Grace's eyes scanned over her figure on the mirror in front of her. She stood in the boy's locker room at 5 am since there were no bathrooms anywhere in the station, which left the pack with no other choice but to sneak inside the school at that ungodly hour. She sighed before taking her shirt off, leaving her with only her red bra and some leggings. She looked down at her belly, a flat stomach staring back at her in the mirror. She could only imagine how it would feel to have a human inside your belly, kicking and forming in the span of nine months. She smiled softly as she imagined it. Grace always wanted to be a mother, ever since she was little when her mom was left to take care of her family on her own. She couldn't imagine the bond created between a mother and her child and she wanted it, yet not right now at that age.
Isaac and Boyd were the firsts to go to the showers, Boyd coming out before Grace entered the locker room, leaving Isaac to take a shower. Grace cold hear the water still running as she observed herself in the mirror, her mind still imagining what her future could be like now when she could die at any second. Hell, she'd already died like two times. It brought her great sorrow that she couldn't have a family without putting them in danger from the moment they'd come into existence. As Grace's mind was consumed in thoughts, she didn't seem to hear that the shower had stopped running. She took off her leggings, setting it on the bench next to the locker where Erica had put the clothes she'd picked out for Grace, which was on the top of the locker. She sighed, cursing at herself for being so short as she stood on her tip toes to try and reach for her clothes.
At that moment, Isaac came out of the showers, his mop of hair pulled back from the water, only wearing jeans as his eyes came in contact with the view in front of him. His eyes widened as his cheeks became flushed, his mouth dropping slightly as he saw the girl he liked only in her underwear standing a few feet in front of him. Grace's head snapped towards his direction, at first feeling exposed and embarrassed. Her attitude flipped once she saw Isaac's face, his cheeks flushed and his eyes wide, giving her a sense of confidence.
"Take a picture, Lahey," she said, looking back at the locker, "It'll last longer," she smirked, chuckling a bit as Isaac looked down in embarrassment, his cheeks pigmented with a dark crimson.
Grace bit her lip as she smiled to herself, feeling butterflies in her belly at Isaac's reaction towards seeing her body. She reached out on top of the lockers, sighing in content as she finally got a hold of her clothes, setting them down in the bench. Isaac walked towards her, his baby blue eyes trying to look at anywhere but her body. Isaac stood next to her, his eyes glued to the floor, his height working at his advantage as he could take in every inch of Grace's exposed body, biting his bottom lip as he felt a chill run down his spine at the sight of her, her cleavage very visible from his point of view.
Grace put a strand of her hair behind her ear, looking at Isaac from the corner of her eye. She figured he was standing there to look for his shirt, Grace turning towards him with a black v-neck on her hands, handing it to him. He muttered a shy thanks as he took the shirt, his eyes trying to look only into her eyes. Grace smiled slightly as he walked away, putting on the clothes the blonde had picked out for her, which turned out to be very revealing. Grace sighed before putting on her tight red pencil skirt that ended a few inches above her her knee, which came with a black leather crop top, exposing her midriff. She was sure it was against the school dress code, yet so were the very revealing styles Erica was sporting for the last couple of days. To top it all off, there laid a leather jacket, which reminded Grace of Derek when she met him for the first time, and some platforms.
She let her hair wander in its natural state, decorating her features as she walked towards were Isaac was, her eyes slowly looking at him up and down as he had yet to put on his shirt, using his hands to try and style his mop of hair. Grace giggled to herself, walking over to him. He looked back at her, his eyes dilating as he caught sight of her, the platforms she wore making her stand with his lips at the same level as her eyes. "I'll help you," she said softly, realizing how close they stood. She raised her hands a bit as she styled his curly brunette hair.
Isaac looked down at her, his eyes scanning hers in a trace as he muttered a small 'thanks'. She gave him a smile in return as she turned on her heels and left, leaving the werewolf in a trance at her sight.
•••
"So Derek wants this done in chemistry?" Erica asked Isaac, making Grace furrow her eyebrows in confusion.
"Derek wants what done in chemistry?" She asked, looking up at both of them since they both towered over her. Erica sighed as she looked at the floor, leaving Isaac to spill the beans on their plan.
"We're gonna test Lydia," he answered, his blue eyes looking down at hers, "To see if she's the kanima."
Grace scoffed, "A snake can't be poisoned by its own venom," she acknowledged, raising an eyebrow, "You think Lydia's the kanima?"
"That's what we're gonna find out," Erica said, her blonde locks bouncing on her shoulders as her stare moved towards Isaac.
"Well, you won't find anything out," Grace said, letting out a chuckle, "I know Lydia. She's not the kanima. Trust me, she wouldn't even lift a finger if it meant that her nails would get chipped. She may be a class-A bitch, but she's not a snake."
"Well, let's see, shall we?" the blonde said, the three of them walking towards the chemistry classroom. They entered at the same time as Stiles and Scott, who seemed to already know that their plan was to test her. They moved rapidly next to Lydia, sitting there in time only because Grace held Erica and Isaac back. Grace's platforms tapped on the tiles as she found her way towards the seats behind Lydia, Scott, and Stiles, Erica and Isaac sitting down on both her sides.
"What the hell was that?" Erica whispered loudly at Grace, referring to when she held them back so they wouldn't get to sit next to the strawberry blonde.
Grace got out a pen, pretending to hear what the professor was saying as she glared at Erica, "I don't play for either team, but Lydia's still my friend, and if this little experiment doesn't work then there'll be a strawberry blonde teenager paralyzed from the neck down in the middle of a classroom. She may be a bitch, but I won't let that happen," she whispered, making Erica let out a frustrated breath, her hands starting to claw at the end of the table.
"Einstein once said: "two things are infinite: the universe and human stupidity; and I'm not sure about the universe." I, myself, have encountered infinite stupidity," Mr. Harris started, his hand resting on Stiles's shoulder to indicate he was talking about him, "So, to combat the plague of ignorance in my class, you're going to combine efforts through a round of group experiments. Let's see if two heads are indeed better than one. Or, in Mr. Stilinski's case, less than one. Erica, you take the first station. You'll start with--," he said but was cut off by the commotion that came from the many boys who wanted to be Erica's partner, "I didn't ask for volunteers. Put your hormonal little hands down. Start with Mr. McCall."
Scott let out a small groan as he and Erica were seated. Grace stayed in the same place with Isaac next to her, starting out the experiment whilst keeping an eye on Erica and Scott. She could hear their conversation perfectly clear. She tensed up as she saw Erica's hand going up his thigh, avoiding his member by a couple of inches. Isaac kept an eye on Grace, furrowing his eyebrows as he smelled worry coming off her. Scott pushed her hand away from his thigh, his jaw clenching as he looked at the blonde dead in the eye. "You're not my type."
"I'm exactly your type!" Erica exclaimed as she grabbed the back of his neck, her eyes glowing yellow, making Grace gasp softly, about to jump over there, Isaac grabbing her forearm to keep her from doing so as Mr. Harris dinged a bell to indicate it was time to switch partners.
"Switch."
Grace looked back at Isaac, her gaze falling back towards the experiment she was supposed to be doing in front of her. He walked next to Stiles's seat, Allison quickly sitting beside her. Grace tensed up a bit, continuing the experiment without glancing at the brunette next to her. Allison pursed her lips as she saw her reaction to her sitting next to her, sighing as she helped her boyfriend's sister with the experiment she already mastered. "I don't know what happened to you since the coma, or even before it, but you're hanging out with a very dangerous crowd now, Grace," she said, her eyes scanning Grace's outfit, realizing it didn't reflect her style.
Grace scoffed softly, feeling the urge to defend her pack, "Allison, you wouldn't understand."
Allison looked down, hurt by her words, "There was a time when you would trust me with everything, but I guess hanging out with fugitives and psychotic werewolves has changed that, right?"
Grace stopped her actions abruptly, clenching her jaw slightly, "You of all people should know about being part of a crowd you're not proud of, Allison," she whispered, continuing the experiment after taking a breath.
"Well at least I'm not going after my own best friend," She spat, her gaze never leaving the McCall.
"No, right, you're going after your boyfriend and everyone else with a supernatural title," Grace said rapidly, closing her hands into fists as she saw her claws coming out of her nails. In that moment, Mr. Harris rang his little bell by his desk, telling everyone to switch.
"Switch," he said loudly.
"I don't know what happened to you but I know you're not being yourself. Just know I'll be here... but only if you let me," Allison spoke softly, sadness laced on her gaze as she took her bag and switched partners.
Before Grace cold let the previous moments sink in, a boy unknown to her sat on the seat next to her, a cocky smile decorating his features as his eyes scanned her body. Grace rolled her eyes, looking back at the experiment she was trying to finish. The boy next to her kept quiet for a few seconds before laying on the desk closer to her, making her feel a bit uncomfortable.
"Well aren't you looking like a milf?" The boy asked, his voice venomous. Grace immediately looked back at him, her eyes wide as her stomach dropped. Before she could say anything, their attention was moved towards the teacher's desk.
"And time. If you've catalyzed the reaction correctly, you should now be looking at a crystal," he said, yet Grace didn't even bother looking at the crystal she had formed, her eyes glued to the desk as anxiety ran through her body, "Now for the part of that last experiment I'm sure you'll all enjoy... you can eat it."
The boy next to her smirked as he saw her tensed up body, using it to his amusement, "What's wrong? Can't find a good story to put me to bed with... mommy?"
"What are you talking about?" she asked softly, being interrupted by Scott shouting Lydia's name as she was about to eat the crystal with the kanima venom in it, yet Grace couldn't process anything else happening around her, her heart beating faster and faster by the second as the teen next to her taunted her.
"Oh, don't act so surprised, it's not like nobody saw that you were fucking Derek Hale," he spat making Grace's head snap towards his direction, her eyes wide as she hoped nobody would hear them. Yet the boy made it worse as he started shouting through the classroom, "Did you really think that no one would find out?! Find out that you got knocked up by Derek Hale? Well you were wrong. Now everyone knows you're a fucking slut!"
Grace felt tears welling up on her eyes, threatening to fall as her body froze, everyone's eyes on her. Before she knew it, her feet managed to rapidly get off her seat and storm out of the classroom. Everything around her seemed to be spinning and going agonizingly slow as she rapidly walked out of the classroom, seeing everyone's faces judging and staring at her as she felt tears roll down her cheeks. It seemed like an eternity before she got to the hallway, walking towards the closest empty room. She tugged on her black hair as she sobbed, plopping down on the floor as she felt her body start to shake. It was the worst feeling she had endured in her life. her veins felt like they were filled with ice as her heart thumped like a sledgehammer in her chest. She cut off her surroundings as she tried to breathe normally, feeling as if she was drowning on oxygen as her lungs seemed to not get enough air.
She could't seem to control herself as she felt numb all over yet completely in pain, complete and utter panic coursing through all of her senses as her sight became spotted. As she looked down, she started to hyperventilate even more as her eyes made contact with her claws, her eyes starting to glow in a violet haze as the shifting began, making her panic even more. She closed her eyes, letting out a sob as she felt completely hopeless. In that moment she felt a pair of hands grab her wrists, trailing up to the side of her cheek. Grace could faintly hear the sound of their voice before being pulled in against their chest, their hands making her feel secure in a moment of pure panic. She buried the side of her head against their chest, finally being able to take deep breaths as she concentrated on the beat of their heart, which thumped gracefully and steadily against her face. She took deep and ragged breaths as she started to control herself, feeling her claws go back to nails and her senses to go back to normal.
It felt like a eternity being held against their warm chest but Grace found comfort in it, feeling relieved as her attack was over. She felt their hands drawing small circles on her back as they muttered things to make her calm. Her senses still felt a bit numb, still recovering from her panic attack, yet finally making out who the person there with her was.
"It's okay, Grace, just breathe, I'm here," Isaac kept muttering as he kept her close to his chest, hoping that she felt safe in his arms. Grace couldn't bring herself to open her eyes, still a bit shaken up, so she held on to the fabric of his shirt, hoping they could stay like that forever.
•••
Isaac walked next to Grace through the lacrosse field towards Derek and Boyd, who's eyes stared at both of them. Derek furrowed his eyebrows as he saw Grace, her eyes still a bit bloodshot. He furrowed his eyebrows in concern before walking towards her. "What happened?"
"You should've see it," Boyd laughed, making Grace look down, getting ready to be ridiculed, "This guy was being an asshole to Grace, calling her a slut, so Erica and Isaac beat his ass after class. It was gory as hell."
Grace looked up, confusion on her stare as a small smile came up to her face, "You guys beat him up?"
Isaac smiled as he looked at her confused features, "Yeah. A pack has your back, no matter what."
"They were calling you a slut?" Derek asked, his emerald green eyes piercing on Grace's features as silence fell upon them. Derek felt a rush of anger at the fact that someone called her a slut and made her cry. Grace looked down in embarrassment, her heart thumping loudly.
"Cause you knocked her up," Isaac said, making Derek's eyes look up rapidly as he took a sharp intake of breath, his eyes widened as he licked his lips in distress, turning away from the three without saying a word, "It's a rumor though, and we'll treat it that way so you guys don't get in trouble, especially you, Derek."
Derek and Grace both looked up at Isaac, their gazes reflecting confusion and gratitude at the possible solution Isaac brought to the conflict. Derek shook his head in a way of saying thanks, not wanting to be wanted yet again by the police. Isaac pursed his lips as he looked at his alpha, not being able to look at him the same after knowing the damage he had done to Grace. He pursed his lips as he turned on his heel and left, going back to the school with Erica.
They were left in an awkward silence before Derek motioned for Grace to go with him for a second, which Grace reluctantly obliged to, slowly walking behind him before he came to a halt, turning around to meet with her. He let out a frustrated sigh before looking at the ground. "I'm sorry, Grace."
Grace scoffed slightly before looking anywhere but his face, "Well, frankly, I don't care if you're sorry or not, Derek, 'cause it doesn't change the fact that it still happened and now I'm gonna have to tolerate the slut and whore comments and the mommy and milf jokes for the rest of my high school years."
Derek sighed, both their attentions snagged away as they saw Scott approaching them, a determined and distressed look on his face, "I want to talk to Derek," he said to Boyd, who stood a few feet in front of him.
"Talk to me," Boyd said.
"I don't wanna fight," Scott said, walking closer to Boyd.
"Good," Boyd laughed, staring down at Scott, "Cause I'm twice your size."
"True," Scott said as he walked in front of Boyd, feeling the need to look up at him at his size, "But you wanna know what I think? I'm twice as fast," He acknowledged before tackling him rapidly. Grace smirked as Boyd got up with a huff, Derek magically appearing next to Scott.
"She failed the test," Derek said, his green eyes piercing into Scott's features.
"Yeah, which doesn't prove anything. Lydia's different."
"I know," Derek said nonchalantly, "At night she turns into a homicidal walking snake."
"I'm not going to let you kill her," Scott said softly, making Derek laugh as he looked at Boyd then back at Scott.
"Who said I was gonna do it?" Derek asked, a smug smirk plastered on his face, his question making Grace's head snap towards him, Boyd tackling Scott as he tried to run towards the school. They both let out a grunt as their bodies met the floor, Boyd huffing with a smirk as he stood up, letting Scott stay on the floor, "I don't know why you think that you have to protect everyone, Scott, but, even so, Lydia has killed people and she's gonna do it again. And next time, it's gonna be one of us."
"What if you're wrong?" Scott asked, gripping at his aching stomach as he looked up at Derek and Grace.
"She was bitten by an alpha. It's her."
"You saw that thing up close. You know it's not like us."
"But it is! We're all shapeshifters," Derek exclaimed, sighing as he looked at the floor for a split second, "You don't know what you're dealing with. It happens rarely and it happens for a reason."
"What reason?" Scott asked, making Grace cross her arms over her chest, her eyebrows furrowing in confusion as they talked about something that could explain why she wasn't a werewolf like everyone else.
"Sometimes the shape you take reflects the person that you are. It happened to Grace, and now with Lydia," Derek said, not bothering to set his eyes on Grace as he gave Scott a hand, helping him stand up, "Even Stiles calls her cold-blooded."
"Well, what if she's immune?" Scott asked, making Derek and Grace furrow their eyebrows simultaneously, immunity being something both of them had yet to hear about, "What if she's got something inside of her that makes her immune to the bite, which is why she didn't get paralyzed?"
"No one's immune!" Derek exclaimed, the thought confusing the hell out of him, "I've never seen it or heard of it. It's n-- It's never happened."
"What about Jackson?" Scott asked.
"Wait what? What about Jackson?" Grace asked, her coffee brown eyes filled with confusion as they scanned Derek and Scott's features for an answer.
"That's why you tested him, isn't it? Because you gave him what he wanted, didn't you?" Scott asked, making Derek look anywhere but Scott's face at the true accusation.
"Scott--"
"Peter said the bite either kills you or turns you. You were probably hoping that he would die!" Scott exclaimed, making Grace and Boyd look up at Derek, their stomachs dropping as they realized just how messed up their alpha was, "But nothing happened, right? And you have no idea why, don't you?"
"No," Derek seethed, clenching his jaw as his emerald green eyes glared into Scott's soul, cursing at himself for being outed in front of part of his pack. Graced stepped away from him, in awe of what he admitted to. Deep inside her, she had wished he was still a good person, but she was wrong,
"Well, I have a theory," Scott said, proud of himself for learning Derek's true intentions by himself, "Lydia's immune and somehow she passed it onto Jackson. You know I'm right."
"No!" Derek exclaimed, pissed off at Scott, deciding to stay on his own side even if he wondered if Scott's theory was right.
"You cannot do this!"
"Look, I can't let her live! You should've known that!" Derek exclaimed, making Grace scoff.
"Do you even hear yourself?!" Grace exclaimed, walking in front of Derek, "You know, you complain about the Argents, but you're being just as bad as them! This is a teenager we're talking about! She recently just got her license, and you're talking about killing her without having absolute proof that she's a killer!" She scoffed, looking at the floor, "You know, I still had hope in my heart about you. Even when you ruined my life, I hoped you would still be a good person. I guess I was wrong."
Derek's eyes softened, tears welling up on them, making Grace's stomach drop, but it was true what she said. The person in front of her reminded her more of Peter than the person she knew. His green irises weren't the same ones that had looked at her in happiness as they kissed for the first time. The person in front of her was a complete stranger to her, and that broke her heart even more.
"I was hoping I could've convinced you otherwise about Lydia, but then..." Scott started, smirking a bit as he walked next to Grace, "I wasn't counting on it."
...
Grace panted as she stepped on the roof of Stiles's house, walking towards the window on the closest room. She went in feet first, being stopped by the size of her wings. She grunted, sitting on the edge of the window as she let out a breath, trying to turn back into a human and hoping that the neighbors didn't notice a teenager with wings trying to break into the house. She got in quietly, slowly walking downstairs until she went towards the front door where Stiles and Allison were. They were both unaware of her presence, looking out the windows in panic. She cleared her throat to get their attention, making Stiles jump in fright and Allison to shoot at her with her bow, Grace catching it before it went through her head.
"Whoa!" Grace exclaimed, looking at both of them before raising her hands in front of Allison, who's bow was aimed right at her heart, "I came here to help you guys."
"Why should we believe you are't on Derek's side?" Allison said, her finger on the trigger of her bow. Grace's heart thumped loudly, knowing that Allison wouldn't hesitate before killing her, panic flooding through her brain as she thought of a reason to give them.
"B-because it's true," She said softly as she looked at the floor, "What that guy said in chemistry."
Allison's eyes softened as she lowered her bow, pursing her lips as she went over to Grace and embracing her in a hug. The brunette smiled at her best friend, indicating that she was going to be there for her. As their embrace ended, Grace looked at Stiles, who looked down when their eyes met. Grace let out a breath at his reaction, being embarrassed for admitting it. "Where's Lydia?"
"Upstairs with Jackson."
"Guys, I think we have bigger problems," Stiles said, making Allison furrow her eyebrows as she headed to the window, taking a peak outside. Grace didn't need to look to know what was happening, she could already smell Derek's cologne a mile away.
Allison grabbed Stiles's phone, dialing Scott's number. "It's me."
"What's wrong?"
"You need to get here now. Right now."
"Okay I'm leaving now. On my way," Scott said before hanging up, Stiles and Allison never losing sight of Grace's pack members.
Allison looked down at the phone in her hands, making Stiles look her way with furrowed eyebrows, "What are you doing?"
"I think--" She sighed, "I think I need to call my dad."
"Are you out of your mind?!" Grace exclaimed, "They'll kill us all except you, Stiles, and Jackson, we are not calling them."
"And if he finds you here, you and Scott--"
"I know," She said softly, looking down at the floor, "But what are we supposed to do? They're not here to scare us, they're here to kill Lydia."
Grace tilted her head, a familiar smell flowing through her nostrils, but she shrugged it off. "I got a idea," Stiles said, "Shoot one of 'em."
"Are you serious?" Allison whispered. Grace rolled her eyes, knowing their plan wouldn't work.
"We told Scott we could protect ourselves, right? Then let's do it. Let's at least give it a shot, right?" Stiles said. Grace was going to object but er attention was pulled towards the smell, which followed on the hallway. She furrowed her eyebrows before walking towards the smell, losing it once she got to the bathroom. She furrowed her eyes before going inside, gasping as the door shut behind her, locking her in. Grace tried punching the door yet failing, walking back before kicking it open. She let out a breath before the smell hit her again, this time being able to identify it. It was the kanima. She ran over to the front door where she saw Isaac who threw Allison on the floor before punching Stiles in the face, which made him fall on the carpet.
Grace went over to him, grabbing his leather jacket as she pulled him away, sending him towards the floor. Isaac stood up, his eyes glowing yellow as he growled at Grace, which just made her smirk as she got her claws out, her eyes glowing purple. Isaac charged towards er, meeting with the ground as she tripped him, putting her knee on his chest to keep him down as she started punching him. He buried his claws on her thigh, making her let out a growl of agony as he deepened it, shoving her body away from his forcefully. She let out a groan as her head slammed on the floor, her eyes widening as she saw Isaac standing up and walking slowly up to her. Grace pushed herself away from him, still on the floor, her breath heavy as she reached the wall.
In that moment, Allison shot him in the leg, making him let out a loud groan as he plopped on the floor. Grace stood up and went over to him, bending down so their eyes would meet. "You're a good guy, Isaac," Grace said softly, "You just play for the wrong team," She said as she pursed her lips, punching him as hard as she could, making him pass out.
In that moment, Erica kicked the front door open, making Grace and Allison gasp slightly. Grace motioned for Allison to take Erica whilst Grace took Boyd and Derek. Allison ran towards the bedroom, telling Lydia to hide while Erica walked past Grace and went straight towards Allison. As Grace was about to go outside, her body met with the floor, instantly standing up and facing a shifted Isaac.
He charged towards her, this time pushing her against the wall by her neck, making Grace groan as she tried to pry his hands off her yet failing. With the same hand, he took her and smashed her head against the wall multiple times making her wince. Just in time to save his sister, Scott came and hit the back of his head with a lamp, making him let go of Grace. She coughed out as she hit the floor, her head banging. She touched the back of her head, wincing, and looked at her hands which were covered in blood. She let out a groan as she looked at Scott fighting with Isaac. She stood up and grabbed Isaac by the mop of hair on his head and slammed him on the floor harshly, making him groggy and pass out as she punched him yet again, stumbling as she stood up.
Allison dragged a paralyzed Erica towards them and Grace grabbed both of them by the necks of their leather jackets, dragging them towards the porch them throwing them in front of Derek and Boyd. Derek let out a huff, disappointed in his betas, and looked back at Grace, who bled from all over. Scott, Allison and Stiles walked beside her as they all looked at Derek. "I think I'm finally getting why you keep refusing me, Scott," Derek sighed, "You're not an omega, you're already an alpha of your own pack," He smiled, the same pearly white smile that brought butterflies on Grace's belly, "But you know you can't beat me."
"I can hold you off until the cops get here," He said, making Derek's smile fade and Grace's eyebrows to furrow at the sound of sirens approaching them. In that same moment, their heads looked at the ceiling where the kanima hissed venomously, making Derek's jaw clench as he looked at the reptilian creature.
"Get them out of here," Derek instructed Boyd as he looked at Erica and Isaac on the ground. Boyd sighed before nodding but before he could do anything, they all looked inside the house as footsteps were heard, Lydia's strawberry blonde hair bouncing on the sides of her shoulders as she walked with a distressed look on her face towards them.
"Would someone please tell me what the hell is going on?!" The strawberry blonde asked in frustration, making everyone's eyes widen.
"It's Jackson."
***
this chapter literally took me like four days to write and edit and I'm pretty sure there are still some typos but I'm sorry it took so long, my computer started glitching and I couldn't type certain letters but here it is. I hope you guys enjoyed it!!
-- vivian darkbloom