Chapter 10: Unresolved history may taint your future
The truth is, unless you let go, unless you forgive yourself,
unless you forgive the situation, unless you realize the situation is over,
you cannot move forward.
-Steve Maraboli-
...
She turns around facing a much younger Deucalion, alive and well. Getting up from the ground where he had apparently been meditating. Explaining why she hadn't picked up on his heartbeat.
''Beautiful eyes, you got them from your father?''
Déjà vu hits her hard, it's almost the exact sentence Peter said to her when they met for the first time. ''Mother.''
''I doubt it,'' Deucalion responded, dismissing her answer. ''Never thought Leroy would've stepped out on Mary but there is little other explanation for your existence.''
''Hate to disappoint but Leroy isn't my father.'' Carefully shifting closer to the door, listening if there are any other wolves nearby.
Deucalion smiles ruefully, ''An alpha never walks alone.''
Off in the distance multiple glowing eyes light up the dark, a warning, telling her not to run. ''Yeah well, what makes you think I came alone?'' She bluffed, badly.
''Don't fret, I mean you no harm. I just want to have a civilized conversation with you.'' He says remaining where he stands, arms crossed behind his back.
''Civilized you say, yet you surround and threaten me with your army.'' She huffed. Every cell in her body telling her run and fight tooth and nail to get out of here. But she wasn't prepared to face him, nowhere near a physical state where she could, let alone face him and a hoard of his beta's.
Unmoved Deucalion ignores her slight jab at him and continues. ''You deny that Leroy is your father yet I see the similarities not only to him but also to his children, Talia and Peter. Add to that the fact that you opened the Hale vault suggests you must be a Hale and looking at your age you couldn't possibly be anyone else's child.''
Panicking slightly as she tries to think of a plausible explanation. She makes the mistake of denying something she shouldn't, ''Well I'm not a Hale.''
''Remember if you want to make the lie believable stick close to the truth then you can't trip on your own lies.'' Stiles said.
''Your heartbeat tells another story. Long lost cousin then?'' he muses, clearly convinced of his earlier deduction. He observes the enigma that is the coyote before him. Scars trailing all over the exposed skin of the young woman varying from slashes to bullet holes. The question is who did that to her and why the wounds didn't heal properly.
Knowing she has to give him something she nods, ''Something like that, can I go now?'' Looking around she wonders if she could make it past Deucalion to the backdoor AND outrun his pack once outside.
''I promised Talia I would inform her if I encountered you.'' Deucalion says walking a little closer to her, ''She's a good woman you know. If you needed money she would've given it to you simply because you are a Hale, you didn't have to steal from her.''
Ignoring his last statement she tries to persuade him not to call the other Hale. ''And tell her what? That you've captured her long lost whatever?'' Malia responds, ''You think now is the right time for that?'' She emphasis her statement by looking up at the bloody rope.
Deucalion follows her line of sight, ''Perhaps not, but then again when is it ever the right time?''
She intrigues him, a woman shrouded in mystery. An omega Hale, unheard of. The Hale's have a big family but it keeps track of their bloodline, takes care of their members even those placed outside the families care. Yet the woman before him had slipped through their fingers, bastard or not they wouldn't have cast her aside to be brutalized like she so clearly had been. Talia's reaction to the news of her existence told him enough, shock, anger, sadness and shame wafted of the other alpha before she hid her scent completely.
''After everything is taken care of. When there is peace.'' Maybe if she walks a little closer she'd be able to bypass him. Shifting will cost her time but overall she'll be able to outrun his beta's in her coyote form. She passed a small lake on the way here, she could shake them off her tail there.
''That could take a lifetime. Especially if you keep openly tearing apart humans.'' He chuckles. ''No one will mourn him, though the hunters might make a fuss over your methods. I do wonder, why kill him instead of say reporting him to the police?'' he muses out loud not receiving an answer.
Stopping her slow advance to the exit as she sees a pair of glowing eyes at the back entrance, blocking her escape route. Shit.
''How about we set up a meeting the day after tomorrow and I'll see if a truce can be achieved by then.'' Thinking that would calm the skittish coyote down. ''Though I am going to need your full name for my beta to verify, before you leave. Wouldn't want you to slip away with the Hale fortune.''
Malia's heart starts pounding rapidly at the thought of the meeting with Gerard, anger swirls through the air putting Deucalion's beta's on edge. The beta called Marco approaches closer than he should, claws out ready to prove himself to the pack.
''Marco, stand down.'' Deucalion calls out but Marco ignores him, determined to prove his strength.
He attacks Malia from behind, manages to rake his claws down her back once before she turns to face him. Growling she throws him over her shoulder, when he gets up facing away from her she takes this opportunity to slash the tendons in his popliteus (hollow of the knee).
Growling Marco falls to his knees when the were-coyote slashed the muscles in his knees. Before he has a chance to turn around she grasps both his arms, putting one foot in the middle of his back she kicks out while simultaneously pulling on his arms.
Deucalion calls off his other beta's who snarl at the coyote taking down Marco. Observing the coyote's movements he deduces she's fighting to disarm not kill, otherwise she would've simply slashed Marco's throat already. Her fighting style is peculiar, almost militaristic. She's incorporating both human and wolf fighting styles in a cold and detached fashion, as if she'd performed it a million times before.
She pulls his arms straight out of their pockets, dislocating and thereby disarming him completely. She kicks him face down into the ground, unable to control any of his limbs, unable to get up.
''Bitch.'' Marco growls as he goes down.
Walking around to face him, blood dripping from her back as she does so. She bends down next to him, ''Arrogant.'' She growls, flipping out her claws she approaches him, seeing red as her eyes glow a violent blue.
''Don't.'' Deucalion's voice cuts through the red haze.
Looking up she sees Deucalion, still just standing there. ''Why not, he attacked me. He tried to kill me and he wouldn't hesitate to do the same to you!''
''Because he poses no threat to you now. Killing him wouldn't serve any purpose other than proving you're nothing more than a feral omega.'' He says approaching her slowly.
Eyes still glowing a cold metallic blue, ''He disobeyed you, he will again. And again, and again.'' She says pointing at the downed beta, ''And then one day he'll fancy himself an alpha and he'll attempt to slit your throat.'' She warns stepping away from the downed beta. Moving towards the door with some difficulty, when two beta's move to block the exit.
''Let her pass.'' Deucalion orders, not willing to hold her against her will after his own beta attacked her. ''My apologies for Marco's behavior. You're wounded, why don't you let me escort you home.''
Leaning against the wall Malia turns her head back to Deucalion, tempted by his offer. It was a long run back home. ''I'll pass.'' She snarls, it wouldn't do for him to know where she lives.
Stumbling through the door she panics slightly as her eyesight begins to spot, stilling she blinks them away. Turning back she sees some of his beta's leave through the backdoor, others carrying Marco. She's never gonna make it back to Beacon Hills in this state.
Swallowing her pride and maybe her fear she addresses Deucalion, ''You can give me a lift to town?''
A small smile ticks up in the corner of his mouth, ''Absolutely. Rest assured, I'll deal with Marco accordingly.''
And that's how she found herself in the car with the 'Demon Wolf'. Observing him as he drives. He's not at all what she'd imagined, different from when she'd met him but also different from what the pack told her about him. That said maybe he was more similar than she knew, after all she'd only met him a handful of times and he seems quite pacifistic already.
He keeps his eyes on the road even as he feels her eyes boring into him. He wonders what she sees when she looks at him, usually were-coyote's avoid werewolves. Coyote's usually move in small family units as opposed to wolves who build packs and accept outsiders. Something to do with the fact that coyote's pass pieces of their power to their children, makes them in a sense more valuable and tightknit.
Turning away from him she leans her head against the window, relishing in its coolness. They sit there in comfortable silence until she breaks it, ''You shouldn't trust so easily.''
He scoffs out a laugh, ''Trust so easily? You speak as if you know me.''
''Mmm, not really. But you remind me of someone I used to know. He trusted easily too and it almost cost him everything.'' She says still facing the window, watching the trees flash by. ''You shouldn't trust Gerard with anything, let alone a meeting in an abandoned distillery in the middle of nowhere.''
If she didn't have his attention already she sure had it now. ''How did you know about that? I haven't told anyone about my plans yet. Barely even finished thinking about it.''
As she turns to face him, tired eyes greet him. ''Your best chance at a truce would be Chris Argent, he's a good man.''
''A good man who hates the supernatural and has no authority over the Argent family.'' Deucalion counters, intrigued even more as she speaks so favorably about a hunter. An Argent at that.
''Still better than that psychopath.''
''Perhaps or perhaps Gerard may surprise us all.'' He shrugs.
''Gerard-'' Deucalion rasped out, ''What he fears most…he can't beat you. And he knows it.'' The live slowly drained from his body.
''It's really started hasn't it?'' Malia asked.
Stiles turned to her confused, ''What's started?''
''It's an all-out war.''
He started a war and didn't even have the decency to live long enough to see the carnage he'd created. Kate killing him at the start of it had been a kindness he hadn't deserved. He should have suffered through the drought, the starvation, the battles, the bombings. He should've seen the people's hopelessness, fear and despair. He should have heard their cries and prayers. He should be the one lying awake haunted by their voices, their painfilled screams, their pleas for mercy, he should've suffered through it all.
Her head hurt thinking about the injustice of it all.
They drive awhile in silence again caught up in their own thoughts, flanked by two other cars driven by his beta's. Reaching Beacon Hills' center, one of the two peels off in another direction while the other keeps driving in front of them.
''My name is Deucalion Edevane. Though I suspect you already knew that.'' He says, not so subtly fishing for her name.
She'll have to introduce herself sometime and it's not like she'd kept her name secret up until now. Besides tomorrow she'd be finishing what she came here to do, him knowing her name won't change that.
''Malia Stitch.''
He frowns a little at her last name, if he picked up on the lie he doesn't comment on it. ''Malia Stitch,'' he tries out. ''Malia is a family name you know, for the Hale's that is.'' He says, slowing the car as they drive into an all too familiar place.
''The vet clinic really? This your way of telling me I'm an animal?'' She jokes, trying to quill her own nerves.
He looks at her and speaks to her frankly, ''You smell of anger, pain and most of all grief. You're too skinny and covered in scars. Add to that the fact that your back is still bleeding, not showing signs of healing at all, forces me to take you to get some help.''
''No one is forcing you to do anything. I'm fine, this is nothing a good night's sleep won't take care of.'' Malia says throwing the car door open, jumping out intending to go home.
Stumbling as the ground starts to tilt towards her before a strong arm grasps her middle, stopping her downward course. Looking up she sees it's Deucalion, she doesn't protest as he leads her towards the vet clinic. Maybe seeing Deaton would do her good.
…
''Shouldn't Kate be here? She knows how ill you are.'' Chris says pacing the living room as his mother sits on the couch petting her sleeping granddaughters hair.
Looking up at her son, Juliana Argent wonders how she got two so drastically different children. One who rushed to move his family to where she was, at first sign of her illness. While the other chooses to go off backpacking in Europe.
''Leave Katie out of this Christopher. We don't know how long I'll be here for, it could be months or years. Should everyone else pause they're lives for an uncertain amount of time which could stretch years?'' she asks looking at her son.
Frowning he sinks into the armchair next to her, ''And what's dads excuse for leaving you on your own all the time?''
''You know what keeps your father busy Christopher. Nous chassons ceux qui nous chassent.'' Juliana answers, coughing a little afterwards.
''Yes, we hunt those who hunt us. But why must he do that now, couldn't he leave it to some other hunters for a while?'' Chris says as he moves to hand his mother a glass of water. ''I just don't understand how they could leave you like this, unprotected when you need them the most.''
Patting her sons hand she responds, ''It's in their nature to hunt, just as it is in ours to care.''
…
Entering the clinic she hears five other heartbeats. As Deucalion assists her to one of the waiting room chairs she hears the conversation from the other room.
''What did this to him?'' she hears Deaton ask.
''A were-bitch.'' Marco growled out.
''A were-coyote, whom he was stupid enough to attack.'' An unknown, probably another beta, says.
Then she hears Morrell, ''The Hale were-coyote? Deucalion ordered you to attack a Hale?''
Snickering rings through the clinic, ''Eh no. This arrogant peacock decided he knew better than Deucalion, disobeyed orders and attacked her without provocation.''
''She reeked of aggression, you all smelled it!'' Marco yelled. Deaton and Morrell share a look, unseen by the other people in the clinic.
''Yeah but you were the only one to disobey orders and proceeded to get your butt kicked by a skinny coyote of all creatures.'' The same female voice from earlier responds.
''Shut up, they're here.'' A deep voice orders, an older beta.
Walking to the front Deaton observes the scene before him. Deucalion carefully lowering the younger woman into one of the waiting room seats, lingering maybe a little longer than necessary. He waits patiently until the alpha turns to face him.
''Deaton.'' Deucalion nods to him in greeting.
''Deucalion.'' Deaton nods in response, ''And who might this be?''
Waving her a hand at Deaton she smiles lightly, ''Malia. Malia Stitch.'' She sighs as she sits down, exhaustion seeping into her bones now that all the adrenalin left her body.
''And what brings you here today, miss Stitch?'' Deaton asks politely, surprised to see the young woman's smile fall at his question.
''Why didn't you ever have children?'' Malia asks watching as Deaton held a sleeping Alexander tenderly in his arms.
''I might never have had any in the conventional way but I believe I've helped raise many. I sure have loved and cared for quite a few, Malia.'' Deaton answers.
''Some very kind, innocent and righteous,'' he continues casting an eye over Scotts sleeping form before turning back at her, ''Others wild, blunt and resolutely loyal.''
Ignoring the stinging at being addressed like a stranger she answers him. ''His beta,'' referring to Deucalion. ''Slashed my back open and since I wasn't in the best physical condition before that happened, it isn't really healing…''
''Well then miss Stitch, I'd be happy to patch you up right after I have finished with my other patient.'' Deaton says not unkindly.
''Her first.'' Deucalion says, surprising everyone in the clinic. ''Marco caused this mess, he disobeyed me, let him feel the consequences of his actions.''
Deaton doesn't bat an eye though, ''Very well, if you'd follow me then.'' Opening the mountain ash gate to let them pass through to the back.
Having heard the Alpha's decision the two beta's escorting Marco move him from the examination table and drop him in a sitting position in the corner of the clinic. Leaving him in the corner with healing legs but painfully disjointed arms, he doesn't protest though knowing he was in enough trouble already.
Malia gets up from the waiting area and stubbornly makes her own way to the examination room. Sitting down on the table with some difficulty. Unaware that the florescent lights in the room make her scars and fatigue even more visible. She'd been running on fumes for a long time and it seems that her body is taking any and every opportunity to rest now that she is in a time pre-war.
Struggling to take her shirt off she huffs unable to lift it over her head, ''You can just cut it off, not like its salvageable anyway.''
Walking around the table Deaton cuts her shirt open like she suggested, revealing a gnarly slash mark going from her left shoulder to just above her right hip. It however also reveals many scars, several made by claws and teeth others with knifes and bullets.
The young female beta gasps at the sight, the older male just averts his eyes and Marco can't take his eyes off of it. Morrell assists her brother as he cleans the slash mark made by Marco. Deucalion clenches his jaw as he sees the damage.
''So you're a were-coyote correct?'' Deaton asks lightly, as if he doesn't see all the scars she shouldn't have.
She hums in confirmation.
''Can I ask how you got these scars?'' he asks gentler than she'd ever heard him speak.
Craning her neck she looks at him, sees the concern in his eyes. She laughs trying to ease the suffocating tension, ''First rule of fight club. You don't ever talk about fight club.''
''Did hunters do this to you?'' The young female wolf, Clara asks in a quiet voice. ''Cause those scars?''
She chuckles tiredly, ''Depends which one are you talking about?''
''Malia… the people who hurt you. We can protect you from them.'' Deucalion says, eyes boring into her own.
Closing her eyes, she bites her lips. How many times had she said those same words, had her family said that. ''You don't have to worry about them, there's a reason my eyes are blue and not gold.''
''That implies they were innocent, and I cannot imagine that anyone who would do this to another person could be considered innocent.'' Deaton says appalled by the young ladies explanation. These wounds were inflicted stretching years and somehow they prevented the healing process.
''I couldn't explain it to you even if I wanted to, and I don't want to.'' Malia says, turning around she addresses the terrified younger wolf. ''You don't have to be afraid, this will never happen to anyone else. The people who did this? They don't exist anymore and they never will again.''
''Guardian angel.'' The older beta, Dean whispers. ''That's what the baby Hale called you.''
Ignoring that comment she glances at Marco, face pinched in pain. ''By the way I appreciate getting help first but you should really pop his arms back into their sockets, cuz leaving them like that hurts like a bitch. Trust me, I'd know.''
Deucalion and the older beta turn to help Marco, though with some reluctance.
As Deaton stitches her wound she starts to fall asleep, swaying a bit from side to side. It felt nice to surrounded by a pack again, even if it isn't her own. Even when one of them is an arrogant backstabber then again even that felt familiar seeing as her pack had its own in the form of Theo.
Deucalion is there in a second holding up, cradling her head gently. ''Come now angel, you have to stay awake while the doctor patches you up.''
Half sleeping she responds, ''It's good to be back home, before the war.'' She whispers before her eyelids drop closed. Exhaustion winning against her yet again.
He picks the now sleeping were-coyote up and lays her down on the examination table so Deaton can finish stitching her back up. Clara folds her jacket up and places it under Malia's head, careful not to wake her. Silence reigns over the clinic as Deaton works. Afterwards they leave Malia in the examination room, gathering in the waiting area.
''What did she mean before the war? Before what war?'' Marco asks genuinely concerned, with his own wellbeing.
''It could mean many things. Perhaps she is referring to an internal war she's battling or she could mean the possible war brewing with the hunters and Ennis' pack.'' Deaton answers putting the beta's at ease, before they leave the clinic.
''You're not leaving?'' Deaton asks as Deucalion takes a seat in one of the waiting room chairs.
Deucalion looks back, resting his head on his hands. ''Not while she's unconscious.''
''It could take hours before she wakes up you know?'' Morrell says an amused smile forming on her face.
Deaton takes a seat across from him, ''She has a tough road ahead. Damage like that doesn't simply damage the body, it does the same with the mind. And the damage I saw in there is profound.''
''She's a survivor, I can see that much.'' Deucalion counters.
''Deucalion, I advise you not to get attached any further. Miss Stitch has been running from something for a long time from the looks of it and it's catching up to her. For her, an injured omega, to fall asleep surrounded by wolves is disconcerting at best and extremely alarming at worst. Add onto that her malnourishment and her non-existent healing, which from the looks of her isn't a recent thing,'' He faces the other man who's ready to reject his opinion, ''Deucalion, her body is failing her. She's on a downward spiral and if it continues as is, I fear she'll be dead within the year.''
He doesn't understand why he cares so much, maybe because she's a Hale or perhaps because of the fire in her eyes. Maybe it's the fact that she, unlike many others, doesn't fear him simply because he's an alpha.
''From what I see she's been alone for quite a while, struggling with-'' Deucalion turns his head away unable to name the horrors she must have suffered. ''She isn't alone anymore. Talia is coming tomorrow morning and then she'll have the entire Hale pack surrounding her, supporting her.''
Morrell watches as Deucalion leaves the obvious hanging in the air, that she'll have his support. What she'd done to earn it remains a mystery to her, as far as she knew they'd only met a few hours ago but he spoke of her with such respect and care as if they'd know one another for years.
''That won't matter if her mind doesn't start healing neither will her body, no matter the care.'' Deaton hated to say it but accepting her into a pack, only to have her die anyways would be excruciating for the alpha in question. He's seen it on more than one occasion, losing a pack member broke something in wolves that humans could never truly understand. The closest he could relate it to was a parent losing a child but then it still couldn't quite compare.