A Wolf Is A Wolf, Even In A Cage, Even Dressed In Silk
Summary: In which Laura Hale is given a second chance, thrown back in time to the very beginning. This time, she's determined to be the Alpha that the Pack needs. Even if it means going against her very own mother.
Peter-21
Laura-17
Derek-15
Cora-9
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Chapter 3: One Voice is Enough
…to make sleeping giants wake up and armies put their hands up
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"Two more months," Laura chanted to herself, holding fast to the words like a lifeline.
Dear God, she hadn't taken into account just how tiring being in high school once more was.
Still, it was the best place to start laying the foundation for her plans.
Originally, Laura hadn't lacked for friends. As the oldest daughter of the town's most accomplished lawyer, she occupied the top rung of the social ladder. People flocked to her, hoping somehow that her family's influence and wealth would rub off on them.
Seventeen-year-old Laura had thrived on it, enjoying the popularity. She'd enjoyed being considered normal, abandoning her natural instincts for the 'civilized' way her mother preferred. She had actively avoided the rest of the supernatural community, confident in her superiority.
Laura cursed her younger self for her arrogance.
There was a lot of work to be done for her plan to come into being.
When Talia had chosen the 'civilized way', she abandoned many of the traditions that she considered 'barbaric' and 'savage'. It sent a very specific message to the supernatural community as a whole. Those traditions were important for a variety of reasons, and it offended plenty of parties who were originally eager to form alliances with the Hale Pack.
Laura wanted to fix that.
The Hale fire might have gone differently if the Pack had the allies they needed.
Or it could've been avoided altogether if the Hales had other eyes looking out for them.
Aria was an indispensable part of this. The naiad was practically glued to her side, broadcasting her loyalties for all to see.
Laura noted the eyes of several supernatural groups lingering on the two, considering the shift.
During lunch, she chose not to sit with the group of kids she usually sat with. Instead, Laura chose to cross the cafeteria to sit at a table in the back, tucked in the corner by the stage. Aria followed her lead, humming quietly under her breath.
Matthias Veras peered up at her quizzically through the round lenses of his glasses, dark eyes suspicious.
"Can I help you?"
"I don't think we've ever been formally introduced," she smiled warmly. "I'm Laura Hale and you are?"
"Matthias Veras," he watched her carefully, curious about this new approach. "You're different from before. I can tell. Your soul, it's older."
"That's true enough," she agreed easily, unphased by the eerie intuition of the warlock.
"Ooh, what have you been up to?" Matthias abandoned his open anatomy book, eyes dancing with a hint of vivid green behind the rims of his glasses. His teeth gleamed white as he smiled slyly, shining against the dark cocoa shade of his skin. "The little wolf's been playing with soul magic."
"You know, Matthias, I think we could be great friends," her smile matched his, eyes flickering with sparks of gold. "What do you think?"
"I do believe you're right, little wolf."
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"Blasted Elves. Stupid, arrogant people with tiny brains and that stupid, charming voice. Charmspeak. Bah, like it's anything more than a tool to be abused to get whatever they want."
Aunt Alma's cursing and grumbling drifted through from the back area of the shop.
Rearranging a set of hanging crystals, Laura turned to raise an eyebrow at Aria, who was propped up on a stool behind the counter, counting funds from the cash register.
"Is Aunt Alma alright?"
Head still bent as she counted the money, Aria scoffed at the question. "She's fine. We're just all a bit on edge at the moment."
Finishing her work, Laura wandered over to sit down on a stool across the counter. Her nose picked up the worry and grief that was spiking through her friend's scent.
"What happened?"
The naiad sighed heavily, lifting her head as she scribbled down the number of profits on a notepad and tucked the cash away in its proper place.
"Two nights ago, Leila, one of our younger cousins, came home from a party beaten and bloody. She claimed that two of the Harkins boys did it but she's too scared to say anything and it hasn't worked out well for her when she tried to say something."
Her blood boiled in fury as she instantly thought of Derek, of how he had gone all but mute for four years because of what happened to him.
Something clinked against the wooden surface of the counter and Laura noticed that her claws had come out. A quick glance at the mirror behind Aria proved that her eyes had changed as well, blazing a bright gold.
"What happened?" The words came out slightly slurred from fangs that had dropped.
Aria didn't blink an eye at the changed features, her own hazel eyes a deep ocean blue in rage.
"The Harkins family all have elven blood. They have this utterly infuriating ability called charmspeak. It allows them to enchant mortals into doing whatever they want. It's kept them out of legal courts and they're abusing it to do whatever they want to whoever they want."
Taking a deep, steadying breath, Laura pulled her composure back together as she pushed down her anger. The change faded and her mind raced to find a solution to this situation.
"What about non-mortal legal courts? The Tribunal? The Council?"
Aria scoffed, shaking her head. "The Tribunal has its hands full with rogue werewolves. As for the Council, they only serve justice in cases that are brought to their attention. Our kind isn't as influential as others in their minds."
In other words, it wasn't an important case for either of the only two justice systems of the supernatural world.
But maybe….
An idea came to her then.
"What if it was a case they couldn't ignore?" She wondered slowly, the plan starting to form in her mind. "What if it came from one of the most influential Packs of North America?"
Aria met her eyes, raising her eyebrows. "Are you certain you're willing to make that wave? Your mother won't be happy."
"Sometimes we need waves to break boulders. I'll deal with her when it comes."
Laura had already spent a lifetime running away from the problems in her life.
She wasn't running this time.
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"What's the plan? How are we doing this?"
"One of the biggest faults of the supernatural community as a whole is that they forget about the mundane world," Laura explained. "Physical evidence such as video, audio, or even a witness. Any of that is enough to get a court case in the mundane world. It works the same way with the Tribunal and the Council."
Digging around in the duffle bag on the table, she pulled out a recorder and a camera.
"I'll have the recorder on me at all times. While all this is going on, you'll be parked nearby, taking pictures."
Aria picked up the camera, studying it. "Okay I'm following so far. What's your escape plan?"
"These bad boys," Laura held up a baggy filled with plain black earbuds. "They'll be in my ears so I won't hear the charmspeak."
"And you can read lips so you'll know what he's saying," the naiad followed, lips curving up in a grin. "I see where this is going. Rather clever, adelfí."
"Thank you," the werewolf preened at the praise. "Let's go hunting, shall we?"
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It was a simple enough task.
As they'd planned, Troy and Mark Harkins were drawn to her like bees to honey. They wanted new prey and that was exactly she was to them, as she hadn't been to one of their parties before.
Unfortunately for them, Laura wasn't prey. She was a predator.
Laura acted as if she were under the influence of their charmspeak, following them dazedly into the basement. She let them kiss her, making a mild effort to push them away weakly. The recorder in her pocket was doing its job, recording her protests and the coaxing voices of the boys.
If she had truly been a teenager, Laura wouldn't have been able to do this. But she was in her twenties mentally and she'd done a lot more than let a couple of boys have sex with her.
Afterwards, Laura made her escape, moving through the crowded house and making sure to play on being dazed, stumbling into quite a few of her classmates. She slipped into Arias's car after and the two scanned through the pictures Aria had taken of what she could see of the basement. The pictures were pretty incriminating and combined with the voice recordings, they were damning evidence.
"Laura, I know we planned this, but still..." Aria hesitated, voice soft and unsure. "How are you feeling right now?"
Tearing her gaze away from the trees flying by outside, Laura gave the question serious consideration. "Like I need a scalding shower. Even for me, that was difficult. I can only imagine how Leila felt, being that powerless. Don't worry though, I'm okay."
Aria nodded, taking her word for it, and they spent the rest of the ride back to the Hale house in comfortable silence.
Once she was safely inside and Aria was gone, Laura sat down in the kitchen. She looked around the dark kitchen with dull eyes, mind replaying what had taken place in the basement. The full realization of it was settling in now. Her skin crawled, the phantom sensation of hands sliding down her bare arms and the weight of another body pressed against her.
Had Derek felt this way? Had he felt so violated?
The thought formed in Laura's mind and she bolted for the bathroom, bile rising in her throat.
She barely made it to the toilet before she was heaving up everything she'd eaten that day. Her mind wouldn't stop imagining her little brother going through what she had just experienced. The difference was that Laura had gone into it with a plan. Poor Derek hadn't had earplugs to block out Kate's influence as the woman slowly poisoned his mind, seducing a boy that didn't know any better.
And Laura had never known. She'd just been glad her brother seemed to be getting over Paige and finding hope with someone else. She'd had no idea that a monster had been slowly molding her brother for months.
"Not this time," Laura sobbed, nails turning into claws that scraped against the toilet basin. "I'm so sorry. God, I'm so sorry."
Perhaps she deserved to experience this, her mind whispered. Perhaps she deserved to experience the same violation for not protecting her little brother the first time around.
"Laura?"
The light was flicked on, making Laura flinch at the sudden brightness of the room. Blinking, she looked up at the voice to see Uncle Peter standing in the doorway.
Brows furrowed in concern, he moved to step into the room and halted, nostrils flaring.
Laura saw the moment the dots connected in his mind.
The blood and wrinkles in her dress, the smell of teenage musk and arousal, the sorry state she was in.
His eyes flared a bright inhuman blue for just an instant as his control slipped slightly, fingers flexing at his sides.
Masking the rage with a calm expression, Uncle Peter knelt carefully. He made sure to keep some distance between them, giving her space "Laura, are you hurt?"
Laura shook her head, swallowing hard.
"Do you want me to get your mother?"
Eyes widening, Laura shook her head hard. Her voice came out a rasp, scraped raw by the emotions still clogging up her throat and chest. "No."
Peter eyed her for a long moment, considering what to do, before coming to a decision. "Alright this is what we're going to do. I'm going to drive you to the hospital and we can get you checked out. You can decide what you want to do from there. Is that alright, Laura?"
Laura nodded shakily, pushing herself to her feet. Peter followed her, hands hovering to help her if needed.
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Hours had passed. Laura wasn't sure how many. After all the tests and the swabbing for the rape kit, she'd somehow ended up perched on the end of the hospital bed, Peter's jacket wrapped around her shoulders. The scent of leather and books entered her nose with every inhale and gradually soothed her nerves, allowing a comforting numbness to cover her.
Laura wondered how she had ever thought Uncle Peter didn't care.
He never left her side throughout the whole process, standing steadfast with one hand locked with hers as she clutched onto it like a lifeline.
His eyes were sharp and protective as he watched Melissa's every move.
Bless her, Melissa was unfazed by the scrutiny and ignored it as she collected evidence.
Luck must have been smiling down on her because Melissa McCall, the woman she was looking for, was there.
The woman's smile was just as warm as it had been when she welcomed Laura inside Peter's hospital room to say her goodbyes. She didn't know her well but Melissa had always struck her as kind and comforting.
Her every movement was slow and gentle as she maintained a running commentary throughout, describing everything she was doing before she did it.
Laura appreciated it more than she could ever say as she closed her eyes, waiting for it to be over.
When it was finished, the nurse pulled her into a warm hug and Laura stood rigidly, caught by surprise.
"You're going to be okay," the woman whispered into her ear, fierce and comforting all at once.
It was exactly what she needed to hear at that moment.
Laura melted into her then, burying her face in her shoulder as she nodded jerkily.
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After the hospital, they made the trip to the police station and submitted a report of sexual assault.
Whispers flooded through the station as they were recognized.
A hard ball of tension formed in the pit of her stomach as she saw more than a few deputies watching them.
The Hales were well-known around the community as they'd been here for centuries, helping build the town to what it was now.
Trix, an older girl who's younger sister she shared a few classes with, was watching her worriedly, taking in the way Peter hovered just a step behind her protectively.
Her hands were shaking badly and she knew what they were expecting.
They were expecting Laura Hale, the eldest daughter of the Mayor and the next upcoming lawyer. She was supposed to be smiling and chatting, upholding the Hale family name as she served the town.
Laura wasn't that girl anymore.
She wasn't breaking herself into pieces to fit the mold her mother designed and had no interest in furthering her mother's agenda.
Laura had her own agenda now.
She'd lost everything and she would fight with teeth and claws to keep it now that she had it again.
If that meant underhanded tactics, like playing the crowd to her own tune, she had no problem doing so.
Resolve strengthened, Laura let her exhaustion show on her face as she stepped up to the receptionist desk.
"Can I see Deputy Stilinski please? It's urgent."
Noah Stilinski was exactly how she remembered him. He was young, just a deputy, but he had a heart of burnished gold. He'd been the first person she saw in the aftermath of the fire, the one who pulled her away from the smoking wreckage as she gazed in horror.
"What can I do for you, Miss Hale?"
"I'd like to report a case of sexual assault," Laura answered, absently noticing how heads were turning at her words as they echoed around the station.
"And who was the assaulted person?"
"It was me," she spoke quietly, fingers twisting in her lap restlessly as whispers broke out among the deputies and the secretary. "I was at a party and I think my drink was spiked with something. I'm not sure what was in it but I was too weak to push him off."
Peter threw an icy glare at the onlookers, who quickly made themselves look busy.
"Did you verbally say no? Did you verbally deny consent?" Stilinski leaned forward, green eyes worried as he scanned her from head to toe.
"I yelled and screamed for him to stop but he didn't-he didn't care that it hurt and I didn't-didn't want it," her voice broke and her vision blurred as tears streamed down her cheeks, hands furiously wiping them away. "I didn't give my consent in any way, shape, or form."
The deputy softened and he stood, gesturing for them to follow.
Standing, Laura followed with Peter just a step behind, his eyes scanning the room for any threats.
From there, it was two hours of questions as he asked her to give her account of what happened. Laura described it fully, digging her nails into her palms when it got too close.
He asked questions for clarification and she answered the best she could.
When it was over, Stilinski promised to do his best to help her in whatever way he could and they left.
Laura was shaking too much to feel comfortable driving so she gave her keys to Peter, trusting him with it.
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It surprised her when he made a detour through the Dairy Queen drive-through.
He bought a Reese's peanut butter cup blizzard and an Oreo's cookies and cream blizzard, handing them to Laura to hold.
Instead of heading straight back to the house, Peter parked them in a quieter, private part of the Preserve and turned the car off, shifting in his seat to face her.
"Eat your ice cream. It isn't poison, you know."
His voice was dry as he tucked into his own concoction.
Laura leaned back in her seat, pushing her spoon around in the cup.
It was her favorite flavor and she used to absolutely love it.
She remembered rare nights spent out with her family, eating ice cream when they received a good grade or accomplished something.
Since the fire, everything tasted like ashes. Her mouth was full of it and Laura sometimes thought she was choking on it. Her appetite had waned over the years as she ate the bare minimum, more worried about Derek than herself.
The smell of it now made her nose burn and her stomach roll with nausea as she fidgeted, pushing the lumps around instead as she watched them slowly melt.
"I'm not worried about that. What's this for anyway?"
"You did something brave, I rewarded you for it. That is how positive reinforcement works, isn't it?"
The drawled comment, spoken with the same biting wit she'd despised as a child, made her bark out a laugh, startled and pleased.
Glancing his way, she saw his blue eyes brighten as he smirked around his spoon, having taken a bite of ice cream.
Despite the tone, Laura was aware enough to read between the lines.
She smiled, soft in its appreciation.
"Thanks, Uncle Peter."