Chapter Four: Monsters under the Bed

The next full moon found a large, black wolf in the woods, blending into the shadows, moving as quietly as a ghost. Its red eyes glowed brightly in the pale light and its ears moved forward as it took in the sounds of the surrounding area.

Another shadow moved, one that was larger and moved on two feet, following the wolf's footsteps. This shadow had glowing blue eyes.

In her wolf form, Lyra kept walking down the forest path, knowing Derek was a couple of yards behind her, watching her. But her attention was focused elsewhere, on the snuffling noise that was growing louder with every second that passed.

Turning around a rather large tree, Lyra came to a sudden stop. The hair along her back rose as her body stiffened. Her lips peeled back, revealing a row of sharp teeth, but she didn't snarl.

About twenty or so yards away stood another werewolf, with eyes as blue as Derek's. It was a half-shifted woman with tangled brown hair and dirty clothes. She was scenting the air loudly, moving through the woods with purpose.

Lyra's head lowered and her ears went back as the Omega got closer to where she was.

Derek could see her body trembling, either from silent snarls or from her holding herself back from lunging out at the unfamiliar wolf. So he moved forward, but as he did, his foot stepped over a large twig which snapped loudly, echoing through the small clearing.

The Omega stiffened and snarled, but it was high and full of uncertainty.

Lyra didn't look back at Derek before she stepped into the clearing, meeting the Omega's startled gaze. This time she did growl, a low and powerful rumble that made the other wolf stumble back a few steps.

Lyra grew herself back into her human form, but her eyes didn't change color, since the full moon was still at its peak.

Derek had a feeling she wouldn't have let them cool down even if she could. Over the past few months, whenever a strange creature found its way into Beacon Hills, Lyra approached each of them with fiercely red eyes and a chilling demeanor.

Tonight was no exception.

Lyra circled the other female, her red eyes giving nothing away. Her expression was blank, almost cold. When she stopped, she faced the other wolf and looked directly at it, asserting her dominance with just a look.

The Omega lowered its gaze submissively. "I- I heard there was an Alpha here," she stammered with a lisp, thanks to her fangs.

"There's two," Lyra stated.

The other woman looked up briefly, startled again, but quickly looked back down. "But it's you I heard about. The female Alpha. And I…"

"What's your name?"

"Victoria. V-Victoria Bell."

Lyra crossed her arms over her chest. "And why did you come, Victoria?"

"I need a pack. I was hoping-,"

"That I would take you into mine," Lyra finished, narrowing her eyes.

Derek clenched his fists, ignoring when his claws bit into his palms. Give her a chance, Lyra, he silently willed her.

And as though she heard him, Lyra relaxed her posture, and slowly, her eyes went from red to red violet and back to blue-purple.

"Tell me why I should do that," Lyra said, leaning her weight back slightly on one leg.

Victoria glanced back up, and when she saw Lyra's cool gaze, she too relaxed. "I have no one. No family, no home. I lost it all. All I want is a chance to start over."

"What happened to them? Your family?"

Victoria shifted uneasily on her feet. "Anther pack. Their Alpha…"

Derek was surprised when Lyra moved forward to place a comforting hand on the Omega's shoulder. She had never made an effort with the others, but this one… And he didn't have to wonder why this one was different. Another victim of the Alpha Pack was bound to make Lyra reconsider how she had been acting towards the newcomers of Beacon Hills.

"Deucalion," Lyra stated in a flat tone.

"You knew who he was?"

"I killed him."

Victoria stared at Lyra with wide, golden eyes. "You… killed him?" she asked with disbelief.

"He killed my family. My entire pack. So I killed him."

Victoria looked down at the hand that was still resting on her shoulder, before meeting Lyra's gaze again. "Is that why…?"

"Yes."

"How…?"

Lyra smiled slightly, sadly. "Control is key, right?"

"Yeah," Victoria breathed out. "Right."

A sympathetic look crossed Lyra's features. "We'll talk more tomorrow, when we're both less…toothy. Meet me here after dawn, okay?"

The Omega nodded.

Lyra stepped back and fell back into her wolf form. Her bright red gaze met Victoria's golden one one last time before Lyra turned and disappeared back into the trees, slinking deep into the growing shadows.

Derek followed her quietly.

Ooo0ooO

Lyra made her way through the forest slowly, barely thinking as she walked in the direction on the Hale house. She focused on the sights, the smells, and the sounds. Everything seemed in place, nothing was unfamiliar or strange…

Another twig snapped.

She huffed and shifted back onto two feet. She glanced over her shoulder, giving her husband an unamused glance. "You know, usually when people want to walk through the forest quietly, they make sure their big boots avoid the twigs."

Derek rolled his blue eyes as he moved to her side. "Not all of us can walk on four paws," he reminded her.

Lyra smirked, but her expression gave way to a frown.

"What's wrong?"

She shook her head. "I was just thinking about Victoria. I guess I have a hard time grasping the fact that Deucalion not only killed my family, but other families as well."

"He was a monster, in a true sense," Derek stated in a cold tone.

Lyra looked at him.

"You aren't," Derek snapped, recognizing the look in her eyes. "Just because you took his power doesn't make you the same."

"It's not that. I just can't help but wonder if I had done something sooner, if I hadn't lost the Pack when I did, if I could have prevented him from killing a family like Victoria's."

Derek paused and turned, facing her. He rested both of his hands on her shoulders, looking into her eyes. "Lyra, you can't keep living and wondering what would have happened if you had done something different. All we can do now is move forward and help those we can."

"So you think I should let her stay?"

"I think you should think about it for more than five seconds like you did with the others," Derek stated firmly. "You can't pick and choose who comes and goes, Ly. They're going to keep coming whether we like it or not."

Lyra sighed, leaning against Derek. "You're right," she said softly.

"You would be surprised how often that happens," he remarked dryly.

Lyra snorted, smiling as she pulled away. "Don't get too big of a head. It might not fit through the doorway." She took his clawed hand in hers. "Come on. Let's go home."

Ooo0ooO

A few hours later, Lyra was lying in bed next to Derek, still awake. Her eyes restlessly traced the markings on the ceiling and she shifted onto her side, trying to get comfortable.

She looked over at Derek, who was comfortably sleeping on his back, and had half a thought to wake him up. But as she watched him, she decided not to.

His head was turned towards her, and his expression was relaxed. His brow was smooth from the furrows that usually were there.

Lyra reached out and traced the length of his jaw, which was covered with scruff. She touched a small scar on his cheek and wondered where it came from and why it hadn't healed completely.

Then her hand traced down along the length of his arm and paused at the tattoo ringing his forearm. It was the same as the one Scott had. He had convinced Lyra to help him with it a few weeks back, after a long night of too many tequila shots.

Lyra grinned. As retribution, Derek had vowed not to ever help her with any future tattoos she wanted. That, however, had lasted only three weeks before she rectified the situation by getting that same tattoo on the same arm, except hers was on her upper arm like Scott's was.

When Scott had found out, he looked at both of them like they had grown two heads. "You know, there's more to life than tattoos…" he had pointed out to Lyra as he eyed her warily. "But thanks for the gesture!"

Lyra didn't care, not really. She liked having tattoos, especially the ones she shared with others. She thought it brought her and that other person closer, whether it was Derek with their two matching tattoos, or with her sister and the quote they had both inked on their shoulder.

Derek stirred, bringing Lyra out of her thoughts. He sighed and those furrows came back briefly before he relaxed once more.

Lyra turned onto her stomach and kept watching him, taking the time to memorize his features. It soothed her, and before she knew it, her eyes were drifting close and she slipped into sleep.

As she dreamed, images of black wolves and werewolves flickered. Red eyes, blue eyes, gold eyes… Snarls and growls, the sounds of claws tearing into flesh… She saw Deucalion standing with her sister's dead body in his clutches, then suddenly he was holding Isaac, then Derek, Scott, Stiles… A black wolf moved through the darkness, but it wasn't her, it was someone else, someone who moved with purpose, whose eyes changed from red to a familiar shade of green… And in the shadow of a full moon, a large werewolf threw its head back and howled, and turned to look at her, its face horribly scarred with burns…

When her eyes opened again, it was dawn. The sun was barely over the horizon, making the sky a dull pink-gray color. Sighing, she moved a little, stretching out and yawning.

Derek was still sound asleep, except he was on his stomach now like she was, with his face buried into the pillow, as though he was trying to block out the rising sun.

Lyra smiled a little and leaned over, kissing his cheek before rolling out of bed. She yawned once more as she stretched her arms over her head, grimacing as the muscles in her back popped.

She moved into the adjoining bathroom, flipping on the shower as she slipped out of her nighttime shirt and underwear. As steam filled the room, she stepped under the hot spray and sighed.

As she washed her hair, the curtain snapped back suddenly, making her jolt and rap her elbow against the tiled wall. She bit back a yelp and glared at Derek, who stood there with sleep tousled hair and a matching sleepy expression, and also very naked.

"Sorry," he said. "I heard the shower and wanted to see if you wanted to share. To conserve water and all."

Lyra rubbed her elbow irritably. "Fine. But no sex."

Derek lifted a brow and he stepped in behind her. "Whatever you say."

Ten minutes passed before Lyra found herself pinned to that tiled wall, groaning loudly as Derek plunged inside her.

"No self-control," he scolded her as he pulled at her hair, baring her throat to his teeth. "You really have to work on that."

Lyra, whose eyes were fluctuating between red and violet, smiled wickedly as she bit him back. "Maybe later."

Ooo0ooO

Disclaimer: I do not own Teen Wolf.

Author's Note: Please review!