ONE MONTH LATER...

MEXICO,

   THE DAYS I SPENT SEARCHING FOR DEREK were quick to mould into one—especially when my search had led me to a foreign country. Before I had left Beacon Hills both Deaton and Peter had pointed me in the direction of the Calavera family, a family of hunters within a small town in Mexico. A while back, in the middle of the whole Stiles being the Nogitsune situation, Peter and Derek had somehow been captured by the Calavera family where they had questioned them over a supposed 'she-wolf'. They had always assumed they had meant me until just recently when Deaton told me he wasn't so sure I was the one the Calavera's were searching for. It made sense as to why Derek told me to hide the day the Calavera's broke into the loft but he was wrong.

What had happened that day in the loft was still a blur to me. The Calavera family had come again searching for the 'she-Wolf' and Derek had refused to tell them where I was thinking they were talking about me.

Crazed shouting had followed and gas filtered through my nose and the next thing I knew, I woke up on the floor of Isaac's old bedroom in the loft. When I'd gone down the stairs to see what had happened it was empty, Derek was gone and so were the hunters. I'd found one bullet shell on the ground and I took it to Deaton. That night, I was leaving Beacon Hills.

I had been hanging on to every clue I could get and they were sparse, so when I got wind of a party the Calavera's were holding I knew I had to find my way in.

I didn't expect to not leave that party, however.

By now, the heat and humidity of Mexico had drained the life out of me. I had been overwhelmed by exhaustion and dehydration...not to mention wolfsbane gas and taser guns. Yeah...they hurt, a lot.

When the door of the large, dirty, cell rolled open I barely looked up. My head pressed into the wall behind me as I eyed Severo Calavera as he stood in the threshold, a taser rod in his large hand and a group of four men behind him—all with similar weapons.

A part of me reminded myself that it was because—no matter how much they liked to deny it—they were still afraid of us, of me..of werewolves.

When the taser rod flared to life I shook my head and looked at Servo as he walked towards me, "Please, don't." I begged him, "I'll be ni—" I yelled in pain, eyes screwing shut as my body convulsed and fell against the ground. The electric current travelled through my body and set my nerve endings on fire, rendering me an immobile mess on the floor.

Above me Severo said, "I don't trust werewolves."

I nodded, pressing my forehead into the floor as the pain lessened slightly, "Yeah." I croaked hoarsely, "I got that."

Two pairs of hands latched around my arms and hoisted me up to my feet, dragging me out of the cell and into the dark corridors of the Calavera base. I could hear the pounding of bass music from afar, the intensity of it reverberating off the walls and shaking them. The rumours were true the—Calavera family did like to host parties for teenagers from across state, this was the second one in four days.

I was dragged into one of the many rooms within this maze of a place and dumped on a chair backwards, my stomach resting against the back of it where I slumped forward tiredly. As I felt the sharp sting of metal around my wrist I moved to retaliate quickly, pulling my arm away only to be tasered from behind. The shock left me vulnerable and temporarily unable to breathe. While I tried to recover my hands were pulled into heavy metal chains attached to loops in the floor and I dropped my head against the back of the chair, breathing in nothing but the humid air around me.

It was almost suffocating.

A door closed leaving me to pull my heavy head up and I laid eyes on an older woman. Araya Calavera... Deaton had told me—or rather warned me—about her. She was the matriarch of the Calavera family and therefore led them in their hunting of werewolves. She had been behind Derek and Peter's capture however long ago and now she was stood staring me up and down with narrowed eyes and a scrutinising expression on her face.

A chair was placed in front of mine—facing the right way—by Severo and she looked at her son briefly before taking the seat in front of me and relaxing back. In my three days of entering her premises I'd never seen her. I'd only had dealings with her son and for while I'd been curious, looking at her now I'd of been more than content with never meeting her.

She was a woman who demanded respect and instilled fear in you at the same time. She was threatening in her own way, terrifying actually and yet she held nothing lethal in her hands. Her hands crossed over one another as they laid in her lap and she examined me, her somewhat wrinkled features creased even more as she rose her brow.

"Well, well, if it isn't Alexandra Hale." She said after some time of unnerving silence, her voice thick and accented heavily, "I've heard great things about you."

"I wouldn't exactly say great." I responded, my voice croaked compared to hers. My voice had almost broken, a combination of screaming and dehydration. I'd never craved a glass of water more in my life. My response piqued her interest however and she pulled her lips down as if to disagree with what I was saying while I added, "I have a habit of almost dying and landing myself in pretty ropey situations."

She nodded once before saying, "The entire hunting community has heard of you, estrella."

"I wonder why." I retorted humourlessly, "Ex-daughter but not actually daughter of a hunter who was poisoned with wolfsbane for six years to stop her from becoming a werewolf. Seems pretty controversial in the hunting world, hm?"

Her cheeks formed a smile though it was by no means a nice one. It was threatening, perhaps even condescending.

She tutted and sat back in her chair, "Something of that sort." She responded before she narrowed her eyes, "Though your father was murdered before anyone could ever question him on his reasoning."

"Unfortunately so." I bit back.

My father's death had been something I'd not had the chance to even begin to process. It happened the same time I became a werewolf, the same time Ethan and Aiden crashed into my life with their Alpha gang and Jennifer Blake started committing ritual sacrifices. I had no idea what had happened or who had done it. I hadn't even been back to his—our—house to sort through it. Derek had taken it into his hands so it was something I didn't have to think about.

A large part of me never wanted to step foot in that house again, no matter how many special memories I'd made there. There were many of the three of us when we'd been a happy family—when my mom was alive and my dad wasn't involved within hunting. I could still look back and remember the three of us sitting around a darkened kitchen table, my mom by my side as my dad pointed a video camera at us while they sang happy birthday to me and I blew out four birthday candles while wishing for a unicorn as a pet.

I tried to push his death down but to me he was still alive, sitting in that house and working within a mundane job that didn't involve hunting down werewolves and killing them. When I thought of my father, that was what I liked to think about... not me identifying his body in a morgue with Melissa McCall standing beside me.

He had left...gone...disappeared out of this world like everyone else had and I had no idea who was to blame for that.

Araya examined me carefully, her head craned to the side slightly and it unnerved me. I tried to keep my composure, to not squirm under her scrutinising gaze but I don't know if I managed.

She continued to stare at me, diving right into my soul and I eventually said, "Where's Derek?"

Her brows rose in surprise and she tsked, "Derek Hale?" She responded, her brows arching high before she shook her head and hummed, "Mm-mm. Tell me why you came snooping at my door, hm? Then I'll answer your questions."

"I'm here for Derek."

Araya nodded but she didn't seem fulfilled by my answer. It was my honest answer. As soon as Araya told me where Derek was I'd be out of this country quicker than a flash. I just wanted to find my cousin.

"I just want to find him." I added for good measure, "Then I'll be gone."

"You'll be gone?" She repeated before a short chuckle left her lips, "You expect me to believe you?"

My brows furrowed in confusion and I tried to shift in the chair only to have the chains pull on my wrists. A short—annoyed—growl left my lips as I looked down to the large links trapping me and I pulled on them. Electricity buzzed in my ear and before I had a second to react, the taser was shoved into my back and the current ricocheted through my body.

I groaned in pain, grasping the chains tightly as the current spread and I clenched my teeth tightly.

Once the electricity had stopped I released a heavy breath and looked the man who'd tasered me briefly before looking at Araya through my lashes, "Was that really necessary?"

She hummed and nodded.

"Look." I sighed, "I know you have Derek. I just want to get him back and I'm out of this ridiculously hot place."

"Just you?" Araya asked me, "Or your friends, too?"

My eyes narrowed, "My friends aren't here." I said to her, "I left them in Beacon Hills."

She hummed seemingly deep in thought until she looked away from me and nodded once at one of the many hunters in the room. Araya stood up, dragging the chair she was sitting on to line it up next to mine and movement followed in a head spinning way.

The heavyweight door slid open as Araya slipped her fingers over my shoulders. I felt her lean over my back as her head dipped down to my ear and she said,

"I don't like it when people lie to me, estrella."

Three figures—three men—appeared in the doorway, the one in the middle slumped over and seemingly unconscious. He was being dragged in by two hunters, their arms under his and they carried him over to the chair lined up next to mine where they dumped his body down and got to work on locking his wrists in chains.

I eyed the man—the boy—and as soon as I recognised him my heart exploded in my chest.

"Scott?"

"The rumours didn't mention how good of an actress you were, Alexandra." Araya said in amusement, "I must admit, I'm impressed. I feel like I'm standing in a telenovela."

I shot a glare towards the woman, "I'm not acting." I fired towards her before I looked back to my unconscious friend, "Scott? Scott!" I yelled worriedly before kicking my leg out at him and scuffing his jeans.

He seethed quickly to himself, beginning to stir in the chair. His hands clenched around the chains and he tried to pull up on them and he blinked several times.

"Scott McCall, I swear to god." I snapped, kicking his leg again. His head snapped to me, eyes wide in shock and mouth agape as I continued, "What the hell are you doing here?"

"What am I doing he—" He cut himself off in bewilderment, "I'm looking for Derek. What are you doing here?"

"I'm searching for Derek, too, you idiot. You know this."

"Hmm." Araya hummed in front of us, claiming both of our attention, "Maybe you weren't lying after all."

I sighed deeply and shook my head, "I already told you, Araya." I said to her, "I left Beacon Hills a month ago. The same night your idiot goonies broke into Derek's loft."

"She's telling the truth." Scott said, but there was something about his tone that wasn't supportive of me, "She left a note and disappeared."

I hung my head and sighed, swallowing deeply.

"Not a happy reunion for some." Araya mused, "Let's see what the others make of it."

"What are you talking about?" I asked her, "I told you what you wanted to know now tell me where Derek is."

She narrowed her eyes at me, "Actually you didn't."

The door slid open a second time and Scott and I focused our attention to the newcomer. When I saw Lydia standing in the doorway, fear written all over her face my stomach flipped in dread.

"Oh, god." She whispered quietly, "Alex?"

"Lydia." I said worriedly before I looked to Araya as she was forced to sit down on a chair next to Scott, "What are you doing?"

"Let her go." Scott tried, "Look, you've got me, just let the others go."

My head snapped to Scott then, eyes wide as I said, "Others?"

Lydia's hands were locked behind her back as she sat on the chair properly and in the next second, Kira was marched in. Severo held a firm grip on her arm and forced her hand on to a machine set up on the table.

"Your hand goes here." Severo said to her before looking to Scott and I, "So, let me explain what's about to happen. This one, the fox, has an immunity to electricity so she's going to turn the dial on the Alpha and the Beta. If she doesn't, I turn the dial on the Banshee."

A low growl escaped my lips at the notion of Severo electrocuting Lydia. I looked at him through narrowed eyes, "I think you most certainly will not."

"No." Kira refused, "I'm not doing this." She said while pulling her hand away.

Severo forced it back to the machine while saying, "Are you sure? Two of your friends have the power to heal. The other? Not so much."

"What are you doing?" Scott asked Araya then, "Is this a game to you?"

"This is a test, Lobito." She responded, "Let's see if you pass."

I scowled at her, "Well, it's the worst test I've ever taken part in, that's for sure."

She grinned sadistically at me, amusement sparkling in her eyes, "We're going to ask some questions. You answer them, nobody gets hurt. You don't answer, we turn on the dial."

Silence echoed for a second until Scott looked at Kira, "Do what they say, okay?" He told her gently, "What ever they want. I can take it."

"Speak for yourself." I quipped, my eyes wide as he turned to look at me.

"So..." Araya began by saying, capturing our attention again, "We don't know where Derek is."

I shook my head, "You're lying."

She smiled faintly at me and tsked, "I don't tell lies, estrella."

"No." I said before I shook my head again, "No. There's—no. You're lying. You have to be."

There wasn't any way she was telling the truth. It had to of been them. They were the ones who broke into the loft, who captured Derek and Peter the first time around. Who else would want Derek and if they did, what did they want him for? It wasn't true. There wasn't—no. It couldn't be anyone else.

"You hate liars." Lydia mumbled aloud then, "Hunters don't lie."

I scoffed bitterly, "The Argents do."

"There is a big difference between the Argent family and my family." Araya defended, "You don't believe me? Listen to my heart, use your senses." She instructed before saying slowly, "I don't know where Derek is."

There wasn't a blip in her heart, no sign that she was lying. The notion that she was telling the truth struck me like a brick and the realisation that followed it was harsh. I'd been chasing the wrong tail for a month and now I was truly back at square one. I had no idea where Derek was and that caused a rush of panic to overcome me.

"We want to find him as well." Araya said then, "You know who took him."

"What?" Scott asked her then.

A humourless chuckle slipped passed my lips as I dropped my head forward and rested it against the back of the chair, "This is a joke." I said mainly to myself, "This is an actual joke."

"How would I know that?" Scott asked her, "How would either of us know that."

"That doesn't sound like an answer to me." Araya responded.

"We don't know." Lydia said firmly, "Why do you think we came here."

"Kira, turn the dial." Araya instructed her and the hairs on the back of my neck rose.

"No." Kira mumbled ever so quietly.

As she refused Araya said, "Should we turn the dial on Lydia instead?"

Scott and I shouted inaudible words at the same time. They were panicked and hurried, anything to stop Araya from turning the dial on Lydia and my wide eyes looked at our Kitsune friend in an almost threatening way.

"Do it, Kira." Scott instructed her, "Do it."

"Let's start at one."

I clenched my jaw. There was really no way to prepare for it. Nothing would ease the pain, nothing would prevent it. I just had to hope that it would be over as quickly as it started.

At once, the intensity of it all stuck me like lightning and I cried out to myself while gripping the chair for relief. The currents ran through my bloodstream at an unprecedented rate, firing down every nerve ending as it went. It felt like my body was being burnt from the inside out. It took my breath away and forced me of the ability to fight for it back. It made my lungs burn, it forced my head to throb. It was so extreme I had a hard time concentrating on anything but it.

Tears fell against my cheeks by no fault of my own and I couldn't stop them. It was hard to put into words just how much my body hurt.

"Tell me who actually has Derek!" Araya's strong voice demanded over the sound of live electricity crackling, "Who had a reason? A vendetta particular to the Hales?"

To us? It could be anyone. I didn't know how many enemies Derek and my family had made over the years but I did know Derek and I had made a fair few over the months. I liked to think that they were still dead but, honestly, anything was possible at this point.

"I said I don't know." Scott responded.

"Oh, you don't know because you haven't figured it out yet." Araya all but whispered furiously, "So think! Who could've taken him."

"It could be anyone." I groaned, meeting her gaze through my lashes, "He pissed off a lot of people."

"Tres." Severo said and I took a deep breath. As if level one wasn't hard enough, we were completely bypassing two and heading straight to three.

Regardless, I felt the difference in power immediately and I grasped the back of the chair until my knuckles turned white. Scott didn't utter a single word, no noise escaped him while I let out a strangled cry. I bit into my lip to try and stay quiet but it was all too much. It was a pain I'd never felt before.

"Who had the power?" Araya yelled, "The power of a shapeshifter?"

If I hadn't a clue before, I definitely didn't have one now. The only person I could think of was Peter but I knew it wouldn't be him. He had nothing to gain from Derek, that and he'd been helping me try to find him.

"I don't know." Scott grunted in pain from beside me.

Araya sighed in disapproval, "Someone who could have turned without you knowing." She snapped in a raised voice and at this point I felt as if she was just giving us clues to figure out something she already knew. She went on to say, "Turned...but not by a bite."

"I don't know!" Scott repeated, anger fuelling him now.

I cried out, unable to keep myself quiet and I dropped my head back before saying, "You already know who it is! Just tell us!"

"Diez." Araya snapped in response.

My eyes widened. I wasn't ever good at Spanish but I knew how to count to ten in the language. I learned that in middle school. The pain was too much just on three. I couldn't imagine how bad it would be on ten.

"No. Please." I tried to sway her but the anger in her eyes told me I would fail.

She didn't even bat an eyelid as I tried, instead, she just turned to Kira when she ignored her demand and shouted again.

"Diez!"

She pushed her out the way and instead turned the dial up herself. For a second, I felt nothing different. It almost gotten used to the feeling of it on level three. My body had managed to numb it out but after five or so seconds it hit me.

I screamed.

I rarely ever did. I didn't scream when I was shot, or when Kali almost slit my throat with her claws, not even when the Nogitsune had twisted a sword in my stomach and took all my pain. It took a lot for me to actually—properly—scream but this was it. I wouldn't ever be able to describe the pain I was in but I could have a go. It was almost like millions of hot knives stabbing into every crevice of my body over and over and over again. I felt like I was dying—and I wasn't being dramatic.

My lungs were burning, chest on fire and breathing was so, so, hard and painful. The short breaths I managed to take made the pain in my stomach worse and not breathing made the pain in my chest worse. My legs and hands were numb—I couldn't feel them anymore if I tried.

Scott was screaming too, though his was more masculine than my high-pitched voice. It overpowered the electricity crackling, Araya's voice...everything. I felt as if I lost control over every aspect of my body and in one last attempt to survive my eyes shone their golden colour as the force of the pain triggered the shifting process.

Scott roared—strong and loud and the sound of metal clattering echoed in my ears just as my vision started to darken.

I swore the electricity stopped but my body continued to burn in pain. The sound of it ceased but I couldn't be sure. All I could hear was the harsh drum of my heartbeat behind my ear and all I could feel was my blood plummeting around my body, throbbing in my hands, my arms, my feet and my chest...

"Say the name, Scott."

I thought I was dreaming until I heard my friend say, "Kate."

__________________

My head rested on the top of the chair while I breathed heavily. My body was still burning in the aftermath, limbs shaking wildly. I could feel my heart hammering—nothing was responding to me.

"That was wholly unnecessary." I managed to force out, eyes closed as I spoke to Araya.

"It worked didn't it?" I heard her response over the buzzing in my ears.

"You didn't need to electrocute the answer out of us." I snapped.

She merely gave me a condescending smile. I soon looked away from her, my eyes falling to the floor while my heart continued to pound in my chest, it was starting to slow down but it was still out of control. A massive part of me had succumbed to shock simply from hearing her name. The notion of her being alive...it drove me to absolute insanity. She was supposed to be dead, rotting in hell for her crimes.

Peter had one job; kill her and he couldn't even get that right. He dug his claws too deep and turned her by scratch. If her being alive wasn't a kick to the balls, her being a werewolf certainly was.

Severo unlocked the chains around Lydia's wrists and my friend stood up slowly, looking to Scott and I, "Are you okay?"

Scott nodded to his head, "I'm fine."

As Severo kelt down in front of me to unlock the chains around my wrists I looked over at Scott, "Speak for yourself." I said to him, feeling the weight of the chains fall from my wrists. I barely managed to cradle my arms to rub my wrists.

Scott looked over at me and nodded once as he rose from his chair slowly, using the back of it to anchor himself as he stood up but even I could see the grimace on his face, "I'll help you."

He walked over to me and I looked up at him as he stood in front of my chair, "It's a good job your strong."

"Yeah, well." He responded, slotting his hand around my wrist and hooking it over his shoulder. He didn't even warn me as he pulled me up from the chair and I groaned loudly as my muscles screamed, "I wasn't always strong." Scott reminded me.

"That's it, keep yourself humble, Scotty." I winced through my aches and pains before saying, "How are you so unaffected by this?"

I felt him shrug, "I'm an Al—"

I shook my head and interrupted him sharply, "Shut up."

The four of us were guided out of the Calavera premises by Araya and Severo themselves, an abundance of their men following us also. It was as if they still thought we were going to turn around and attack them...they didn't know us at all. We had no reason to kill them though I was seriously contemplating at least shoving that taser rod in her hands up her ass and seeing how she liked it but it'd get me no where.

"You could've told me three days ago you didn't know where Derek was." I grunted, staring at the back of the woman who had tormented us.

"You still broke into my property." Araya responded.

"But you didn't know Scott was coming." I said, "How long were you going to keep me here?"

Araya glanced back to me fleetingly and she shook her head, "It was set up for you, estrella." She said, "I knew you'd be able to figure it out, also. Your friends coming changed nothing."

I rolled my eyes as she continued walking ahead meanwhile I could feel the intense gazes of my friends burning into my body. I knew what they were thinking, I could feel their chemo-signals and read their anger. I'd done what Isaac and Ethan had done..I'd left them, only I'd left with no warning. I'd almost abandoned them all though it was for good reason. I left a letter with the promise of staying in contact but I never did. They had every right to be angry with me. They probably thought I was dead.

"We'll talk when we find Derek." Lydia said to me then, my arm slung over her shoulder as she helped me also. Her tone was clipped as she stared straight ahead, lips pursed.

I nodded my head in response.

I only had one question and I was burning to ask it...but for some reason I felt as if I couldn't. I felt as if leaving him behind had lost me the right the ask if he was okay. I swallowed it back down and kept my eyes forwards.

When I saw the sunlight I squinted, my eyes burning in response. It had been three days since I'd had direct contact with the light and re-adjusting to it proved to be wildly difficult.

When I was finally able to hold my eyes open they zeroed in on a familiar Jeep and a girl I never expected to see. I frowned deeply seeing her resting against the Jeep and when her eyes danced across the four of us they homed in on me and the confusion I felt became apparent on her face.

"Malia?" I muttered, mainly to myself though my friends heard it clearly.

"She's part of the pack now." Scott said to me.

Malia pushed herself off the Jeep, brows furrowed deeply while she began to walk over to us, "Alex?"

As we met her we stopped and I shrugged Lydia and Scott off me feeling almost strong enough to stand on my own. They stayed near however but I was more focused on Malia and the way she was looking at me. I didn't expect her to reach out and pull me into an extremely tight hug however and when she did, she knocked all the air out of me. My arms were trapped by my sides, unable to wove around her but she didn't embrace me for long. She was quick to pull away and frown, "I didn't catch your scent."

"Probably because you don't know it." I said to her uncertainly, still too shocked to comprehend her.

I looked over her shoulder and around the market square as Scott excused himself and walked back over to Araya. I couldn't find the person I was looking for however and my brows furrowed deeper while I scanned the faces nearby. I was about to ask where he was when I heard his voice.

"He doesn't accept dollars and I have no pesos so we'll—" His words caught on his tongue as I turned to the sound of his voice. He'd exited from a small market shop nearby, an expression of annoyance on his face until his eyes landed on mine. His face drew a blank then and he stopped in his tracks for a moment.

I was equally as shocked to see him. I didn't expect him to look as well as he did. When I'd left I hadn't had the chance to see him that day and things between us had still been up in the air. He was still recovering—still a little too skinny but now he looked better than he ever had and for some reason unknown to me that hurt.

In the heat of Mexico I'd taken a pair of old scissors to my hair last week and cut my long tresses to my shoulder blades all the while thinking of Stiles and how many times he begged me not to cut my hair because he loved it long. It had been impulsive, of course, and after I'd done it I stared in the mirror and wondered if I'd done it because I knew he didn't want me to. It was almost like one of those rash things you did after a break up—you either cut your hair, coloured it to something completely different or got a tattoo.

Stiles and I didn't break up but we had both acted like we had.

He looked great and I looked terrible, dirty shorts and a spaghetti strap top. I'd never looked worse...well, that was debatable.

"Alex." He murmured lowly.

I hadn't prepared for this. I didn't expect it to happen today. I wanted time to think about what I was going to say to him when I eventually did find Derek and return. This...this put me on the spot and I had nothing.

"Hi." I said meekly.

Remembering how his legs worked, he continued to stride over though this time he walked slower. There was a hint of uncertainty to his movements and my heart constrained slightly. His eyes—however—were only for me and when he did reach me he grasped my arm while looking me up and down.

"Wha—" He trailed off, "How?"

With no words of my own, I shook my head.

He swallowed deeply and met my gaze where he struck me down and held me there, "What are you doing here?"

He knocked the air out of me. He had no business looking at me like that but he did anyways and I was the least bit prepared for it.

"I—" I stuttered, "I'm looking for Derek."

He nodded once, "Right..." He trailed off.

For once, I had no idea what was running through his head. His face was completely blank save for the swirling emotion in his hazel coloured irises. I thought I'd lost the privilege of having him look at me as if I were the only girl in the world when I made the decision to leave with just a note explaining where I'd disappeared to but here we were... here he was, looking at me like that.

When I saw him move my heart lurched, it's beat quickening in tempo while my stomach fluttered. His arm wove around my back, pulling me into him while his other wound into my hair like it always did. I wrapped my arms around the back of his neck, holding him tight to me as he squeezed me. Up on my tiptoes, I rested my chin on his shoulder and said, "I'm so sorry."

He only squeezed me in response, inhaling deeply while his thumb grazed across the back of my scalp.

Out of the corner of my eyes I saw Lydia walk over to the Jeep with Malia and Kira.

I was first to pull away knowing Stiles and I had been standing here for some time and I felt him stiffen as he moved reluctantly. It made me feel warm inside that he didn't want to move—it gave me some validation. I searched his eyes as he threaded his fingers through mine and squeezed my hands lightly and not once did I panic.

Maybe this was what I needed after all...

"I want to talk this out with you." He said to me, "Okay? This has to work-we have to make it work because I missed you."

I nodded in agreement with his words, a small smile falling on my lips, "I missed you, too."

"I'm not going to lie, I'm pissed, Alex." He added and I swallowed hearing it, "A letter?"

"I know." I responded, "I'm sorry but I knew if I'd told you you'd of stopped me but I just needed some time to myself. If it were any other circumstance I'd of dragged you and Scott along with me but I just needed to sort my head out. I am truly sorry for it."

He pressed his lips together lightly and nodded, "I gathered that you needed space." Were his words, "I don't blame you. I would, too."

Hearing those words settled my nerves and I sighed in relief, "You don't?"

He shook his head and he was silent for a moment until he said, "My dad is pretty pissed, too."

I grimaced. The feeling that overwhelmed me was horrible. I owed one hell of an explanation to the poor man.

Scott returned to us shortly after but I noticed Araya still standing by the exit with Severo and some of her men. Stiles and I both looked to our friend, brows raised as Stiles said,

"So what now?"

"She thinks she knows where we can find Derek." Scott responded.

"Well, it's a start." I said.

Stiles nodded in agreement with me.

"She gonna tell us where?" Malia asked bluntly from behind us, her Lydia and Kira leaning against the Jeep.

"Uh, actually, she's giving us a guide." Scott responded.

I frowned until I heard a bike engine revving nearby and we turned to see someone nearing us on a sleek black motorcycle, a black helmet covering their face while they wore black leathers for protection.

Stiles and I stepped backwards in line with Scott as the bike came to a stop and the person pulled their helmet off to reveal a woman with black long hair.

"You know her?" Stiles said, looking at Scott.

"Braeden." Scott said as the girl looked between us all.

She had deep scars running from the bottom of her cheek down into her neck and I tilted my head whilst my mind rebooted itself. I knew the name but remembering where from was the hard part.

"Oh, my, god." I said once it finally struck me, "You're the girl who saved Isaac."

Kira looked between us all, confused as she asked, "Who's Braeden?"

"She's a mercenary." Lydia responded, arms crossed tightly over her chest.

I narrowed my eyes in thought while leaning closer to Stiles and whispering, "Didn't Deucalion kill her?"

He opened his mouth to respond but she cut him off, "Right now I'm the only one who's gonna take you to la iglesia." She said to us.

"The church?" Lydia questioned her.

Stiles' brows furrowed together, "What's The Church?"

She looked at us and arched her brow, "It's not a place you'll find God."

"Yeah.." I muttered, pursing my lips and nodding, "Good enough for me."

"Let's go." Stiles responded.

The three of us walked over to the Jeep while Malia raised her hand, "Uh, how are we all supposed to fit?"

"Ah, Malia." I sighed, smiling at her as Scott opened the door to the passenger seat, "You're about to learn what it's like to share a two person backseat with four people and I'll warn you now...it's far from comfortable."

The displeasure on her face was almost comical as she deadpanned, "Great."

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A/N; I can't believe we're at season 4!!!

Alex + Liam + Malia = supernatural sibling trio ❤️