9. WOLF'S BANE

"We need to talk about what happened after you touched the pendant.", Derek demanded as we walked down the stairs.

Scott didn't want to be alone after the whole ordeal with Allison and Jackson, so I decided to stay with him. My mom was more than happy when we called to ask her if she was okay with it- she was still working the night shift.

"No, we don't. Now leave before Ms. McCall gets home.".

I placed the blanket and the pillow on the couch before opening the front door to let Derek out. 

"Lorelai, I know you saw something! Why won't you-".

I held up my hand, shaking my head, "Derek, I can't do this right now. Please.".

Noticing my frustrated expression, he left without a second glance. Ms. McCall came home a few minutes later. Thankfully she didn't ask too many questions about what had happened at the school, she was too tired to even finish her tea.

After saying goodnight, I settled in on the couch, hoping to fall asleep, but as soon as I closed my eyes, I kept seeing flashes of Cahira, and my dad. I was still feeling the burning in my chest which got so bad that I had to push myself off the couch. 

I laid on the cold floor, hoping for some relief, but that didn't do anything. My breathing became staggered, and I literally thought I was going to die, again. In the middle of the agonizing pain, I heard a familiar voice whisper, "Find me…".

∞∞∞∞

"I still don't understand why you need me on the phone?", I complained.

"You're our witness and emergency contact in case something happens!", Stiles yelled.

"How am I supposed to be a witness when I can't see anything? And by the way, I can't dial 911 while I'm on this call with you.".

"Lorelai, stop sassing me! And Scott, I don't think you're grasping the concept of a car chase, here!", Stiles warned.

"If I go faster, I'll kill us!", Scott shot back.

I was currently in a car chase with Scott and Stiles by association because a certain blue-eyed werewolf got word that the Alpha was revisiting Beacon Hills High. 

The police somehow found out that Derek was there and went after him, along with the hunters. Tweedledee and Tweedledum served themselves up as a distraction to get the hunters off his trail. I heard the sound of police chatter coming from the walkie talkie he 'borrowed' from his dad.

"All units, suspect is on foot heading into the Iron Works.".

"Seems like you guys got it under control, can I go now?", I asked before I heard a gunshot go off.

"Crap! Are you guys okay? Should call 911?!?".

My heart was pounding in my chest when no one answered me, there were just a lot of banging noises and yelling.

"What part of laying low don't you understand???", Scott shouted.

"Damn it, I had him!", Derek cried in frustration. 

"He was right in front of me, and the freaken police showed up.".

"Whoa! Hey, they're just doing their jobs…", Stiles defended.

"Yeah, thanks to someone who decided to make me the most wanted fugitive in the entire state!", Derek snapped sarcastically.

"Can we seriously get past that? I made a dumbass mistake. I get it.", Scott whined.

These idiots completely forgot that I was still on the call.

"HEY!!!".

"Sorry Lorelai, I dropped the phone when I had to leap into the freaken backseat!".

I shook my head as Stiles asked Derek how he knew where to find the Alpha. 

"The last time I talked to my sister, she was close to figuring something out. She found two things. The first was a guy named Harris…".

"Our Chemistry teacher?", I puzzled.

Derek grunted in confirmation. The second thing was a symbol that Laura had discovered, which Scott recognized. He had seen it on a necklace that belonged to Allison.

∞∞∞∞

"Okay, so let me get this straight. You knew Derek was alive because he found you outside the school where Scott left you. Then he gave you a magical pendant which allowed you to communicate with your dead grandmother and see a memory of your dead dad conversing with Scott's boss and after that you got heartburn and heard voices. Did I leave anything out?".

Stiles sounded exasperated as we walked up to the entrance of Beacon Hills High.

"Oh, I was dead for three minutes. And I figured out that the voice belonged to a lady I know back in New Orleans.".

"You were- My god.", Stiles stuttered.

We were waiting for Scott outside the school while Stiles tried to process what I had just told him.

"Stiles, I think we should keep this conversation between us, especially about Alan Deaton… Scott has enough to deal with already.".

Speaking of the devil, the mopey teen wolf finally graced us with his presence and Stiles directed his attention to him as we pushed open the doors. Scott was trying to figure out how to ask Allison about her necklace. 

"It's easy! You just say, 'Hey, Allison, can I borrow your necklace to see if there's anything on it or in it that can lead me to an Alpha Werewolf that I need to kill in order to get back together with you?'", our sarcastic friend suggested.

I rolled my eyes at him. 

"Not helping. And besides, they just broke up, there's no way she's gonna talk to him so soon.".

"Then why don't you ask her?", Stiles raised his eyebrows and Scott gave me a hopeful expression.

"I don't mean to sound like a crappy friend, but I've got some other druidy things I need to focus on at the moment. Good luck buddy!".

Stiles stuck his tongue out at me before offering Scott some terrible advice. I didn't stick around to hear what it was, and power walked myself out of their conversation and into Biology.

As I sat down, I pulled out my notebook and started to make a list of what I needed to do. Firstly, I had to revisit my grandmother's journal. Maybe something helpful will appear out of thin air again, just like the Triskele symbol the last time. 

Then I had to make a call to Ms. Amelia which would probably take roughly three hours, depending on how well she knew the inner workings of her phone. Thirdly, I needed to play detective and interrogate Mr. Deaton to figure out what he knows about me and why my dad suspected the Hales. 

I didn't realize how much time I had spent jotting down my life's mess until the bell rang. I had literally missed the entire lesson. When I got outside the classroom, I was greeted by a flustered Scott.

"We have a huge problem!".

After catching up with Stiles, Scott broke the news that Jackson knew about him being a werewolf. 

"How the hell did he find out? Does he know about Lorelai?", Stiles yelled.

"I have no idea!", Scott panicked.

"Did he say, I know you're a Werewolf?", Stiles asked.

"No, but he implied it pretty freaking clearly!".

"Oh god, okay, we can figure something out.", I added.

"Yeah! I mean, he doesn't have any proof, right? And, if he wanted to tell someone, who's gonna believe him, anyway?", Stiles said, hopeful.

"How about Allison's father?".

Scott had a point. I was pondering on my own questions and confusion as we all wore the same defeated expression on our faces.

"Where's Derek?", Stiles asked.

"Hiding, like we told him. Why?", Scott asked, raising his eyebrows. 

"I have another idea… It's gonna take a little time and finesse, though...", he answered quickly.

"We have that game tonight. It's quarterfinals, and it's your first game.", Scott reminded Stiles.

"I know, I know... Look, do you have a plan for Allison yet?".

Scott mentioned that she was in his next class which Stiles suggested he should try and snag the necklace then. I decided to supervise Stiles and play accomplice to his possibly illegal plan.

"I hope you know what you're doing.", I muttered underneath my breath as I followed him.

"Yeah… Me too… Meet me at your locker after school.".

It looks like that phone call to Ms. Amelia was going to have to wait.

∞∞∞∞

"Jackson did what now?!?".

Stiles filled me in on what happened with the jerk and Scott at the cafeteria after I wrote my make-up Chemistry test. Turns out that Jackson also broke up Lydia which only made Scott more jealous now that both the ass and Allison were single.

"I swear I am going to punch that knucklehead right in the throat and then wring his neck with his intestines!", I screeched as I slammed my locker door shut, earning some dirty looks from nearby students.

"Jesus, Lorelai! That was very graphic…", Stiles observed while we walked to his car.

"How did you get Danny to agree to this plan anyway?".

He stayed quiet as he started the Jeep and drove off to his house.

"Stiles!".

"Okay, okay! I told him I need help with some, um, homework.".

Shaking my head, knowing it wasn't going to end well, I grabbed a packet of pretzels from my bag and opened it, popping a few into my mouth.

"Seriously?!? I just got the Jeep cleaned!". 

We finally got to the Stilinski residence, and I took a detour to the kitchen to get some water. I bumped into Mr. Stilinski on the way up to Stiles' room.

"Oh hey Mr. Stilinski!".

"Always nice to see you, Lorelai. Try to keep Stiles out of trouble, would ya? He's got that… Same crazy look in his eye when he's about to do something he's not supposed to.".

I snorted, "I can't promise anything.".

He chuckled as he said goodbye.

"Stiles, what time is… Why is the door locked?". I tried to open it, but the door wouldn't budge. 

I heard some weird grunting and a few moments later, it flew opened where I was greeted by a very flustered red-faced Stiles.

"Oh my god, were you… Ew Stiles, I was right downstairs!!!".

"What?!? Lorelai, why would you think… No! We have an unwanted visitor…".

I walked inside his room to find Derek standing by the cupboard, a smirk on his face. Stiles collapsed onto his desk chair, and I took a seat on the bed, gritting my teeth in irritation, trying to ignore Derek's presence.

"Scott didn't get the necklace?", he asked, breaking the silence.

"No. He's still working on it. But, there's something else we can try. The night we were trapped at the school, Scott sent a text to Allison asking her to meet him there.", Stiles informed him.

"So?".

"Well, that's precisely the problem. Scott wasn't the one who sent it, and Sherlock over here has a plan to figure out who did.", I answered, vexed. 

Derek didn't seem convinced. Stiles was about to explain further, but we were interrupted by the sound of someone knocking at the front door. 

"He's here. Everybody, act cool!", Stiles said as he raced down the stairs. 

Derek sat on the chair that was next to the closet. I kept my distance, staying as far away as I could from him. Clearing his throat, he was about to say something when Stiles opened the door.

"I came here to do lab work! That's what lab partners do.", I heard Danny say as they entered the room. 

"And we will! ...Once you trace the text.". 

Stiles plonked himself onto a chair.

"And what makes you think I know how? Oh, hey Lorelai…?". Danny greeted, clearly confused by Stiles' request. 

The guy mentioned Danny's arrest who then defended himself, arguing that he was only thirteen and they dropped the charges. It was only after he pulled up a stool, did he notice Derek. He picked up a book, trying to blend in.

"Who's he again?", Danny asked.

Stiles, quick on his feet, told him that Derek was his cousin, Miguel. He was not impressed with his new backstory. Danny pointed out that there was blood on Derek's shirt which Stiles and I missed.

"Oh that? He probably got punched in the face for being an inconsiderate dick…", I mumbled. 

"Aaannndddd, he gets these horrible nosebleeds, don't ya, Miguel...? I thought I told you, you could borrow one of my shirts?". 

Stiles cocked his head in the direction of the drawer before shooting me a death stare. Derek, clearly fuming because of Stiles' and my comments, shut the book and tossed it onto the bed. 

As he stood up, removing his shirt, I accidentally got glance of his damn abs, and my freaken heart skipped a beat like the last time at the animal clinic.

"Uh, Stiles...?".

My idiotic friend answered with an innocent expression on his face, glancing from me to Danny. It looked like I wasn't the only one affected by a shirtless Derek. I turned my face away, trying to hide my blushing.

"This… No… Fit…", Derek complained irritably.

"Then try something else on!", Stiles said mischievously as I caught on to his real intentions behind Derek's half naked torso.

Just as embarrassed as Danny, I stole one more glance at Derek's toned body, the tattoo on his back catching my eye- it was the Triskele.

"Enjoying the show?", he muttered for only my ears to hear, before digging back into Stiles' drawer in attempts to find something to wear. 

I scoffed pulled out my phone in order to distract myself from the unwanted thoughts. I had a missed call from an unknown number. Frowning, my phone began to ring again, and I quickly excused myself to answer.

"Hello?".

"Lory! The Alpha- Tell Hale… It's-".

"Ricky?!? Ricky!!!".

The line went dead while I still yelled out my best friend's name. I groaned out in frustration, kicking the banister. Stiles swung open the door, thanking Danny while ushering him out, worry laced in his eyes. Derek followed behind him, wearing the same expression, and a clean shirt that didn't cling to his body.

"What's wrong?", he asked while we went down the stairs.

"It was a friend, he said he knew something about the Alpha, but the reception was so bad, we got cut off…", I rambled, trying to get over the surprise phone call.

"Was Danny able to find out anything?".

"Yeah. The text message was sent from Melissa McCall's computer.", Derek answered flatly.

"You think Ms. McCall is working with the Alpha?".

He didn't answer, but I already knew he made up his mind. 

"We won't know unless we investigate, now come on, let's go!". Stiles shouted the from his jeep. 

"You still didn't answer my question from before.", Derek said cheekily as we moved towards the vehicle.

Heat rushed to my cheeks in my attempts to ignore him. There was no way I was going to admit to Derek that I found him attractive. My mind went back to my conversation with Ricardo, trying to figure out how much he actually knew about this town including my family. What blew my mind was how good he was at hiding something like this. 

We reached the hospital in no time and Stiles called Scott to tell him he was going to be late for the game. Derek interrogated the Beta to find out whether he got any information about Allison's necklace, but even that came up short.

"Stiles… I don't think you're going to make the game.".

"I know…", he sighed.

"And you didn't tell him about his mom, either.", Derek added.

"Not 'til we find out the truth.".

"By the way? One more thing…".

As soon as the words came out of Derek's mouth, I winced. He slammed Stiles' face hard against the steering wheel. 

"Oh, God! What the hell was…", Stiles cried out, clutching his face.

"You know what that was for. Go. Go!".

I snickered while I got out of the car with Stiles. 

"Don't act like you didn't enjoy it, you were practically drooling over him. You should thank me.", he whined, still holding his nose.

"Shut up.".

The place was eerily quiet when we entered, something didn't feel right. We couldn't find Ms. McCall anywhere, so Stiles dialed Derek.

"Yeah, I said I can't find her.", he said frustratedly, before covering the phone to speak to me. 

"He demands we look for Jennifer, his uncle's nurse.". 

Stiles tilted his head in the direction of a room. I opened the door and gave him a disappointed look, shaking my head. All I found was an empty bed and an abandoned wheelchair.

"Yeah, well, he's not here, either.".

I scrunched my eyebrows, remembering my phone call with Ricardo, and my dad's warning to Mr. Deaton.

"Stiles, we need to get out of here now! It's Derek's uncle!!!".

I gripped his arm hard, and judging by the look on Stiles' face, Derek must've just told him the news as well. We backed away from the room, and from the corner of my eye, I caught a silhouette on my right. We were too late.

"You must be Stiles. And Lorelai. I must say, impressive skills with that broomstick.".

The hairs on my arms and neck stood up, and my fingers grasped Stiles' wrist, my nails digging into his skin. A smirk played on Peter's lips, his badly burned face lighting up as he observed us curiously.

"Lorelai!", Stiles snapped softly, and I released him from my hold, mumbling a quick sorry as we turned around hoping to make our escape. 

Unfortunately, someone was blocking the exit- the famous Nurse Jennifer.

"What are you two doing here? Visiting hours are over.", she snarled.

Stiles' body began to tremble, his panic mode activated, whipping his body from the nurse to Derek's uncle, fitting the pieces together. 

"You... and him... You're, you're the one who… Oh, my… And he's… Oh, my God, I'm gonna die.".

I took a deep breath in, trying to calm my rapidly beating heart, my fists clenched. I wasn't sure how I was going to be able to take on both Nurse Jennifer and the Alpha, but lucky for me, Derek decided to make a dramatic entrance by knocking the woman out.

"That's not nice. She's my nurse.", the Alpha said, feign concern dripping in each word.

"She's a psychotic bitch helping you kill people.", Derek spat, before looking at the two of us, "Get out of the way.".

"Oh, damn.", Stiles sighed, pulling me down with him as we backed up against the wall. 

"You think I killed Laura on purpose? One of my own family?", Derek's uncle asked, walking towards him. 

Derek let out a growl as he shifted and charged, jumping onto the counter before slamming right into the Alpha. 

"Come on, Stiles! Move!". 

I quickly slid the two of us out of the way as the Alpha shoved Derek, crashing him into the wall, missing us by inches. I turned around to see that Derek's uncle had his fingers around Derek's throat and was dragging him across the floor.

"Stiles! Find somewhere to hide, I have to help Derek!", I instructed, earning an 'are you insane' expression from my friend. 

The tugging in my chest grew stronger and I wasn't sure how long the werewolf was going to be able to make it alone.

"If he could kill his own niece, what's stopping him from doing the same to Derek?!?", I added as we caught a glance of the fight.

Uncertainty flashed across Stiles' face when I stood up and gave him a nod. I prayed, hoping all the training I've done kicks in properly this time as I crept towards the feuding family members.

"I tried to tell you what was happening. I tried to warn you.", I heard the Alpha say to Derek as I approached them.

"Hey! Let him go!".

The crazy man tilted his head towards me before gripping Derek by the shirt. 

"Gladly.", he sneered and threw him into the glass barrier that was attached to the reception counter.

"Lorelai, go! Get out of here! This isn't your fight!", Derek groaned. 

Even though I didn't have a plan, I still stood my ground. However, it didn't stop my legs from trembling.

"Ah I see you have a little admirer, nephew.", the Alpha joked, slowly stepping in my direction. 

"Imagine all the things we could've accomplished together, Lorelai Maolán. I always knew you were special, so much stronger than your grandmother and your stupid father.". 

There was a flash of red in his eyes when he stopped in front of me as he extracted his claws. 

"Too bad you'll be joining them soon. Tell them I said hi.".

He lunged at me, and I jumped out of the way, kicking him behind his knee. He stumbled for a second, surprised by my attack but spun around at such a speed, that I had no time to anticipate his next move. Before I knew it, he grabbed me by the throat and flung me in the same direction he had thrown Derek.

I hit the wall hard and landed on my face, the sound of my ribs cracking filling my ears, along with his laugh. He crouched down beside me, turning me onto my back. The pain shot through every part of my body, and I cried out. 

He inhaled the air around me deeply, gazing at me thoughtfully, like he remembered something. He gently brushed a strand of hair away from my face.

"I can almost taste the power running through your veins…", he whispered. 

"PETER!!!". 

The Alpha rolled his eyes, his head turning in the direction of Derek staggering towards us. 

"What now?", he questioned irritably, his fingers wrapped around my neck tight.

"I will help you get your revenge if you let her go.", Derek said softly, not meeting my eyes.

A sinking feeling settled in my stomach while I felt Peter release his grip.

"I hope you understand what you're asking me to give up here, Derek.".

"If you kill her, you'll lead the cops right to us.".

The way in which Derek stated his cause made me feel like I was just an inconvenience to them. 

"I guess you have a point.", Peter turned to look at me.

"I'm giving you three days to decide whether you're going to join us or your family in the ground. Either way, that power is mine.", he snarled.

Peter pushed himself off the floor, joining Derek's side.

"We'll see you two soon enough.", he smiled before the two of them walked out.

Stiles rushed over to my side and helped me sit up. Worry and concern flooded his pale face.

"Lorelai… You need a doctor…", he stated, a crack in his voice.

Shaking my head, my right hand flew to my shoulder, the bone had popped out of its socket. With my good hand, I gently pulled my wrist forward, straightening it before I pushed it back in. The pain was excruciating, and I screamed, Stiles almost throwing up on the other side of me.

"That was freaking disgusting!".

"Just help me up, would you?". 

He swung an arm around me, and we got to our feet. I could feel that my body had started to heal itself as we limped our way to the Jeep. 

"We need to find Scott and figure our next move. I can't let Peter take whatever power's inside of me.".

"Any ideas on how you're planning to do that?", Stiles asked softly.

"Nope, but I at least have an idea on where to start.".