---

Alex settled between Lydia and Allison at lunch, picking quietly at her food. Her lip curled as she stared down at the 'Sloppy Joe's' that looked more like a baby had puked on her tray than the meat it was advertised as. 

Her stomach had been feeling upset since Erica had fallen earlier that morning, like a mass of anxiety was writhing away in her organs. She sighed, closing her eyes to try to fight off the nausea. 

Lydia was going on and on about some new sale, her chin resting on her delicate hand, green eyes darting between Allison and Alex in trade. She reminded Alex of an elf, with her porcelain skin, bright green eyes and pin-straight red hair. Her pouty mouth was turned upwards into a cocky smile, as if she knew more than she was letting on. 

Alex guessed she probably did. Lydia was a lot smarter than most people gave her credit for. Even as she spoke, Alex could tell that the Martin girl was observing and psychoanalyzing both Alex and Allison with careful consideration. As if they were the ones who had a psychotic break. 

"Hello, earth to Alexandra, are you alive?" the Martin girl said, raising one eyebrow at the brunette. 

Alex shoved her tray away and forced a smile, peering up at the girl who used to make her days a living hell. "Yeah, just reminiscing on what a good lunch used to be," she hummed, resting her palms on the table. "What class do we have next?" She glanced at the clock on the wall, wishing the minutes could pass faster so she could go check on Erica at the hospital. She'd promised her father she'd finish the whole school day, though, and Erica had been fine. She had doctors watching out for her, there was no reason for Alex to worry. 

But if I don't need to worry then why is there a massive knot in my stomach?

She shoved the thought into a box deep in her mind, trying to compartmentalize and focus. Lydia was speaking, she needed to focus on that. On the present. Not the past, not her anxieties, just the now. She sucked in a deep breath and made eye contact with Lydia, forcing a smile she hoped was genuine. 

Alex had gotten so good at lying about her feelings recently, it wasn't hard to act normal. To put on this facade and pretend everything was fine. Pretend she wasn't dying inside and struggling through one of the worst depressive episodes of her life. The numbness felt like it was spreading more and more everyday, taking away all the good feelings she had ever known. All that was left was the sadness, guilt and anxiety that swarmed her everyday life. 

"History with Mrs. Smith, I swear that woman needs to get laid," Lydia replied, rolling her eyes before looking towards the doors as they swung open. 

Alex blinked, her lips parting in shock. Was that..? It can't be... Oh my god.

Erica strode in wearing leopard-print high heels, a short leather skirt and a leather jacket. Her usually messy blonde hair now hung in perfect curls and she was wearing more makeup than Alex had seen her wear before. She looked jaw-droppingly sexy. 

She smiled, sauntering into the cafeteria as if she owned the whole damn town. Her dark eyes landed on Alex and she walked over, taking the apple off her plate. Erica looked down at the Stilinski girl, smiling as she took a seductive bite from the fruit and then placed it into Alex's hands. 

Alex just stared, unsure whether she should feel worried or turned on. Her lips parted as she looked down at the apple and then back up at Erica. Every single pair of eyes in the whole room was focused on the blonde as she turned and sauntered back out. 

An entrance, a re-introduction into society and a statement all rolled into one. That was Erica telling the whole school she gave no fucks about their opinions of her, that she wasn't the girl who peed herself in class, she was more powerful than that. She was not someone to be messed with now. 

What the hell happened in that hospital?

---

"So, tell me about your day, Alex," Dr. Mills murmured, resting back in her armchair with her notepad on her lap. She used her index and thumb to adjust her tortoise-shell glasses. Today, her long blonde hair was in a braid, which made her look both older and younger.

It showed off the gray streaks in her otherwise golden hair, but also added a child-like youth to her features. Alex thought it made the woman look quite beautiful. 

The Stilinski girl shrugged, adjusting her bracelets. "It was alright." 

"It was your first day of school, right?" Dr. Mills queried, tilting her head to the side and smiling warmly at the brunette. Her hands rested on top of the notepad, the pen sitting on the coffee table. Alex guessed it was to make her feel more comfortable, less observed. 

"Yeah," she murmured, wiping her sweaty palms on her pants, "it was. Pretty uneventful." 

Lie number one. 

Alex was still trying to figure out what had caused Erica's abrupt personality switch. It felt like a different person had replaced her friend. Or, someone had gone into Erica's mind and flipped the Confident Bad Bitch switch. She was trying to create a list of possibilities. The top of the list was that a boy had to be involved, but this was still drastic. Her friend's entire core personality had changed in six hours down to the way she dressed and walked. 

Dr. Mills nodded and adjusted her loose, green blouse. The cool color brought out the warm undertones of her skin and highlighted her golden tan. It complimented the therapist well. 

Alex sighed and peered up at the beige ceiling. "I don't know. Going to school, I know I have to go but . . . " she trailed off, raising her thumb to her lips and began chewing on her nail. 

"You don't quite feel ready. That's completely understandable due to the circumstances. You're in the middle of a very big transitional period of your life, Alex, which is only made harder by the traumas you've experienced and the fact you are still quite young." Dr. Mills tapped her manicured fingers against the notepad, peering down at Alex with a soft, soothing gaze. "Do you have an older woman in your life you feel that you can trust? That you can speak with? Someone who can offer you support?" 

Alex's mind immediately flew to Melissa. She was the closest thing that either Stilinski twin had to a mother. She was the person who bought Alex pads when she first got her period, and got her ice cream for her first heart break. 

"My friend's mom. Melissa, she's always been that for me." 

Dr. Mills smiled and grabbed the pen, jotting something quickly on the notepad. Likely Melissa's name. 

"That is perfect, Alex. I know that you and I have a long way to go when it comes to developing a relationship of trust, so I hope that you have someone like her who can support you in your personal life. People like being valued, Alex, being depended on." 

Alex nodded, peering out the window at the bright, blue sky. 

People like to be valued. 

Something struck her and she audibly gasped before rushing to her feet. "I'm so sorry, Dr. Mills, but I have to go. I just realized something. Thank you, but I have to go. Can we reschedule? I'm sorry to waste your time. I'll send you an email!" 

The brunette turned and rushed out the door, not even hearing whatever the doctor had to say. 

People like to be valued. To be depended on. 

Erica's entire personality had changed in six hours, it had to be because of a boy. But, what boy? How could some boy have such a drastic impact? 

She knew. She supposed she'd guessed since the minute Erica walked into the cafeteria. But, she definitely knew. 

Why else would a guy who has graduated high school be hanging outside of it with no younger sibling to pick up? Because he had a younger girl who idolized and looked up to him. A girl who felt valued by him. 

That son-of-a-bitch pedophile. 

She was going to absolutely murder Derek fucking Hale. 

---

Derek's POV

The wolf could hear the bike long before it made its way up the drive-way. The chains were rusty and needed to be replaced and one of the wheels was a little bit flat. It bounced over every rock and pebble and jolted the balance of the whole bicycle. 

He could also hear her little pants and the squeak of her pedals as she made her way up the hill to the burnt shell of a house he used to live in. 

Even from the upstairs window, he could smell her rage as she came to a halt in-front of the porch. Her arms were crossed over her chest, dark hair pinned back into two pigtails and disgust was clear on her face. 

She looked so much like her brother. The same pale features, button nose, and observant eyes. The same dark hair and skinny, tall stature. But, she was so different, too. 

He had known he recognized her, but he couldn't place it. But after she'd told him, the memories came rushing back. The girl just a couple years younger than him sitting next to him whilst he played video games. Asking for piggy-back rides and begging him to join their game of hide-and-seek or tag. 

He remembered seeing her at the funeral. She had been the only one not crying. Her chin tilted upwards in defiance, her blue eyes staring at the graves with an iron-willed determination he had admired. She refused to show weakness, despite losing her best friend. 

Now, as he studied her, he saw that same determination clear across every inch of her body. 

"Derek!" She yelled up at the house, her gaze raking over every window and hole and missing plank. He could see her thorough examination, but knew she wasn't able to see him. "Come down here, you fucking coward!" 

What had he done that elicited this much raw fury in the Stilinski girl? Nothing obvious came to mind, at least nothing she knew about. As far as he was aware, she didn't know about werewolves or the supernatural community. He had no doubt she would be dragged into it, though. 

Especially since her own scent wasn't exactly human. 

It was flowery and almost silver. It smelled like rippling creeks and long lost fables. Like ghosts. 

It etched into every single one of his pores and invaded his whole body. It had since he was a child. She was powerful and ignorant of her power. He wasn't about to be the one to tell her, either. 

Slowly making his way down the stairs, the Hale wolf got to the door and leaned against the doorframe, peering down at where she still sat perched on her bike. She was scowling at him with more anger than he felt he'd ever seen anywhere besides a mirror. 

It terrified him. 

"You fucking pervert. I knew something was wrong with you. God, I can't believe-" she trailed off, crossing her arms and scowling at him. "She's sixteen fucking years old, you goddamn creep! You might be nineteen, but that's three years. A three year age difference. Why don't you go lurk around Berkeley, instead of the fucking high school if you want a girlfriend that bad."

At first, Derek hadn't really been following whatever rant she had going. But, then it hit him. Erica, Alex's best friend. His most recent Beta. She had no idea why her friend had changed so drastically, so of course she came up with the only reasonable conclusion in her mind. He was grooming and manipulating the blonde. 

Derek's jaw dropped. He honestly couldn't believe the accusations that were being thrown at him. "Excuse me?" 

"You fucking heard me! Stay the hell away from Erica Reyes or so help me God, I will call the cops on your ass myself. You hear me?" Her bright eyes were filled with the fury of a thousand gods, and it was all aimed at him. 

He didn't think she could see the silver aura that was wrapped around her like armor. How it glowed brightly, pulsing with each angry word she spoke. Bright and fierce like her. 

Derek raised his hands in defense, stepping away from the doorframe and onto the porch. "I'm not dating Erica, or any high-schooler, Jesus Christ. I've just been-" what had he done? Taken advantage of her situation and used it to give himself another Beta? Turned a teenage girl into a monster just so he could be more powerful? He was no better than what Alex was suggesting, he knew that. But Erica and Isaac knew what they were getting into, he'd told them everything. He'd been honest. But, only because he knew for certain they'd say yes. Of course he did. Or else he would not have picked them. "I've been tutoring her." 

Alex stared at him. She was the daughter of a cop, she knew how to read people. He kept his face still, his posture open. He did everything he knew to get her to believe him. But, internally, he was starting to doubt himself. Alex was right, he was no better than a pervert. No better than a creep. They were children and he was taking advantage of that. 

He shoved down the guilt and tried to focus, breathing deeply. The Alpha Pack would be coming. He knew they would. He was a Hale and this was his pack, he had to be powerful enough to withstand them. Alex might be right, but she wasn't a part of this world. She didn't know how it worked. She only saw it through her small perspective. She was a small-town girl who had no life experiences, she couldn't judge him. 

As far as he was aware, she hadn't ever even lost anyone besides her mother and Cora.

 He'd lost everything and he'd be damned if he lost it again.