Chapter 13

Thank you again for inviting me, it was fun" Kira said happily looking at Erica as they drove back from their shopping trip.

"Well we don't have everything in Beacon Hills so a trip to Sacramento for new school clothes for next week was worth the drive" Erica replies.

"Why didn't Lydia and Allison want to come along?" Kira asks.

"They are helping Stiles out. He has some friends coming up from San Francisco and they are giving him some moral support for the visit."

Kira looks confused. "If they are friends, why would he need support?"

Erica frowns. To be honest, she didn't really get it either. "Honestly? I'm not totally sure. I mean they like Stiles, but he is worried that they will be upset about some things that have been happening lately." She sighs dramatically "I really think he is being overly sensitive about it all."

"You all talk about him so much I almost feel that I know him already" Kira says with a smile. She had spent time with Allison, Lydia, and Erica since she moved to town. She had also met Isaac, Boyd, and Jackson a few times but she had only heard about Stiles and their other friend Derek. She wasn't sure why but apparently the two men were dating and it was pretty serious as she had overheard the others talking about how they were building a new house together which she was pretty surprised about for someone still in high school but the others all acted like it was no big deal.

The two of them had had a good time in Sacramento and Kira was definitely feeling better about moving here despite how weird her mother was still being about the move. Ever since they had been here, her mother had been going out alone and coming back looking more and more worried. She wouldn't talk about it to Kira and her father was acting like nothing was wrong and doing a bad job at pretending. So while her family life was strained, at least she was making friends.

"So…Stiles and Derek??" Kira asks slyly.

Erica laughs. "I shouldn't laugh, but as you know Derek is older and Stiles' dad is the Sheriff so it has been fun to watch him squirm and try to avoid getting in trouble."

"But his dad is okay with them dating?" Kira says sounding doubtful. She can't imagine her parents letting her date anyone let alone someone several years older.

"Yeah. Derek is a good guy and wouldn't do anything bad and the Sheriff knows that and trusts him, but we still are required to give them a hard time" she laughs and smiles.

They drive for a few minutes before Kira looks over at Erica for a second before she finally decides to ask. "Erica…what was the deal with that day at the art fair. I mean we all got those pieces of jewelry, even my mom said mine was beautiful, but Lydia seemed really upset when we left and then she wanted to borrow my piece for a day to show Stiles? It just seems really strange."

Erica takes a few minutes to think about it before she responds. "It's kind of hard to explain. Beacon Hills is…well a little strange sometimes" she explains slowly. "The Preserve, the woods around town, can be weird…it's best not to go there alone or at night. Stiles and Scott once went out looking for a dead body in the woods and it was not the smartest move."

"Oh my god! What happened?"

"Well…" Erica drawled out slowly "Stiles was busted by his dad for listening in on his official police calls as well as for being stupid. Scott avoided getting caught but was bitten by an animal when he got lost and accidently found the body."

Kira looks stunned. "But he's okay though" she says sounding concerned.

"Oh yes, he's fine now. But it wasn't the best of times. Especially as the body was Derek's sister" she says sadly.

Kira looks completely stunned. "His sister?" she whispers.

"To be fair, they didn't know Derek yet, nor did they know she was his sister. And they have moved past it and are all good now so despite it being probably one of the worst ways to start things, it has worked out. But going into the woods…not a smart thing if you don't know what you are doing."

Kira nods and looks up and spots the 'Welcome to Beacon Hills' sign. They are driving through the woods so Kira is staring around them trying to spot anything strange but figures that in the daylight and close to the road it's probably not too bad. They drive around a curve and all of a sudden the car slams to a halt, throwing Kira forward almost hitting the dashboard.

"Erica!" she yelled out, rubbing her chest where the seatbelt had cut into her. "What happened?" she looks over and sees the blonde, hands clenched on the steering wheel, pale-faced and trembling, looking terrified. "Erica?" she says a lot more timidly not sure what could cause this reaction. She glances out the windshield, thinking that maybe it's a deer or something, but there is no deer and she starts to look back at the other girl when she freezes. Turning very slowly she looks back out to the road in front of them.

The screams of both girls ring out over the Preserve.

Chris Argent is not happy about this. Shutting the door to his car he looks around and spots at least four probable hunters from Davies' crew. He glances at Jamison and nods and the other hunter takes a covering position behind Chris as they walk into the coffee shop.

Walking into the place Chris immediately spots Davies and who he is fairly sure is his number two, Trager. He also spots a woman several tables away who screams hunter but is desperately trying to look inconspicuous. He barely refrains from sighing at the rather pitiful display but then again Davies and his crew are half-assed in just about every way. Their obsession with Deucalion has raised many concerns in some hunter circles as being too reckless and risky.

"Argent" Randolph Davies says with obvious disdain, not bothering to stand up, as he looks at the other hunter and doesn't see how he could have fallen so low from his family's reputation.

"Davies" Chris replies, equally dismissive and he notes how the other man isn't able to hide is reaction to that dismissal as well as he thinks he does. "Trager" he adds looking at the other man who appears surprised to be recognized. "I admit to being surprised you contacted me" he says as he sits down. Jamison moves over and sits with the female hunter surprising her and making the other two men look even more uncomfortable. Chris imagines that they would be even more upset if they knew about the other six hunters he has targeting their men and one watching their base. Davies is a bull who doesn't appreciate finesse. He has been reporting his moves to his contacts on the council and Chris has his own sources and knows significantly more than they realize.

Randolph almost snarls but he pushes it down and looks at the other hunter, recognizing the almost aristocratic air that Argents have among other hunters. Katie wore her name like a badge, and it seemed her brother, for all his weakness about the Hales, was perhaps a bit more than she had implied. "We heard that you reported that Hale had a run in with Deucalion's pack of Alphas" he says, his tone clearly implying disbelief.

"No, I reported that the Hale Pack killed Deucalion, Kali, and most of their entire group. The twins and Ennis were alive when last seen but they were long gone before the fight."

Randolph snarled but Chris could tell that Trager was affected. From his files the man's brother and sister, both hunters, had been killed when they tried to target the alphas over a year ago. "You expect us to believe that Hale, that worthless dog, managed to kill them? And what, you just believed him when he told you that? God you truly are worthless…a disgrace to the name of Argent."

Chris smiled. He recognized this as classic Gerard. Provoking and pushing thinking he knew Chris' weak spot. "Actually, I was invited to the fight. Got to see both Kali and Deucalion killed with my own eyes. And that's after my family killed off one of the alphas and several of their newest muscle betas just before. My cousins were very happy to do so and reported that to the Council as well." He paused and smiled a smile that had made weaker men and wolves very nervous, "I think the best part was the look on Deucalion's face when he realized how utterly he had been beaten."

Trager's face told a story as the man seemed to finally believe that the Demon Wolf was dead. but Randolph Davies was the exact opposite. Chris could see his mind spinning, trying to gain some traction for his obsession now forever out of reach. "You're lying" he snarls and Chris snorts at the venom in the man's voice.

"No, I'm not. And you know it. The Hunter's Council is convinced and will be laying an Interdiction on Beacon Hills any day now and I think that is why you are desperate to find something. But you won't. The Hale Pack is strong, stronger than any pack you have faced, and they have allies that you are not prepared for. My Grand Matriarch has even declared a death bounty on my father's head for his actions in Beacon Hills. Trust me, you do not want to be the next person on her list" he warns them quietly.

"You think I am scared of some old woman on the other side of the world?" Davies snorts at the pretentiousness of these old hunters.

Chris laughs. "No, I don't. Clarissant will only kill you and she will do it quickly. You want her to be the one to end you. Beacon Hills is under two High Alphas. You break their laws in their territory, and the Council won't lift a finger to save you and you can only pray that they will kill you quickly. No one will come for you, no one will avenge you, and there will be no repercussions for anything they do to you. You are under their laws and they do not like Hunters like you Davies. This is free advice, a warning if you will, Hunters who come here better follow the rules or they will face judgement and I've read about you and you do not want to face them. Leave. Take your team and get the hell out of here and don't stop or come back." Chris leans back and sees the barely constrained fury on the man's face as he spoke his words.

"You are a traitor and a fool" Davies growls and he glances out the window, his hand starting to move when Chris cuts him off.

"Don't be stupid" Chris says sharply but quietly. "You don't want to cause a scene do you?" he asks with a smile and glances out the window to the roof the building across the street. Davies looks over and sees the man standing there, his man…no, not his man, it's someone else! The man nods and leaves. He looks at Argent and snarls.

Chris stands up. "You are out of your league Davies and you should be glad that Hale and I took care of Deucalion. He would have wiped you out without breaking a sweat. Go home and let your team finally celebrate that the Alpha Pack is finished. The only thing here for you is failure and death." He walks out, his back to the men in a sign of outright contempt even if he knows Jamison is guarding him as the man follows and they get back in the SUV.

"Do you think he believed you?" Jamison asks as they leave the parking lot as Chris signals the others to roll out.

"No" Argent sighs. "I think he's an idiot who is too enamored with my sister and father. He is convinced he is right and everyone else is weak and stupid."

"It is a bit strange working with the wolves" Jamison admits and Chris laughs.

"Yeah it is. But I believe in our Code, that we are supposed to be protecting people. Hale and Stillinski will protect more people than we ever could."

Jamison looks confused. "But Hale's a wolf, will he protect regular people? And what about the truly dangerous ones?"

Chris shakes his head. "Derek may not be a bastard, but Peter Hale is there and if anyone crosses the Hale Alpha then Peter will cheerfully kill them. And while he is magical now, trust me, no omega or crazy wolf that shows up in Beacon Hills intending to cause trouble is going to live to see the next morning once Stilinski finds out. Hale might be able to be handled or soft on wolves, but Stilinski? No, he won't forgive anyone that pulls something."

Jamison nods uncertainly. He had only seen the kid a few times, but he had heard both Chris and Allison talk about him. They were very respectful of his power and he heard from the French Argents that the Grand Matriarch was even more cautious about him. He shrugged and let it go. He became a hunter because his family had worked with the Argents for four generations. He had been trained by Chris and respected him. He wasn't willing to compromise on monsters, he had simply refined the definition. Besides, the Hales had helped set-up the Alphas so he guessed that Chris was right. You crossed the Hale Pack…you died. Guess it didn't matter if you were human, wolf, or other. Besides, with the kid's dad a cop…well he would be determined to keep the town safe so that his dad was safe too so that was good enough for him.

Derek is running. Stiles had texted and told him to get to the Centaur clearing with Peter, code 10-78. After the situation with the Brownies, Stiles had decided to create codes for the pack like the police used. A 10-78 was a simple 'need assistance' versus a 10-39 which was 'urgent-guns blazing'. So he knew that while Stiles wanted him to hurry, it wasn't something dangerous. Peter was with him so that was easy and he had called in Boyd, Isaac, and Jackson to join them.

It wasn't long before they broke through the trees and arrived at the clearing and Derek was stunned. The clearing was full of Centaurs! "What?!" he gasped out just as three of the more fit Centaurs turned towards him with their bows raised. He flashed his eyes at the three but then he heard Stiles.

"Derek! We found the rest of the heard and brought them here!" the teen yelled while waiving at his mate. Derek saw the teen talking with Kreyna, Lydia, two women he guesses are some of Stiles' friends, and two older Centaurs.

"Obviously" Peter says with an honest smile as they walk towards the group. The three guards looking less worried as they put away their bows.

"Alpha Hale" Kreyna says looking happier and less burdened than the last time he had seen her "the Arcanist and his friends found our herd and brought them here." She turns to the other two "This is Vorgin" she introduces the male Centaur who nods respectfully which Derek returns "and this is Beverly" she indicates the mare.

"Beverly?" Peter looks mildly offended.

The elder mare just laughs. "My father had a human friend he was rather fond of and I am named for her." She looks back to the Alpha "My apologies Alpha Hale, for coming into your territory without prior permission" she says formally.

Derek spots Stiles looking like he is about to object. "Elder Beverly, my mate is High Alpha and more than entitled to offer sanctuary to any. And that is before his duties as Arcanist. If he has invited you here, then you are most welcome" Derek says easily and confidently and notices the slight easing of reaction in all three of the Centaurs.

"How did you find them?" Peter asks curiously.

"That's the best part" Stiles says and looks at the woman next to him. "Martinique, oh…guys this is Martinique from San Francisco, the witch I met there and my friend who came up today. She and some of her coven told us about a spell that allowed us to use the blood of Kreyna and the others to find her herdmates. Once we cast the spell I was able to open a portal and call them across. We found 22 of them!" Stiles says sounding proud.

Derek and Peter both look impressed. "Stiles, that is amazing. I didn't know you knew a spell like that."

"Well he didn't" Martinique admits looking sheepish. "We never mentioned it because it takes three witches to cast, so since we didn't think he was a witch, it never came up."

Both men nod in agreement. Everything had been happening so fast. "But that's not the best part. Derek, Peter…we can use the spell on you!" Stiles exclaims.

Both men pause but it is Peter who recovers first. "Cora!" Derek looks shocked but looks over at Stiles for confirmation and the teen is happily nodding.

"Yes. We can use your blood to find her with the spell, and then open a portal to get her!" Stiles exclaims.

Derek agrees quickly and Martinique calls the others over. After some preparation they are ready and everyone is gathered around to watch them. The Centaurs pull a bit away from the spell and the rest of the pack are between the herd and the witches as they all watch.

"Alpha Hale, my respects as well" Gabriel says as he introduces himself. "I understand things are hectic but I wanted to introduce myself. I knew your grandfather."

Derek looks at the man in surprise but nods just as Stiles and the others cast their spell but nothing seems to happen. After a few moments Stiles opens his eyes and looks at Derek and Peter. "I can sense her but she is much farther away than the herd was."

"You can't reach her?" Peter asks sounding defeated.

"Not like with the others. I think I can get a portal within a mile or so, but something is blocking me getting any closer" he admits.

"The Alvarez Pack may have wards on their land" Peter says thoughtfully. "But you can open a portal close?" he asks.

Stiles nods as Peter turns to Derek. "Let me go. I can go through and find Cora and once I do Stiles can open the portal to bring me back. I can also reestablish contact with the Alvarez Alpha."

Derek pauses for a second before nodding and turning to Stiles. "Can you do that? Find him later?"

Stiles looks unsure. "I'm not sure. If they have wards up I may not be able to sense him to know when to open the portal."

Peter rolls his eyes and slowly pulls out his phone. "Or I could just call you" he says very slowly.

Stiles actually blushes as Lydia chuckles but then he opens the portal and Peter is jumping through. "I'll call within three hours" he yells out as he hits the other side and takes off.

Stiles closes the portal. "So, you ready to meet everyone" he asks Derek happily and the Alpha just nods. Cora will be home soon but now he has to meet the herd, get them figured out, and meet all of Stiles' friends and then he plans to sit down with Professor Chavez-Morales to talk about his grandfather. Stiles never does things halfway but the look of pride and happiness on his mate's face is worth it.