Chapter One : A Sea Of Sand
The club was crawling. Of course I had a very noticeable face within a club of hunters. And so did Scott. Us being the doppelganger and only living true alpha. So while the rest of the pack got drunk and danced miserably we hid in the corners ready to take the whole place down.
Stiles and Lydia were talking with the head of this hunting family, we're just the decoys. Every once and a while a new light would pass over my pale face, making me feel very whitewashed.
We came to Mexico looking for Derek. Part of me didn't think we would find him, but another part of me knew we wouldn't leave until we did. I watched as the club workers talked into walkys. Every nerve in my body moved quicker than the music around me. Jumping at any moment.
I calmed down when Scott gave me his signal. At least now I have something to do.
I moved back from the hall, following the corridors till they led me to the north wing. A man came at me, without thinking I put my finger to my lips shhhing him. A little trick I learned with Isaac's help. I watched as the man chulched his throat, no longer able to speak, after I over filled his lungs with air. Scott came from behind him and knocked him out cold. "When'd you learn to do that?"
"Four days ago." I say, bending over and picking up the walky talky.
A voice came through, "North?" The man started to speak spanish, so probably not good for us.
I fildled with the device till I got it to work, "Stiles." I look over to Scott, "Take 10 off the table." Scott turned his head as I turned the walky talky off, "What do you hear?"
"Kira and Malia. Find Isaac and the twins."
"Got it."
Both of us slipped into the chaos of the club. Chloe Evlynn and Isaac were still trying to blend in, when I found them. I nodded behind me to an open hall once Isaac saw me. I could almost feel the smirk that passed over his face as the three of them made their way over to me. "Where's Scott?" The brit asked as soon as I was in ear shot.
I look over to where Scott threw a working into a wall, "Taking care of some things. Come on."
The four of us make our way over to the hall that leads to Lydia and Stiles. We enter it at the same time as Scott Kira and Malia. It was completely red clay and there were visible pile lines. I swear the seven of us were doing a damn hero walk down that hall.
The seven of us rounded a corner, the hall thinning out. You could almost feel the fear coming from Kira. We were skimming the walls when we heard a smoke machine come on. When we looked to the floor a white smoke was beginning to cover it.
Three pipes burst above us. Isaac Scott and Malia start to have a huge coughing fit. "Wolfsbane." Scott says through the coughs. "Get out of here." Not a chance. I raised my hand searching for the pit in my stomach that I felt the night Victoria Argent tried to kill me and Scott. The smoke started to subside.
"What the hell?" Isaac asked as his breath evened out. We could almost see through the white smoke again when I felt a pain on the back of my head. I turned to face one of Araya's hunters. I tried to fight back but ended up with a taser in my gut, and a second blow to the head Then blackout.
~
I woke in an old bathroom. Stiles was leaning over me as I moaned awake. "I hate the Calaveras." I wine as I shift so I was leaning on a wall.
Stiles let out a laugh, "Yeah. I mean still got blood in your hair, so."
Intuitively I look around the room and bringing my hand to my hair, " I got blood in my hair?" I was only able to make the joke, because everyone was in here with me. So we were kidnapped, but alive. All of us, until, "Where's Lydia?"
"Guess he's awake." Evlynn said from the other side of the room, standing over Scott.
Stiles helps me from the ground as I hobble over to Scott. "Scott you okay?" Stiles asked as we made eye contact with our best friend.
"Yeah." He mumbles out as Isaac helps him to sit. "They don't have him. They don't have Derek?"
"Then who does?" I asked, finally standing without Stiles help.
"We don't know. That's usually your job. Witchy."
"Well the witch is having an off day." I sass back.
"We just know they don't have Derek." Chloe said from above Scott, and Stiles and I leaned down next to Scott.
"But they do have Lydia." Isaac said from behind Stiles and me.
Scott turned to Stiles and me, "Lydia? What would they want with Lydia?"
"No idea. Best guess Banshee. But what would hunters want with the supernatural?" Stiles said, helping Scott from the ground.
"Leverage?" Evlynn asked.
"Maybe. But the fact they only took Lydia, makes me think it's more personal." Malia said laning on a wall.
Isaac gave Malia a weird look, "Right because a 17 year old redhead has beef with a hunter of 40 years. That makes perfect sense."
I hobble over to the door, "Whatever. Someone just help me with the lock." Scott walks up behind me and the two of us start to mess with the door. "Scott look." I point out the small opening in the solid brass door. Scott nods, shifting his hands into the gap in the door.
His knuckles turn white as he starts to pull at the door. He lets out a few pained grunts before giving up, and moving to a new part of the door. "Guys it's pointless." Choe said from behind us.
"Yeah, we already looked for a way out." Kira said.
"I think a lot of people have." Isaac ads pointing to the claw marks next to the door.
"I say when that door opens again we take out whoever's standing in the way and run for it." Malia says, causing Chloe to run to her side.
"And Lydia?" Evlynn asked the werecoyote.
"What about Lydia?"
"We're not leaving without her." Scott said walking to the girl.
Malia furls her eyebrows, "Why not?"
"Wh-." Isaac hung open his jaw for a few seconds, "Why not?"
"Yeah why not?"
"I don't believe her."
I roll my eyes, "News flash Lahey if you're gonna be a douche don't let other people hear you."
Chloe wraps her arm around Malia, "Because we don't leave without people. Remember we talked about this? Rules of the wild kingdom don't apply to friends."
"Is that what you would do as a coyote," Kira asked, crossing her arms, "Leave her for dead?" Only Kira Yukimura could make the words 'leave her for dead' not offensive.
"If she was weak and injured, yeah. If hunting had been bad that season, I would eat her. Then leave her for dead."
Chloe hums, "Believe it or not, that's progress."
"Okay. But we're not dead yet." I remind, looking to Scott for help.
"Yeah. we're dead. But that means Araya wants something."
Evlynn crossed her arms, "If the Calaveras don't know where Derek is, that means they didn't take him from the loft. Right?"
"Maybe he left on his own." Stiles said as we start to circle up subconsciously.
"Or someone else got to him."
"Always a pessimist Isaac."
"What is it with you and judging me today?"
I smirk, "It just brings me so much joy." The jokes stop when the door opens.
Scott Isaac Malia and Me push everyone else behind us. But to no avail. Scott Isaac and Malia get shocked with the hunters' tasers and one pushed the barrel of his gun to my head. "Do anything I shoot. We are here for Alpha and the kitsune."
"Cait it's okay." Scott groans as he stands from the ground, "Kira do you trust me?"
"Enough to follow you out of this room."
"Good. in that case we're right here." Scott puts his arms in the air, Kira doing the same. The two other hunters who don't have a gun at my head grab Scott and Kira, with no care. The third hunter lowers his gun, shooting at the ground in front of my left foot.
I tense until they leave the room. "That's no good."
"Why did he hit you?" Evlynn asked racing to my side.
"Ev, I'm fine. It's just, why would they want Scott and Kira?"
"No idea. But you're right it can't be good." Isaac says, looking back to the door.
~
"Cait, you've been at it for over 15 minutes. Give up. I'm sure they're fine." Stiles mutters to me as we lean on the wall.
"Fine." I stand starting to pace along with Isaac. "Isaac, can you hear anything?" He just shakes his head, "Malia?" I almost beg.
She just shakes her head as well, "Can either of you hear anything? Kira? Lydia? Anybody?" Chloe asked from her place on the floor in front of Malia.
"I- I can't." Malia says. "I can't concentrate. I- there's two many sounds. And voices."
"Isaac what about you?" Evlynn asked.
"Same thing."
Chloe looks Malia in the eyes, "Okay. It's okay. In that case just breath. Try to match your breath with mine. You did this with Scott before, remember?"
"I'm trying."
"Hey. Mal, it's okay. Just try and focus on something else. Look in my eyes. Good. Focus on the sound of my voice. Anything you have to do. Just try and concentrate. Concentrate..." Malia cuts Chloe off by leaning forward and kissing her. The rest of us are still silent when Malia pulls back, opening her eyes to their piercing blue rather than subtle green.
I looked at Stiles, who had a smirk on his face. The lights started to flash above us, and Stiles' smile falls. "They're killing him." Malai says with disbelief. "They are asking for a wolf turned not by a bit. Wait-" We don't make a sound as the lights come back on. "Kate?"
Everyone looks at me. "Really don't you think I would already be dead if I was the Cait they were talking about?" I pause a memory coming back, "Oh my god. Argent."
"What?" Everyone else in the room asked at the same time.
"There's- there's this rumor that if an Alpha's claws go deep enough and they scratch someone they can turn them."
"Peter." Stiles says in disbelief. "But that's impossible."
"Caitlin tends to be right in these situations." Isaac says
"Who's Kate?" Malia asked.
"She's a hunter." Stiles said.
"She's Allison's Aunt." Chloe adds.
"Allison's DEAD aunt. Chlo. I mean you me and Caity went to the funeral we saw the body."
The conversation was cut short when a team of hunters opened the door. They stepped out of the way and let Araya, Scott, Lydia and Kira, in. "Come now. You have work to do."
~
Scott and I trailed behind Araya, everyone else was already back at the cars. Three hunters trailed behind us, but that didn't really matter. "So that's it? You're just letting us go?" I asked the huntress.
"I sent four men out to where Kate was rumored to have been seen. None of them came back. Let's see if the two of you can do better."
Scott moved so he was in front of the women, "You could've just told me she was alive."
"You wouldn't have believed me. Now I know what kind of Alpha you are. And where your next steps lies."
"What next step?" Scott asked, looking between me and Araya.
"When you take the bite of an innocent, when you make a wolf of your own, when you do that, then, I will cross your border and come knocking at your door." She turned to look at me. "I'm sure the doppelganger is more than willing to tell you when that next step comes." Araya walks away with her men, but Scott and I stay where we are.
"Do you know something? Do I have a beta?" Scott asked, without looking at me.
I smirk, "Yeah. But I'm not saying his name." I walk off to the sound of Scott scoffing as the two of us head back to the cars.
Scott, Stiles, Kira, Lydia and Isaac were in the jeep. As for The twins me and Malia, we took Lottie's suv, seeing as he has the flu right now. "Okay so what now?" Stiles asked me as I got closer.
"She thinks she knows where we can find Derek."
"She gonna tell us where?" Malia asked, still leaning on the suv.
Scott comes up behind me, "Actually, she's giving us a guide." We all look to our lefts when the sound of a mortar comes closer. A girl on a bike rides towards the nine of us. The girl almost dives into Stiles before parking.
Braeden. "You." Isaac said, looking her up and down, "You're the girl who saved me."
"Nice to see you again Isaac."
"Braeden." I say as she hangs up her helmet.
"Who?" Kira asked, eyeing her.
"She's a mercenary." Lydia spoke, "Like Isaac said a few months before you came Kira we had to deal with a pack of Alphas, Braeden saved Isaac's life."
"Right now I'm the only one who's gonna take you to La Iglesia."
"The church?" Evlynn asked walking closer to the bike.
"What's the church?" Stiles asked.
"Not a place where you'll find god." Chloe sassed out climbing into the drivers side of our car. "Let's get this show on the road."
~
We train behind Stiles and Bearden through the desert. "Okay, I'm gonna ask?" Malia says from the backseat. "Who's Kate Argent?"
I turn in my seat to face her. "Like Evlynn said we went to the funeral. But in all fairness we never saw the body, we only saw a casket. So my guess she was never in it."
"She was Allison's Aunt." Evlynn paused, "and a total sociopath."
"That's it. That's all you're gonna give me. That she was crazy."
I roll my eyes, causing Chloe to hit my arm, "All right, fine. Kate Argent was the one who set that fire that burned down the Hale house, killing most of Derek's family."
Chloe picked up for me, "Some of them survived, like Cora and sadly Peter."
"A very pissed off Peter." Evlynn adds.
"Yeah, he was the one bit and turned Scott. And the Hale who caught up to Kate and killed her."
"Or so we thought." Chloe reminds me.
"Okay, but didn't you see her be buried?" Malia asked, her head still in between the seats.
"We saw a casket. Never a body. So I have no idea, possibly she wasn't even in it. Araya told me and Scott that the Calaveras wanted to make sure Kate was dead, because they had heard she was killed by an Alpha's claws. But she started to heal as they got closer to the full moon, so they took her. She was coming back. So they switch out the bodies with one of theirs. You see when a hunter gets turned they have to take their own life. That's why Allison's mother committed suicide. Derek bit her when he was still an Alpha saving both mine and Scott's lives. And they have to take their own life before they change, most do it on the full moon. The Calaveras, they treat the code like law. They make it their responsibility to enforce it. Weather that be by the end of a razor blade, or the ballerle of a gun. But Kate never did it."
"Good for her." Malai said without hesitation, "I wouldn't do it either."
"Would you kill half a dozen people to get out? Because That's what she did. She cut her hand rather than her neck. It's an old trick, where you let go of enough blood, and you face your body to the floor, it's hard for people to tell the difference from dead, or playing dead. When the Calaveras went to get her body they got the end of a razor blade mixed with a new set of claws."
"So what? This Argent chichs a werewolf?"
"I don't know." I answer with as much honestly as I could, because I just couldn't remember, "There's an old saying, claiming you take the shape that reflects the person you are. That's how Jackson became a kanima after a wolf bite."
"Okay.." Elynn drags out the word, "What kind of shape is a sociopathic bitch?"
Stiles' car jolts in front of us, and then Chloe severs just nearly missing the jeep. "What the hell?" Evlynn half screamed at her twin.
"I-i don't know." I cimbl out the car, walking over to the drivers side. There was a giant gash in the driver's side front tire.
"Someone slashed our trie." I say throw Chloe's rolled down window.
"So someone hit you too?" Isaac asked from behind me.
"Yeah I guess. Though will Stiles' jeep, it could just be the crappy motor."
Beaden turns parking her bike at the bottom of the hill we were on. "What happened?"
"Someone slashed our tire, but I got know clue for Stiles." Chloe said making her way to the truck where the spare was.
"I don't know. It felt like we hit something."
"Scott wee need to get there by night. It's too dangerous otherwise."
Scott looks between me and Stiles, "go." We say at the same time as I started to work with the jack for the car.
"Not without you two."
I stop what I'm doing walking over to Scott, "look someone needs to find Derek. We'll figure something out. We always do. Just promise me you'll be careful. I know that's lame, and when you leave I will probably think of a million things better than be careful. But I mean it, I don't remember what you're walking into, so just as dumb as it sounds be careful."
"It doesn't sound that dumb." I pull Scott into a quick hug.
"Now go. He likes you best anyways."
"Scott the suns going down. We need to go." Breaden says from her bike.
"Go we'll catch up." He leaned down and placed a kiss on my forehead before hopping on the back of Beaden's bike. I stood there for a minute watching him drive off, before turning around. When I supn on my heels everyone but Malia was looking at me, "What?"
"I am officially the biggest third wheel in history." Stiles told me, causing me to roll my eyes and walk back to the suv.
"Chloe?" Malia called from the other side of the car, "I think I found what slashed open our tire." Malai shimmies out from under the car and hold out a bone that was shaped like a tooth. Chloe takes the bone from her hands.
"What the-"
"Chlo, can I see it?" She passed me the bone. Every odd carving was still placed around the hilt, as if this bone was a weapon, "Berserker bones? What the hell?"
"Wait, Caity you know what that thing is?" Stiles asked, taking the bone from my hands.
"I can't be sure, but it looks like a Berserker."
First Person POV~Scott McCall
Beaden parked the bike at the top of a sand dune. Below us was an old stone church, a bell still resting at the top. But that was only half of it. The church was surrounded by run down clay buildings. "La Iglesia." Beaden said walking up behind me.
"What happened here?"
"An earthquake. It leveled the town."
"Then why is the church still standing?"
"The locals think it's because of what's underneath."
I tilt my head to the side, "Do I want to know?"
"The church was built over the ruins of an Aztec temple." Guess I'm finding out anyways. "It belonged to the people called the nagual."
I turned to look at the mercenary, "Shapeshifters?"
She turned to face me, "Were-jaguars." That's great. God where were Cait and Stiles when you need them.
I look back down at the city, "So Derek and Kate are somewhere in there?"
"I don't know. Never gotten this far before." What was I about to walk into?
Beadeon drove us deeper into the heart of the town. She passed me a flashlight before cocking a shotgun. I knew she only did this for the money but I never feel safe around guns anymore. "If you find Kate in here, what are you gonna do with her?"
"Bring her back to the Calaveras. That's what they paid me for."
"Okay, what comes after that?"
"Not my problem."
"So you just don't care?"
"Do you? She's a mass murderer."
"And you're a mercenary."
"Girl's gotta eat."
"If you were paid enough would you kill her?"
"If the money was good, I'd kill you." Always good to know where you stand. Breaden pressed forward kicking in a few wooden boards. The church was covered in broken rocks and sand, and holes lined the ceiling as if they were skylights. "Can you catch Derek's scent?" Bearden's voice echoed.
"Yeah, I already got it." Beaden goes to move forward but I hold her back at the sound of a growl.
"What?"
"There's something else in here."
"Something like what?"
"Something not human."
Beaden led me farther into the church or more so, deeper. I almost fell into one of the staircases. We turned yet another corner only to find nothing, "So how come you didn't kiss her?" Beaden asked me from nowhere.
"What?"
"How come you didn't kiss your girlfriend?"
"Who, Cait?"
"Whatever her name is."
"She not- We're not- it's uh a bit more complicated than that." I mean sure me and Cait have kissed a few times. And we did sleep together once, but I couldn't even tell if we were dating. It seemed like she was afraid to start anything, thinking any moment she would have to leave. I didn't really know what we were.
"So if you die down here, are you gonna regret not kissing her?" I turn to look at Beaden. "You should've kissed your girlfriend." Tell her that.
I don't respond, just keep pushing through the sticks and mud. There was one last corner to cut. Something in the pit of my gut was telling me to turn around, but I didn't. I just continued to follow Beaden down the corders. After I heard something I did swing around though. "What?"
I turn back around when I don't see anything, "Just had a feeling like something was behind us." I looked behind us one more time before continuing to follow the mercenary. After the third time I turned Beaden asked a different question.
"Do you hear that?"
There was a small growl from the way we came, "Is this why you never get that far?" This time a set of footsteps answered my question.
"Get ready!" At the first sign of anything Bearden fires her gun.
First Person POV~ Caitlin Roads/Holmes
Kira grabbed her katana from the back of Stiles jeep. Evlynn and Chloe were bitching about putting the spare tire on right. Stiles and Lydia were yelling about flashlights, I couldn't really tell. Isaac and I stood behind both cars, after Malia claimed there was something out here with us. Kira and Malia stood at the front of the cars.
"Can you see anything?" I asked the wolf.
"No. It's too dark."
"Isaac do I have to remind you that you're a werewolf and you have a second set of eyes?"
"Right." Isaac blinks his eyes turning yellow. "Do you see that?" He points to an area just around fifty feet away. When the object I thought was a tree moves, Isaac growls and runs after it.
"ISAAC!" I yell after him. My voice blends with Chloe as she yells for Malia. "KIRA YOU GO AFTER MALIA. I'LL GET ISAA!" I scream for kitsune and run off after the blue eyed beta.
I couldn't see much even with a light flame on my hand. I was wandering the desert with know idea where I was going. The air around me was quiet, "Isaac!" My voice bounced around the rocks, as I spinn back towards the cars. A set of branches span from behind me. I turn with the intent of throwing my flame before Isaac starts to scream at me.
He puts his hand up in surened before I light the prick on fire, "It's just me."
"Did you find anything? I mean what's out there?"
"I'm not sure. I just know that it's fast and cuts deep." Isaac drops his hand from his side to show a five inch gash.
"Please tell me you're healing?"
"I'm starting to. It might just take a while." The sound of engines revving brings us back to the cars.
"Get in!" Evlynn yells at me slamming the backseat door shut.
~
"You- You please don't ever do that again!" Chloe half yells at Malia who was still in the backseat with Evlynn.
"Do what?"
"Run away like that. I- I thought you took off. I thought you were running."
"I was running."
"No I mean like run-running away. Leaving. I mean I thought you were leaving." Chloe said with a sad face
"I wouldn't leave without you."
"Really?"
"I would never leave without you." Malia paused shifting her gaze from me to Evlynn. "Them I would leave."
Chloe turned to look at me, "Somehow that's still progress."
"That doesn't look to good." Evlynn said, pointing to the cut on Malia's left side.
"Oh it's fine."
"Are you sure? Isaac said the same thing, I could tell he was lying."
"Yeah I can feel it starting to heal."
~
We finally made it to the church. I slammed the car door shut behind me asI gto out, worried when I only saw Beaden leaving the building. My heartbeat spiked until I saw Scott walk out as well. Someone on his shoulder. But it wasn't Derek, well it was Derek. But he was 16 years old. "What the hell?" I whisper as Scott and Beaden got closer.
"Is that him? Is that Derek?" Malia asked joining me and Stiles who climbed out of the car first.
"Uh-Kinda."
"Yeah sort of."