Chapter 2
Ashley Hale
After debating for hours (and with much persuasion from Deaton), the trio finally made a decision.
It was decided that the Hale family would take the girl in as a distant relative. They still didn't know much about the girl, but they all realized she was something special. More importantly, she knew about them and the supernatural way she arrived indicated that there was some purpose in her appearance. Deaton and Morell also did not sense any malicious intent from her. In fact, they felt an odd sense of familiarity with the girl, as if she had similar druidic origins.
Deaton was the one who decided her name. Ashley. Named after the Old English words meaning ash and forest glade. Deaton named her Ashley because she was found surrounded by mountain ash in the woods.
Shortly after the girl recovered, they explained all this to her and brought her to the Hale Family home.
xXx
The girl sat nervously in the truck as Talia drove them to the house in the woods. It had been difficult at first, not remembering anything, even her own name. But the man who found her, Deaton, was a kind and warm man. With his help, she slowly adjusted to her situation. Still, being adopted by Talia, the werewolf shapeshifter, was intimidating in itself. She still haven't forgotten how the woman had assaulted her when they first met.
The truck slowed to a stop and Talia got out of the vehicle. Hesitantly, Ashley followed suit and entered the house with her.
Inside, she was introduced to the Hale family members. The faces and names blurred in Ashley's mind. That was until, she reached two teenaged boys. One was slightly taller than the other and both had pale skin and dark hair.
"This is my son, Derek." Talia gestured to the shorter boy.
Ashley looked into his hazel eyes and smiled brightly. Somehow, she liked this boy, trusted him even.
"You're Derek!" She exclaimed with a beaming smile. "You're going to be alpha!"
Her words produced mixed reactions from those within earshot. For the most part, it surprised the other boy and the others, but it caused Talia to look at her and Derek thoughtfully.
Brushing off her thoughts, Talia introduced the other boy: "This is my brother, Peter."
Peter extended his hand towards Ashley who stared at it then at his face. A wave of sadness came over her as she sensed the tragedy that awaited this boy.
As their eyes met, Peter was alarmed to see the girl's eyes start to water. She ignored his hand and rushed in to hug him. The force of her actions caused Peter to take a step back. The girl clung to him tightly making him bewildered. He glanced at his sister and nephew for some sort of answer only to find them equally at lost.
In the end, he allowed himself to be embraced by the girl. Though it was unexpected, it touched him greatly. As a werewolf, he could feel the girl's emotions and he felt genuine care and warmth and sadness in her embrace. Later on, he would often recall the memory fondly. His adult self would even say being warmly hugged then was the closest he felt to being loved.