Chapter 13

NATASHA POV

"Son of a bitch!" I shouted, noticing Scott run for me at the corner of my eye. I jumped in my car and skidded out of the car park, earning looks from just about the entire campus but right now I couldn't care less.

All I cared about was ripping that bitch's throat from ear to ear and watch the colour fade from her eyes. An eye for an eye.

The trees whizzed past me as I sped twice the speed limit, daring any cops in the area to catch me.

How dare she, wear his bracelet like it was some sort of trophy for another kill.

Skidding to a stop in my driveway, I launched out the car with force, not even bothering to shut the door behind me. I headed straight for the shed, and began to pack my pants with pocket knives, daggers, and even began to load Zach's favourite gun.

"What's wrong?" Derek's asked.

I spun around in a fright, but he could still very well see the anger in my face. I made no effort to hide it.

"Where the hell did you come from?" I retorted, turning back to what I was doing?
"Ï decided to take up your offer, you know the food and shelter one?"

Derek cautiously edged closer, and attempted to touch my arm. I was boiling over from so much pain, that I spun around and punched him square in the face.

"Get out of my way!" I screamed,

Although taken off guard, Derek recovered quickly. This time prepared, he forcefully held my shoulders and looked me in the eyes,

" .Wrong?" he demanded in a deep, harsh tone.

We were both taken out of our tense embrace by Stiles' truck skidding to a stop next to mine and both he and Scott quickly emerging.

Ï know it's bad, but try to stay calm." Scott soothed.

Was he serious?

"Calm down?" I laughed, shaking myself out of Derek's hold, "CALM DOWN?"

Scott's eyes grew wide, realising that he said the wrong thing.

"Will someone please tell me what is going on?!" Derek shouted, frustrated,

Well let me enlighten him, I thought, "Scott's wonderful girlfriend's aunt Kate,"
I spat her name as much as I could, "has decided to stay a little longer."

Derek shifted uneasily as I said Kate's name, sparking curiosity in me but it was quickly doused.

"She was wearing Zach's bracelet," Stiles said uncomfortably,

"That doesn't mean she killed him," Scott defended

"Don't be so naive! You recognised her voice the minute she spoke. Just like I did" I shouted, tears beginning to well up in my eyes.

Scott's eyes flickered to the ground. He knew I was right.

"Okay so fine, she did it, what are you going to do?" Derek stepped in. I could see he was sympathetic, but he would try to talk me out of what I was going to do.

"Kill her." I sated matter-of-factly, walking to my car.

"What? You can't do that!" Scott shrieked trying to jump in front of me.

"Why not? Will it ruin your little fling the oblivious Alison? You must be so stupid to think that she will never become one of them. She'll probably be the one to kill you." I spoke to him with such venom, he was taken aback. He was silent. Hurt even.

"Isn't this what you wanted?" I attacked him. He stepped back, but I kept pushing forward.

"You don't want me apart of your life and that is fine by me. Sorry the wrong sibling died!" I screamed.

"Now now, Tasha, Your being melodramatic."

I halted and everyone turned to the woods to find where the voice came from. That smooth talking voice was one of the last people I wanted to see right now.

But sure enough, a topless, casual walking, smirk wearing Ethan strolled out from behind a tree.

Derek and Scott phased immediately, growling and claws the ready.
"Oh shut up," he rolled his eyes," You both are really quite pathetic."

He stopped about 20 feet away from me, looked me up and down and sighed,

"You always lot your temper over the smallest of things." He smiled.

It was like he just punched me in the gut, "You have no idea what just happened."

"Actually yes I do. I was watching." Ethan crossed his arms.

"And you call that nothing?!" I breathed.

"In the bigger picture yes. Your acting irrational, and your little killing spree will no doubt end up with these two," he pointed to Scott and Derek," following you and I can't allow that to happen.

You need to focus, you have no plan, no skill, and you are too emotionally compromised to pull this off without getting caught."

"No skill? I quipped. I dropped my bag of weapons to the floor. I would show him 'no skill'.

I walked directly in front of him, and allowed my body to be taken over by emotion. Ethan returned my challenge with a grin and bared his claws signalling game on.

"Oh no, no, no," Stiles begged, keeping his distance. "One of you stop her. Remember last time?"

Both Derek and Scott went to intervene but Ethan halted them.

"Boy's if you don't mind, this is a family matter. If you get in the way I'll rip an arm off,"

"And if that doesn't stop you I'll rip your head off." I added.

I knew Ethan's threat would mean nothing to them, so I backed him up in when it came to intervening.

"Tasha." Derek said softly, I could hear the pleading in his voice.

"Like he said this is a family matter." My cold rejection told him to back off, in which he did, and in turn so did Scott.

"Just keep an eye on the fight; we are not having a repeat of last time." Derek stated

"So we are really letting his happen?" Stiles asked

"Apparently." Scott grumbled.

And so the was an audience, as Ethan and I began to stalk around each other in a circle, Ethan tempting me to attack first,

"Going the Brax method this time?" Ethan taunted," You've always been Josh's style. No brain, just full speed ahead. I personally wouldn't go Zach's method. Didn't work out so well for him do it?"

That was it. I lost it the moment he insulted my twin as if he were a nobody.

I ran for him and lunged for his throat with one of the pocket knives in my pants, but I was blocked by a cocky Ethan. I tried again, this time trying a false punch to distract and aimed for his gut. He winced as the knife sliced through one of his abs, and I smiled. I wanted more.

Ethan became more forceful and together we engaged in blocks and attacks, no one getting the upper hand.

Our problem was that we had trained together, we knew each other's fighting style and so the only thing that could separate us was the difference in physical strength, which unfortunately, didn't swing, my way.

"Why don't you tell us what's really going in that painfully complicated head of yours?"

"He is dead because of you! I screamed, "You killed him!"

Ethan was taken off guard. I could see that that comment had stung him. Taking this opportunity, I fly kicked him to the ground. "You are the reason we are in this place, you are the reason for everything to do with Scott, and my family is dead," I panted sporadically, the cold wind burning my airways. I was so exhausted. Ethan could have easily fought back, but for a moment his charade was broken.

His eyes were full of pain, and his body looked defeated. Not physically but emotionally.

"I'm still here." He spoke softly. He could have easily fought back, but instead he stayed on his knees and allowed me to use him as a punching bag.

"You killed innocent people. After we took you in and mom protected you like her own, you turn around and use her pack as a pawn in your quest for power!"

Each word aided a blow to his body. I could feel my body reaching the point of exhaustion, but my heart was controlling my head,
"My whole life I just wanted to be like you all. Be like my brothers, like my family. But instead I am stuck with being a pathetic little girl, who always had to be protected. One by one I watched my family die. Your mom and dad, my mom, Josh, Brax and now Zach. There is no one left."

I realised I had stopped hitting Ethan long enough for him to heal. I felt my body crumble and I collapsed onto my knees.

"I have no one" I whispered.

There was nothing but silence, as I began to weep uncontrollably.

Warm hands wrapped around me, and I half expected them to be Derek's but the scent was wrong.

"You are not alone" Ethan hugged me. This was him. The real Ethan. My cousin.

I wrapped my arms around his neck and Ethan lifted me into his arms. Feeling safe, I let my body give into the exhaustion.

Finally.

DEREK POV

Somehow, against my better judgment, I retracted my claws and allowed Natasha and Ethan to fight it out. There was just something about Ethan, the way he was baiting her, made me think it was for a reason.

My nerves were on edge as they fought it out for what seemed to be ages, and so many times I wanted to just jump in. But as Ethan continued to bait her, I realised what he was doing.

It was a distraction. To stop her from doing what we all knew would be a suicide mission. Killing Kate.

Kate, I thought. Her name made me feel dirty and I could feel the anger and disgust boil inside of me, but I had to keep a lid on it.

"He's doing this on purpose," Scott commented. I nodded to confirm his thoughts.

"Since when does he care?" Stiles asked. I had to admit it was a good point.

The fight continued until Tasha executed a spectacular fly kick sending Ethan to the ground. For someone suppose to be human, she sure had a lot more superhuman abilities than she gave herself credit for.

But that's when it started.

Natasha began shouting things so personal, you could almost see the words cutting her body. Her life was such a mystery, like the scars on her body, the murdered family, I wanted to know everything.

"I am alone" she screamed falling to her knees.

Well that stung more than I cared to admit.

I looked over to Scott, to see the guilt plaguing his face, and to Stiles who looked like he was about to burst into tears. It was if those words cut all of us.

She burst into tears, and my body instinctively moved to hold her. But Ethan had beaten me to it.

"You are not alone." He soothed, and picked her up like a child and carried her into the house.

"Jesus," Stiles exhaled, "That was intense."

I nodded in agreement, walking into the house. Scott and Stiles followed me to the living room, where we all collapsed on the couch. I rubbed my face in my hands, thinking the question I knew the other two were.

"So is he like good now?" Scoot asked

I shook my head, "Definitely not."

"Then what the hell was that all about?" Scott asked back, "Because I'm not sure what just happened"

"He did it for her," Stiles pointed above to the second floor, "He knows how to press her buttons."

"I always have." Ethan said from behind.

I had sensed him coming down the stairs, so he didn't startle me. Stiles on the other had, almost flew through the window.

"Where is she?" I asked

"Sleeping." He answered and headed for the door.

"Why now, do you decide to be her family?" Scott accused.

Ethan stopped at the door. We all knew he had no reason to answer, but he did.

"I have my own reasons for my actions, but despite this war zone we have created. I will always be here at her time of need."

I couldn't help myself. If Scott could get an answer than why couldn't I? This seemed to be the right time, as Ethan seemed just as emotionally drained and us,

"The scars on her back," I asked, "and the burn mark on her shoulder, what happened?"

I was aware of the quizzical looks from Scott, Stiles, and especially Ethan. He stared at me, his eyes practically screaming out how I knew about those scars when she hid them very carefully.

He was sizing me up. After a moment of deliberation, replied.

"It was 5 years ago. Hunters had recently entered the city in which we had peacefully lived in for 2 years."

Ethan joined us in the living room and continued. "They watched everyone in that town for months. Brax decided that it was time to leave, so we were packing up when Tash left to get food for the road. She's was a punctual woman. Never late a day in her life, so when she missed the deadline we knew something was up. Turns out they had been onto us for a while."

"Why did they take her. Why not one of you." Scott asked

"They thought she was the alpha." I answered. Derek nodded.

"Despite her humanity, she had a power of us boys. Any one of us would bend over backward. She trained the hardest out of any of us. But she was never good at hiding her emotions. She wears her heart on her sleeve which is why she became a target."

"What happened to her?" Stiles asked his voice quiet.

"Took us four days to find her. We were all very close, but her brothers, well they went crazy. Brax especially. He felt the most responsible. She had left a scent trail, something their mother taught us. Touching a tree, with blood especially, made a trail easily followed. We found her in a well, were of course, it was a trap. They tried to capture us but they were mediocre hunters at best. I was the one who pulled her out. Her face was like a ghost. We killed most of the hunters and left their leader alive but Josh chucked him down the well."

"You left him to die?" Scott asked.
Ethan shot him a glance to say what else would they do?

"How did you find out what happened to her?" I asked trying to get Ethan's story back on track.

"She said nothing for days. One night, Zach had walked past the bathroom and seen her wounds, Josh tried to get it out of her but she said nothing. Fed up, we went back to the hunter stuck in the well.

"You read his memories" I guessed.

"Not me, Brax. He had the most control.

"We knew it was bad the moment he stuck his claws in the guy's neck. Brax said it was if he was the one hurting her." Ethan closed his eyes and in hailed keeping his breath even and calculated.

"They hung her from chains around her hands, and beat her senselessly; they tortured her with knives, electrocuted her and burnt her with fire. They knew she couldn't withstand that much pain and not phase, and in turn knew she wasn't a werewolf. So they continued to torture her to get information on us. She never said a word."

I couldn't keep a straight face, and turned my back to hide me emotion. Pain, anger, hurt, love. How could I be so conflicted about one woman?

"How did you get her back to normal?" Scott asked.

"We didn't. She has never been the same since. We all thought she hated us. We thought she thought it was our entire fault. Brax couldn't stand it and one day, he challenged her. He taunted her, made her fight. Until she reached the point of exhaustion and couldn't hold it in any longer."

"Like you just did" Stiles commented. Ethan nodded.

He laughed to himself, and shook his head, "We thought she despised us, but turn out the stupid girl, despised the fact she wasn't us."

"Why the hell would she want to be a werewolf?" Scott scoffed

"Because then she too would be hunted." Said out loud. Ethan nodded.

I suddenly all made sense. She wanted to be hunted because it increased her chances of getting killed. Despite protecting werewolves, she was still human, and unless provoked, a hunter would never kill her. She wanted to provoke Kate, because Tasha knew she would either get revenge or be killed. Just like her family.

Ethan watched as all the pieces came together and we all now understood her breakdown.

"Now you know why I stopped her." Ethan said, turning o leave.

"What happens tomorrow?" Scot asked Ethan.

I wondered the same thing. Would Ethan still be the family member or the enemy?

"You better watch your back." Ethan grinned, closing the door behind him.

Scott and Stiles left an hour later. That was a lot of stuff to process, but to be honest, I loved being left alone with my thoughts.

My mind reeled over this afternoon, and I sort of wished I never asked about the scars. It angered to know what she's been through.

But I couldn't help but be mad at her for saying she was alone and especially for wanting to be hunted.

Have I ever given the impression I hated her? I thought I gave quite the opposite impression.

I don't have sex with women I don't care about, well for the most part anyway.

I deliberated on whether or not I was creepy to watch her sleep, but I decided to do it anyway. Her breathing was calm, even and rhythmic.

Her scent was intoxicating and once again I felt myself hungry for a taste.

My knuckles where white as a balled my hands into fists, resisting the urge of waking her up and take her right now.

I wondered how she would be in the morning. Would she pretend that nothing happened, or will she be depressed?

I allowed myself to fall asleep, against the wall across her bed. The close proximity was enough for now.

I woke up to the sound of a kettle boiling, and I bounced up to find the bed empty and made.

I walked down to the kitchen where I could hear her shuffling around. I grew nervous, not knowing what to expect.

"You know if you're going to stay here, you take the spare room, not my bedroom floor." she quipped almost normally. I grew confused as I noticed she was fully clothed for work.

"I must have been more tired than I thought." I said stretching my sore back,

"Or I'm just light on my feet." She retorted. I smiled at her banter, and the little tiny smile she spoke with.

Her face turned serious within a second.

"I realise I overreacted last night, I'm sorry you had see that. And I'm also a little confused about that whole thing with Ethan."

"Pretty sure we all are." I said honestly

"No doubt he'll be back to his proud self today though."

"That's what he said," I reassured her.

She nodded and went back to making her coffee. I walked over to her, and stood directly behind her,

"You are not alone." I said forcefully, but softly.

My arms had spun her around, and she was facing me, staring up into my face with a confidence I hadn't seen for a while.

"I know." she said strongly.

We stood there for what seemed an age, when she suddenly crashed her lips to mine. I reacted instantly, and pulled her against my body, one arm around her waist and the other keeping her head firmly glued to mine.

Her hands slid under my shirt and my body tingled with her touch. A little sound left my throat and she reciprocated and dug her nails into my back. I broke apart, and hissed, throwing my head back in excitement. I was momentarily distracted, by the ticking clock.

"You need to leave." I said,

She looked at the clock and smiled. Grabbing her travel mug of coffee she scooped up her bag and left for work,

My erection was bulging and sadly wasted. I sighed, and sat at the kitchen table, trying to calm myself down.

TBC

A/N haven't updated in a while, so let me know what you think :) Review!