full moon, at least with the anger part."
"Okay, so, it's logical that you don't have the same control as we do-"
"What about the full moons though, from before though? I experienced a lot of those as a coyote and never went into a frenzy…"
Peter thought for a moment before answering, "I think that's because your more animalistic side was in control and the bloodlust quickly abated. You went feral, but since you were in animal form… you just turned into a wild animal instead of a rogue Were. Rogues lose their equilibrium with their inner creature as well and they are always ready to hunt down prey. Their bloodlust doesn't peak on the full moon, it's always on the surface. Since you were fully shifted, you just, acted like a coyote, there was no real need for the bloodlust to peak at all."
Malia slowly nodded, understanding the difference. "So I'm only having trouble with control because the sudden shift back to Human, it messed up our equilibrium- even if the equilibrium was more of me being a wild animal, I was in control, I didn't just attack Humans or anything. If… if I find a good Anchor, I can find a good balance with the Coyote again and go back to not having any trouble?"
" Yea, I'm fairly certain that will take care of the problem. So, let's start off today by finding an Anchor for you, do you have anything in mind?" Peter asked.
"Stiles."
The older Were narrowed his eyes when he registered that her heart blipped. "Why are you lying?"
"How do you know I'm lying?"
"Scott really hasn't told you much has he? Weres, with practice, can focus on a person's heartbeat and many people's hearts jump a little when they lie. With really bad liars, you don't even have to listen to their heart, their face and body language generally give them away. Other people have mastered the visual cues and can pass off a lie easily to those that don't have good ears. Of course, there are excellent liars that still pass the hearing test as well, so you always want to be careful when dealing with someone you don't know that well. Your heart jumped when you answered the question, why lie? I'm not here to judge you. And if you aren't honest, I can't really help, it isn't good to build your Anchor on a lie."
"I just… everyone says that a loved one helps… Scott told me that Allison was his Anchor even back in the beginning. Isaac shifted to her as his Anchor too, even if he denies it. Stiles swore up and down that he witnessed how well Allison worked as Scott's Anchor when he was still learning about control. So they kinda made me feel like Stiles was supposed to be mine. I love Stiles, I do! He… he means a lot to me, even now, when I'm still having trouble grasping what it means to be a part of a Pack, I could never imagine leaving Stiles behind… But… he doesn't center me like Allison did for Scott…"
"I can see why you started to feel like you were broken," Peter commented dryly. Scott's methods weren't working for her at all and that probably made her feel like she'd never learn how to do this. "It's perfectly fine that Stiles isn't your Anchor. Your Anchor is for you, no one can make you feel guilty about it and no one can ask you about it either. So, I can help you find your real Anchor, and none of them have to know that it isn't Stiles."
"But that's lying…"
"Not really, I mean, at this point they are assuming, and that's different from lying. You can tell them if you want, you don't have to keep it a secret. I'm just saying, I won't tell them the truth if you don't want me to. They are assuming that Stiles will help you in the same way that Scott's Anchor did, so odds are good that they won't be asking you if you found a new Anchor, they'll just assume that thoughts of Stiles started to work."
"Okay so… a real Anchor, something that calms me down…" Malia was at a loss, everyone seemed to use a person as their Anchor and Malia just didn't feel close to anyone, not in a way that actually soothed her Coyote. If she couldn't use a person… what could her Anchor be? She jumped slightly as Peter suddenly told her to relax.
"You're getting worked up," he commented, lifting her wrist so she could see her claws.
"Because I don't know what to pick! All I can remember is the time I spent in the woods- my home! I haven't spent time with people, I can't make those kinds of connections!"
"Your Anchor doesn't have to be a person. Derek uses anger, an emotion, as his Anchor. Yea, it's weird, don't look at me like that but it works for him. I realized that with everything going on in his life at the time, it was about the only thing that could really center him, taught him how to turn it against his Wolf instead of letting it fuel the Wolf. An Anchor can be literally anything that helps you focus. Don't let the rest of them influence you into thinking it has to be a person, it doesn't."
"Then… can I use the woods? They make me feel free… whenever I'm stuck at the house and I'm stressed, I climb out the window and just sit in the dirt. It makes me want my fur again."
"We can give it a shot, sounds like a good one to me."
"Wait, but I thought those thoughts were holding her back?" Derek asked. "You said that she was in turmoil with herself, wanting to be a coyote again and also wanting to be Human."
"Thoughts of the woods themselves aren't really holding her back, it's the thought of wanting to fully shift, where her Coyote is the most comfortable. But like I said, once they reach a new equilibrium, and she can be a Were, I think her issues will go away. Right now they are both stuck thinking that the two aren't connected, but I'm going to help teach her that they aren't mutually exclusive."
Malia smiled, she really wasn't broken at all! Peter understood what her problem was after just a few moments, and even had a method that should work for her! "After I learn more about control, you can teach me about being a Were too right? Like how to listen to heartbeats, how to pick up different scents?"
"Of course, I'd be happy to teach you about that as well."
"Let's get started then! Tell me how Anchors are supposed to work, like in your words. Stiles has tried to explain but…"
"An Anchor is something that steadies you, just like a real anchor does with boats. It stops them from drifting away in the waves. If it helps, picture it exactly like that, when your emotions get to be too much, you're lost in the waves. In order to steady yourself, you think of your Anchor and ignore everything else."
"So, when I get stressed out or anxious, or during the full moon, I just fill my head with thoughts of the forest?"
"Yea, pretty much that's all there is to it."
"How come thoughts of Stiles don't center me, I mean, it seems pretty straightforward…"
Peter shrugged, "Sometimes, a person just isn't enough. For you, I think it's because you're still new at making those deep connections with other people. Yes, Stiles means a lot to you, you care about him, but… does the Coyote? Sure, she might feel a little possessive over him, you scent him all the time. But that just can't compare to the freedom your Coyote is used to, you spent 8 years in those woods, they are home. Maybe one day Stiles could be your Anchor, but for now, your Coyote needs something a little stronger."
"Do you think Stiles will understand if I explain it that way… or should I not tell him?"
"Um…" Peter turned and looked at Derek, uncertain how to answer that one. Generally, in cases like this, he'd vote on being truthful but he honestly wasn't sure how Stiles might react and he didn't want Scott getting mad at him. For all he knew, the Alpha would accuse him of tricking Malia into liking Stiles less or something. Plus he didn't want Stiles to guilt trip her about her new Anchor, it would only hamper her progress.
"I'd wait. Not because Stiles doesn't deserve the truth, but I think it would just be better for everyone to wait. Knowing Stiles, he's bound to ask you about how training is going, but he probably won't ask for specifics about your Anchor right away. If you feel like your relationship is strong enough, you won't have to lie. You'd know Stiles best in this situation, none of us have ever been in a relationship with him."
Kira smiled at her friend, "I think it will be okay, just as long as you explain it, you know, be as gentle as possible. That might be hard for you, but don't just blurt out that Stiles isn't your Anchor. Stiles seems to be very understanding, I mean, he had to deal with everything all alone when Scott was first turned. I've heard that things were a little rough when he started dating Allison, you know, the best friend is the third wheel now. But he also understood that things change, it didn't affect his friendship with Scott."
"So, if I just make sure to explain that my Coyote likes Stiles but… our bond isn't quite strong enough yet that it can't calm her down, that I needed something a little more familiar, he should understand? I just don't want to hurt his feelings."
"Like I said, your Anchor is yours alone, no one can judge you for what helps you stay in control. He might feel a little hurt at first, just because of his pride, but Stiles is smart. He'll come around once he sees that you still care for him and you aren't going to leave him or anything," Peter concluded.
With that, Malia was ready to get started, asking where they should start. She listened intently as Peter told her he would be doing his best to make her feel anxious, and when she felt like she was starting to shift or lose control, she'd focus on her new Anchor. What she needed was practice in calling up her Anchor and learning how to use it to center herself.
Peter relaxed his hold over his Wolf, normally blocking his scent as a precaution against other supernatural creatures. But he knew that his Were-ness would set Malia on edge, bring out the inner Coyote more than usual. He figured this was the best place to start since he didn't want to just attack her outright, and he didn't exactly want to shout out math problems either. He also positioned himself behind her, so she couldn't visually remind herself that it was just him, not a threat. So it didn't take long for him to see her claws appear and her body was trembling slightly at the tension in her muscles. Thoughts of a predator right behind you would be enough to set anyone on edge.
"Focus on your Anchor," he whispered, not wanting to completely startle her. He watched, waiting, until he noticed her claws finally starting to disappear. Only then did he rein his Were presence back in, walking around to face her. "How do you feel?"
"Not as anxious. It was hard to focus at first… but eventually I was able to block out what was making me nervous and just call up memories of when I was a coyote. That's what I was supposed to do right?"
"Yea, did it feel strong enough or should we find something else?"
"No… I think it worked, it took me a moment to get control but that's just because I'm new at all this…"
"As long as you feel like it's working, you can keep using it."
Malia nodded, "Oh yea, it helped way more than trying to think of Stiles or something."
"Okay, let's try again, I want you to imagine yourself in a stressful situation, and once you feel like you're starting to shift and lose control, think of your Anchor."
Kira was sitting on the hood of Peter's car, watching the two of them; it was interesting to see this side of Peter and not be the focus of his attention. Malia seemed at ease and had no issues with listening to what he was saying. She was startled out of her thoughts though when Derek leaned a little closer.
"So, how is your own training coming along?"
Oh, right, speaking of… she promised Malia that she wouldn't just sit here and watch- she was just really intrigued, wanting to learn more about how Anchors worked for Weres! She cleared her throat and turned to Derek, eager to have someone to talk to about all of it. "Really well actually! I've gotten really good at controlling my FoxFire, I can make it float around, or coat my body." She held up her hand and showed him as small arcs of electricity flowed up her arm. "I can even reduce its power so people can touch it without getting shocked, you know for like mock fights and stuff. Um, I haven't really had to worry about healing much but I mean, I do have my Tail for it at least so I know how to trigger it if I get hurt. I'll probably learn more about it in the future when I start fighting more. Like… Mom is teaching me about how to wield weapons and such but I also need to learn how to fight using my other Kitsune abilities since my weapons won't always be available."
"Sounds like you've been busy-"
"Oh yea, between all the training and schoolwork. But it feels good to be learning more. Oh, and I can totally summon my katana to me! Not from very far away or anything… only a few feet but like it was so exciting to finally get it down! It takes a lot of concentration though… So does the Tail I'm working on now."
Derek raised a brow, he hadn't seen Kira this talkative in awhile. She was generally kinda quiet at the Pack meetings… probably because she felt a little lost and out of place. It was nice to see her coming out of her shell though, thanks to Peter. "What Tail are you working on now? I don't know as much as Peter does so I have no idea what Tails you can learn."
"Oh, right! Here I am just assuming that you know what I'm talking about… sorry. Um, obviously you know about the FoxFire and healing, those are straight forward. Um, the last one I learned allows me to imbue my weapons with my essence, making them more powerful. But it also allows me to call the weapons to my hands- that was the hard part to learn. And the Tail I'm working on now is animal summoning! I can make a kind of hornet-"
"Like the Nogitsune and the flies?"
"Yea, exactly."
"But, your hornets won't be able to possess people right? That was just because he was a Void type?"
"Correct! Mine will be able to use various Thunder techniques, none of which involve possession," Kira laughed. "Right now, I'm working on how to 'instruct' and increase my electricity. Peter says that it's easier to learn those two first and then learn how to actually manifest the shape of the hornet. I've got the instructions part down… kinda. I can have my orbs do stuff without like, consciously being aware of them… but I can't really have them do anything complicated just yet. Still, it's a step in the right direction. The hard part is making the orbs small but highly dense…"
"Wow, sounds pretty complicated…"
"Yea. But I mean, of course you'd think so, you're a Were, none of this is natural to you. Listening to Peter explain this stuff to Malia… that sounds complicated to me! Because I'm not a Were, I'll never be a Were like you guys so I have no real grasp of what this means."
Derek nodded and laughed lightly, "That's a good point. I had my own troubles with learning control but it is still more natural to me since I was born this way. I've just always been a Were and I know my abilities." He watched as Kira created an orb and slowly worked at making it smaller and smaller, then turned to watch Malia again.
Peter had switched things up apparently. Instead of having Malia practice regaining control with her Anchor, he was having her practice fully repressing it. Now, Malia wasn't allowed to shift at all, calling up her Anchor before the shift even happened instead of only calling it up afterwards. He recognized the tactics, recalling when he was in Malia's position years ago. Both were good things to practice, all too often a Were was good at one but not the other and it generally led to trouble. Especially when there was a big difference between controlling anxiety and controlling anger as a Were.
Malia tried to hold in her growl as she listened to Peter berate her, poke her, throw insults her way. She wasn't allowed to get angry! How come this was so much harder than calming down? Before, when she was allowed to get anxious, it was easy to just… call up memories of her home and let them wash over her. Now that she had a working Anchor, it wasn't hard for her to get over her anxiety at all. Malia knew she'd need a little more practice with it, practicing out in the woods and dealing with it at school were two totally different things, but Malia was feeling so much more confident already. But this… this was hard.
"Malia, you aren't concentrating."
She snapped, lunging out at his voice before her eyes even opened, claws and fangs out. But Peter was prepared for it, easily dodging her claws, not even snarling in return. He wouldn't mind sparring with her, teaching her more about how to fight in a Human body but today wasn't about that. If he snarled, she'd only get more aggressive. Instead he tried to pull her back to her senses, "Malia, your Anchor!"
"Oh my gosh, Malia!" Kira cried out, eyes wide. She watched as Peter danced backwards, countering his daughter's slashes. Malia wasn't supposed to get mad though, that's what they were supposed to be training for. She took a step forward, tendrils of electricity already forming along her arm, but Derek stopped her.
"She isn't totally out of control, just angry. She needs to learn how to control it on her own. Peter isn't in any trouble, give her a minute before stepping in."
Derek was right of course, Peter wasn't even shifted at all, and she remembered how he'd snapped her back from her shift in the loft. If he really wanted to knock some sense into Malia, he would, so that must mean he wasn't feeling threatened yet. "O-okay… I just… it's weird seeing them fight."
Peter finally knocked Malia to the ground, eyes flared to hold her attention, "What is your Anchor!"
She coughed as her back hit the ground, air forced out of her lungs… her brain was scrambling for an idea of how to overpower her opponent, but something caught her attention. Malia turned her head to the side, completely distracted now that the wind had been knocked out of her. It was Kira's aura, bright as always… Seeing it snapped Malia back to herself, knowing that she only ever saw the aura when her eyes were flared. She'd been attacking Peter, the Coyote's anger winning out over her common sense… She hadn't even really realized that she was supposed to be stopping… One minute she was trying to focus on her Anchor and the next... She shut her eyes, disappointed in herself for losing control so easily; she felt her claws dig into the dirt below her. Even know, with her Human side mostly in control again, her claws were still out, she was still shifted. Why was this so hard?!
"Malia-"
"I know! My Anchor!" she snapped back, breathing through her nose. Thoughts of the forest, her den, hunting without a care in the world, flooded her brain. Calm, she needed to be calm, she could do this! She was as bad as Liam! No, she snarled to herself, Liam was a pup, freshly Bitten, Malia had been a Coyote for years! Her Coyote and her, they had an understanding before, even Peter had said so, and she just needed to find it again. Malia wasn't used to communicating with her Coyote like this because before, the Coyote was given free rein and it was Malia's Human side that was the voice in her head, giving her casual reminders of Human things. Of course her Coyote didn't want to be quiet when she was faced with an enemy, she wasn't going to roll over and bare her stomach! Things weren't like that anymore though, she wasn't on four legs, didn't have fur…. They needed a new understanding, that was all. Cautiously Malia reached out to her Coyote, in a similar fashion to how Peter reached out to her the other day… She reached out with more calming thoughts of the forest, asking her to be calm, to trust her, that she wasn't in danger right now, that anger wasn't always necessary. A sudden voice knocked her back to the present, eyes flying open and darting around.
"You okay?" Peter asked. He was just a few feet away from her, crouched down. He hadn't wanted to interrupt when she'd gone silent, hoping that it meant she was fighting for control. It wasn't until he saw her fangs shrink back that he figured it was safe to say something.
"Y-yea, I'm better now… I'm in control again. Thank you, for not growling, or forcing me to listen…"
"If I forced you to calm down and shift back, that wouldn't be teaching you about control. No one was in danger here and you deserved the chance to fight for control. Losing your cool is going to happen again and again while you're learning, that's why we're out here, away from prying eyes. I didn't even want to use the Pack bond to try and communicate with you, I was hoping just verbal words would get through to you."
"I just need to understand my Coyote more…"
"Don't sound so dejected, so you lost control, no big deal! I was purposefully trying to make you lose control- that was my intent. I was fully expecting you to attack me Malia, you haven't failed or anything."
"You were?" Malia knew that he was hoping to make her mad, so she could work on using her Anchor, but she didn't think he was trying to get her to lose control completely.
Peter nodded, pulling her to her feet, "Yes, I was. You've said yourself that your control is really spotty, that certain things trigger a shift and you have a hard time reining the Coyote back in. In order to teach you how to gain control, you have to be out of control first. How can you learn how to control something if you never truly unleash your abilities? You're going to continue to lose control, especially when I'm in your face, pushing you over the edge, and that's okay. See, this is why Scott needs to learn more about his Were-ness now! He thinks control is all or nothing and it isn't! His Wolf, your Coyote, they are a part of you, and he needs to embrace it more. I didn't teach him when I first Bit him, obviously, so he did his best to shun the Wolf, gain total control over it. Derek and I actually have a relationship with out Wolves, we know to lean on them, not just steal their powers for our own benefit."
"Scott has total control over his Wolf?"
"Don't get me wrong, Scott can lose control, everyone can and will lose control, no matter how great your Anchor is. I meant it more along the lines that… Scott has completely dominated his Wolf, keeps it chained inside because he's afraid of letting it out. He utilizes his enhanced hearing, his strength, and yes, he did fight against Deucalion and the Darach and is an Alpha now. But he still has complete domination over his Wolf and it's an absolute waste."
Malia nodded as she listened to him, that was exactly the kind of thing Stiles and Scott were wanting her to do! How they chained her up during the full moon because they said the Coyote was dangerous and she needed control over her… But Peter was telling her something different. That she needed to communicate with the Coyote; yes, he mentioned control but it wasn't the same as what Scott was talking about. Peter wanted her to understand her Coyote, reach a point where they were on the same page, not just make the Coyote bend to her will. It made sense now, looking at Peter and Derek, then at Isaac and Scott, how they were so different. It was easy to assume it was because they were Born and not Bitten (and in a way it was) but the reality was in how they interacted with their Wolves. "And you're going to teach Liam how to do it this way too?"
"Definitely, Liam's Wolf is feeding off a lot of anger and the more he tries to shun the Wolf and overpower it, the worse the Wolf is going to fight back. Liam is going to be a handful for sure but… I can at least teach him how to accept the Wolf and not dominate it."
"I'm ready to go again!"
"You sure?"
Malia nodded, squaring her shoulders, "I have a better understanding of what I need to do, I know that I can do this, I just need practice. I know I'm not broken anymore."
Peter nodded and resumed his tactics, a small smile on his face as she lasted just a bit longer before her claws came out this time.
"She did it!" Kira whispered. "I mean, I wasn't expecting her to just snap like that but Peter's right, it's totally normal that she hasn't learned good control. It's natural that the road will be bumpy right now. I'm glad she isn't upset about it."
"Yea, control can be hard, especially when your life changes so drastically, but I'm certain she'll get better after just a few lessons."
"You really think so? Stiles and Scott have been working with her for a few months now… And when she'd first turned back, she had no Were abilities at all apart from a little strength. Then as she learned to awaken it again, it like… flooded her system…"
"Yea, it makes sense, her body- and Coyote, were in shock from the sudden change, and Scott taught her how to unlock her abilities again. Which woke up the Coyote one more and Malia wasn't prepared to handle it so now she's having control issues. But she has a solid connection with her Coyote, she just needs to find it again. Peter is giving her a push in the right direction and Malia will learn quickly."
"Then, after she's learned control, she can learn more about being a Were in general!" Kira exclaimed, happy to see her friend making progress. "Although, I suppose I should be focusing on my own abilities right now…"
Derek laughed as Kira went back to her electricity once more, carefully watching how Kira was forming the orbs, the look of concentration on her face as she worked. Then he looked back over at Malia and Peter, seeing a similar look on her face. He smiled to himself, a small feeling of peace coming over him at the sight of Pack training. It was small, just the four of them together, but Derek knew that given some time, more and more of them would join in. It would never be like what they had before the fire but… it was something; they'd be their own Pack, the McCall Pack.
"Alright, you ready to call it a day?" Peter asked some time later, as Malia once more shifted back to Human.
"What, already? No, I can do more! I'm feeling good about it- I'm getting better at this, I am!"
"I agree, you are. You've grasped the idea of the Anchor really fast, now that you have a proper one. And communicating with your inner Were? That can take a lot of time for some people to grasp. Honestly I think Scott is still working on that part, he didn't even understand the whole Pack bond concept. Even if he didn't have me to teach him about being a Were, he should've felt the pull to bond with everyone after he became the Alpha. Or he would've if he listened to his Were. I can explain that to him once he's ready to listen and trust that I'm not going to sabotage him. Anyways! I think we've practiced enough for today."
"But…" Malia complained.
"Hear me out. Training like this, is putting stress on your inner Coyote, and on you. I've been intentionally angering you and making you anxious so you can learn how to use your Anchor, that isn't something we should overdo. I know you're eager to learn more about control but we should probably stop there, it's been over an hour already."
"I… fine, I guess you're right. You're the teacher…" Malia sighed, wanting to learn more but she wasn't going to argue. It wasn't like she couldn't practice more at home. Hell, just doing homework stressed her out, that would be good practice! She needed small steps though, the last thing she wanted was to wear her Coyote out by pushing them both too far. She was feeling a little strung out so she could admit that Peter had a point. "When can we train again?"
"I'm not sure, I still have to figure out if I get to meet with Liam or not. Plus I'm working with Kira, although I'm sure she wouldn't mind sharing some of her training time," Peter offered.
Kira smiled at Malia as the pair walked back over to them, the Coyote bouncing from foot to foot excitedly. "Not bad for the first session then?"
"I think it went well. I need to work on it a lot, especially the anger part but like the nervous part, I feel a lot more comfortable with. But, Peter is right, right? We can share training time? I don't want to take time away from you but I also really need to learn…"
"Yea, you startled me when the two of you started fighting all of a sudden! But Derek stopped me from interrupting since he saw that Peter hadn't lost his cool at all. And you reined yourself back in before too long. And of course! I'm kinda at a point where a lot of what I need to do is just practice until I get it, like I did today."
"Anger is a little harder for me to rein in, I'm used to just attacking, or running away if the threat was too big. The wild isn't very nice and you have to compete to survive."
"But, she doesn't lose control when she's angry, that's good," Peter reminded them. "She might look out of control to someone who doesn't know better, but Malia knows what she's doing. She just… doesn't realize she needs to stop. That's why she's never gotten angry and attacked a random person, they just aren't a threat to her."
"Yup, my Coyote sees most Humans as weak, they are annoying and I don't like being made fun of but generally they aren't worth the effort. But it's so easy to get mad at Scott or Isaac, even Allison, because I can sense that they are stronger so my Coyote reacts to that. And Peter. I was angry and my Coyote wanted to attack and I don't have the self control to tell myself to not attack. But that's on me, not the Coyote, she's just lending me her strength."
"I'm sure Scott will feel better hearing that. I know he worries, but you shouldn't be attacking random Humans any time soon."
"Speaking of Scott, neither of you girls answered my question… why were you mad at Scott, I heard you say something to Allison when she dropped you off?"
"Oh… right… um… well. Scott pissed me off. I need to ask Mom about how to deal with jealousy and stuff."
Peter raised a brow, "What did he say?"
"He basically implied that I'm not trustworthy! We were talking about training and Derek popped up, we weren't sure if he was going to be here or not. But like, I had already offered to come and be her emotional support so Malia wasn't going to be alone with you or anything, on the off chance Derek was busy. Like I would let you seriously hurt Malia! And worse than that, he said that he couldn't trust me not to lie and cover for you. So he told Allison to come and make sure Derek was here! Because I'm totally untrustworthy now and I'd lie about Derek being here or not."
"I can't imagine that went over well… He didn't seriously imply that did he?"
"It wasn't much of an implication, he flat out said it," Malia assured him. "Kira's eyes started to glow and everything, she was pissed. I get that Scott doesn't like you much, but Kira's done nothing to make herself as shady as you."
Derek snorted at her blunt wording, she didn't even know the half of it- hell she barely knew Peter let alone the magnitude of his history with the Pack!
Peter fixed her with a look but didn't comment, it was true enough… he just wasn't expecting to hear it from her. She was definitely… more matter-of-fact than the other teenagers. They'd have to work on her subtly a little more in the future. "I'm afraid that comes with associating with me. I'm certain Scott will apologize for it when he realizes that he upset you so much. He's finally trying to act like an Alpha and he doesn't trust me. Because you like me, that makes you a threat as well, even if a part of him realizes that you really aren't, in Alpha mode, everything comes out a little bit ruder."
"Yea… I know… Allison said the same thing, that he probably really didn't mean it as harshly as he implied. And that it stemmed from you being Peter and your past. That's why I'm hoping Mom has some pointers for me… That was the first time I've ever really felt like my Kitsune was acting of her own accord and I know exactly what caused it. I know it'll get better once everyone realizes that things are different now I just… need to keep my Fox Spirit calm until then."
Peter smiled at her, "And that's why you have a better head on your shoulders than Scott. Come on, I'll take you girls home-"
"No, I can run."
"Malia-"
"No, it's okay. I'm really excited about my progress and I want to let out some of my energy. I figure if… if my Coyote knows that I can still run in the woods and be kinda shifted, we'll get back to that equilibrium like before."
"Text someone when you get home then," Derek called out before climbing into the Camaro.
"I will! Thank again Peter, today really helped!" And with that, Malia took off in the direction of her house, disappearing quickly.
"Well, I'll at least take you home then," Peter laughed, opening the passenger door for her. "Hopefully it wasn't too boring for you?"
"Not at all! I like knowing more about how things are for you, as Weres. Plus, I did work on my own stuff for awhile. I don't think I got very far but I did practice."
"Good, your Mom shouldn't think today was a waste of time then."
Kira shook her head, "Naw, I think she's a little more relaxed about everything now. She doesn't want to push me too hard, which is why we only really practice a couple nights a week. And she won't let me practice with you every day either, she doesn't want me to over-focus on this and ignore everything else. Which happens if I get really interested in a subject."
"And you were worried that she wouldn't understand."
"She didn't at first!"
"I was just teasing, I know things were stressful at first. But that's the good thing about being in a Pack, it's rare that things don't work out for the good of everyone. I know you and your mom are Kitsunes but, the supernatural connection is still there."
"Now the rest of the Pack just needs to get with the program."
Peter laughed, nodding in agreement. Maybe the Pack would finally move past the events that happened a last year. They'd definitely be stronger for it, but they'd have to wait and see. By the time they got to the house, Kira was already making plans for the rest of the week, working out when she'd be with her mom and when she'd be free to work with him. As well as be around as support for Malia.
"I'll text you," Kira whispered, darting in for a quick kiss before any of the neighbors could see. She waved to him before going in the house, eager to tell her mom about how Malia's first session went.
A/N: I know it kinda cuts off abruptly XD But I wasn't sure how to end it without it just completely dragging on! I have plans for Malia and Kira to talk more tomorrow since she just ran off hahaha as well as some other Pack stuff. Hopefully the longer chapter makes up for the long ass wait! ^.^