—
Ryder laid asleep on Austin's chest.
The couple was sat in the girls living room watching a movie with Josie.
After school finished, Ryder had been completely drained and fell asleep with her head up against Austin's passenger window. Josie had suggested that Austin stay over and watch a movie with them. Him agreeing led to him and Ryder babysitting the younger teen while Ramona and Aaron left to get things for dinner.
Neither of them were really bothered. Josie wasn't an annoying kid. She definitely could be, but she adored Austin and Ryder, so there was no reason for her to act like a thirteen year old brat.
Before the movie even started, Ryder was fast asleep on Austin's chest. This drew great concern from her sister,
"Is she going to be okay?"
Austim glanced up from the game of candy crush he was playing on his phone.
"What?"
"Is Ryder doing to be okay?" She repeated herself. It wasn't weird that Ryder was asleep, she was used to the girl yawning dramatically and sleeping in as much as she could. But Josie knew for a fact that Ryder didn't enjoy falling asleep in the living room where anyone could see her. No matter how tired, Ryder always found time to make it to a bedroom.
Looking down at the girl, he nodded a bit, "I'm sure she'll be okay. I'm convinced she's been through worse."
Josie nodded, "Right. And if she's not?"
"Then I'll be there for her."
"I will be too." The girl smiled softly.
"Good. She's your big sister, you should always be there for her, even when she doesn't want you to be."
•••
Scott and Stiles stopped by Ryder's house, fully convinced that they would be picking both her and Austin up for a mission.
After getting a very detailed explanation on why she didn't want to be around them after they woke her up, Austin parted ways with the sister duo. Hugging Josie and leaving Ryder with a small kiss to the temple and an 'i love you' shared between them.
Now, Austin was currently sneaking around some old man's house he's never heard of. Apparently they were in search of some girl that went missing a couple hears ago and the Sheriff needed Scott's help, specifically, but the McCall wanted Austin and Stiles to tag along.
"All I'm getting is some animal smell."
"What kind of animal?" Stiles asked.
Austin's blue eyes widen, "Probably a dog."
Stiles stammered as the small dog growled at them, "Hi, puppy. Get rid of it."
"Me?" Scott pointed to himself.
"Yes, you." Stiles mocked him, "Glow your eyes at it, something, be the Alpha."
"I can't. I don't have control." Scott frowned.
"Get control. I didn't leave Ryder's comfortable couch to die in some old guys house."
"Okay, buddy, you're going to have to try something."
Scott took a step closer, "Nice doggy."
The barking grew louder, the sound alerting Mr. Tate,
"Apollo! Apollo, shut up! Shut the hell up!"
Apollo ran off, giving the teen boys a chance to search through things.
"Here. Try that. Anything?"
"All I'm getting is that dog."
Stiles sighed, glancing at Austin when he tapped his arm softly,
"What?"
"Look." He pointed to the picture of two girls.
It wasn't long before Stiles pulled his phone out to take a picture.
•••
A few hours later, Ryder was officially over being locked indoors per Ramona's request, so when Austin, Scott and Stiles came to her house a second time, almost knocking her window in, she agreed to leave with them.
She had absolutely no clue who or what they were searching for, and she didn't care.
Once she heard that she was getting the opportunity to run freely through the woods, she immediately stopped what she was doing and followed after them. Which is where she found herself, walking aimlessly in the woods, her hand intertwined with Austin's.
"You know, if my dad's right, that means there's another werewolf in town that we haven't met yet."
"I know."
"If it turns out to be something like triplets that form into, like, a three-headed hound of hell, I'm seriously not up for that." Stiles said, earning nods of agreement from the boys,
"Agreed."
"Yeah. Me either. Especially if I can't even control my own transformation anymore."
"Now that, sounds like a personal problem."
A howl echoed throughout the woods, the sound sensing shivers down Ryder's spine, there was something about the sound that made her feel odd.
She could see Stiles jump at the sound, scaring Scott into dropping his phone in the mud.
"Sorry, buddy. I hate coyotes so much. They always sound like they're mauling some tiny, helpless little animal."
Scott groaned, wiping his screen, "It still works."
"Good for you. Why are we here?"
Ryder's question is left unanswered as Stiles gestures to Scott, "Let me see the flashlight. I think we found it."
Ryder rolled her eyes in annoyance, the action going noticed by Austin who rubbed her shoulders to ease her impatient-ness.
"We came all this way for a damn car?"
"Uh, Why wouldn't they move it? Isn't it evidence?
"Probably too much of a pain in the ass to tow out. Look at this. See those? Animal claws would be closer together, right? A lot closer."
"Then it was a werewolf." Austin declared.
"So, my dad was right."
Ryder began to walk off as she spotted a lurking pair of eyes in between the trees.
She drowned at the sound of the boys getting scared by a doll.
Her old self would have definitely brushed it off and went in the direction of the cars to avoid dying. However, she was being blatantly ignored after being begged to come on this 'mission' and the urge to turn was growing stronger by the minute.
She hummed softly to herself, looking the gray coyote in the eyes. Dropping to her knees, she tilted her head in curiosity, the coyote copying the action with quickness.
A simple flicker of the eyes was enough to tell Ryder that the coyote in front of her was actually a person.
"Malia?" She heard from behind her, looking back to see Scott standing behind her.
"Who's Malia?"
Looking back, she frowned upon noticing that the animal was no longer there.