Lonely Hearts ▹ Scott McCall ✓

18 ▹ It's Never Over

"You're a Pakun, Darren. You feel things. You see things. You help others. It's who you are, even before transforming into this."

"Darren?" Malia called out for the fourth time since receiving her math test. When the girl finally acknowledges her, the were-coyote shows her the last math test that she had taken. The one where Darren had given her the notes and even spent a few hours of her time helping her study. "I passed!"

A large red "C-" was circled and the smile on Malia's face caused the pained Darren to smile to her friend.

"It's improvement." The brunette nodded to the girl, who grinned wider at her compliment. Even though Darren hadn't known Malia that long, she rooted for the girl in success—especially after hearing of her backstory from Scott and Stiles. She couldn't imagine coming back to civilization and being shoved back into school—even if the girl was slow at learning, Darren was impressed that she was still making it when all this was basically new knowledge to her.

As Darren was leaving the hospital that night, she was stopped by Stiles—who was running towards the girl in a frantic manner—he had waited till her father left her side to explain what had happened. She heard him, but her mind was going a thousand miles a minute. She had just been told by her father—the man she loved and trusted with her life—that he was the cause of everything.

"Your mother, Darren, she loved you very much. She gave her life to protect you and me."

Darren rubbed her hands down her face. Malia watched the girl with concern, she could smell the revolting smell of anxiety radiating off her frail body. She recalled Stiles explaining that some men came to her hospital room last night and attempted to kill her. Apparently, if her father hadn't of got there when he did, the assassins would have succeeded. Malia wondered if that bruise on her cheek and forehead was from the bonfire incident or the killers.

Darren clenched her fists in her droopy hair, doing the same action with her eyes as she tried her best to ignore the incoming flashbacks from last night.

"I should have known coming here was a bad idea."

Shaun Johnson forcefully watched as his daughter sat in the mess of her hospital bed. Her eyes were distant as she thought over all the information the older man gave her. He had decided on leaving out a few things, things he could go over with her at a later date since she was shaken over the current information.

"Our last name isn't even Johnson?"

"Ich-Biete has been the last name of the Pakun family for many years and generations. My grand-dad, your great-grandfather, always told me stories of how the Pakun's wore their name with pride. I was the first of the family to break the chain when these men, hunters and my former pack, started hunting me down. The only way I knew how to get them off my back was to change who I was...I had to strip myself of my identity. I was no longer an Ich-Biete, and instead, a generic Johnson."

Malia was about to ask if the girl needed any help when shook her head and Kira put a hand on the were-coyotes shoulder. Malia furrowed her brows, getting more concerned over Darren as she watched the girl hide her face in her hands. She really wanted to shake off Lydia, but if Lydia, Kira, and Stiles were all telling her to give Darren her personal space, she needed to listen.

"You're learning fast. At this point in my transition, I was still having difficulty ignoring others around me." Shaun smiled softly down at his daughter. "It doesn't surprise me that you've learned so fast."

"That's only because I've been forced to learn fast for survival! If I didn't learn then my friends and I would already be dead!" The distressed female yelled loudly at her father, her eyes tearing up from the betrayal and hate she felt now.