Deafening Silence

10 // Everything is Not as it Seems

 I stood there, glued to the wall in fear as my hearing went fuzzy. I slowly backed up into Talia, who was frowning at me. I could tell just by meeting her earlier that she despised James nearly as much as I did.

"Come on, let's go take a walk." She suggested, not wanting James to overhear anything.

As we stepped outside, we walked down the lines of townhouses, past two blocks until we were out of earshot. She stopped, turning to me with her hands on her hips.

"You weren't supposed to hear any of that." she frowned.

"Well, why don't you tell me then? Or I could just go tell James that you blabbed to me." I gave a witchy smirk. I felt bad, stabbing her in the back like this. Then again, I wasn't much for making many friends in such a situation. Crossing my arms over my chest like a total diva, I frowned inside my head about how much I was sounding like Erica right now.

"Fine." She grumbled, looking from side beside before being able to look me in the eye again. "James isn't really...his own Alpha. He's working for another Alpha. Or, the rightful one anyway."

"Peter." I said quickly. She looked up to me with an eyebrow raised.

"Yeah...him."

"So what did Nick mean when he asked if I knew what I was capable of?" I said, my voice shaking. To be honest, I wasn't sure that I really wanted to know.

She looked to the floor, wringing her hands as her eyes flickered nervously to mine. She bit her lower lip, and I could tell that she was risking her life, let alone her commitment to the pack by telling me this.

"You know when you were bit, and James played it off as him?" she whispered. I nodded, taking a step back.

"It...it wasn't James. It was Peter, and since you were bit by an alpha, that automatically made you a part of his pack."

"Go on." I frowned.

"He bit another girl, Lydia Martin." my eyes lit up, and she continued. "Seeing as you've obviously heard of the name before, she's immune."

"Immune to what?" I said.

"Immune to the bite, but not immune to being connected to Peter. His spirit has...contacted her over the past few weeks, preparing her for tonight."

"Wait, are you saying that I'm connected to his spirit, too?" I murmured.

"Yeah, but since you're always around Derek and the pack, he's never been able to show himself to you. It would raise too much suspicion, too much trouble. It would have ruined his entire plan." she bit her lip, waiting for my reaction.

I kept my expression as plain as possible, but couldn't resist to turn around as I felt hot breath on my neck. There was James, glowering down at us. His eyes strayed from my fear-struck ones to Talia's equally fearful ones.

"James..." she murmured.

In a fraction of a second, he was gripping her by the throat. She fell to the ground weakly, losing any oxygen left in her lungs. I pulled him away at the last second as she gasped into the air. He whipped around, gripping my wrist with searing pain. His claws dug into my skin, letting blood trickle freely down my wrists.

"Now, now, James." A blood-curdling voice made me freeze, rigid as I was no longer attempting to escape his iron-like grip. As I slowly turned my head, I saw Peter. James looked to Peter, and then back to me. "We can't hurt our biggest asset."

"I'm not going to do anything for you!"

"I'm the rightful Alpha of Beacon Hills." He hissed. "I'll get it back whether or not you choose to participate."

"But you're dead!" I shrieked.

"Not everything is as it seems, dear Bryn." he smirked. "James, keep her locked up and out of the way." he snapped, disappearing into thin air before I could object once more.

I was taken fiercely by the arm as he dragged me down the street, leaving Talia to fend for himself. Did every single Alpha on this goddamn planet have such a horrible temper? At least on Derek, it was attractive. He burst me through the door, tears rimming my eyes as everyone peered out from the kitchen.

He shoved me into the cellar, shutting the door with a loud bang. It was dark, cemented, and only had a tiny window near the ceiling that I could fit through. I flipped the light on, already feeling my bruised arm starting to heal as I looked around. Many chains for both wrists and ankles were bolted into the wall, and I swallowed deeply as I realized what it was for.

The full moon.

I felt the urge to get to Derek, and I tried, I tried so hard. It just wasn't possible, and I could feel that the basement had become werewolf-proof. No wonder there were so many less "accidents" in this town.

After sitting for hours in that basement, craning to see through the door or budge the window open, I gave up, sitting on the floor with exhaustion. My eyes flickered hopefully to the door as he click of the lock rang through the concrete walls. Nick stepped in with a tray, putting it down on a table in the room before leaving. I didn't try to speak, or attack him, because even if I did manage to tear through him, there were at least five or six werewolves on the other side of that door who were much more experienced as me. Nick sensed my thoughts as well, because he hadn't even shifted before entering.

Nightfall came soon enough, leaving the flickering light that dangled from the ceiling and my thoughts. I continually braided and unbraided my hair, completely ignoring the food that was laid out on the fold-up table.

My head tilted up towards the window as a crowbar crashed the glass to the floor. A gloved hand shot through, and of course my first thought was Derek. I didn't even hesitate as the door opened and James started down, fuming. I took the hand and was nimbly pulled through, leaving James to grasp at my feet. Once I landed on the grass, I didn't even look as I hugged my savior.

"Good to see you too." Isaac smiled. I backed away, thoroughly embarrassed. He had shifted, but remained completely calm. "My father." he explained. I quickly dismissed the thought, knowing that he was his anchor. It was kind of sweet, that he forgave such a horrible man for doing such terrible things. I didn't want to dig, but we quickly ran back to his car as we started off towards town.

Maybe an hour later, we started walking on the street towards Derek's apartment. I took a step back, the wind knocked out of me. Isaac supported me, holding my head above the pavement. A panicked look shot across his face, and as I suddenly stood upright, I murmured one word:

"Derek."

I was off before he could even comprehend the word, bolting through the forest with him long gone and out of sight. I didn't think he had deserted me, but I was much faster than most. Even on a full moon.

I ran through bolting through trees as I wove in and out, finally coming into view of Derek's house. I heard two heartbeats, and as a third appeared out of nowhere, I took a deep breath. I crept up, slower as I made my pulse slow down. The floorboards were soundless beneath my feet, and as I made my way into the living room, I saw Lydia dragging Derek into the dining room. There was a ghostly appearance in her eyes, and I knew that she was being controlled by Peter. Whatever was going down tonight, it was going down right now.

Derek's arm was lowered into a hole that had been dug from the floor. Loose wood was lying anywhere, and my eyes adjusted easily to the limited light. I felt the shift in me, but bit it back. Claws dug into Derek's arm, and I gasped. Quickly covering my mouth, Lydia's head didn't move. I was safe.

Derek's eyes flashed red, but the red blended into his emerald green. As a small conversation happened between them, Peter's chilling voice echoed through the air. I couldn't hear what he said, because I was too distracted by the look of shock on Derek's face that matched equally my own from behind the decaying wall.

Derek was no longer the Alpha.