Knowing that getting those keys was the only way to get to my brother was all the motivation I needed. I no longer felt the fear that had taken a hold of me earlier. The only real emotion I felt at the moment was anger. It was burning inside of me and all I could do to remain in control was to keep my hands in fists. I rarely felt myself on the deg of losing control in this way and having the source of my anger right beside me wasn't helping. 

"Thank you for doing this." Scott said as he held up the flashlight.

"I'm not doing this for you." I replied as I walked ahead of him being guided by the strong scent of blood. It was concerning that the blood no longer came from the locker rooms where the janitor was killed. 

"I really am sorry...I...I panicked."

I stopped to face him. There was no justification for what he had done. For the way that he betrayed my brother and I after everything we had done to help him.

Maybe I just felt more hurt at the fact that he had done this to me. As much as I hated to admit it. I was beginning to see Scott and Stiles as my friends. But this was just a cruel reminder that the only person I could trust was my brother.

"Shut up. You'll lead the Alpha right to us." I told him as I turned the corner towards the stairs. "Just follow me I have the scent."

Understanding that his apologies weren't going to change anything he followed the the rest of the way in silence. I followed the scent to the gym as I paused at the door already sensing the alpha's presence. Taking a deep breath I opened the doors as Scott and I slowly walked into the gym.

"Am I the only one getting a really bad feeling about this?" Scott asked and I shook my head in agreement as we began to walk behind the bleachers as the smell of blood got stronger. We both stopped not seeing the body anywhere until drops of blood fell in front of us. Shining the flashlight above us Scott gasped as he saw the janitor hanging upside down on the bleachers. It was like a scene from a horror movie. "I'll get the keys, you hold whatever this is."

"Hurry up." I told him as I got a hold of the mixture that Lydia had made for us. As Scott began to climb up to get the keys the bleachers began to close in on us. "Scott!"

"Got them." Scott said as we both ran out of the bleachers and making it out just in time before they fully closed in on us. A low growling sound was heard from behind us as we slowly turned around to find the alpha staring at us from the darkness. 

"Come and get us!" Scott challenged as he took the mixture from me and held it out in front of him.

The second that it came running towards us Scott threw the mixture, only that it failed ignite the way it was supposed to. "Run." I muttered as we both attempted to make a run for it, except that we both fell to the floor as the alpha pulled us down form our ankles.

I groaned in pain as I hit the wooden gym floor, I was just able to put my hands in front of me to soften the fall and prevent my face from slamming down on the floor. The same could not be said for Scott who now had a bloody nose from the fall as we both flipped onto our backs to meet the burning red eyes of the alpha.

Scott and I attempted to struggle under its grasp as it hovered over us putting it claws against out throats as it let out a deep howl. I gasped as I felt the other side of me take over and by the way that Scott was groaning beside me I could tell he felt it too. it had forced the both of us to shift, an attempt to force us both into it's pack.

The alpha then ran off leaving Scott and I fighting against ourselves, I attempted to take control to think about my anger to help me shift back only this time it wasn't working.

I continued to fight the shift as my claws scrapped down the hardwood floor of the gym. Scott got up and began to walk away, telling me that he let that animal instinct take over. I knew I had to stop him, but I couldn't do that if I wasn't in control myself. I needed another anchor something to bring me back. My anger had always been my anchor but it wasn't enough now. So, I began to focus on what was around me something to bring my back. Anything.

"Can we not argue for half a second here?" I heard Stiles say.

"They should be back by now." Allison replied fear clear in her voice.

"They'll come back. They have to." Lydia muttered. I took a deep breath as I felt my heart rate settle back to a normal pace. The sounds of their voices helping me focus. I stood up on shaky legs when I felt it. 

It was like I could suddenly feel everything that they felt in an entirely different way. It was like there was an invisible string tying me to them. It was the same connection that I had with Derek. Only now it seemed to give me even more control. It heightened all my senses. 

I formed a pack link with them. All of them. With Scott, Stiles, Allison, Lydia, even Jackson. I didn't understand what that meant. But that wasn't important now, what was important was making sure that Scott wouldn't hurt any of them.

Running out of the gym I ran up the stairway and into the hallway where Scott was on his knees in front of the chemistry room where everyone was. I took slow steps towards him knowing that he was able to gain control.

"Scott?" I questioned as he slowly looked up to meet my eyes. At that moment the sound of police sirens was heard in the distance. It was over. And we were all okay.

But only because the alpha had let us live. This was all an attempt to get Scott to finally accept it as his alpha. And it had failed. Neither Scott or I had given into the alpha's control, even if it was in our nature to follow. The need for an alpha was strong, it was widely known that all betas needed an alpha. It was part of that animalistic instinct that we possessed.

But there was no doubt in my mind that the alpha would try again. Scott was its beta, and it wouldn't let go of him that easily. 

"I'm okay." He assured me as he also stood up. Taking the key from him I opened the door letting everyone out, letting the keys fall to the floor. Without another word I began to walk down the hall and towards the entrance of the school where the police cars were filing in the parking lot.

Even with that new connection I couldn't stand the though of continuing to be around Scott or Stiles. I had to find my brother so we could find a way to break that link, that bond that I know had with them all. 

Walking out into the parking lot and let out a sigh of relief when I didn't see Derek's car, meaning that he was able to make it out. That he was okay, only now he was going to be the most wanted man in Beacon Hills and possibly all of California. 

"Alexis can I have a word with you?" The Sheriff asked me and I slowly nodded as he walked me over to the corner. "My son and Scott are saying that all this was Derek Hale.."

"It wasn't my brother." I immediately told him. Sheriff Stilinski seemed like a nice man and maybe he didn't deserve my dismissive tone, but I had to find Derek. Wherever he was, he still needed my help. And I simply wasn't in the right headspace for an interrogation. "And I know that you don't believe me. But it wasn't him."

"Okay, just calm down. I know that you went through a lot today." Sheriff Stilinksi said in a surprisingly fatherly tone. "Derek is being accused of the murder of three people and possible hurting you and all your friends."

"Why would Derek want to kill me? It makes no sense we've been on our own for years. Why would he suddenly want to kill me?" I argued trying to make him see that the accusations made absolutely no sense. Of course telling him the full story wasn't an option, and all the evidence pointed to what Scott and Stiles were claiming was true. But this was a plan that Is simply couldn't go along with. 

"He's also a suspect to the murder of Laura Hale."

The mention of Laura began to blur my thoughts. As much as I continued to try to bury that grief it wasn't possible. My heart still ached for our older sister. "We came to Beacon Hills to find Laura. Because we lost contact with her."

Sheriff Stilinski nodded as he looked around the parking lot. I could feel his struggle of being both the town's sheriff and a father. "Where is your brother?"

"I don't know. I don't know." I told him not knowing myself. "And if you don't mind Sheriff it been a long day and I would like to go home now."

"Yes, of course. Do you have someone to stay with while all of this gets sorted out?"

"My uncle." I lied, him being the only other family I had left he was the first person that came to mind. Of course Sheriff Stilinski didn't know that my uncle Peter has been in a catatonic state for the last six years. Unlike Derek I refused to visit him at the hospital, there was no point considering that  he wasn't really living. Only a painful reminder of what happened to us. "My uncle Peter."

"Okay, if you know where you brother is..."

I pursed my lips together and nodded. "You'll be the first I'll tell. Good night Sheriff."

I didn't wait for him to respond as I walked out into the parking lot. it was going to be a long walk to the other side of town, but maybe that walk would help me clear my head.

"Alex! Alex wait!" I heard Stiles call out but I kept walking as I heard two familiar pairs of feet running towards me. Before any of them had a chance to catch up with me I stopped wanting to get this inevitable conversation over with. "Thank God I thought you weren't going to stop."

"What did you say? What did you tell Stiles' dad?" Scott questioned guilt rolling off of him in waves.

"Whatever I said doesn't change that fact that the both of you accused him of murder." I replied doing my best to keep my breathing even. 

"I know. I know I'm sorry."

"Just leave me alone. I'm done trying to help you two. All it's gotten me is in trouble. And now my brother is about to be the most wanted in man in California." 

"Alex please." Stiles pleaded and as he attempted to take a step toward me I growled in warning. I was sure that if either of them got any closer to me that I would seriously hurt them. And even after what they had done, it wasn't something that I truly wanted no matter how angry I was. "At least let me drive you home."

"Why? So you can tell your dad where Derek might be when you find out where we really live? Forget it" I countered as I continued my walk, not caring if it would take me longer to get home.

"Come on don't be like that." Ignoring everything he said after that I continued to walking. I had to get to the loft make sure Derek was there. That the alpha hadn't attempted to get to him like it did Scott and I. 

Once I arrived at the building and saw Derek's car parked outside I immediately ran inside taking out my keys and opening the doors to the loft. It was silent but I could still feel his presence in the building. 

"Derek?" I questioned as I walked inside the smell of his blood in the room.

"Alexis." I heard him groan, I ran to the couch where he was laying down with his hand on his chest. He was in terrible pain and I felt a ghost of that now. 

"You're okay." I said with a shaky breath a smile forming on my lips regardless of his current state. He only groaned in response as I inspected his blood stained shirt. "Okay let me take a look." I muttered as I slowly slipped his shirt over his head.

"Its not pretty is it?" Derek barely managed to say after a moment of my silence as I could only stare at the large gashes running through his chest. They hadn't healed yet, but considering that he was still alive that meant that maybe he had healed but the wounds were just too deep. "It's going to take longer to heal...because they're from an alpha. You just have to let them heal on there own."

"Okay. Let me just help you get cleaned up and into a clean shirt." I replied as I ran into the bathroom filing up a bowl with warm water and grabbing a towel. Kneeling by his side I soaked the toll and began cleaning the blood off of his chest. After most of the blood was gone I helped him to his feet as I practically carried him into his room, setting him on his bed.

"So what happened...at the school? Are you okay?" 

"I don't want to talk about that right now." I muttered as I sat on the edge of the bed.

Derek coughed a little as he sank into the bed. "I can't tell if you're hurt or angry. Or maybe both?"

"We can talk about it when you get some rest." I assured him as I stood up. If I told him that he was a wanted fugitive there was no way that he was going to get any rest. And I didn't even know how I felt about this whole situation or how he would react that tonight I did exactly what he had been warning me not to do.

I had formed pack links with people I could only just tolerate. That really did complicate things. Those were powerful bonds, they were ones that would surely come with a price.

But the alpha had failed to make Scott and I part of its pack. And although that seemed like a small victory there was no way it wouldn't come after us again. An alpha without a pack was weak, and whatever it was after it would need a pack to make it stronger.