Part 3

There was nothing much to see or do in Hel. At times, she would be on escort duty and would escort new souls from the river Styx. At other times, she would hear stories from Hades about the other realms.

Hades would visit her often and at times even bringing strange, new things from the other realms. Though she didn't remember her past, the place felt familiar and so did Hades. But while it made her happy to see her lover, his touch still seemed foreign to her. Perhaps it was due to her memory loss that she didn't feel comfortable having her hand held by him or even being kissed. In fact, she would often avoid his kisses, turning her face away so he would end up kissing her cheeks instead of her lips. It seemed to lack the passion and longing that she felt from her visions.

Every now and then, she would get these random, hazy visions. She assumed it was probably something to do with her past that she couldn't recall. It would come suddenly like it did now as the vision caused her to stop in her tracks.

"I knew." A pale girl with dark hair whispered.

"What do you mean?" The boy holding her in his arms asked.

"Right after I told you my name... I think I knew. I've seen things in this town before, things no one really could explain. And then there's the way that you talk... How you say things, like how you'd 'catch a scent.' And I know you can hear things, things that no one else can hear. I knew."

"And you still liked me?"

"I loved you."

Tears rolled down Cara's face as watched the two. It was painful to watch but watch she did. Something powerfully moving was happening and she felt that she could not miss it. She found herself rooted to the spot, mesmerized by what was happening before her.

Then the vision stopped. She didn't even try pushing for more. Whenever she would try to recall more, her head would erupt in pain and she would be bed-ridden for the rest of the day. Cara wiped the tear that had rolled down her face and shrugged off the feelings of sadness.

xXx

It was a disaster.

The house had been tossed upside down. The moment they entered, Paige let out an involuntary gasp and Derek phased into his werewolf counterpart. Both suddenly became alert in case the intruder was still around. After searching the house and being assured no one else was there, they called the sheriff.

The police soon arrived, and they found themselves before Sheriff Stilinski answering his questions. Derek mostly giving the answers while Paige nodding occasionally. Sensing the shock that his partner was feeling, Derek put his arms around her and drew her close to him. He stroked her arm every now and then in an effort to comfort and calm her down.

"Ok, that's all for now. I'll contact you if there's anything else." The Sheriff finished and put his notepad and pen away. "Do you two have any place to stay tonight?"

"Yes. We'll be staying at the motel down the road." Derek informed the man.

The couple got into their cruiser. Paige was quiet which allowed Derek to go through the events of the night.

After the initial shock, they realized that nothing was stolen. It was as if the intruder had been looking for something and had failed to find it. What was even more puzzling was that Derek couldn't catch any scent in the house. Either the intruders covered their scent well or it was a scent that had been at their house before. The former seemed more likely than the latter but what would be able to trick the nose of a werewolf?

xXx

Peter unwrapped the package carefully and took out a charm bracelet that was in it. The moment he laid eyes on it, memories of his time with Ashley flashed through his mind. They had gotten it as a gift for Ashley on her first Christmas with them. It had been a bit pricey, but the two boys had saved up enough money to buy the silver bracelet that Ashley had been eyeing. Although unknown to Ashley, it had been Peter who had suggested the idea and convinced his nephew to get it with him.

Peter could still remember her beaming face when she had unwrapped the gift. Derek had put it on for her and she had proudly showed it off to whoever was around. Peter and Derek promised to get her a charm every year to commemorate their time together and they did. Each year they got her a different charm. Even when Peter had been in a coma, Derek continued to get Ashley a charm each year, making it a total of 10 charms on the bracelet.

During the ritual, the clasp must've broken off in the chaos. Derek had found it the day after lying on the ground.

Peter only found out after he questioned Boyd about it. A few days ago, Peter had Erica kidnapped to force Boyd to be his inside man. Upon discovering his mate had been taken, Boyd had confronted Peter and was subdued by the older werewolf.

Peter had then sent the wolf to Derek's house to look for the bracelet and retrieve it. He also instructed Boyd to make it look like a robbery so as to cover his tracks. Peter had used Boyd to throw Derek off-track since Boyd had been to the house several times already and his scent would not be out of place.

It was hitting two birds with one stone. Peter got to unsettle the couple and he also got the bracelet. If he was going to bring Ashley back, the bracelet was one of the things he needed. It was something that had been precious to her and held a connection to her.

Peter tucked the bracelet into his jacket pocket and drove off to the next location in his plan.