Pure × Isaac Lahey

18.

Peter took the circumstances into accound, his nose slowly healing itself. "I wasn't Derek's closest confidant, she was. I kept telling him to turn her so they could be together forever."

Elora leaned on the table, her palms flat against it. "But even if Peter convinced Derek, there was the fact that he could ask Talia to do it. Her emissary would've never allowed it."

"What's an emissary?" Stiles asked, looking between Cora and Elora as Peter wandered the loft.

"They're druids that help a particular pack," Cora said. "They keep us connected to humanity. But they're a secret even in the pack. Sometimes only the alpha knows who the emissary is. Derek and I had no idea about Deaton."

Peter came over, arms folded. "Or his sister, Morrell."

"She's an emissary, too?" Stiles questioned quickly.

"For the alpha pack," Peter said casually.

Stiles seemed slightly bewildered, "Our guidance counselor? Why the hell don't you people tell me any of this stuff, huh? I shared some really intimate details with her."

Elora stood next to Stiles, looking over to him. "And did she give you good advice?"

Stiles thought for a minute, "Actually, yeah."

"That's what they do," Peter said. "That's what Deaton used to do for Talia."

"But you avoided asking Talia, or Deaton, when you wanted Paige bitten." Elora looked up to Peter, wondering if he felt any remorse. "So you had Ennis do it."

"Ennis?" Cora asked, "Why would you choose him?"

Peter held a blank, emotionless look. "Why not? Ennis needed a new member for his pack. Paige was young and strong. Doing a favor for Derek meant Ennis would be in good with Talia."

"And back then," Elora said, "everyone wanted to be in good with Talia."

"He doesn't remember it was Ennis, does he?" Stiles asked.

"If he does," Peter said, "he keeps it to himself."

Stiles looked to Elora, "So, then what happened?" His eyes flickered to Peter. "Did he turn her?"

Elora played with a chip in the table, "Almost."

"Last moment, Derek wanted out. He came at Ennis. A fifteen year old boy against a giant. There was no reason to fight."

"She'd already been bitten," said Elora. "That's when I showed up. I could hear Paige whimpering from the woods when I went looking for Derek. Ennis was on his way out as I came through the doors of the school. She was bitten."

"So did she turn?" Cora questioned, looking between her uncle and cousin.

"She should have," Peter replied. "Most of the time, the bite takes. Most of the time."

Something clicked for Stiles as he recalled the winter formal from sophomore year. "When you offered it to me, you said 'if it doesn't kill you..."

"If," Elora softly said. "We took Paige somewhere safe to us. He held her and I tried to take her pain, but rejecting the bite isn't something you can heal, even with magic."

"When I came down, he asked me what was happening to her, but he knew the answer, though. It didn't matter that she was young and strong. Some people just aren't made for this."

"She fought," said Elora. "She struggled desperately to survive. Even with Derek and I trying to pull the pain, it wasn't enough."

"Elora and I went to go get Talia, and while we were gone...well,"

"Derek did what he had to, to stop her pain."

"I remember taking her body from his arms," Peter told them, "to the woods, to a place where I knew it would be found."

Elora looked out the rain stained windows, "Another in a long line of Beacon Hills animal attacks."

"And what about Derek?" Cora asked with tears brimming in her brown eyes.

Peter sat on the steps leading out of the loft, Cora and Stiles in front of him as Elora sat alone on the table.

"Taking an innocent life takes something from you as well," he said as he played with his fingers. "Bit of your soul. Darkening it."

You would know, Elora thought.

Peter went on, "Dimming the once brilliant, golden yellow to a cold, steel blue." He flared his eyes, "Like mine."

Elora ran her sleeve under her eyes, her phone lighting up as she looked down. Picking it up, she swiped along the lock screen.

Derek: Will you meet me?

Shooting back a reply, she climbed down from the table and slipped her phone into her pocket. "As much as I love Peter's dramatics, I have to go."

"What, to see Isa-"

Peter's voice cut out as Elora flicked her wrist before pulling out Derek's car keys. "That'll give you two an hour of silence," she said to Cora and Stiles as she passed Peter.

"Elora?" Stiles stopped the witch in the doorway, still a little rattled by the story. "Was Derek really that different after Paige died?"

"He used to smile a lot more," El replied. "He used to be happy." Her eyes fell to her uncle who couldn't speak. "But some people aren't happy unless they leave others in a wake of destruction. They just have to ruin it for everyone to feel anything at all."

Elora slid the loft door shut behind her, making her way back down through the building Derek owned. The exit door blew open, allowing her passage out to Derek's car. Climbing into the SUV, she left with a rage rushing through her bones. It slowly faded as she drove to the edge of town, going where Derek had told her to.

She parked the SUV in an overgrown lot, finding a distillery made of metal standing in front of her. Her own car was parked not too far away, telling her Derek was already inside.

Elora walked softly into the distillery, only moonlight pouring in as she walked up to him and took his hand in hers.

Together, they looked at the vendetta imprinted into the steel wall by angry claws eight years before. At his side, Elora put her head on his shoulder and squeezed his hand lightly. She thought of Paige's playing and how her fingers danced across the cello with such beauty and grace.

And as she listened, she let the waves pass to Derek so he could hear it too.

But even if she hadn't, he was already hearing it.

She wanted to tell him that everything was going to be okay, but honestly, she didn't know anymore.