The Wolf Within

Summary: Having a pack was nice, having her family together would be nicer but Sydney was well aware that things weren't going to be easy when it came to piecing her life together. This was Beacon Hills after all… Season 6: Peter Hale/OC

Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters of Teen Wolf, Sydney however is all mine.

Chapter 1:

The preserve was quiet, too quiet for Sydney's liking, but she wasn't afraid; this was what she was made for, this was what she was good at and no matter how threatened she felt on the inside, she would never show it on the outside. She had a pack to take care of, a pack to lead, and she wasn't going to let anything bad happen to them, they were her family, they were her friends, they were who she lived for.

But being out in the forest all by herself was starting to feel creepy, she didn't like it, she didn't know who, or what, was lurking behind the next turn, yet she couldn't back down. This was her territory to defend, it was hers to protect, and that's exactly what she planned to do, no matter what was out there. She was an alpha werewolf, a damn strong one at that, she could handle nearly anything.

Pausing in the middle of the trail she was on, she bent her knees slightly and whipped her head around, peering over her shoulder and trying to figure out where the threat was. She knew it was out there somewhere, she knew she had to find it and take care of it, but she didn't know exactly where it was, or where it was going to come from if, and when, it decided to attack.

With her ears perked and listening intently, she took a single sidestep towards the forest, moving away from the trail. If she could maybe try to blend in to her surroundings, if she could hide herself long enough to get a lead on the threat, then maybe she could get ahead of it, she could catch it before it had a chance to hurt her, or anyone else for that matter.

Sydney crouched down, her back pressing against the rough bark of one of the larger trees mere feet from the path. She tipped her head up and locked her eyes on the moon, which was glowing bright in the darkened night sky. Inhaling a deep, silent breath, she steeled herself for what she was about to do, what she had to do.

This was on her, she couldn't get anyone else to help her, she didn't want to involve anyone else, this was what she, as an alpha, needed to do.

As swiftly as she could, her back remaining pressed against the tree, she rounded her body so that she could get a better look at what was out there, maybe she'd luck out and catch sight of it, maybe she'd be able to lock her werewolf eyes onto movement of some sort, or maybe she wouldn't be able to locate it at all.

Pressing her lips together, she lifted her hand up, her palm running up the jagged edges of the bark, which coated the trunk of the tree, and she felt her nail catch on a piece of the wood covering. She pulled her hand away and forced out her claws, pressing them into the tree trunk instead, piercing the outer shell.

It was a small victory against the tree, but the small motion had made her feel better almost instantly. She flexed her fingers and peeled her claws out of the bark, then she leaned forward and pressed the tips of her fingers into the ground, feeling for any vibrations traveling through the forest floor.

Cocking her head sideways in confusion, she waited a few seconds, hoping that something, anything, would give her a hint as to where the threat had gone, but there was nothing but absolute stillness surrounding her, paired with complete silence. It was so quiet that she could hear her pounding heart loud and clear, but Sydney wasn't afraid, no.

She was on the hunt and this was something that she was particularly good at.

Slowly and carefully, she rose up to her full height and opened her jaw slightly, her razor sharp canines coming out as she did so. She could feel the pointed tips of her teeth and knew that whatever was out there was no match for her. This was what she had been working for, this was what she had been training for, and nothing was going to stand in her way.

At the distinct sound of a twig cracking, fairly far away too, Sydney's body tensed and she whipped around to the right, taking off in a run.

Tree branches and stray foliage bit at her skin as she darted through the brush. Rocks and anomalies in the forest floor were no match for her long, purposeful strides, and before she realized where she was going, she erupted from the trees, her feet landing right in the middle of the clearing, not too far away from the very Nemeton that had seemed to cause her so much pain in the past.

Sydney stood still, taking in the sight of what was around her. Why would the threat lead her here, why would it have brought her to the one place that so many things wanted to keep hidden away?

She balled her hands into fists at her sides, careful of her claws, and cautiously took a single step forward, moving ever so closer to the so called magical tree stump in her line of sight.

Was this a trap? Was this meant to distract her?

Sydney narrowed her eyes on the visible rings of the tree and brought out her alpha red irises, hoping that they would help her locate exactly what she was looking for. She could feel the pull of the stump but she rolled her shoulders back and twisted her hips, starting to make her way around it instead of towards it.

Focusing on her breathing, she brought in a huge breath of air, let it fill her lungs and then exhaled, even going as far as to let her eyes fall shut, her remaining senses, sound and smell, trying to lock onto the presence of the threat.

Her body went rigid and she dropped to a crouch, planting her hand on the spongey clearing floor before the very threat she had been looking for came flying through the air, barely missing her at all.

Her eyes popped open and she watched as none other than Derek Hale landed on the ground a good ten feet from her, rolling his body so that he came to a crouch position that matched hers. He raised an eyebrow at her and tossed her a knowing smirk.

Oh yeah, it was on now.

Sydney pounced, throwing her body in his direction but he leapt out of the way, her feet planting into the ground before she had a chance to collide with it. She maintained her stance though, turned right around to lock her glowing red eyes on him and she couldn't help but grin at the sight.

He had his own glowing blue eyes out, his teeth were just as sharp as hers and his claws were very evident on his hands, which dangled at his sides, his fingers twitching ever so slightly with anticipation.

"Alpha, Derek, remember that." Sydney called out to him and ran a hand through her hair carefully, pushing it back and out of her face.

"Right Syd, but I'm the one that can go full wolf, remember that?" He hollered back at her and she scoffed.

Okay, so maybe he had a point, maybe he was a step above her in the werewolf shifting hierarchy, but that didn't mean she wasn't still a strong, smart, capable individual, plus, she was the alpha, not the other way around. Just because he could make himself shift completely didn't mean he was a better werewolf than her…right?

"Which will be all the more embarrassing for you when you're pinned to the ground with my claws at your throat and you're screaming that I win…again." Sydney jeered and took a step to the right, Derek matching her movements as they began to circle each other.

"You're only up by one fight Syd, I'd say we're pretty evenly matched." Derek countered, a knowing smirk on his face.

While it was true that the two of them had been werewolves for the same amount of time, which was all of their lives, he definitely had an advantage growing up. While her grandparents tried to hide her werewolf side for many, many years, his family had embraced it, taught him everything they knew, and Derek was right, they were pretty evenly matched.

And that was what bothered her so much. She wanted to be the best, she wanted to be the clear winner all the time, she wanted to deserve her position as alpha. It wasn't like she had gotten the status in an evenly matched fight, no, she had snuck in, made a deal with the demon wolf and had walked out of there with not only an ally, but a new status within the pack.

Then, when Peter had forfeited his spark to save her life…well, she didn't want to think about it, she didn't want to think about him.

There was so much that he didn't know, so much that she wanted to tell him, but he had been gone for far too long and she knew that she wouldn't be able to trust him if and when she laid eyes on him again.

The best she could do was train, to prepare herself for the worst case scenario and build her pack with people that she loved and trusted; after all, she had someone more important to look out for than herself, she had Bruin, tiny little baby Bruin.

"It's so nice to finally have someone challenging to train with." Sydney smiled and tipped her head sideways, making a point of letting her canines return to normal. "I'm glad you decided to stay here."

"Right now it's still on a temporary basis." Derek pointed out. "But I think we make a decent team, plus you've got quite the pack already. The twins, Charlie, hell, even Isaac is doing a lot better than-"

"When you were his alpha." She cut him off, her eyes twinkling. "Yeah, he's a good kid, can't say I was sad to see him move into the loft with you though. God knows I can't deal with two hormone riddled teenagers, especially when I've got my own kid to worry about."

Derek seemed to relax at her words and he raised his hands in surrender, stepping closer to her as he reverted back to his full human form, eyes, teeth and claws disappearing. She matched his movements with her own and when they were standing just a few feet apart, she lowered her gaze to her feet and crossed her arms over her chest.

"Bruin's going to be fine." Derek said softly, reaching a hand out and running it over Sydney's bicep in a soothing manner. "I will admit I'm a little concerned about her turning out to be like her father, but you and I both know that no one in your pack will let that happen. I'm here for you, always, even if I'm not physically here for you."

"Yeah but…" She trailed off and brought her eyes up to meet his. "Derek, having you here, having you nearby, it…it seems to calm me. I don't know what I'd do if you left."

"You don't have to worry about that for a while Syd, I'm not going anywhere any time soon." Derek reassured her and she closed the remaining distance between them, tucking herself against his chest as his arms came around her, holding her against him. "You just tell me if there's ever anything I can do to help you. I know I left Beacon Hills once but you're my best friend Syd, I'd do anything for you and Bruin."

She let out a soft sigh and shut her eyes, simply basking in the feeling of having her best friend right there with her. She didn't want him to go, ever, but she knew that the time would come when he'd have to leave. He'd eventually end up with a family of his own, at least that's what she hoped for, and when that time came, she'd let him go.

It would sadden her, it would break her heart, but she knew Derek deserved to be happy, he deserved to have someone to love just like she did and maybe one day he'd have kids of his own, kids that would be best friends with Bruin.

"She adores you." Sydney let out a chuckle at the thought of how easily her baby girl had grown accustomed to Derek being around. "I think it's because you're a Hale."

"That would make sense."

"I should've fallen in love with someone better." She sighed and felt Derek's hold on her tighten ever so slightly. "I wasn't doing anyone any favours when I shacked up with your uncle."

"Well, that's not entirely true. You saved some other oblivious female from getting involved with him. I think women everywhere owe you a thank you." He joked and reluctantly loosened his hold on her. Sydney crossed her arms over her chest and stepped away from him, moving closer and closer to the edge of the forest. "We can hold out hope that one day, maybe Bruin will meet her father and she'll have the capacity to change him."

"I didn't." Sydney argued. "I couldn't change him and I'm-"

"You're not his daughter Syd. Can I tell you a secret?"

She watched Derek carefully as he stepped towards her, his eyes falling to the ground as he moved. She watched him as his shoulders relaxed, she watched him as he sauntered away from the Nemeton, hell, she could tell in his walk that he seemed more at home than he had in a long while.

He was comfortable here, he was comfortable with her and her pack, and he was comfortable with Bruin. Derek was a life saver, he was just what she needed at the time, and she wasn't about to just let him walk out of her life as quickly as he had walked into it.

"I saw the way Peter looked at you, I saw the way he was with you. Syd, as much as you don't think you changed him, I'd be inclined to disagree. I've never seen that man love anything other than himself, but the way he looked at you…if anyone stands a chance at getting him to change, it's you and that little girl back at the house."

Sydney nodded her head in understanding and hoped that Derek was right. As much as she wanted to believe that he was a changed man, she knew that there had been a time when he had chosen power over her, and lost both. The last time she had laid eyes on the man was the night that he had been dropped off at Eichen House.

He had never met Bruin, he hadn't even known about the possibility of her existence, and he didn't have any chance to meet her. Peter Hale, as far as Sydney was concerned, was a selfish bastard who deserved everything he got.

But that didn't mean she didn't still love him with almost everything she had.

"If I ever see him again, I'm going to beat him to within an inch of his life." Sydney murmured.

"Good, I thought that's what we were always training for." Derek let out a chuckle and she shook her head in amusement.

"You got jokes now Derek." She snorted but it wasn't hard to see that his plan had worked. She was laughing right along with him, thankful that she had a friend like Derek in her life.

"Come on, why don't we head on back to your place, I wouldn't mind seeing my adorable little cousin Bruin."

"Yeah." She nodded. "Still getting used to that…you and her technically being cousins…"

"Me too Syd."

She extended her hand towards him and he threaded his fingers between hers, holding it tight. She started to move back towards the edge of the brush, Derek following her lead as she moved. She straightened up just before stepping into the overgrown forest and turned back to take one last look at the haunting image of the Nemeton.

She took in a deep breath through her nose and felt her entire body tense up. Her muscles started to cramp and her stomach began to knot, everything in her insides throbbing at the scent.

She let go of Derek's hand and doubled over, wrapping her arms around her and trying desperately to keep herself upright. This wasn't right, no, something was wrong, something was oh so very wrong.

"Syd?" He moved to stand next to her and set his hand on her back, drawing out any pain that he could, but his veins didn't turn black, they didn't change at all. Whatever was hurting her wasn't something that he could take away.

"It's…" She struggled to get the word out and she opened her mouth, fighting with her lungs to get oxygen into them. When she finally managed to suck in a deep breath, she felt her entire body relax at the feeling and within seconds she was back up to her full height, a determined look on her face. "Derek…"

"What is it Syd?" He pressed, his voice calm even though she knew he was thrown off by the whole ordeal. "Are you good? Do I need to call the twins or-"

"No." She shook her head, cutting him off and lifting her hand up, pressing her palm against her chest, directly over her heart, which was pounding so hard she feared it might explode. "Derek…I think…"

"What Syd?" Derek leaned in towards her and offered her his hand, the very hand that had been on her back. She gently pushed it away and tipped her head back, her eyes staring at the dimming sky above her.

It couldn't be, now, of all times…no…it wasn't fair, it just wasn't fair.

"I think…" She trailed off again and sniffed the air, letting the all too familiar scent settle in her nose.

"Syd." Derek said, this time a little more firmly than before.

"Peter." She whispered.

Before Derek had a chance to say another word, Sydney broke out into a run, her entire body disappearing as she headed into the forest.

All he could do was follow her and hope that everything would be okay.

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Well, here's the start to season 6, let me know what you guys thought about it, pretty please?