✧☾ ATONEMENT ☽✧

━━━━ act one. full moon

 six. when came the wolves ━━━━

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WITH DETERMINED STEPS NOLA MARCHED DOWN THE HALLWAY, RIGHT UP TO THE DOOR OF THE GUIDANCE COUNSELOR'S OFFICE. She didn't bother knocking and stormed inside. She kicked the door shut behind her, not once taking her eyes off the woman seated behind the desk. If Marin had been startled by her entrance, she certainly didn't show it. She was like her brother that way, completely unreadable. And right now, Nola didn't have the patience to deal with any more secrets or riddles.

After leaving the animal clinic, Nola had muttered some excuse to Stiles about having forgotten her books after which she went straight back to school. He hadn't questioned her, too caught up in his own thoughts. Which she was grateful for because had he asked questions, her lie would have fallen apart far too easily. But she'd reached the school without any more surprises. She wanted answers and she wanted them now. And who better to start with than her father's very own emissary?

"Can I help you?" Marin asked calmly while sorting through the papers on her desk.

"There's a Druid out there killing people, using a very fun ritual," Nola said, not having the slightest bit of restraint to be subtle. "Maybe you've heard of a Darach?"

Marin folded her hands, eyes drilling into hers. "Are you asking me if I know something or are you asking me if I'm the one killing people?"

Slowly, Nola walked up to the desk and placed her hands on it, leaning forward as she held Marin's gaze. "I'm asking if you're planning on killing my father."

The emissary narrowed her eyes. "Well, then let me ask you, if I were the one killing people, why would you want to stop me?"

Surprise jolted through her and she raised a questioning brow, silently demanding an explanation.

Marin shrugged. "You did help Scott to put an end to Deucalion's plans, didn't you? It made me wonder..." She leaned forward. "How far are you willing to go to stop him?"

Her heart skipped a startled beat in her chest. If Marin knew about her nightly hunt in the woods, there was a very possible chance her father knew as well. She shoved those thoughts to the back of her mind, as if swatting away a fly. Right now, she had more important questions to answer. And she didn't like at all what Marin was suggesting.

"Just because I disagree with my father doesn't mean I want him dead," she snarled.

Marin nodded once. "Then we have an understanding."

Nola frowned, holding her gaze as her mind worked to catch up. It was a Druid's job to help keep nature in balance. As long as her father murdered less people than the Darach, Marin would spare him. Which didn't mean she agreed with everything he did, exactly like Nola herself had stated just now. It simply meant the Darach posed a bigger threat to nature's balance than Deucalion. At least for now...

With a sigh she stepped away from the desk and took a seat in the gray clothed chair in the corner. Slowly, she rubbed her forehead, trying to prevent a headache. "Do you have any idea who it could be?" She realized she sounded desperate but she hardly cared at the moment.

"Not yet."

Great.

"Does my father know this is what's happening?"

Marin went back to sorting her papers and for one fleeting, irrational, moment, Nola wanted to tear them from her hands. "I think that's something you should ask him yourself."

It wasn't the answer she wanted to hear but she realized it was indeed the truth. She hadn't spoken with her father about what was really going on for far too long. If she wanted to stop her mind from constantly working overtime, she was going to have to talk with her father. Though the very thought of it made her tremble. She was terrified of telling him how she truly felt since they'd come to Beacon Hills.

However, she was even more terrified of losing him. Just like she'd lost her mother, just like she'd lost a part of herself. She didn't think she would survive being left behind all alone, without any family left...Even now, even when he'd done so many monstrous things, she still wanted to protect him, still loved him. She was still his daughter.

With a renewed determination, Nola got to her feet and was about to step outside. At the very last second though, she was stopped by Marin calling out her name. She turned to look over her shoulder with a frown.

"There will come a time where you have to choose a side," the emissary said, her voice grim. "Make sure that whoever you choose is worth your trust."

Nola opened her mouth, only to close it again, deciding she didn't want an explanation. She turned back around and closed the door much more delicately than she had upon her entrance. Though as she marched back down the hallway, Marin's words clung like a warning to her heart.

Along the way from school to the apartment, Nola had practiced every sentence she wanted to say. She'd repeated them endlessly in her head, despite knowing reality was always far different than whatever scenario she could come up with. Still, practicing her lines as though they were from a script rather than her own words, made her feel much calmer.

With her words burning on her tongue, she stepped inside the apartment and threw her keys on the kitchen table. "Dad?" She called out as she walked to the living room.

He was seated on the couch, a phone in his hand. "Don't you have school, little wolf?"

"I had better things to do," she replied, taking a seat in the chair opposite him. "I need to talk to you."

"Make it short, you're not the only one."

She frowned. "What do you mean?"

Slowly, he placed the phone on the table. "Scott McCall wants to have a talk."

Her eyes went to the phone, as if Scott would suddenly jump out from it, her secret revealed. Once again Scott had proved just how far he was willing to go to prevent innocent people from getting killed. Willingly meeting up with a man he knew was dangerous, just to save lives...She had no idea if he was stupid or brave. Whatever it was, it was certainly a quality that would make him a True Alpha one day...

"And you're going to talk with him?" She asked, unable to hide her disbelief.

"It can never hurt to see what he wants."

A sigh escaped her lips, immediately understanding the underlying lesson. "Know thy enemy."

"You're learning," her father said with a smile. Then he got to his feet and walked to the door. "Are you coming?"

She looked up at him, surprised. "Are you sure?"

"There's always more to learn."

With her heart beating like a wardrum within her chest, Nola got to her feet and walked up to her father, giving him an arm as she guided him out of the apartment. This wasn't at all how she'd expected this day would go but she wasn't about to complain. If this was how Deucalion wanted her identity to be revealed, she would play along. She was completely done having to lie and hide all the time. Though she couldn't help but feel nervous as to how Scott might react, or Stiles...Not for the first time that day, she shelved her worries for a later day. This was, after all, what she wanted.

She followed her father into the elevator and down to the basement of the apartment building. It was currently being renovated, meaning it was empty. At this time of the day no one would be working there, making it the perfect place to meet without anyone else knowing.

Her heart was still racing, refusing to calm down. She listened carefully to the echoes trembling in the air. Far in the distance she could hear a motorcycle approaching. Taking a breath, she braced herself, as if expecting to be swept away by a hurricane. The engine died suddenly and was replaced by careful footsteps.

From the shadows at the bottom of the escalator emerged two figures. Scott walked ahead, shielding Isaac as much as he possibly could. Though that wouldn't protect him.

"You didn't come alone," Deucalion stated.

"Neither did you," Scott said, his brown eyes glued to Nola's face.

"Oh right, did I introduce my daughter Nola yet?" His tone was light, as if they were discussing something as ordinary as the weather. "Or maybe she's already introduced herself."

"Yes, though she forgot to mention a few things," Scott said, his features hard as stone. Hostility looked almost alien on his face.

She opened her mouth to reply but her father placed a very light hand on her arm, a simple gesture that spoke a thousand words. This wasn't the time to heal broken trust, he had more important matters to discuss. Hesitantly, she swallowed her words.

"So did you," her father calmly stated.

Scott frowned but footsteps coming from his left answered his questions.

Derek Hale stepped out of the shadow, eyes aglow and claws out. Standing right behind him were Boyd and Erica, yellow eyes glowing like fireflies in the shadows.

"You knew I would do this," Scott said, not even phrasing it as a question. "Derek, don't. You can't do this and no one gets hurt. If someone else dies..."

"Him," Derek snarled, pointing a claw at Deucalion. "Just him."

"Just me," Deucalion repeated skeptically and at that very moment Nola knew she'd walked right into his trap. She was such a fucking naive idiot.

Stone cried as nails scraped against it, leaving claw marks as Kali made her way down one of the pillars. On the balcony above, Ethan and Aiden appeared, snarling at their prey. And like a giant from ancient tales, Ennis emerged from the shadows to their left. Nola clenched her fists, feeling naked and exposed, like her senses had betrayed her. How had she not known they were all right here?

Know thy enemy.

For a fading moment, everything was quiet. Then the wolves came out.

Derek's roar split the sky as he rushed towards her father, who remained standing calmly on the broken escalator. Kali met Derek halfway his charge, clawing at him as she snarled. Chaos exploded like a bomb as the wolves jumped at their prey. With the sickening crunch of bones, the twins melted together and set their sights upon Isaac and Scott. Boyd and Erica hopelessly tried to defend themselves against Ennis. But he was a one man army, able to keep both of them at bay.

She felt sick to her stomach, heart torn in two. They were never here to talk. They were here to be her father's marionettes and hand him everything he wanted on a silver platter. She took a step forward, only to freeze in her movements. What the hell was she supposed to do? Marin's words were mocking her, teasing her as they challenged her to make a choice. To stand and fight for what she believed in. But what did she believe in?

The fight was over within seconds, ending as suddenly as it started. The Alphas had defeated the Betas, like they always had and always would. Derek hadn't been able to hold his own against Kali and was forced on the ground. With a mocking smile the Alpha pressed her foot against Erica's neck. While Boyd lay whimpering on the ground, his shoulder slashed apart.

"Kill him," Deucalion ordered. "The others can go."

Derek's eyes widened, his gaze going back and forth between his enemy and his Beta.

"You're beaten," her father continued as he walked down the stairs.

She didn't follow him, not trusting her legs to keep herself standing if she were to move.

"Do it, Derek. Take the first step."

Kali scoffed. "Are we serious with this kid? Look at him. He's an Alpha? To what? A couple of useless teenagers?"

"Some have more promise than others," Deucalion said, sounding almost bored with her insults.

"Let him rise to the occasion then," Kali snarled. "What will it be, Derek? Him?" She pressed her against Erica's neck, slowly choking her. "Or her?"

Nola winced, trembling all over while watching the Alpha try to figure out a way to escape the impossible situation.

But fate spared him the choice when an arrow was fired. Blinding white light attacked her eyes, blinding her to the face of the shooter. Pained snarls and panicked shouts hurt her ears but she could hardly see a thing.

"Your eyes! Cover your eyes!" Her father shouted.

She knelt down on the ground and made herself as small as possible, hoping to avoid becoming a target. Blinking to get her sight back she peeked through her fingers.

Up on the floor above them, Allison Argent was shooting arrow after arrow. Her face focused and her movements precise.

The Alphas were caught off guard and in the chaos, Erica and Boyd had managed to escape. Scott, however, was very clearly not planning on escaping. He snarled, his eyes set on Ennis. With a roar he charged and she held her breath, watching them collide. The sound tore through the sky like thunder and threw both of them off balance. Scott stumbled, but managed to land on his knees. He lifted his head, his eyes glowing a fierce, bright red.

"What the hell," she muttered.

He closed his eyes, shaking his head and when he opened them again, they were back to their normal yellow. But they were red, she was absolutely sure they'd been red. Maybe it was true after all...

Suddenly Derek jumped from the shadows, attacking a confused Ennis from behind. Ennis roared and grabbed him by his neck but he'd forgotten Scott. The Beta crawled forward and slashed at his legs. He stumbled to the edge of the unfinished staircase.

The scream was stuck in her throat, trying desperately to escape but her lips were glued together.

The two Alphas tumbled over the edge, clawing at the air in some hopeless attempt to save themselves but failing to do so. The sound of bodies colliding against stone trembled through her very bones and made her stomach clench painfully. The consequence of her inaction...

Kali roared but Deucalion lifted his hand, silencing her. He turned around and walked back up the stairs, halting when he reached Nola's trembling body.

"There's a lesson here, little wolf. Don't forget it."

✧☾ NOTE ☽✧

I'm not gonna lie, this chapter was very hard to write. I really struggled with placing Nola in this fight. I hope it was interesting to read and you guys liked it! I'm very excited to write Nola's relationship with Scott and Stiles from this point on. Because our girl made some choices...Or rather didn't make some choices.

Please leave a comment with your thoughts! I love hearing from you guys! Hopefully I can manage to get the next chapter up soon. See you!

xx nelly

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