Killer | Derek Hale

ALPHA PROBLEMS

"What did your dad say?"

Stiles sighed, "It's definitely a werewolf. There were claw marks found on all the bodies."

Scott hung his head at the news. Kira placed a hand on his shoulder comfortingly.

"What about the campsite? Did you two catch a scent?"

He looked up at Maia and Derek. The latter was formally standing around the kitchen table where everyone was gathered. But Maia was sitting in the other room, watching tv on the couch.

The pack looked between her and Derek, sighing as they saw the girl. She neglected to answer, seeing as she was too focused on the movie she was watching.

"Could she get any more annoying?" Malia muttered.

"Actually, yes," Stiles said. He rose his voice to a higher volume, hoping Maia could hear the next part, "Because she chews her chips with her mouth open!"

The girl smirked and looked up at the group, "Actually I just do that to annoy you."

She popped a chip in her mouth and crunched on it loudly. Stiles shuddered at the sound and glared at her.

Once she was done messing with the boy, she got up and made her way into the kitchen. She sat down in the chair next to Derek as she joined the conversation.

"To answer your question, no, we did not find a scent. There was too much blood."

"Any tracks?"

"Nope."

"Any clue whatsoever?"

"Nada."

The group collectively tensed at the lack of information. They could feel the growing despair and they knew more bad things would happen if they didn't do something.

"Well, I for one, am still partially thinking that this was done by you," Malia accused.

"I kinda agree with her," Liam added.

"I was here the whole time. You can ask Stiles because I know he sat outside the door all night with a baseball bat," she retorted.

The boy blushed in embarrassment as the others faced him. He held his hands in surrender but didn't attempt to argue the claim.

Maia pulled a folder out of Stiles' pile in the middle of the table. She opened it up and examined it again. The picture had been bothering her since last night when she first saw them.

The others debated on what to do as she scanned over the report. Her eyes searched the pictures again and again, looking for something new. And when she finally found something, her heart skipped a beat.

Derek and Scott instantly looked up. They had been listening to her heartbeat the whole time, making sure she wasn't holding out on them.

"What is it?" Derek asked.

She laid the picture down in the center of the table. It was the surveillance photo of before the victims were killed.

"See that?"

She pointed to the far back seat. The passenger sitting there was blurred out by a soft light. It was barely recognizable, which is why it could've been mistaken as a camera glare. But any werewolf knew that it was a side effect of their eyes.

"They were on the bus," she stated.

They all leaned over the table to get a better look. They realized that she was right.

"So if we can find out who was sitting in that seat, we can find out who the alpha is?" Liam clarified.

They all nodded. Scott sighed in relief and clapped his hands, "Okay, Stiles and Lydia, you two check in at the sheriffs station and figure out who was in that seat."

They nodded and hurried out the door. The others began planning what to do after they caught the alpha. Maia thought it was humorous considering they hadn't even figured out who it was yet.

"Do you think Argent's cell will hold an alpha?" Kira questioned.

Maia scoffed, "That's if you can even get them in there."

They all turned to her in confusion. She rolled her eyes and tried to clarify.

"You're going up against an alpha, Scott. You can't just simply knock them out and take them prisoner."

"So what do I do?"

"You challenge them. You fight them. You kill them."

His eyes went wide, "What? No, we don't kill people."

"That's the only way to stop them," she argued.

He shook his head, "We'll find another option."

She rolled her eyes and stood up. She left the pack at the table and walked upstairs and into Stiles' room.

She picked his computer off his desk and sat down on his bed. She decided that if Scott was too busy to help her, she was too busy to help him. She had other priorities and finding a rogue werewolf was not one of them.

Derek came to find her a few minutes later. He stepped into the room quietly and shut the door behind him.

"The no killing policy must be new to you," he stated.

"It's a stupid policy."

"It's worked so far."

"So far being the key words," she retorted.

She typed in another search on the computer. When it came up with nothing but research she'd already read, she groaned in frustration.

"Looking for the talisman?" he asked.

She neglected to answer but her silence spoke for her. He sighed and took a step closer, his figure looming over hers.

"When you said you needed things in Beacon Hills, I have a feeling it isn't just Scott and some talisman. I think there's more to it than that."

"There's always more to everything," she replied, "Nothing is ever simple."

"Including yourself."

She smirked, glancing up at him, "When will stop trying to figure me out, Hale?"

"When you tell me more about yourself," he shrugged.

"I already told you my life story."

"Yeah, your story. Stories can be made up. And if you're gonna be a part of the pack, you need to stop lying."

She stopped typing on the computer and looked up. She suppressed her smile with a bite of her lips.

She tossed the computer to the side and uncrossed her legs. She stood up and faced Derek, staring up at him with an amused expression.

"Let me make something very clear: I will never be afraid of you. I will never follow your rules. And I will never be a part of your pathetic pack nor will I need to be."

He tensed as she lowered her voice and pressed closer, "You are weak, defenseless, and powerless. You may be a former alpha but I've been an alpha my whole life. I'm stronger and faster and I can kill you with a single bite. And in comparison, you are nothing."

A brief flash of sadness crossed his face.

"So if you, or anyone else, tries to cross me...you'll see how a true alpha acts."

His facade reappeared and he seemed unaffected by her words. Though they hit home, he couldn't let her get under his skin.

He laughed lightly and bowed his head. He slowly walked back towards the door, stopping as he reached the doorway.

"Take it from me...it's hard to not care about these people."

He tapped on the frame and turned his back on her. But he glanced back over his shoulder with a second thought.

"By the way, Stiles keeps his bat behind his door."

She glanced at him with an unreadable expression.

"Just in case you want to steal it."

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