There had been so many more bodies found.

The Beast was killing them, and we didn't know how to stop it.

Stilinski was in the hospital, watching the bodies being wheeled away.

Scott, Stiles and I got out of the elevator, walking toward Stilinski, watching the bodies.

"Who found them?" Scott asked.

"Argent," Stilinski answered. "And he said that the Doctors were down there. He also said you guys might know what this thing is."

"I've got a theory," I told him.

"It's a slightly terrifying theory," Stiles told him.

"Well, the ME said that the victims were killed somewhere else and then dumped in those tunnels," Stilinski told us.

"Hey, what if the Dread Doctors are hiding the bodies?" Scott asked.

"Why would they do that?" Stiles asked.

"Maybe they're covering for it," I answered. "Protecting it like a parent would."

"Protecting what?" Stilinski asked.

"A Werewolf," Scott answered.

"It's called the Beast," I told him.

"We know," Stiles told him. "Horrifying."

"We better figure out what we're gonna call Parrish," Stilinski told us. "Because it looks like his dream is coming true."

          *****    

Malia had come to me for help because the Desert Wolf, her mother Corrine, was in Beacon Hills, and she had a hostage.

Deaton.

Malia and I were in the animal clinic with someone I hated very much.

"What's the problem?" Malia asked.

"Besides the fact that I've never seen this place beyond a few aerial photos and we're basically going in blind?" I asked. I nodded to Theo. "Him."

"He's coming with us," Malia told me.

"He tried to kill Scott," I told her.

"Technically, I did kill Scott," Theo told me smugly.

I glared at him. "I should kill you."

"Go for it," Theo told me. "Prove to the world that Tara Hale didn't go as soft as it thinks she did."

I took a step toward him angrily.

Malia grabbed my arm to stop me. "Stop. Both of you."

"I did what I had to do to survive," Theo told us. "The Dread Doctors wanted everybody dead. I convinced them that it could just be Scott."

I looked at Malia. "You could still tell Scott."

"When we have Deaton back," Malia told me.

"He's not going to blame you for the Desert Wolf taking him," I told her.

"But he might stop me from killing her," Malia told me. "Theo won't."

"Actually, I'm planning to help," Theo told me.

"Don't be so confident," I told them. "She's known to carry pretty heavy firepower."

"But what does a Werecoyote need with guns?" Theo asked.

"My mother told me a story about the Desert Wolf when I was a kid," I told them. "I don't know all the details, but something happened a long time ago. Somehow, she lost part of her power. She's not as fast or as strong as she used to be. But she can still pull a trigger, and she's a perfect shot."

"That's why I came to you," Malia told me. "You told me that you would help me with anything. I don't expect you to help me with my mother. But I know that you want to save Deaton. I'll take care of the Desert Wolf. You just get Deaton out of there."

"You can't fight against her alone," I told her.

Malia sighed. "The sun's going down. We need to go. Are you coming or not?"

I sighed, glaring at Theo, giving Malia a look, leading the way out of the clinic.

          *****    

After dark, we were staking out the military base where Corrine had Deaton.

"No guards," I told them. "No lights. This place looks completely abandoned."

"That should be easier for us, right?" Malia asked.

"Not necessarily," I answered. "Especially if she knows we're coming. You're sure this is the place you saw?"

"Unless there's another Fort Hewitt," Malia answered.

"Maybe she left," Theo told us. "Maybe Deaton's already gone."

"I'm not walking away on a maybe," Malia told us.

"And I'm not walking in on so much uncertainty," I told her. "Malia, she knows what she's doing. She took Scott's boss for a reason. We don't know what it is. We don't know if she's back in Beacon Hills because she's missed you all this time and can't wait for a mother-daughter reunion or if she's planning to put a bullet in your head. We don't know anything."

"We know one thing," Malia told me. "We know where she is. I'm going in. I have to."

Malia walked toward the building.

Theo looked at me.

I glared at him, following Malia.

Theo followed me.

          *****    

Malia, Theo and I slowly made our way inside.

I smelled something, chemosignals. "There's something wrong."

"Is it a scent?" Malia asked.

"Chemosignal," I answered.

We walked around a truck to see Deaton tied to a chair in front of a wall with tape over his mouth.

I knew that the chemosignal was coming from Theo, knowing that he was going to turn against us, turning to face him, punching him in the face, kicking him in the chest. Theo tried to punch me. I ducked, spinning to kick him in the head, making him fall. 

There was a box of Corrine's weapons on the floor.

Theo grabbed a gun, shooting me in the stomach, making me gasp in pain.

I held my stomach, groaning.

"Tara!" Malia told me worriedly.

Theo stood, shooting me in the stomach again, making me groan a scream of pain and fall to the floor. "It was me, wasn't it? The chemosignal you picked up, it was from me. Probably regret. Because I didn't really want to do this. But I didn't have a choice." He tossed down the gun, sliding it over the floor. Corrine put her foot on the gun to stop it. Malia looked at her in shock. Corrine had the jar of Belasko's power-stealing claws, tossing them to Theo. Theo caught it. The claws started to glow blue. Theo smirked, letting his eyes glow gold." The glow in both faded. I held my stomach, breathing heavily in pain. Theo looked at Malia, shaking his head. "You should've listened to Tara."

Theo walked out, leaving.

I looked at Malia.

Malia gave me a worried look.

Corrine stepped closer.

Malia glared at her.

          *****    

I was struggling to pull the bullets out of the wounds in my stomach, groaning in pain. 

Corrine shot Malia in the chest, making her fall to the floor. "You know, your real name isn't Malia." She gripped her by her throat. "You don't have a name. Talia Hale took you away from me before I could give you one."

Corrine looked at me.

"My mother," I told them breathlessly.

Corrine nodded. "That's right, Tara." She punched Malia in the face. "What Malia does have is power. Strength, speed, and the capacity to heal. You know where you got it from, Malia? You know who you stole it from? Me." She stood, crushing Malia's stomach with her foot. "Tell me when it hurts." I got to Deaton, untying him. "Tell me when it really hurts."

Malia screamed in pain.

Deaton removed his gag. "Corrine! You can't get it back like this. It has to be a full moon. You kill her now, and you get nothing."

"I'll get something," I told them, grabbing Corrine, pushing her away from Malia.

Corrine let her eyes glow blue, growling.

I let my eye glow blue, roaring.

Glass and lights shattered around us, electrical sparks falling.

          *****    

Malia pulled herself back into a car behind her, groaning in pain, struggling to pull the bullet out of her chest.

Corrine slashed toward me. I ducked, slashing into her shoulder, spinning to try to kick her. Corrine ducked, trying to slash into me. I caught her arm, spinning around, throwing her into a nearby car. I growled at her, running closer. Corrine kicked me in my stomach, in my unhealed bullet wounds, making me groan in pain, stabbing her claws into the unhealed wounds. I pulled her claws out of my stomach, pulling on her arms hard enough to make her double over, wrapping my legs around her neck, flipping her through the air to the floor, landing in a crouch, looking up, growling, holding my stomach in pain.

Malia was able to pull the bullet out of her chest.

Corrine stood, trying to kick me. I spun out of the way.

Malia breathed heavily in pain, trying to stand, nearly falling, glaring at Corrine. "I killed them because of you. I killed my own family."

"Your adoptive family," Corrine told her. "I'm your family, sweetheart." Malia growled, trying to slash into Corrine. Corrine raised an arm to block the move, punching her in the chest, into her unhealed wound, making her groan a scream of pain, punching her in the face twice, kneeing her in the stomach, stabbing her claws into Malia's chest, into her unhealed bullet wound, making her scream in pain, throwing her into a nearby car. "But if it makes you feel any better, I didn't care about them. I was just trying to kill you." 

Corrine went in for the kill, raising her arm to stab into Malia's chest.

I caught Corrine's wrist, flipping her to the ground, holding her in an arm lock. "If this is what it means to be a Desert Wolf, so far, I'm not impressed."

The wall started to crack behind Deaton, making us stop fighting and look toward the wall and Deaton.

The wall fell through, large pieces of debris falling onto Deaton, trapping him to the floor.

The Beast was on the other side of the broken wall.

Malia, Corinne and I were in shock, all of us standing, facing the Beast. the Beast continued to pull away at the broken wall, making the hole bigger, grabbing Deaton, pulling him toward him. 

I ran closer. "Deaton! Malia, help me!" Malia struggled with the decision to save Deaton or to kill Corinne, running closer to me. Malia and I grabbed Deaton, pulling him out of the grips of the Beast, running away. The Beast seemed ready to charge after us. "Come on!"

Malia, Deaton and I ran out of Fort Hewitt, leaving.

          *****    

Malia, Deaton and I were in the clinic.

Scott and Liam walked in.

Malia nodded.

I smiled a small smile.

Deaton looked at Scott and Liam.

Scott and Deaton smiled, waking toward each other, embracing in relief, pulling away. He turned to me in relief, knowing what we all went through today, wrapping an arm around me.

I managed a small, exhausted smile.

          *****    

Scott, Stiles, Kira, Malia, Liam and I were meeting in Scott's house, standing around the table, looking at a map of Eichen House on the table in front of us. We all looked at each other, glad to be back together, smiling small smiles, nodding.

Liam put an eichen Security Log on the table in front of us.

Scott nodded, looking over all of us. "Now we get Lydia."