First Contact

The chill of the morning shower sent shivers down Kai's spine as memories of the previous night's conversation flooded his mind.

Laura nudged her hotheaded brother, Derek, as she introduced Kai. "You've already met my brother," she said, "he's a bit intense, but he's also kind and responsible."

Kai stood in front of Alan's desk, unfazed by Derek's glare. "I doubt you came here at this hour and during a rainstorm to introduce me to your little brother," he said coolly.

"You're right," Laura replied, her eyes wavering. "I'm here to ask a favor from you. I know I'm in no position to ask anything of you, especially something as sensitive as this, but..." She took a moment to gather herself before continuing.

Her voice turned serious as Laura spoke, "I'm meeting with the Argents tomorrow. Due to our complicated family history, I would feel more at ease if you could keep an eye on Malia and Derek during the meeting." Her resolve slowly deteriorated as she thought about what could happen to her. "Hopefully, things will end amicably and nothing will arise from this. But if I were to..." She paused, her voice catching. "If I were to meet my end, please take them away from here, both of them."

"I see," Kai said, his gaze still fixed on Laura. "Speaking of which..." He was interrupted as Derek stood up, his nose flaring and his brows furrowed.

Derek stood up towering over his sister. "You're not going there alone. I'm going with you!" he yelled. "Malia can stay with him, but there's no way in hell I'm leaving you alone with those murderers!" His words were laced with venom.

"Sit down, Derek," Laura said, her voice tired and resigned. She didn't want to argue with her brother. "I've already decided to go alone."

Derek opened his mouth to retort, but Laura cut him off with a commanding tone. "I'm the Alpha! You do as I say! And if I tell you to stay with Kai, that is exactly what you're going to do. It doesn't matter what you think. Is that understood?"

Derek gritted his teeth, wanting to argue further, but he knew better than to defy his sister when she was in Alpha mode. He stormed out of the office, followed closely by Malia, leaving Kai and Laura alone in the room.

Laura sighed as she watched her brother storm out, but she let it go. "So, can I count on you to keep them both safe?" she asked Kai, who still wore his aloof expression as if he hadn't heard their sibling argument.

"Sure, why not," he replied, bringing a faint smile to Laura's face. At least she wouldn't have to worry about her betas.

Just as Laura felt some semblance of relaxation, Kai's words shook her.

"As I was saying," he began calmly in his steely and measured voice, "I believe I've just met an Argent, Allison Argent. She came around half an hour ago, brought in an injured dog."

Laura's heart rate quickened at the mention of the name. "I've never heard of any Allison Argent," she said, her nails digging into her palms. "Could she just have the same last name?"

"I doubt it. Most girls don't reek of wolfsbane," Kai replied, and Laura's reaction was instant. "What did she want? Did she tell you anything about--" she began, different scenarios playing out in her head.

Her immediate thought was that they'd discovered her link with Kai and had come to investigate. If that was true, they may already be aware of Derek and Malia. In that case, they could be in danger if the talk tomorrow fell through.

"Nothing apart from tending to the dog's injuries," Kai replied, but Laura was still visibly agitated. "She's not a threat to you," Kai said, sensing that she was overwhelmed by his admission.

"What do you mean she's not a threat? If she's an Argent, that means she's likely a hunter who'd be very happy to put down the supposed wild werewolf running around, which by all accounts they believe to be me," Laura retorted, admonishing his calmness in the situation.

"I'm just telling you what I observed, but it's up to you what you do with that information," Kai's words were cool and steady, indicating he meant what he said. "From what I can tell, the girl is not a hunter. Whether you choose to believe it or not, it's your call," he added, sensing Laura's tension. "My guess is she has no clue about the existence of werewolves or any other supernatural creatures out there."

"If you're right, and she's clueless about her family's actions," Laura spoke with restraint. "What's to prevent her from joining them in hunting down Derek, Malia, or me tomorrow?"

"Nothing," Kai replied. "If she ever does what you're suggesting, feel free to take care of it however you see fit. My point was to let you know that she's currently innocent."

Laura fixed her gaze on Kai, attempting to read his thoughts, but eventually gave up and ran her hand down her face in exhaustion.

"Alright, I have more pressing matters to attend to than a teenage girl," Laura said wearily. "I'll dispatch Derek and Malia first thing tomorrow. The meeting should wrap up by noon. If you don't hear from me through Derek, then take them away as far as you can."

Kai nodded silently and escorted Laura out. As they parted ways, Kai bid farewell to Malia, who seemed to have calmed down her packmate. Although, Derek remained silent and ignored Kai as they said their goodbyes.

Kai stepped out of the shower, reaching for a towel to dry himself off before changing into another new set of clothes that Laura had given him the night before. As he grabbed the clothes, he felt conflicted knowing that this was the second time Laura had gifted him something without expecting anything in return, at least nothing he wouldn't have done willingly. He couldn't help but think of his promise to protect Malia, who had quickly become dear to him since the day he woke up in the forest.

__

About an hour later, Alan arrived at the clinic, and Kai briefed him on what had happened the day before, highlighting Malia and Derek's impending arrival while Laura went to a meeting with the Argents.

"You don't mind helping Laura?" Alan asked, after hearing the entire story from Kai.

"Why would I?" Kai responded with a skeptical look, suspecting that there was more to Alan's question.

"I mean, are you not worried about antagonizing highly skilled Hunters like the Argents to help a woman you've only known for a few days?" Alan asked, studying Kai's reaction.

Kai quipped back, "Is that question for me, or should it be directed to yourself? Unlike a certain group of people, I doubt you'd be able to survive a bullet to the head." With that, Kai stepped out to wait for Malia and Derek.

Meanwhile, Alan was left staring blankly at his office after Kai's departure, taken aback by the young man's unwavering confidence. He chuckled, realizing that he didn't truly understand or know who Kai was.

__

Allison woke up feeling restless and extremely anxious about the possibility of running into the handsome assistant from the day before. She couldn't shake the image of him opening the door and the captivating beauty of his eyes as they looked at her. She had stayed up late the previous night, going through her entire wardrobe to find the perfect outfit to wear today. As she applied her makeup, however, she couldn't help but recall a rather unsettling scene from the day before. She had seen a brown-haired girl run up to him and hug him, while he put up no resistance whatsoever. Allison had asked herself countless times who the girl was, but she didn't like any of the answers she came up with. Eventually, she gave up and assumed that the girl was perhaps a friend or relative, explaining their closeness, even though she had little evidence to support this assumption.

"Allison," her father's voice accompanied a knock on her door. "Yeah, dad?" she replied, continuing to apply her makeup.

"Can I come in?" her father asked.

"Yeah, sure," she answered, setting down her makeup brush. A broad-shouldered, middle-aged man with short, dark blonde hair stepped into her room.

"I have an important meeting today, so I asked your mother to drive you to school. She told me you had an accident yesterday?" her father asked, standing by and watching as she continued doing her thing.

"I did, but I'm fine. Nothing much happened," Allison quickly brushed him off as she appeared to be in a hurry.

"Where are you going so early and dolled up? School isn't for another hour," he pondered, taking a step forward so he could stand behind her and see her through her vanity mirror.

"I'm just going to go pick up my car," she stated nonchalantly while applying the final touches.

"What about the makeup and clothes?" He questioned with a blend of frustration and resignation in his tone.

"Dad, why are you suddenly concerned with what I wear? You've never cared before," she responded, grabbing her bag.

"A father always worries, Allison. Especially when his daughter gets in a car accident and doesn't tell him, or when she starts dressing up and leaving the house early in the morning," he answered truthfully, although it didn't have the desired impact.

"Well, maybe if you had been around more since we moved here, you would know what's been going on," she replied, her frustration evident in her voice, as she headed for the door. "As for my outfit, don't worry, I'm headed to school after I pick up my car." And with that, she walked out, leaving her father to stare at himself pensively in the mirror.

His somber moment was abruptly interrupted by a phone call.

"Sir, we're prepared," the voice on the other end informed him. "Excellent. Establish a perimeter and await the signal. Stay concealed and don't let her notice anything suspicious," Allison's father commanded, his expression shifting from that of a concerned parent to that of a resolute hunter.

____

Kai was waiting outside the clinic when Laura's black Range Rover pulled up right in front of him. However, she didn't exit the vehicle. Instead, only Derek and Malia stepped out, with the latter being the only one who seemed content to be there. Derek scowled at Kai, not bothering to greet or acknowledge him in any way.

"Thank you for doing this," Laura said, her voice on the brink of trembling. "Keep them safe."

Kai approached the passenger window and offered some words of advice. "Remember, they will see you as you see them. Act as you are, not as they perceive you."

Laura looked at him, considering his advice, before nodding and bidding farewell to both Malia and Derek. This time, Derek reluctantly waved back in response.

As they watched Laura's car disappear into the distance, Kai scratched the back of his head. He found himself in charge of two people, a responsibility he wasn't sure he was ready for yet.

"Well, what do you guys want to do?" he asked, unsure of how to spend their time together.

___

Upon arriving at the clinic, Allison waited outside for a few minutes, trying to compose herself and rehearsing what she planned to say. However, when she knocked on the door, she suddenly realized how early it was and wondered whether or not Kai would even be there at this hour.

Unfortunately, it was too late for Allison to turn back now as a man she recognized as Dr. Deaton answered the door.

"Yes? Can I assist you?" he asked in a gentle and calming voice.

"Um," Allison stammered, feeling overwhelmed by the fact that Kai's boss had answered instead of Kai himself. She didn't have any other option but to ask if Kai was there. However, she lacked the courage to do so and instead said, "I brought my dog in yesterday, and I was just wondering how they're doing."

"What name would they be under?" the kind man asked, his questioning gaze boring into her.

"Argent," she answered, unsure if Kai had actually put her name down.

"Hmm, I don't recall attending to any dog under that name. When did you bring them in?" Again, his skeptical gaze made her feel uneasy.

"Around eight in the evening," she said, knowing that the sign on the door said they closed at 7pm.

"I wouldn't have been around at that time, and who attended to the animal?" Allison found it increasingly difficult to listen to his questions since she had no idea how to answer them.

"Kai, Kai Becker," she finally said, and surprisingly, there was an audible sound of recognition.

"The Kai Becker you mentioned is a tall guy with brown hair and pretty eyes, right?" The man asked, causing Allison to blush. "Yes," she answered.

"Ah, that explains it. I was wondering why there was an extra occupied cage not recorded. Anyway, the dog is doing well and should be able to walk normally in a few days. As for Kai, he's taken the morning off and isn't here at the moment," he said, his tone slow and deliberate, catching Allison off guard with his mention of Kai's absence.

Allison stumbled over her words, unsure of how to respond to the kind man so easily catching on to her true intentions.

"I...um...I didn't..." she trailed off, her cheeks turning red with embarrassment.

"I'm sorry," she finally managed to say before turning and making her way to her car.

As she left, Deaton watched her go with a pensive look on his face. "Becker, eh?" he murmured to himself, his mind clearly deep in thought.

__

At a nearby café, Malia was happily devouring a bagel while Kai sipped on a cup of coffee and Derek sat brooding on the side.

"Stop sulking, Derek, and try one of these bagels!" Malia exclaimed cheerfully as she basically shoved her half-eaten bagel in his face.

"Are you not concerned? Laura, our alpha, is in danger as we speak," Derek's voice grew louder, but Malia interjected.

"I worry about her. She's not just my alpha, she's someone I admire. I'd love to be with her right now," Malia said, setting aside her pastry and turning to face Derek. "But Laura made it clear: the bond between Alpha and Beta is based on trust and faith. I have faith in Laura, so I'll stay here and wait for her return."

Malia's words struck a chord with Derek, as he remembered his mother saying the same thing to him. He realized that Laura must have also learned this from their mother and he should trust and follow his alpha's lead.

"Sorry," Derek said, a look of regret on his face as he turned to Malia. She smiled at him and offered her bagel once more, which he finally accepted. "Don't worry about it, we're a pack. We're family," she said, causing Derek to chuckle as he noticed cream cheese on her cheek, making her look like a child.

Derek wiped off the cream cheese from Malia's cheek, and the two shared a laugh, the tension dissipating.

Meanwhile, Kai caught a familiar scent and looked across the street to see Allison staring directly at them. She then turned around and walked away. Little did he know, there was someone else watching them with a gaze full of intense emotions.

_

Laura finally arrived at the agreed upon meeting spot, a small, rundown gas station on the outskirts of town. The Argents had suggested the location, claiming they wanted an open space to prevent any ambush on her part. However, Laura knew there was more to the place if they had chosen it. As she parked her car, she saw three trucks already waiting for her, surrounded by armed men. Although only four men were visible, she knew better than to assume that was all of them.

As she prepared to step out of her car, Kai's words echoed in her mind, "They see you as you see them. Act how you are, not how they perceive you."

When she finally stepped out of her car, she immediately recognized their leader, Chris Argent. As she approached, Chris stepped forward, his glare intense, and finger on the trigger of a pistol in his right hand. The atmosphere was thick with danger, and Laura knew that she had to tread carefully if she wanted things to end without bloodshed.