And, after a ridiculously long hiatus, I'm baaaack...! So sorry to have disappeared. There was a lot of real life going on, I'm sure you understand. Well, I hope you enjoy this chapter I've been working on for forever! Let me know what you think :)

"And here I thought you hated animals."

I can't help but smile as Deaton comes into the lobby of the veterinary office and sees my companion. The brown pitbull mix had been lurking outside of the office scavenging the garbage cans when I had arrived, but is the picture of obedience now, sitting next to my feet and looking up at me expectantly. I shrug a shoulder and wave a hand.

"Occasionally I feel a little bit of a connection to my canine brethren," I comment dramatically before shaking my head. "Nah, I found him outside looking for food. Figured he might have a microchip." Deaton unlatches the counter door, signaling or me to follow him into the operating room. The runaway dog walks next to me and then follows Deaton to the back room where the cages for the animals are kept. When Deaton returns, I've settled onto one of the plastic chairs he has for visitors.

"How are you, Conner?" he asks. "Last I heard, you were taking Jackson to his parents' grave." He crouches behind the observation table and lifts a box onto it. I shrug a shoulder.

"That was a bust. All I managed to get out of that was an angst-ridden Jackson and an equally uptight Kanima," I admit. "I'm starting to think I'm going to have to contact his ex girlfriend and try to get some information from her."

"You mean Lydia?" he clarifies. I grunt in confirmation. "Are you sure you want to involve anyone else?"

"She's the one who brought Peter back from the dead," I remind him. "If you ask me, she's already involved." He seems to agree, but doesn't press the topic anymore. We both know that reaching out to anyone else is a final resort.

"So, I feel I have to ask again: how are you doing?"

Then there's that subject.

"It's been…. Heavy," I answer with a sigh, dropping my head back. "Allison's mother's funeral was yesterday." I cross my arms and focus on a poster on the wall to avoid looking at him. "The whole thing just brought back a lot of memories."

"Of losing your mother," he finishes for me. I nod, still unable to make eye contact.

"I hate funerals." I laugh humorlessly. "Who's even good at funerals, anyway?" I run a hand through my hair and shake my head. "My mom's was a mess. My dad was too drunk to make it, so I had to give the eulogy. I don't even remember what I said, just that I was a mess."

"You don't mention your family much," Deaton points out. I nod. "Why is that?"

"Because it's depressing," I answer with a smirk. "As if my mom dying wasn't enough, they abandoned me, the day after my birthday, no less."

He stops what he's doing and looks at me. "Isn't that coming up soon?"

"End of summer," I correct. He nods.

"Any big plans?" I raise a brow and he laughs lightly. "I see. Well, there can't be too much going on by then to not celebrate, even a little?"

"Allison is obviously distraught about her mother," I begin. "There are rumors about a man hunt for Derek, so I need to be alert in case the pack has to disappear. Chances are things aren't calming down for a while, so I'm not making any plans yet."

"I'm sure you can manage something," he insists.

"The anniversary of abandonment? No thanks." Wanting to get to the point of the visit, I take a deep breath. "Do you have any new Kanima info, Doc?" I prompt, removing my jacket to get comfortable. I've had my fill of depressing subjects for the day.

"Some," Deaton confirms. "Your father brought me something quite interesting." He opens a file on the examination table, and motions for me to join him. I lean my elbows against the table and read the pages he's laid out for me to see. If I'm not mistaken, they are the pages from the Argents' bestiary describing the Kanima, as well as similar pages, but written in English, not archaic Latin.

"Another bestiary?" I ask. He nods.

"Yes, your family's," he replies, earning a surprised look from me. "The Blackbirds' bestiary contains many more details about the Kanima than the Argents', and has been updated more frequently. I found something that I wanted to discuss with you regarding your current situation.

"As you know, the Kanima is an instrument of vengeance," he begins. "The Kanima doesn't have will of its own, and so it seeks a master to give it purpose." I nod. This, we all know already. "The master, however, can't be just anybody." He pauses, reading over the script. "The master must be someone with a strong sense of justice, or a thirst for the vengeance the Kanima can provide."

Oh.

He gathers up the papers as I shift uncomfortably, not happy with the turn this conversation has taken. He looks at me without judgment, but I already know the warning is coming. "I know that you said you wanted to find a way to help save Jackson, but I must warn you. If you are planning on using Jackson for a personal vendetta, you should reconsider. The bond changes you, too."

"I'm not," I quickly state. "I don't have a vendetta." When he remains unconvinced, I sigh and run a hand through my hair uncomfortably. Great, I'm going to have to explain myself. He waits the moments it takes me to gather my thoughts, his calm eyes focused on my face, analyzing and reading me like a book.

"Look, the vendetta the Kanima was attracted to… It has to do with my mom," I start, dropping my hand onto the examination table. "Steven, the man who raised me, killed her and made it look like a car accident. Peter told me, Keelan confirmed it, and his Alpha status proves it beyond a doubt." I lower my head, focusing on a spot of light reflecting off the metal table. "I should want him dead, and in a way, I really do, but… I can't be the one to do it."

The admission is difficult, but I take a deep breath and power through. "I wish I could see the situation clearly when it comes to him, but I've never killed someone before. I can't start with my father." I look up at the vet and shrug a shoulder. "So, yeah. Vengeance isn't an issue, considering I'm too much of a coward."

"Choosing not to kill does not make you a coward," Deaton states. "It makes you brave." I can't help feeling unconvinced, but I don't press the subject anymore. Fortunately, at that moment, my phone rings, so I don't have to. "It's Roy," I say by means of an excuse before answering. "Hey, Roy. I'm here with Deaton, and you're on speakerphone."

"Conner, where are you?" he demands. I frown at the urgency in his voice and stand up.

"At Deaton's office," I reply. "Why?"

"You need to disappear, now," he orders. "Allison told her family about you, and they're out for blood. A group of hunters will be at the vet's office in five minutes." My stomach drops. I've been dreading this moment ever since Roy and I began playing this game, and it's here. This is it. I look up at Deaton and he nods.

"I'll stall them when they get here."

"I'll drive home and grab my emergency bag," I add. "It has money, papers and weaponry."

From the sound in the background, he's driving, and quite fast. "Don't leave town yet, just disappear," he advises, "and don't drive. The Argents are watching all roads out of town and tracking your truck and cell phone, so leave them and go underground for now."

"I'll run instead, then. What about you?" I demand, hurriedly pulling on my jacket. Deaton gathers up the information on the Kanima and hands it to me. "Thanks Doc, I owe you one." I snatch up my phone and run out the back door of the office. My apartment is very close by, so if I run, I should get there before they even arrive at the vet's.

"I need to get something from my house, and then I'll disappear." I open the passenger door of my truck and grab my backpack from the floor, stuffing the paperwork into it and slinging it onto my back. "Where are you going?"

"You said I have five minutes, right?" I ask.

"Four now," he confirms.

"Once I get my bag, I have to find Derek and warn him," I answer. There's no point in lying to Roy about my affiliation with Derek anymore: the cat's out of the bag now. "I'll stick with my pack after that."

"If they're in the rail station, I doubt that place will be safe after tonight, so get them out of there," he warns. "I'll find you when this is over."

Once he hangs up, I throw my phone at the floor and stomp on it. Once I'm certain it's broken, I take off running, transforming so that I can run on all fours. Figuring if there is ever going to be a situation that justifies calling on the Kanima, this is it, I send out a message to Jackson on our link, urging him to meet me at my apartment immediately. He's not going to be happy about it, but one thing's for certain: if the Argents know I'm a werewolf, it won't be long before they figure out I'm the Kanima's master, and both of our lives will surely follow that discovery if we aren't careful.

As he settled on the branch outside of her window, Peter thought of how grateful he was that the girl had left her apartment window open. He'd spent the day watching Scott and Derek in hopes of piecing together what he'd missed while he'd been underground, but with little success. So now, he found himself waiting for her to get home in the hopes that the beta would provide him with information or, at the very least, some form of entertainment.

It didn't take long. Within ten minutes, he saw her bolt out of the woods on all fours, moving fast even for werewolf standards. She reared up onto two legs once she reached the parking lot and ran up the stairs, rushing into her apartment without even bothering to turn on the lights. Breathing heavily and even growling, she pulled a stuffed duffel bag out of the closet and slung it over her shoulder, then surveyed the apartment.

"Two minutes," she mumbled. "Guns, guns, guns…" When she reached under the bed where she normally left her guns, she emerged empty-handed. "The hell…?"

The front door slammed open and the apartment was flooded with light. In a matter of seconds, hunters filled the space, all of their weapons fixed on Conner. She backed up to the window with her hands up. "Damn," she muttered. "Not two minutes."

Peter watched with wide eyes as the situation quickly escalated to one he had definitely not been expecting. Under orders from one of the hunters, she put her duffel bag on the ground and dropped to her knees with her hands up.

"Don't fire," someone ordered from the hallway. The hunters parted to allow Gerard and Allison Argent to enter and face the target. Allison cocked her head to the side and smirked.

"Looking for these?" She held up a shoulder holster with two guns fastened into it, eliciting a growl from Conner. Allison seemed unfazed, but then again, there were easily ten guns focused on the offended party, giving her a very clear advantage. "We fed Roy false information. We've been waiting here for you the whole time."

"Smart," Conner growled, her voice dripping with spite.

"I assume you know why we're here," Gerard began, taking a step forward. Conner laughed darkly, but didn't respond. "Allison has brought some… interesting information to us."

"I'm sure she has," Conner muttered, barely loud enough for Peter to hear.

"It has come to our attention that you have been spying for Derek Hale and his pack," Gerard announced.

"That's a lie," she stated loudly. "You're the one who pushed me to infiltrate the pack. Everything I've has done has been under your orders."

"Yes, everything except getting yourself turned into one of those creatures and joining his pack," Gerard shot back smoothly. "Now, you're going to tell us where Derek and his pack are hiding, or I'll be forced to push my hand," Gerard warned, his tone calm, but heavy with the laced threat. When she didn't respond, he nodded at one of the hunters.

Not even a second later, an arrow zinged through the air and shot Conner in the shoulder. She cried out in pain and turned away, seemingly to cradle her shoulder, but Peter saw her eyes glow yellow from the window. She was still trying to keep her cover, but why? They clearly already knew what she was! She grit her teeth and dropped to her knees, the embodiment of pain on the living room floor.

She was acting.

No...

She was stalling.

"Gerard, don't do this," she warned through gritted teeth. Peter could clearly smell the blood pouring out of her shoulder, and knew from experience that the beta was going through a good little bit of pain, but judging by her heart rate, not as much as she was letting on. Conner's hands began to shake and she took several deep breaths, seemingly trying to calm herself. After a few moments, she looked up from the ground to Allison. "So, this is what your mother would have wanted?" she challenged quietly. "For you to go around shooting other hunters, looking for revenge?"

"It's not revenge. It's justice," Allison corrected. "And she would have wanted me to be strong. We will show no mercy to those who would kill our own."

Allison stepped forward and pointed her crossbow at Conner. "If you want to get out of this alive, I suggest telling us where Derek is, or I'll have to hunt down the rest of your werewolf pack and get the information out of them the hard way."

A tense silence settled over the room and Conner lowered her head in resignation. Her body started to shake, and for a moment, Peter thought she was crying. Then, the breathing turned into chuckles, which escalated into full-blown laughter. She threw her head back, let out one last laugh, then sighed contentedly.

"Cat's out of the bag, huh?" she said, swiftly pulling the arrow out of her shoulder and cracking her neck. She let out a hiss of pain, shook it off, and grinned. "Figures it wouldn't last."

The lights suddenly went out in the apartment, and everyone fell silent. Some of the hunters' guns had red pointers trained on Conner, but she didn't move an inch. Peter heard her start to chuckle again, and couldn't help the creeping feeling crawling up his spine. This was it. She'd been stalling, and now, something was about to happen.

The door opened silently and a shadow slithered into the apartment, unnoticed by any of the hunters. Suddenly, one by one, each of the hunters jolted with pain, swatting the backs of their necks. Allison was the first to realize what was happening, but by then, it was too late.

"It's the Kanima!" she yelled, just as the Kanima slashed at the back of her neck. By the time Gerard and Allison were hit, the hunters were crying out, turning on flashlights, and firing into dark parts of the apartment in attempts to take out the creature. Peter watched with amazement as, one by one, despite their best efforts, the hunters started to fall to the ground, paralyzed from the neck down. One of the last hunters to tumble fired instead at Conner, but she dropped to the ground in time, and in under a minute, the entire room of hunters had been neutralized.

Conner waited a few seconds after they all collapsed before getting to her feet. Peter watched with shock as the Kanima slithered up next to Conner, finally clearly showing itself. He'd heard about the creature and had caught short glimpses of it, but had yet to see it stand still. It watched Conner with rapt attention as she inspected her healing wound, making sure she was intact. Once assured, it took a step back and began surveying its victims, crawling over the fallen hunters and inspecting them.

"You're the Kanima's master," Peter breathed in disbelief. She didn't hear him, thankfully, and crouched in front of Allison, pulling her guns out from underneath her.

"This has all gotten so out of control," she said conversationally to the paralyzed huntress. "All I wanted was for everyone to be safe. But you had to go after Derek, and rat me out in the process. You're going to regret making an enemy out of me."

The Kanima whined quietly, a sound that was apparently a signal, because it caused her to stand up abruptly. Giving the creature a nod, she grabbed her backpack, duffel bag, and guns, and sprinted out of the apartment, not being delicate with the hunters' bodies on her way out.

Peter didn't wait to watch what the hunters did next, and jumped out of the tree to the ground. By the time he reached Conner, she was making her way towards the woods and muttering orders to the Kanima. It took off at her nod, and it wasn't until he took his keys out of his pocket and shook them that she noticed her was there.

Shock, anger, disgust, confusion, he'd expected.

Annoyance, however? That one caught him by surprise.

"Not right now," she warned, holding up a hand as she stepped further back. "I can't deal with you." He stepped forward anyways, ignoring her plea. The fact that she wasn't trying to kill him was a good thing; it meant there was still a chance that things could go according to plan.

"How about a lift?" he suggested. That seemed to pique her interest. "I already know where Derek and the rest of the pack are hiding, and it would be unfortunate if they caught you before you managed to warn everyone." She glared, and he smiled. "Come on. I'll be a gentleman."

She looked between him and the car he'd moved next to, conflicted, but very clearly tempted. A second later she growled in frustration, giving up on her hatred for him in favor of survival. Making it a point not to look at him, she ran up to the car and threw her bag into the back seat before dropping into the passenger seat herself.

Peter didn't wait for her to change her mind; in the past five minutes, the girl had gone from being a necessary distraction to a priority, and he wasn't going to let her out of his sight again.

"Derek! Isaac! Erica! Boyd!" I call into the rail station, hurrying down the stairs. Peter is lagging behind to give me a chance to explain the situation to Derek, but I put him out of my mind and focus on the task at hand: warn the pack, and find someplace to hide. Erica and Boyd don't respond, but Derek and Isaac immediately bolt out of their respective subway cars and meet me in the common area. It looks like they'd been getting ready to turn in for the night, but are alert and ready by the time I reach them.

"What's wrong?" Derek demands. "Is it the Argents?"

"They know about me, they're out for the pack's blood, and they're going to find us if we stay here," I explain in a rush, stopping just in front of him and dropping my bags to the ground. "Allison wants you dead, and will catch and torture anyone who has information on how to find you." I look around, searching for the other two betas. "Where are Erica and Boyd?"

"They left a few hours ago," Isaac answers. At my questioning look, he shrugs a shoulder. "The last I heard, they were trying to find a new pack."

"Seriously?" I exclaim. "Don't they know how dangerous it is to be caught alone right now?" I growl and shake my head. "Forget it. Look, we just need to get the hell out of here. They're closing in on our location, and we're not strong enough yet to fight them all off on our own. Even with the Kanima, and Peter—"

"What about the Kanima?" Derek interrupts with alarm.

"Oh nothing much," comes a voice from the staircase. "Just that she controls the Kanima, and that I'm here." I close my eyes and vow to kill Peter Hale the next chance I can get. When I open my eyes, Derek is looking at me with a confused frown, not understanding. He looks from Peter to me, thrown by the fact that I brought his homicidal uncle here, and that said uncle claims I'm controlling the Kanima. I hold up my hands and implore him to not overreact yet.

"It happened the night of the full moon," I explain. "I blacked out, and didn't find out until the next day what had happened. I've been trying to sort it out, but so far it seems that, for now, I control Jackson, and now the hunters know it, too."

"Which brings us to our next concern," Peter continues. Derek growls and steps forward, but I put a hand against his chest, holding him back. We don't have time to fight right now. "Conner. They know she controls the Kanima, and that makes her a target. Allison has put a mark on Derek, which has all of the Argents and their hunters looking for you two. So, this means…?" He pauses, hoping we'll finish his statement, but Derek is too suspicious to even really speak to Peter now, and I'm too livid. "Come on Conner, you should have figured it out by now. You're going to have to use the Kanima to take them out."

"That's out of the question," I immediately object. "I will not use Jackson to kill. Every life on his hands pushes him farther and farther away from the person he really is, and besides, I ordered him to hide outside of town." I turn back to Derek. "Derek, we need to go."

"Or we could fight," Peter prompts. "Unless you're too worried about hurting his feelings in the process." Now it's my turn to lunge at Peter, but Isaac holds me back, already well tuned into when I'm going for blood. Peter doesn't budge, focused on Derek. I look at my Alpha imploringly, but he isn't looking at any of us.

Why isn't he shutting Peter up yet?

"You control the Kanima?" Derek asks quietly. "So, it does exactly what you ask it to?" Seeing where he's going with this, I glare and don't respond. Peter grins, thinking he's won.

"It took out a room full of hunters in under a minute," Peter recalls, moving forward to join the trio. "She didn't even need to verbalize what she wanted him to do." Derek growls, warning him that he's pushing his boundaries, and Peter respects it and steps back to his corner. I pull away from Isaac and stand up to my full height, inches from Derek.

"I pushed for Jackson to get the Bite," I remind Derek quietly, "but you gave it to him. I can't force you to hold yourself responsible for that, but I hold myself responsible for my part." I turn to Peter. "Now, let me provide you with some insight into how this Kanima thing works. Its previous master was Matt, a teenager with a grudge against the swim team and Isaac's father for letting him drown. I brought him back with CPR, which is the only reason it didn't kill me, too." I pick my bags up and sling them over my shoulders. "A few days ago, I killed the same guy I saved, and now the Kanima mine." I hear Isaac shift uncomfortably next to me, and though he turns to hide the change in his expression, I know what he's thinking. He's shocked that I'm a killer. Honestly, so am I, but I don't have time to think about that right now. "I'll give you three chances to guess which older Argent with a grudge would like nothing more than to gain control of Jackson the same way I did."

"If we go in as a pack, we'll be strong enough that you'll be safe," Derek reasons. "Conner, this is the first chance we have to beat them!" I shake my head.

"This isn't about me, it's about the risk being too great for everyone," I insist, though I'm starting to see that there's no point in arguing. Bracing myself for his reaction, I take a deep breath. "You can't force me to use him, and I won't. Today was a life or death situation, and he was used defensively only." I laugh. "I did it to save myself and buy us time, time we're wasting standing around talking!"

Getting the hint, Isaac makes his way to his room to pack, but Derek stops him. "I didn't say that we're leaving," he states. Isaac looks between Derek and me for a moment.

"I'm going to trust the hunter expert with the Kanima on this one," he reasons simply. "No offense, but I'd rather not die." Derek opens his mouth to tell him to stop, but decides against it. It's become clear that both of our minds are made up by now, and there's nothing he can do to change them. Peter lets out a low whistle.

"Quite a tight ship you run here," Peter comments with a laugh. This time, I don't stop Derek from charging towards him, and simply allow nature to take its course for a minute. Hopefully they'll both be more sensible after some fighting.

I follow Isaac to his room to help. When I reach the door, I find him stuffing a duffel bag with his few changes of clothes. "I hope you know what you're doing with Jackson," he mutters. I smile halfheartedly.

"I don't," I admit. He rolls his eyes and I step inside. "What I do know is that it isn't safe here."

"So where is?" he asks. I run a hand through my hair and let out a heavy sigh.

"I'm still figuring that one out."

He laughs and zips up his duffel bag. "Down to the very last detail, huh?" he comments sarcastically. I shrug a shoulder.

"As long as we're together, that's what matters, right?"

He looks at me with a guarded expression before stepping forward, hesitation in his eyes. I frown and squeeze his arm. "Hey, you trust me, don't you?" I ask. He doesn't say anything, but the look in his eyes confirms that he does. "Good. I promise you, if things get bad, I will call the Kanima, all morals be damned, because I'll die before I let my pack die. You get that Instinct; but I am not going to rush to that if there's a chance of everyone being saved."

"Conner, that's not the problem," he argues. His gaze drops to my hand on his arm, and he covers it with his. Damn, he must really be shaken up. For a moment we just stand like that, and I wonder what exactly is bothering him. Does this have to do with the Kanima? He strums his thumb along the back of my palm. "I trust you. You're…" Isaac abruptly stops what he's saying and drops his hand as Derek walks inside, interrupting whatever point Isaac was trying to make.

"Isaac, does anyone live in the caretaker's cabin in the cemetery?" he asks. "Do you think it could be safe?" Huh, I hadn't thought of that. Isaac thinks for a moment before shaking his head.

"Nobody lives there. It's far from the road and there aren't any cameras facing it, so I guess it should be safe," Isaac reasons.

"Good. We're going to have to find a way to get over there."

I jab a thumb in Peter's general direction. "What about him?"

Derek lets out a heavy breath. "One thing at a time."

I turn back to Isaac as Derek exits. "What were you going to say?" I urge. He shakes his head.

"Forget about it," he says roughly, exiting the car and leaving me confused.

I shake it off and follow him, figuring we're moving out soon. About an hour later, we've snuck into the caretaker's quarters in the cemetery and scouted the area for hunters. The shack is small, but has a functional bathroom with a shower, a cot, and a kitchenette, which could barely be said for the train station. Of course, seeing as it has been a couple of months since Isaac and his father have used the shack, it has a musty smell and a thin layer of dust covering everything, but we're grateful that it's off the radar. Peter's tagged along, of course, but Derek has him sleeping outside of the cabin. Surprisingly, Peter hadn't objected, which I'd found very odd, but hadn't bothered to question.

There's a cot that I naturally expected Derek, as Alpha, to take, but he and Isaac insisted I sleep on it, and we found ourselves at a standstill, broken by Isaac offering to take first watch. We accept that, and Derek and I lay side by side on the cot, having to position ourselves with my back to his chest in order to fit. As we settle in, I feel his grip tighten slightly, and know he has something he wants to say.

"Out with it," I mumble. He takes a deep breath.

"Why didn't you tell me about the Kanima?" he asks quietly. I think about it for a moment and shrug.

"I wanted to figure out what it meant first," I reply. When he doesn't say anything, I let out a sigh. This man can see right through me sometimes. Careful not to make too much noise, I roll over and turn around so I'm facing him. Behind him is the small window overlooking the cemetery. In the darkness I can make out his face, perpetually etched into a stern expression that I've grown very fond of in the past few months. He touches my face and I lean into his hand, closing my eyes. "… And then there's the real reason."

"You lost control, and you killed someone," he whispers gruffly, hitting the nail on the head. I nod. "You do know Matt was a psychopath, right?"

"The next person might not be," I murmur. "The next person might be one of you." He tucks my hair behind my ear and rests his forehead against mine. I can't help but smile at the tenderness of it.

"Then we'll figure out how to control it before then," he says. "Conner, I'm not leaving the first moment you screw up. That's what it means to be in a pack."

"I know, I just… I guess I'm still getting used to it." I cover his hand with mine and squeeze it lightly. "It's been a while since I was a part of something."

"Well, you're with this pack now." He pulls me closer to him, tucking my head under his chin and wrapping his arms around my waist and shoulders. "And you're with me."

I smile and close my eyes, marveling at how easy it could be to get used to feeling this wonderful.

Isaac stuffed is hands into his pockets and shifted his feet anxiously. Derek and Conner were already asleep, but he felt Peter watching him from the shack door, not even bothering to hide the fact that he was watching the beta. Isaac ignored him and kept his eyes and ears trained on the forest as he went over what had been happening lately. He'd thought he'd had it under control, but in the train station…

That had been really close.

The former Alpha stepped away from the shack and joined Isaac among the tombstones, a pleasant smile on his face. Isaac didn't let himself be fooled by the older man's mannerisms; according to Conner and Scott, the man was a sociopath, and he trusted their opinions. However, he was also a sociopath the pack had decided to tolerate, so he bit back the urge to attack the man as he stopped next to Isaac and took a deep breath of fresh air.

"Wonderful night, isn't it?" he commented conversationally. Isaac rolled his eyes. Peter smirked. "If you're worried about Derek finding out, he hasn't figured it out yet."

That caught his interest. "…. Figured out what?" he asked after a pause. Really, what could he have to say that would concern him? He couldn't possibly know.

"That you have feelings for Conner," Peter finished casually. Isaac felt his stomach drop and he turned to glare at the other werewolf. Peter held up his hands and chuckled. "Don't worry, I'm not going to rat you out. Not that I really need to, it's written all over your face." Isaac didn't like the turn that the conversation was taking and looked around, seeking any way to change the topic to something much less dangerous.

"You know, this vaguely reminds me of a story Conner told me back when she was a part of my pack," he prompted, much to Isaac's aggravation. "The girl was plotting my murder, so I highly doubt she thought I'd make any use of it."

"Do I really need to hear this?" Isaac groaned.

"Back in middle school, some time after her mother died, a certain somebody lost his brother, and sympathized," Peter continued. "That sympathy led to a first kiss for the both of them, followed by a promise to just 'stay friends'. According to her, that was the first time she felt a connection to someone outside her family, and so he was the first person on her list of people she'd want in her pack if she ever made one." Isaac felt his heart pounding in his throat. How? How had this stranger figured it out?

"Isaac, relax," Peter urged, patting the werewolves shoulder. Isaac shook his hand off. "Derek is completely oblivious when it comes to matters of the heart, so I think you're safe. And anyways," he shrugged, turning to look back at the cabin, "you won't have to worry for much longer."

"…Why?" Isaac reluctantly inquired. Peter grinned.

"Come now, I can't let you in on all of my secrets, can I?"

"You could at least—"

He was cut of by the sound of a whoosh in the air, followed by electricity coursing through his whole body. His jaw clenched shut so he couldn't cry out, and a second later, he collapsed to the ground, unconscious. Peter scrambled back several tombstones and lowered himself to the ground, ready to run if he needed to.

Gerard stepped out of the woods, a large tazer in one hand and a gun in the other. He gestured to two hunters behind him and they moved forward, aiming weapons at Peter before he surprisingly stopped them.

"No, leave him. This is the beta she cares for," he corrected, gesturing at Isaac. "Leave the other one to send a message." Gerard looked at Peter with an unwavering gaze. "Tell Conner to come see me alone tomorrow, or this one dies." Peter slowly nodded, which seemed enough for the hunter, because without further exchange, they gathered up the unconscious Isaac and left as quickly and silently as they'd arrived.

He didn't know Conner very well, but Peter had a very, very strong feeling that things weren't going to end well for the hunters. At the same time, he tried very hard to suppress his delight, and allowed himself a moment to feel it.

This would be it.

Conner would make everything possible.

Let me know what you think :)