My eyes fluttered open, meeting Derek's as he looked down at me, already awake. We were still in bed, the sun shining through the large windows of the loft. During the night we'd naturally shifted in our sleep, but Derek had pulled me to him again, so when I woke up I would be in his arms.

"Morning." He offered a small smile which didn't quite reach his eyes.

I didn't return the smile. "Morning." Pulling away, I sat up and stretched, before looking towards the window. He was right behind me, leaning over to press a kiss to my shoulder. "You got any plans today?" I asked him.

"No. Was hoping we could stay in for a change. Spend some time together," he suggested.

Slowly, I nodded. "Yeah. That sounds good." Though by the lack of enthusiasm in my tone, it was obvious nothing was good.

"Angela," he sighed. "I know you're worried, but there's nothing we can do until we hear from Scott and Stiles."

"I know." I looked behind my, meeting his eyes again. "Just… thinking about Erica and Boyd… I can't help but wonder what they've been through the last few months. What are they doing to them? Why are they doing it?"

"I don't know." He brushed my hair away from my shoulder. "But I know we're not going to stress about it. Not right now, at least."

"Easier said than done, Derek." Tossing the sheets off me, I threw my legs over the edge of the bed and pulled myself to my feet.

Reaching for the ground, I grabbed Derek's shirt and pulled it on before walking over to the dining table. The shirt was more like a dress on me, long enough to cover everything that needed covering. Isaac was still around, and the last thing I needed was for him to see me half naked- not that it would be the first time…

Grabbing one of the books off the table, I started to flick through it, skimming the words, trying to find something useful.

Sighing, Derek pulled himself up and grabbed his pants, tugging them on. Reaching for the bedside table, he pulled something out of its top drawer, and shoved it into the pocket of his sweats, before he started towards me. Reaching for the book, he closed and set it back on the table. We'd been through the books a few times now, they weren't going to help us.

"I'm sorry I've been so busy lately."

"You've had a lot on your plate," I shrugged, "I get it."

"Doesn't make it right," he countered. "I missed out on your graduation, your college orientation, your interview the other day… your birthday."

During the last four months, I'd turned nineteen. There was no big party or anything. I did the same thing I did every year. Dinner with Scott, Stiles and mum. Then she went to work while the guys and I hung out. I never made a big deal about it. Derek not being there was okay considering what he'd been dealing with.

"I didn't get the chance to give you anything."

Turning in his arms, I offered a small reassuring smile. "You didn't have to. I don't need anything, Derek."

"I know, but I still wanted to get you something." He looked down as he reached into the pocket of his sweats. "Which is why I got you this."

He pulled out a small black box. A small black jewellery box.

My eyes went wide. I was speechless. I hadn't been expecting this. I hadn't been expecting anything.

Slowly, he opened the box. Inside sat a beautiful, this gold chain with a stone pendant- a little smaller than a penny- hanging from it. The stone was gorgeous, a kind of pearly white colour, shiny, smooth… it looked like a full moon…

"A moonstone." This time when I smiled it was more genuine.

Derek pulled the necklace out of the box and moved around me. I pulled my hair up and out of the way as he clipped the piece into place. He didn't say anything, he just let his fingers lightly brush my skin, his touch speaking a thousand words.

Once it was in place, I turned so I could face him again before leaning up to press a quick kiss to his lips. "I love it. Thank you."

He smiled in return, leaning down to kiss me again.

…

All day, Derek and I had stayed in. Just the two of us. Turns out we'd been right last night when we said Isaac was still recovering, because he didn't get up once. I'd gotten a little worried and went up to check on him, but he seemed to be okay, so I left him and went back to Derek.

We spent most of the day just hanging out. I was going through one of the textbooks for college, while he surfed the net in the hopes of getting answers before Scott and Stiles finished school for the day. The longer the day dragged on the harder it was to ignore what we were going to do later that night.

Eventually I convinced him to go out and get some food, or coffees, anything, it didn't matter. I just needed him to find a distraction, even if it was for just a moment or so.

I was sitting on the couch, still flicking through my textbook, when a distinctive scent hit my nose. Looking up with a groan, I prayed my senses were wrong, even though I knew they weren't. A few seconds later the door was pulled open.

Peter stepped in, smirking in my direction.

Rolling my eyes, I turned back to my book. "Derek's not here."

"Who said I was here to see Derek?" He closed the door behind him before starting towards the couch.

I shrugged. "Well, no one else here has the time or energy to deal with your annoying ass. Go away."

"Now, now, Angela, is that anyway to talk to a friend?"

"We're not friends, Peter," I countered.

He dropped onto the couch, next to me, so close we were almost touching. "We could be. I for one would love to be your friend."

Shifting away from him, I shook my head once. "No thank you."

"You know, I'm not that bad once you get to know me."

Sighing, I closed my book and turned to him. "Peter, we're never going to be friends. So, stop trying." Pulling myself up, I started for the hallway, headed for the bathroom to get away from him.

…

Night had fallen a little while ago. The full moon was fast approaching now, we were running out of time.

Scott and Stiles had come over as soon as they could, bringing files, documents, maps and blueprints with them. They'd brought anything that could help us with the bank. The two of them now stood with Derek and I around the dining table in Derek's loft, while Peter sat on the winding stairs, listening to the plan.

"Okay. You see this?" Stiles gestured to the blueprints of the bank that were laid but on Derek's dining table. "This is how they got in. It's a rooftop air conditioning vent. Leads down inside into the wall of the vault, which is here." He drew a red circle around it. "Okay?

"One of the robbers was lowered into this shaft. Now, that space is so small, it took him about 12 hours to drill into that wall, which is stone, by the way. Then throughout the rest of the night, they siphoned the cash up to the guys back on the roof through that one little shaft in the wall. Boom."

Scott leaned forward to look at the space Stiles was talking about. "Can we fit in there?" He didn't very hopeful.

"Yes, we can, but very, very barely," Stiles noted. "And they also patched the wall, obviously, so we're gonna need a drill of some kind. I'm thinking maybe a diamond bit-"

Derek cut him off, "Look, forget the drill."

A little annoyed, Stiles turned to him. "Sorry?

"If I go in first, how much space do I have?" Derek asked, still looking down at the drawings.

Shaking his head, Stiles gave Scott and I an exasperated look before turning back to the Alpha. "What do you what do you think you're gonna do, Derek? You gonna punch through the wall?"

Folding his arms over his chest, Derek turned to him with a sighed. "Yes, Stiles, I'm gonna punch through the wall."

"Okay, okay, big guy. Let's see it." Stiles gestured to Derek's hand. "Let's see that fist. Big, ol' fist. Make it, come on. Get it out there. Don't be scared. Big, bad wolf. Yeah, look at that."

Derek lifted his fist, looking to Peter with a knowing and impatient glare. Peter shook his head, chuckling lightly.

"Okay, see this?" Grabbing Derek's wrist with one hand, Stiles held up his other in front of it. "That's maybe 3 inches of room to gather enough force to punch through solid co-"

Derek pushed his fist forward and punched Stiles' hand.

Stiles stumbled back from the force. "Ah! Ah! He could do it."

I gave Derek a disapproving look. "Was that really necessary?"

"Yes," he answered simply, moving to leaning his hands on the table. "I'll get through the wall. Who's following me down?" His eyes turned to Peter again.

Peter shook his head. "Don't look at me. I'm not up to fighting speed yet, and honestly, with Isaac out of commission, you're not looking at very good odds for yourself."

"What, is he just supposed to leave them? Let them die?" I glared at Peter.

"One of them is already dead," he countered.

"We don't know that," Derek insisted.

"Do I have to remind you what we're up against here?" Peter looked to each of us. "A pack of Alphas. All of them, killers. And if that's not enough to scare your testicles back into your stomach, try to remember that two of them combine bodies to form one giant Alpha." He sighed, looking away in mock sympathy. "I'm sure Erica and Boyd were sweet kids. They're gonna be missed."

"Could someone kill him again, please?" Stiles asked.

"This is why we don't like you, Peter," I added.

Shaking his head at me, Peter than turned to his nephew. "Derek, seriously? Not worth the risk."

Ignoring him, Derek turned to the rest of us. "What about you?"

Stiles shrugged. "Yeah, if you want me to come-"

Rolling his eyes, Derek cut him off again, "Not you."

"Scott and Angela?" Stiles gestured to us.

"Yes, us." I grinned at him.

Nodding, he stepped aside a little.

Scott shrugged. "I don't know about Erica. But if Boyd's still alive, we have to do something. We have to try."

"But?" Derek pressed.

"Who's the other girl? The one locked in there with Boyd?" Scott asked.

"I don't care who she is. They need our help, that's all that matters," I noted. "So, are we going, or not?"

Derek nodded, moving to leave, but he only managed to turn and take two steps before Peter spoke up, stopping him in his tracks.

"Do you really think taking Angela is a great idea?" Peter asked, not looking at any of us, his eyes set on the night sky outside.

Folding my arms over my chest, I glared at him again. "And why wouldn't it be?"

"Full moon, pack of Alphas, and the chance of you getting your heat…" he turned to give Derek a pointed look, "it's a recipe for disaster."

Derek sighed, head falling and eyes closing as if he hated what he was going to say next. "He's right."

Looking from Derek to Peter, glaring lightly, I then turned back to Derek, shaking my head. "No, he's not. We don't even know if I'll get my heat tonight. Or ever. I haven't had it for four months. I might not get it again."

"We can't risk it." Stepping up to me, Derek brushed my hair over my shoulder as his eyes met mine. He gave me that look, the one where his gaze softened, like nothing else mattered but me. That look that made me melt. "I'll feel better knowing you're safe here."

"With Peter?" I pointed out, fighting the urge to give into his look.

"Hey, I'll be here too," Stiles assured me.

"Yeah," I nodded, "and so will Peter." I gestured to the older werewolf before looking back at Derek yet again. "You really want me here with him when there's a chance I might get my heat? You trust him enough to do that?"

"I'm right here, you know," Peter called.

Still choosing to ignore his uncle, Derek continued to focus on me. "I trust you enough to leave you here with him." Leaning down, he pressed a quick kiss to my lips. "I'll call you once we're out of there."

Just like that, he pulled away, turned and headed for the door. Scott was right behind him, offering an apologetic glance before the two of the walked out of the loft, closing the door behind them.

…

Much like Isaac had yesterday morning before Peter had come, Stiles was now pacing in front of the loft window. Chewing on his nail, looking up at the rising full moon, he fidgeted with nerves. "I can't take waiting around like this, you know? It's nerve-racking. My nerves are racked. They're severely racked," he exclaimed. "Racked."

"I could beat you unconscious and wake you when it's over," Peter offered from where he sat on the couch, legs stretched out onto the coffee table, head resting back as he closed his eyes.

I glared at him from where I sat on Derek's bed, legs folded underneath me. "Don't be an asshole," I told him as I fiddled with my necklace.

He opened one eye and looked at me as he cracked a grin. "I can't help it."

"You think Erica's really dead?" Stiles suddenly asked as he stopped moving for a moment.

"You think I really care?" Peter countered.

I shook my head, trying to ignore the jack-ass werewolf as I focused on my best friend. "I don't know. But I hope not."

Stiles nodded at my answer, pacing again. "I just I don't understand the bank, though, okay? Like, why wouldn't they chain them up in some underground lair or something? They're an Alpha pack, right? So shouldn't they have a lair?

"They're werewolves, not bond villains," Peter countered.

"Wait a sec." Stiles seemed to have an idea. "Wait a sec. Maybe they're living there. You know? Like, maybe the bank vault reminds them of their little wolf dens."

I couldn't help but smile a little at his naivety.

"Wolf dens?" Peter asked, eyes still closed.

"Yeah, wolf dens." Stiles nodded as if it was that simple. "Where do you live?"

Opening his eyes, lifting his head from the back of the couch as he looked to Stiles, Peter answered, "In an underground network of caves hidden deep in the woods."

"Whoa, really?" Stiles was impressed.

"He's joking, Stiles," I noted, shaking my head a little, still smiling lightly.

"Idiot." Peter leaned back and closed his eyes again, clasping his hands together and resting them in his lap. "I have an apartment downtown."

"Okay, fine," Stiles shrugged, "but still, that just proves that there's something up with the bank. And why wait around for the full moon, huh? Why not just kill them whenever they want to?"

"Maybe they think it's poetic," Peter suggested a little sarcastically.

"They've already had three full moons to be poetic," Stiles countered.

"And here you've only had one full hour to be so annoy-" Peter cut himself short, sitting upright.

"No, go ahead, finish what you were saying," Stiles pressed. "I'm an… I'm annoy… what were you gonna say there?" He clearly couldn't see the concerned look on Peter's face, but I could.

Unfolding my legs, I stood from the bed. "What's wrong?"

"What are the walls made of?" Peter asked, getting up as well.

"What?" Stiles was confused at first, but he just shrugged, looking around the room to give an answer. "Uh… I don't know, like, wood and brick or-"

Moving to the dining table, Peter cut him off, "No, the vault. The vault, the walls, what are they made out of?" He started going through the documents on the table. "Where would it say that? Doesn't say anything." Frustrated, he turned to Stiles. "Where… where would it say the materials, the type of stone?"

"Oh. Oh, hang on." Stiles hurried to his bag. "Yeah, here, hang on. Here." He pulled out a large file, handing it to Peter. "It's gotta be in there."

I walked over, standing next to Peter as he began to flick through the papers. "What's wrong?"

"I don't know yet," he mumbled, skimming the pages. "But if I'm right… Scott and Derek are heading straight for a trap."

That had to be the worst thing you could ever say to me. Hearing that there's a chance my brother and boyfriend might be walking into a trap made my stomach drop and heart stop.

Two of the most important people in my life were possibly in danger, and there was nothing I could do about it. I was stuck here, useless. They could be in danger, right not, with no help and no idea what they might be walking into,

"There, that's it." Peter pointed to one of the pages.

Stiles and I leaned closer on either side of the Beta, looking at the word he was pointing at.

"'Hecatolite'," I read aloud.

"Is that awful?" Stiles asked. "That sounds awful."

Pulling away from the document, Peter turned to me. "Get 'em on the phone. Call them. You call Derek." He turned to Stiles. "You call Scott. Now!"

Jumping at the urgency of his tone, I pulled my phone out of my pocket and started to dial Derek's number.

"Okay, why?" Stiles asked as he pulled out his phone.

"'Cause Boyd and that girl aren't gonna kill each other," Peter explained. "They're gonna kill Derek and Scott."

…

They hadn't answered right away. It took a couple of tries before Scott answered Stiles' call- which he then put on loudspeaker so Peter and I could listen as well. I was relieved at first, until I heard the tone of Scott's voice.

"Stiles, now is not the best time," he noted, sounding as if he was going to hang up.

"Scott!" Stiles called out quickly, stopping him. "Scott! No, listen to me, okay? Look, you gotta get outta there. Look, the walls of the vault are made with a mineral called hecatolite. It scatters the moonlight."

"What does that mean?" Scott asked, having no idea what Stiles was talking about.

"We're here to get you out, okay?" I heard Derek in the background.

"Look, it keeps the moonlight out, okay? They haven't felt the full moon in months," Stiles explained.

"Think of it like the gladiators in the Roman colosseum," Peter elaborated for him. "They used to starve the lions for three days, making them more vicious, more out of control. Deucalion has kept them from shifting for three full moons, diminishing their tolerance to it."

"Scott, they're gonna be a lot strong and faster than usual," I added.

"More savage, more bloodthirsty…" Peter shook his head. "Scott, they're the lions. They're the starved lions, and you and Derek just stepped into the colosseum."

"Derek, we got a problem, a really big problem."

But instead of responding to Scott, something else must have caught Derek's attention. "Cora?"

"Who?" Scott asked.

"Cora?" Derek repeated.

"Derek, get out," a girl spoke up, her voice strained as if she was trying to hold back. "Get out now!"

When no one else spoke, Stiles called out into the phone. "Scott? Hey, Scott! Scott!"

"No." Scott's voice came through, but he wasn't talking to us. "No! Wait!"

The sound of wild werewolves growling and roaring echoed through the phone, followed by the sound of a fight.

I snatched the phone from Stiles. "Scott? Derek? Guys, are you there?!" My heart raced as the sound of the fight got worse and worse. "Guys?!"

The line went dead.

Quickly turning, I started for the door without a word.

"Where do you think you're going?" Peter hurried after me, grabbing my arm to pull me to a stop.

I spun on my heels to glare to him. "I'm going to help them!"

"Derek would want you to stay here," he argued, grip on my arm tightening.

"Derek is my boyfriend. Not my keeper. Not my Alpha." Flashing my golden yellow eyes at him as I gave a low and warning growl, I snapped my arm out of his grasp. "I'm going."

"Me too." We all turned to see Isaac standing halfway down the stairs. "They're gonna need all the help they can get."

Bamby