They are at the meeting point and Allison is not satisfied with the position. Lydia and Stiles are waiting for news at his house. Derek and Alex meets up with Hester, but a flying arrow changes the whole situation. It turns into a life and death fight. It ends with six fallen wolves, and nobody knows the extent of their injuries.
She had to stay more than 50 yards away from the meeting point. Allison wished that she'd brought the crossbow. With that, it would have been easier to get a good aim from this distance. She didn't worry about the range per se, but when shooting to kill, she should have been closer.
Hester was standing alone in the field. Allison knew that the woman had backup, but she couldn't spot anybody. The urge to release the arrow was overwhelming. She lowered her bow and took a deep breath. Without knowing who or how many people Hester had brought with her, Allison worried that she'd put her friends in jeopardy if she took the shot now.
Her dad was far behind her. He was well hidden between the trees with his rifle. They all hoped that he didn't have to use it. The sound of a gunshot would travel far and wide, and possibly alert neighbors. There were no houses nearby, but if they could get this over and done with without too much noise, it would be better.
Allison pulled out the binoculars and scanned the treeline behind Hester. The part of the dirt-road leading to the field from that side was empty. She was pretty sure Hester came with a car, but she must have parked it further up the road.
Not a leaf was moving over there. If Hester's pack was hidden there, they managed to stay still. Allison knew that Isaac and Scott was trying to circle around to cover Hester's escape, and she worried that they would not be able to detect her pack.
-o-o-o-
Lydia and Stiles were sitting on the couch watching a rerun of 'Gossip Girl'. Lydia knew that Stiles wasn't paying much attention, but he did his best to pretend.
After the little moment of sharing up in his room, Lydia felt sorry for him. At the same time, it annoyed her that guys had such a hard time talking to each other about feelings. Stiles shouldn't have to go around worrying. If Derek wanted to turn him – give him the bite – he should just say so. It would be much easier for them both if they could be completely honest with one another.
Mr Stilinski was sitting at the dining table with some papers spread out in front of him. Lydia didn't know what he was doing. She knew he'd been to the station earlier that day, and wondered if he was back on duty, but she didn't really care too much.
Scott's mom had just called, and being the only one in there without any medical issues, Lydia had picked up. Melissa had sounded a little bit distressed as she asked to speak to the sheriff. They could only hear one end of the conversation, but from that it wasn't hard to decipher what the reason for the call was.
It had lasted for almost ten minutes, which the sheriff had spent most of the time listening. Ever so often, he'd urged her to have faith, promising her that it would all work out. Lydia knew that he wasn't half as confident about the outcome of the rendezvous with Hester as he sounded, but he must have managed to calm her down. The last few minutes of the conversation had been more casual and relaxed.
Stiles, on the other hand was not particularly relaxed. He tried to hide it, but Lydia saw the signs. She could understand that Derek wanted her there. He worried that Stiles would sneak off and join them, and Lydia was sort of 'hired' to keep him in place.
It was okay. For her it would have been impossible to stay at her own house during this. After her grandma had made a surprising recovery, she and her parents had come home. They all knew that it would only be a matter of time before her condition would change again, so Lydia's mom was a little bit of a mess these days.
Lydia's concern for her grandmother was mixed with a fear that one or more of her friend wouldn't make it back. She knew perfectly well that there was nothing she could do, and hanging with Stiles was better than sitting alone in her room.
Derek had promised to call as soon as it was over, and Lydia had made Allison make the same promise. It would still be a couple of hours until they could expect anything and in the meantime, they just had to cope.
-o-o-o-o-o-o-
Alex and Derek walked slowly towards Hester. Derek scanned the surroundings, but couldn't spot anybody else. He couldn't see Allison either, even though he knew her approximate location. He was relieved. If he didn't see her, chances were that Hester also was unable to detect her presence.
They stopped a couple of yards away from the Alpha. Hester smiled at them and cocked her head. "Alex. We missed you." She looked at Alex for a few seconds before she shifted her gaze towards Derek. "Can you believe it. You got to second base with me without having to chat me up first." She chuckled and pointed down. There was actually a plate to indicate that they in fact were standing on second base. Derek didn't find it remotely humorous, and Hester seemed to notice. "I trust you, but I did bring backup. I assume you did too."
When Derek gave her an almost invisible nod, she turned to Alex again. "Are you ready to come home?" With a smirk she reached her hand out. "I made him a promise. I will not kill you."
Alex was about to move closer when Derek grabbed his arm. "Wait." He could see that Hester got a puzzled expression on her face. She let her hand fall down again. "I thought we were done bargaining. I'm taking him."
Derek sighed and shook his head. "I trust you to keep him alive, but is all this really worth it?" He threw his hands out. "We want to keep him, and he wants to stay. Isn't there any other way?" Hester shrugged and lowered he gaze for a second. "Sure it is." She chuckled silently. "I'll take you instead. Alex is probably a better cook, but if you want to let him stay, I'll be happy to have you in my pack."
She lifted her head and stared at Derek. He knew that his chances for survival in Hester's house was probably way better than Alex'. He'd have a comfortable life until he could manage to escape. He'd be watched around the clock to begin with, but sooner or later there would come a time.
Stiles would of course be devastated, but it would be a good test on his commitment. A shiver went down Derek's spine. He knew he couldn't bare to be away from Stiles for too long. How could he even consider it? He wanted to save Alex from her, but he wasn't ready to sacrifice his own happiness.
Derek turned to Alex. He had to squeeze his eyes shut for a moment. "I'm sorry, I'm so sorry. I can't." He was about to address Hester again to try to reason with her when he heard a swoosh. Hester stiffened and then she bent forward. The arrow was still vibrating as she started to sink down on the ground. A split second later, he heard a dull pop as the arrowhead exploded inside her.
He stared at Hester in mild shock before a loud bang and an excruciating pain in his chest made him fall backwards. In a blur he could see Alex shifting his gaze between him and Hester. 'This was so wrong. Something went horribly wrong.'
-o-o-o-o-
Only pure luck had prevented them from stumbling over Hester's pack-members. If they had come up the path only half a minute earlier they wouldn't have heard the small cough, and would have walked straight into one of the girls.
Isaac grabbed Scott's hand and crouched down. They both knew that they had gotten too close. A gust of wind in the wrong direction could easily carry their scents towards the girl. Luckily, it was almost completely calm. A small rustle in the treetops high above them was the only sound they could hear.
Peeking up from behind the bushes they could see parts of the field. Isaac could see Derek and Alex approach Hester, but his view was partially covered by some branches. In fear of being spotted, they didn't dare to move, so they had to stay in this awkward position.
Isaac tried to see if he could spot any of Hester's other pack-members, but only that one girl they almost stumbled upon was partially visible. She was staring at Hester and Isaac hoped that she would never feel the urge to turn around.
A few minutes went by without much movement out there. Isaac thought he saw Hester reach out for Alex, before she lowered her arm again. Maybe this would go well? Isaac wished he could have been there with Alex, but knew he had to trust Derek to manage on his own.
Suddenly, Hester started to sink to her knees. It took Isaac a moment to understand what happened. He heard a shot as his eyes were focused on Allison rushing out of the woods with her bow in her hand. He didn't know what to do, but woke up from this momentary trance when he heard another shot. He saw that the girl got slightly startled by the recoil. Scott got up and pushed through the shrubbery they were hiding behind. The girl lifted the gun again and aimed at Scott.
Seconds later, a tall blonde character came from the side and followed him. Isaac turned his gaze towards Alex again. He noticed that Derek was gone. He panned the area to look for him. Allison was shouting something and Alex suddenly ducked down. Then Isaac saw it. Derek was on the ground twisting around, holding his chest. Allison was kneeling next to Hester. It was impossible to see what she was doing, but he heard Hester scream out in pain.
There was another shot and Isaac saw Scott fall forward. The blonde – probably Troy – and Allison both ran to reach him. Allison won the race and with a well placed punch, she knocked Troy to the ground.
He wasn't completely out and managed to get up fast. He charged towards Allison. Isaac couldn't take it any longer. He pushed through the bushes, and froze up when he saw that a gun was pointing straight at him. For a moment he thought he experienced double vision from the surprise, but then he realized that he was staring at the two identical twins, Joy and Jade. The only difference he could spot between them in the dim light was the fact that the nearest one was armed.
-o-o-o-o-o-o-
Allison ran. She saw that Derek was squirming on the ground. At least he was still alive. Alex seemed a little lost as if he didn't understand what happened. "Get down! Alex! Get down!" She screamed from the top of her lungs as she approached them.
She could hear another shot, but it was impossible to determine where it came from. Alex dropped instantly to the ground and stared at her. Hester was panting heavily. The arrow was sticking out of her tummy. She was practically gutted after the tip of it exploded inside her. "Alex, pull it out! I demand you to pull it out."
Alex looked bewildered. He threw a peek at Derek, before he reached his hand out towards Hester. Allison was at the spot now. "NO!" She dived in between them and grabbed the arrow. With a quick move of her hand she twisted it around earning a groan from the woman lying there on the ground. She twisted it again. Hester's neck got exposed as she screamed out in pain.
"Allison! Allison! What are you doing?" The shouting from Scott made her turn. He was running towards her waving his arms. Behind him she could see a blonde man trying to catch up. Time was running out. Allison bent down and after taking a deep breath she sunk her teeth into the Alpha's neck.
She must have hit an artery. Allison's mouth got instantly filled with blood. The taste of it was slightly repulsing, but she didn't let go. Hester grabbed onto her shoulders and dug her claws in, leaving long gashes down Allison's arms.
With her teeth still dug deep into the woman's neck, Allison managed to rip one arm loose. She put her hand on Hester's throat, and after hesitating for a second, she tightened the grip before she ripped out a piece of flesh and flung it to the side. The woman's trachea was practically shredded. A shiver went through Hester's body before it went limp. The blood that had been pumping into Allison's mouth stopped as the heart gave in.
Another shot roared through the silence, and Allison saw Scott fall forward on the ground. The blonde chasing him was only a few yards away, and it looked like he was about to jump on top of Scott. Allison reacted on instinct. She moved forward in an insane speed and knocked the guy to the ground.
She could see the two young girls by the treeline. One of them was holding a gun. Troy – probably Troy – got up and she had to concentrate on defending herself. In the corner of her eyes she saw Isaac come crashing through the bushes, before she got attacked.
-o-o-o-o-o-o-
"Joy, please..." Alex' sounded like a wounded animal as he got up from the ground and darted towards them. "Take me! I will do whatever you want, but spare him." Joy threw a quick peek at him, before she looked back at Isaac. The guy had froze in his step. He was too far away from her to attack, so she held him at gunpoint hoping he'd stay still.
She watched as Alex stopped for a moment when he passed Troy and that girl, Allison. Joy knew that she was the one who'd shot Hester. She lifted her head and howled towards the sky, before she turned towards Alex again. He was moving closer, but her eyes focused on the fight going on behind him. Allison was charging towards Troy. Those red eyes could only mean one thing. Hester was dead and this newbie had acquired the Alpha status.
A faint crackle and a grunt behind her made her turn to Jade. Blood was seeping out of her forehead as she sunk to the ground. Joy had never felt so alone before. Her family was falling around her and there was nothing she could do about it. She swallowed hard and stared at Isaac.
Alex was getting close now. She'd never seen him wolf out before; not like this. In the comfort of their home as Hester trained them, it was different. His almost girl-like features were gone and Joy knew he would attack her.
"I know you. You're not a killer and I don't want to hurt you." Alex' voice was almost unrecognizable, but there was a soreness in it that made her sad. He had stopped now. He looked at Isaac before he again turned to Joy. "Please. I love him."
Joy didn't know if anyone from her pack was going to make it. Her sister was whimpering behind her. Troy was fighting a losing battle. Scott was back on his feet, and Joy knew that Troy wouldn't stand a chance against two Alphas.
She took a deep breath before she squeezed the trigger slowly. She didn't want to kill Isaac, but she needed to get away. Just before the pin hit the bullet she lowered the aim and saw the impact when the bullet hit Isaac in the shoulder.
The moment he fell, she turned to Alex. She didn't want to hurt him so she just threw the gun at him to distract him before she ran into the woods. Alex was charging for her, but got slightly thrown off when he had to protect himself from the flying object. She threw a quick peek over her shoulder. As she'd suspected, Alex didn't want to leave Isaac. She could hear him cry out as he slumped down on the ground. "You'll be okay, Isaac! She was just doing it to save herself."
Note: I'm going on vacation shortly, so there might be a problem posting over the next couple of weeks. I don't know if I'll have a decent internet connection. I will try to get the next chapter done before I go, but I make no promises. Hang in there, though. I may worry without reason. I'll keep writing and hopefully I'll have a few more chapters done when I'm back.