Teen Wolf does not belong to me in any way shape or form I am on FIRE recently with all these updates, idk what's wrong with me – haha. A big thank you to all you lovely readers for your continued support, and a massive shoutout to unmajestically, mcdx025 and Guest for reviewing – it means so much to me

Standing outside her front door was like waiting outside a stranger's house.

She felt completely disconnected from it and the people inside.

Stiles had voiced his concerns that maybe it was too soon to go home and face the music, but she reassured him she would be fine, that she needed to collect her shit because she couldn't live in his clothes forever or, God forbid, Lydia's clothes (she had offered!) and that nothing would happen.

Of course, she had agreed to that post-orgasm - when she was calm and settled, endorphins rushing through her brain and clouding her judgement. Now, however, she wasn't as calm anymore. That anger and bitterness that had crushed her since last night came rushing back, waves upon waves crushing her.

She needed to do this.

She had to do this.

With hesitant fingers, she turned the knob and let the door swing open, the grand yet empty foyer greeting her, the large house void of any real sentiment.

It was coming up to dinner time and both her mom's and Jane's cars were in the driveway, so they had to be here.

That was proven when she took a few steps in and closed the door, the sound reverberating and echoing through the house which drew her aunt Jane from the kitchen, a relieved expression spreading across her face.

"Kayla… honey" she greeted, rushing down the hallway, "thank God you're okay".

She flinched as her aunt approached, stubbornly turning her head the other way which caused Jane to falter, her arms half extended into a hug she wasn't going to get.

"I'm just getting my stuff".

"You're running away again?"

"No. Just running away from these shambles of a so-called family" she scoffed, making her way to the stairs.

"I'm sorry" Jane exclaimed, helplessly following her, "I'm really sorry Kayla. I'm sorry you feel betrayed-"

"Betrayed?" she cut her off, turning around on the stairs, her aunt withering under her furious glare, "betrayed doesn't even begin to cover it".

"Kay, please… let's talk" Jane continued, nervously wringing her hands together, "let me make this right".

"You can't. It's too late for that".

She turned around, starting to make her way back up the stairs but at the top, on the landing, was her mother with her arms crossed and a stern expression on her face, still no look of guilt or apology on her face.

They were both silent, in a standoff with each other. Seeing which one would break first.

Obviously, it wouldn't be Kayla.

"Have you calmed down enough to talk about this?" her mom asked, acting as though she was the one being unreasonable about this whole situation.

"No" she said, taking the last few steps of the stairs and pushed past her mom, "so fuck off".

She made her way to her room, her mom and Jane following her.

"You need to grow up Kayla" her mom continued to chastise her, hovering over the threshold to her room, "and be thankful for what you've got. Do you know how many people would love a life like yours?"

"My guess is not a lot" she grumbled, grabbing her duffel bag and beginning to throw random clothes into it, keeping her back turned.

"If you leave again, don't bother coming back".

"Don't worry, I wasn't planning to".

"Right, enough" Jane cut in, pushing her way into Kayla's room, "Jody – enough. This is your daughter for crying out loud, and this tough love thing you're doing isn't appropriate just now. Let me speak to Kayla, okay?"

"Tough love is what she needs" her mom insisted, "she runs amok around us".

"Jody…"

"Fine" her mom scoffed, "you try and parent her. Let's see how you handle it".

Her mom slammed the door on the way out, leaving a stifling awkward silence as Kayla stilled in her actions, feeling her aunt hover behind her.

"Kayla, sweetie… please, sit down. Let me talk".

Her aunt Jane, always so soft and reasonable, was her Achilles heel and, despite being so furious she was almost seeing red, she sighed and took a seat at the edge of her bed, glumly looking down at her feet. The duffle bag discarded to one side.

"Your mom loved your dad" Jane opened with carefully, taking a seat next to Kayla on the bed, "but after Dylan's birth, it was hard for her. She had an identity crisis. She went from being an independent, workaholic woman to someone left in charge of a baby… it was tough for her. Your dad was gone a lot, and she was struggling to adjust. So, she grew close to Peter".

She couldn't help but scoff at that, because 'close' was one hell of an understatement.

"He was charismatic and charming, and he made her smile" Jane continued, "she knows it was wrong, and she wished it never happened, but it did. They had an affair. It was her way of coping, I suppose. An outlet for her emotions. After a few months, she broke it off with him but by then…"

"She was pregnant with me" she guessed, her tone void of any emotion.

Jane nodded, "your mom was scared. Dylan was only still a baby himself, and she was still struggling to adjust to motherhood. She didn't know what to do. When your dad found out, he wanted to raise you. He loved you, even knowing you weren't his. And when you came along, you completed his life. You were his little girl, through and through. He kept Peter out of your lives, and eventually, managed to fix his family".

"He didn't fix it" she disagreed, "they were living a lie. Pretending to be happy, because how could he forgive her sleeping with his own brother?"

"Their marriage wasn't perfect" Jane agreed, "but your dad loved your mom, and he loved you and Dylan. He wanted to keep your family together, and if that meant moving past the affair and cutting Peter out of their lives, he did it. He did it because you all meant the world to him".

"She hates me because I remind her of her affair with Peter".

"She doesn't hate you" Jane disagreed, shaking her head, "she just… she struggles to connect with you. She's hard on you because of her own guilt".

"No. She hates me" she shrugged, "she hates that I was ever born".

"Some people just shouldn't be mothers" Jane said softly, "it's a hard job, and your mom was just one of those women who shouldn't have had kids. But she tried. It was easier when John was here…"

"Everything was easier when he was here…"

"You should've known" Jane admitted, "and I, for one, am sorry that I didn't tell you. I guess I just… brushed it under the carpet. Pretended like it wasn't my responsibility or guilt. And I suppose I thought that it didn't matter…"

"It does matter" she sighed, "it matters to me".

"I know honey, and I am so incredibly sorry. I love you so much Kayla, and I'm sorry I let you down".

She couldn't really stay mad at her aunt Jane for long, especially because she wasn't the one she was truly angry with. The ones that held that spot were her mom and Peter.

She just simply nodded, standing up to continue packing.

"Are you still leaving?" Jane asked, a slight edge of panic in her voice, "but where will you go?"

"I can't stay in this house. Not after what she said".

There was a pause, Jane debating on how to bring it up.

"You mean… you mean your abortion?"

She stopped packing, her hands stilling around a pair of jeans. Every inch of her feeling like she got dipped into ice water at that question.

"I'm sorry, I know you don't like talking about it-"

"Of course I don't like talking about it" she interrupted harshly, "so why are you bringing it up?"

"Because I don't think you've dealt with it" Jane said, keeping her voice soft and soothing, "I think you're still grieving".

"Grieving? I am not grieving" she exclaimed, lashing out in self-defence, "I made a decision that I thought was best at the time and I stand by it. You know why I had to do it. If I didn't…"

"I know" Jane nodded, "but I think it still hurts you".

Hurts her? No, it kills her inside every day, but she never admitted that to herself.

"Like you said… some people just shouldn't become moms' and I am one of them. I am not talking about this anymore".

"Stay" Jane pleaded, stepping in front of Kayla before she could leave, "let's work through this together – all of us".

"I'm not ready".

"I'm worried about you" her aunt continued, "you have a tendency to lash out when you're hurt, and I don't want anything to happen to you. Where are you going to go?"

"Anywhere but here".

"I need you safe Kayla" Jane exclaimed in desperation, "promise me you'll be safe?"

She simply sent her aunt a withering, scornful glare, grabbing her duffel bag and storming out.

She checked into a cheap motel in what she supposed was the 'bad' part of town, but if she knew her mother as well as she thought she did, then she knew she would put a block on her cards and she only had a few hundred in dollars to tide her over.

By the time she got settled in, ignoring the sleezeball behind the front desk, it was beginning to get dark. Her dinner consisted of bland and barely inedible instant ramen noodles, even the extra flavour packet unable to save it.

She could've gone to Lydia's, or Stiles', but she was stubborn and didn't want to accept help. Used to just getting through things on her own. This motel may be dreary and dusty, but she had stayed in worse places. As long as there was a lock chain on the door and a semi-decent bed, she would be fine.

Changing into a pair of black yoga pants and a pale-yellow strappy vest, she splayed out on the bed, ready for a quiet night of watching crap TV when her charging phone started ringing.

Expectantly, it was Stiles.

Hey" she greeted, "what's up?"

"Things are not good. Not good at all" he rushed out, "Peter is trying to get to Scott through his mom".

She sat up straight, panic coursing through her veins.

"He hurt Scott's mom?"

"No, he was trying to take her out to dinner".

That caught her off guard because she could think of a thousand ways more threatening than a dinner date.

"He... he took her for dinner?" she asked, "where to?"

"Where to? Is that really an important detail to the story?"

"No" she shrugged, even though he couldn't see her, "I'm just always keen for new restaurant recommendations".

Stiles' pause seemed long, taken aback by her priorities.

"Well, he was going to take her to dinner before I crashed my jeep into his ridiculously shiny and expensive car. Hmmm... wouldn't that be weird if Peter married Scott's mom - cause then you would be like, step-siblings, how weird is that? Wait, that's not the point".

Stiles was rambling, his panic and worry slipping out.

"He kept giving me this look like he wanted to rip my throat out - but I don't know if that's because I bashed his car, ruined his date or is dating his daughter. What do you think?"

He didn't give her a chance to answer before he was rambling again, the words spilling from his mouth at such a speed she struggled to keep up.

"Okay, forget that, I'm getting off-topic again - the point is, Jackson is somehow involved in this and I know you said there was potential that Derek was just playing along with Peter's plan but the way Scott said it... I think he's gonna kill Jackson".

"Okay, breathe" she said calmly, grabbing her jacket from the back of the rickety old chair and pulling it on, "It's okay. I'll go find Derek, talk him back before he does something so incredibly stupid and you, uh..." she paused, "you stay calm".

"How the hell am I supposed to stay calm with all of this going on" he exclaimed as she slipped from the motel room.

"Because you just have to".

"Well, that just helps me so much, thanks for that" Stiles replied sarcastically and she could just imagine him rolling his eyes at her.

"Look, everything will be fine. I'll call you back when I know more, okay?"

"Wait... what do you mean? What are you doing?"

"I'll find Derek" she repeated, "and probably kick his ass".

"You can't be serious? What if something happens? What if you get hurt?" he demanded in worry, "don't go risking your life for Jackson of all people".

"I have to do something" she said, "if not for his sake, then for Derek's. I can't let him go down this road".

"But what about you?" he persisted, "what about your safety?"

"I'll be fine, I promise, but I have to go" she told him, "I have to do something".

"Then let me come with you" he begged, "I'll-"

"I'm not putting you in danger" she interrupted, "and this is between me and Derek. Someone needs to talk some God Damn sense into him".

"... Nothing I say is going to change your mind, is it?"

"Nope".

"You're really stubborn, you know that?"

"Yup".

She could almost hear the smirk on his lips as he muttered "No need to sound so proud about it".

"Well I am, so suck it".

"I don't like this plan Kaylz" he sighed, "I don't like it at all. I don't have a good feeling about this".

"I'll be fine" she reassured, "I'll call you when I know more, okay?"

He wasn't happy with it, she could tell, but she was running out of time. If Derek was going after Jackson, she had to do something. She didn't care for Jackson much - or really, at all - but it wasn't entirely his fault for getting dragged into this mess. Finding out about werewolves was like dangling a banana in front of a monkey, it was human instinct and nature to want something as alluring as the power of the supernatural - especially to someone like Jackson. Someone who lacked control and power over his own life.

She didn't know where to start looking for Derek, because he could be anywhere. The entirety of Beacon Hills was too large to cover by herself, on foot, and time was running out.

Except for the fact, Derek was a little poetic.

If he were luring Jackson in with the promise of getting changed, he would do it on his own territory.

The Hale house.

She took off through the woods, racing as fast as her legs would carry her but she was too late, the sound of gunfire erupting from inside the house, the yellow tinge casting light through the darkness.

She ducked behind a tree, hearing shouts, more gunfire and an almighty roar of anger that soon turned into one of pain, a howl erupting through the crisp night air.

Before she could register anything else, she caught sight of Jackson running - or more like scampering through the woods - as if his very life depended on it, tripping and flailing before falling flat on his knees.

Oh shit.

She raced forward, desperately calling out his name as she yanked him to his feet. Jackson's eyes were wide and terrified, sweat dripping down his face as he looked as though he was about to die.

"What the hell happened?" she asked, but Jackson was hyperventilating in panic, trying to scurry away.

Another series of gunshots went off and she lost all sense of self-preservation, looking at the burnt ruins of the house in panic.

"Derek" she whispered, about to run forward to do what, she didn't know, but Jackson grabbed her arm, looking at her like she should be locked up in a madhouse. Which, in all honesty, she probably should be.

"What the fuck are you doing?" he gasped, "let's get the hell out of here".

She yanked her arm free from his grasp, glaring at him.

"Unlike you, I'm not a coward" she snapped, leaving him frightened and panicked as she ran towards the house, keeping herself low as she ducked along the porch and under the broken window, slyly trying to peer in.

She saw Derek, bloody and beaten on his stomach, Kate hovering over him with a high voltage taser wand in her hand, the zaps of electricity snapping and crackling across the shaft as she teased him.

Her fists curled at her sides, a rush of fury spreading and coiling through her body as she itched just to run in there and beat her ass, but it wasn't just Kate. It was Kate and three of her lap dogs, all of them standing around Derek with their guns pointed at him.

She might be rash and impulsive, but she wasn't stupid. Four hunters against little old her? Yeah, she didn't like her odds.

As quietly as she could, she pulled her phone from her pocket, opening her and Stiles' message thread but before she could type anything, she felt the cold barrel of a gun get pressed against the back of her head, followed by the sound of it cocking.

"What do you think you're doing, little girl?" a gruff voice asked, "drop the phone".

Her jaw clenched, annoyed at that term 'little girl', dropping her phone to the porch below.

"Stand up".

Wordlessly, she stood. The barrel of the gun still pressed into the back of her head, following her movements.

"Kate" the guy called out, grabbing her upper arm and pulling her towards the front door, "look what I found".

She lashed out, her free elbow lifting to smack into the guy's face which caused a sickening crunch of breaking bones from his busted nose, an eruption of blood sprouting from his face. Expectantly, he dropped the gun, his hands rushing to cover his nose and she lifted her leg, booting him so forcefully in the stomach he careened off the porch and landed harshly on his back.

She heard the front door open and knew she was running out of time, so she quickly bent down to grab the fallen gun, lifting it in front of her defensively but was met with four guns pointing right back at her.

"Ah, little Kayla hale" Kate smirked, stepping out onto the porch with an arrogant swagger, the gun not faltering in her grasp, "of course. Who else would it be? It's not like there's many of you left".

"There's enough to kick your ass" she snapped, not dropping the gun despite the fact there were four others pointed at her, "leave Derek alone".

"Now, why on earth would I do that?" Kate asked, "It's just so much fun watching him in pain".

"Let him go, or I blow your head off" she challenged, the gun raised directly at Kate's forehead, "and don't think I won't".

"Of course you won't" Kate laughed, "because that would be stupid, and you're not stupid. What do you think is going to happen if you shoot me?".

"I don't care, but it'll be fun".

"Feisty" the Argent grinned, "I like you. I'm going to have fun playing with you".

"Let him go… now" she growled, "I won't ask again".

"Good. Because it's getting boring now" Kate pouted, "knock her out".

She was so wrapped up in her anger towards Kate and her worry about Derek, that she didn't hear the guy she had beaten up get back up, a heavy rock in his hand.

By the time she noticed, turning around quickly and raising the gun, he had cracked her on the side of the head with the jagged rock, her vision turning black.

"You're incredibly stupid, you know that?"

Those words were the first she heard as she groggily came to, opening her eyes through the congealment of sticky blood that stung and clouded her vision.

"Wow" she murmured, turning her achy head to the side to see Derek tied to a tree next to her, his arms pulled back, shirtless and bleeding from multiple shot wounds, "good to see you too".

"You played right into Kate's trap" he chastised, clearly unhappy with her.

"Well so did you" she retorted, trying to move her arms but the rope binding them around the tree was tight and she was lacking any energy to try and escape, her head pounding painfully. The darkness of the night air felt somewhat claustrophobic around her.

"I was ambushed" he corrected, "you were just stupid. Why didn't you run?"

"And leave you for dead?" she scoffed.

"Well, it's not like you were much help".

"I kicked a guy's ass".

Despite the darkness, she was sure she saw Derek roll his eyes.

"You should've run" he sighed, "what if she hurts you?"

"Let the bitch try" she fumed, "I don't break easily".

"Thanks for the heads up" a voice in the distance called out, the beam of a flashlight bouncing over them as Kate approached through the woodland, "but everyone has a breaking point… even you".

Derek and she remained in stony silence as Kate got closer, opening up the door to one of the trucks and turning the headlights on full beam, lighting them up like a goddamn Christmas tree.

She flinched, turning her head to the side to avoid the harsh light that hurt her brain, ignoring the unease that settled in her stomach.

"That's better" Kate grinned, sauntering over to them swinging the taser wand in her grip, "I like to see my handy work".

She noticed though that Kate's gaze was hyper-fixated on Derek, watching him slyly and with an almost hungry look on her face, like she couldn't wait to devour him.

"This is nice, isn't it? Bonding" Kate smirked, walking closer to Derek, one of her hands running up and across her cousin's chest seductively which made her gag. Derek responded by baring his canines at the Argent, but she seemed unfazed by the reaction, casually slapping his cheek.

"Now, now Derek... that's no way to treat a lady" she laughed, "but then again... I'm no lady".

Kayla had the very sudden urge to just empty the entirety of her stomach contents all over the ground because that's how disturbing this was.

"Wow... neither of you are gonna talk, huh? I had the impression we would have to gag you to get you to shut up" Kate said, her gaze flitting between the two of them focusing back on Derek. "Again" she added sensuously.

With a horrified noise, all the pieces fell in place - but she wished they hadn't.

Kate and Derek?

Derek and Kate?

Aw hell no.

"You've got to be fricking kidding me" she exclaimed, her face scrunching up in disgust, "you banged her?"

"I took him for a spin" Kate smirked, "taught him a thing or two".

Kayla scoffed, throwing the hunter a glare.

"And here I thought he had taste" she mocked, "a washed-up cougar was not what I expected".

Her comment clearly annoyed Kate judging by her lip curl, but she didn't care. Tilting her chin up in defiance as she approached her, the taser wand lightening up threateningly.

"You've got a big mouth" Kate said, "and an even bigger attitude. I wonder what we could do about that…"

"For sixteen years people have tried to change that. You and your little zapping wand don't stand a chance in hell".

"We'll see about that".

She struck forward, the tip of the taser wand touching the bare sliver of skin that showed beneath her vest top on her stomach, causing her to spasm and jolt in pain but determinedly kept her mouth shut, not willing to give Kate a single ounce of satisfaction.

Derek shouted out, trying to draw Kate back to him but she was focused on Kayla, amused and joyful as she flinched.

After several more seconds she pulled the wand away, leaving Kayla weak and tired, the only thing keeping her upright was the rope tied around her arms to the tree, sweat beginning to drip down her face.

"That all you got?" she demanded, talking through the evident shake in her voice.

"Kayla, shut up" Derek exclaimed, "Kate, what the hell are you doing? She's human. Leave her alone, you have me".

"She's still a Hale" the hunter said, "you're all just as rotten as each other".

"Could say the same thing about you and your family" Kayla scoffed, "murderers".

"Derek didn't get those pretty blue glowing eyes by being innocent now, did he?" Kate laughed, "So let's stop name-calling and just get down to business. I know you both know who the Alpha is, so I want you to tell me".

"How the hell would be know that?" Derek cut in, "If we knew, he would be dead already".

"See, I think you're lying" Kate challenged, "so let's make this into a little game. Every lie you tell me, little cuz gets zapped. And remember Derek-" she smirked, "-she doesn't heal like you do".

To prove her point, she pressed the wand against her bare skin again and let loose a higher voltage of electricity – enough to nearly make her scream and for tears to well in her eyes.

"Let her go" Derek yelled, "she has nothing to do with this".

"Oh, see, that's where you're wrong Derek" Kate laughed, finally pulling the wand away from her skin, "she has everything to do with this. She's your weak spot. She's your Achilles heel".

"Don't you dare touch her".

"Watch me" Kate smirked, zapping her again but this time she didn't pull it away after several seconds – she kept it flush against her skin, causing her to seize and jolt and finally scream in pain.

It seemed like a lifetime of electricity getting surged through her body, verging on the brink of passing out, when Kate finally lowered the wand, causing her to sag against the tree in exhaustion.

"Let's try this again, shall we?" she asked, "who's the Alpha?"

Derek seemed conflicted, looking between them both in panic.

"We're not going to tell you shit" Kayla spat, her breathing heavy and pained, "so take that wand and shove it up your ass".

"Fine" Kate sighed, "have it your way. Don't say I didn't warn you".

Again, with the cryptic. Kayla hated cryptic. She didn't have the time nor patience for it, rolling her eyes as Kate lifted her gun, pointing it directly at her.

"You have ten seconds to tell me Derek" she threatened, "or little cuz loses her kneecaps".

"Kate-"

"Ten".

"We don't know" Derek ground out, "how would we know?"

"Nine".

"Stop this".

"Eight".

"How can I tell you something I don't know?"

"Seven".

"Fuck it, let her blow off my kneecaps" she interrupted, "I don't need them".

"Six".

"Kate, enough" Derek demanded, "this isn't the way".

"Five".

"I could kick her ass even without kneecaps".

"Four".

"If you even dare, I will rip your throat out" Derek warned, "and you know I will".

"Three".

"Kate-"

"Two".

"I don't know anything now drop the gun".

"One. Time's up".

Kate swung around to look at her, the gun in her hand lowering to point – coincidentally – directly where her kneecaps were but before she could pull the trigger, she faltered. A prominent and surprised frown tugging at her brows.

"What?" Kayla scoffed, "finally grow a heart?"

Kate remained silent, watching her in something close to awe and wondering as she inched forward, reaching out to grab her chin and force her to look at her, despite how she squirmed.

"Get off me" Kayla growled, flinching her head away from Kate's grasp and breathing heavily, resisting the urge to spit on her, "don't you dare touch me".

"Your eyes..." Kate murmured, smirking slightly, "They're glowing".

Kayla hesitated, wondering if this was just another trick, another game to mess with her head, but when she looked at Derek, seeing his equally flabbergasted expression, she knew she was telling the truth.

"They're glowing green" Kate murmured, taking a step back in shock, looking at her like she was some kind of mutant alien.

"Well of course they're green" she lashed out, "that's what colour eyes I was born with bitch".

"You weren't born with glowing ones, were you?" Kate retaliated with a smirk, "what are you?"

She didn't have an answer to that, not sure herself. Just knowing that, ever since the bite, something had changed within her. Something that maybe made her not so human after all.

A/n) I'm kinda meh about this chapter for some reason, maybe because I wanted more Stayla but it's a much needed chapter, with Kayla's development ;)

Kayla and her kneecaps HHAHAHAA.

I hope you all liked and please please review and I will see you soon