Asher Lewis' life was crumbling to pieces. Anyone and everyone that interacted with her could tell something was wrong. But it wasn't just wrong, it was heartbreaking. And she was dead serious.
Her life was crumbling to pieces.
How do you deal with the fact that a man you have trusted and cared for almost your entire life murders your father? Sure, Ennis isn't her biological father, but that doesn't matter. He was her dad and he was murdered. So how in the hell is Asher supposed to deal with that?
Revenge, of course.
And by that she means betraying Deucalion and everything he stands for.
--------------------
Walking up to the building her and the pack lived in, Asher had to keep telling herself to stay calm. She was angry, very angry, but she doubted Kali or the twins knew what Deucalion had done and she didn't want to hurt the wrong people. The girl pulled the door open, walking into the lobby.
"Oh, Asher!" Someone around her called, catching her attention.
"Hmm?" Asher hummed as she turned to her left.
It was Allison.
"Allison, hey." She greeted halfheartedly.
She knew the Argent had heard about what her pack had done, and Asher really didn't need to listen to it right now.
"You okay?" Allison asked her, a smile on her face. "You look lost."
Asher just looked at her, her brows furrowed. "No, not really."
"Oh, well, anything I can do?" Allison put her hand on the girls arm.
Asher closed her eyes and took a deep breath.
"Sorry." Allison retracted her hand, a guilty look on her face.
The lion shook her head. "It's not you, I just really don't want to hear the whole "you killed Boyd" thing right now." She huffed, looking into Allison's eyes.
Allison gave her a confused look. "But you didn't."
Now she was confused. "Well, I know I didn't kill anyone, but I figured you all would blame me. Being the enemy and all." Asher tilted her head, jaw clenched.
Allison chuckled. "I know what it's like to do bad things for family, Asher."
Asher had a look on her face. One mixed with sadness, anger and even a small smile. "I know."
"What? How?" Allison questioned.
"You think my only purpose in the pack was to go to high school?" Asher smiled. "No, no, Argent. I'm the spy." She winked before walking away.
"Wha-" But Asher was gone.
Spy.
--------------------
"Didn't know if you'd make it." Kali taunted.
Asher just shut the door behind her, making a beeline to her bedroom. She walked in, slamming the door behind her. Kali chuckled from the living room. She quickly walked to her closet, throwing the door open and grabbing an old backpack. The girl put some clothes in it and then went to her dresser to the do the same. Asher could hear Kali and Deucalion speaking somewhere in the apartment. She clenched her jaw at the noise, but just continued packing things around her room. She grabbed her charger and other things she'd need, then walked out again.
"Hello, Asher. Where have you been?" Deucalion asked. "You never came home last night."
Asher swallowed, stopping in her tracks. She turned around, staring him dead in his eyes. Though he couldn't see that. "And I won't be coming home tonight, either. Or tomorrow, or the day after that. I'm never coming back."
The twins came out of their room, worried expressions on their faces. "What?" Aiden asks.
Asher avoided their gazes, not wanting to break down at the sight of them. Deucalion stood up from the couch, walking over to her.
"Well, why not?" He feigned innocence.
The man knew Asher knew. She wouldn't be acting like this towards him if she didn't.
She walked up to him, getting in his face. "Because of you." Her eyes flickered yellow.
"Ash, what are you doing?" Ethan spoke up.
The girl simply turned around, ignoring them. She walked up to the front door, her bag slung over her shoulder.
"Asher." Aiden walked up to her. "Tell us what's going on."
Asher slowly looked up at him, tears in her eyes. "I'm sorry. I got to go, see you later. Promise."
Then she walked out. Leaving her boys dumbfounded.
--------------------
Her encounter with Asher still in her mind, Allison lead Scott towards the room her grandfather was staying in. She turned the knob, catching the old man's attention.
"Did you bring him?" Gerard asks.
Scott enters the room, making the man turn around quickly.
"Oh, come in, Scott, and give an old man a little something for his pain." Gerard urged, rolling his sleeve up.
Allison turned towards him, guilt on her face. "You don't have to do this." She assured.
"If you want me to talk, this is how it's gonna happen." Gerard said, his voice hoarse.
Scott started walking towards him, rolling his sleeve up. "If I do this, you have to tell us everything you know. Everything."
Gerard glares at him, pushing his arm out. Scott looked down, taking the old man's hand. Black veins instantly trailed up their arms. Gerard let out a grunt, while Scott stay silent, but the look of pain was evident on his face. The black trailed up his body, coming up on his neck. The boy sucked a breath in, trying not to make a sound. Gerard let out more grunts as the pain left his body. Scott groaned out in pain as the veins made their way up to his face, his eyes flashing yellow.
It had been some time later and Scott had started interrogating the man.
"They found a third body?" Gerard asks.
"Another doctor, right after Scott found Deaton." Allison answered.
"Right after?" Her grandfather raised his eyebrows. "Almost like it was expected he'd survive." The man looked right at Scott.
"What's that supposed to mean?" Scott nodded.
"How do you know your dark druid isn't your wise veterinarian himself?" Gerard wiped his hands with a napkin.
Allison furrowed her eyebrows, looking at Scott, who just returned the look.
"Maybe he knew you'd find him." The man suggested. "Maybe he planned it that way."
Scott turned back to look at him. "He would never let anyone innocent die." He defended his boss.
"Don't be so sure. You'd be surprised how far some people would go to get rid of someone like Deucalion." He said, being a little dramatic about it.
"Or someone like you?" Allison leaned up against the window.
Gerard laughs. "I don't go easily, though, do I?" He spit something black into the napkin.
Allison looked at him disgustedly.
"You know, Scott, you've made me something of a celebrity here. I'm a medical mystery. The cancer is now virtually undetectable, but the doctors don't know why my body keeps producing and ejecting this bizarre black fluid." The man aggressively wipes his face and throw the napkin on the ground.
"I did what you wanted me to. Tell us how to beat him." Scott demanded.
Gerard scoffs, a smirk on his face. "You can't. I've tried."
Allison glanced down at the floor, weighing her options. "Then this is a complete waste of time. He doesn't know anything." She starts towards the door. "Sorry you did this. Let's go."
Scott watched her, his mouth open.
"Wait." Gerard spoke up, making her stop in her tracks, a smirk on her face. "I can tell you one thing." The two teenagers turn back to him. "Deucalion may have lost his eyes, but he's not always blind."
--------------------
Asher had left her apartment building some time ago and she was trying to figure out where Scott would have gone. She desperately needed to talk to him. The girl knew him and his friends wouldn't forgive her, though she technically didn't do anything wrong, but she needed to something about Deucalion. And she couldn't do it on her own.
She turned her car into the Animal Clinic's parking lot, which was another attempt to find Scott. Asher quickly parked, turning her car off and getting out. She locked it as she made her way to the door. She pulled it open, stepping in.
"Doctor Deaton?" She called, knowing he'd be there.
She couldn't smell Scott, but she was holding out hope he was there.
"Asher? What brings you here?" Deaton asks the girl, a smile on his face.
"Looking for McCall." Asher tells him with a blank face.
Deaton nods. "Sorry, he isn't working today."
Asher sighs. "Yeah, just my luck." She mumbles. "Know where he is?"
She watches as Deaton thinks for a moment. Asher knew he was questioning if he should tell her and not trying to remember where the wolf was.
"I'm not trying to find him to hurt him, Doctor. I need his help." She assured him. "And he could probably use some, too."
The vet nodded, coming to a decision. "He's with Allison. Visiting Gerard."
Asher's face takes a scared expression. "Gerard?" She's pale now.
Deaton just nods. "Unfortunately. He wants to know how to stop Deucalion. I'm assuming Gerard is telling that story, Asher."
The girls face changes from scared to angry. "Son of a bitch." She ran her hand through her hair. "He's going to lie to them, I know it."
Deaton brings his hands together. "I warned Scott, but he is desperate to stop the killings. And Deucalion."
Asher sighs. "Yeah, okay. Know where they're at?"
Deaton nods, gesturing towards the back. Asher follows him into the back, where a smoky gray cat lays on the table. A smile instantly makes it's way onto her face.
"Aw, hey, little dude!" She exclaims, leaning down to pet the cat. "What's its name?"
Deaton smiles. "His name's Ash, actually."
Asher looks up at him. "Really?"
The man nods, making Asher chuckle. "Well, Ash, you're so cute." Then she furrows her brows. "What's wrong with him?"
"Just ate something he shouldn't have. His owners brought him in because he wasn't eating." Deaton explains, searching his phone for the address Scott sent him earlier.
Asher stands up, petting the cat. Deaton watches as she rests her hand on the animals stomach. Orange veins travel up her arms, going up to her neck. She groans.
"He's in more pain than he should be." Asher looks at Deaton, worry on her face.
Confusion overtakes the mans face. "Hmm? I'll check him out some more, don't worry. Here."
Her phone pinged in her back pocket.
"That's the address. You should get going." Deaton patted her shoulder.
She reluctantly pulled away from the cat. "Thanks, Doctor." Asher walked towards the door, but turned back. "Can I.. Um- Can I come back later? See if he's okay?"
Deaton smiled at her. "Of course, Asher. I'll keep the door unlocked."
Asher smiled brightly. "Great. See you, Doctor."
She waved at him, getting one back. Then she left.
--------------------
"Okay, so if Derek was a sophomore back then, how old was he? How old were you? How old are you now?" Stiles questioned Peter.
"Not as young as we could've been, but not as old as you might think." Peter taunts.
"Okay, that was frustratingly vague. How old are you?" Stiles pointed a thumb at Cora beside him.
"I'm seventeen." Cora answers.
"See, that's an answer. That's how we answer people." Stiles says, looking back at Peter.
"Well, seventeen how you'd measure in years." Cora continues.
Stiles shakes his head. "Alright, I'm just gonna drop it. What happened to Derek and the cello girl?"
"What do you think happened? They're teenagers. One minute it's "I hate you, don't talk to me." The next it's frantic groping in any dark corner they could manage to find themselves alone in for five minutes.
--------------------
(flashback)
Derek and Paige were holding hands, the boy pulling her towards an old building.
"Their favorite dark corner was an abandoned distillery outside of Beacon Hills."
The couple smiled and laughed with each other as they made their way towards the distillery. They pushed the door open, Paige leading them in. Derek checked behind them to make sure no one was there before walking up to his girlfriend. The two smiled at each other, lips meeting.
--------------------
"Alright, hold up." Stiles stops him. "How do you know all this? You said that they're were alone." His eyes were narrowed out of confusion and suspicion.
Peter leans forward on his knees. "Back then, I wasn't just Derek's uncle. I was his best friend. His closest confidante. That's how I know." Peter explained.
--------------------
(flashback)
Peter peeked into through a hole on the side of the distillery. He watched as Derek and Paige made out.
Inside, the couple pulled away. "What?" Derek asked.
Paige looked up into his eyes. "Why do you like me?"
"What's that supposed to mean?" Derek wondered.
"Why do you like me?" Paige repeated, a smile on her face.
Derek shuffled a little. "Why do you think I like you?" He smiled back.
Paige looked down, to the side. "Honestly, I think, at first, you liked me because I didn't like you." She admitted.
"So, now you're worried that now I know you like me, that I'm gonna stop liking you?" Derek asks, a small smile on his face.
Paige shook her head slightly. "Not worried." She looks back into his eyes. "Just wondering when."
"What if I never stop liking you?" Derek smiled, pulling her into a kiss.
Just before they could meet though, Derek's head snaps to the side.
"What?" Paige questioned. "Did you hear something?"
Derek just focuses on his senses, trying to figure it out.
"Hey, what's wrong?" Paige tries to get his attention.
"Something happened here." Derek tells her.
"What do you mean?" Paige looks at him.
"I caught a scent. It's blood." Derek says, looking back at her.
Then something rustling catches his attention.
"Alright, now I definitely heard something." Derek said.
He grabs her hand, holding tight.
"Derek, I don't hear anything." Paige says, getting worried.
Derek turns back to her, his face full of worry. "We have to go. Come on. Let's go."
He pulls her towards the back, making sure they're out of sight. From outside of the distillery, multiple people start towards the door.
Ennis leading them. With a young Asher by his side. She's holding his hand tight, not liking the fact that she's around so many people. Ennis leads the people to the middle of the room, looking up at the rope hanging there.
"There. You see it?" Ennis announces to all the different packs. "They dragged him here, an arrow in his throat, and hung him here and cut him in half! They killed one of ours!"
Asher had been in Ennis' care for about a year now, so she was already some-what used to this kind of talk. The man sensed her anxiety, squeezing her hand to let her know she'll be okay.
"One of yours." Another alpha stepped forward, who Asher knew was Kali by now. "Why should I care about one of your pack?"
One of the people behind her stepped forward. "Because the hunters don't discern packs." The woman rolled her eyes. "Especially the Argents."
"But they do discern motive." A British accent spoke up. Asher knew him as Deucalion, but he always told her to call him Deuc. The man sighed. "Ennis, why did they kill him?"
One of Deuc's beta's stepped forward towards Ennis. "Because your young, naive beta killed one of them." The man, Marco, if Asher remembered correctly, snapped.
"Marco." Deuc warned.
Asher celebrated in her head, happy she got it right. She felt Ennis pull her behind him. Making sure she was out of Marco's way.
"He killed a hunter, didn't he?" Marco smiled at him.
Ennis walked to him, getting in his face. Though, making sure Asher was still safe behind him. "Accidentally."
--------------------
"They were all there." Gerard told the two teenagers sitting in front of him. "Ennis, Kali, Deucalion." He glanced towards Allison. "Even little Asher."
Allison took a deep breath, just wanting him to get on with the story.
"Each with their own packs, before they'd killed them all and decided to form their little all-star team." The old man dramatized.
"But they didn't all live here, did they?" Allison asks.
"No, but there was an exceptionally powerful alpha who did live here." Gerard answered. "She had a capacity to shape-shift, that was rare among her kind. That made her something of a leader, the kind of person they would go to for advice and guidance."
--------------------
(flashback)
A wolf's howl is heard in the distance, making Asher's face brighten up a little. She was very excited. Ennis and Marco stepped away from each other, the packs making a path. Asher stepped out from behind Ennis, watching as a black wolf made it's way into the building. It comes to a stop in front of everyone, eyes glowing red.
Asher stares as the wolf turns into a human. Someone comes up and drapes a cardigan over her shoulders. Asher stares in wonder. She always loved seeing the shape-shifters do their thing.
"Talia Hale."
"It's his right." Talia spoke. "We are not the only people to adhere to rituals thousands of years old.
"Which is no excuse for not evolving." Deuc smiles.
"They ripped his claws right out of his fingers." Ennis snapped from behind him. "How is that evolving. Useless debate!" He starts walking away, leaving Asher beside Talia, who grabs onto one of her shoulders. "I'm done with it."
Everyone watches as he walks up to the metal wall, his claws out. He puts his hand against the wall, ready to make his mark.
"Ennis, don't." Deucalion pleads. "Don't make us part of a historical cliche. With two such powers, it never ends at an eye for an eye. A skirmish becomes a war. A war becomes a massacre. And we end up no better than out enemies."
Ennis' breathing is heavy, debating the mans words. But after a moment he makes his decision, scratching a mark into the wall. Asher brings her hands to her ears, the sound hurting them. She doesn't have a very good hold on her abilities, even though she got them over a year ago. She looks up, hearing the sound stop.
And she see's the symbol scratched into the wall, her expression turning to worry.
Ennis looks back at the packs for a moment, panting. Talia glances over at Deuc. Ennis gently takes hold of Asher's hand, taking her with him out of the distillery.
--------------------
Peter draws the symbol in the condensation on the window. He stares at it.
"Our mark for vendetta." Peter says.
"Man, you guys really take that revenge thing to, like, a whole new level, don't you?" Stiles says sarcastically.
"It's not just revenge. Losing a member of your pack isn't like losing family. It's like you lose a limb." Cora explains, looking towards her uncle.
"They wouldn't even let him see the body." Peter stares out the window.
--------------------
(flashback)
Stilinski pushes through the hospital door, two other cops following him. They quickly made their way into the building, sirens sounding behind them.
"Somebody called for a..." Noah starts, trailing off when he see's Ennis.
Who is holding a nurse by the shirt, his feet off the ground.
"Whoa." Noah blurts out.
Ennis let go of the nurse and made it way towards Stilinski. "I want his body."
People watching the scene gasp. Stilinski puts his hand on his holster.
"It belongs to me. Both halves." Ennis starts again, getting closer to the man.
Asher was there too, but Ennis asked her to wait in the car. He didn't want her to see any more violence than she had too.
"First off, you need to step back." Noah tells the man, pushing him back slightly. "I'm just a deputy. I do what I'm told." Ennis takes a step back. "And right now they're telling me there's a young man who was shot in the throat with an arrow and literally cut in half. This a homicide investigation. Second, no matter how close you were, you're not related."
"He was family to me." Ennis says gruffly.
--------------------
"I don't get it." Cora says. "What does this have to do with Derek?"
Peter turns back towards her, looking away from the window. "Everything. It's never just a single moment." He starts walking to the table the two teenagers are at. "It's a confluence of events. Personally, I looked at Ennis' circumstances, I saw a profound loss. Derek saw something different. He saw opportunity."
"Opportunity to do what?" Stiles asks, his elbows leaning on the table.
Peter looked at him. "To always be with her."
--------------------
(flashback)
"Asher!" Ennis called, walking down the stairs of his home in Washington.
Footsteps can be heard walking towards the stairs, coming from the living room. "Yeah?" The girl calls.
"Come here, we need to talk." Ennis said, taking a seat at the bottom of the stairs.
Asher pokes her head around the corner, coming out from behind it when she see's where Ennis is seated. The man smiles at the sight of her, waving her over with his hand.
"What is it?" Asher asked, taking a seat on the step in front of him. She was faced towards him slightly.
"I got a meeting to go to. In Beacon Hills." He told her, looking down at her.
Asher's eyes widened, worry evident on her face. "Wait, your leaving me here? While you go to California?"
"No,no,no. No, A, I'm not leaving you here. You're coming with." Ennis reassured her.
Asher relaxed, nodding. "Why? Are we going to Beacon Hills, I mean."
Ennis huffed. "I'm meeting up with a few other packs. It's an annual thing. Though, I think it's kind of boring." He smiled.
Asher chuckled, smiling up at Ennis. The man ruffled her hair.
He never thought he would be the type of person to care about someone like this. Like if he didn't have her, he'd probably lose his mind. Ennis wasn't the emotional type, he was more of the strong and silent type. But with Asher, he felt the need to do everything he could to make her happy. Make his daughter happy. His daughter. Ennis never thought about children until he saw her that night in the woods. He was at one of the annual meetings, and as he was leaving he heard her. He helped her and now he has a kid. He knew about what her old life was like, and all Ennis wanted to do was give her a better one. A life where she didn't have to worry about whether or not she would eat that night. Or be able to sleep peacefully. She had that now, and it's all Ennis cared about.
"Ennis?" Asher spoke up, pulling him out of his thoughts.
"Hmm?" He hummed, looking back down at her.
"What were you looking at?" She turned her head, looking into the distance where he was.
"Nothing, A. Just thinking." Ennis laughed.
"Oh, okay." She shrugged. "When are we leaving?"
The man groaned, standing up. "Couple hours. Go pack a bag for about a week, okay?"
Ennis pulled her off the stairs, standing her up straight. He watched as she nodded, running up the stairs. He smiled to himself. He was glad he had her. Someone to keep him sane. A daughter to care about. A daughter to live for. He was all she had, and he did everything he could to make sure she knew she could always count on him.
And she knew that. Everyday. Up until the day he died. Because then, she couldn't count on anyone anymore. Not even herself.
--------------------
"The thing was, he had this constant fear. He was obsessing over it, thinking about it all night, all day. Always on his mind." Peter breathed out.
--------------------
(flashback)
Derek was sitting at the lunch table, sipping a drink and staring at Paige. She was sitting alone, reading a book. Derek's attention is averted as Peter sits in front of him.
"Why does she eat alone?" Peter asks, looking over at Paige.
"What are you doing here?" Derek questions his uncle with furrowed brows.
"I'm looking out for my favorite nephew, making sure no one has a crossbow aimed at your throat." Peter says teasingly.
"I can get you banned from school grounds. You know that, right?" Derek threats.
"No one would ban me from anywhere. I'm too good-looking." Peter smiles sarcastically.
Derek just stares at him, a small smile on his face.
"Doesn't she have any friends?" Peter questions.
"A few. But she likes to study during lunch." Derek informs him. "And I kind of don't think she likes my friends."
"No one should like your friends." His uncle scoffed, taking the Reese's off of his tray. "They're a bunch of hormonal half-wits. But that one over there, she's perfect for you. And perfect combinations are rare in an imperfect world." Peter takes a bite out of the chocolate he unwrapped.
Derek looks at him confusedly before picking his bag up and standing.
"It would worry me too, though. I'd probably be thinking about it all the time." Peter looks up at him.
"Thinking about what?" The teenager asked, looking over at Paige.
"Her finding out." Peter says plainly. Derek looks back down at him. "You've thought that through, right? You know it always happens. One minuted, you're in this blissful teen romance, and next, she sees fangs, glowing eyes, claws."
Derek has an annoyed look on his face. "She doesn't have to find out."
"But they always do." Derek looks at Paige again. "Especially when they're perfect for you." Peter tells him. "There's really only one way to make sure you'll always be together. Turn her." He looks at Paige, too.
Paige feels eyes on her, turning to look at Derek. She smiles at him.
--------------------
"I kept telling him not to do it." Peter lied. "Every day the more he thought about it, the more convinced he became. You know teenagers. I bet he even blames me. He's probably convinced himself the whole thing was my idea." He feigns sadness, looking over at Cora.
--------------------
(flashback)
"I have the perfect idea." Peter tells his nephew.
"Go away." Derek said bluntly, sitting on one of the benches in the locker room.
"Laura told you about the packs being here, right?" Peter asks. "There are more alphas than I've ever seen in one place." He looks down at his nephew. "Your mother would never do it. And these packs won't be here much longer. The time to do it is now."
Derek's eyes are narrowed, his brows furrowed. He seems to be debating the words he's hearing.
Peter stands up straight, taking a step towards Derek. "One little bite, and she never gets sick again. She stays younger, more beautiful. Think how she'll be able to protect herself. Derek, the bite is a gift."
--------------------
Asher's been driving towards the place Gerard Argent's been placed in for about twenty minutes now. It was all the way across town, and Asher was running out of gas. So, she pulled into a gas station, getting out of her car, locking it, and walking inside.
She walked up to the register, pulling her wallet out as she does. "Twenty on pump..." Asher looked out the window. "Two. Pump two."
The man behind the register nodded. "How are you, miss?"
"I'm fine." Asher nodded, taking her card back. "Thanks."
"Of course. Have a nice day." The man waved as Asher walked out.
The girl rubbed her hands together as she walked back to her car. She made it to her car, popping open the cover to the gas tank. Just before she could put the pump into her car, she heard someone walking up to her.
A hand grabbed her shoulder, making Asher grab it and twist their arm. She turned the persons body around, pushing their arm against their back.
"Aiden? What the hell?" Asher exasperated, letting his arm drop.
"Jesus, Ash. Why'd you do that?" Aiden rolled his shoulder, trying to get his arm to feel better.
Asher dropped her jaw, her eyes narrowed. "You're a "big, strong guy" and you decided to sneak up on a teenage girl. Tell me what you thought would happen."
Ethan came up beside his brother. "Your're a were-lion, Ash. How could anyone sneak up on you?" He laughed.
Aiden was pouting. "Why'd you put big, strong guy in quotations?"
Asher titled her head at him. "Because you're a softie, Aiden." She patted his shoulder. "Now, if you're going to come up to me out of no-where, at least pump my gas for me. Be the good big brothers you're meant to be!" She throws them two big thumbs up, a sarcastic smile on her face.
Ethan groaned. "Fine, Ash. But if I do, you have to tell us why you aren't coming home."
Asher physically tensed up. "That's why you hunted me down?"
"Pretty much." Aiden responded, helping Ethan with the gas.
Asher sighed, running a hand through her hair. "I can't tell you guys. I just- I don't want to."
Ethan closed the cover to her gas tank. He ran his hand up the car, reaching Asher. "By the way, I told Danny about you and he's worried."
Asher gasped and punched him in the arm. "What? Why? He's gonna start spamming my phoneeee!" She whined.
Aiden came back up beside her, throwing an arm around her shoulder. "Just tell us what's wrong and we'll leave you alone."
"I can't. I can't let you think about him like that. He's all you guys have. Besides, each other, of course." Asher sighed, unlocking her car.
"Deucalion, you mean? We already know he's a bad guy, Ash. So are we. We've murdered people, for god's sake." Aiden responded.
"I know, I know. It's just- I can't let you guys leave the pack. For me. For him." Asher pulled away from her brother, opening her car door and getting in.
Ethan furrowed his eyebrows. "Asher, you know that we'd do anything for you. You're our sister. We'd leave the pack for you, for anyone you'd want us too."
Aiden nodded beside him. "Now, what did Deucalion do to Ennis? I know that's the "him"."
Asher looked up at him. "I'm not going to tell you, Aiden. I'm not going to leave you two to be omegas for me."
The twins watched as she shut her car door, rolling her window down. "Now, I've got to go. Love you guys!"
And with that, Asher drives away. She could feel her phone pinging in her back pocket. "Damn it, Danny." She muttered, pulling out of the gas station.
Aiden looked over at his brother, worry on his face. "What the hell did Deuc do?"
Ethan sighed, shaking his head. "No idea."
--------------------
(flashback)
Chris Argent walks down into the old root cellar under the nemeton, leading his father behind him. He flashed his light all around the room.
"What is that?" Gerard asked, pointing to something behind his son.
Chris turned around, watching as his father shined a light onto a symbol that was painted on a part of a tree. The old man walked up to it, crouching in front of it.
"A Celtic five-fold knot. It's a Druid symbol." Chris said, shining his flashlight around again. "The air's different in here. Do you feel it? I think I know what this place is."
"Is that blood?" Gerards hoarse voice spoke.
"Sacrificial blood." Chris answered his father. He looked up. "We're in a nemeton."
The two stood up straight, continuing their look around. "It's a sacred meeting place. Ancient Celtic Druids would usually choose a large, older tree in a grove, represent the center of the world. There was a belief that cutting or harming the three in any way would cause serious problems for the surrounding villages." Chris explained.
Gerard looked over at him. "What kind of problems?"
"Fire, plagues, strife. Death and destruction of all kinds." Chris answered, looking at the symbol on the tree.
--------------------
"How does he know all about Celtic symbols and Druids?" Allison asks.
"Know thy enemy, Allison." Gerard answered, smirking. "The other wolves had a relationship with the druids. They called them emissaries."
Scott leaned forward, his face coming to realization. "Like my boss, Deaton."
The two watched as Gerard slowly pushed himself out of his wheelchair. He walked over to a book on a table. "Do you know the myth of Lycaon?"
"I know it's where we get the word lycanthropy." Scott says as he and Allison walk up beside the man.
"According to myth, some Greek citizens believed they owed their lives more to Prometheus that to the gods of Olympus. And some followers even took names to honor the Titans instead of the gods." Gerard flipped through the book.
Scott and Allison understood what he meant. "Like Deucalion." Scott tells him.
Gerard showed them the picture in his book. "The son of Prometheus."
The two teenagers glance at each other.
"Lycaon didn't just refuse to honor the gods. He challenged them." Gerard flipped a few more pages, landing on another picture. "He invited Zeus to a banquet and then tried to serve him the flesh of a human being. Angered, Zeus blew the place apart with lightening bolts and then punished Lycaon and his sons by turning them into wolves." Gerard flipped to the next page, showing the scene he was describing. "The part that's lesser known is how Lycaon sought out the Druids to help turn him back to human."
Scott looked over at the man. "Why Druids?"
"The belief was that the ancient Druids knew how to shape-shift. They couldn't make Lycaon and his sons human again, but they did teach them how to shift back and forth. And so the Druids became important advisors to the packs."
--------------------
"They keep us connected to humanity." Cora explained. "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."
Stiles had his eyes narrowed, taking it all in.
"Or his sister, Morell." Peter interjected.
"She's am emissary, too?" Stiles looked between the two.
"For the alpha pack." Peter told him.
"Our guidance counselor?" Stiles practically yelled. Cora and Peter just gave him blank looks. "Why the hell don't you people tell me any of this stuff, huh? I shared some really intimate details with her." He falters at the end of his sentence.
"And did she give you good advice?" Cora questions.
Stiles' mouth is open slightly, thinking. "Actually, yeah."
"That's what they do. That's what Deaton used to do for Talia." Peter says.
--------------------
(flashback)
"While I admire your willingness to extend an olive branch, I have to tell you, it might not be welcome." Deaton tells Deucalion.
"And I'm not sure that Gerard is the one to accept it." Talia adds on as she walks into the room.
"It's true. The Argents have a matriarchal leadership." Deaton informs.
"Actually, I was speaking about the fact that he's a complete psychopath." She turns away from Deaton to look at Deucalion. "I mean, the man cuts people in half with a broad sword."
"Do the two of you really have so little faith in people? You think Gerard isn't worried about the deaths on his own side?" Deucalion points out.
"Do you know the story of the scorpion and the frog?" Deaton asks.
Deucalion sighs. "I have a feeling I'm about to hear it."
"When the scorpion asks the frog to carry him across the river, the frog said, "How do I know you won't sting me?" The scorpion replied, "Why would I do that? Then we'd both drown." So the frog agreed. Half way across the river, the scorpion stung the frog. When the frog asked him why he did it, since now they would both die, the scorpion replied, "It's my nature."" Deaton told them, pausing for affect every now and then. "Your faith in humanity may not matter if you underestimate Gerard's nature."
"Make sure you meet him on neutral ground." Talia said. "And do not walk in there alone."
"I'm an alpha. I never walk alone." Deucalion smirks.
--------------------
(flashback)
Paige walks down the stairs, looking at a paper in her hand as she does.
"Derek?" She calls as she reaches the bottom.
She looks down the hallway, hearing something from that direction.
"Derek, is that you?" Paige asks as she starts down the hall.
She looks around as she makes her way to the end, making sure she hasn't seen him already. Paige turns back around as she makes it to the end, checking every corner. As she turns around, she's startled by a big man. With pointed ears. And claws. She drops the paper in her hand and walks backwards. The man smiles, his fangs showing. Paige turns as quickly as she could as the man starts walking towards her, and she runs. The man following her action.
Inside the locker room, Derek's sitting on one of the benches. He's bouncing his basketball in silence, thinking.
--------------------
"Ennis?" Cora asks. "Why would you choose him?"
"Ennis? Isaac said that he's Asher's dad." Stiles interjected.
"Not biologically." Peter told him. "But he has given her a home and taken care of her since she was eight years old."
Stiles furrowed his brows. "What? Why?"
"I don't know all of the details. All I know is that she ran away and Ennis found her. Apparently she was in the woods, the preserve, to be exact, and she got bit." Peter explained.
"But she's not a werewolf." Cora pointed out.
"Just because she got bit by a werewolf, doesn't mean she'd turn into one." Peter smiled. "Take Lydia for example."
Stiles huffed. "Just continue your story."
Peter nodded, turning to Cora. "Anyway, 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. Back then, everybody wanted to be in good with her."
"He doesn't remember it was Ennis, does he?" Stiles asks.
"If he does, he keeps it to himself." Peter answers.
--------------------
(flashback)
Derek was still in the locker room when Ennis finally got to Paige. He was listening to her whimpering, trying to refrain himself from helping her.
"So then what happened?"
Derek couldn't take it anymore, so he threw his ball to the side and ran out of the room.
"Did he turn her?"
"Almost."
Peter was hiding behind a wall when Paige was attacked. He slowly looked around the corner and watched as Paige tried to crawl away from Ennis, but the man just grabbed her, holding her in place.
From the other hall, Derek darted through the doors. He stared Ennis in the eyes, worry on his face. Ennis let go of Paige and slowly stood up, growling. He stepped over the girl, roaring at Derek. Derek regained his composure and darted at him.
"He came at Ennis. A fifteen year old boy against a giant.
Ennis yanked Derek up and threw him against the wall. Derek struggled on the ground, writhing in pain. Ennis' head snapped to the side as he saw Paige try to crawl up the stairs. So, he leaned down to Derek, shoving his head against the ground and forced him to watch Paige in pain.
"There was no reason for him to fight. She'd already been bitten."
Derek watched as Paige made it up a few stairs, whimpering. She was holding the bite mark on her side. She was breathing heavily and staring at Derek on the ground. Ennis let go of the boy, standing up. He snarled once more and walked away. Peter, who was still at the top of the stairs, looked around the corner again. He had fear written all over his face and his breath was heavy.
--------------------
"I wan't really surprised when Deaton came to arrange a meeting with Deucalion." Gerard said, wiping his mouth with a napkin. "As William Blake said, "Any sinister person who means to be your enemy always starts by trying to become your friend."
"How do you know he wasn't going there to make peace?" Scott asked as he leaned forward with his arms on his knees.
"Because I'm not an idiot." Gerard retorted. "You know the Sanskrit fable of the scorpion and the turtle?"
"The scorpion asks the turtle for a ride across the river." Scott starts.
"And when the scorpion stings the turtle, dooming them both, what does he say to explain his behavior?" Gerard smiles his weird smile, moving the napkin around in his hand.
""It's my nature."" Scott answered, leaning back.
"I know a werewolf's nature. I knew exactly what was coming. A trap." Gerard growled.
--------------------
(flashback)
Deucalion's pack, Gerard and his hunters all stand around the abandoned distillery.
"I think it's quite fitting that we are meeting in a distillery." Gerard walks around the rope hanging from the ceiling, looking up at it as he does. "You know, the process of pf distillation is the separating of two substances by pushing them into their different volatile states." He smiles, stopping in front of Deucalion.
"Volatile is exactly the state I was hoping to avoid." Deucalion tells him, swinging his arms a little.
"Ooh." Gerard starts walking towards a wheel connected to a pipe on the wall. "Then this is going to come as quite a big disappointment."
He turns the wheel swiftly, a gas shooting out into the air. Everyone starts the cough and fall to the ground. Gerard just watches, until he takes something out of his pocket and sticks it to his leg.
"What have you done?" Deucalion barely gets out.
Gerard throws the object to the ground and walks away.
--------------------
"They attacked you?" Allison leaned forward, a shocked expression on her face.
"It was an ambush." Gerard lied right through his teeth, a smile on his face.
--------------------
(flashback)
As everyone else was fighting for their lives on the ground, Gerard went to his bag and pulled out a bat.
A bat with werewolf claws sticking out of it.
"One of the earliest weapons used by man was the spiked mace." Gerard turned the bat in his hands. "I've made one of my own. I'd love to get your opinion on it."
Deucalion stared up at the hunter, gasping for breath. He watched Gerard turn around to one of his hunters. The old man swung on him, splattering blood everywhere. Gerard walked up to another and hit him, too.
"Your own people..." Deucalion breathed out.
Gerard rolled his shoulders as he walked up to another hunter. And he hit him across the face. He looked around at all his dead hunters before looking back at the wolf.
"They wanted peace, too." Gerard taunted. "Look what you did to them."
The man held the bat up, showing off the bloody claws. Deucalion turned around and started his effort to crawl out of the distillery.
--------------------
"So did she turn?" Cora asks her uncle.
"She should have." He nodded. Cora looked down as she realized. "Most of the time, the bite takes. Most of the time."
Stiles looked back at the man, his brows furrowed. "When you offered it to me, you said, "If it doesn't kill you...""
Peter nodded. "If."
--------------------
(flashback)
Peter quickly made his way down the steps of the root cellar. He let out a gasp as he made it to the bottom and saw the scene.
Derek holding a dying Paige in his arms. Derek looked up and stared at his uncle.
"What's happening to her?" He asked feebly.
Peter didn't answer. He let out a breath and leaned against the wood of the stairs.
"He knew the answer, though. It didn't matter that she was young and strong."
Derek looked back down at Paige. He could feel his heart breaking.
"Some people just aren't made for this. She fought. She struggled desperately. Trying to survive."
--------------------
Deucalion barely made it out of the distillery, grunting as he crawled out of the building. He made it to the sand, having hope that he would get away. He was still coughing and gasping for breath. Gerard started to walk up behind him with something held behind his back. Deucalion panted, coming to a stop. He couldn't go any further as he fell onto his back. Gerard stood above him.
"Don't. Don't do this. I had a vision, a vision of peace!" Deucalion pleaded, his accent hoarse.
"A little shortsighted, wouldn't you say?" Gerard chuckled as he pulled two flash bang arrows from behind his back.
He stabbed them into the wolfs eyes. Deucalion screamed out in pain, sparks flying from the arrows. Gerard held them in place, a determined expression on his face. He finally pulled them out, watched as Deucalion's eyes bled out and he let out screams. The old hunter stood up and walked away.
--------------------
Derek interlocked his hand with Paige's, black veins travelling up his arms. The boy starts to breath heavily, leaning his head back in pain.
"I'm sorry." He looked back down at the girl.
"I knew." She told him.
"What do you mean?" Derek asked.
"Right after I told you my name, I think I knew." Paige said. "I've seen things in this town before. Things no one could really explain."
Derek leaned against her forehead.
"And then there's the way that you talk. How you say things, like how you'd "catch a scent." Paige continues, her voice weak. "And I know you can hear things. Things that no one else can hear." Derek looks back into her eyes. "I knew." She smiled at him.
"And you still liked me?" Derek asked.
"I loved you." Paige corrected.
Derek let out a breath, regretting everything. Paige felt another strike of pain, letting out a whine. Derek held her tighter, kissing her forehead. He gripped her hand tighter as he took more of her pain.
"I'm gonna die, aren't I?" Paige questioned.
Derek nodded sadly, not wanting to lie to her.
She breathed shakily. "Ow... Ow!" Derek pulled her in even closer. "I can't! I can't take it anymore. Derek, I can't." Paige cried.
Tears fell from Derek's cheek, kissing her forehead again.
"Derek..." She groaned. "Please." Paige looked up into his eyes, pain filling both. "Please."
Derek moved her body to where her head was resting on his shoulder. Paige wrapped her hands around the boys arm. He put his head against hers.
"I'm sorry." He whispered.
He started panting, getting himself ready. The boy's eyes glowed yellow and he grunted. Paige let out one final gasp as Derek's claws went through her skin. He let out a pained scream.
"I'm sorry." He breathed heavily as she died in his arms.
-------------------
"I remember taking her body from his arms, to the woods, to a place I knew she would be found." Peter said. "Another in a long line of Beacon Hills animal attacks."
Cora had tears in her eyes, but she refused to let them fall. "And what about Derek?"
"Taking an innocent life takes something from you as well." Peter looks at his hands from where he was sitting on the stairs. "Bit of your soul. Darkening it. Dimming the once brilliant, golden yellow to a cold, steel blue." He looks up, his eyes coming to a glow. "Like mine."
--------------------
(flashback)
Deaton carefully unwrapped the bandages around Deucalion's eyes. He made a face as he pulled off the last piece, trying not to hurt the man. "I'm sorry. The eyes will heal, physically. But your sight is..."
Deaton took a step back, allowing the other two in the room to get a look. Deucalion struggled to open his eyes, but he did. The dried blood around them had darkened to a black. Deaton and Talia stumbled back as the blind man lets out a scream, falling onto the table in front of him.
"Leave me alone." He held a hand out to stop Deaton from checking on him.
Deaton and Talia agreed, leaving the room. But Marco just stood there, his jaw clenched.
Deucalion lifted his head up slightly, sensing him still in the room. "Marco, I said leave me alone." He stood up in front of his beta.
"You are alone." Marco growled.
The young man punched Deucalion in the stomach, making him stumbled back. He stood back up, his eyes glowing red. When he quickly realized he could see Marco, he attacked. The man shoved him onto the table, slashing with his claws back and forth. Marco screamed as Deucalion roared. The alpha stopped as his beta died, feeling power fill his body.
--------------------
"He sees as a wolf?" Scott asks.
Gerard, who's smiling his weird smile, nods. "He's not always blind."
"Maybe we can use it against him." Allison proposed.
Scott nodded. They both grabbed stood up, Allison grabbing her bag.
"Scott."
The teenagers looked back at him. Gerard rolled his sleeve up, holding his hand out. Scott nodded and walked up to the man. He rolled up his own sleeve and took the mans hand. They both let out groans, Scott's out of pain and Gerard's out of relief. Scott took his hand back, balling it into a fist.
"Oh, God, I think about you sometimes, Scott. I do." Gerard starts, making Scott look at him with a glare. "I wonder, what if I'd done things differently? Getting the bite to cure my cancer. I wonder when it became my nature to believe most things couldn't be asked for but had to be taken."
Scott leaned forward the tiniest bit. "I don't believe you. The whole time that you were telling your story, I was listening to your heartbeat. It never went up. It never went down. It was steady the whole time." The boy raised his eyebrows.
"Because I was telling the truth." Gerard says.
"Or because you're a really good liar." Scott clenches his jaw. He leans down, gripping the mans hand tightly. Gerard huffed in pain. "If you lied and it gets people hurt, I'll be back to take away more than your pain." Scott threatened, Gerard's eyes widening.
Scott pulled away from him.
--------------------
Stiles looked down, fidgeting with his fingers.
"What?" Cora asked as she noticed the look on his face.
Stiles looks up at her, the look not leaving.
"What's this- What's this look on your face?" She gestured to her face to make her point.
Stiles moved his head back. "What look?"
Cora rolled her eyes. "The kind of look that makes me want to punch you." She told him.
Stiles looked back down, his eyebrows raised. "Oh, my God. You are so Derek's sister. I forgot." He nodded as he glanced back at her.
"What is with the look?" She urged.
"I just don't believe him." Stiles admitted. "Alright, in Ms. Blake's class we're reading Heart of Darkness." He turns to face her. "And it's in first person, right? Narrated by Marlow. The thing is, he's an unreliable narrator. You know the details of it have changed, you know, just because of his perspective."
Cora nods along. "Well, then we heard the story from Peter's perspective."
"Right, and I don't think we got the whole story." Stiles shakes his head.
"So, what? Are you just gonna ask Derek about the girl he fell in love with and then killed?" Cora pointed out hesitantly.
Stiles is looking down, his brows furrowed. "If I have to, yeah." He nods, looking into her eyes.
-------------------
(flashback)
Derek was sitting at the bottom of the root cellar still, his head in his hands as he crouches over Paige's dead body. Heels click against the wooden stairs, making their way down to the boy. Talia folds her hands in front of her, staring down at her son.
"Derek." She says.
"I did something, something terrible." Derek admits.
Talia crouched down in front of him. "I know." She grabs his chin, lifting his head up.
Derek's eyes were closed, like he was refusing to open them. "My eyes. They're different."
Talia smiles at her son. "Different, but still beautiful." She nods. "Just like the rest of you."
Derek opens his eyes, looking up into his mothers eyes. And they're glowing a bright blue.
--------------------
Asher walked through the halls of Beacon Hills Nursing Home as she tried to find the room Gerard Argent was staying in. She huffed as she turned one more hallway, not seeing the room.
"Damn!" She cussed as she bumped into someones chest.
"Asher?" She heard Scott say as he grabbed her by the shoulders to steady her. "What are you doing here."
Asher sighed in relief. "Looking for you, actually."
Scott furrowed his brows, looking over at Allison beside him. She just shrugged.
"Why?" He asked.
"I heard you were coming to talk to Gerard and thought you would like to know everything he told you was a lie." She smiled sarcastically.
"How do you know that?" Allison asked.
"I was there." Asher shrugged.
"What? But you weren't apart of Deucalion's pack. You were apart of Ennis'." Scott started to walk, the girls following him. "And Ennis wasn't there, so how were you?"
"I was nine, Scott. I heard what was going down and decided to sneak out. I watched the whole thing go down. But, again, I was nine, so I wasn't strong enough, or brave enough, to do anything." Asher sighed.
Allison furrowed her eyebrows. "Did you ever tell anyone?"
Asher nodded. "I went straight back to Ennis, said I needed to speak to the emissary. Most packs don't know who it is, but Pops told me almost everything." She explained. "But the thing is, we didn't have one. So he took me to the most trusted alpha around, knowing she would."
Scott nodded. "Talia and Deaton."
Asher nodded, pushing the door open as they reached it. "When we got there, it was too late. Deucalion had already arrived and told them as much as he knew. But, of course, he didn't see it all like I did. I filled the two in on everything his back was turned for. It was when I first met Deaton." Asher smiled.
"Did that make any difference?" Allison asked.
"Not really, Deucalion killed Marco anyway, pushing him to be who is he now." She let out a breath as she reached her car and leaned against it.
"Well, if that was all a lie, what really did happen?" Scott asked.
"It's a long story, McCall." Asher raised her eyebrows. "Do you have time right now?" She looked around, gesturing how dark it was getting.
Scott sighed, glancing at Allison. She gave him a look of urgency. "Follow me back to my house. Tell me there." He nodded.
Asher shrugged. "Yeah, whatever."
authors note:
okay i literally cried writing paiges death im not okay
also, i know i said asher can turn into a real lion and she hasnt yet, but she will, i promise! i just havent seen a place to fit it in just yet.
you probably think asher not telling the twins is stupid, but she just doesnt want them to drop everything for her.
thanks for reading! hope you enjoyed!