Disclaimer: Teen wolf does not belong to me in any way, shape or form. Thanks for the continued support, sorry for the delay. I'm in the last year of my degree, and work had been piling up, so I had to focus on that because I procrastinate lol. But I'm back – yay – so hope you all enjoy :)
Multiple drinks in and most - if not all - of Kayla's anxiety around seeing her old friends again was gone. Within a short space of time, it felt like things had never changed – even though everything had.
They laughed, joked, and danced, catching up on many lost months—just like the good old days. They threw back drink after drink as if it were water, and the bartender was surprised every time they ordered more. He kept his mouth shut though, enjoying the free flow of cash.
Even when she glanced over to Stiles and Blake, they seemed at ease and relaxed, eating their wings and laughing as they chatted. She was thankful to Blake for taking the time to get to know Stiles and make him feel included and appreciated. That was Blake though – laidback and kind, always having time for anyone. Whereas most of her other friends from back home were a handful, Blake was steady and dependable, a mature head on his shoulders. He embodied exactly what a big brother should be and looked out for all of them on more than one occasion.
"He is cute" Emma shouted over the music, gulping back the last mouthful of her whiskey on the rocks as she nodded to where Blake and Stiles were talking. "For once, I approve of someone you're dating".
"I didn't date before Stiles" she pointed out with a smirk.
"Okay, well-" Emma rolled her eyes pointedly, "-casually see, whatever".
"Was my taste really that bad?" she asked, lifting her own beer bottle to her lips.
Emma and Luke burst into fits of hysterical laughs, like she had cracked the best joke they had ever heard.
"Sweetie, I love you, but yes" Emma chuckled, "your taste was really that bad. It's like you saw a red flag waving above their heads and went running towards it like a bull on heat".
"Remember Connor?" Luke smirked, nudging Emma who laughed at the reminder.
"Yeah, or Todd" Emma grinned, "oh, and that teacher we had at the start of freshman year".
"Okay, that last one doesn't count. I was fourteen and thought I knew everything, and he was in his late twenties and probably a perv" she pointed out.
"Oh, and that college guy. What was his name?" Emma clicked her fingers together, trying to pull the name from her brain.
"Which one? There were a few" Luke grinned, dodging Kayla's playful punch to his arm.
"Thanks for the reminder, guys" she snorted, rolling her eyes in amusement as she took another gulp of beer. "I get it, I'm a disaster when it comes to boys".
"And girls" Emma laughed, "there's been a few crazy ones there too".
"Louise" all their voices rung out in unison before dissolving into laughter.
"Yeah, she was nuts" Luke agreed, "didn't she carve 'bitch' into your locker?"
"No, that was Mark" Emma corrected, "Louise tried to spike her drink with rat poison".
"You sure make people go crazy over you, don't you, Hale?" Luke laughed, but he wasn't aware just how right he was. Peter's words ringing in her ears that she could make people go 'crazy'… was this happening even before he bit her?
"Well, we're just glad you're dating a nice guy for once" Emma smiled, "someone who is entirely appropriate for you as well – bonus".
"Stiles is… he's one of the good ones" she admitted, "and he hasn't run away screaming yet, so even better".
"Aw" Luke mocked playfully, reaching out to ruffle her hair. "Is little Kayla-baby in loveeee?"
He was teasing and mucking about, as was about 90% of Luke's personality, but at those words the beer bottle almost slipped from her grip, choking mid-way through a swallow.
Her friends, ever observant, caught the slip of her usual calm demeanour and shared a knowing look as she grabbed a napkin and wiped the spilt beer from her chin, trying to avoid their eyes.
"What?" she settled on saying, the silence making her uncomfortable.
"Oh my God" Emma muttered, her jaw hanging open as she grabbed onto Luke's arm. "Do you love him?"
"Love who?" she pretended to act clueless, taking another few gulps of the beer and finishing the bottle, waving the bartender over and ordering tequila – straight.
"Santa Claus" Emma replied, "who do you think? Stiles".
"This-This conversation is not happening" she shook her head, "especially when I'm still half sober".
"So, is that a yes?" Luke smirked, not fazed by her mild glare. "Is your heart not as stone cold as you always said it was?"
"It's a… It's a maybe" she admitted, "and if any of you repeat that to anyone, I will kill you slowly and very very painfully. Remember that".
"Our lips are sealed" Emma snickered, "but love is kind of a big deal".
"You sound like Allison" she remarked, happily swallowing the shot of tequila that was placed in front of her within a second of it being poured, waving her hand out for a refill before the bartender could disappear.
"You've never loved anyone before. Well-" Emma shrugged, "-apart from Harry".
Thankfully, the second shot went down before she had to hear her dead ex-best friend's name again, the sting in her throat dampening the pain that flared up in her heart.
"I didn't love Harry" she said, indicating for another shot. The bartender obliged, overfilling the glass so it spilt over her fingers as she raised it to her lips, trying to stomach the strong liquid. "He was my best friend".
"You loved him a little bit" Luke said, "and he certainly loved you – in his own way".
She pushed the glass back for another relief, her eyes a little hazy. The bartender simply smirked, pouring out another shot for her.
"Should I just leave the bottle?" he asked, shaking the half-empty bottle of tequila. "Maybe along with my number?"
"It's just the bottle I'm interested in".
He seemed a little taken aback by her refusal but, to save face, simply hid it with a smile and left her the bottle, heading off to attend to others waiting to be served.
"We haven't had much of a chance to speak to you about him" Luke continued, "you left his funeral pretty quickly".
"I hate funerals" she said, pouring herself her fifth shot and swallowing it in one large gulp, her tastebuds – and stomach – were used to the powerful, gut-curdling flavour by now so it barely even burned on the way down. "And there's nothing to speak about. He died. He's gone. That's it".
"It's okay to miss him" Emma said, "you're allowed to grieve for someone that was a big part of your life".
"I did".
That was a lie. She didn't. She ignored the pain of losing her best friend and, in turn, ignored his very existence. There was a reason she didn't speak about him because she knew if she did, then she would have to feel that ache that nearly destroyed her before.
Kayla Hale did not cope with grief well, and she couldn't afford to go through that again.
Emma and Luke dropped the subject, knowing they shouldn't push her, and laughed as she swallowed her sixth shot.
"Good to know you can still hold your liquor" Luke snorted.
"Livers regenerate for a reason, right?" she laughed, "now, can we please talk about something less depressing, please?"
"You mean like how you love your new boy toy?" Emma giggled, her smile bright on her flushed face, her brown eyes alight with mischief.
"Actually, let's go back to the dead best friend" she remarked sarcastically, taking yet another shot and probably completely destroying her stomach lining whilst she did it.
"Have you had sex with him yet?".
"No" she said, much to both her friends' surprises.
"Wait, wait, wait. Hold up" Emma gasped, "so Aiden, who was a massive dickhead, you slept with after thirty seconds, but this cute and funny boy you actually love you haven't sealed the deal with yet?"
"Stop saying that word" she stated, slurring her words a little. "And things – and people – keep getting in the way".
"People like us?" Luke snickered, "did we interrupt some kinky plans?"
"You, and about half the town it seems".
"Well, let's make sure you're not out of practice" Emma giggled, taking her hand and pointing to the rodeo bull in the distance. "Loser has to make out with the bartender" she wagered.
She cocked an eyebrow at her friend, silently accepting the challenge. "My riding game is always top".
"Maybe" the blonde smirked, "but I've also been seeing Tyler since last month and, let me tell you something, that boy has stamina".
"Game on".
Luke cheered them on as they made their way to the bull, Emma going first. Her charismatic friend hyped up the crowd as she threw her leg over and began to ride it, cheerfully singing along to the sultry country music.
She lasted just shy of three minutes before being bucked over, the crowd cheering in delight at her performance.
"Your turn" Emma smirked, bounding over to her. "Just remember, boy toy might be jealous if you have to kiss another guy".
"Just as well I won't have to because, just like the wet t-shirt contests, I always win" she laughed, jumping up on the bull.
In the distance, she caught sight of Stiles watching her with wide eyes which were locked on her and just smirked triumphantly, blowing him a playful kiss.
The music got louder, and so did the people that were watching. Over the seconds, the bull's movements became quicker and jerkier but, like the pro she was, she stayed on without even so much as a minor slip. Her body curving and rolling with the movements.
In fact, she was pretty sure she only stayed on as long as she did because she imagined she was riding Stiles instead and put on the show of a lifetime for him. Feeling his hungry eyes on her the entire time.
Her bare thighs gripped tightly, allowing her body to bounce up and down as she got flung around, she realised today was probably a day she should have been wearing a bra, but she didn't care, all her worries and stresses completely forgotten.
After five minutes, and beating Emma's time, she allowed herself to get flung and landed on her back on the soft mats, the cheers and yells of the crowd at an all-time high.
"For someone that's not had dick in a few months, you sure haven't forgotten how to treat one, have you?" Luke chuckled, helping her step over the fence and back onto solid ground. "If you rode me like that, I doubt I would last ten seconds".
"I very almost did ride you like that" she pointed out with a coy smirk, "remember that last summer party before freshman year?"
"How could I forget" he smiled, "that was the best seven minutes in heaven ever".
Okay… so she and Luke had hooked up a couple of times, sue her. It was all strictly platonic and a bit of fun anyway. Her teenage years were full of fun and experimentation, finding out her sexuality and preferences in a lax and carefree way. It was all just in good jest.
"It was actually closer to like fifteen minutes" Emma admitted with a laugh, "we all just wanted to see how far you two would go. Plus, the noises you were making, -" she directed to Luke, "-no one wanted to interrupt".
"Thank God for that" he exclaimed playfully.
"It was just a hand job" Kayla chuckled, "nothing special".
"You got mad skills" Luke beamed, "California guy is lucky".
"California guy would have got lucky if you losers never showed up" she teased.
Luke ruffled her hair affectionately. "There's still time. The bathrooms are right back there".
"I'm not subjecting him to losing his virginity in a tacky bar. Trust me, it ain't all it's cracked up to be".
"What's all it isn't cracked up to be?" Stiles appeared with Blake beside him.
"Nothing" she cut in before her friends got a chance to say anything, grabbing a beer and shoving it in his hand. "Beer?"
"Oh. Sure. Just one. I should probably be the designated driver, huh?"
"Well, at least one of us is being sensible" she joked, "remember… I need to be home by eleven or all hell will break loose with the devil incarnate itself, otherwise known as my mother".
Her friends gave them some time to themselves, moving along the bar to laugh and drink some more but she could feel their eyes on them the whole time. Probably enamoured by the fact she was acting soft and playful with Stiles and exhibiting something deeper than simple lust and attraction.
"Are you happy?" he asked out of the blue, catching her off guard. "I mean, you look happy, but it's kind of hard to tell sometimes. I know things with you and your friends got complicated for a while".
"I'm happy" she smiled, "I missed them, and things aren't as awkward as I thought they would be. It just feels normal – except for the fact I can't tell them about werewolves or the supernatural or that I'm some kind of freaky seductress, but just minor details, right?" she joked sarcastically, the alcohol making her feel a little woozy.
"You could tell them" he suggested tenderly, much to her surprise. "They might be okay with it".
"I could" she agreed, "but I won't. It's not fair to them. Knowing the shit we know, it ruins lives. They don't deserve that".
"Or maybe things would finally make sense to them" he shrugged, "they seem cool. I can't imagine they'd react badly".
He was right. They wouldn't. They would probably take it all in their stride, but she wasn't in their lives anymore. Not like she used to be. It wouldn't be fair to put that kind of burden on them after all this time.
"I used to want to tell them" she admitted, "but my dad forbade it. He said the supernatural was only safe if no one knew about it. For years, I felt guilty not being honest with them, but I was scared they would get caught in the crosshairs of the war between worlds. I couldn't be responsible for them getting hurt. Maybe I could tell them if I was back home now, but I'm not home. I'm here. And here means I can't protect them".
"I get it" he nodded, "it's a big thing".
"It is" she agreed, "and too big for this weekend. I just want to switch off for a while, can you help me do that?"
His eyebrows shot up, taken aback and a little perplexed by that ask, his mind clearly bouncing between what she could possibly mean by 'help'.
"Dance with me?" she smirked playfully, taking hold of his hand and leading his stumbling and uncoordinated body to the dancefloor, desperate to leave her worries and stresses far behind her – at least for one night.
She didn't remember much from the rest of Friday night but knew Stiles had got her home before curfew and into bed before her mom could suspect anything, leaving a tall glass of water on her bedside table. Something she appreciated the next morning when she woke up with a hangover from hell and a text from her friends summoning her back out. Another day of wild and reckless behaviour under the guise of 'catching up'.
Her tolerance had definitely lessened recently because, come Sunday morning, when it was time to drop her friends off at the airport, she felt like death warmed up and was probably a liability behind the wheel.
"You should come back home for a visit this summer" Blake encouraged as she pulled into the drop-off zone. "Trust me when I say that everyone misses you".
"I'd like that" she smiled, "I miss home".
"Don't be a stranger, okay?" Luke asked, squeezing her shoulder.
She promised she wouldn't be, but wasn't sure if she could uphold it. She loved her friends and missed them, but this weekend just proved how much had changed.
She spent the last two days having to dodge the truth and be careful with what she said. With Scott, Stiles and Allison, it wasn't like that. She didn't need to pretend. Up until Beacon Hills, she had become used to lying and hiding the truth. Since the move, she found people she didn't have to lie to, and it felt good. It felt freeing. It put things into perspective that her entire life, up until two months ago, had been one big secret.
They hugged and said goodbye, and she parked in a layby and watched their plane take off.
A small part of her wanted to go with them, but she was finally content with living in Beacon Hills and starting a new chapter in her life. Ready and willing to build a new and better life than the one she had lived for sixteen years.
Stiles was busy with Scott, so she spent Sunday hanging out with Tabby and taking her to the movies and then to the park, stuffing her with so much candy she got kid zoomies and then crashed out in the car ride home.
Jane greeted them at the door, holding it open and smiling at them as she carried Tabby up the driveway.
"You're the best babysitter I have ever had".
"I know" Kayla beamed, passing a sleeping tabby to Jane, who cradled her to her chest.
"I really appreciate you looking after her" Jane said thankfully. "Your mom has just made dinner if you want to join us?".
"Has she poisoned it?"
Jane gave her a pointed look, cocking an eyebrow at her.
"Kayla, she's trying" her aunt said, keeping her voice hushed. "I know things are not easy with you two, but she is trying".
Her mom's definition of 'trying' equalled the bare minimum but, then again, she didn't really expect anything else from her mother.
"I know" she nodded, "but it's still weird and tense, and that isn't going to change".
Her aunt simply sighed, knowing Kayla was too stubborn to change her mind on the matter.
"So, dinner?"
"Sure" she agreed, hoping that spending time with her mom would not spoil the good mood she was in.
"Okay, let me just put her to bed and I'll join you both" Jane smiled, heading up the stairs and leaving Kayla to awkwardly saunter through to the kitchen where her mom was plating up the food.
She didn't greet her. In fact, her mom barely even glanced up at her when she entered, her demeanour cool and dismissive. Then again, it wasn't anything out of the ordinary for her. She had rarely – if ever – felt any degree of warmth from her mother.
"I hope lasagne is alright" her mom said after several frayed seconds, but her tone told her that she didn't care if Kayla objected. It was lasagne or nothing.
"Lasagne's fine" she said, taking a seat at the breakfast bar.
The plate got put in front of her and she mumbled a quiet thank you, her mom sitting down opposite her.
"Have you got homework tonight?"
"Yeah, a little bit".
"Make sure you get it done".
Luckily, Jane arrived before Kayla could quip something disrespectful back that would probably get her grounded or thrown out of the house (again), and her presence helped dissolve some of the growing tension.
The sooner she got out of this house and away from her mother, the better.
"Full moon tonight".
At the sound of her voice, Isaac glanced up from where he was chaining his bike to the rack, caught off guard by her sudden and unexpected appearance, but his exasperated gaze made it perfectly clear that he did not want to speak to her. Not that she was going to give him much of a choice.
"Well done" he muttered, "you can read a calendar".
Unlike before, he seemed different. An edge of sadness to him that seemed more magnified than usual, his broad shoulders tense and brooding.
"Where were you on Friday?"
"Sick".
"Werewolves don't get sick" she pointed out, folding her arms across her chest as he stood and went to step around her, but she intercepted his escape route, their bodies nearly colliding.
"Fine. I was avoiding you" Isaac said, "are you satisfied with that answer?"
"Avoiding me why?"
"Your never-ending questions and your judgement" he replied, "for accepting the bite".
"I get why you did it, but I still think you're stupid" she remarked, uncrossing her arms so as not to look so defensive. "I just want to know that you'll be locked down tonight, so you don't kill someone".
He flinched almost unnoticeably as if the thought of getting restrained and locked up was his idea of hell, making her frown in wondering.
"Derek has a plan" Isaac confirmed, but the sound of her cousin's name made a sour expression cross her face, still bitter and furious at his betrayal.
"Good".
"You don't need to be mad at Derek" Isaac said, "he saved me".
"He condemned you" she corrected, "and you're naïve if you believe anything different. I meant what I said the other day - all of this supernatural crap is a curse. It might seem like a gift, but it's not".
"Do you think you're a curse?"
She wondered how much Derek had told his beta about what she was, even though what was known about her equated to mostly nothing, but judging by the cautious yet intrigued look glinting in his eyes, she assumed he did know.
"I don't think. I know" she said for certain, her tone giving no room to argue, "But unlike you, I didn't agree to it. I didn't want it. It was forced on me".
"You don't enjoy the power?"
She didn't know how much power she even had, but if that night at the Hale house told her anything, it was that she had a lot, but she hadn't dared explore it. Not yet. She wasn't exactly the poster child for self-control and dabbling in that kind of thing could lead to disaster.
"Embrace it" Isaac advised with a small smile. "Trust me, I spent years, cowering and scared to stand up for myself. Power isn't a bad thing".
"It is in my hands" she muttered, mostly to herself.
He smirked, leaning closer to her to whisper "control is overrated in my opinion, anyway".
She didn't recoil like she thought she would, their stares clashing.
"What makes you think I care about your opinion?"
He barked out a laugh, pulling back and standing up straight.
"Feisty".
"Just be careful tonight" she advised, followed by a roll of her eyes. "A full moon is never pleasant".
"What makes you think I care about your concern?" he retaliated, unable to bite back his amused smirk, using her own words against her. Enjoying their banter.
"Care about this" she shot back, flipping him off and striding away, feeling his eyes on her the whole time, but she didn't dare look back. A little unnerved by his words.
She met up with Lydia and Allison on the steps into the school, with the redhead giving her a curious and calculated look.
"He has the hots for you" she pointed out shamelessly.
"Who?"
"Bike boy" Lydia replied, "it's so obvious".
"Isaac?"
"Oh, on a first-name basis with him, are you?"
"I was just giving him some advice" she shrugged.
"Advice about how to get into your pants?" Lydia smirked, her playful stare glinting with delight as she gave her a coy once-over, scrutinising her in her denim shorts and cropped vest top.
Kayla rolled her eyes, almost forgetting how blunt her friend was. "Kind of wish you were still taking your naked hike through the woods right about now".
"Speaking of-" Allison cut in with a deliberate laugh to change the subject, "-you really don't remember anything?"
"They called it a fugue state, which is basically a way of saying, 'We have no idea why you can't remember running through the woods naked for two days'. But personally, I don't care. I lost nine pounds" Lydia grinned, posing in her tight purple dress.
"But are you sure you're ready for this?" Allison asked.
"If not, we can just bunk off" Kayla suggested with a half-hearted shrug. "Go to the movies or something?"
"Oh please. I don't 'bunk off'. And I have nothing to be ashamed about. It's not like my aunt was a serial killer" she scoffed. "Or-" she added, turning her gaze to Kayla "-my cousin was a suspect in several homicides".
Lydia pushed open the double doors and strode in, full of confidence as if the last week never even happened.
Unfortunately, this was Beacon Hills. No one was as quick to forget what had happened the night of the dance and what followed after – especially the gossiping and inquisitive vultures of Beacon High.
Everyone stopped and stared at Lydia, who faltered and gulped at everyone whose stares were fixated on her.
Allison smiled, leaning down to whisper "Maybe it's the nine pounds".
The strawberry blonde rolled her eyes, flicked her hair over her shoulder and strutted through the crowd to her homeroom.
"She has guts" Kayla muttered in appreciation.
"She's strong" Allison nodded, walking slowly alongside her as everyone continued to throw them both cautious glances. "Teenagers can be cruel".
"That they can be".
"I was going to text you, but obviously I can't with my parents monitoring my phone, but I asked them about 'the protectors'. You know, Brian's parents?"
"Oh" she exclaimed in surprise, "what did you find out?"
Allison winced. "It's bad. They're not like hunters. They're worse. They don't have a code to follow, or even morals. They're assigned a town to protect and will do anything to purge it from its supernatural influence. Apparently, uh… after the fire, well… that's when they arrived".
"Right. Because one of the oldest and strongest werewolf families was pretty much wiped out" she muttered, "they probably couldn't set up shop here before that".
Allison sent her a small sympathetic smile followed by a nod, thinking the same as her.
"We don't need this on top of everything else" she sighed, "I kinda hoped that people trying to kill us would be put on the back burner for a while".
She and Allison bid farewell, heading in opposite directions after the warning bell rang, but she didn't make it to her homeroom like she had intended.
Why?
Derek, that's why.
Like some creep lurking in the shadows, he waited until she was alone before pulling her into an empty classroom by her elbow, ignoring the profanities that burst from her mouth at the sudden intrusion.
"What the fuck? Get off me" she exclaimed, yanking her arm away from him as she stumbled into the classroom. "What the hell are you doing here?"
"I'm trying to help".
"Oh yeah, help who?" she scoffed, "help Isaac? You failed there".
"I gave Isaac a gift" Derek insisted. "Trust me, he's much better for it".
"Wait until he gets cut in half or burnt alive, and then ask him if you've given him a gift" she threw back at him. "You took advantage of someone vulnerable, which is something I didn't think you were capable of. But then again, I didn't really know you, did I?"
"You do know me" Derek insisted, "I'm still Derek. I'm still your family".
"Then why doesn't it feel like it?"
"You need to trust me" her cousin continued, "as an Alpha, I can protect you. I can protect this town".
"I don't need your protection" she dismissed, her eyes momentarily flashing a bright neon green. "I don't need you".
"How long will you hold onto this grudge, Kayla?" he asked, "aren't you bored yet?"
"Do you feel guilty yet?" she retaliated with. "No? Thought not".
"Peter killed Laura" he said, making her flinch. "He was out of control. He needed to die".
"I know that" she snapped, "it's not what you did, it's how you went about it. You lied to Scott, and you lied to me. We were just pawns in your game for power".
"That's not true" he shook his head.
"It is" she stated, without room for arguments. "And now you're changing teenagers into werewolves to add to your power. Power" she scoffed, "power, really?"
"There are forces out there that I need to protect us from. So yeah, I needed power" Derek said, "and I need you and Scott on my side and in my pack".
"Have you completely lost your mind?" she barked out a sarcastic laugh, unable to believe the nerve he had to come to her school and demand this of them. "I will never join you, and neither will Scott".
"Beacon Hills isn't safe-"
"Has it ever been?" she cut in, "we'll manage without you".
She went to walk away, fed up with his self-serving bullshit, but Derek's voice made her stop in her tracks.
"Something killed Isaac's father".
She turned back around to face him, taken aback by his words. Isaac's saddened and off demeanour this morning now making sense.
"Something?" she wondered, "or someone?"
"It wasn't Isaac" Derek rolled his eyes, knowing what she was about to accuse him of. "I went and saw the body. He was torn up with something bigger and scarier than werewolf claws. This is why we need to stick together".
Her relationship with Derek was complicated, and it only seemed to get more complicated. She wondered how, and if, she could ever forgive him. Not just for the past few months, but the rest of her life. The secrets he kept from her, under the guise of 'protecting her'. To her, that sounded like an excuse.
"Stick together?" she laughed, finding it ironic he proposed that when his actions all but guaranteed they would never be together ever again. "My God, do you hear yourself right now?"
"Kayla-"
"No. No" she snapped, striding up to him and pointing an angry finger in his face. "Don't you 'Kayla' me like you have some kind of authority over me. I will never be a part of your pack. Never".
She was getting angrier and angrier by the second, but she knew she was only getting so angry because she loved and missed him, and his betrayal hurt worse than most things she had felt before. She had lost so much, she thought having Derek back in her life was a good thing only to get that hope and expectation ripped out from under her feet.
Derek's eyes seemed to soften a little, as if he was realising how badly he hurt her.
"I'm sorry" he admitted, much to her surprise. "I'm sorry I didn't tell you about the fire. I'm sorry I was a part of covering that up. I'm sorry I wasn't there for you like I should have been when you lost your family. I'm sorry I betrayed you and killed your father in front of you. I'm sorry that I'm not the cousin you need or want, but we need each other. It's only me and you left now kid".
His acknowledgement of wrongdoing and subsequent apology was something she thought she would want, but, as it transpired, it wasn't. If anything, it made her even angrier – like a bubble of fury growing and erupting inside her.
His apology meant he knew that everything he had done was wrong, but he didn't care at the time, so why care now? Probably because he was wanting back on her good side to add to his 'power'. Again, everything came back around to power. She was fed up with it.
Just like back at the Hale House that night after the dance, she felt an uncontrollable fury take hold of her body, rooting her to the spot. Her eyes glowed a deep green as she glared daggers at Derek who frowned at her, sensing how angry she was.
"Kayla, you need to calm down" he said sharply, but there was a blip of wariness in his tone as he subtly took a small step backwards.
She didn't listen – she couldn't. Not from Derek.
Her anger continued to grow, her body shaking as she clenched her fists by her side, her blood running cold yet was searingly hot at the same time.
Her cousin glanced around the room as the single-paned windows began to shake, rattling loudly. The pieces of chalk fell from the chalkboard, rolling along the floor. The teacher's empty cup on their desk was knocked over, breaking upon impact with the floor.
"Stop it" Derek snapped, "Kayla, quit it".
Just like that night, she didn't know what she was doing. All she knew was that she was so furious she felt out of control, unable to wind that fury back in.
A second later, the row of windows exploded outwards all at once, making them both jump. The pressure inside her body eased off after that, her eyes fading to their usual green.
"How do you do that?" Derek asked quietly, looking at her like she was someone he didn't know.
She wanted to deny that it was her, but it was blatantly obvious that it was. First, the lightning, and now exploding windows? She was the common denominator here – unfortunately.
"I… I don't know" she whispered, swallowing nervously.
"We do".
The sudden intrusion of a male voice made her and Derek whip around to see Brian's parents standing by the door, locking it behind them.
Derek, sensing the threat, stepped in front of her, trying to hide her from their view.
"You're an abomination" Brian's dad growled, his tall and broad figure nearly obscuring his wife. "And now you're going to pay for what you did to our son".
Derek glanced at her, the question evident in his gaze.
"Brian" she answered, rolling her eyes. "And for the last time, I didn't kill him. That was my psychotic father".
"I told you we just had to wait until they were together. See?" Mary nudged her husband, almost in something close to excitement. "Now we get two for the price of one. The Alpha and the whore".
Derek's eyes glowed red, his claws extending as he growled at them in warning, but they seemed unfazed, either too cocky for their own good or they knew something Derek and her did not.
"I will wear your teeth around my neck as a trophy" Brian's dad promised, his dark eyes focused on Derek before looking at her. "And we will gut you open like a fish".
She didn't hear the threat to her, focusing only on the fact he said 'Wear your teeth around my neck as a trophy'.
Teeth.
He wanted Derek's teeth.
The fact that her dad and brother's teeth were also pulled from their mouths was too much of a coincidence. Was it not hunters that killed them after all? Could it have been protectors?
"Kayla, go" Derek ordered. "I can handle this".
She was rooted to the spot, her mind in turmoil. Forced to let Derek push her to the floor as a knife got sent spinning in their direction.
Brian's parents attacked, catching them off guard. Derek wasted precious seconds trying to get her to safety, letting out a loud and pained roar as a knife got lodged into his back, directly between his shoulder blades, by Brian's dad.
She went to help him, hurriedly scrambling to her feet, but Brian's mom, Mary, darted in front of her, blocking her way with a large metal blade in her hand.
"Not so fast" the woman hissed, "you're mine".
Kayla was forced to jump back as Mary slashed out at her, the blade, seeming to be coated in something, glinted dangerously under the luminous overhead lights.
"Wolfsbane?" she snorted, nodding at the blade. "That won't work on me".
Mary's lips upturned into a devious smile, unnerving Kayla to the core.
"This isn't wolfsbane" she said, shaking her head slowly. "This is something specifically for your kind".
"My kind?"
"Enchanted. Cursed" Mary snarled, taking another slash at her and forcing her back against the wall. "It's rare. Extinct in the wild. Only grown in private collections or botanical gardens. We were lucky to get our hands on some".
"Yeah. Lucky".
With that, Mary took another swipe at her, and Kayla had to grab her wrist, forcing the knife in the opposite direction so it hit the wall instead of her head.
Mary was persistent though and much more squirrely and wiry than she expected. The bloodlust she had made her stronger as she readjusted the knife in her grip and plunged it straight towards her chest.
Kayla floundered and was left grabbing at the blade which sliced her palms.
Immediately, it stung. Not the kind of pain like a cut through the skin. No. Something worse. As if something was burning her skin - like acid.
She winced, knocking Mary back so she fell backwards to the floor, Derek and Brian's dad still fighting in the distance.
Maybe Mary was telling the truth. Maybe; whatever was on the blade was poisonous after all.
She glanced down at the cuts on her open palms, barely deep and only bleeding a little, but the pain was immense and sickening, cuddling her stomach.
She felt weak, stumbling back against the wall as Mary jumped to her feet and came at her with the blade yet again. Her vision was blurring, her head spinning as she clumsily tried to stop the knife from stabbing her but as soon as she grabbed Mary's wrists, she felt how weak she truly was.
In the span of ten seconds, she felt as though she had developed stage four cancer.
Whatever was on that blade was a death sentence.
She tried to stop Mary. She tried to push her away. Instead, all she could do was watch helplessly as Mary overpowered her and slowly drove the knife into her chest, below her collarbone.
One centimetre, then two, then before she knew it, easily five, six and then seven centimetres through her flesh and muscle.
She wasn't strong enough to stop her, and each deep slice into her skin was enough to make her feel as though she was getting impaled by a sword. Whatever poisonous substance was coated on that blade was working - and working quickly. Too quickly.
Mustering up whatever strength she had, and ignoring the agony spreading through her body, she let go of Mary's grip around the hilt of the knife and reached up to drive the pads of her thumbs into her eye sockets.
Well... she didn't mind playing dirty.
Mary screamed and her grip around the knife loosened so it clattered to the floor, giving her enough leverage to kick out at her and sending her careening backwards into a row of tables and chairs before sliding down the wall in exhaustion, her body on fire.
What happened after? She had no idea. From then on, it was lights out. Her body succumbing to the poison.
Stiles had no idea what Scott had heard as he raced after him through the school. All he caught his friend saying was something about Derek roaring and a fight.
He very almost told Scott to leave it. That Derek could handle it himself, that he was a big bad Alpha now and didn't need his help, but was glad he didn't when he skidded around the corner and into the classroom to see Derek narrowly avoiding an axe splitting his skull open and Kayla hunched against the wall, pale and shaking.
Whilst Scott jumped into action to help Derek, Stiles rushed to Kayla's side, skidding on his knees next to her.
"Kayla? Kaylz? What happened? Kaylz?" he asked urgently, tilting her chin up off her chest as he tried to get her attention, his heart sinking at how pale and sweaty she was. Her green eyes seemed dull and lacklustre compared to their usual fire and vibrance, her breathing shallow and quick.
"P-Poison" she whispered, and it was then he noticed an open wound just below her collarbone, blood congealing around it. The skin around it was a flaming red, whilst the laceration itself seemed to be turning black, as if it was dying off.
He didn't know what to do, looking helplessly out at Derek and Scott who were finally getting the upper hand on who Stiles finally recognised as Brian's parents, and tore off his plaid shirt to ball up and press against her shoulder.
Kayla winced, hissing out a pained sound as she tried to push the pressure off but he just shook his head, hating causing her pain.
"I need to stop the bleeding" he insisted, "what was it? What did they give you?"
She was drifting in and out of consciousness, her head lulling against the wall as she tried to focus on his voice but Stiles could tell whatever he was saying wasn't sticking.
"Kaylz, baby, look at me" he pleaded, lifting a hand to cup her cheek and urge her to look at him. "What did they give you?"
She half heartedly shrugged, beads of sweat dripping down her forehead.
"I... I don't know".
He was panicking whilst trying not to show he was panicking, glancing back and thanking all his lucky stars that Scott and Derek had finally pushed Brian's parents into giving up, retreating away with a promise that this was far from over.
"Derek" he called out urgently, grabbing the Alpha's attention. "Help".
He hated Derek for what he had done, but if anyone knew what to do right now, it was him.
Derek rushed over, kneeling on the other side of Kayla and staring down at her in disbelief and, for the first time in a long while, Stiles saw real vulnerability shining in his gaze.
"Do something" Stiles demanded, snapping Derek from his staring. "Help her".
At that moment, Kayla started seizing. Her eyes rolled back and she stiffened and careened sideways, falling directly into his lap. Her entire body was jerking and spasming and the severity seemed to snap Derek from his panic as he looked back at Scott.
"Find me a lighter or a blowtorch. Something with an open flame".
"An open flame?" Stiles cut in, trying to hold Kayla still as she started foaming at the mouth. "What the hell for?"
"To burn the poison out of her. Now go" Derek directed to Scott, who scuttled away.
"You can't" Stiles argued, "she doesn't heal like you do".
"I don't know what else to do" the Alpha snapped. "I don't know what they gave her".
Kayla's body was still seizing on his lap, her skin hot and sweaty and flush. Stiles remembered when Derek was poisoned with wolfsbane, and how the burning cured him of that. Could it do the same for Kayla?
"What if you're wrong?" Stiles asked with a petrified gulp. "What if it doesn't work?"
Derek remained quiet, and Stiles knew exactly what he was thinking. If it didn't work, then he had no other ideas. That thought alone scared him half to death.
After a few more seconds, Kayla stopped seizing. Slowly coming back around and looking up at him with confusion and fear written all over her pale face.
"You're going to be okay" he promised, swiping some damp hair from her forehead. "We've got a plan".
She didn't say anything - or maybe she couldn't say anything. Her lips quivered as she shook in his arms, shuddering from the cold.
She was failing and failing fast. She looked even worse than when he saw her on the night of the full moon. He was terrified then, and he was terrified now. Left holding her limp body as she slipped in and out of being semi-aware and conscious, the wound on her shoulder continuing to blacken more.
"If it doesn't work-" Stiles said, hating himself for what he was about to say but knowing he had to say something. "-Would the bite save her?"
Derek glanced across at him in confusion, not quite sure what he was getting at.
"Your bite! The bite of an alpha" he continued in frustration. "It didn't work with Peter because it sped up the change into a seductress, right? Well, if she got bitten again, would it turn her into a werewolf?"
To his surprise, Derek didn't seem horrified by that idea, taking a few seconds to think it over.
"Would it?" he asked breathlessly. "Would it save her?"
He knew it was probably the last thing Kayla would want, but if it saved her life, wasn't it worth it?
"I... I don't think so" Derek said, shaking his head. "It doesn't work like that".
He deflated, sagging over as he realised that this moment, right here, was when he could lose her.
It was selfish of him, but he didn't want to lose her now or ever. Not when he just found her. Not when he had finally gotten to feel what love was.
The thought alone terrified him.
He held her tighter, looking down at her and was surprised to find her looking right back at him, the message in her gaze perfectly clear.
'It's too late. Let me go.'
Not now. Not ever. Never in a million years. He would never give up on her.
"Just hang on" he pleaded, "we'll fix this".
She looked weak and dejected, fading fast. Her expression twisted into agony.
It was then Scott raced back into the classroom, clutching a blowtorch in his hands and throwing it to Derek.
"This is insane" Stiles shook his head, "you could kill her".
"If I don't, she'll die anyway" Derek said, flicking the flame on and making Stiles recoil back in shock. "Both of you, hold her down".
He held her on his lap as Scott pressed onto her legs, holding them onto the floor.
All of this was happening too fast for Stiles to comprehend, his mind in shambles. It started off as an ordinary day, and now he was cradling his girlfriend who was on the brink of death and about to be an accomplice to her getting burnt. It was crazy to even think about, never mind to actually happen.
Kayla blearily shook her head, trying to flinch away from the flame, and he tilted her head up in his lap to meet his gaze.
"It's going to be okay" he promised, not knowing if he was lying out of his ass, but knowing she needed reassurance right now more than ever. "You're going to be okay. I'm right here. You'll be good as new in no time. I got you. You know why?" he mumbled, stroking her cheek as a way to ease her distress. "Because I love you".
He didn't even realise what he had said, too scared that she was dying in his arms to care about anything else, including his shitty timing.
For a moment, she seemed to latch onto his words. A small frown of contemplation pulled at her brows and her gaze softened, but a second later she passed out, succumbing to unconsciousness.
... Did he just tell her he loved her for the first time as she lay dying in his arms?
Would he get another chance to, or would that be the last thing she heard?
A/N) eeeeeeek. Guys guys GUYS. He told her he loved her but ahhh the timing. Trust me; these next few chapters are going to be FIRE and I can't wait haha. I hope you all enjoyed; excited to hear your thoughts and I promise to see you all soon xx