Chapter Text
Derek Hale pulled on his tie, trying to loosen its tight grip around his neck. Curse Laura for insisting on it. The din of the crowded restaurant assaulted his ears, a cacophony of pointless chatter, cutlery against white porcelain, clinking of glasses, and the clanging of pots and pans from the kitchen. They were seated much too close to the kitchen too, and the scents from all the dishes prepared therein blended together in a way that seemed to highlight all the worst part of every meal, and none of the delicious parts. The mess of smells were further reinforced by the strong artificial scents from the other guests around them, hints of sweat and grime from the day, and pheromones. And whose idea had it been to fill a dining room with lilies?
He took a deep breath to keep his wolf at bay and forced a smile to the man opposite. At least Derek wasn’t going to be the one to pay for this dining experience.
“It’s a generous offer,” he said. “But you know I haven’t graduated yet.”
The man waved his hands in the air in front of him. “That doesn’t matter. One of your teachers recommended you to us a year ago as someone to keep an eye on, and we would’ve called closer to graduation anyway, but when you won that award we thought we’d better make a move before anyone else flew in and scooped you up. So what do you say?”
“It’s a generous offer.”
“One you’ll take, I hope. There’ll be plenty of creative freedom, and if your work stays top-notch, a good chance at making junior partner before you’re thirty. Both my partner and I have full faith in you. So, why don’t you tell me what’s holding you back, and we’ll see what we can do to work something out?”
Derek sighed. The man was a human. He’d never have to explain this to another wolf. “The job is in San Francisco,” he started, trying to hide a flinch when a woman at the next table dropped her fork and it hit the plate with a loud clang. “It’s not that I wouldn’t like living there, but there are a lot of things going on with my family right now. I’m not sure I’d like to leave them. Your firm is a great one, don’t get me wrong, but there are other firms with offices a little closer to home.”
The man frowned. “I don’t think I know a lot of college graduates who’d mind moving that far. It’s less than a hundred miles. We might be able to open a second office in Sacramento one day, but of wouldn’t be in the near future.”
“I wouldn’t expect you to.”
“If you made partner it’d be a different story altogether of course. But you need a few years of experience before we can take that chance.”
Derek took the final bite out of his steak. It had been a delicious dinner, but the kitchen tried much harder to kick it up that extra notch whenever he came here with his family. They were usually seated by the window too, when the reservation was in the name Talia Hale. It was quieter by the window, and the scents from other people weren’t coming from all directions like they did at this table. Not that it would have mattered. Derek had never had any intention of taking his job.
“Of course. I am flattered by your interest, Mr. Drummond, but I don’t think there’s anything you could say to change my mind about this. I want to stay in Sacramento. I was born here, and my entire family lives here.”
“Your mother is on the city council, I understand.”
Derek wondered if that woman had something really the matter with her as she dropped her fork again, the sound penetrating his ears like a dagger and he fought to keep his attention on his companion.
“Yes, she is. She’s been doing that for over ten years now.”
“And your grandfather was the mayor at one point.”
“Yes, he was. So you see, my roots in this town run deep. I don’t want to be uprooted right now.”
“Oh?” Drummond raised an eyebrow. “Something the matter?”
Humans could be so nosy. “Private matters,” he said simply and left it at that.
“Well, Derek, I have to say you leave me rather disappointed.”
Derek let his drink glass serve as a mask to hide his expression as the fork hit the plate again. This time the woman apologized to her date who smiled sadly at her, and Derek felt ashamed. She really must have something wrong with her. Now all he could notice was the chemical smell of medication coming off of her, previously drowned in all the other scents from the dining room.
“I’m sorry to hear that. But I did warn you when we set this dinner up that I wasn’t interested in working in San Francisco.”
“It’s a great city.”
“So is this.”
Drummond leaned back in his chair and took a deep sip from his scotch. “And there’s nothing I can say to change your mind?”
“I’m afraid not. My mind is firmly made up. I appreciate your interest in my career, and I’m sure that teacher of mine has other names she could recommend.”
“She did. A couple of them, even. But I saw that design you did for the competition, and I couldn’t imagine hiring someone else.”
Derek managed another smile.
“Thank you, that means a lot to me coming from someone like yourself. I’ve always admired that hospital you designed in New York. Genius work.”
“Well, one day someone might say the same thing about one of your designs.” He stretched out his hand. “It was a pleasure to meet you Derek, and I wish you good luck with your future career. Do keep my card, will you? In case things change for you and you change your mind. Can’t promise you another deal like what I just offered you, but we’re always looking for new talents.”
“Thank you. I will.”
Drummond gave him a crooked smile before signaling the waiter for the check. “Your family must be very proud of you.”
“They are,” Derek lied.
He slammed the door close and let out a deep breath of relief. Finally alone. He only slept in his studio apartment right by campus when he had late nights or early mornings and thought the drive out to his family’s home on the outskirts of the city felt too long, and it didn’t hold much more than his bed, his desk and his drafting table, but it still smelled like his place. A book case with his textbooks and a couple of novels and a sparsely filled closet took care of his basic needs. His room back home was a different story. That was where Derek lived. This was where he slept and sometimes studied and occasionally met up with a lover. Or returned home exhausted not wanting to see or speak to another living soul.
It was, however, also where he kept his award. The crystal skyscraper with the silver decorations reflected the light from the streetlamp outside, and he still smiled proudly whenever he saw it. He did not polish it every night, no matter what his sisters liked to tease him of. It was just nice to be reminded of being good at something.
Speaking of sisters. Derek sighed as his phone rang in his pocket and answered without checking who the caller was. “Hello Laura.”
“Hey, number two! How did it go, tell me everything?!”
“It went fine. They offered a lot of money, moving costs, and the first two month’s rent paid on an apartment overlooking the bay, and a chance at making partner eventually.”
“But you didn’t take it?”
“Of course I didn’t. It’s in San Francisco. That’s too far, Laura.”
His sister sighed in his ear. “It’s not that far, Derek. We’d be fine if you wanted to make a go of it.”
“I can make a go of it here.”
“Derek…”
“I don’t want to leave, Laura. I don’t know why you keep trying to make me.”
“I don’t want you to leave either. You should be with the pack, of course you should. But if you took the job you might end up enjoying yourself, getting to focus on your career for a few years, and none of us wants to get in the way of that. I just don’t want you to look back on your life when we’re in our sixties and resent me.”
“By then, you’ll be alpha, and I’ll be your second. How could I possibly have any regrets then?”
Another sigh. Laura had been sighing more and more lately whenever she spoke to him. Derek thought she’d been picking it up from their mother. “I know. But there’s a long time until that will happen, and I want you to have the career you want to have until the pack needs you.”
Derek glanced at his drafting table. “The pack could need me now. Plenty of them still live in apartments, spread out all over town. We could do something about that, you know we could. If mom would listen. She’d listen to you.”
“Not on this she doesn’t, you know that. Derek, you know I love how hard you work on those ideas of yours, but for now, you’ll just have to sell them to humans, okay?”
Derek didn’t respond.
“Now tell me about the dinner. What was it like meeting this Drummer guy?”
“Drummond. That part was great. Man’s a legend. I still can’t believe he even wanted to meet with me. And he seemed really disappointed when I turned him down. A wolf would’ve understood. I hope he’ll remember me in the future though, he’d make a good professional contact.”
“You could’ve saved him the flight and the cost of dinner by turning him down on the phone, if you already knew you weren’t going to take it.”
“It’s polite to turn someone down in person,” Derek said firmly. “And mom insisted.”
“Oh, okay then. Speaking of mom, she knew I’d be talking to you tonight and wanted me to tell you to come home. Like, tomorrow or the day after. She needs your help with something.”
Derek’s heart started beating faster in his chest, and he rolled his eyes at himself. Pathetic.
“Calm down little brother, it’s not a big deal.”
“Easy for you to say, she asks things of you all the time.”
“Yeah, and wouldn’t I rather have become a doctor or something instead of going on errands all over California on her say-so?”
“She’s teaching you to be alpha.”
“Yeah, I guess. But you’ll come?”
“I’ll be home after classes tomorrow. What does she need?”
“Good. I don’t even know, but it’s nothing big or she wouldn’t be sending me south tomorrow morning to deal with those two packs that never learnt how to share.” He could practically see her in front of him, shaking her head indulgently, like she did whenever Cora and Malia wouldn’t get along, but ready to pull them apart by force if she had to.
“Alright, tomorrow then.”
“I have to go, but I still think you’re an idiot for not taking that job.”
“And your opinion has been noted. Bye Laura.”
“Goodnight number two,” she said and ended the call.
Derek sat down at his drafting table, trying to calm his nerves. He looked down at the drawings he’d made. They weren’t perfect yet, but they’d have to be as soon as he graduated and held his diploma in his hand. Talia hadn’t been interested when he first introduced the idea a year ago, but it would be harder to turn it down when she could see it all drawn up and he was officially an architect, he felt sure of that. Most of the families in their pack spent a lot of money fixing their human-built houses to be better suited for their needs, but why not start building them right from the start? Bigger kitchens, better soundproofing, larger living areas and fewer bedrooms since most wolves preferred sleeping together anyway. Changing existing houses was expensive, and even then it could be difficult to get it just right. The Hale pack deserved better.
His black Camaro purred like a kitten as Derek sped down the streets towards his family’s home the next afternoon. The Hales had lived in the city for generations, and back when they first moved there, their house had been a bit outside the city limits. Over the decades, the city had spread out and while their home still backed up against the woods without too many houses surrounding it, there were many luxury homes in the affluent neighborhood nearby. It wasn’t the most interesting commute even on a good day with low traffic, but Derek had good music in his car and a purpose.
He could imagine plenty of things for that purpose; he could need to deal with rogue hunters; he could be sent on a mission to fetch someone or something from another pack; his mother could ask for his advice on something. Frankly, Derek would be happy even if all she wanted was to help a pack member with something. She had asked for him.
The Hale pack was one of the largest packs in the country. Once, Sacramento used to have several packs, like most cities had, existing in peace by staying out of each other’s way, but over time, the Hale pack had grown to include the other ones. Alpha sparks could be lost in all manner of ways and hunters loved taking out an alpha werewolf without children of their own, who hadn’t passed their spark on to another pack member yet, and what was left was a pack without a leader. The Hales had been there, ready to take in anyone who wanted to join them. There were hundreds in their pack to keep track of by now, but everyone sounded happy, safe and prosperous, whenever Derek asked his mother or Laura about them.
He arrived at the house and parked outside next to a row of other cars. He recognized most of them, but his uncle changed vehicles so often there was no telling what he would show up in. The sprawling mansion was set against a dramatic backdrop of the woods and was big enough for a family of twenty, which wasn’t far from the truth. It housed, at the moment, Talia Hale’s immediate family, three of her siblings, two of them with mates and a bunch of children, and her nearest betas who slept over so often they might as well have moved in officially.
Cora met Derek at the door and flashed him a card. “Look what I’ve got.”
“Oh hey,” he hugged her. “You passed this time, huh?”
“Yep. And you know what you promised.”
“I did not promise.”
“Yes, you did.”
“No, you asked, and I said I’d think about it if you passed your driver’s test the next time, but that was two tries ago, and frankly, Cora, when someone needs three tries to get their license, you don’t want to lend them your car.”
“Oh, but please, Derek! I already know you won’t be here too long, so I won’t go far, I promise. I’ll go get a burger and then I’ll be back. And I’ll buy you some snacks for the road while I’m out.”
“I’m going on the road? What do you know?”
He held up his keys, just out of reach for her. Cora wasn’t short compared to other girls her age, but she was sixteen and Derek was tall.
“I know you and Peter are going somewhere and you’ll be gone until tomorrow. That’s all. Now gimme the keys or I’ll tell mom where you hide your porn stash.”
“You can have the keys, but not because of that last thing. I don’t keep porn in this house. But you’ll be back in thirty minutes, or I’m calling the cops and reporting the car as stolen.”
Cora looked outraged. “You’d do that to your own favorite sister?”
“Laura is obviously my favorite sister. And yes I would. Don’t you dare scratch it either, or you’ll be paying for a new paint job.”
“You’re so in love with your car I’m embarrassed for you. I’ll take care of your baby, I promise.”
“Good.” He handed her the keys, cringed at the way she cheered and skipped over to the Camaro. “Drive safely!” he called after her, but she was already out of the driveway, tires screeching.
“Derek,” his mother greeted him when he followed her scent into the east living room. “I’m glad you’re here. How did it go yesterday?”
He gave his mother a kiss on the cheek. “The dinner went fine, but I didn’t take the job. I’ll find something here in town, I’m not worried. I did win that award after all.”
He glanced over to the wide fire place where he hadn’t been asked to put his award, next to the photo of Laura and her supervisor from the internship she’d done with the UN, and his cousin’s judo trophy – he’d have made it to the Olympic tryouts if it weren’t for not being able to leave a blood sample for doping controls.
“I only hope you didn’t turn down a good opportunity in favor of a lesser one,” Talia said and patted his cheek. “As long as you’re happy.”
“I’ll be happier when I can be close to my pack.”
“Alright then. Come into the study and we can have a talk. I need you to help me with something important.”
“I’ll do anything to help you, mom, you know that.”
Talia smiled, but didn’t reply, and he followed her into her study at the back of the house. His uncle Peter was already seated in one of the two chairs in front of the desk, flipping through a manilla folder with only half-interest, but he nodded a greeting to Derek before going back to reading.
Derek sat down next to him and Talia took her place behind the desk. Derek had seen his mother sitting in that chair since he was a pup and had vague memories of once seeing his grandfather there too when he and Laura had gotten into trouble, but Derek had never sat in front of it like this. This was pack business. Family business was dealt with in the sun room on the west side of the house.
“I’ll make this as brief as I can, Derek. I’d like to get the ball rolling right away.”
Derek nodded, wondering if he should’ve brought something to take notes with. Peter watched him out of the corner of his eye with amusement.
“You remember the Stilinski pack, don’t you?”
“I… not really?”
Most of the packs in California would, sooner or later, find their way into Talia’s office, either to show their respects, or to ask her to mediate in various issues with other packs, and Derek had met plenty of alphas during his upbringing, or at least seen them come and go, but the name Stilinski meant nothing to him.
“Oh, you might have been a little young, and I think she was only here once. Alpha Stilinski that is, Claudia Stilinski.”
“I remember her well,” Peter interjected. “I think Derek might have been around five or six at the time. He thought she was beautiful and followed her around the house the entire visit. That was when she had just taken on the alpha role.”
Talia laughed and Derek felt his face heat up. Trust his uncle to always remember the embarrassing stuff.
“I don’t remember her.”
“She took over after Satomi Ito in Beacon Hills,” Talia explained.
“They didn’t keep the pack name?”
“For a while, they did, but everyone started calling it the Stilinski Pack, and I suppose we all just got used to the change. Anyway, I learnt yesterday that Claudia passed away.”
“I’m sorry to hear that,” Derek said. “Was she very old?”
“No, she was younger than me, even. It’s all kind of strange. There was a notice in the paper a couple of days ago about her death, and that was it. I didn’t even see it until one of the other alphas mentioned it to me yesterday. No one has called or left a message, and you know the newer alphas usually come here to introduce themselves or call on their closest alphas to visit, so we can all renew our alliances and such. But there’s been nothing. I assume they have a new alpha since I haven’t heard anything about an omega pack either.”
“Most likely,” Peter said, “she passed her spark along to someone in her pack before she passed, and that person simply doesn’t know what to do.”
“Have you tried contacting the pack?”
“I only have contact information for Claudia herself, and there’s no one answering the phone when I call. And their emissary isn’t answering Marin either. So. Derek, I’d like you to go to Beacon Hills this weekend and find out what has happened. I’d send Laura, but she’s needed with the dispute down south. This shouldn’t be too difficult for you. I don’t know exactly what you might expect, so I want Peter to go with you. Between the two of you, I’m sure it’ll be fine.”
There was something uncertain in her eye, and Derek could hear the doubt in her voice.
“Why am I going at all? He’s your second.”
“He is,” Talia said and smiled indulgently at her brother. “And while Peter is a brilliant schemer, his diplomacy skills can be a little… erratic, that’s all.”
“But I don’t know much about diplomacy either. Not that I don’t look forward to doing this for you, mom.”
“I might have… flirted a little too hard with dear Claudia on her one and only visit here,” Peter confessed. “I’m afraid her husband did not appreciate it. So it’s better that I go as your backup should you need it, than I go and be chased out of town by an angry widower, don’t you think? Besides. Like we said, I’m sure it’s just a mistake or someone not knowing the proper protocol. You could even go alone if you wanted.”
“I want you there too, Peter, in case it becomes too much for him.” Talia insisted and turned to Derek. “You’ll go then?”
“Of course, mom. You can count on me!”
Peter chuckled. “You don’t need to sound so excited, Derek. It’s a three-hour drive, talking with some hillbilly werewolves in the middle of nowhere and then a drive back. We should pack a change of clothes in case it runs late though. I trust we can rely on the new alpha to put us up for the night, once we know who we’re dealing with.”
“Alright. Should we leave right away?”
“If you would,” Talia said and smiled. “I trust you to handle this, Derek. It’ll be good for you. Just try to keep a level head and be polite. Don’t be too shy. Claudia was a pleasant person, and we’ve never had any trouble with any of her wolves. They’re all good people.”
Derek nodded. “I won’t let you down, mom.”
“I’m sure you won’t, sweetie. Call me when you know what’s been going on.”
She patted his cheek again and he went upstairs to his bedroom to pack a bag. There wasn’t much to bring. Overnight stuff, just in case, and he made sure to bring a clean shirt, in case they’d be offered dinner by the new alpha. He took a book at random out of his bookcase and packed his phone charger and some toiletries and went downstairs where Peter waited for him.
His uncle clapped him on the shoulder. “You can do this,” he whispered in his ear. “Keep your cool, think over what you’re going to say before you speak and if someone wants information you’re not sure about, tell them your alpha would not wish you to divulge that information at this time, or something like that. Any wolf would respect that. And I’ll be right there to give you hints and help on what to do or say when you need it. She’ll be proud of you.”
“Thank you, Peter.”
“You’re welcome. I’m even going to let you drive this time. That is, if your sister has returned your car.”
Cora came bursting through the door right then, her face flushed but holding a bag that looked full of chips and cookies and other things Derek would not allow to be consumed in his car.
“There are no scratches on your precious baby,” she said with a look at his face. “You can stop making that face, she’s returned to you in perfect condition. Drive safe!”
He snatched his keys and the bag, and ten minutes later they were out on the highway going north to whatever kind of place Beacon Hills was.
“What’s that?” Derek asked as they drove into Beacon Hills a few hours later, nodding to the thin manilla folder on Peter’s lap.
“It’s the file we’ve kept on the Stilinski pack.”
“We keep files on other packs?”
“In a manner, yes. It’s always good to have as updated information as possible, and we keep notes on our past dealings with them, and other things that are good to know. Information.”
“I see. And what do we have on the Stilinski pack?”
Peter flipped to the first page. “There’s not that much to be frank. They’re a peaceful pack, and your mother hasn’t had to intervene on their behalf or against them in any disputes, and they haven’t asked her for help with anything either, so there’s not going to be a lot. We’ve simply haven’t needed much.”
“And this alpha didn’t keep mom updated on things?”
Peter shook his head. “Nephew, none of these pack owe your mother any updates. They don’t report to her. All the information we get is volunteered or collected through friendly observation. I think Alpha Stilinski sent your mother a Christmas card for some years. A generic one, not the kind with pictures.”
The Beacon Hills welcome sign promised them a pleasant stay and a stroll through the nature preserve. Derek rolled his eyes. Imagine living somewhere that didn’t have more to offer than this? He kept waiting for them to drive into a proper downtown area, but so far, nothing.
“So we don’t know anything about the size of the pack?”
“We had that information once. Satomi Ito had roughly ten wolves in her pack. When she got older, she chose Claudia Stilinski as her heir and passed the spark over to her. Lovely woman. She was bitten in her early twenties and joined the Ito pack then. I suppose Alpha Ito was impressed by her. I certainly was.”
Derek cut him a look. “I get it, you liked her. Move on.”
“Well, Claudia became the alpha. As far as we know, she never gave her husband the bite. They have one child, born human, last I heard.”
“Really?” Derek raised his eyebrows. “Just one human kid and they didn’t have more? That’s a little reckless, isn’t it?”
Alphas needed heirs, or there was no telling where the alpha spark would go when they died. So unless Claudia Stilinski had known she was going to die, the spark might simply have died out.
“Well it happens. Maybe the marriage wasn’t a very happy one. Her husband was a cop, I believe.”
“So, ten wolves and an alpha without a proper heir?”
“Ten wolves back then, remember. We don’t know anything about how many there are now. People do have children, mate, move around.” The last was said with a pointed glance in Derek’s direction, but Derek ignored it and looked for a sign of where to park, having realized that Beacon Hills wasn’t going to suddenly turn into an exciting place to be.
“What else do we know?”
“Not much money to speak of, and little influence among nearby packs but on good terms with everyone. They’re the only wolf pack in town. We don’t know if the address for the alpha’s widower is correct. I don’t know what to tell you, Derek, it’s a peaceful and unassuming pack with few wolves, that seem happy to live in this town, not bothering anyone or being bothered by anyone.”
Derek sighed. “I suppose that makes it more likely that you’re right. That it’s only a new alpha who doesn’t know it’s polite to let your neighbors know about the change in leadership.”
“I suppose.”
Derek pulled into the parking lot of a public library. “Let’s walk from here, shall we?”
“As you wish, nephew. Where are we walking?”
“Let’s just get a feel for the town. Keep an eye out for any wolves that might be able to tell us something useful?”
“Very well. Might be a good idea not to try too direct of an approach. I approve.”
Beacon Hills was, to put it mildly, a dump, in Derek’s eyes. It wasn’t particularly well-maintained; spring should be in full bloom, but no planters of flowers were out in the public areas, roads were in bad shape, a couple of street lights were out, and there was tons of graffiti on walls and benches along the main street. Something wasn’t right.
“You’d think a good alpha would care more about her community,” Derek pointed out with a nod to a street lamp that looked like it was about to fall over.
“Not all alphas are on their local city council, and not all of them look further than their own pack,” Peter said. “But maybe the next alpha will be in a better position to clean up this town a bit. Wouldn’t need that much in terms of an increased maintenance budget and town beautification policies. Something a few private donations could take care of.”
Derek could practically see Peter doing the math in his mind. He loved making private donations, and there were several park benches dedicated to him or Talia back home. Derek couldn’t see this town dedicating anything to Claudia Stilinski.
He realized suddenly that Peter had stopped in his tracks, looking at a flyer on a wall. Derek went back and stared too. It was a missing person’s flyer for a teenager. A boy with the last name Stilinski. And someone had slashed it in a pattern that looked very much like claw marks.
“Stilinski,” Peter said.
“How do you suppose you pronounce that first name?”
“I… I have no idea. But I recognize those eyes and if that’s not Claudia’s son it has to be at least her nephew.”
Derek looked at the kid in the photo but thought him completely unremarkable. He was just a kid.
“If seen, contact Beacon Hills sheriff’s station. Nice reward.”
“Not big enough to make anyone really look who doesn’t know him though,” Peter said. “Well, this certainly changes things. Claudia dies and her son, we can assume, goes missing?”
“We should start at the sheriff’s station then. If the alpha mate was a cop, he’ll know what’s going on over there, and we can get the address of the new alpha, if there is one.”
“Alright. Let’s go back to the car then. I think I saw a sign for the Sheriff’s station a couple of blocks away when we were driving in.”
After seeing the state of the Beacon Hills downtown area, Derek had expected the Sheriff’s station to be rundown and covered by vandalism, or even worse - empty, but it was a well-maintained building with a row of cruisers parked outside that didn’t look new by any means but were still in good repair. A dent here and there, but that was to be expected from a police vehicle.
“What was Claudia’s husband’s name?” Derek asked as he pulled into visitors’ parking.
“Oh I don’t know,” Peter said. “It’s not in the file. That’s strange. You’d think we’d have that information.”
“I thought you met him.”
“Yeah, decades ago! And frankly, I don’t think I bothered to learn his name then either. He was a cop, he was human, and he was standing next to his beautiful wife who was far more interesting.”
Derek rolled his eyes.
“We’ll ask.”
Inside, the station was neat and tidy. Some officers were working at desks, a couple of them were talking to civilians and a scowling officer was escorting an equally scowling teenager from somewhere further back to her waiting parents. A clean-shaven man around Derek’s age wearing a deputy’s uniform sat at the front desk, so that’s where they directed their steps.
“Hello,” Derek started. “We’re looking for someone, we think he might work here. Stilinski?”
The man’s eyes widened for a second before his face became a mask of casual curiosity. “John Stilinski? The sheriff?”
“Oh, he made sheriff?” Peter said. “Good for him, always knew he’d go far. Is he in?”
Derek flared his nostrils and gave the deputy a searching glance. Something was off with him. Not wolf. But something.
“I’m sorry to have to tell you,” the deputy said. “But the sheriff died a couple of weeks ago.”
He returned Derek’s look and Derek decided to risk it. He flashed his eyes at the deputy who took a step back, but with surprise, not fear. He quickly leaned forward and lowered his voice. “What do you want? Are you with Ennis? Come to rub it in, or what?”
“Ennis?” Peter repeated. “I have no idea who that is. The sheriff died? At the same time as his wife?”
“A couple of days later. Who are you?”
“I’m Derek Hale, and this is my uncle, Peter Hale.”
“Hale?”
“That’s right. Alpha Talia Hale of Sacramento is curious about why she wasn’t invited to Claudia Stilinski’s funeral, and we’ve come to see if everything is alright with her pack?”
“Haigh!” the deputy called out. “I need to take these men to talk to Graeme, will you take over?”
Another deputy approached, grumbled something about it not being his job and this never would’ve happened under the real sheriff, but the first deputy waved Derek and Peter forward. In passing, he tapped a female deputy on the shoulder, and that one they could easily identify by scent as a wolf. The sheriff’s office smelt strongly of wolf too, and the dark-skinned woman behind the desk rose to meet them.
“Tara, they’ve come from the Hale pack.”
There was relief written all over this woman’s face. “Oh finally, we’ve been wanting to get in contact with you, but we didn’t have any contact info, and when I tried officially contacting Talia Hale’s office, they kept giving me the runaround. I’m Tara Graeme. I’ve been acting sheriff since we lost John. This is Jordan Parrish and Valerie Clark, they’re both in our pack too.”
Deputy Parrish closed the door and sat down with Deputy Clark on the couch pushed against the wall while Peter and Derek took their seats in front of the desk.
“Alpha Hale is my mother,” Derek said. “I’m Derek. This is Peter Hale, my uncle.”
“Is it just the two of you?” Graeme said, peering out through the window as if she expected the entire Hale pack to have come with them.
“Didn’t know we’d need more,” Derek said. “My mother learnt Alpha Stilinski had died from a notice in the paper. She was astonished when no one contacted her to let her know who the new alpha was.”
“He wouldn’t let us.”
“Who wouldn’t?”
“Ennis.”
Peter leaned back in his chair. “Do you mind taking this from the beginning?”
“It started about a month ago,” Graeme started. “There were some signs of a rogue werewolf around the preserve outside of town. Some humans saw strange things, and they called the Sheriff, who figured out that this was werewolf business, and not human business. So Alpha took a couple of our strongest wolves out into the preserve, to track them down, thinking it was a new omega who needed help learning control. She thought that she and two others would be enough.”
“It was a trap,” Parrish interjected. “It wasn’t an omega at all. It was another alpha. He went on the attack right away. Claudia was a wonderful alpha and we all loved her, but violence wasn’t her thing. Setting traps and outsmarting someone was her style, if she could get it done that way. Kincaid and Tracy were both severely injured, and the alpha killed Claudia right away.”
“It was horrible,” Deputy Clark added, and Derek shuddered. He could remember the pain of losing his grandfather and alpha when he was just a little kid. Having the tie to the alpha severed like that, and so suddenly and without warning, was one of the worst things he had ever experienced.
“It was,” Graeme agreed. “The alpha’s name is Ennis. He came from north somewhere, and he’s a tyrant, and that’s putting it lightly. But he was the new alpha, and we didn’t have anyone else. We need an alpha.”
Peter nodded. “Of course you do. And I can’t imagine the Sheriff taking this calmly.”
“Of course not. But John was only human and while he always took his duties as alpha mate very seriously, and always did what was best for the pack, he had Stiles’ safety to think of.”
“What’s Stiles?” Derek asked.
“Stiles, it’s their son. He goes by that, I’m sorry, I should’ve been clearer.”
“He’s the one missing?”
“Yes, but I’m getting to that. John stayed quiet for a couple of days, but when Ennis wouldn’t let any of us contact other packs, John got mad. Ennis wanted him to bring his deputies to him so the entire station could be run by werewolves too, and he wouldn’t let John have Claudia’s body to bury properly and that was the last straw. They kept some wolfsbane in case of emergencies, and John went after Ennis with a gun.”
“That can’t have ended well,” Peter said.
“It didn’t. Ennis killed him too, and then he called a pack meeting demanding us all to submit or he’d… he’d…” Clark choked on her words and Parrish offered her a tissue.
“It all comes down to Stiles,” Graeme continued. “Claudia and John only had one child, and with him being human she couldn’t pass on the spark to him, so she always meant to pass it to whoever Stiles mated with. That was always the plan, and we all love Stiles. He was the first one to be born into the pack after Claudia took over after Satomi.”
“What happened?” Peter leaned forward and Derek could feel the anger coming off of him. Peter did not like it when people hurt children.
“Ennis took Stiles somewhere, to hold him hostage. He said if we didn’t all follow his orders from now on, he’d force a mating with Stiles or even kill him.”
“How old is he?”
“Sixteen.”
Derek flinched. He’d been sixteen once, with an adult wanting far more from him than he’d been prepared to give. And there was nothing about a forced mating that wouldn’t include a rather violent rape.
“Do you know where he is being kept?”
“Ennis moved into the Stilinski’s house after he killed John,” Parrish said. “And we know he has Stiles locked up in there, because we can catch his scent when we pass, but Ennis used his alpha voice on us all to stay away. It’s hard to fight it.”
Derek nodded. Talia rarely had cause to use an alpha command on her pack, but it did happen occasionally and fighting it was like fighting the sun.
“We need help getting rid of him,” said Graeme. “We just need a bit of help.”
“Who in your pack can you count on to help out?” Derek asked.
“We can count on everyone to want to help,” Deputy Clark said. “As for who will be able to… well, Ennis doesn’t want us to meet without him and he keeps tabs on our usual communication and we don’t dare disobey too much, because of Stiles. But a few of us can meet to make a plan and then get word to the others. Claudia would never want any of the kids to help of course.”
Graeme took out a folder from the top desk drawer and checked what looked like a printed schedule of work hours. “Melissa is free. She’ll be home around now too. Her house should be safe. Jordan, will you take them there please, and we’ll try to get as many of the pack as we can without attracting too much attention.”
“Alright.” Deputy Parrish rose and gestured to Derek and Peter. “Follow me.”
Melissa turned out to be a human member of the pack, with a teenaged werewolf for a son. Scott reminded Derek strongly of a little puppy, wide-eyed and inexperienced, and neither he nor his mother had ever heard of the Hale pack.
“Scott is our newest beta,” Jordan explained as they took their seats in Melissa’s comfortable living room. It smelled of all kinds of wolves and humans, and only the current stress coming from mother and son suggested that no one was ever unhappy in this house for long. “He’s known about the pack a little longer than that though, because he’s Stiles’ best friend. Ennis has been horrible to him since he only got the bite a couple of months ago.”
Scott visibly shuddered from his chair by the door. “He keeps threatening to rape Stiles! I’ve tried going by there every day after school, but last time he used his alpha voice on me to stay away.”
“Where you able to catch Stiles’ scent?” Derek asked.
“I could, faintly. He smelled like fear. And dirt. I’m pretty sure he’s kept in the basement.”
“That’s a good thing,” Peter suggested. “If you think about it. It’d be much worse if Stiles was kept in the bedroom.”
Scott shuddered again and Melissa frowned sadly. “Getting Stiles to safety is the most important thing here.”
“This is true,” Peter agreed. “If that’s the only hold Ennis has on the pack. None of you need to follow him. That’s not how werewolf packs work. At any time, a pack can turn their back on an alpha, and that’s it. He’d be powerless if you collectively cut the ties yourselves.”
A knock on the door interrupted their conversation and Scott let in three beta werewolves who introduced themselves as Kincaid, Tracy and Demarco. Kincaid, a tall and well-muscled man, had the distinct air of an alpha’s second, and Derek noticed him taking the only remaining seat on the couch while the other two, a woman in her early thirties with dirt-blonde hair, and a bearded, burly man about Peter’s age, remained standing.
“Alright,” Kincaid said immediately, “So the Hale pack is going to help us get rid of this asshole then?”
“We’re going to try,” Derek said and glanced at Peter.
“We’ll call Talia as soon as we’re done here. She’ll have her strongest betas here in a couple of hours and that should be enough backup. How many of you can do a decent job in a fight if it comes to that?”
“You’re looking at us,” Demarco said, scratching his beard. “We can call in some more if we need numbers, but if we’re talking good fighters only…”
“I see,” Peter mumbled. “We might need more, to keep Ennis from escaping. My sister will not go easy on a man who murders another alpha without provocation and imprisons a child to hold him hostage. Our priority right now should be keeping Ennis from hurting the boy more than he already has.”
“I’ll call the Rohrs and the Talbots,” Scott offered, hopping off of his chair.
“You make sure Brett and the girls all stay home,” Kincaid said fiercely. “I don’t care how much they care about Stiles. They’re not coming.”
“They’re Stiles’ friends,” Scott complained. “What should I tell them?”
“We don’t have a plan yet,” Derek pointed out.
“I think best bet is for my nephew and me to approach Ennis and carry out our original mission. In case he has already sniffed us out, it would be best if we appeared to want exactly what we came here for. We’ll just state our purpose and give Talia time to get here and then have all of you be ready when she arrives, and we’ll not give him any opportunity to come up with a plan. It’ll be quick.”
“And what exactly will the great and powerful Talia Hale do with our pack once she helps us get rid of our cruel alpha?” Tracy asked with an apprehensive look at the two of them. “We have no intention of joining her pack.”
“And you wouldn’t be asked to!” Derek snapped. These people would be damned lucky to be part of the Hale pack.
Peter tapped him lightly on the arm and Derek took a deep breath. “You do pose a relevant question. If we help you get rid of Ennis, who will take his place? I assume the child is still human?”
“He was born that way,” Demarco said.
“Alpha Stilinski must have had a plan though?” Derek asked. “Sheriff Graeme said something about the child’s mate? He doesn’t have one already, does he?”
“Of course not,” Kincaid snorted. “Claudia intended to rely on Stiles’ judgement on that, once he got older. He’d pick the next alpha. ”
“And you would all have been fine with that?” Peter said and everyone in the room nodded.
“He’s Claudia’s son,” Kincaid said simply, as if that explained anything. “We trusted her, and we’ll trust him. He’ll make the right choice.”
“Fascinating,” Peter said. “That’s a lot of faith to have in a teenage boy.”
“Either way,” Derek started, longing to talk this all over with his own alpha. “What about the next alpha? What’s your plan?”
He saw the three wolves in front of him exchange uneasy glances.
“You haven’t made a plan for that?” he asked incredulously.
“We just need Stiles safe, and then we can all turn our back on Ennis, and he won’t have any power over us anymore. It’s stolen power anyway.”
“Surprised he was an alpha when he arrived then,” Peter said. “Did he not bring any betas with him?”
“He’s been calling people,” Scott piped up. “Every time I went by to see if I could smell Stiles, he was on the phone. And it didn’t sound like he was talking to an equal. He was barking orders a lot.”
“So he might have another pack. You haven’t felt any other pack bonds?”
“None,” Kincaid said. “But if he’s the alpha he could conceal them from us, couldn’t he?”
“He could,” Peter said.
“We’re going around in circles here,” Deputy Parrish said, running his fingers over his short hair. “Even if we took a vote on who should be the alpha, there’s no way of guaranteeing that it was that person who killed Ennis. And Ennis already beat our strongest fighters.”
Kincaid flinched and pressed his hand against his ribs, and Derek wondered exactly what Ennis had done to him for it to still hurt weeks later. Sure, an alpha wound hurt much longer than any other wolf’s, but it had been a whole month.
“Excuse me,” Melissa interjected. “But if the alpha spark can be passed on anyway, do we really need to have this conversation now? We don’t know if Stiles needs medical attention, or if he’s starving, and he must be so lonely and scared. I know I’m still new to this stuff, and I'm not a werewolf like you, but surely pack politics can wait?”
Kincaid stood from his seat. “Melissa is right. Our main priority is getting Stiles away from Ennis and we shouldn’t wait any longer than we have to before getting that done. If you call Alpha Hale now, she can be here in a few hours, is that what you said?”
“It only took us two and a half hours to drive here, and even if she’d need to gather some people first, she’d drive faster than we did if she knows there’s a hurry.”
“Let’s carry out our errand then,” Peter suggested. “To buy her some extra time. We’ll head over there as soon as we can, Derek and I.”
“Make sure you get all of our scents off of you first,” Tracy said. “We didn’t even shake hands, but Ennis will be able to recognize Melissa and Scott’s scents on you from being in their house.”
“We’ll find a motel.”
“We can’t come too near the house,” Kincaid said. “So we can’t give you much backup. Some of our pack weren’t given an order that recently though. Scott?”
“Mr. and Mrs. Talbot, Mr. Rohr and Boyd?”
“Sounds good. Jordan?”
“I can stay close by to drive Stiles to the hospital, but I can’t come into the house. Not Tara or Valerie either.”
“Maybe you can try to come within hearing range,” Derek suggested. “In case you’re able to break the pack bonds yourselves. It's easier in a crisis.”
“I’ll show you a good motel,” Jordan said. “One that won’t smell like any of our pack.”
They all stood, and Derek nodded to the wolves and Melissa, and tried to imagine what a proper pack second would say. “We’ll do everything we can to help Stiles. I promise.”
His words didn’t seem to bring them all that much comfort.