Wild and Wicked

by LunaBlossom09

Summary:

Elisa didn’t know what drew her to Beacon Hills and she definitely didn’t plan to stay long. But a one-night stand with a gorgeous, blue-eyed stranger? That wasn’t in the plans either. Now she’s pregnant, and all she knows about him is his name... and that he’s a werewolf.
“You slept with Peter Hale?”
“I didn’t know he was a Hale. Our mouths were busy doing other things.”

Chapter 1: The Results

Summary:

“You’ve been acting differently for the past month.”

“Is that worry for your dear old uncle?”

Derek snorted, “More like for your newest victim.” 

Notes:

This is taking place after the Season 3B. Everybody is alive and nobody dies except there is no Malia Tate in this story.

Chapter 1 - The Results

 

Pregnant

Elisa’s throat was dry and her stomach churned uncomfortably.

“We should take another test,” Isabel suggested going through the plastic bag they used to hold the tests and water bottles in from the pharmacy.

“I don’t think I have it in me to pee again. This was the third test.” Elisa placed it on the counter with the other two tests that revealed the same results. “Fuck this can’t be happening.”

Pregnant. Pregnant. Pregnant.

“How did this happen?”

“You have a three year old. Do you really want an explanation?”

“Graciosa,” her best friend rolled her eyes and handed her the water bottle. 

Isabel handed her a bottle of water. Elisa didn’t have many friends—or really, any—but she’d known Isabel and her husband for fifteen years. If she had best friends, it would be them. Not that she liked thinking about it too much.

“I thought you weren’t seeing anyone.”

Seeing anyone translated to casual sex with a stranger every other night in Elisa’s language. Before… she hadn’t slept with anyone. There hadn’t been an urge to. She was content with her toys, her fingers, and her space. But that night had been different.

“It was one night and we were careful.”

“Well obviously you weren’t and you didn’t want the pill.”

“I barely remember to take my vitamins, Isa! But it doesn’t change anything, does it? I’m pregnant.”

Fuck, she was pregnant and she was sleeping on the couch in her friend’s house because she didn’t have a place to live.

It had been a month since she arrived in Beacon Hills. She told herself she came to visit her goddaughter —because she missed her. That was partially true. But something deeper had pulled her here. Something inside her had screamed for it. Something inside her had howled for it. The moment she drove across the town line, the tension in her chest released, as if her body finally let go of a breath it had been holding for years. She had made it. It was like she made it home.

Except… Elisa didn’t know what home really meant. And she was sure Beacon Hills wasn’t going to be it.

Isabel and her family were surprised by her sudden arrival—but excited. They welcomed her without hesitation. Gabriel worked part-time as a security consultant and co-owned Muse’s Coffee with Isabel. After Isabel’s maternity leave ended, they agreed she would go back to work while Gabriel worked from home and looked after their three-year-old daughter, Sofia.

They had made this place their home—in every way that counted.

Isabel took her hand. “You are pregnant but you are not alone, Elisa. You have us and we will support you no matter what. Do you have any way of contacting him?”

Elisa sighed and ran her fingers through her tangled curls. The morning sickness was the worst these past few days and she hadn’t taken the time to properly shower. “No, he just gave me his name and I don’t know if - fuck, this was not the plan! We fucked in a hotel room.” 

“Look, we don't need to do this all at once.” She squeezed her hand and used a new tissue paper to throw away the tests. “I’m going to clean this counter and go pick up some dinner. Go take a shower, use that deep condition for your hair, and change into clean clothes. We will go think of the next step tomorrow. Just one quick question: was he human or…?”

“Werewolf. I smelt him before he approached me.”

Pinewood with a hint of longing and loneliness. 

Maybe that’s why she allowed him to sit next to her at the bar that night. Other guys tried to woo her but she ignored them, wanting to have a drink and giving her friends privacy since Sofia was at her aunt’s house. But his scent and blue eyes drew her in. 

“Go shower. Do you think you can eat anything afterwards?”

“I’m craving for a burger.”

Isabel grinned. “Sounds like a plan. Go. I may not have yours or Gabe’s noses but I can smell you stink.” 

Elisa stuck her tongue out and left the bathroom to grab her clothes that were in Gabriels’ office closet. She could hear her friend singing softly to herself as she used hand wipes to clean the counter. She went to their guest bathroom, careful to move some of Sofia’s toys so she doesn’t accidentally step on them.

The warm water released the tension off her body and her nails scratched her scalp with the specialized shampoo for her curls. She used the deep conditioner that Elisa recommended and combed her hair through it. She turned off the water as she scrubbed her body. All the lingering smells from the last few days washed away. But her hands went to her belly. No one can tell that she’s pregnant but if they were supernatural like her, they would be able to hear the faintest heartbeat. 

That’s what scared her this morning and it led the women to the pharmacy in a frenzy.

***

His lips were warm and chapped and little sparks shot across her skin. Elisa hummed a small moan before curling her fingers into his jacket and pulling him closer. He grunted in surprise, but came willingly, tentatively reaching up to cup her cheek. He angled her head to deepen their kiss even further, unable to stop. He tasted wine and mint; she sucked greedily on his tongue. Somehow they wound up pressed against the wall, his hand pressed into her low back.

They broke for air for a second and he pressed his nose against her neck. His lips sucked and nibbled. His hot breath against her ear caused tingles throughout her skin. “Peter,” she breathed. He growled and she pressed her chest against his, taking off her jacket, throwing it to the floor. He followed her example, his mouth on her neck and his hands under her thighs, lifting her up so she could wrap her legs around him. 

He sat on the edge of the bed with Elisa on his lap. “You are wearing too much.”

“Oh?” Elisa wore a button black top and a pair of skinny jeans. She wasn’t planning anything like this tonight, but the way his blue eyes watched her as she unbutton thrilled her. He groaned at the sight of her lacy purple bra and left open mouth kisses down her exposed throat, chest, and swells of her breasts. She unclasped her bra, throwing it behind as she moaned and leaned back, his hands anchored her. 

“Fuck, you are beautiful,” he breathed, tip of nose dragging up the valley of her breasts. He grabbed her breast and eagerly sucked on her nipple. Elisa cried out, holding him to her chest as he sucked and licked. Her panties were nearly soaked, throbbing and pulsing between her legs. She was practically grinding on his lap. 

“Peter, please.”

“Please what?” His mouth went to her other breast and she gasped, clutching his hair.

“You still have your clothes,” she pulled on his black shirt and touched his chest, his shoulders, his arm. She got off his lap and took off her pants along with her underwear while he did the same on the bed.

Elisa climbed back on top of Peter and forced his lips back to hers, kissing him hard on the mouth. His hard cock throbbed on her thigh and her fingers touched pre-cum. Peter growled, flipping their positions and kissing her stomach. “What are you…?” He spread her legs wide and pressed a kiss to her clit, then swirled his tongue around it. “Fuck, Peter!”

“You are so wet. And it’s all for me, isn’t it?”

He didn’t let her answer and went back to work on kissing and sucking her clit. He plunged his tongue inside her and Elisa bit her lip. 

“Don’t hold back, Elisa. Let me hear you. I want to hear you say my name.”

Peter went back to eating her out and it was embarrassing and hot at the same time that she could hear him sucking her like he wanted to take all the wetness out of her. He slipped a finger inside her and crooked it up at the right spot and she screamed his name. He pulled the finger in and out and Elisa moaned, clutching the bed cover. He slipped another finger stretching her slowly before adding another. 

“Peter!’ She cried as her orgasm slammed through her in waves and she shrieked when he put his mouth on her entrance, licking and sucking again.

Elisa tugged at his arm so she could kiss him and shivered at the taste of herself in his mouth. “Condom?”

He reached over to his nightstand drawer and pulled the wrapper open, sheathing himself quickly. He took himself in hand and teased her clit with the tip of his cock. Her legs trembled from the orgasm and the anticipation of being filled was driving her mad. 

“Are you sure?”

“Yes. Peter, please I need you.” He slid inside her and she swore at the girth that stretched her out. He paused. “I’m fine. It’s been a while.” 

She rolled her hips, getting him deeper and he hissed. “Fuck, you are so tight.” 

“Fuck me, Peter.”

***

“Something’s wrong with you,” Derek grunted.

Peter rolled his eyes and drank from his water bottle. His nephew stood on the torn patio with his own bottle and sweat clung to his shirt. Not that he was any better. The city tore the house down after Peter persuaded the decision to have a new home built. He considered it to be Derek’s birthday present and Christmas present for him and Cora. The construction crew left hours ago and Cora put lanterns around the property so they could continue work without the human eyes on them. 

He breathed in the fresh air and ignored Derek’s gaze.

Peter wanted to destroy the house and leave but his niece and nephew made the decision to stay in Beacon Hills.

“No more running.” 

He swallowed the bile of annoyance at Derek’s words. He said it a week after the Nogitsune spectacle was over and everyone was healing both physically and mentally. Peter has always been in Beacon Hills. His six year coma was definitely proof of that. His late niece and nephew left for New York and Cora was surviving to be part of another pack.

Peter Hale was no runner. He’s a survivor. 

But he was not doing any work for the basement. He was leaving that to Derek. 

He could still hear his family’s cries. 

“Peter.”

“Is there something I could help you with, Derek?”

“I think what our dear Derek is asking,” Cora walked out on the patio wearing her black sweater and blue beanie that Melissa McCall gave her. “You’ve been acting differently for the past month.”

“Is that worry for your dear old uncle?”

Derek snorted, “More like for your newest victim.” 

Peter hummed and took another sip from his bottle. He could see her lying on her stomach with her long curls spread on the pillow and the blanket barely covering her body. But he woke up alone with a lipstick mark on a notepad. It was a shame he’d only gotten her name. There was something about her that made his wolf…howl louder than usual. 

“Don’t worry, kiddos. Your Uncle Peter hasn’t gone on a killing spree and he won’t anytime soon. Have some faith in me.” He ignored the eye rolling from both of them. “Speaking of worry, how are things going with Stiles, Derek?”

Derek’s eyes narrowed. “What do you mean?”

“Is he still having nightmares of his time with the Nogitsune?”

“Yes.” Derek cleared his throat. “I think that’s normal considering everything.”

“What’s not normal is your couch. You need to get a bigger couch if we keep having everyone over for sleepovers.” Cora grumbled and put on her gloves. “Allison is a blanket hogger and Erica twitches in her sleep.”

“And you snore. No one is a perfect sleep partner.”  

Peter inhaled the cold air and musky woods while the siblings bickered. It was late and while the house was nowhere close to being done, they were a step closer than the day before and the new memories will overlap the bad that had happened. He flexed his fingers. Any memories will be better than the ones he was stuck with for so long. But he wondered what new memories he would make in this cursed town that was his home and his nightmare at the same time. Every dream, every goal that he had before the fire burned along with his family. Six years of wanting revenge and that was completed but he lost another pack member by his own hands. He was killed but wanted to be alive again. So he came back. 

But to do what?

“Cora, let go of me. No! Stop, we are not -”

“Don’t want to get your pants dirty? Want to impress Stiles?”

“What? No! What does he…will you stop! Get off me.”

“Uncle Peter.” Cora snarled as she wrestled Derek to the ground, the leaves on their hair and dirt on their clothes. 

Peter sighed. His sister was probably laughing at him from the grave.

***

He was still asleep when she woke up and his arm was wrapped around her waist while his other hand was near her head, almost like he was playing with her curls while she slept. It took some effort but Elisa was able to get out of bed and put on her clothes. Her hair was a tangled mess but put it in a high bun. Elisa stared for a moment at the tousled hair and toned muscles, trying to absorb everything about the man. It wasn’t like she was going to see him again and last night’s - and early morning activities gave her plenty to remember him for months to come. 

But still…

“May we meet again, Peter.”

Notes:

This is my first Teen Wolf fic. What do you think?

Chapter 2: Muse's Coffee

Summary:

Elisa couldn’t imagine being responsible for a life that she will bring to this world. This baby will be a part of her, a half of everything that she represents. A half that will inherit her past.

“I don’t know.”

“It’s your body, your choice.”

Notes:

This is taking place after the Season 3B, post-Nogitsune. Everybody is alive and nobody dies except there is no Malia Tate in this story.

Chapter 2 - Muse's Coffee

 

Elisa was not enjoying pregnancy.

She thought the part of morning sickness meant that it was in the morning only, but she kept throwing up last night. She slept very little and Sofia snuck onto the couch early morning for cuddles and then, to watch her show. The three year old sat next to her in Mickey Mouse pajamas and a blue night cap to contain her little curls. She giggled at Pooh Bear trying to get his honey from the bees. 

Gabriel handed her a glass of water with a plate of crackers. He smelled like his citrus body wash and she could smell his pineapple and orange juice that he made last night. 

“I’m pregnant, not sick.” 

“From the noises I heard last night it doesn’t make a difference.” He sat down in his own leather chair a few feet away from them but close enough to catch Sofia if she decides to test her jumping ability. “Have you thought of finding him?”

“I don’t know. I’m still trying to wrap my head around the fact that I’m going to be a mom. Can you imagine me as a mom?”

“You’ve been wonderful with Sofia since day one and you’ve always been great with kids.” Gabriel smiled at the shrieking laughter his daughter made and Elisa couldn't help but smile too. “Isa told me that he’s a werewolf.”

“I’m not going to search for a man in this town with my nose, Gabe. My senses are all fu - están jodidos.” She caught herself mindful of her goddaughter. But she knew it was a matter of her time that Sofia would catch on to the bad words in Spanish in no time. “Isa wasn’t like this was she?”

“She’s not a werewolf. It’s different for you.”

Elisa closed her eyes and took a deep breath. He was right. Everything that she was smelling and hearing was harder to ignore than usual and she was in their house. When they went to the pharmacy, Isabel had to leave her in the car because Elisa thought she was going to throw up at the strong smell of cigarette bums left on the cement.

“I don’t know what I’m doing.”

Gabriel snorted, “And you think we did?”

“You had help.”

“And you think we won’t help you?”

She reopened her eyes at his tone and he had his glass on a coaster on their wooden table. Gabriel’s brown eyes flickered to blue for a moment. “Elisa, you don’t know how grateful I am that Isabel’s parents accepted me for being a werewolf and there might be a chance that Sofia will be one too. Yes, we had help from her parents but we also had you and you went to every doctor’s appointment when I couldn’t go. You are my family and I will be there for you. We have been through a lot over the years and you would really think I would leave you alone?”

Elisa rubbed her forehead and knew a headache was coming. She sat upright and reached for Gabriel’s hand. “I know you wouldn’t. But it’s like you said, we have been through a lot and I got pregnant from a stranger. A man I don't know and have no idea what pack he belongs to.”

“If he belongs to one.”

“He’s not like us,” she snapped. Sofia turned her head but Elisa patted her on the back with a grim smile and pointed to the jumping tiger on the screen. “I could smell the connection of a pack bond, it was very faint but it was there. You’ve lived in this town for four years and haven’t come across a pack?”

“There was a pack but they died years ago in a fire and recently there was an Alpha pack in town.”

Elisa sat straighter in her seat and released her hand from him. “Why didn’t you call me about this?”

“I didn’t see the need to, Elisa. I was trying to protect my family away from the Alphas and the hunters. I’m lucky that the other werewolves in this town don’t know about us.”

“But you know about them?”

She noticed the hesitation but Gabriel got off his seat to go to his office. Elisa stayed and looked out at the sunny day through the window. Brown leaves were dancing with the wind and she could see that Isabel’s efforts to keep the backyard clean failed. The furniture was put in a closet case. It started raining some more this winter season. 

“I have information on one man,” Gabriel came back with a file and handed it to her. “He’s a veterinarian at Beacon Hills Animal Clinic.”

“I don’t think Isa wants another dog in the house.”

“Ha ha, so funny.” He flicked her on the forehead. “Dr. Alan Deaton is a Druid Emissary. He was one to the Hale Pack and I believe he is one to this new pack in town.”

“And you have reason to believe he would know the father of my baby?”

“A Druid may be out of commission for a while but that doesn’t mean they don’t stick to their ears in the supernatural shadows. You and I both know that.”

She flipped through the pages and found a picture of the vet. His skin was lighter than Gabriel’s but there was wisdom in his eyes. Everything about the man was in this file and his morning routine to evening routine. 

“You’ve kept yourself busy. Does Isabel know?”

“Papa, mira!” Sofia yelled, pointing at the TV and the screen froze with Christopher Robin trying to get Pooh Bear out of a cave. Gabriel grumbled under his breath about fixing his wifi as he grabbed the remote. Sofia jumped back to Elisa’s lap and the older woman groaned at the weight, but adjusted to hold her. “Tia, quieres comer?”

Elisa grimaced. “Ahora no, Sofia. Mas tarde si?” 

“Okay! Pooh Bear esta vivo!” Sofia shrieked happily and both werewolves winched at the volume.

“Gracias, papa!” 

“She has Isabel’s lungs.” Gabriel commented and sat next to her, pulling his daughter to his side and adjusted her sleep cap. “Isabel doesn’t know. As far as she knows, there have been unfortunate murders in Beacon Hills and it has nothing to do with the supernatural. I don’t want her to worry like last time.”

Elisa nodded. The last time she worried too much, she went into early labor with Sofia and that scared both of them for a lifetime. 

“I know you’re worried. But if I can be a partner and parent, you can be too. Our past shouldn’t dictate our future. We just need to find this guy and - unless you don’t want to keep it?”

That was a million dollar question.

Elisa couldn’t imagine being responsible for a life that she will bring to this world. This baby will be a part of her, a half of everything that she represents. A half that will inherit her past.

“I don’t know.”

“It’s your body, your choice.”

She nodded but it didn’t make her feel better. They’ve grown up seeing women pregnant on the streets, abandoned by their parents and their fathers. It was worse when they came across someone from the supernatural community. But they were kids then and she is a twenty seven year old woman  that was lost.

She needed more time.

But time wasn’t always her friend. 

***

“Can I get you some water or tea?” Peter asked and grinned at the small giggle that escaped from Elisa. Sweat glistening off her body and a small mark above her left breast was slowly healing itself. His hand trailed on her hip, not going in any particular direction.

“Water does sound nice, thank you.”

He jumped off the bed to get the water bottle from the fridge and turned to find her brown eyes on his body. There were no burn scars on his body. Peter knew she wasn’t looking for that nor knew who he was. There were moments he found himself waiting for the scars to reappear but it won’t happen. Her brown eyes trailed up and down as she accepted the water from him. Peter liked that she liked what she saw from his body. And he definitely liked what he is seeing right now.

Droplets of water fell on her chest and she shrugged, trailing the water with her fingertip and sucking the water off. “Are you sure you are a werewolf?”

The question had the opposite effect than he had anticipated. Her eyes hardened and expression turned murderous. “What?”

 “I was teasing just like what you were doing a second ago with the water. I was going to say you must be a siren, pulling me to my death.”

“I’m sorry.” Elisa handed him back the water and he took a gulp. “That was rude of me.”

“No need,” he shrugged. It was an interesting reaction but he wasn’t going to push it. “But I know how you can make it up for me. How does a shower sound?” 

Elisa slipped off the bed with grace, walking to the bathroom and Peter couldn’t help but admire those legs of hers. “Are you joining me or not?” She smiled, her hand reaching out to him and not the first time, his eyes went to her tattoo on her arm of a moon triquetra. “Peter?”

His fingers grasped hers and pulled her in his arms, kissing her. Their mouths moved together. Elisa pulled on his hair. Peter growled, lifting her up, not daring to let go of her as he made their way to the bathroom.

***

The rich aroma of coffee made Elisa ache for caffeine but she had to settle drinking her warm cup of peppermint tea that Isabel made for her. She knew she was pouting like a child but she didn’t care. She missed coffee. Elisa sat in the corner of Muse's Coffee in a faux leather chair away from the small crowd of people at the tables eating the delicious baked goods or students doing their homework. It wasn’t crowded but there were a few parents with kids or high school students talking with their friends or doing homework. 

Gabriel and Sofia went across the street to get more supplies for his office and were looking for more bilingual books for Sofia to understand English and Spanish. She was a quick learner, but she was still a toddler and her attention span was short. Rhymes and games help with her learning. Elisa stayed in the coffee shop with her book and occasionally watched Isabel helping at the counter to going back to her laptop answering emails. 

Soft jingle of the door opening erupted her thoughts and a teenager in a long sleeve plaid shirt brusted in - and nearly tripped over his feet. Elisa held back at a laugh. Humans can be clumsy. It’s always cute to watch. But the scent that was coming off from disturbed her. Warm cinnamon circled around the anxiety and tiredness that surrounded the human. There was also a hint of - 

“I’m not giving you an espresso, Stiles.” Isabel announced from her table without looking up. Small sweat beads were on her head and she wore a green silky scarf on her hair so no strands would fall into cups or food. “I made that mistake twice and I’m not going to explain to your dad why you’re crawling on the ceiling like you are Spiderman.”

“Ah man that would be so cool!”

“Not the point, Stiles.”

What kind of name is Stiles? 

“I am actually here to buy a muffin and you can’t turn down a paying customer.” He grinned, adjusting his backpack and the black beanie on his head. Isabel raised an eyebrow but sighed and closed her laptop. “Blueberry muffin and a job application please.”

“Why do you want to work here?”

“Free coffee.”

“Stiles.” 

Isabel used that tone on Sofia when the little girl was throwing a tantrum and she was not in the mood to deal with it. Isabel also used that tone on her and Gabriel back when they were teens. They didn’t get away with much from her. 

“I like this place. It's a comfortable, homey…safe place to hang out with friends or do some homework or read. You have great coffee with cool names and the baked goods are magical.” He said, handing Isabel money for the muffin. “Can’t you ask me more questions after I fill out the application? Isn’t that how the process works?” 

“Give him a chance, Isa.” Elisa chuckled. The boy jumped, forgetting that he had a small audience and gave her a thumbs up. “He’s a teenager and you are going to need that energy in your shop. Plus he’s funny and it won’t be boring on your slow days here.”

“My shop is not boring.”

“I didn’t say that.”

“Oh? What are you saying?”

Shit. She had both of her hands on her hips. “You look very pretty.”

Isabel snorted and rolled her eyes. “Okay Stiles. You can fill out your application here. Give me the dates you are available to work and your dad’s phone number. You are still a minor, remember?”

“Thank you. Thank you.” He snatched the paper away before Isabel could even think of changing her mind and went to the table near Elisa. He put the muffin on a napkin and took out a red pen from his backpack. 

“Black or blue.”

Hazel eyes locked with hers in confusion. “Huh?”

“You don’t want to use a red pen for a job application. Too bright and it sets a wrong impression. I would go with the black pen.”

“Cool, thanks!” 

She sniffed her nose and inhaled the other scent that clung to the human. Her back stiffened. 

The door jingled again and a tall boy with brown curly hair stepped in. He was talking to Isabel asking for a job application.

Stiles’s eyes grew wide and twirled in his seat. “No way, Isaac! Finders keepers, losers weepers.”

The other boy rolled his eyes. “I can apply for a job, Stiles. I’ve been applying at other places for a month and I do need a job more than you do.”

“Hey, money is tight for me too.”

Elisa slowly sat up, keeping the book close to her stomach. The other scent that was coming off Stiles - it’s faintly stronger with Isaac nearby. The difference was that he was a werewolf. Shit. And they smelled like they were in a pack. Double shit. 

“There’s another werewolf here,” she heard Isaac whisper. “I can smell them.”

Fuck. She needed to leave. She wasn’t prepared for this. 

“Isa, I have to go.” She muttered to her friend. 

Before she knew it, she was sprinting out of the coffee shop. Her boots pounded the pavement as she weaved through the crowd, dodging pedestrians and skirting sidewalk cracks. Her pulse roared in her ears, drowning out everything but instinct.

She didn’t stop.

Not until she caught a familiar scent behind her — vanilla and fear. Isaac was following her. She glanced over her shoulder and saw the teenager in pursuit, confusion etched into his face.

Shit.

Her eyes darted across the buildings ahead. She veered into the nearest alleyway and launched herself off a dumpster, bounding between the walls like a wild animal. Her fingers caught the edge of a rooftop, and with a grunt, she hauled herself up. 

Elisa collapsed onto the tiles, chest heaving. She tried to slow her breathing, calm the frantic beat of her heart — too fast, even for her. Two pack members in one day? Her luck was running out.

“I lost her trail. No, I can’t hear her or smell her. It’s windy, Derek! Yes, I know this means more training but I don’t understand why she bolted.”

He didn’t know. Of course he doesn’t. If he wasn’t born then he was bitten. He was accepted easily into a pack.

Omegas weren’t just loners — they were prey.

She and Gabriel had learned that the hard way. Packs didn’t tolerate strays, not in their towns. Not in their territory. And the moment she heard training , she knew Isaac wasn’t the threat.

His alpha was. 

“Should I go back and ask the owner? Stiles said they seemed close.”

Elisa took out her phone .

Don’t go back to the coffee. Pack members are there.

A reply came instantly. What? Where are you?  

Gone. 

What about my wife? You left her there?

They’re teens -one is human. Isabel can take care of herself. 

“Why are you making it seem like it’s my fault? I didn’t do anything wrong.” Isaac whined, walking out of the alleyway with a hand in his air and the other with the phone pressed against his ear. “She ran. I chased. Do you think this has something to do with what Deaton said about the Nemeton?”

Elisa’s heart skipped. 

Take Sofia home. I need to go to the vet.

Notes:

What do you think?

Chapter 3: El sol, la luna, la verdad

Summary:

“Eres un bebe. Todos ustedes son. You haven’t lived enough to know about this world.”
.
“El sol, la luna, la verdad.”

Chapter 3

Elisa’s hands trailed on the brick walls of the Beacon Hills Animal Clinic and could hear all the animals hissing, barking, and meowing at her presence being near them. She wasn’t as threatening as an Alpha but she was still a werewolf, still a threat. A man held the door for her, holding a carrier in his hand with his cat inside, hissing at her. The man apologized, saying something about vomit and pregnancy. Elisa, unfortunately, could relate. 

“Hello. How may I help you?” 

Dr. Alan Deaton was shorter in person, Elisa noted, but he had a pleasant smile. She took another step inside and her fingers pressed against the counter, ignoring the tingle that went up her spine. Mountain ash. He was definitely the Druid she was looking for and as always, Gabriel’s research didn’t fail her.

“Are there any dogs that don’t have homes here?”

The vet smiled. “We have some that were found in the city or the street. They are wild dogs, more used to surviving in the wilderness than being taken care of by humans.”

“Humans can be dangerous too. Maybe they have the right sense to back away from civilization.”

“Perhaps, but there are people worth fighting for and giving a second chance to. We have a few that have been here for a bit but they are clean and have received all of their shots. Do you have a specific dog that you want to meet?”

“Yes. Maybe they are not here though.” Elisa gripped the counter and leaned forward. “I want to meet your Alpha.”

She had to admit that this human should be playing poker because his face only revealed confusion in his smile. “I’m sorry but we don’t have any dogs by that name here.”

“You’re a good liar but just like any other Druid that hides their identity and behind a counter that protects them. You can control your heartbeat, your breathing, your expressions but you can’t hide your family history. Were you shocked that your sister was with the Alpha pack for so long?” 

Elevation in the heartbeat.

“I’m not going to hurt you, Dr. Deaton. My request is to meet the Alpha and the rest of the pack. I live here with a friend and we don’t want any surprises from other wolves that live in this town. Can you honor my request?”

Deaton nodded his head with a sigh and Elisa released her own. She took the notepad and pen on the counter, writing down her phone number.

“You look familiar.”

“I have one of those faces.” She replied and handed him the note. “I would like to meet tonight but from the pack members I met today, I don’t want anyone to be up past their bedtime.”

“I don’t think that would be a problem…Elisa.”

“I look forward to hearing from you, Dr. Deaton. Please don’t keep me waiting.” 

***

“What the fuck were you thinking, Elisa?” 

Sofia was playing with her toys in the living room and Isabel was on her way from work, probably confused why the godmother of her child ran from a teenager. Elisa sighed and rubbed her head. She walked who knows how many miles from the animal clinic to Gabriel’s house but she needed the space to think. The clinic smelled like the Alpha was there recently but she must have missed them. Perhaps they’re another veterinarian? Oh god, what if it’s a teenager?

“The fact that you haven’t done your research about the pack is astonishing, considering the fact that you don’t like surprises. I did what I had to. For Isabel and Sofia.”

“My family’s protection is always on my mind.” Gabriel grunted. He sat in his office chair with the papers of Dr. Deaton and his laptop on the news.

“But you ignored the multiple deaths in this town that scream supernatural.” Elisa stood on the other side of the office. Her curls were a tiny bit frizzy due to the wind in her walk and her armpits felt damp under her long sleeve. “Gabe, given our past, you should’ve known better and be two steps ahead.”

“And how many times are you going to tell me this?”

“As many times as it takes! I think you got lazy and too comfortable in this normal life you’ve built.”

Gabriel sighed. “Just because I don’t go out on the field anymore doesn’t mean I’m lazy - which by the way, you can’t either considering your condition.”

“Don’t worry about my work. I can handle them.”

“I know. That’s why I worry.”

Elisa took a deep breath and inhaled through her mouth. They were both frustrated and exhausted. She hadn’t taken an assignment from her boss in two months, it was around the same time she had the feeling to move to Beacon Hills. Gabriel used to work for the same people but she chose to stay because it was to protect him and Isabel. They were in danger and Elisa had to satisfy their bosses. Now they were going to be upset that she was pregnant. It shouldn’t matter as much since she worked as a freelancer. 

But Elisa didn’t know if she could take that risk. She glanced down at her hands and imagined liquid red on them. She released a breath and the red was gone. 

“Something about this town doesn’t seem right to me.”

“And if your one night stand is there?”

“Hold that thought,” Elisa groaned and raced to the bathroom, throwing up any tea and food she had earlier in the day. She was grateful that Gabriel came behind her to tie her hair. “If he’s here, I’ll deal with it.”

“He should be here doing this for you.”

Elisa groaned. “I can easily throw up on you, you know?”

Gabriel mumbled that it wouldn’t be the first time. She felt her phone vibrate and reach it out to give it to him. “It’s from the Emissary. An address and a time. I know this area, it’s in downtown and if we leave in an hour, we might beat traffic.” He placed the phone on the counter. “Isabel is home. I’ll talk to her.” 

Elisa coughed and reached for the toilet paper to blow her nose and wipe off any vomit on her mouth. After she was done brushing her teeth and washing her face, Elisa went to Gabriel’s office to get to the closet. She could hear Sofia chatting happily to her mom and the kiss that her friends shared in the living room. She pulled out her duffle bag, taking her clip point and spear point blade. One in her back pocket and the other in her side jacket. There were small silk bags with powder that she didn’t label but her sense of smell was strong. She knew what they were and so, she took the green and put it in her purse.

“Are you going to stay in that corner or actually say something, Isa?”

“Gabe told me that you two are going to meet with a pack. I know Stiles and Isaac. If they are wolves -”

“Isaac.” She interrupted and closed the closet doors. Isabel stood in the doorway with her arms crossed. “He’s a wolf like us. Stiles is human like you.”

“Stiles is the son of the Sheriff and a kid.”

Elisa swallowed at the implication. “I’m not going to hurt him or any of them. This is a precaution and you know it. You’ve seen what other packs have done to me and Gabe over the years. We are not going in blind and defenseless. We haven’t in the past and we won’t now.” 

Isabel nodded her head and wiped off the tear that fell on her cheek. Guilt gripped Elisa’s chest. “I want you two to come back home. Make peace with this pack. Don’t we deserve this? Live a good life. You deserve this too.” 

No, she didn’t. 

“It’s only going to be talking. This is a precaution I don’t want to use.”

“Just come back.”

“I promise.”

***

Elisa and Gabriel stood outside the loft door. She was surprised that this building had several stories and was mostly constructed with steel, brick and concrete. They didn’t miss that there were other cars that had the same scent of pack as Isaac and Stiles. But the smell was stronger and the inhabitants inside weren’t being quiet. Gabriel looked at her wide eyed and mouthed that there were teenagers inside. 

She should’ve stayed and talked to the vet more. 

“Wait. I think they’re here.” Isaac announced. 

Yup, she should’ve threatened him more.

Elisa knocked on the door and they took a step back as it moved open. The man was attractive with his neatly trimmed beard, black hair, and blue green eyes. But his eyes were hard. They were going to be in his home, his property but he was not the Alpha that she was seeking an audience with. 

“I’m Derek. Welcome.” He slid the door further open to allow them entry.

There were nine teenagers in the living room. Isaac was standing near the ledge of the black couch next to a dark skinned boy and blonde haired girl. Derek moved to stand next to Stiles at the corner of the kitchen. Another boy, with brown skin, was standing in the middle of the group and Elisa released a breath of the scent that came from him. 

Sandalwood. Power. Family. Pack. Magic.

“You’re a True Alpha.”

The Alpha took a step back shocked and Gabriel’s fingers trailed on her arm but she ignored the warning. “I’m Scott.”

“How? How old are all of you?”

“Wow, you get right to it.” Stiles grinned. 

“Excuse us if we didn’t believe we would meet with the Scooby Doo gang.” Gabriel commented dryly. 

“And what gang do you two belong to?” The strawberry blonde girl that sat on another couch asked. She smelled like death while the other girl on her left was filled with electricity and the girl on her right had a lingering smell of sulfur. 

“We don’t belong to a pack. We are not like the Alpha pack.”

“Then why did you run away?”

“They are omegas.” Derek announced. “Omegas either want to join the strongest pack or they want to escape from them. They are not following an Alpha. But you two smell like you are a pack of your own…and there is a pup.”

Gabriel’s eyes flashed bright blue and his fangs dropped. Elisa grasped his wrist and Derek’s eyes flashed as well. “A grown man in a pack of teenagers dares to threaten the life of a pup?” He snarled.

Scott pushed himself to be in the middle between Gabriel and Derek in case of a fight. “We are not threatening anyone! I’m not like other Alpha’s that want to control you or hurt you. I wouldn’t do that. We can be friends.”

The tension in the room grew and she could feel that half the people in this room were preparing to fight while the other half wanted to ask questions. She didn’t know what she was expecting tonight. But he didn’t want to spend her night explaining Werewolf 101 to the pups that should be doing their homework. 

“Eres un bebe. Todos ustedes son. You haven’t lived enough to know about this world.” Elisa snapped and rubbed her stomach. “I can sense your sincerity, Scott. You are the pack that defeated the pack of Alphas and that takes a lot of strength. I admire that.”

“My name is Elisa and this is Gabriel. Yes, we are omegas and we are not looking to join your pack.”

“Then what are you looking for?” asked Stiles.

Multiple footsteps approached and she could hear three different heartbeats. Derek slid the door opened, Elisa recognized the Sheriff in his uniform, followed with a beautiful dark haired woman and - 

“Peter.”

His blue eyes widened at the sight of her and Elisa knew she wasn’t any better. She didn’t believe this. She felt like she was going to throw up. “Elisa,” he said slowly as if he didn’t want her to disappear.

He was wearing a carmel double breasted overcoat with a patterned brown scarf and vest with a blue colored shirt underneath. Elisa eyed the dark jeans and brown boots. He looked like he stepped out of a magazine while she wore her black overcoat over her long sleeve. 

Derek raised his eyebrow. “You two know each other.”

“No.” “Yes.”

“We became acquaintances a while ago.” Peter said. Gabriel snorted. “Another werewolf in our midst. How charming.”

The Sheriff cleared his throat and introduced himself to Elisa and Gabriel. He said he met Isabel a few times at the cafe and she was a good lead on making sure his son didn’t get into trouble or too much caffeine. Peter moved out of the doorway entrance, allowing another person to enter and her spine straightened. 

Gunpowder. Wolfsbane.

“You brought a hunter here.” She snarled. “An Argent. Two of them. That girl smells like him.”

The Argent hunter pulled out his knife and she and Gabriel’s eyes glowed, claws out. Elisa could feel her weapons on her body but didn’t dare to bring them out. Gabriel stood in front of her, his hand reaching out to her stomach.

Her stomach. The pup in her belly. 

Scott’s eyes flashed red and he growled. “They are friends and part of my pack. They follow a different code.”

“I find that hard to believe. A couple of years ago, he and his sister tried killing us in a warehouse back in Chicago.”

The hunter didn’t lower his weapon. “You two killed humans. We were too late to save them.”

“Maybe if you had put your gun down and asked questions, you would’ve seen it was self defense. Imbécil.” 

“Basta!” Elisa hissed. The Sheriff didn’t pull his gun but his hand was on the weapon and had the woman pulled to his side to defend her. The teenagers were on their feet, eyes glowing ready to pounce on them. “This is not what we came for. There are people in this room that have killed and there were reasons for that. No mas…para ahora.”

“Why are you here?” Peter asked, crossing his arms. “When we met, you made it sound like you weren’t staying in Beacon Hills.”

“Plans change especially knowing if a Nemeton brought me here. I heard Isaac say that on the phone. My desire to be here was magical and had nothing to do with my friends.” 

Issac dunked his head in embarrassment and the rest of the teenagers looked remorseful and guilty. Scott looked at Stiles and another girl with short brown hair. The Argent hunter pulled the girl to him and it made more sense now. His daughter must have gained a friendship or a romantic relationship with a werewolf in this group. Perhaps the reason for their change of code. But it didn’t matter to Elisa. 

“What happened? Don’t bore us with the details. We have time.”

“And why should we say anything to you? You don’t deserve an explanation.” Derek replied. 

“If I was drawn here because of a powerful tree, then other supernatural creatures besides werewolves are in this town as well. Trust me, you want to make sure who is in your hometown.” 

“If your friend was here this whole time, why didn’t he help us out? Or was he hiding with his tail in between his legs?”

“Jackson.” Scott growled.

Elisa held Gabriel’s arm and pulled him to the corner of the room. But it didn’t help with his fangs and claws. “Gabriel, basta.”

“No puedo. Not with that hunter here.”

Elisa placed her hand against her friend’s cheek. His eyes widened with fear and surprise. They have a hard history dealing with hunters and she knew that Gabriel was more worried about his wife and child than about themselves.

“El sol, la luna, la verdad.”

Gabriel breathed in and out.

“El sol, la luna, la verdad. El sol, la luna, la verdad.” He repeated. 

She stepped away and glared at the teenager that provoked her friend. But she turned her attention to Scott. “You don’t want to tell us? Fine. We have history with Nemetons. There is more than one and your town is not the first to have that tree. I wanted to have an audience with the Alpha - and I’m grateful you allowed it. It was nice to meet you, Scott. I can tell you are a good kid. Your parents raised you well.”

“I’ll take all the credit.” The curly haired woman next to the Sheriff commented. 

Elisa released a chuckle and nodded her head at the woman. She looked back at the pack. “We know you and you know us. I’ll make sure to put in a good word for Isabel to think about the job applications.”

“She might hire us?” Isaac asked.

“You didn’t make a good impression with her co owner.” Elisa pointed to Gabriel. He grunted and rubbed his forehead. “Isabel makes the final decision. If you’re hired, I’m sure we will see each other more. Buenas -” A strong wave of fatigue and nausea came across her and she felt the world turn into an abrupt axis until a pair of arms caught hold of her. She didn’t want to open her eyes and Peter’s scent overwhelmed her. “Mierda.”

“Elisa, estás bien?” Gabriel pulled her away from Peter and into his arms. He placed his hand against her forehead. “Do you have any water? I think she’s dehydrated.”

“Let me look. I’m a nurse.” Scott’s mom placed a hand on her head and her cold fingers touched her neck. “Elisa, my name is Melissa. Have you been feeling sick for a while?”

“I thought we couldn’t get sick.” 

“She’s been throwing up -”

“Cállate, Gabriel.” It took some effort but she managed to open her eyes. She leaned back against Gabriel’s chest, his hand on her wrist and Melissa took the glass of water from Derek and helped her take a sip. Peter sat next to her on his knees, his eyes pinched forward and he was frowning. 

“Any other symptoms?” 

She inhaled and exhaled. 

El sol, la luna, la verdad.

Peter’s hands reached to her stomach but stopped himself. His widened eyes looked up at her.

El sol, la luna, la verdad.

“I’m -” She pushed away from Gabriel’s embrace. “Estoy embarazada and it’s yours, Peter. I’m pregnant with your pup.”

Notes:

The sun, the moon, the truth.

Chapter 4: Choice

Summary:

“Elisa, slow down. You slept with Peter Hale?”

“Our mouths were busy doing other things.”

Notes:

This is taking place after Season 3B, post-Nogitsune.

Chapter 4

Pregnant.

The winter breeze tousled his hair that he had combed perfectly prior to arriving but he didn’t care to fix it. Peter also didn’t bother to move his hands out of his coat pocket. 

“It’s yours, Peter.”

Pregnant. 

He knew what led to Elisa’s condition but he thought they were careful. He remembered that night - her scent, her moans, the way she tried to hide her smile by throwing a pillow at him. He remembered. But it wasn’t enough. She was pregnant and he was the father. A baby was growing in her womb. A part of her and a part of him. Now that was a terrifying thought. 

The rest of the pack were talking inside, not very quietly about the revelation and there was a betting pool about the gender reveal. There were more bets for a girl than a boy. Argent was asking questions about Elisa and her friends to the Sheriff and from what he could hear, there was nothing but good things from his mouth. Elisa was in the guest bathroom with her friend acting as a bodyguard in front of the door. 

“If you’re freaking out and want to run, you should go now before she gets out of the bathroom,” his niece commented. “I’ll give you a five minute head start.”

Lovely.

“Cora, stop.” Derek shoved his sister. “What are you thinking about, Peter?”

How can I raise a child without my family?

“That I will be the handsomest parent and my kid’s friends will be jealous to have an awesome dad like myself.” 

Cora scoffed. Derek rolled his eyes. “That’s what you kept saying when you visited our games about being our uncle.”

“It was true even when they thought I was your older brother.”

“What do you know about her?” Cora asked.

She’s beautiful but lonely. Just like me. 

“Nothing. We didn’t talk much.” His niece shivered in disgust. “And how do you think you were created? A mama wolf dropped you off at our front door? Don’t forget, I was the one that had to play the midwife when you were born in the house. If anyone is going to be traumatized, it will be me. I had to look at what was in between my big sister’s legs.” 

He couldn’t look at Talia for a week. 

“Can we get back to the topic on hand here?”

“I don’t know anything about her. That was the point when we -” Peter sighed. “I am an adult and not one of those teenagers that you surround yourself with every day. I can make my own decisions that concern my life.”

“And ours. That baby is a Hale. The next generation.” 

He hated how much they resemble their parents with their looks and mannerisms. But their dad would have made a horrible joke to break the tension. Peter turned his back on them and stared at the view in front of them. Cora said his name but he ignored her. Derek pulled his sister away and said that they will try another time. 

Pregnant.

Peter released a breath. He hadn’t thought about being a dad. Before the fire, he was younger and stronger with his family by his side. He was the younger uncle. The fun uncle. The uncle people forgot about and thought he was one of the children. The uncle that no one thought would have a child for a long time. 

“Are you still in shock?”

Peter whirled, surprised that he didn’t hear her come outside. Elisa was on the other side of the balcony, leaning against the edge. The small curls came out of her ponytail and she had on hand on her stomach. He could hear the small yet faint heartbeat. 

“Are you?”

Her lips twitched. “I don’t think shock is the right word. What do you want to do?”

“I was going to ask you that. It is your body.”

“You were raised right to ask me that question,” Elisa chuckled. “You know I am an omega - no pack, no family around. That man over there - Gabriel - he is my longest friend. I travel for work which might change due to my condition. The truth is, Peter, I didn’t think of anything else but to find you when I saw those lines on that test. It is my body, my choice…but you also had the right to know.”

Those words shouldn’t warn him as they do but it was nice to hear. “We should talk about this when we don’t have supernatural eavesdroppers.”

Said teenagers turned around and hunched down from the window. 

“Give me your phone.” She stayed where she was and reached her hand out.

Peter huffed but walked to her and handed her his phone. A second later, her cell pinged and she gave him back his phone. “Now we have each other’s numbers and I will text you where to meet….say tomorrow afternoon.”

“You are making it sound like a business meeting is going to happen.”

She tilted her head. “Isn’t it? What? 10? 15 years ago this would have been a perfect situation to combine two packs and become stronger together.”

“You know the old ways which means you were born a werewolf.”

Her expression closed off. “Elisa,” her friend called out. “Let’s go.” 

“I’ll text you the time and place.”

“Wait, Elisa.”

But she vanished just as quickly as she did that night. Only leaving behind a whiff of vanilla and lavender.

***

Elisa ignored Gabriel. They took the stairs down and she noticed only two security cameras on the corner of the wall. She could hear Peter’s heartbeat bumping quickly and the noise grew as she stepped outside. The cold air brushed her warm cheeks but it didn’t stop the heat from spreading. She hoped that no one had her heart beating just as loudly.

“Elisa, slow down. You slept with Peter Hale?”

“Our mouths were busy doing other things.” She ignored his grunt of disgust and inhaled through her nose and exhaled. 

“Don’t you understand? They were a powerful pack and look where they are now. They are slowly regrouping with a bunch of teenagers that have no idea about this world.”

Elisa stopped at the passenger door. “And how is it different with us?”

Gabriel didn’t bother to respond because they both clearly saw the difference in front of them. Those teens have their parents and their friends that believed in them and trusted them. They weren’t thrown to the street, alone and forgotten by the people that were supposed to love and cherish them. Elisa slid inside the car and placed her hand against her chest. The pounding stopped but she could feel a whisper of Peter’s touch on her skin. Gabriel bounced next to her and started the car, turning the heat on. 

“They are lucky,” he commented. “And I was lucky when you found me.”

“Damn straight.”

“Which you are not.”

Elisa laughed and shoved him. Gabriel flicked her off and drove off the parking lot. The werewolf leaned her head against the cold window and watched the few people out on town, entering and leaving bars and restaurants either by themselves or with groups of people. It was a nice town that her friend chose to live in, but she was astounded that he didn’t feel the magic that ran through here. She needed to know what happened with the pack and Demeton. Perhaps Peter would be able to shed light on what happened. 

Someone’s lights brought a glare to their car and she moved away from the window with a grimace. Too bright for her sensitive eyes. Gabriel signaled to move to the next lane but another car appeared behind them, matching the pace with the other car. It was a white van with no license plate and tinted windows. 

“Gabriel.”

“I know. I see them.”

She took out her spear point from her side jacket and Gabriel took out a gun from his glove department. He placed it on his lap.

“We just left a place where there were two Argent hunters.”

“It’s not their style. There are too many cars in public and a third one just arrived.”

“Anyone followed you here?” 

He ignored her heated glare. “No one but Tia knew and I took a different route to get there.”

“So a new hunter.”

“And stupid.”

“I’m taking the scenic route. Watch my back?”

“Always.”

***

September 1999

“That’s $30.50,” drawled the bald cashier.

Elisa counted the bills and cents she had in her little wallet and cursed that she was short five dollars. The cashier didn’t look sympathetic and there was a line behind her. Impatient customers wanting to pay for their groceries and get home before the rain storm. Elisa flushed in embarrassment. She’d already used two coupons and she needed her groceries. 

“Can you give me a discount or something? You see me almost every day. I don’t have five dollars on me.”

“You don’t have a card?”

She had a debit card but there was no money left in that account. “I’m fifteen and before you ask, I don’t have any family to give me money.”

“Look, you have to pay or get out.”

“My goodness, where is your heart?” A woman asked next to her and she took out her wallet from her red purse. Two large men stood behind her dressed in all black with black beanies. This woman was dressed casual but Elisa could tell she had money. Her big golden hoops didn’t look fake and it matched with her brown sweater and dark jeans.

“I have only these small items. I’ll pay for everything.” Before Elisa could say a word, the cashier added the woman’s items and took the bills. The older woman gave Elisa the change that came in forty dollars. “There you go, dear. Take care of yourself.”

“Thank you. I appreciate you.” She said flabbergasted.

The woman paused in her steps but nodded her head. “Make sure to pay it forward.”

Elisa pulled her hoodie over her curls and put much of the items in her overworn backpack that was already stuffed with schoolwork. But the water bottles and some of the soup wouldn’t fit, so she carried them in a plastic bag. She watched as the woman stepped inside the passenger side of the SUV with the two men moving to the front of the car. It was hard for her to understand that there were people in the world that were truly kind and wanted no reward. This lady wanted nothing from her. She was even surprised by her gratitude. 

“You got everything you needed?” The security guard asked with his arms.

"Yeah. I’m going.” She grumbled and stepped outside to the pouring rain. She was lucky she wore her rain boots before school. Her classmates made fun of her because it was a sunny day with no cloud in sight and the weathermen didn’t mention anything about rain. She didn’t listen to them. Elisa could smell the rain was coming. It wasn’t like she could tell them that.

Elisa was the outcast of the school. 

“What the hell is wrong with you kid? Give me your money.”

Elisa stopped. In the alleyway, she could see two big men dressed in the cliche plaid jackets standing over a boy curled on the ground. He was holding his backpack as if it was his lifeline. 

“Don’t let me ask again. I was being nice with that punch. I could do much worse.”

“He really could.” His friend laughed.

The wind grew stronger, roaring as the rain splattered all around making sure there is not even one spot dry. But even with the loud noise of nature erupting around her, Elisa could make out the three heartbeats except…the boy’s heartbeat was beating rapidly to her liking. And he was growling.

Oh shit.

“Hey! Leave him alone or else I’ll call the cops.”

“Get lost bitch.”

Elisa growled under her breath. “Trust me I would but you don’t want to steal from him. You really don’t want to.” She stepped inside the alleyway and wrinkled her nose at the sewer smell. 

There was a man with a spider tattoo on his neck and pulled out his gun, pointing it at her. He wasn’t a hunter based on the size of the gun, his posture, and his appearance. But that didn’t mean those bullets won’t hurt her. She hated pulling out bullets from her body - they were a pain. 

“Put the gun away before you hurt yourself and your friend.”

“Or else what? No one is around to hear your screams.” His friend smirked, his blonde hair all wet made him look like a wet rat. But he took out his own weapon of choice: a pocket knife.

“Perfect.”

Elisa threw her bag at the spider tattoo guy and pounced on his friend. She threw the first punch at his face and twisted his wrist. He screamed and let go of the knife. She rolled her eyes, it wasn’t like she broke a bone. It was only a sprain. He would survive. Elisa bent down to the werewolf and saw his claws were out but his palms were dripping with blood.

“Hey, good thinking but you are seriously going to hurt yourself. You need to breathe in and out and control your transformation.” 

Suddenly, Elisa was thrown away from him and her back collided with the brick wall. She didn’t like the sound of the crack it made and hoped the food in her backpack was salvageable. She dodged the punch thrown at her and kicked the spider guy’s leg, causing him to drop the gun. But that didn’t stop him. He kneed her in the stomach and smacked her head against the wall. Elisa licked the blood off her lip. Now she was pissed. Elisa caught his knee and squeezed tight, imagining it was a water bottle and she grinned at his piercing screams. 

“What the hell are you doing? Let go of him.”

“Okay.”

She shoved him hard enough for him to collide against his friend and they both laid on the wet ground moaning. 

“Time to go.”

The boy raised his head up with his sharp teeth and yellow eyes. Elisa growled back. “I have sharper teeth. Don’t think about it. What’s your name?”

“Gabriel. You’re like me…but your eyes are blue.”

“Leave with me right now and you have a better chance of survival today.” She grabbed her plastic bag and luckily nothing fell out of it. She reached her hand out. “I can help you. Let me help you.”

His werewolf features slowly disappeared and he looked at the fallen humans. They were still on the ground but if he was thinking like she was, they might go to the next human and shout out what she did. Gabriel nodded his head and put his hand on her hand. 

“Let’s run.” 

 

Chapter 5: Who is Peter Hale?

Summary:

Isabel always said she was a survivor and that is what she will do - survive and kill if necessary. She was good at it after all.

Chapter 5

Elisa huffed at the sight in front of her. It was getting pathetic. Another human being begging for his life. She didn’t do anything besides throw a few punches and kicks. He deserved it, considering that he and his buddies were following her and Gabriel. The hunter laid on the ground with his knees pulled to his chest and he was clutching his head. She might’ve shoved him too hard against the tree. He’d live. Probably.

A gunshot cracked through the air.

“Gabriel?” She yelled. 

Her heart lurched, adrenaline spiking like lightning. Three frantic beats pounded in her ears but then she saw him. Gabriel emerged from the trees, dragging two bodies by their legs. He tossed them beside the cowering hunter.

One wasn’t going to make it. A jagged piece of wood jutted from his throat, blood pulsing out in thick, wet floods.

“I didn’t know you had it in you anymore.”

Gabriel huffed and cracked his shoulder. “Any more of them?”

“Nope. You guys must be newbie hunters. 3 hunters against 2 werewolves may seem like a fair fight but you didn’t exactly think it through. All that confidence but no brain.”

The coppery scent of blood and fear flooded the air, quickening her pulse. Her bones ached with the desire to shift, to tear, to bite. If she just bared her fangs at him, he’d probably piss himself. 

“Tell me newbie. Which hunter is your leader? Is it Argent? Udinov? I’m not going to cause you anymore harm. Just tell me what I want to know.” But he didn’t say anything and just kept on crying and it was making the werewolf uncomfortable. “Por favor stop crying. I told you I’m not going to - ”

Elisa howled at the knife that stabbed her inches below her heart. Gabriel grabbed the hunter before he could run away. Her fingers reach to grab the sharp dagger where it disappeared in her body. Then suddenly, the pain arrived and she pulled it out as her blood splattered out. Panic crawled in her throat and her hands were on her stomach, desperate to hear the heartbeat.

“Elisa, mírame! You’re alright.” Gabriel’s voice echoed. “You’re okay. Both of you are okay. Listen to the heartbeat. Focus.”

Both of you. Both of you.

Bump. 

All she saw was blue. 

She lunged forward and grabbed the hunter by the neck. Her claws sank into his skin like syringes. He gasped, legs kicking. 

“That was your second mistake,” she growled. “I have a message for your hunter friends.”

“No, no, no please don’t -” He cried out but Elisa silenced him. 

His neck snapped with a sharp, final crack that echoed through the dark woods. The body crumpled from her grasp, thudding to the ground. She barely looked at it. Her own blood thundered in her ears.

“Call Jon. Tell him to clean this mess. I need to go for a run.”

She ignored Gabriel’s calls. 

She darted into the forest, her body cutting through the trees like a blade. Fallen logs, low branches but none of it slowed her. The wolf inside clawed for release, for vengeance, for the hunt. Her muscles burned, but she didn’t stop.

They tried to kill her pup.

Elisa wasn’t going to allow anyone to do that again. Isabel always said she was a survivor and that is what she will do - survive and kill if necessary. She was good at it after all. She ended up on the edge of a cliff, overlooking the sparkling city. Her claws retracted when she heard a text. Peter’s number appeared on her screen.

I hope I didn’t scare you off.

                                                                                                                                                       I don’t scare easily.

Neither do I. 

                                                                                                                                                     Tomorrow 8am let's meet at Muse’s Coffee.

 

Should you be drinking coffee?

                                                                                                                                                  Don’t freak out Papa Wolf. I’m having tea.

“Why the fuck did I write that?”

Something tells me that I should worry.

Elisa glanced down at her bloodied nails and the hole in her jacket. Peter’s a werewolf just like her. He was born into this world like her but he has his own problems. Once he gets to know her, she knew he would be more than worried. Her problems have a history of destroying everyone around her except for Gabriel. 

Then be ready.

She ran back and found Gabriel going through the dead hunters’ wallets and phones. All they had was a library card. Hunters always make sure they have identification with them even if it was a fake name. The library card was a fake name, and it was a ruse that she was familiar with. She has done it before for her other jobs but why would newbie hunters have a fake name? 

“Jon is on his way. He and his crew are actually one town over, cleaning up an omega’s mess at a bar.”

“One of ours?”

“Nope. Just a random wolf that was at the wrong place, wrong time. Jon was too happy to come over…anything for you.”

Elisa smirked. “I give him good business.”

“You keep him busy.”

“Exactly. These hunters are different. There’s no license, no credit cards, and no cash. If we look in their vehicles, it must be the same thing. They must have thought they could kill us so easily and leave town. But why?”

“We are not part of a pack. Scott McCall has a pack and it does include two Argents. He’s protected. So are they.”

She shook her head. “No, something like this…it would be something I would have done. Nothing to trace me back to the crime.”

“They’re not as smart as you, Elisa. We have done this many times before in different cities. We always survive.” Gabriel placed his hand on her shoulder. “How do you feel? Did the run help?”

“Angry. I won’t let anyone harm this baby.”

“Neither will I. And neither will Peter Hale.”

Elisa walked over the dead bodies and leaned against a tree trunk. Gabriel followed suit, wiping his bloodied hands off his handkerchief. 

“Who is Peter Hale exactly, Gabe? You make it sound as though he is well known in our circles but why haven’t I heard of him?”

“You have. But he was known as the only werewolf to have survived the fire that killed his entire pack. The fire that was rumored to have been done by an Argent.”

Elisa had heard of that story. She heard from Tia. A werewolf that was half burnt and stuck in a hospital unable to heal without a pack. But she saw his niece and nephew. They would’ve been able to help heal his wounds. But something told her that the lack of burns on his body and the smell of distrust in the air about him was a longer story that she needed to hear. 

“He was well known to be the guard dog of the Hale pack. He took care of every problem, human and supernatural, until the fire.”

“The fire was committed by an Argent then?”

“Kate Argent.”

Elisa growled softly. She hated that woman. She had been trailing after her and Gabriel for weeks in Chicago and they ambushed them. Elisa has escaped from hunters all her life but hunters like Kate regent were the true predators that enjoyed their kills. She wasn’t sad to have read about her death.

“I will ask him about that tomorrow morning.”

“Serio? Do you need me there?”

“No, but it’s not like you can’t watch from your cameras.”

“Isabel will be the ears though.”

Elisa chuckled. “I know. Should we tell her?”

“No.” He knew what she was asking. “Let her focus on you and the baby and the teenagers. I’ll tell her if it becomes a problem and tonight wasn’t a problem.”
Some things were best kept in the dark.

***

She wanted out. 

The four walls were suffocating her, and the chains shackled to her wrists and ankles were pinning her to be stuck in this room. Her fingers barely grasped the closed door. It didn’t matter if she was freed from her chains, the door would still be locked. 

“Let me out! Let me out!” She screamed. 

There was light behind the door, and someone was behind her. She could see their shadow. 

“You are just like her. Always bringing more trouble and pain.”

“Please! I’ll be good.”

Her fear turned into anger and her nails grew sharper and longer. The chains rattled louder and louder banging on the stone walls. “Let me out!”

***

Elisa sat straight up on the couch with her hand grasping her throat. Her heart pounded loudly in her ears and sweat dripped down her neck. The house was dark except for the microwave time clock, and she could see the sky was slowly getting brighter. It was 5am. She wouldn’t be able to go back to sleep.

“Bad dream?” Isabel’s voice caught her off guard. Her friend stepped down the stairs in her dark blue robe matching her fuzzy socks and satin cap. “Gabriel had one about an hour ago. We both couldn’t go back to sleep. I figured the visit would bring back painful memories.”

Not the ones you think.

Elisa rubbed her eyes. “I wish I could drink right now.”

“Welcome to the wonderful beginning of pregnancy. Alcohol is one of the things you might miss but soon it would not be able to fit in your clothes.”

“Yes, because finding clothes in my size before was so easy.”

“Good point. Queries leche tibia?”

“Si, mil gracias.” Elisa slid off the couch, putting on the slippers that Isabel got her last year. She sat on the highchair and adjusted her cap, wiping off the sweat from her skin.

After Sofia’s birth, Gabriel stopped killing by staying home and getting off hunters’ radar. He didn’t want to bring that life back. Elisa reminded him that it came with being a werewolf and Isabel knew that. She knew that from the beginning. Gabriel just didn’t like it - he never did. It made more sense for Elisa to understand he wanted to protect his family but by ignoring the recent murders in this town was beyond incomprehensible. 

They had always killed out of survival. She made sure to do the act and keep her friend out of it. She watched the light in his eyes dimmer each year until Sofia was born. Elisa made a promise to herself that she would kill for him even if it means not losing him. It’s not like Gabriel knows how she’s been protecting him and the family for the past few years. 

“So who is Peter Hale?” Isabel asked as she poured milk in a teapot on the stove.

“Your husband says he once belonged to an important and influential pack in this very town. It was a long time ago. But he survived the fire that killed his family that was done by the Argents.”
“Argents? You mean Chris and Allison Argent?” Isabel gasped. “Oh my god. I have served coffee to that man every Monday and Wednesday. Does that mean that mountain lion wasn’t a mountain lion? It was the Argents?”

“Kate Argent was responsible for the fire, and she had other people do her dirty work. Victoria Argent did commit suicide but only because she was bitten. Why else would a hunter do that?”

“Poor Allison. And she’s a hunter too?”

She hummed. “Apparently they have changed their code and are not to be associated with any other hunter that does not follow that code.”

“People do change. Are you nervous meeting Peter?”

“Yes and no. He is older than me and I don’t know his expectations. I don’t know what his tells are.”

“What if he offers to marry you?”

“I’ll tell him to fuck off. He doesn’t know me.”

Isabel chuckled and poured the warm milk in three tiny cups. “You are not a hard person to fall in love with, Elisa. You are kind, strong, and beautiful. He is lucky to have you in his life and be the mother of his baby.”

“And if he’s not a good fit to be a dad?”

“Then it’s a good thing that you are in a three-way with me and Gabriel.” 

They both laughed. It was an inside joke they had created years ago, and people will believe them and become scandalized. 

“There are too many outcomes from this, Isa. I don’t know how to control it.”

“Welcome to motherhood. It’s part of life. Or are you talking about trusting another person? I know you have been hurt before, Elisa but it’s a process of getting to know someone. You learn about them and if you like them enough, they become part of your life. Remember me?”

“That was different. We were in high school.”

“But you threatened me to stop trying to hang out with you and Gabriel.”

“We were teenage werewolves working two jobs to make enough to have food to feed our metabolism. You were a distraction.”

“A wonderful distraction.”

“If you say so.”

“Shut up.”

Gabriel walked downstairs to both of them laughing in the kitchen. “Be any louder and Sofia will demand leche as well.”

“Sorry amor. I had to make sure our Elisa was in a better mood.” Gabriel hummed and wrapped his arms around Isabel’s waist from behind. His lips kissed her neck. “It should cool down enough to drink it now.”

“Gracias amor.”

“Gracias Isa.” And she wasn’t just thanking her about the milk. Isabel winked at her.

Chapter 6: Coffee Date

Summary:

“Do you want coffee or do you want to keep staring at her?”
“Can I do both?”
“If you value your life, no.”

Chapter 6

 

 

Peter didn’t want to know but the sight in front of him demanded answers. “What did you two do ?” He asked, his voice tight.

Core grinned, her feet bouncing with excitement and cheeks flushed. “Mom bought this house but she never got around furnishing it.”

Derek nodded, his tone low, as if sharing a weighty secret.  “After the fire happened, the lawyers told us that we could sell the house but Laura didn’t want to. She didn’t tell me why mom bought the house but I thought it was for Laura or maybe for someone else. She didn’t want to let go of it.”

Peter’s eyes raced the dark blue façade — a three-story echo of their old family home, only this one was untouched, untouched by fire or time. A pebble-strewn path led to the porch, littered with dead leaves and tangled weeds that begged for care. His heart clenched. This was the home he’d wanted once — the one he’d only ever confessed to Mom in a whisper.

He stepped up, the porch creaking softly beneath him, and peeked inside. Empty. No furniture, no lamps, no signs of life—just bare walls holding their breath. 

“The lawyer said that an anonymous donor hires a cleaning company to take care of the home once a month. They make sure to keep the house away from any squatters.” Derek answered his silent question and stood behind him. “Mom bought this house for a reason. It’s not far from the other house and it is still part of the Hale property. It should belong to you.”

A faint scent of lavender drifted through the air—Airwick, no doubt, from Cora’s touch. Peter pushed open the white door, stepping onto the worn wood floor. The kitchen stood pristine, appliances gleaming but silent, untouched by the clatter of daily life. Double doors opened to a yard stretching beyond, wild and waiting. Upstairs, a room caught his eye—spacious enough for an office, quiet and expectant.

“Four bedrooms and there is a basement.”

Peter swallowed hard. This house was a promise — one he hadn’t dared to hope for until now. “Why are you showing me this?”

“Peter, you got a woman pregnant and will be a dad. I don’t think your penthouse screams family man.” Core said and sat down on the bottom of the stairs. “Plus she is a werewolf too. I don’t think it will help her with her senses being all messed up like that.” 

“Cora, I am meeting with Elisa in an hour and I am not going to frighten her with a house. A house that my dearly departed big sister neglected to mention. I want to speak to that lawyer as soon as possible.” He glanced up the stairs. It was a grand stairwell. “Why didn’t you move into this house, Derek?”

His nephew leaned against the wall, arms crossed. “It didn’t feel right. I had thought about it when I became the Alpha but this house didn’t feel like it should be mine. It didn’t seem fair. Cora’s right, this house should belong to you.” 

Peter rubbed his eyes, exhausting washing over him like a tide. He could feel the headache blooming behind his temples. He hadn’t slept more than a few hours, and his world had flipped upside down in less than twenty-four hours, He needed air. He needed to clear his head before facing the person who had turned everything upside down. “I’m leaving.”

“So you want us to decorate the place?”

“Not a chance.” 

He slammed the car door shut and almost fell to the urge to lean his head on the steering wheel. Lean - slam. It didn’t make a difference. Panic wasn’t in his nature. He’d only lost control twice in his life. Not going to let a new empty house or a pregnancy push him over the edge now.

The drive to Muse’s Coffee didn’t take long. He knew his way around town and there were a few new stores that weren’t there before his hospitalization but he made sure to be familiar with them. Muse’s Coffee was the first coffee shop he allowed himself to step in after his resurrection. The smells weren’t overwhelming for his senses. Now he understood that the other owner was a werewolf and made sure that this place was a peaceful sanctuary for supernatural creatures without them realizing it. 

Peter spotted Elisa tucked into the corner of the shop, nestled in a worn faux leather chair. She wore a black long-sleeve top, dark jeans, and high boots—practical yet effortlessly stylish. Her curly hair was pulled back into a simple ponytail, strands softly framing her face. Her brown eyes lifted slowly from the book she was reading, meeting his with a quiet, knowing calm.

Peter’s chest tightened unexpectedly. Seeing her there, so composed and steady, made the whirlwind inside him slow for a moment. Despite the chaos that had swallowed his life whole, Elisa was a steady anchor — a reminder of something real and unshakable. For a heartbeat, he let himself hope that maybe, just maybe, things could still be okay.

He could have a family again after everything.

“Do you want coffee or do you want to keep staring at her?” A woman asked at the registry wearing a dark blue apron and dark blue head scarf on her braided hair. 

“Can I do both?”

“If you value your life, no.” She crossed her arms. “I don’t care if you are paying customer but you don’t ogle at -”

“Isabel, cálmate. This is the guy I was telling you about.” Elisa’s eyes sparkled with humor. “Don’t scare him off.” 

“If he’s scared of me that easily then he is not what you have told me.”

“I’ll have a cortado and a bagel please.” Peter could smell the whiff of the werewolf that was with Elisa last night on the human. Based on the ring on her finger, she must be the wife. It was six dollars but Peter gave her a twenty. He put the change in the tip jar.

“Okay you’re forgiven, Peter. I’ll let you know when it’s ready. Have a nice chat. Good luck.”

Good luck?

He raised an eyebrow but the human merely smiled and waved him off. He settled into the worn faux leather chair beside Elisa, the surface scratched—maybe from a set of keys or years of restless hands. She marked her page with a bookmark and gently closed the book, setting it down on the small table between them.

“ Dovekeepers by Alice Hoffman?” He took the book and opened it to the author’s dedication page. “‘Let my burden be your burden, and yours be mine.’ Pretty much summarizes a relationship.”

Elisa’s eyes met his, sharp and steady. “Is that what you are looking for? Is that what we should strive to be? Boyfriend and girlfriend?”

Peter wrinkled his nose. That label felt juvenile—something for teenagers or college kids. He was thirty-five, and that kind of definition didn’t fit him. “How old are you?”

“Twenty seven.”

Eight year difference. That’s not bad. Talia was older than her husband and his mom was older than his dad. Age difference didn’t matter in his family. And look what it got them. If only he saw Derek with Kate, he would’ve stopped that right away. He put the book back in time for Isabel to put his coffee and bagel next to it. She gave him a warning glance. 

“I like her.”

“It will be a while for her to say the same thing about you.”

Peter shrugged, unfazed. He was used to it. 

“How are you feeling?”

“The nausea is getting easier to handle. It comes and goes. Isabel already stocked up enough teas in the kitchen for more than a month. I don’t blame her. The peppermint is easier for me to drink now.” She rubbed her stomach absently. “I’m a little tired but it’s to be expected. By the time Isabel reached her second trimester, I would find her asleep on the floor with laundry all around her.”

“You live with your friends now?”

“It’s only temporary. I have an apartment in San Diego but I barely live there due to work. I will be moving my things from there. I just need to find a new place to live in. I don’t think I should be sleeping on their couch in my condition.”

Peter saw his opening and took it.

“You can stay with me. I have a place downtown and…I just found out recently that there is a vacant house on our property.”

Elisa raised an eyebrow. “ Just found out, huh?”

“My niece and nephew like to keep their secrets. I haven’t fully investigated the house but it could be…ours.” Elisa’s brown orbs widened out of fear and shock. “If you don’t want to move in with me that’s fine. We will figure something out when you get closer to giving birth to figure out the living situations.”

She took a sip of her tea. Her tongue licked the liquid of her lips. “Do you want me to live with you?”

“Yes.”

He wasn’t like other men who needed days to weigh the consequences of a one-night stand. He was a werewolf—his instinct was to protect, to keep those he cared about safe. And from the way Elisa looked at him, she understood that too. She glanced briefly at her friend, then back to him. 

“Okay. I’ll live with you but you must value my privacy. If it concerns the baby, that’s fine. But I am a grown woman that makes a decent living and can take care of myself.” 

“Understood.”

He took a sip of his cortado and let the liquid spread its warmth down his throat. Soft Spanish rock was playing in the background and the few customers that were here left already. Only a couple of elderly people with their books and newspapers were left. 

“Have you told your family?”

She opened her mouth but closed it. She bit her bottom lip in deep thought. “Gabriel and Isabel are my family. I will let my work know the change. That’s all who need to know.”

“Should I be worried?”

“No.” Her eyes flickered blue as a silent sharp warning. 

He won’t ask. For now. Family is a tough subject for him as well. 

“Should I be worried about the Argents considering what they did to your family?”

“Not Chris and his daughter but don’t tell them that I said that. They think they are scary.”

“I’ve seen scarier.” She smirked. “Eat your bagel before it gets cold.”

“Si, Señorita Elisa”

A loose laugh escaped her, and she quickly covered her mouth. Her eyes lit up with humor, warm and alive. Peter found himself smiling without meaning to. Her laugh was beautiful—unexpected and honest. He could already feel himself looking forward to hearing it again.

...

Isabel glanced over at the two werewolves talking quietly in the corner of her shop. Elisa was a grown woman but she’s known her since they were teenagers. She had a right to be worried. Werewolf or not, a baby daddy in one’s life is a big change. Her phone pinged.

Did he run away? Her husband texted.

You can see the cameras through your computer.

Yes, I’m watching but I don’t have any audio.

I’m human, amor. I can’t hear them from where I’m at.

I don’t like this.

I know. But it looks like they have chemistry.

She wasn’t lying. Isabel glanced up from her phone. They were talking and they were both smiling. They were not big smiles, but the smiles indicated that they liked each other. Elisa doesn’t smile often. Only around Sofia and them. 

I think by having this baby it will change Elisa in a good way.

What do you mean?

Do you really think she will keep working for Tia after birth?

…

Her husband kept texting but then erased his message. 

That is something Elisa has to talk to her about. Tell me more tonight. Sofia found the crayons you hid. Got to go.

She giggled. She hid the crayons from her daughter as an activity so she doesn’t get bored too easily. Isabel knew her husband was the best stay at home dad but he also worked from home. He can plan things for his job but for his daughter, there is no routine. 

“Isa?” Elisa was dressed in her jacket along with Peter. They put their plates on the counter. “I’ll see you home. I’m going on a walk with Peter.”

“Oh?” She raised an eyebrow. It was still early in the day to go for a walk in the chill air. But they were both werewolves and they were basically heaters compared to humans like her.

Elisa rolled her eyes. “I’ll text you and Gabriel.”

“If anything happens to her, you shouldn’t be afraid of my husband.” She pointed at the older werewolf.

He smirked. “I should be afraid of you?”

“And my wolfsbane pepper spray.”

“I like you.”

“Too bad I can’t say the same…yet.” The werewolf’s smirk grew sharper and didn’t care about her response. 

Elisa huffed, muttering about overprotective friends and pulled Peter out of the coffee shop. He pulled her to his left as they walked on the sidewalk. 

I think I made a new friend.

Please stop making friends with murderous supernatural creatures. I worry you have more of them in your contact list than our human friends on your phone.

Obviously. I need someone to watch over you and Elisa. 

I’m not going to respond to that.

Notes:

Thank you for all the lovely comments and I try my best to keep updating but I keep forgetting to finish the chapters on my Google docs.

Chapter 7: The Start of Something

Summary:

"Don’t.” Her voice was steady. “I’m being honest with you. I’m a blunt person if you didn’t notice.”
“You must be a riot at parties.”
“Well only if I have a drink in hand.”

Chapter 7

Elisa slipped her hands deeper into the pockets of her jacket as they walked along the empty street. Neither of them spoke or mentioned a destination—they simply moved forward in comfortable silence. The cool evening air brushed against her face, sharp and fresh, and she welcomed it. She didn’t mind the aimlessness; what she craved was space to breathe, to think, and to let the tension between them settle into something less tangled.

“What exactly is it that you do for work?”

“I’m…a management consultant and it requires me to travel out of the state.” More like out of the country, but that would be stopping soon. “It paid me good money.”

“Will your boss be disappointed that you won’t be traveling as often as before?”

Elisa mused. Tia would be angry but the older woman would probably grunt and shake her head at her. Probably give her desk duty or take some of Gabriel’s assignments. “She’ll understand. I bring her good people to the company and to other business partners. Unfortunately my paycheck might change.” 

“I can help you with that.”

Hell no. 

“No, that is definitely not necessary. The paycheck won’t change too drastically and I don’t need handouts.”  

“It’s not a handout. You are the mother of my child and I want to make sure you are properly cared for. You don’t need to worry about expenses.”

“I’m not going to rely on you for money.” She stopped walking, spine straightening as she turned. The werewolf raised an eyebrow but didn’t move. “I agreed to live with you because it’s better for our child—not for me. I’ve taken care of myself just fine, and I’m not about to stop now.”

“I believe you.”

Her eyes narrowed. “Don’t patronize me.”

A beat of silence.

“I’m not going to fall in love with you, Peter,” she said, the words low and deliberate. “So don’t get any ideas about rings. A baby and a roof over our heads is commitment enough.”

He studied her for a moment, unreadable. “So… you don’t want a romantic relationship?”

“I know that having a relationship with me is hopeless and a waste of time.” He blinked, once, twice. For a second, his mouth opened as if to speak, but no words came out. “Don’t.” Her voice was steady. “I’m being honest with you. I’m a blunt person if you didn’t notice.” 

“You must be a riot at parties.”

“Well only if I have a drink in hand.” She stepped aside to let a jogger pass.

Before she could move away, Peter’s hand caught her wrist, pulling her close. Her palm pressed against his chest, their breaths mingling—so close she could see the flicker of blue in his eyes as they drifted down to her lips, then back up to meet her gaze.

Suddenly, she was pulled back to that night they’d shared—sharp, electric, impossible to forget. A walking passenger cleared their throat and shattered the moment. She stepped back, breaking the spell.

“When was your last relationship?” Peter asked, voice low and steady.

She exhaled and continued to walk. “Years ago and before you ask, no it didn’t ruin me. It only revealed to me what my priorities are. My work and my friends. What about you?”

He grimaced. “You probably know my story.” 

“I know what everyone else knows. Kate Argent murdered your family in a horrible way that I wouldn’t wish on my worst enemies. But you surviving? That was definitely not her plan.”

“I think it was. To remind everyone what hunters like her could do to werewolves.”

He looked sad and Elisa didn’t like sad people. “I’m sorry that you suffered all those years in your comatose state. What was it like?”

Peter didn’t say anything right away. The question hung between them— What was it like? —and for a second, she thought he might ignore it. She didn’t blame him. It was an invasive question. But she needed to know. Instead, Peter looked past her, eyes clouded, jaw tight.

“It was like floating in pitch black water - no sound, no light, just the weight of everything I couldn’t feel. Sometimes I thought I heard voices, like they were speaking through a bubbled wall that I couldn't break. I wasn’t asleep, but I wasn’t awake. Time didn’t exist until I could feel the pull of the full moon. The burns would start to heal - but the pain never left. Every excruciating minute dragged me back to that night. I remembered everything. The fire. The smell of blood. I relived the deaths of my family, over and over, like a curse I couldn’t wake from.”

Elisa’s chest tightened. 

“But the worst part?” He looked at her then with a low voice. “The moon would vanish, and the healing would slow - slower each time, like my body was forgetting how to put itself back together. And I had no pack. Laura and Derek left me in the hospital. No wolf beside me to ease the pain, to anchor me.”

Elisa’s breath caught. She had seen loneliness before—been swallowed by it, even—but not like this. Not carved into someone’s voice like a scar that never faded.

She took a step closer, careful not to break the moment. “You shouldn’t have had to go through that alone.”

He gave a hollow laugh. “I did.”

She hesitated, then slipped her hand into her pocket again—not to fidget, but to steady herself. “You’re not alone anymore.”

He looked at her then. Really looked. And though he didn’t say anything, the storm in his eyes stilled, just a little.

Elisa didn’t need his gratitude. She just needed him to believe it.

A beat passed, and then she gave him a sidelong glance. “So... is this your version of small talk, or do you always drop trauma bombs on quiet walks?”

A breath of surprise escaped him—half a scoff, half a laugh. “Was that sarcasm?”

“Depends. Are you going to get offended?”

He shook his head, the edge of a real smile playing at his lips. “No. I think I deserved that.”

“You definitely did.” She grinned, and the tension in her shoulders began to unwind. “Next time, maybe just start with ‘I like long walks and existential dread.’”

He huffed, an actual laugh this time, and looked up at the sky. Wisps of cloud drifted lazily across the pale January blue, and the air held that sharp winter chill Elisa knew werewolves enjoyed. They ran hotter than humans, always radiating heat like walking furnaces—but even for her, the cool air felt good against her skin. Cleansing. Grounding.

“I’ll keep that in mind,” he said.

They walked a little further, their steps more in sync now.

“So,” Elisa said lightly, “if I survive this week without throwing up on you, are we counting that as emotional progress for our alliance?”

“Alliance? Is that what we are calling it?”

“What should we call it?”

Peter glanced at her, a teasing smile tugging at his lips. “You’re pregnant with my baby. I think that pretty much makes us partners—for better or worse.”

Her stomach clenched with nerves. It sounded too much like marriage vows. How do Gabriel and Isabel do this everyday?

“Well, partners, then. Just don’t expect me to start calling you ‘husband’ anytime soon.”

He smirked. “So, no husband, no baby daddy, what about a partner-in-crime?”

“Only if you promise not to get us arrested.”

“Deal. But don’t blame me if I’m the one who starts the trouble.”

“Something tells me that you always start the trouble and let someone else end it.”

He gaped and placed a hand on his chest. “You know me so well already.”

She shook her head, laughing now. For the first time in what felt like hours, the air didn’t feel so heavy.

...

Peter couldn’t deny it anymore—he was enjoying Elisa’s company. They had walked nearly three miles without noticing and ended up circling back to the park. Now they sat on a bench, not far from the playground where kids shrieked and laughed.

“I used to bring my nieces and nephews to the park.”

“You would let them wreak havoc,” Elisa replied, smirking.

“I was teaching them social skills.”

Elisa raised an eyebrow at him. “Like what?”

“How to fight back at a bully that pushes you off the slide.”

“Uncle of the year.”

“Damn straight. I would do the same for our kid.”

Our kid. 

The words settled in his chest, heavier than he expected. He was starting to accept the idea of becoming a father—but he still needed to know the mother better. Elisa inhaled sharply but she released her breath. She must be coming to terms with it as well. She is an omega and only has one werewolf in her life. But if she still hadn’t by the time the baby was born, he’d have to find a way to help her share it—with care, but with persistence.

“What happened last year with the Nemeton?”

“What do you mean?”

“That boy Isaac believed that me being in town was because of the Nemeton and I know stuff about that tree. How was it awakened?” She asked, her voice sharp and eyes burning with barely restrained anger. Peter blinked, caught off guard by the sudden intensity in her expression.

“A druid emissary was sacrificing people to the Nemeton,” he said slowly. “She wanted revenge against the Alpha Pack.”

“Did she get it?”

“Yes but Deucalion and the twin wolves survived.” 

“What happened to the druid?”

“I killed her.” 

Elisa’s brown eyes snapped to him, sharp with questions.

“Any power that she had that night disappeared with the Lunar eclipse.”

“Eclipses end. But consequences linger.” Her voice was calm, but her eyes had a quiet warning. “Did you get what you wanted?”

Peter’s jaw tightened. He had expected the power. But when he killed Jennifer Blake, the surge of energy never came. No strength. Just silence.

“No,” he said bitterly. “It gave me nothing.”

Children’s shrieks of laughter sliced the bitter tension, drawing Elisa’s gaze to the laughing children. 

“Sacrifices reactivated the Nemeton,” Elisa said. “But consequences followed. It became a beacon - for beings like me. What else happened?”

“The Sheriff’s son, Stiles, got possessed by a Nogtisune. He was one of the sacrifices that reawakened the Nemeton. It left a door open in his mind… and the trickster slipped in. But don’t worry, in the end, the trickster spirit got out of the human and is in a box now.”

“Why are you so interested in what brought you here?” Peter asked.

“Because I don’t believe in coincidences,” Elisa said softly. “Only consequences.”

Peter frowned. “What consequences?”

“The Nemeton brought more than one supernatural creature. What do you think happens when you mix in that much power in one town?”

“We can handle the hunters.”

“I’m not talking about humans. You shouldn’t be worried about them. Not every werewolf is a friend. And not every friend is a werewolf.”

“The pack is filled with teenagers,” Peter said with a smirk. “ They think they can fix everything with heart-to-hearts and moral speeches. I’m a man of action.”

Elisa’s smile was thin, almost amused. “Then you’d better hope your ‘action’ doesn’t destroy more than it saves.”

Notes:

What do you think?

Chapter 8: Almost, But Not Enough

Summary:

“So you and Scott have that super-sniffer elite club going on. Impressive. Should I be flattered you haven’t told me what I smell like yet… or worried?”
“You smell like teenage anxiety,” he said flatly.
Stiles laughed. “Wow. Harsh.”
“You asked.”

Chapter 8

“Stiles, this is stupid.” Derek grumbled on the phone. His eyes watched as Peter and Elisa moved to the park, sitting on the bench. His uncle leaned back, eyes softening as he listened, a small smile tugging at the corners of his mouth while Elisa animatedly told a story, her hands painting the scene.

The sight twisted something raw inside Derek’s chest. A sharp pang of jealousy mixed with unease. How could Peter look so… at ease? So damn normal ? Something wasn’t right.

He clenched his jaw, trying to shove the feeling down, but it wouldn’t go away.

“Why the hell are you making me do this?” Derek hissed. “I don’t trust him. And you know it.”

From the other end, Stiles’s voice was calm but firm. “That’s exactly why. You need to know what he’s planning. You, Mr. Brooding, watching the bad guy like a hawk.”

Derek rolled his eyes. “Oh, please. You just want me to babysit because you’re too scared to do it yourself.”

“Hey! I’ve got a brain, not claws and teeth,” Stiles shot back. “And I’m in my free period. I don’t have time to go there and back for my next class. Besides, you are perfect for the job of being a private investigator. Grumpy and mysterious.”

“Keep your opinions to yourself, Stiles.”

Derek swallowed hard, eyes never leaving Peter’s smile. The longer he watched, the harder it was to remember it was the same person that killed Laura and several other people. He bit Scott and Lydia without their consent. 

The teenagers had moved past it in their own way. Lydia still made sharp jabs at Peter whenever she could, and Peter, never one to hold back, returned them with equal venom. Scott, however, had agreed to give Peter a second chance—especially since Peter was now an omega, no longer the beta he once was.

But for Derek, forgiving felt impossible. He was the one who found Laura’s body. The memory still burned like a scar beneath his skin.

And yet, when they left Peter at the hospital, comatose and vulnerable, Derek hadn’t argued. No hunter was foolish enough to strike a defenseless werewolf. There was no thrill in it.

“Don’t get too comfortable spying,” Stiles teased suddenly. “I’m not paying you to fall asleep.”

Derek smirked despite himself. “ You’re not paying me anything.” 

“Can you even hear anything? What’s the point of those werewolf ears?”

The werewolf rolled his eyes. “I’m not going to intrude on their conversation. It’s bad enough that I'm watching them.”

There was a brief pause on the line but then Stiles chuckled. “Look at you, suddenly all moral. Since when did you care about eavesdropping etiquette?”

“Since I realized it’s not you I’m spying on.” Derek’s voice dropped just enough that Stiles could barely hear the edge of something in it—annoyance? Maybe something else. Derek didn’t want to indulge that thought any longer than necessary. 

“Hey!”

“You and Scott weren’t exactly being quiet.”

“Whatever, Mr. Broody. Just do your job - a job that I’m not paying you for.”

Derek scoffed but didn’t respond. The faintest twitch at the corner of his mouth betrayed his amusement. It was a good thing Stiles wasn’t here with him—otherwise, the wise-ass teenager would have spotted it and declared himself the king of funny or something equally obnoxious.

Derek didn’t follow Peter right away. It was only after Stiles bombarded him with calls, texts, and voicemails that he finally gave in. He knew Peter was supposed to meet Elisa at the coffee shop, but when Derek arrived, their scents were already gone.

The shop’s owner smelled like a werewolf too—but not just any werewolf. It was the unmistakable scent of a mate. Derek didn’t want to get on her bad side, especially since Isaac had been hoping to get a job there. He liked the atmosphere of the place as well. It was fitted to make sure that a werewolf wasn’t overwhelmed in the coffee place except for the coffee machines being used. 

He had asked politely and she gave him an answer. Probably because she knows who he is and what he is but he didn’t miss the glare on her face. He would make sure to not get on her bad side. 

“Hey, what do you think about Elisa? Do you think she really is pregnant?” Stiles asked. Derek could hear other kids in the background and he imagined Stiles outside in the lacrosse field with other high school students taking advantage of their free period to be outside. “Scott says she is…like there is a smell about her.”

“Pregnant women have a different scent. It’s subtle, but it’s there.” He glanced toward the park, eyes narrowing as he tried to catch Elisa’s scent again. “It’s like a mix of hormones… changes their natural smell. Dogs can pick it up, too. Werewolves? Even more.”

“So all you caught it the other night?”

“Not exactly,” Derek said, hesitating. “Her omega scent kind of masked the pregnancy smell. When she’s further along, it’ll be stronger. The others probably wouldn’t notice, but Scott is the Alpha. His scent is just as strong as mine.”

Stiles let out a low whistle. “So you and Scott have that super-sniffer elite club going on. Impressive. Should I be flattered you haven’t told me what I smell like yet… or worried?”

“You smell like teenage anxiety,” he said flatly. 

Stiles laughed. “Wow. Harsh.”

“You asked.”

Stiles was still laughing when Derek pulled the phone away from his ear and ended the call without a word. He slid it back into his jacket pocket, the sound of kids and traffic fading into the background as his focus returned to the park.

Peter and Elisa were still talking and he was laughing. Derek’s jaw tightened. What was Peter’s end game? Start over and erase everything he did? That was a pipe dream. And Derek had no time for delusions. 

Elisa’s eyes flickered over to his direction. Derek froze.

She smiled. 

Then, with an easy confidence that caught him off guard, she lifted her hand and wiggled her fingers in a wave. “I think your nephew should join us,” she said, turning to Peter.

Peter sat up straighter, clearly surprised. He glanced toward where Derek stood, then back at Elisa. “You noticed him.”

“Kind of hard not to,” she said lightly. “The brooding is loud.”

Peter chuckled, then looked toward the tree with an almost smug smile. “Well, come on then, Derek. You’ve been lurking long enough.”

Derek didn’t move right away. He seriously considered walking away. But then Elisa looked back in his direction, that same patient smile on her face—not mocking, not smug. Just... calm. Unbothered.

And that irritated him more than anything.

With a low sigh, Derek stepped out from behind the tree. He stepped onto the grass, every muscle taur, eyes never leaving Peter’s amused face. Elisa’s smile remained steady, almost disarming, but Derek wasn’t fooled. 

“Derek, so glad you could join us.” Peter grinned. 

“You know, you should practice your stealth. And by that, I mean, don’t be on the phone while spying on werewolves.” Elisa chuckled. “I thought a beta would know better.” 

Derek’s eyes narrowed. “And how would an omega know any better?”

Elisa’s smile didn’t waver. “When she’s trying not to be killed by pack members, she learns a thing or two. I’ve picked up a few over the years. Omegas aren’t as weak as you think.”

Derek’s jaw clenched, but he didn’t reply. Instead, he studied Elisa, trying to read the woman who seemed so calm, so unbothered by the tension simmering between them.

Her hand rested gently against her stomach, fingers curved protectively. Her hair was braided neatly, likely to keep it out of her face in case the morning sickness hit. She looked tired—more than just the usual exhaustion. Something happened the night before. 

“Did you get what you wanted?”

Elisa asked suddenly, her voice cutting through the silence like a thread of silk. Not accusatory. Not defensive. Just… curious.

Derek met her eyes. Steady. Calm. Too calm. He didn’t answer right away.

What had he wanted? Proof? A reason to be suspicious? Or some kind of confirmation that Peter wasn’t manipulating her? That Elisa wasn’t as clueless as she looked?

He crossed his arms. “I wasn’t looking for anything.”

She gave him a knowing smile, small and tired. “Right.”

Derek didn’t like being out of the loop. There was something about her that strung him like an alarm. “You do realize that being in his life is being in mine and Cora’s.”

“And the three of you are part of the true Alpha’s pack? I had anticipated that. I had accepted that. What is it that you are looking for, Derek? What are you hoping to find?”

“I’m not hoping for anything.”

She didn’t look convinced. “Then maybe you’re afraid of what you might find.”

That hit too close. Derek’s silence said as much. 

Elisa didn’t press him. Just sat back, her gaze drifting for a moment to the trees behind him, then back to his face. 

“You don’t have to like me,” she said. “But I’m not going anywhere. Not unless Peter gives me a reason to run.”

“What?” Peter asked, his voice cutting in sharply with mock offense. “What reason could that be?” He raised a brow, placing a hand over his chest like she’d wounded him.

Elisa turned to him, completely unbothered. “Oh, I don’t know. Betrayal. Cheating. Turning into a feral nightmare again.”

Peter blinked. “So dramatic.”

“I’m pregnant,” she replied flatly. “Drama comes with the territory.”

Derek let out a breath he hadn’t realized he was holding, the tension bending just slightly under the weight of their back-and-forth. But his eyes remained locked on Peter, sharp and wary.

Peter looked between the two of them, then gave a low whistle. “You know, I think I liked it better when everyone hated me in silence.”

“No one’s ever silent around you,” Derek muttered.

Peter smirked. “Touché.”

But then the edges of his smile faded as his eyes lingered on Elisa, and for once, he didn’t have a comeback waiting. The silence that followed wasn’t tense—it was something quieter, more fragile.

“I know I’ve given you every reason to run,” Peter said, voice lower now, almost careful. “And I wouldn’t blame you if you did.”

Elisa’s expression didn’t change much, but something in her gaze softened—just enough for Derek to notice.

“I didn’t say I trusted you blindly,” she said. “But I’m here. That has to count for something.”

Peter let out a slow breath, as if that small concession meant more than he wanted to admit.Derek shifted, uneasy at witnessing something that felt too intimate. Too human. And yet, it was the first time he’d seen Peter look… not vulnerable exactly, but real .

Elisa looked back at Derek. “I’m not trying to take anything from you or your family. I just want a chance to figure this out—for the baby’s sake.”

For a moment, Derek didn’t know what to say. The words caught somewhere in the space between defensiveness and something gentler, something harder to name.

Finally, he just gave a curt nod. It wasn’t approval, but it wasn’t rejection either.

Elisa smiled faintly. “That’s a start.”

…

Stiles sat on the bleachers by the lacrosse field, thumb hovering over his phone screen for the fifth time in ten minutes.

No response.

He squinted against the sun, trying to ignore the distant sound of Coach yelling at freshmen to get back to their classes. A few students that did have a free period were coming back from whatever place they decided to get lunch at. Laughing and talking about spring break plans that weren’t in two months. Normal things. Stiles, however, was very much not thinking normal thoughts.

He opened the last text he sent Derek. You dead or just brooding in silence again?

Still unread.

He refreshed his messages again.

Still nothing from Derek.

Stiles frowned. Maybe Derek had lost signal. Or maybe Peter caught him and buried him under a tree somewhere. That did feel like a Peter thing to do. But no, Derek would’ve fought back—unless he was letting himself be distracted.

By Elisa.

Stiles muttered under his breath, “This is how people spiral.”

He flopped dramatically onto his back across the bleacher bench, phone resting on his chest. The screen dimmed. He stared up at the sky and gave a long, theatrical sigh.

“You okay there, Broody King?” a voice asked.

Stiles craned his head to the side and saw Lydia standing a few feet away, hair perfect, book tucked under one arm like it was an accessory and not a weapon of intellect. She looked every bit like she belonged in a Vogue spread, and every bit like she was about to destroy him with five words or less.

“Oh good,” Stiles groaned. “The ghost of common sense has arrived. And that nickname is so not meant for me.”

Lydia arched a brow. “You're sulking over Derek again, aren’t you?”

“No. I’m… worried ,” he said, sitting up. “Because I sent him to spy on Peter, and now he’s not answering his phone, and my imagination is excellent and also horrible.”

She sat next to him and opened her book. A sticky note was in place. She looked unbothered. “You do realize this is Derek Hale we’re talking about? Brooding, scowling, emotionally constipated Derek? He’s probably just glaring at a squirrel and ignoring your texts on purpose.”

Stiles made a face. “I knew he’d do that. He’s such a—” He broke off as his phone buzzed. He grabbed it instantly.

One new message from Derek.

They went to the park. She waved at me. Peter is smiling. I hate you.

Stiles stared at it for a second, then burst out laughing. 

“What?” Lydia asked.

“He replied,” Stiles grinned. “And it’s the most Derek thing ever.”

He texted back quickly: Stay strong, soldier. If Peter tries to hug you, run.

Another buzz.

I’m serious, Stiles.

Stiles smirked, thumbs flying: So am I. I’ll call backup. Scott can tackle him. Or maybe Elisa. She looks like she has good form.

You’re annoying.

Stiles beamed and leaned back again, more relaxed now. Lydia rolled her eyes but the hint of a smile tugged at her lips.

“Worried over nothing,” she said.

“Yeah, well,” Stiles muttered, “that’s basically my brand.”

Lydia turned a page in her book, not even looking at him. “You’re lucky he finds you mildly tolerable.”

Stiles raised an eyebrow. “You think he finds me tolerable?”

“Mm.” She didn’t look up. “He hasn’t ripped your throat out yet.”

“Yet! Although, he has been threatening that for about a year.” 

“It’s the Hale way to give attention.” Lydia smirked. “But we should know more about Elisa and Gabriel. After what happened with the Alpha pack, we need to know more about other werewolves. I do not want to be surprised again.”

Stiles nodded slowly, his fingers still hovering over his phone. “Yeah. No more curveballs.”

Lydia glanced over at him. “You tried to do your own digging last night, didn’t you?”

He smiled sheepishly at her. “Scott already gave me his puppy-eyed disappointed look. I had to know! Last night was a bombshell. Peter Hale is going to be a dad! Elisa might be pregnant with his spawn of evil or redemption or whatever.”

Lydia raised an eyebrow, amusement flickering in her eyes. “Spoken like a true expert on werewolf babies. Except Cora had already explained to us that a baby won’t show any werewolf traits until they are four.”

“You never know. It’s Peter Hale’s spawn.” 

They both glanced up at the clouds rolling in, dimming the sun’s warmth. A cool breeze stirred the leaves around them, carrying with it the faint scent of rain. So much for a sunny day outside. It is what to expect in January. Stiles ran his jacket’s zipper up higher. 

“What did you find about them?” Lydia asked. 

Stiles hesitated a moment before answering, “Not much. Gabriel and Elisa both went to college and graduated a year early. Gabriel married Isabel, they all lived in San Diego and their daughter was born then they moved to Beacon Hills. He works as a part time consultant and owner of the coffee place.”

“So he’s normal except for being a werewolf. What about Elisa?”

“Nothing. They both don’t have social media and the only thing I could find about her was a photo of her and Gabriel when they were teenagers singing at a club. It’s like she doesn’t exist on the internet.”

“Another mysterious werewolf,” Lydia hummed and slammed her book shut. “Beacon Hills really knows how to attract them.”

Stiles leaned back against the bleachers, frowning. “It’s weird, right? Everyone leaves a footprint online these days. But Elisa? It’s like she’s a ghost until she shows up here.”

Lydia finally looked at him. “Then we’ll just have to dig deeper. And what better way to do that than have a dinner party?”

“A dinner party? That’s a horrible idea.”

“Not if we have your dad, Scott’s mom, and Allison’s dad involved. Make it think it’s their idea.”

“That’s diabolical.”

Lydia smiled sweetly. “It’s strategic.”

“I don’t know whether to be impressed or terrified.”

“Both are fine.”

He groaned, rubbing a hand over his face. “And how can we be sure that Elisa and Gabriel want to come over?”

“They are omegas. A part of them must still want to be in a pack and isn’t Elisa technically already in one since she is pregnant?”

Stiles frowned. “I don’t know. Scott says there is a feeling when you become a part of a pack. It’s a werewolf thing.”

Lydia tilted her head thoughtfully. “Then maybe that’s what we’re testing too. Whether or not she feels it. Whether or not she wants it.”

Stiles lowered his hand, his brow still furrowed. “You think she wants to belong?”

“She’s here, isn’t she?” Lydia said, matter-of-fact. “She could’ve run, but she didn’t. And Gabriel set up a life here, not somewhere far away. That says something.”

Stiles let that sit for a beat, staring at the field in silence. “So… dinner party.”

Lydia nodded, smug. “Dinner party.”

“God help us all,” he muttered.

Notes:

What do you think? Like I’d ever forget about Derek and Stiles.

Chapter 9: Dinner Party

Summary:

“No. If we like them, we might need babysitters.”
“Absolutely not. They’re teeangers and haven’t been around a toddler.”
“If they babysit, it will hold off on them getting pregnant.”
“Why am I friends with you?”

Chapter 9

“We got invited to a dinner party?” Gabriel asked bewildered as he helped Isabel count the receipts they received for the day. 

They were upstairs from the coffee shop, in the small apartment they’d converted into an office and breakroom for their employees. Sunlight streamed through the narrow windows, warming the hardwood floors and casting long shadows.

Elisa sat on the leather couch, Sofia napping in her arms. It was already 1 p.m., and business had slowed. Isabel had insisted they take the time to organize storage and tally up receipts before the late afternoon rush. They’d all driven together, and Elisa had brought Sofia along—mainly because the little girl had refused to go home after the park.

“Yesterday, you spent the day with your baby daddy—”

“It was only the morning,” Elisa muttered, rolling her eyes.

“And now, all of a sudden, we’re invited to a dinner party hosted by the teen wolves’ parents ?” Gabriel scoffed. “What are they trying to do—force us to join the pack?”

“Would that be such a terrible thing?” Isabel asked, glancing up from the pile of receipts, one brow arched in quiet challenge.

Gabriel looked between the two women, then back down at the receipt in his hand. “Depends. Do I have to bring wine or my blood to take an oath?”

Elisa smirked. “I think just a bottle of wine to be on the safe side to get on the parents’ good graces.”

“Funny.” Gabriel said dryly, stuffing a handful of receipts into an envelope.

“Be serious,” Isabel said, her tone softer now. “Maybe they’re trying to make peace. Or extend some kind of olive branch. Elisa is pregnant with Peter’s kid. Scott McCall is his alpha -which I am trying to wrap my head around - and perhaps, they need more guidance in their lives. There are only two adult werewolves.”

Gabriel paused, his expression unreadable. “Guidance? Or babysitters for their hormonal teenagers?”

Elisa rolled her eyes. “If I recall, a certain sixteen year old werewolf was losing control of himself every single day and night. And it wasn’t even a full moon.”

Gabriel scoffed. “I’m surprised you are supporting this idea. You, of all people, are hesitant around strangers. I want to blame this on the pregnancy brain but you are only a few weeks pregnant.” 

“I’m being realistic, Gabriel. I’m not saying I trust them,” Elisa added, adjusting Sofia in her arms as the little girl stirred. “But I know what Peter is. And I know what we’re already tangled up in, whether we like it or not.”

“Does he know what he’s tangling himself in?” Isabel asked. “Have you told him about your past or about work?” 

A silence fell in the room and Elisa turned her head away from her friends’ eyes. 

“Elisa,” Isabel said, more firmly this time, “you’re going to have to tell him. It was different with me—I grew up with you two. I know what you’ve done. What you’ve seen. But Peter?” Her voice gentled, but her gaze stayed steady. “He doesn’t just need to know about the baby. He needs to know who you really are. All of it.”

Gabriel leaned against the desk, arms crossed, watching Elisa carefully. “If he’s going to be in your life—if he’s going to be in Sofia’s life—he needs to know what kind of storms follow you around.”

Elisa exhaled slowly, brushing a hand over Sofia’s curls. “I know.”

“Then what are you waiting for?” Isabel asked.

“Time,” Elisa replied. “Look, we go, we eat, we nod politely, and we leave. No pledges. No blood oaths. Just... dinner.”

“I still say we leave Sofia with your parents.” Gabriel said to his wife. 

“No.” Isabel immediately said. “If we like them, we might need babysitters.” 

“Absolutely not.” Gabriel deadpanned. “They’re teeangers and haven’t been around a toddler.”

Elisa smirked. “If they babysit, it will hold off on them getting pregnant.”

Isabel laughed while Gabriel facepalmed. “Why am I friends with you?”

“You didn’t have a choice,” Elisa said with a grin, pressing a kiss to the top of Sofia’s head. “Tomorrow night it will be at Derek Hale’s place. We have to make the most out of this.”

“Have you told Tia yet that you’re pregnant?” asked Gabriel, stretching his arms. “She’s going to be pissed if she finds out from someone else?”

“If she finds out,” Elisa said, raising an eyebrow, “I’ll know it was one of two people who blabbed.”

Gabriel held up his hands. “Don’t look at me—I like living.”

“Then make sure your wife doesn’t spill,” Elisa said, glancing at Isabel.

Isabel scoffed. “Please. I’ve been terrified of her for as long as I know you two. I won’t blab. But you do need to tell her before you start showing.”

“And I will. But I did promise her that I would take one more assignment after I came here. When she contacts me, I will tell her.” Elisa promised. 

“How do you think she will react?”

“I don’t know. No one has fallen pregnant as far as I know and I’m keeping it.”

“Are you worried?”

Yes . “No.”

A beat of silence stretched between them.

Gabriel didn’t press further. Instead, he glanced over at Isabel, and she met his eyes with the kind of look that spoke volumes—concern, caution, maybe even quiet agreement.

Neither said a word, but Elisa could feel the weight of it settle in the room. She adjusted Sofia gently in her arms, suddenly more aware of how small the little girl felt. How heavy the unspoken things between them had become.

“I’ll tell her,” Elisa said again, softer this time. “When the time’s right.”

Gabriel gave a short nod. Isabel didn’t push.

For now, that was enough.

But the quiet didn’t last long. Not in her mind.

Elisa’s eyes drifted to the window. The sunlight outside flashed against passing cars, and for a split second, it wasn’t the present she saw: it was streetlights, glass, and blood.

…

December 1999 :

Footsteps pounded against the slick pavement, echoing off alley walls as sirens wailed in the distance. Breathless and fast, Elisa sprinted beside Gabriel, her jacket torn, her eyes wide searching around for safety.  

“They’re still behind us!” Gabriel shouted, glancing back. His eyes wide with panic. The sharp glint of an arrow caught the light and Elisa saw that one of the hunters had drawn a crossbow. 

“Cut left!” Elisa gasped. “There!”

A backdoor slammed open from the kitchen of a towering hotel. A delivery cart wedged it ajar—just enough. Without hesitation, she grabbed Gabriel’s hand and yanked him through.

They stumbled inside, the sudden warmth of the industrial kitchen hitting them hard with sizzling pans, the scent of garlic and oil, chaos of a different kind. A chef shouted in confusion, but they were already slipping between counters and crates, ducking out the other side.

They burst through swinging doors and into the main lobby, marble floors slick beneath their boots. Music played softly from hidden speakers, calm and oblivious. Elisa pulled Gabriel behind a massive pillar just as the main entrance doors flung open.

“Should we split up?” Gabriel whispered.

“No,” she breathed, heart pounding. “We’re safer together.”

They crouched low, shadows wrapping around them, waiting for the footsteps that always came next.

The lobby doors hissed open and three hunters stepped inside. 

No weapons drawn - not visibly at least. The smart ones never carry their weapons when they enter public places like this. They blended in, coats buttoned, eyes scanning like they were checking in for a late reservation. It helped that they were adults that could afford a hotel like this.

The hunters split up, one peeled off toward the front desk, another wandered toward the lounge, and the last one approached hotel security. Elisa turned her head and spotted the door to the stairs. “Behind us. Door that leads to the stairs. Walk slowly, don’t get their attention.”

Gabriel nodded, but as they moved, he accidentally bumped into a couple carrying luggage. The bags tumbled to the floor with a loud clatter. 

“Hey! You two!”

“Run.”

They broke into a sprint, weaving past startled guests. Elisa slammed through the stairwell door and bolted up the concrete steps two at a time. The hunters’ footsteps thundered after them, heavy, relentless, and closing in fast. Elisa’s lungs burned, heart hammering as sweat slicked her palms on the metal railing. She pushed harder, pulling Gabriel along.

“Faster!” she gasped.

Gabriel stumbled but caught himself, matching her pace.

She yanked open the door to the fourth floor, startling a maid nearby who froze mid-step, eyes wide. Without hesitation, Elisa pulled Gabriel into the carpeted hallway and kept running. The soft carpet muffled their footsteps, but the distant pounding behind them never let up. Around them, the hallway stretched long and empty with the doors lined the walls like silent witnesses to their flight.

Elisa scanned ahead for a place to hide or a way out. She caught sight of a door slightly ajar, perhaps someone leaving or coming into their room. Elisa didn’t care. She pulled Gabriel with her into the room and closed the door, locking it. Behind them, the unmistakable sound of a gun being cocked.

“Who are you?” A female voice asked. 

Elisa lifted her hands up and slowly turned. 

The woman stood near the window, long black hair falling over her shoulders, barefoot in a red dress that looked more like evening wear than something you'd wear during a getaway. Her heels lay scattered on the floor, like she’d kicked them off moments before. Elegant, but dangerous.

A large man in a leather jacket sat casually in a chair across from the bed, one leg crossed over the other, a pistol resting lazily on his thigh. He didn’t move. Didn’t have to. His presence alone was a threat.

“We’re not your enemy,” Elisa said, voice calm but firm. “We’re running from men who want to hurt us. We haven’t done anything wrong.”

The woman’s gaze flicked to Gabriel, then back to Elisa, assessing everything from their torn clothes to the blood on Gabriel’s sleeve.

“Wrong or not, you brought trouble to my door,” the woman said coolly.

“We didn’t mean to,” Elisa said quickly. “The door was open. We thought it was empty.”

The man in the chair finally spoke, voice low and smooth. “That’s how most stories start. Mistaken doors and desperate kids.”

The woman finally lowered the gun, just slightly. “What are your names?” she asked.

“I’m Elisa and this is Gabriel.”

“Come closer, Elisa and Gabriel.” Her tone wasn’t a suggestion—it was a command.

Elisa hesitated for half a breath, then took a slow step forward, tugging Gabriel with her. The man’s grip on his gun didn’t tighten, but his eyes followed every movement.

“You’re not bleeding out,” the woman observed. “So whatever you’re running from hasn’t caught you. Yet.”

Elisa nodded. “Not for lack of trying.”

The woman studied her, eyes sharp as glass. Then, to the man: “Leon?”

He gave a small nod and stood, finally. The weight of him filled the room. The woman turned her attention back to them. “You walked through the wrong door…but you may have walked into the right people. Depending on your answer.”

Elisa’s brows furrowed. “Answer to what?”

The woman’s lips curved, though it wasn’t quite a smile. Her eyes glowed yellow and orange like fire caught in amber. “What do the hunters want with you ?”

Elisa stiffened. Gabriel shifted beside her, instinctively stepping half a pace in front of her. The color of her eyes were different from a typical werewolf that hasn't been killed yet. And her scent wasn’t werewolf, Elisa noted, but the man Leon was one. The glow faded, but the woman’s stare didn’t soften.

“Well?” she asked, tilting her head slightly. “You’re not just scared kids. You’ve got blood on you and a scent that screams werewolves. So tell me, Elisa and Gabriel—what makes you both worth hunting?”

“Nothing.”

Silence.

Then, a soft laugh from the woman. Not amused—disbelieving.

“Try again.”

“We killed two hunters that were chasing us,” Gabriel said suddenly and Elisa glared at him. “Those hunters want revenge.”

“No, revenge is only fueling them even more for the hunt.” Leon rumbled. “They’re omegas. No scent of pack on them.”

“Why did you kill them?” 

“What do you think?” Elisa snapped. 

The woman circled around them like a vulture, deliberate and slow. Her bare footsteps were nearly silent against the carpet. “If you’re not in a pack, then there’s no one around to protect you. No one to provide you guidance.”

“We didn’t ask for protection,” Elisa said. “We asked for five minutes of not being hunted. The moment we are gone, you won’t have to see us ever again.”

The woman stopped, tilting her head. “But what if I can provide that for you? Protection?” She asked. 

Elisa blinked.

“I’m not an Alpha or a werewolf pero conmigo,” her voice dipped, velvet and steel, “I can give you something more than a pack.”

Elisa and Gabriel stared at her, stunned by the shift in tone, the sudden use of Spanish. The word wrapped around them like a promise.

Gabriel found his voice first. “And what is that?”

The woman smiled—not cruel this time, but secretive and kind. “A family.”

The word settled in the air like a spell.

Elisa’s breath caught.

It wasn’t what she expected. Not a threat, not a bargain. Not even a demand. It was a lifeline. The kind they hadn’t dared to hope for.

“I don’t even know your name,” she said quietly.

The woman stepped closer, finally lowering the gun entirely. Her eyes softened, but something fierce still lived behind them.

“You can call me Tía.”

…

Present :

The sun had just dipped below the horizon, casting the streets of Beacon Hills in a soft golden haze. Outside the tall steel door of Derek Hale’s loft, three adults stood in business-casual elegance that somehow felt more like armor than fashion.

Elisa smoothed a hand over her red silk skirt that hugged her curves paired with a one-shoulder black ribbed top that showed off just the right amount of edge. Over it, she threw on a cropped black leather jacket—zipped halfway, adding to the effortless cool vibe. She held the tuna casserole in her hand. 

Isabel stood next to her wearing a black silk skirt with a slit on her left leg and a black long sleeve underneath her own red leather jacket. On Isabel’s side,  Gabriel stood tall in a crisp dark button-down, the sleeves rolled neatly to his forearms, Sofia sat comfortably on his hip in a dark blue dress that sparkled under the soft lighting, her little white shoes kicking gently, the white headband nestled in her curls making her look like a tiny queen.

They felt like they could be attending a formal family gathering not a dinner party hosted by teenagers. 

“Estamos listos?” Elisa asked and everyone nodded their heads. She raised her hand and knocked on the metal door. 

The door creaked open, and standing on the other side was Peter Hale. He wore a deep navy button-up tucked into dark slacks, sleeves rolled once at the cuffs, and a watch glinting on his wrist. His eyes glanced up and down at her and it reminded her that night of the hotel when they were having drinks. 

“Elisa.”

“Peter.”

“Sofia!” Her goddaughter screamed delightedly and it eased the small tension between them. 

Peter smiled warmly at the toddler and took out his hand. “It’s nice to meet you, Sofia.” 

She slapped his hand like a chaotic upside-down high five, the smack echoing off the concrete entry. Isabel chuckled and kissed her daughter’s small cheek, remarking that their daughter’s social skills need to be upgraded. Gabriel rolled his eyes, grinning.

“You brought food?” Peter asked.

Elisa shrugged. “I wasn’t sure what to bring so I made tuna casserole but I’m not sure it’s enough.”

“That’s thoughtful of you,” Peter said, stepping back and holding the door wider. “Please come in. Mostly everyone is here. We’re just waiting on a few more people.”

They crossed the threshold together, the warm glow of the loft wrapping around them. The rich scent of roasted herbs and fresh bread filled the air. Voices hummed softly from the large open living area, mingling with the faint clink of glasses and laughter. 

Peter took their coats and bags to the closet, his movements efficient but not rushed. When he returned, he gestured for them to follow deeper into the loft. They walked further inside to find the parents standing around while the teenagers sat on the large couch. 

Elisa’s eyes immediately found Sheriff Stilinski, dressed casually without his uniform, deep in conversation with a woman that she remembered was the True Alpha’s mom—Melissa McCall, she recalled. The Argent hunter was contributing to the conversation. Nearby, an Asian couple spoke softly with the others, and Elisa recognized the kitsune girl from the pack. Two other groups of parents spread around the loft murmuring and drinking from their wine glasses. 

Peter’s voice cut through the murmurs. “Everyone, this is Elisa, Gabriel, and Isabel. And Sofia, of course.”

The room quieted briefly as heads turned toward them.

“Hi!” Scott jumped up from the couch, his face brightening. “You guys came.”

“We did and brought food.”

“Thank you,” Derek was in the kitchen pouring more wine and separate non alcoholic drinks for the teenagers. Elisa watched as Isaac methodically cut small pieces of vegetables on a cutting board and instructed Cora to watch the oven. “You can put it on the counter.”

She was about to do that but Peter took it from her and placed it. She raised an eyebrow at him but he merely shrugged, smiling. 

“I’m Scott.” Scott smiled warmly as Gabriel shook his hand. Sofia, nestled closer into Gabriel’s embrace, peeked out with curious eyes but stayed quiet. “What’s your name?”

“Now you decide to be shy?” Gabriel said. 

“You said there would be puppies.”
Elisa stifled a snort, coughing into her hand to mask it. Isabel wasn’t as discreet, letting out a soft laugh.

Gabriel sighed and kissed his daughter’s head. “Sorry, hija. I was joking. Technically, there are puppies but not in the way you think. But I think Scott here wants to know your name.”

She pulled her head away from his dad’s shoulder and waved at Scott. “I’m Sofia.”

“Wow! That’s a pretty name. Hey Sofia, what’s your favorite color?”

“Blue.”

“Hey! That’s Stiles’s favorite color. Do you want to meet Stiles and the rest of my friends?”

Sofia glanced up at her dad. Gabriel gave her a small nod, crouching slightly to help her down onto her feet. She reached her hand up to Scott without a word.

Scott’s smile brightened. He took her hand gently, his voice soft as he guided her toward the couch. “Come on, I’ll introduce you. Stiles talks a lot , but he’s nice, I promise. Kira’s nice too. She brought coloring books.”

The other teens glanced over with amused curiosity, already leaning in as Sofia approached.

“I guess you found your babysitters,” Elisa murmured under her breath.

Gabriel shot her a look. “If one of them teaches her to swear, I’m blaming you.”

“Juras en español todo el tiempo,” Elisa shot back. 

“Tu tambien.”

Isabel sighed, “She won’t say it if she doesn’t hear it from either one of you.”

Before another quip could be thrown, a calm voice joined their circle.

“I miss Kira being that age,” said a man approaching with a gentle smile. His eyes crinkled at the corners as he glanced toward Sofia, then to the couch where Kira sat watching with quiet amusement. “She was always curious. Ran to every new place like it was an adventure waiting to happen.”

Elisa turned slightly toward him, respectful but curious. “You must be her father.”

“I am. Ken Yukimura,” he said, offering a hand.

Elisa shook it. “Elisa. This is Gabriel and Isabel.”

Ken nodded warmly at them. “Your daughter’s a brave little one. Most kids that age hide behind their parent’s legs the entire night.”

“She hides when she wants to,” Gabriel said, watching Sofia carefully, “and then takes over the room when you least expect it.”

Ken chuckled knowingly, just as a poised woman stepped up beside him, her presence sharp but elegant. “It sounds just like our daughter. Noshiko Yukimura. And from what Kira has told us, you have lived in Beacon Hills for a while?”

“My wife and I have been here for a couple of years.” Gabriel replied. “Yukimura? Japanese?” 

“Yes, but I’m actually Korean.” Ken answered. “When my wife and I married, I took her name, as she was the only surviving member of her family.”

Elisa nodded slowly. “It must be an honor to wear your wife’s name in pride.” 

Ken smiled, eyes softening as he glanced at Noshiko. “It is.”

Noshiko didn’t say anything right away, but the small shift in her expression said more than words—acceptance, or at least acknowledgment.

“And I hear congratulations are in order for you and Peter,” she said, her gaze dropping momentarily to Elisa’s stomach before returning to her face.

Elisa opened her mouth, but before she could speak, Peter appeared at her side as if summoned by the moment. 

“Yes, thank you,” he said smoothly, placing his arm around her waist.

Elisa stiffened. Her brow arched as she immediately pulled away from his touch, not bothering to mask her reaction. “We’re at the no touching phase,” she reminded him coolly.

Peter’s lips curled into that smug, familiar smile. “I did get you pregnant.”

“Doesn’t mean you get a free pass to wrap yourself around me in public,” she countered without missing a beat.

Ken let out a surprised laugh, and Noshiko, though she didn’t smile, tilted her head in quiet amusement, as if mentally revising her opinion of Elisa upward.

Peter opened his mouth again, clearly amused by the resistance. “Do I need to ask for permission?”

“Yes,” Elisa, Gabriel, and Isabel said in unison, sharp, immediate, and without a shred of hesitation.

Peter blinked.

Ken chuckled again. “I think that’s a yes, Peter.”

Peter raised his hands in mock surrender, but there was a flicker of something in his eyes, annoyance, amusement, maybe even a trace of respect. “Duly noted. So I need to ask Gabriel and Isabel beforehand then?”

“No,” Gabriel answered tensely, his voice even but edged. “Elisa can take care of herself. She doesn’t need our permission.”

Peter arched a brow, almost smug until Gabriel added more firmly: “But we’ve known her for many years. We’ve bled with her. Watched her raise Sofia when things were falling apart all around us. So if you hurt her…” He leaned in slightly, lowering his voice and flashing his eyes blue, “you’ll answer to more than just us.”

Isabel didn’t speak, but the look she gave Peter said everything she didn’t need to. Protective. Steady. Deadly quiet.

Elisa crossed her arms, shaking her head. “You guys are horrible,” she muttered. “I’m already worried for Sofia when she’s a teenager.”

Peter chuckled, brushing off the tension like a petal fell on his shoulders. “Then she will be a lucky kid. Embarrassed but lucky. And I’m sure Elisa would contribute to it.”

“No, I’m the cool aunt.”

Gabriel snorted, “You say that now.”

“Speaking of,” Elisa said, pinching Gabriel on the arm with narrowed eyes at his remark and turned to Peter. “Are you going to introduce us properly to your niece and nephew?”

“You met them.”

“Isabel hasn’t.” 

“Maybe wait to meet Cora when she isn’t holding a knife in the kitchen,” a deep, calm voice added as Derek approached their small group, a bottle in one hand, two glasses in the other. “Wine? Red? White?”

“Red for the both of us please.” Isabel said. 

Derek nodded, poured with ease, then turned to Elisa and handed her a different glass, this one chilled with condensation and garnished with a tiny sprig of mint. The scent was vibrant, bright mango with a kick of something earthy.

“Lydia looked up non-alcoholic drinks for pregnant women,” Derek said. “This is a mocktail called Mango Ginger. She wanted to make sure you didn’t feel left out.”

Elisa blinked, surprised. She looked down at the glass, then up at him. “That’s...actually really thoughtful.”

Derek shrugged, his face unreadable but his tone sincere. “We’re glad you came.”

Elisa accepted the drink with a nod, some of the lingering tension finally starting to dissolve from her shoulders. “Thanks.”

“Looks like the fun is over here,” Melissa McCall said warmly as she and the other parents drifted over to their small group, glasses in hand and with big smiles.

And just like that, the tension crept back in like a shadow slipping under the door.

Elisa took a longer sip of her mocktail, letting the mango and ginger coat her tongue like armor. She put on a polite smile as she extended her hand to the newcomers.

Jackson’s parents were first: his father’s handshake was firm, practiced, like a man used to boardrooms, while his mother smiled tightly, her eyes flitting quickly between faces like she was cataloging threats.

Then came Lydia’s parents. Her mother was overly polite, smoothing invisible wrinkles on her designer blazer and saying how “lovely” it was to meet everyone, but her eyes lingered too long on Peter. Her gaze sharpened with mistrusting eyes, and just barely polite enough to mask it. Her father didn’t speak much, just offered a nod that somehow said I’m tolerating this for my daughter’s sake.

Elisa could feel it instantly: that quiet unease. These humans practiced pleasantries like a second language, smiles like armor, tone light, eyes sharp. It wasn’t curiosity in their expressions. It was caution. Calculated fear dressed up as etiquette. They were trying to keep up in a world their children had been thrown into and were only just beginning to understand what that meant.

She couldn’t blame them.

It usually took human parents longer to accept than their kids. Sometimes they never really did. Gabriel was an example of no acceptance while Isabel’s parents accepted him and Elisa with open arms. 

A brush of fingers broke Elisa from her thoughts. Isabel, standing beside her, had slipped her hand against Elisa’s in a silent touch, reassuring, grounding. Elisa glanced at her briefly, then nodded. 

Gabriel shifted, almost imperceptibly, stepping closer, his hand brushing the small of Elisa’s back as he moved but it was not possessively, not even protectively, but firmly. A barrier. His presence was deliberate as he positioned himself between her and Peter, as if reclaiming space.

At the corner of her eye, Peter looked more amused than upset that he was blocked to be by her side.

Elisa offered Lydia’s mother a smile that was cool, controlled, and just sharp enough to remind the human that some people weren’t easily categorized or contained.

“Lovely to meet you, too,” she said.

“So,” she began smoothly, her tone polite but edged with curiosity, “how long have you been werewolves?”

“I was born a werewolf. Gabriel was bitten just like Scott.”

“And like our Lydia.” 

Elisa tilted her head. “She’s not a werewolf though.”

“No. Peter bit her and she became a banshee.” Lydia’s dad answered. “I’m still trying to wrap my head around that.”

“Peter bit her?” Elisa asked but turned to look at him. He didn’t look unbothered by the revelation. “You were an Alpha?” 

“I didn’t mention that?”

Elisa huffed. She knew he got his revenge, but she assumed that he killed everyone involved in his family’s demise as a wild omega. But he bit Scott and Lydia. One became the true Alpha and the other a banshee. No wonder Scott’s and Lydia’s moms were looking at him with distrust. 

“A werewolf’s bite either kills or transforms a human. Something in Lydia unlocked itself.” Elisa replied to her mom. “Genetics perhaps? Something dormant.”

Lydia’s mother’s lips thinned, the lines around her mouth tightening as she glanced briefly at her daughter across the room, laughing with Sofia and the others, seemingly lightyears away from the weight of this conversation.

“Dormant,” she echoed, quietly. 

“The bite didn’t make her a banshee,” Peter added. “It revealed what was already there. Some people carry power and never know it. Sometimes it just… needs a push.”

“And you had no right to do that,” snarled Lydia’s dad but kept his voice low so the teenagers wouldn’t hear. But Scott and Kira glanced over at them. 

“You’re right. As a father I would be just as pissed.” Gabriel said. “But it happened. Lydia is lucky to have support. Some people don’t get that. They’re hunted before they even understand what they are.”

“And some,” Elisa added, “have to become dangerous just to survive.”

Lydia’s mom looked between them all and the wall in her expression finally cracked, just slightly. Her husband placed his hand against her back. “We are trying. We want our little girl safe. So you have to excuse us from learning that our Lydia is now a Banshee and Jackson is a werewolf with a kanima tail. That’s hard to wrap our heads around.”

“We get it. It’s a lot.” Isabel chuckled. “We’re all still trying to wrap our heads around it sometimes too. And there’s no parenting manual on what to do when your kid growls at you. Spray them with water?”

“You did that to us.” Elisa scorned.

“You two deserve it that one time.”

“One time?” Elisa and Gabriel asked.

The parents merely grinned and laughed. 

Isabel smirked, tilting her head toward Elisa and Gabriel. “Okay, fine. Three times. But only because someone thought it was a good idea to growl during a family dinner and knock over a chair.”

“That was you,” Gabriel pointed at Elisa.

“Your aunt’s boyfriend was being racist.” Elisa hissed at Isabel. 

“Well, the growl got the message across,” Isabel said with a shrug. “And the spray bottle got you both to shut up.”

Peter murmured dryly, “I’m starting to think Isabel should lead a pack.”

Isabel lifted her glass with a teasing glint in her eye. “Only if I get to carry the spray bottle as a symbol of my authority.”

“And your wolfsbane pepper spray?” asked Peter.

Isabel smirked and clinked their glasses. Gabriel sighed and took a big gulp of his wine. 

“Honestly,” Elisa said, nudging Isabel’s shoulder with a smirk, “I’d follow her. She kept both of us in line during our worst years.”

“That’s because I threatened to tell Tia,” Isabel replied smoothly, taking another sip of her wine. “Worked every time.”

Peter’s eyebrows rose slightly. “Tia?”

But his eyes glanced toward the door as Erica and Boyd stepped in, their presence shifting the energy in the room like a current. He went to their parents, taking their coats while the teenagers went to their friends, waving at them. The Sheriff clasped hands with Boyd’s father and Erica’s father, exchanging a few words while Melissa did the same with their mothers. 

“Just in time. Dinner is ready.” Derek called. 

A murmur of relief and anticipation rolled through the room. Elisa exhaled quietly, grateful for the distraction. She wasn’t ready to talk about Tia, not here and not yet. Peter would ask more questions, and she wasn’t in the mood for peeling back that part of her life like an old scar.

Gabriel took out her phone from his pocket and handed it to her, the screen lighting up again in his palm.

“It’s buzzing nonstop,” he said quietly.

Elisa took it, fingers steady but her chest already tightening. 

Two days. New York.  

She stepped back from the hum of conversation and the clinking of cutlery as everyone filtered toward the long table. Laughter mingled with the scent of garlic and rosemary. Scott had taken Sofia’s hand and was helping her climb onto Isabel’s lap while Cora was handing out plates.

Contract?

Three million. Richard Crowe.

“Hijueputa.” 

“Elisa.” Isabel scowled, covering Sofia’s ears.

“Everything okay?” Derek asked.

“Yes, sorry. I just…got a work text.” She showed the screen to Gabriel and he whistled. “They need me in New York in two days. A contract needs to be fixed and our clients are thinking of backing out. They wanted an excuse, you know how these things are.”

Gabriel gently took the phone from Elisa’s hand and, without a word, slipped it back into his pocket where it had been. The unspoken agreement passed between them like smoke—they’d talk later.

Peter stood, the legs of the chair scraping lightly against the wooden floor as he pulled it out for her. “Here,” he said, his voice easy, charming. 

Elisa gave him a tight smile, sliding into the seat between him and Gabriel. Her spine straightened, alert but effortless. “Thanks,” she murmured.

Peter sat back down, pouring her water and she realized that she sat down across from the Argent hunter and his daughter, Allison. The teenager smiled hesitantly at her and passed her the family style plate of roasted potatoes. 

Gabriel took it, thanking her and put some of the food on her plate then his and Isabel’s. Across the table, Chris Argent’s gaze was watchful, polite but not hostile, but far from trusting. 

“Me diste demasiada comida.” Elisa said.

“Oh right.” Gabriel switched his smaller plate with hers and handed the bowl of potatoes to Ken. 

Elisa took the large plate of herb roasted chicken from Peter and pulled two thighs on her plate then four on Gabriel’s. He took the plate and put two on Isabel’s. He grabbed the extra napkin and put it on his daughter’s dress like a bonnet. 

Peter raised a brow, lips twitching. “Is that how you plan to keep her clean?”

Gabriel didn’t look up as he adjusted the napkin under Sofia’s chin. “Unless you want to explain to her grandmother how she ruined her dress. Sofia, no todavía no puedes comer.”

Sofia pouted dramatically, tiny hands already reaching toward the plate in front of her. “You said there would be puppies and dessert,” she mumbled. 

Peter chuckled. “She’s got priorities.”

Elisa smirked as she cut another piece of her chicken. “She gets that from Gabriel.”

Gabriel scoffed without missing a beat. “She gets her stubbornness from her godmother.”

“I’m sitting right here,” Isabel said dryly, sipping her wine. She accepted the kiss on the cheek from her husband as an apology. 

“Isabel, how did you react when you found out about Gabriel and Elisa?” asked Mrs. Boyd.

“Oh wow that was…twelve? Eleven years ago?” Isabel asked and laughed. “That was a lifetime ago. I didn’t find out until Gabriel and I were four months into our relationship. I’d thought he was cheating on me with Elisa.”

Gabriel choked on his wine, coughing hard as Sofia patted his arm like a concerned nurse. “Papa, are you okay?”

“I’m fine,” he wheezed, wiping his mouth with a napkin. “Thank you, mi amor.”

Peter looked far too entertained. “You what ?” he asked, amusement thick in his voice.

Isabel smiled sweetly. “Oh, yeah. I was convinced something was going on. He and Elisa would disappear together, have all these weird conversations, whispering. She would wear his shirt to school and help him with his homework on the bed.” 

“Please stop.” Elisa and Gabriel muttered. 

“One day, I went to their place ready to confront Gabriel and saw this group of men in the apartment,” she covered Sofia’s ears, “torturing them in the living room. When they saw me, they were ready to hit me with a taser until Gabriel transformed and attacked - what I later found out - were the hunters. Elisa shoved me to the bedroom and told me to not call anyone.”

Gabriel’s jaw tightened, his eyes flickering with a shadow of old pain. “Yeah, that was not my proudest moment. And I didn’t want you to see me like that for the first time.”

“Seeing them transform like that - fight like that - it changed everything. Made me realize just how dangerous their world was.”

“So you three have been friends since high school?” Stiles asked, excited. “Nothing changed?”

Isabel chuckled, “Oh everything changed. We studied different majors in college, these two finished a year before me and found jobs.”

“Marriage,” Gabriel grabbed Isabel’s hand and kissed her ring and then, Sofia’s cheek. The little girl giggled and kissed her dad back. “And a kid definitely changed our lives.”

Elisa smiled softly at the sight, her fingers resting on the rim of her mocktail glass. “We’ve gone through a lot. Fought, drifted, came back. But the foundation stayed the same.”

“Even with what you’ve seen?” Allison asked gently.

Elisa met her gaze. “Especially because of it. You don’t survive this kind of world unless you trust the people standing next to you.”

“And threaten them with a spray bottle if needed,” Isabel added with a sly grin.

That got a ripple of laughter around the table. Even Chris Argent’s mouth twitched at the corner, though his eyes remained calculating as they shifted between the trio.

Stiles looked between them all. “Okay but real talk, what’s the secret? Like, how do you stay that close with people when your whole world keeps changing?”

“You don’t leave when it gets hard.” Gabriel answered as if it was the most simple answer.

Elisa raised her glass slightly. “And you never let someone you love fight alone.”

Isabel gasped, “She admitted loving us. It took a year for her to admit we were even friends.” 

Elisa rolled her eyes. There were things that she hadn’t told Gabriel and Isabel about her life but she accepted them as her friends during that first year, it just took a while to admit it aloud.

Next to her, Peter studied her with a look that was difficult to read. Not mocking. Not amused. Something quieter. Sharper. Like he was seeing more than she wanted him to. Elisa looked away and took another sip from her mocktail. 

“And how did your parents handle the news of you being a werewolf, Gabriel?” asked Boyd’s mom. “Did it take them a while too?”

“My parents,” Gabriel cleared his throat and placed his arm around Isabel’s shoulder, “they weren’t as accepting as everyone else's parents here. I haven’t spoken to them in fifteen years.”

“Oh, I’m so sorry.”

He shook his head. “Don’t be. I have my real family here.” But then he frowned and pulled out his phone from his pocket. 

She saw Tia’s name on the screen. But Gabriel pressed the ignore button and put the phone back in his pocket.

“Sabes que no le guesta cuando no respondes sus llamadas.”

“Lo sé y por eso existen los mensajes de texto.” He said to her.

Elisa rolled her eyes. “Tu culpa, tu karma.”

“Man, I need to practice my Spanish.” Stiles commented and leaned forward. “Can you say something in scary Spanish like Ms. McCall does?”

Elisa smirked, the corner of her mouth lifting in amusement. She set down her glass and leaned slightly forward, locking eyes with Stiles across the table.

“Si no te comes la comida, te la voy a meter a la fuerza por la garganta.”

Stiles blinked. “...Okay, that was both hot and terrifying. What did you say?”

“I don’t know. Scott, can you tell him?”

Scott’s eyes widened and cleared his throat. “If you don’t eat your food, I will…force you?”

Melissa nodded. “Same meaning, lose translation. She said if you don’t eat your food, I will force it down your throat.”

Stiles’s eyes widened. “Hot and terrifying.”

“That was in your nice voice.” Isabel chuckled.

Melissa just smiled and patted Stiles on the back. “Now you understand how I raised a True Alpha.”

Gabriel’s phone vibrated in his pocket and he took it out but her phone started ringing in his pocket. He handed the phone to her and got up to answer his phone. She had non stop text messages from Silas, a mutual friend of hers and Gabriel, in the line of work they have with Tia. 

You live in Beacon Hills with Gabriel, right?

Yes. Why do you ask?

Need backup. Here are the coordinates.

It revealed a location about fifteen miles from where they were now and it looked to be at a warehouse.  

Silas what did you do?

I didn’t do anything. Get your asses over here.

You can’t handle hunters by yourself?

Not hunters. They’re part of Richard Crowe’s group.

Shit.

What are the odds that her assignment was in two days and someone else from work was dealing with his goons?

She didn’t believe in coincidences. 

Elisa stared at the message, her grip on the phone tightening just slightly. Richard Crowe. She heard of his name in underground auctions and investing nightclubs disguised as human trafficking. Someone wanted him dead in two days and Elisa was going to complete the assignment.

But his goons were in town. 

She looked up briefly. The room was still warm with laughter and the clinking of forks. Sofia was squishing a piece of bread with intense concentration. Allison was talking to Kira. Stiles was probably still recovering from her Spanish threat. But her eyes scanned for Gabriel and found him standing near the hallway with his phone pressed to his ear, face tight.

She quickly typed:

Sending coordinates to G. I’m coming. Don’t die before I get there.

She reached for a napkin and wiped her hands, catching Peter’s glance as she stood.

“Elisa?” 

“I’m sorry. Gabriel and I have a work emergency. I just got a work text. A client escalated an issue with a contract—they’re threatening to back out. I have to take care of it tonight.”

Derek raised an eyebrow. “And he has to go with you?” 

Gabriel stepped forward, handing Elisa her jacket with quiet authority. “I’m the security consultant for this assignment. If I’m not there, it risks falling through. We won’t get paid for the extra time otherwise. It can’t wait until New York.”

Isabel stood, cradling Sofia in her arms. “So you’re going to New York now?”

Elisa shook her head gently and kissed both Isabel and Sofia on the cheek. “Not yet. We’re going home first to grab our laptops and pack properly. Then we’ll head out. We’ll be back as soon as we can.”

“We came together,” Isabel added firmly, her gaze steady.

Gabriel shook his head, conflicted but resigned. “No, stay. It’s better.”

Melissa offered kindly, “We can drop you off, Isabel.”

“The dinner was meant for all of us to get to know each other because of Elisa and Peter.” Isabel added to Gabriel. “Can’t Elisa go by herself?”

Elisa and Gabriel looked at one another. 

“Tia wants me to go with Elisa,” Gabriel added, apologetically. “I’m sorry amor. I’ll get the back seat out of the car.”

Isabel nodded, her expression quietly resigned as she accepted his quick kiss on the lips. Elisa sighed and jumped slightly when she felt hands on her jacket. Peter was there, helping her slip it on, his fingers lingering just a moment longer than necessary as they brushed down her arms.

“Didn’t realize you’d leave so quickly,” he said, voice low. “I hope it wasn’t me.”

Elisa chuckled softly, fastening the front of her coat. “No. It really is a work emergency.”

Peter tilted his head, searching her face. “You sure it can’t wait until morning?”

She offered him a smile. “Trust me, if it could, I wouldn’t be leaving.”

His lips pressed into a thin line, but he nodded. “Then go. Handle it. But text me when you arrive there.”

“I will,” she said, surprised. 

And for a moment, something unreadable passed between them—quiet understanding, tension, maybe something closer to warning. Then she turned, walking toward the door where Gabriel was already waiting with the car seat in hand.

Isabel stood with Sofia on her hip, watching them go.

“You’ll text me?” Isabel asked.

“Always,” Elisa promised.

Gabriel kissed Sofia’s cheek, then wrapped his arms around both his girls, holding them a heartbeat longer than usual. When he finally pulled away, his jaw was tight, his resolve sharper than before.

The door clicked shut behind them with a finality that left a silence in its wake.

“I’m going to kill Silas,” Gabriel muttered as they descended the stairs of the complex.

Elisa zipped her jacket as the cool air hit them. “You’ll have to get in line.”

Gabriel snorted, unlocking the car. “If he’s still breathing by the time we get there and everyone is dead, I’m going to be pissed.”

They slid into the car, the tension already winding back into their muscles like old instincts snapping into place. The quiet of the dinner faded behind them, replaced by the familiar buzz of adrenaline.

Elisa buckled in, eyes flicking to the GPS Gabriel loaded. The coordinates blinked back at her like a challenge.

“Twenty minutes out,” he confirmed. “Guess we have to be there in ten minutes.”

She pulled her hair back into a ponytail, her voice flat. “Then let’s finish dinner our way.”

Gabriel didn’t respond, but the way he shifted into gear said enough.

The car peeled away from the curb, the hum of tires on asphalt replacing the warmth of laughter they left behind. Streetlights blurred past them in streaks of gold and shadow, Beacon Hills slipping into something older, darker, more familiar.

Notes:

what do you think?

Chapter 10: Nine to None

Summary:

“I stopped bleeding by the way so no need to worry about the house.”
“If Isabel is not mad at us for leaving the party, she will be when she finds blood.”

Chapter 10

Elisa rolled her shoulders once, loosening the tension she’d tucked behind polite smiles and harmless small talk. She reached beneath her seat and pulled out the duffel bag that lived in Gabriel’s car, just in case.

“You think Silas is bleeding out or playing dead?” she asked, unzipping the bag.

Gabriel glanced over. “If he’s bleeding, he deserves it. He should’ve waited.”

“We don’t know why he’s here.”

“It’s related to Richard Crowe. You were supposed to go there in two days but because of tonight, Tia wants him to be taken care of as soon as possible.”

Elisa pulled out her knives, checked each one with methodical precision. “Silas is lucky we were dressed for dinner.”

Gabriel’s lips twitched but frowned. “Isabel is mad at me.”

“At both of us.”

“No - me. I promised that I would give her a heads up before leaving and not last minute like last time.”

“She’ll forgive you.”

“Unfortunately, she always does.”

The car slowed as they approved the edge of the abandoned warehouse complex. It was an old shoe manufacturing home. The sign revealed that it was just bought out. Gabriel parked under a shadowed awning, far away from any camera that might have detected them. He killed the headlights. Elisa handed him a gun and she slipped a blade into the sheath at her thigh. 

They sat in silence for a moment, listening.

No animals. No winds. Just the low hum of danger crawling in the air.

Elisa popped the door open without a word. She inhaled slowly, scanning the area.

Blood. Gun oil. At least ten different scents. 9 human and the other was Silas. 

“Split at the loading bay?” Gabriel asked, voice barely above a whisper.

Elisa nodded. “I take the north side. You loop south. If they’re spread out, we flank. If they’re together, wait for my signal.”

“And Silas?”

“If he’s still breathing, we drag him out by the hair and make him buy us dinner. I’m starving.”

Gabriel smirked. “Sounds like a plan.”

He peeled off into the dark, footsteps silent, body low but Elisa could see his blue eyes brightening in the darkness. She went the other way, shadows wrapped around her like an old friend. 

Every step was calculated. Every breath is a search.

Her entire body adjusted in the shadows, her limbs loose, shoulders low, and her eyes glowed blue as the wolf in her stirred. Elisa crept past the graffiti tagged walls and paint covered towels, her breath even and silent. A door was halfway opened on the side entrance and there were no cameras. She slipped through to the first bottom floor.

Moonlight spilled in long silver ribbons through the high, broken windows, casting shadows that twisted and stretched across the floor. Elisa let her pupils widen, and drank in every sound: the rustle of fabric, the shift of weight, the low hum of someone’s music playing through their headphones.

Idiot move.

He was posted near a stack of old crates, checking his phone and bashing his head with the music still playing. Laziness. She slipped around him and put her hand over his mouth. The blade sliced his throat before he had time to gasp, blood soaking into his hoodie in one hot rush. She lowered him without a sound, let him crumple on the floor, the music still thumping softly in his ear.

One down. Eight to go. 

Elisa crept forward to the stairs. Her boots carefully and quietly stepped on the metal steps as she went up the stairs. A presence was behind her but she didn’t need to look back. She knew Gabriel’s heartbeat as much as he knew hers. He gave a single nod when she glanced over her shoulder, his jaw set tight, eyes flowing. He motioned upward with one finger.

Two down. Seven to go.  

Elisa turned back to the stairs, keeping low as her boots kissed each metal step without a sound. Above, she could hear muffled voices, two men talking, unaware their time was running out. At the top landing, she paused. Gabriel pressed to the opposite wall, waiting for her signal. 

She counted three heartbeats inside the office. One was close to the door. The other two were farther in, pacing slowly. She tapped the hilt of her blade twice.

Gabriel moved first, kicking the door in with a controlled force. The nearest man barely had time to flinch. Elisa surged forward, her knife finding the gap between his ribs, then yanking free with surgical precision. He fell without a cry.

The other two scrambled, but Gabriel was already on them, brutal and fast, all snarling fists and sharp edges. One went down hard, skull bouncing off the corner of the desk. The last one reached for a weapon.

But it was too late.

Gabriel slammed his knee into the guy’s chest, then punched his head back into the wall with a sickening thud .

Elisa wiped the blood off her blade on a torn curtain as silence returned to the room. The stench of sweat, blood, and metal filled the air.

“Four down now,” she murmured. “Where the hell did they put Silas?”

Gabriel stepped over the crumpled body, checking the downed men for comms. “I can smell his scent on this one. He must have gotten rough with him.” He said and pulled a burner phone from one of his pockets. “A professional.”

“Sloppy, more like it. I was hoping for more of a challenge.”

Gabriel paced toward the window, eyes scanning down below. “All their cars are still here and having the guards on the floors…they’re not in a rush.”

“Why would they be?”

“They got Silas. Torture him for information.”

Elisa’s jaw clenched. “He wouldn’t break. You know that.”

She moved to the window beside Gabriel, eyes narrowing at the line up of beat up cars below. They were definitely staying under the radar. Her world bristled under her skin, instincts buzzing like a live wire. Something felt off. 

“No alarms but there are videos,” she muttered. “If they were trying to get information from Silas, they’d panic now and be worried that more people would come knocking.”

Gabriel sighed. “So either they already got what they needed…”

“Or they’re using him to draw us in,” Elisa finished, voice dropping into a growl. 

Elisa took a step back from the window.. Her breathing was steady, but her pulse drummed through her ears. Her wolf wanted out, wanted blood. She was going to get it. 

Then, a sudden, sharp owl shriek pierced the building, echoing through the shadows like a haunting warning. Or signal. 

“Silas.”

They ran. 

Elisa’s boots hit the concrete with a muted thud as she sprinted toward the stairwell, Gabriel right behind her. The warehouse seemed to close in around them with dark corridors twisting like a maze, shadows dancing with every flicker of the failing overhead lights.

The shriek had shattered the eerie calm, and now adrenaline surged through her veins, sharpening every sense. At the bottom floor, voices rose, gruff and panicked, and the heavy slam of a metal door echoed down the hall.

“Gabriel, there they are,” Elisa hissed, sliding into a crouch behind a stack of crates.

He nodded. “Got my back?”

“Always.”

They burst forward just as the door flew open, revealing two men dragging a beaten Silas toward a chair, trying to force a cloth over his mouth. Before they could react, Gabriel was on the nearest one, his fist connecting with a brutal crunch. The second lunged with a heavy bat, but Elisa caught it mid-swing, her fingers crushed the wood. 

She twisted, using his momentum to hurl him into the wall. Bones cracked on impact. The body slid to the ground with a thud, leaving a smear of red on the cracked drywall.

Three left.

Gabriel spun, catching another attacker trying to flank him. He ducked low, then surged up, his shoulder slamming into the man’s chest like a battering ram. The guy flew backward and crashed through a desk, splinters exploding around him.

Across the room, Elisa moved. Another guard raised a pistol but he was too slow. She was already there, jamming his wrist upward as the gun fired into the ceiling. Her claws unsheathed mid-motion and she raked them down his torso. He screamed once before she kneed him in the chin, snapping his head back with a wet pop.

Two left.

Silas, barely conscious, managed to lift his head and freed his hands from the binds. Blood matted his brown hair, one eye swollen shut, but he gave a breathless grin. “Took you long enough.”

“Shut up,” Gabriel said, hauling him to his feet as another round of footsteps pounded down the hall. “Now would be a good way to use that sound of yours.”

“For only two men?” He sounded insulated. 

“Silas.”

He sighed and cleared his throat. “Cover your ears.”

The sound that ripped from Silas’s throat was no scream. It was a raptor’s cry sharpened into a weapon, shrill and violent, blasting through the building like a blade made of sound. Elisa and Gabriel joked it sounded like a raptor from Jurassic Park.

The lights above them flickered. Glass cracked. Somewhere deeper in the warehouse, a pipe burst. The two remaining guards didn’t even make it to the doorway.

One stumbled into the hall, ears bleeding, hands clutching his skull. Elisa launched forward and took him down in one clean, brutal sweep with her blade driving through his thigh and yanking him off his feet. He hit the ground and didn’t get up.

The final man hesitated. 

Hesitation is bad form. 

Gabriel lunged. In a blur, he was across the room, his teeth bared, claws ripping through the man’s body. Blood sprayed across the wall in a wide arc. The man didn’t even scream. He didn’t have the chance.

Silas dropped to one knee, spent.

Elisa crouched beside him. “You good?”

“Need five minutes. Or a Red Bull.”

Gabriel offered his hand and helped them both up. “We don’t have either and I told you that energy drinks are bad for you.”

“Yes, dad.”

No reinforcements came. No phones were ringing. Just silence and the coppery sting of death in the air.

“I need to get to the laptop that’s in that Ford F-150.” Silas said and twisted his broken hand. The bones started to heal. “Richard Crowe’s goons have a list I need to get.”

Gabriel went to the black truck and yanked the door open, his claws leaving shallow grooves in the handle. The interior was trashed with fast food wrappers, loose rounds, and a duffel bag that reeked of blood and gasoline. But on the passenger seat, under a faded flannel, sat the laptop.

He handed it to Silas, who winced as he balanced it on his knees.

“Can you type?” Elisa asked, eyeing his still-healing hand.

“Wolf/owl privileges,” he muttered, flexing his fingers as the fractures snapped back into place. “Hurts like hell, but yeah.”

He powered it on. The screen flickered, old and slow, but still functional. His fingers flew across the keys, sweat mixing with the blood on his brow.

“Richard Crowe has four different laptops. One that’s personal, business, and two that are for his other businesses. I got the other one and this one was what I needed.
“Why were his goons here?” asked Gabriel.

“He decided this place was good to start his other side business. The reason why Tia wants you to go to New York tonight. Richard Crowe is selling women and children. All human, of course."

Gabriel’s jaw flexed. His hands clenched into fists. Elisa’s stomach twisted.

“How long’s it been going on?”

“Long enough for him to build a network,” Silas replied. “He launders the money through shell companies: fake charities, real estate fronts. But this,” he tapped the laptop, “this one was for his East Coast operations. There's an auction tomorrow night in Brooklyn. High profile. Private invitations only.”

Gabriel cursed under his breath. “How many names?”

“Dozens.” Silas handed Elisa the flash drive. “Tia wants you to deliver this to her. She’ll know what to do with it.”

Elisa closed her fingers around the drive. “And you?”

“I’m going with you two to New York but she wants me behind the scenes this time. I had met with Crowe’s broke yesterday. The one that arranges the shipments. A real sick piece of work that sadly fell down the stairs and is in a coma.”

“I would’ve done worse.” Elisa said. 

Silas shrugged. “Tia’s orders were to hurt him but he has to stay alive. Coma is going to get me in trouble tomorrow with her.” 

“I’m sure she would understand.”

“You know Tia.”

Elisa sighed and took out her phone, dialing a number. “Hello Jon. I need a dinner reservation at nine.” 

“ Elisa ,” a voice purred on the other line. “ It is a pleasure to help you as always. Send me the coordinates, please .” 

“Always for the man that uses please.”

Elisa ended the call and slid her phone into her pocket. “Jon will make sure the mess is cleaned up. We should get going.”

“After you,” Silas grimaced. “They totaled my rental.”

The drive back was quiet, Silas was already healed and he kept flexing and cracking his fingers as they approached Gabriel and Isabel’s house. They pulled into the driveway. The weight of the mission pressed on Elisa’s chest, and the cramped silence between the three of them felt thick with unspoken worries.

“I don’t hear Izzy or Sofia.” Silas commented. 

Gabriel’s hands gripped the steering wheel tightly, eyes flicking to Silas in the backseat. “Don’t call my wife that.”

“What? She doesn’t mind it.” Silas complained as they all exited out of the car. 

Gabriel opened the garage door and entered the house through there. “They’re at a friends’ party. I’m going to take a quick shower then pack.”

“I’ll do the opposite and grab a snack.” Elisa said, already taking off her boots.

“I’ll buy In and Out for you two on the way. I promise.” Silas said and leaned against the kitchen counter while Elisa rummaged through the pantry. 

She let out a triumph noise when she found plantain chips that Isabel bought from Food4less. Silas reached for one, but Elisa smacked his hand away. He should know better.

“My food and don’t get any blood on anything. Isabel will rip your head off.”

“Brutal,” Silas muttered, sucking his teeth. “But I like my women savage.”

Elisa scrunched up her nose. “Gross.”

She took a sip of water and relaxed on the couch, one leg draped over the other. The familiar hum of the house settled around them, quiet, warm, deceptively normal. Silas stayed standing, nursing the bruise along his jaw. 

“I stopped bleeding by the way so no need to worry about the house.”

Elisa rolled her eyes. “If Isabel is not mad at us for leaving the party, she will be when she finds blood.”

Silas moved away from the kitchen and looked outside through the closed curtain, pulling it to the side. His eyes scanned their surroundings. Elisa leaned her head and sighed. She could hear the water running upstairs in the master bathroom and she should start her own packing. 

“I’m surprised Gabriel came.” Silas commented.

“What Tia wants, Tia gets.”

Silas gave a low chuckle. “Still, he’s been out of the field for a while. I didn’t think you’d be able to drag him back in.”

“I didn’t drag him. You asked for both of us and Tia knew that.” 

Silas tilted his head, conceding the point with a half-smile. “I figured you’d come. You never could ignore a call like that. But Gabriel? He’s got a wife. A kid. A grill in the backyard. That man was settling into his suburban dad life. How utterly boring.”

Elisa crossed her arms, her expression unreadable. “You were in trouble. Gabriel wouldn’t leave you behind like that. No matter how pissed off he is. You know the promise he made when Sofia was born. But now we know what Richard Crowe is doing…he won’t step back from this.”

“He wouldn’t be the Gabriel I know and sometimes love.”

Elisa shook her head, fighting off the small smile on her face. She and Gabriel have worked with Silas on and off for about six years. What tied them together was one person: Tia.

“After all, we are supernatural assassins.” 

“Why must you add supernatural to that?” Elisa asked.

“Because it’s true. And because it sounds cooler than just assassins.”

“So you think it gives us flair? You do realize no one knows we are killers besides the obvious people and organizations?”

“I think it gives us an edge. Why do you think humans hire us to take care of their targets? They know we can bounce back.” Silas replied and took her bag of plantain chips.

Elisa growled. “Don’t you know it’s impolite to steal food from a -”

Silas raised an eyebrow at her pause. “From a what?”

“A hungry werewolf.” Lame. She knew it.

But she wasn’t about to explain her condition to Silas, not before telling Tia. After all, Tia was the one signing her paychecks.

“I’m going to pack.” She muttered.

She walked into Gabriel’s closet and pulled out the same luggage she’d used when she arrived. From the drawers, she grabbed a few casual outfits and stuffed them inside. Then she reached for her duffel bag, the one loaded with weapons, and zipped it up without hesitation. 

Silas always traveled by private jet, so she never had to worry about airport security digging through her things. He only allowed a body scan, never a bag check. Not that he needed to worry about her or Gabriel.

Elisa grabbed the clothes she was going to change to and headed to the bathroom. She reminded Silas to not get blood anywhere.

“I stopped bleeding and the blood should be dried enough.”

“Don’t care!” Gabriel shouted from the master bedroom. 

Elisa shut the bathroom door and let the quiet settle in. She stared at herself in the mirror for a long moment before tugging off her top and sliding the silk skirt down to the pink mat. A smear of dried blood straked across her side but it was Silas’s, not hers.

Those humans didn’t have the chance to attack her.

She turned on the shower, careful not to knock over any of Sofia’s toys scattered near the edge of the tub. Back in her old apartment, Elisa had a routine: she’d strip off her clothes, run a hot bath, pour herself a glass of wine, and eat a real meal. By morning, a new assignment would be waiting.

That routine gave her a sense of control. But it never washed away what she’d done.

Killing had become second nature. Efficient. Clean. Like pulling a trigger or slipping a blade between ribs. She didn't lose sleep over the targets. Most of them deserved it. She read those files. There were worst people than Richard Crowe.

She was getting paid to do what she was good at, whether it meant holding a weapon, or being one.

Hunters like Chris Argent had their reasons for going after werewolves like her. Maybe some of them were even justified. But Elisa didn’t kill innocents. She killed people who deserved it. People with blood on their hands.

And if anyone ever came after Gabriel or his family, she wouldn’t hesitate to kill them too.

Elisa pulled her hair into a high bun and stepped into the shower. She ran the loofah over her skin, scrubbing away the sweat and grime from the day. Her hand lingered on her belly.

The faint echo of her baby’s heartbeat gave her reassurance. A reminder that something inside her was still soft and innocent. But she was the baby’s mother and that meant a lot of things. 

She had to think about what came after. About the talk she needed to have with Tia. About money. Insurance. Moving in with Peter. And telling him the truth about her work. 

But did he deserve to know? 

He didn’t tell her that he was the one that bit Scott and Lydia. He was the Alpha that killed Kate Argent and the other people that were responsible for killing his family.

Peter carried his own secrets. Bloody ones.

So why should she hand over hers?

…

Peter stood near the kitchen counter, glass in hand, watching the front door click shut behind Elisa and Gabriel. 

The loft felt different without her here. It wasn’t quiet, there were still multiple conversations, laughter, and the clinking of forks and knives but something shifted in the room. 

He sat back down and sipped his wine slowly. 

“Such a shame to leave so soon,” Lydia’s mom murmured. “Does that happen often with their work?”

“Sometimes,” Isabel replied smoothly, guiding a spoon toward Sofia’s mouth. “But Gabriel usually handles it from home. It’s been a while since he had to travel.”

Peter's gaze lingered on the door long after it shut. “And he knew before Elisa,” he said, voice mild but edged.

That detail annoyed him more than it should have.

He watched them leave together, Elisa and Gabriel, side by side, like they’d done it a thousand times before. There was no scent of romantic tension between them, nothing that made his wolf stir with jealousy. What he sensed was older, deeper. A bond layered in history, blood, and survival.

The kind of trust you didn’t build overnight.

The kind he definitely didn’t have with her. At least not yet.

Peter swirled the wine in his glass, watching the crimson liquid catch the light. He didn’t mind earning trust, he’d done it before, with wolves who hated him more than Elisa ever could. 

But it gnawed at him, the way she leaned on Gabriel. The way she chose Gabriel. He wasn’t threatened by it. But he noticed.

And Peter Hale never noticed something without wondering how to use it or how to protect himself from it.

“Yes, Tia must have called him first.”

“Is she Elisa’s aunt?” Melissa asked.

“Aunt by title,” Isabel replied, lifting her glass. “But not by blood.”

Chris Argent’s eyes narrowed slightly. “So she’s…what, exactly?”

Isabel smiled, but it didn’t reach her eyes. “She’s the reason Elisa and Gabriel are alive. They lived on the streets.”

That earned a brief silence. Peter didn’t fill it. He let it stretch, let the words settle.

He hadn’t known that part. He’d assumed there was trauma, of course. You didn’t move like Elisa did, didn’t carry that kind of precision and paranoia, unless you’d experienced it. She was an omega. But that streets? That was different. She and Gabriel definitely earned their ways to earn money and a roof over their heads over the years and to have enough money to go to college.

Boyd’s mom was the one to finally speak, her voice soft. “For how long?”

“A few years,” Isabel said, watching Sofia drink from her cup. “They don’t talk about it much. Tia gave them jobs and gave them an apartment, hence why teenage me thought they were in a relationship and they lived in a small run down apartment.”

Chris’s frown deepened. “So they worked for her out of obligation?”

“No. Love.”

Love.

Not fear. Not debt. Not desperation. 

Peter took a slow sip of his wine. Chris leaned back, contemplative. Melissa and the Sheriff glanced over at their sons. Even Derek, who had said little all evening, seemed to go still. 

“It shouldn’t be hard to explain but for some reason it is. Maybe because I didn’t experience what they did but Tia is Alpa all but in name. She inspires true loyalty and that’s why her business is a success.” Isabel explained. “When you meet her, you will understand.”

Peter raised a brow. “Will I meet her before everyone else?”

“Yes,” Isabel answered. “If Elisa trusts you enough to keep the baby, she trusts you enough to meet Tia. You just don’t realize how high up on the list that puts you. You just need to be patient.”

Peter blinked, caught off guard by the quiet weight of her words. He hadn’t expected reassurance. Not from Isabel. Not like that.

Trust. It was such a small word for something so heavy. And now it sat with him, unfamiliar and sharp. 

It reminded him of that moment in the park with Elisa. 

He had gotten so used to the distrust in the air, he’d forgotten what it felt like to be given the benefit of the doubt. To be seen as something other than a threat. He didn’t believe trust could fall into his lap again.

But maybe it hadn’t fallen.

Maybe—just maybe—he was earning it.

Jackson’s mother shifted in her seat, her voice soft but steady as she asked, “What was it like…being part of their world once you found out? Before you continued the relationship? Was it ever scary?”

Isabel didn’t flinch. She set her glass down carefully, her gaze steady.

“Yes,” she said. “At first, it was. Not because they were monsters. But because they were so good at surviving and lying. I learned quickly that the people who are willing to do anything to protect themselves…are also the ones willing to do anything to protect you. ”

She glanced at Sofia. 

“They were rough around the edges. Closed off. Paranoid. But never cruel. And once you get past the walls and believe me, it takes a while—you realize they were just trying to protect everyone but themselves. Elisa was the hardest part for me. There are still things about her that I don’t know about but I trust and love her. That’s never been a question.”

“Please be patient with my husband and best friend though.” Isabel glanced over at everyone at the table in a steady, gentle voice. “They had experiences with other packs that made them stay as omegas. That kind of hurt lingers. But I can already tell you guys are different. They need this. Elisa’s baby needs this.”

“Do you think they want to be a part of my pack?” Scott asked hesitantly.

“Do you want them in yours?” Isabel asked. “That’s something you have to ask yourself before you talk with them.” 

Scott nodded slowly, the weight of the question settling on his shoulders. Peter took another sip of his wine. The True Alpha was asking the right questions. But Peter wasn’t sure he liked where the answers might lead.

After dinner, the table slowly emptied with the wine glasses drained, plates cleared, conversations tapering into soft murmurs. Laughter still echoed faintly from the living room, where Sofia sat curled up beside Kira and Allison with a coloring book in her lap.

But Peter had slipped away.

He stood out on the balcony, the cold air biting at the edges of his shirt sleeves. The night stretched quiet and dark across Beacon Hills, the city lights flickering like low-burning stars. His phone buzzed in his pocket. He pulled it out and saw her name light up the screen.

Leaving for New York. On the plane now.  

Peter stared at the message for a long moment, thumb hovering over the screen. He did ask her to message him when she arrived in New York, not before.

Thank you for letting me know. Have a safe trip.

I will let you know when we land. I had to buy a $15 burger at the airport. I wish I had the chance to eat dinner with you.

Peter read the message twice. 

Three times.

He didn’t smile, not really. But something in his chest shifted like a window opening to a crack. His fingers moved slowly. 

Should’ve had the casserole. It got compliments. Mostly from me.

Then he slipped the phone back into his pocket and leaned into the wind.

Chapter 11: New York

Summary:

“I’m going to be a father We are not married but we are co-parenting and I want her to move in with me. This house is perfect to raise a family.”
“Should I congratulate you or give my condolences to the mother of your child?”
“Congratulate her,” Peter grinned. “She’s strong, beautiful, and a werewolf.”

Chapter 11

Elisa leaned her head back against the leather seat, eyes half-lidded as the car hummed quietly through the streets of Manhattan. The city flashed past in neon smears, but she didn’t bother looking out the window. She was too tired.

Her limbs felt like sandbags: heavy, clumsy, slow.  The burger she’d forced down at the airport had helped a little, and the crackers and chips on the plane kept her from feeling completely hollow, but the ache in her muscles was deeper than hunger.

She wasn’t sore from the fight.

She was feeling the other symptom of pregnancy - tiredness. She had not expected that. 

Silas was saying something up front, probably cracking a joke. Gabriel responded with a grunt that might’ve been a laugh or just his usual disapproval. Elisa didn’t chime in. She didn’t even open her eyes.

Next time, she was bringing a pillow. And maybe a gallon of juice.

The car pulled into the circular drive of a boutique hotel nestled in the Upper East Side with a valet in a long coat and gold trim waiting by the awning. Snow had started to fall again, light and lazy, melting on contact with the warm ground. Elisa barely registered it.

Gabriel stepped out first, handing their bags to the valet with a nod, while Silas muttered something about sleep. Elisa slid out of the car last, her boots crunching softly on salted pavement. The cold bit at her cheeks, but not enough to wake her up.

The hotel’s lobby was warm, all polished wood and soft jazz, with a fireplace flickering in the corner. She let Gabriel do the talking at the front desk while Silas loitered near the complimentary hot chocolate station.

Elisa stood still, swaying slightly. Her body was done. The plane ride, the warehouse fight, and the baby that was her quiet passenger inside her. It started to weigh her down. 

A keycard was pressed into her hand. “Third floor. Room 3D” Gabriel said, gently. “Go on ahead.”

She nodded once and moved toward the elevators, one hand brushing her coat against her belly like a silent check-in. She was safe. They were safe. For now.

The elevator brought her to the third floor and she stepped out into a quiet hallway, carpet muffling her footsteps. Soft light glowed along the ceiling, warm against the cold that still clung to her bones.

Room 3D opened easily, heat greeting her from inside, the space calm and dim like it already knew she was tired. Elisa dropped her duffel by the dresser, shrugged off her coat, and sat on the edge of the bed.

She hoped the tiredness would fade as part of her pregnancy symptom because the need to sleep for days was not part of her routine. She wanted to shower to wipe off the plane smell and sleep some more.

But she made a promise first.

Elisa took out her phone.

Landed. We made it to the hotel safe and sound. 

Her fingers hovered over her phone, unsure if she should write more. But three little bubbles appeared.

Good. How was the flight?

Fine. Gabe snored.

How are you feeling?

Tired. No more nausea for now.

You should go to sleep. 

I will. How was dinner?

Not as entertaining as I had hoped. 

No bloodshed? 

Unfortunately. 

Elisa chuckled. 

You should go to sleep. 

Okay. Good night.

Good night.

Elisa set the phone down and stood, peeling off her clothes with slow, deliberate movements. Her body protested every step, but the lingering smell of the plane clung to her skin, the recycled air and jet fuel was too much. Even dulled by exhaustion, her senses refused to ignore it.

Even if she was human, she wouldn’t sleep without taking a shower. 

She padded into the bathroom and turned the shower on hot, steam filling the space almost instantly. The sound was grounding. Familiar. Safe.

As the water warmed, she caught her reflection in the mirror: tired eyes, shoulders slumped just a fraction more than usual. She rested a hand briefly against the counter, then against her belly, exhaling slowly.

Just a shower. Then sleep.

The spray hit her skin, washing away the grime of travel and adrenaline. For a few precious minutes, there were no missions, no Crowe, no questions waiting in New York.

Only heat. Only water. Only breath.

And when she finally stepped out, wrapped in a thick white towel, her body felt heavy in the way that meant sleep was no longer optional, it was inevitable. She changed into her pajamas, put her wet hair into a bun, and crawled into bed still warm from the shower, hair damp against the pillow.

This time, when sleep took her, she didn’t fight it.

…

Morning came quietly.

Elisa stood in front of the mirror, the city muted behind the thick hotel windows. She looked more like herself now, awake and steady, even if exhaustion lingered. She tugged on dark jeans, followed by a fitted black long sleeve shirt, then shrugged into a long black overcoat that brushed her calves when she moved. Her curls were braided back neatly, practical and tight, keeping them out of her face. 

A knock sounded at the door.

She crossed the room and opened it to find Gabriel standing in the hallway, a paper cup of hot chocolate in one hand. He wore a gray long-sleeve shirt under his black leather jacket, his expression calm but alert—the look he always got before things went sideways. 

They glanced at each other, both noticing the coincidence. Matching black boots.

“Breakfast on the go, ” he said, holding out the cup.

She took it, fingers wrapping gratefully around the warmth. “You’re spoiling me.”

“Doctor’s orders,” he replied dryly. “Mine basically. Don’t worry, Tia will have the real breakfast ready.”

She smirked and took a sip, the sweetness cutting through the last of the fog in her head.

“Silas up?” she asked.

Gabriel nodded. “Annoyingly so.”

Elisa stepped back into the room, pulling the door wider. “Then let’s not keep him waiting.”

She took one last look at herself in the mirror before turning away.

Ready or not, Tia was waiting for them. 

…

The waiting room smelled expensive.

It wasn’t exactly the smell of cleanliness, but curated. Polished wood, fresh citrus, and something faintly floral, like money spent to make people feel calm while difficult things were decided behind closed doors. The leather chairs were soft but structured, the kind meant to remind you that you were a guest, not in control and in your own home.

Peter sat with one ankle crossed over his knee, phone resting loosely in his hand as he scrolled through nothing in particular. He’d already read the same email twice. Across from him, Derek leaned back in his chair, arms crossed, jaw tight. He’d been watching Peter longer than he’d admit.

“You’re doing it again,” Derek muttered.

Peter lifted his eyes from his phone. “Doing what?”

“You’re checking to see if Elisa has texted you,” Derek said flatly. “When she obviously hasn’t.”

Peter locked the screen and slipped the phone into his pocket with deliberate calm. “I wasn’t checking.”

Derek scoffed. “You’ve refreshed the same screen six times.”

Peter arched his brow. “Seven. Consistency matters.”

Derek shook his head. “She’s in New York. She said she’d text when she could. It’s only been a couple of hours.”

“She’s carrying my pup. I have the right to worry.”

“She literally told you that she was having breakfast with her coworkers.”

“An hour ago.”

Derek rolled his eyes.

Peter sighed. He would’ve preferred if his nephew wasn’t here with him but the broody man insisted. They both wanted to find out about the home that his dearly departed sister never mentioned. Thalia always kept her secrets close and it seems even in death. 

The office door opened, and a man in his late fifties stepped into the waiting room, tailored suit immaculate, eyes sharp behind wire-rim glasses.

“Mr. Hale,” he said, nodding once to Peter, then to Derek. “Mr. Hale. If you’ll come with me.”

Peter rose smoothly. Derek followed.

“How are things with you, Miles? It’s been a while.” Peter said as they stepped inside his office. 

Miles Hawthorne closed the door behind them and gestured toward the chairs opposite his desk. “Looking at you Peter it hasn’t been long enough.”

“I missed you too.”

“Thank you for seeing us on such short notice, Mr. Hawthorne,” Derek said as he sat down.

Miles inclined his head, already moving behind his desk. “Given the circumstances surrounding the estate, I felt it best not to delay.”

“So why did my sister buy the house? And who is paying for the cleaning?”

Miles chuckled and adjusted the papers on his desk. “You haven’t changed a bit, Peter. You either want answers now or you would wait till someone gives them to you.”

“She bought a house, Miles. My other siblings had their own homes and Laura was in college. Who was the house for?”

The lawyer lifted his eyes and stared directly at him. “You.”

What?

“What?”

Miles didn’t look away. “The house was purchased in your name. Quietly. Through a trust fund.”

Derek frowned, leaning forward. “Why?”

Miles folded his hands atop the desk. “Did Thalia ever mention certain pack laws she still followed?”

Peter crossed his arms. “She mentioned a lot of things. None of them involved real estate.”

Derek’s frown deepened. “What pack laws?”

Miles inhaled and exhaled slowly. He was human but was born to a werewolf family. He knew the supernatural world as intimately as Dr. Deaton did, and like the vet, he chose his words with care.

“Did Thalia mention to you, Peter, about marriage? More like…if you were ever interested in marriage?”

Peter’s brow furrowed. “Marriage?” 

Derek shifted beside him, clearly caught off guard.

The lawyer’s gaze kept steady. “Arranged marriage.” 

Peter gripped the arm chairs, carefully to not let his claws come out. He was in control and not some pup. “What did my big sister do?”

“You were promised to another werewolf from a very powerful family. You had met them before. This is old pack law.”

“I don’t understand,” Derek frowned, leaning forward. “Why would my mother do that? We didn’t follow old pack laws. She had always said they were barbaric and in the past.”

“That was because she was a female alpha that wanted to branch away from those laws.” Peter answered. “They didn’t benefit her ideals…except this one. Why me?”

“It’s like you said: your other siblings had partners.”

“Get to the point, Miles.” Peter growled. “I don’t want riddles.” 

“Thalia believed the pack would be in danger,” he said evenly. “Not immediately but eventually. And she knew Beacon Hills alone wouldn’t be enough to withstand it.”

“So she wanted allies.” Derek said softly. 

“Yes,” Miles replied. “Allies far from this county. Far from California. Packs with influence and great resources.”

Peter’s eyes narrowed. “And she chose me as the bargaining chip.”

“She chose you because you were strong enough to handle it. She hadn’t meant to but you were born. It was either you or Laura.” 

Silence stretched.

“She met with the family three times,” Miles continued. “Once through intermediaries. Once over the phone. And the third time was when they came to Beacon Hills. The agreement was never finalized, only prepared because your bride was underage. The contingency was filed, sealed, and hidden.”

Derek leaned forward. “Who were they?”

Miles hesitated. “A legacy pack. Old blood. Old power. The kind that still believes in pure lineage and long memory.” 

Those were words that didn’t sound like a family but a formal pack. 

“Who were they?” Peter asked, his voice gone cold. 

“They were willing to offer protection and territory access in exchange for a bond that would tie your pack to theirs permanently.” 

Peter rose from his chair in one smooth motion, the room suddenly feeling much smaller. “And you expect me to believe my sister did all this out of love.”

Miles’s eyes softened, close to pity. “No. She did it out of fear. Fear that one day, when you needed help most, there would be no one left standing beside you.”

Peter’s chest clenched. It didn’t make sense. He was always alone. 

“Who were they?” 

“The Montaya Pack."

The name hung in the air as if saying their name brings a heavy and dangerous spell. Peter knew the pack. They were an old pack. A legacy pack with deep ties to the supernatural world and influence that reached far beyond any single territory. Powerful. Calculated. Not the kind that needed to prove strength because it was already assumed.

Derek frowned. “They came to see us? When?”

“You probably wouldn’t have remembered, Derek, because you were so young. It was February 1998.”

Peter’s jaw tightened. That was a long time ago but he remembered meeting the pack members that week. They had practically visited every day. But he had no memory of meeting a potential bride. No introductions. No negotiations that felt personal. 

They were just there…visiting.

“You said that my bride was underage.” Peter said, slowly. “Why did Thalia make an agreement at all then?”

Miles didn’t answer. He looked like he aged a few more years. “Your intended bride was the Alpha’s daughter,” he said carefully. “But she wasn’t his legitimate child. She was recognized privately, but not publicly acknowledged.”

Derek scoffed, “Seriously?”

“She was fourteen,” Miles continued. “Thalia believed that once the girl turned eighteen, she would move with your family. That the arrangement would become…official.”

The implication settled heavily in the room.

Peter’s voice was low. Controlled. “So my sister agreed to bind me to a pack that wouldn’t even claim their own child.”

Miles met his gaze. “She believed the legitimacy could be corrected because the father clearly loved his daughter and he had planned to make her legitimate.”

“But?”

“The girl ran away later that year.” 

“What was her name?”

“Catalina.”

Peter glanced at the window. The name was unfamiliar and he couldn’t put a face to the name. How could he? He met her once but if she was that young, she would’ve spent her time with his nieces and nephews, not hovering anywhere near him. At most, she’d been a shadow at the edge of the room. A child.

“It doesn’t matter anymore, does it? My intended bride ran off and we never had the protection of the Montaya pack. So this little history lesson means nothing to me now.”

He turned back to Miles, expression unreadable.

“I have a house now,” he added. “What do I need to do?”

“Thalia set conditions,” Miles replied, sighing softly. “The house transfers to you upon marriage or the birth of a child. Those terms were written into the contract.”

Derek’s brow furrowed. “But Catalina disappeared years before the fire. And my mother kept funding the property. Why?”

Miles hesitated, fingers pressing lightly into the papers on his desk. “Perhaps she believed the girl would return.”

Silence followed.

“Or,” Miles added carefully, “she believed the condition might be met another way.”

There was the loophole that he needed. 

“I’m going to be a father, Miles. We are not married but we are co-parenting and I want her to move in with me. This house is perfect to raise a family.”

“Should I congratulate you or give my condolences to the mother of your child?” Miles asked, amusement in his eyes.

“Congratulate her,” Peter grinned. “She’s strong, beautiful, and a werewolf.”

The lawyer only smirked and handed Peter the papers about the property. He would think back about the arranged marriage for another time. It’s been years and it shouldn’t matter now but his sister did things for a reason, no matter how illogical he found them to be. 

“Who kept funding the home and the cleaning company?” Derek asked.

“A family member from the Montaya family,” Miles answered. “He had hoped…that his niece would return and if she did, she would have a new home waiting for her.”

“Now that I am getting the house, he should keep his funds. Perhaps look for the niece that ran away.” Peter hinted. 

“Why did she run away?” Derek asked.

“That is something only the Montayas know or perhaps, don’t know.” 

…

The elevator opened directly into the penthouse.

Polished marble floors stretched beneath their feet reflecting the soft glow of recessed lighting that ran like constellations across the ceiling. Floor to ceiling windows framed Manhattan in glass and steel, the city spread below them in glittering precision—traffic threading through avenues like veins of light. Everything was curated. Intentional. Expensive in the way that never tried too hard.

But the heart of the space was the kitchen.

They walked deep to the far back of the penthouse and found the two people they needed to see.

Tia stood behind a custom stone island, sleeves rolled to her elbows, a black apron tied neatly over a fitted blouse. Her dark hair pulled into a slick bun. A copper pan hissed softly as she stirred scrambled eggs flecked with tomatoes and onions, the aroma rich and comforting and it was an act of defiance against the cold elegance surrounding her. 

Toast was arranged in perfect rows beside small porcelain bowls of sauces, salsa roja, chimichurri, and sliced avocados, as if breakfast itself were a strategy meeting. 

Leon leaned against the counter nearby, broad shoulders rigid beneath a black T-shirt and an absurd Kiss the Cook apron that looked like it had lost a fight with his reputation. The contrast was almost funny. Almost. His eyes tracked the three stepping inside the kitchen.

“Elisa,” he said, voice low.

She stepped forward without hesitation and kissed his cheek. “Missed you.”

Leon grunted but didn’t pull away. “You look tired.”

“Haven’t been sleeping well.”

He grunted and accepted Gabriel’s kiss on the cheek but glared at Silas. “You failed.”

“I didn’t fail my mission.”

“These two saved your butt.”

Silas squawked. “Why are you so mean to me but not Gabriel? He hasn’t been on a mission in a while.”

Elisa rolled her eyes and walked behind the counter, waiting for Tia to put down her spatula. “Hola Tia.”

“Elisa, mi nina.” She kissed her cheek and wrapped her arms tightly around her. The younger woman felt the kiss on the top of her head and hugged the older woman tightly. 

Tia pulled back slightly, hands already at Elisa’s shoulders, assessing. “Estás demasiado flaca.”

Elisa huffed softly. “I’ve been busy.”

“Mmh,” Tia murmured, unconvinced. “You’re eating. No arguments.”

“You will find none from them.”

“Y Gabriel? Dónde está mi saludo?” Tia asked with her hands on her hips.

Gabriel didn’t hesitate. He jogged over and wrapped her in a tight hug, kissing her on both cheeks. “Aquí, Tia.”

She clicked her tongue fondly and squeezed him once more before letting go. “Mijo, estás muy flaco también. Qué les estoy pagando para que se maten de hambre?”

Silas opened his mouth.

Leon shot him a look. “Don’t.”

“Bueno. Enough standing.” Tia announced and gestured to the plates. “Set the table, por favor ninos. Gabriel gets the utensils and napkins. Leon, the toast. Silas, the orange juice is in the fridge, get the glasses. Elisa, help me put the food on the plates.” 

They scattered without argument.

Gabriel moved first, quick and quiet, pulling out silverware and lining it up with military neatness. Leon grabbed the toast, his expression unimpressed as he took off his Kiss the Cook apron. Silas sighed dramatically but obeyed, rummaging through the fridge for juice and glasses.

Elisa stayed beside Tia, taking plates as they were passed to her, spooning eggs onto them while the older woman watched her with careful eyes. By the time everyone took their seats, breakfast was no longer just breakfast.

It was a meeting.

“I’m glad you two were able to help Silas last night. I hope it wasn’t too much trouble.”

“Not at all, Tia. We got your message. We answered.” Gabriel answered, grabbing a piece of toast and putting his eggs on top of it.

Elisa nodded, taking a measured bite before speaking. “Crowe’s men were sloppy. Overconfident.”

“They were definitely surprised by these two.” Silas murmured. 

“You shouldn’t have gone inside the warehouse without them.” Tia scolded. “That was the point. But instead you thought you could take them on your own without back up.”

The table fell quiet.

Tia turned her attention back to Elisa and Gabriel, her tone shifting, not softer, but steadier. “You did what you were supposed to do. You adapted. You extracted him.”

Then, without missing a beat, she looked back at Silas. “Next time, you follow instructions.”

“Yes, Tia,” Silas muttered.

“Good,” she said, finally taking a sip of her coffee. “Now tell me everything Crowe is planning in New York.”

“He has an auction in Brooklyn tonight. Women and children in different parts of the world that arrived this morning on the docks.” Silas informed and pulled out his phone. Different missing reports in different languages. “All human but if they get bought from certain people, they will either become dinner or worse.”  

Leon growled. 

“Crowe caters to his clients’...taste.” Silas grunted and put his phone away. “Private invitations only. High profile buyers.”

“Is that going to be a problem?” Leon asked.

“Not at all. Elisa and Gabriel got their invitations under different aliases.”

All eyes turned to Tia.

Gabriel set his fork down. “What do you want us to do?”

Tia folded her hands on the table, posture relaxed but immovable. “You attend the auction,” she said calmly. “You observe. You identify buyers, handlers, routes, and exits.”

“Elisa,” Tia continued, her gaze sharpening, “you stay visible. Buyers will notice your beauty right away, make sure to sit close enough to the front stage and match the missing person you see. Gabriel, you stay close but not too cliche police are on stand by.”

“And Crowe?” Elisa asked.

Tia’s lips curved, cold and precise. “Take care of him before the police do. But we do it smart and we do it clean. Understood?”

…

Elisa finished adjusting the straps of the black evening jumpsuit, the structured bodice settling securely against her chest. The fit was deliberate and it was built to hold her steady while she moved. The wide legs skimmed her hips and thighs, falling straight and fluid, elegant enough to pass for a gown when she stood still.

She lifted the amber wig from the dresser and slipped it on, fingers smoothing it into place. The color softened her features just enough to make her unfamiliar but expensive and forgettable in the way buyers preferred. 

Not Elisa Morales. Not the woman who can kill anyone with a gun or her claws. She was just another beautiful body in a room full of people who thought beauty meant ownership.

She barely recognized herself in the mirror.

“You look good.”

Gabriel stood behind her, already dressed in his tailored black suit, crisp white shirt, and dark tie. They matched in black boots; hers elegant and reinforced and his polished and lethal.

She met his gaze, expression calm. “You look like you’re about to ruin someone’s night.”

“That’s the plan. Ready?”

Elisa grabbed her clutch. “Let’s make sure that no one leaves happy.”