CHAPTER 56

BANG!

Derek's body crashed against a tree, completely breaking it in two. He had attacked in rage and due to the speed they were moving at, Peter didn't put much thought into his actions as replied with the same ferocity Derek had attacked him with.

He didn't have the time to calm down and try explaining why he did what he did when he felt Malia's elbow smash against the side of his face, sending him tumbling a few steps back. 

While trying to get his balance and focus back, Peter's instincts screamed at him to dodge and he immediately jumped backwards to narrowly down the slash Tristan sent towards his throat. 

"You really decided to kill me, didn't you Derek?" Peter snarled as he looked at his three attackers, each brimming with the intent to kill which only got worse as seconds ticked by and the air became suffused in it. 

"Did you ask yourself that when you killed Laura? Did you think she was your niece when stole her Alpha spark? Did it matter to you when the Argents cut her into two and left her in the woods like some kind of rotten animal in order to lure me back!?" Despite telling himself that he was willing to hear out what Peter had to say in his defense for killing Laura, the moment he came face to face with him and confirmed his identity, all the frustrations and anger he had been bottling it in since the day he received news of his sister's death. 

He and Laura had been the only one to survive the fire and she had taken care of him for the next six years that followed, always making sure he was protected and helped him with the immense guilt he felt when he realized that he had a hand in his family's death. 

She was the only pillar in his life as the scarred and traumatized teenager he became after the fire and the only reason she came was that she heard news about there being another Hale that survived, only for him to later find out that it wasn't even the Hunters that caused her death but his favorite uncle and most trusted confidante when he was still a boy. 

"You won't understand! I couldn't control my instincts, becoming nothing more than a mindless beast that craved power before I came to consciousness of what I'd done." Peter cried out with a heavy heart. 

"Liar." Tristan sharply cut off the drivel Peter was spouting, much to the anger of the now bi-pedaled Alpha. 

His senses were working sharply in overdrive and during the entire time Peter spoke, he didn't sense any form of genuine regret or true sadness from him. 

"Incase you have forgotten, we need to get this done with as soon as possible before the Hunters get a whiff of what's happening here." His chilling blue eyes bore unflinchingly into that of Peter's red and they stayed like that for a few seconds before Peter broke it with a derisive scoff. 

"You want to kill me? Do you really think that the three of you are enough to put me permanently in the ground when even the Hunters couldn't?" Peter sneered with mockery dripping in his voice. 

Peter was sure that the three of them could do nothing to him. Unlike the last two times he's come across Derek, he was now fully healed and was experiencing a feeling of strength he has never experienced before. 

Tristan didn't answer Peter but addressed Derek who was standing by his side still not taking his eyes off the beast of an Alpha in front of him. "Have you made your choice, Derek? Family or rightful vendetta?"

Though he wasn't a werewolf, he grew up in a family of one and just like werewolves, he cherished the concept of being in a pack and he wouldn't hesitate to fight to the death for any of them because he was absolutely sure that they'd do the same for him. He was their brother and child after all. 

This was why he wanted to know Derek's decision. He wanted to know if Derek had a change of heart now that he was in front of his uncle, the one who murdered his sister and also his last family alive. 

Despite the heart wrenching tension that sent all the animals in the vicinity running in panic for their life, the three of them stared at the Alpha in front of them as they waited for Derek to make his choice. 

Peter tried convincing Derek to join him as he saw the tiny flickers of hesitation in the latter's eyes. "I'm truly regretful for what I did to Laura but even then I want you to join my pack. We can revive the Hale pack once again. You and me, just like it always has been." 

Derek was torn because on one hand he wanted to avenge his family on the other he didn't want to lose his last family. But then his mind wandered towards the two teenagers with him and how they willingly allowed him to follow them despite knowing that there was a very big probability that he would betray them. 

Who did he want as the target of his anger and pain? Was it really Peter or the Argent? 

He looked at Peter and asked. "If I join you, what will happen to both of them?"

"How dare yo-" Malia was about to angrily shout at Derek but Tristan had cut off her words the very next moment. 

"Please Malia, let him make his own choice."

Peter looked at Derek's unwavering eyes, thinking the melancholy he felt was a little amusing. "If they are wise then I'll let them go, but if not, then we'll have to kill them."

Though the question didn't mean much to him, he had used it to gauge Peter's reaction and while Peter was truthful about letting them go, the way his blood lumped excitedly when he said he'd kill them gave Derek all the answers he needed. 

Talia Hale, his mother and Peter's elder sister, always said that despite the fact that they were predators, that didn't make them monsters. He finally understood that Peter wouldn't stop unless he killed everyone, not just Kate, but all the Hunters affiliated with the Argents. Doing something like that would undoubtedly trigger a supernatural war. 

Seeing the resolve in Derek's eyes, Peter sighed in sadness and pity for his stupid nephew. "What a shame, truly. We would have done so much more against the Alpha with you at my side."

"It's plainly obvious at this point, isn't it? All you do is talk of the Argents and revenge and only once did you ever say you're sorry about killing my sister."

Hearing Derek's words, Tristan released a sigh of relief, happy that he wouldn't have to resort to his second option in the event that Derek had chosen to fight against him by siding with Peter. 

"Hmph, you are lucky you did not suddenly become stupid otherwise I would have gouged your eyes out." Malia harrumphed. 

!!! 

Their pupils contracted into black dots leaving their eyes entirely blue as they focused each one of their senses on Peter and his growing presence which filled them with instinctual dread. 

"You think this is what Talia would want?" Peter growled. 

"My mother would rather die than let her brother kill her daughter." Derek retorted. 

Nothing needed to be said as they both had made their stance abundantly clear. 

Not wanting to entertain the farce any longer than its overdue time and overrated importance, the first person to bear the brunt of Peter's attack was Derek, who he reached in a split second despite the distance between them, and brought down his fist in a heavy punch that left Derek no choice but to cross his arms to mitigate the force behind them. 

Peter had more freedom in fighting as he was bipedal, like a bear, as opposed to his quadruped beast form. Something he used to his advantage as he faced off against a werewolf, a werecoyote and a leech. 

Tristan attacked Peter but the Alpha had been wary of his speed since the beginning and caught his arm mid-swing. He aimed to slice away at Tristan's tendons to render that arm unusable, possibly permanently, but Malia was one step faster. 

She kicked his ankles which made him stagger and ultimately brought him down to his knees despite his murderous growls, and capitalizing on that opening, Tristan wrestled his arm out of Peter's weakened grip and sent his claws forward with a ferocity behind them that aimed to take away Peter's eyes only for the latter to shift out of the way as his instincts dictated and only suffered the unintended injury on the side of his face to his chin.

Derek grabbed Malia by her collar and drew her back to narrowly escape the kick from Peter's long furry legs. 

He entered the fray once again, giving Tristan his much needed breath of air as it was becoming harder to dodge Peter's rabid punches and slashes. 

Malia ran and used Tristan's back as a springboard and punched Peter only for the jumped Alpha to have Tristan dive him to the ground and immediately roll over to give space for Derek to bury his elbows straight in the middle of Peter's chest, causing him to scream in pain. 

Peter's scream came along with a burst of adrenaline that made the mind numbing pain seem less important as he pushed Derek away and gained some distance away from them. 

Peter roared in rage. "You'd protect the Argents from me, Derek?!"

Derek wiped off the blood on his lips as he stared at Peter. "I'll definitely get my revenge and repay them in kind, just as I will do with you." Derek growled back. 

Tristan and Malia rushed at Peter from both sides, each trying to inflict as many grave injuries as they could on him to slowly chip away at his strength.

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