Chapter 2

Stiles tried to shake off the lingering traces of the morning as he and Lizzie walked into the clearing, passing the new stone monoliths surrounding it that somehow already looked ancient and worn. "Why did you want to come here?" Stiles asks the woman as they sit down in the center of the circle.

"This is a place of power for you Stiles. This is where you ascended and became something new, where you bound yourself to your land, where the Fae Queens' Court came and wrought High Magics, and where the ley lines of this place have shifted to connect as a temporary nexus until you settle into your formal home as long as you don't venture too far away" she told him. "You have taken in the power of the Nemeton, but you haven't fully stabilized it yet. The Queens helped to tether the magic here but it is straining to return to you and until it stabilizes and settles, things are…in flux. For now, this place will shine to those with the gifts to see it and so we can use it to help you connect to nature more easily as it is already doing that naturally" she adds with a smile. Stiles feels more than a little nervous about that but nods knowing that he can't really stop it so he needs to learn how to manage it.

The next few hours fly by for Stiles as Lizzie explains the tenets of Druidic magic and shows him how to tap into the powers of his Druidic Mark. For Druids, there is less spellwork and structure, instead its core lies in understanding the interplay of the various magics of nature. Lizzie explains the flows of natural energy and how they manifest in plants, trees, animals, and rocks. "Our magic is about understanding how energy and power manifests in aspects of nature and how we can amplify, use, and manipulate those forces to do our bidding. Take the Rowan tree. It is a defensive power, especially against the supernatural, so it is best used for protection magic; barriers, shields, and wards. Made into mountain ash, it creates a barrier to keep out many creatures, but its power comes from the combination of the druid who created it, the inherent magic of the wood, and the belief of the caster who uses it."

"So…" Stiles pauses for a moment as he thinks "…so it is limited by the caster and the druid's beliefs and magic? So could the ash be made to keep out even non-supernaturals?" he asks after a moment.

"Yes. If you have enough power and will behind it. Your potions will be more effective, your charms more powerful, and your spellwork greater the more you believe in yourself and the more connected you are to your power base. I can make mountain ash barriers that can stop a tank. I would be surprised if you couldn't as well" she replies and chuckles at the look of glee on his face.

The rest of the day passes quickly as they move to discussions about the plants and herbs around them. Stiles talks about some of what he has learned from his books but Lizzie's explanations are a hundred times better and clearer and he picks things up rapidly. Stiles laughs the first time a flock of butterflies comes to his call and that's when he notices that they are not as alone as he thought. Deer, squirrels, rabbits, foxes, coyotes, and more birds than he can count have invaded the clearing to watch the two magic users at work.

"Nature recognizes me as its champion and you as the warden for these lands and so the beasts of the earth and sky respond to you. I imagine there are numerous insects and other burrowing animals that we are not seeing that were drawn here as well" she says with a gentle smile as a young fawn daringly approaches to nuzzle her open hand. "You will find that this sense of connection is going to grow every day as you become grounded. Soon even the trees will recognize and acknowledge you" she adds with a wink as she watches the teen gently petting several nervous looking rabbits.

"Why aren't the foxes and coyotes…" Stiles pauses and gestures at the rabbits with a look that Lizzie supposes is supposed to be fierce.

She laughs. "Our presence creates a sense of peace and serenity that calms those near us, but also it is the magic of this place. I would bet that no normal animal will shed blood while we are here and probably not within the circle at all. In some places there is a…truce in effect" she explains.

They end up spending the rest of the day in the circle as Lizzie explains more about Druidic magic and nature and Stiles just absorbs it like a sponge, asking questions, and making leaps of intuition. Lizzie isn't sure if it is because he is the Arcanist or not, but if he had been a Druid, he probably would have taken months if not years to comprehend and understand what he grasped in just a few short hours. The world was definitely going to have to adjust to this one she laughed silently.

"It's not that big of a deal Lyds" Jackson said as he held open the door to Beacon Hills Beans as Lydia Martin walked inside the pack's favorite coffee shop. "It doesn't really mean anything" he adds with obvious frustration.

"Jackson" Lydia's voice is calm, cool, and collected but it doesn't fool him for one second…she isn't happy. "You committed to the pack, that means you accepted Derek and Stiles as your Alphas. Even if you didn't you would still have to submit to him if you want to stay here" she reminds him. Ever since yesterday Lydia had been considering what the Morgaine told them and though it galled her, she did understand that things had changed. Stiles went from just being a guy who used to have a crush on her to being the most powerful guy in town, literally. "We both do" she adds wryly.

Jackson snorts at the idea of her ever submitting to anyone but wisely doesn't say anything. The fact was that during the fight Jackson had made the decision to be pack and he had felt the change in his connection to the others. He still had issues with them, but he could feel the pack bonds thrumming and he knew that things were never going to go back to the way they were. "Besides, aren't you planning to go to MIT? That's outside the territory" he reminds her.

Lydia glances at the line before responding. "I may, but Stanford is also an option. Either way, Beacon Hills is part of us and I don't want to have to avoid the place. Besides, you heard Morgaine, things are going to start happening here." Lydia's eyes lose focus a bit and Jackson groans at the look in them.

"You are obsessed with the queens aren't you" he demands with a knowing look and sees Lydia smirk back at him.

"Only a fool would ignore them and what they represent. Besides…Stiles is going to need people to be his eyes and hands that can travel. Being connected to that kind of power isn't so bad" she adds with a toss of her hair.

"Oh, sorry!" a voice, cracking between a boy's and a man's, interrupts them as a shorter guy bumps into Jackson, narrowly avoiding spilling his drink.

"Watch it kid!" Jackson snarls but Lydia immediately pulls him back.

"Sorry, still getting over the jet lag. We just got to California this morning" the boy said. Lydia was startled at the intense green eyes under the jet black hair. He was close to their age.

"Are you new? I don't recognize you?" Lydia said staring at the teen. "Where do you go to school?"

"Right…sorry" the teen replied looking away from Jackson to stare at the strawberry blonde. "Wow you're pretty" he suddenly blushed and started choking.

"Oh man…not another one" Jackson whined and rolled his eyes. He had finally gotten rid of Stilinski and now here was a new stalker for Lydia.

Lydia merely raised an eyebrow at the blushing boy and waited. "Sorry, just…I mean…sorry. I'm Billy. Billy Dosonni" the teen stuck out his hand but pulled it back slowly at Lydia's look. "My family just moved here and I am starting at Beacon Hills High. I'm a freshman" he adds with a stammer as he avoided meeting Lydia's eyes.

"Well, I guess we will see you at school" Lydia says dryly and moves to the register to order. Jackson glares at the teen who quickly exits the shop after detouring widely to avoid getting any closer to the beta.

"Was that truly necessary?" Lydia asked him once they finally sit down.

"Necessary?" Jackson snorted. "No…but if he going to Beacon Hills High, he should know who to avoid and not piss off" he added with a smirk.

Lydia sipped her tea with a sigh. Jackson was an ass but he was hers and she took some comfort in the fact that most of Jackson's arrogance was more habit than real now. He didn't want to admit it but joining the pack helped settle him and she was hoping it would stick.

Noah walked into the station and he could feel the tension in the room like a palpable thing. He knew that his deputies wouldn't be happy with the feds, but he was certain they would be professional. For them to be this anxious, something had to have happened. It took about ten seconds before his people saw him and he could see the relief on their faces. "Roberts" Noah says to the man at the desk "is Graeme in?"

"Yes sir. She is with Agent Jones in the conference room" he replies glancing in that direction. "The feds have set up in there" he adds and Noah can feel the disapproval rolling off the man as he delivers the line in a clipped voice.

Noah holds back the sigh he was feeling and heads into the station moving to the conference room and doesn't pause before he pushes open the door to look around at the carefully controlled chaos in his station. Graeme and Parrish are both in the room and Tara looks like she is about to snap. There are four or five agents in the room but the older woman talking with Parrish surprisingly looks calm and professional. He doesn't see why tensions seem so high.

"Glad you could bother to show up" a familiar voice says that makes Noah Stilinski's skin crawl. He knew that voice. Glancing over he looks at the overtly smug look on Raphael McCall's face. Noah sees both his deputies tense up and even the senior agent looks uncomfortable. "Sleep off your…'condition'?" he adds in a suggestive manner with obviously false concern.

"You mean escaping from two serial killers, rescuing two civilians from them, and providing detailed descriptions of them. Killers that I might add have apparently been killing across the country without the Bureau even noticing? That condition? Yes. I got a good night's sleep and had a wonderful meal with my son before coming back. I am sure you can appreciate how important it is to spend time with your family" he says with a completely innocent smile.

He ignores Tara's choked noise and turns to the female agent, ignoring the tic on McCall's face though he imagines that he can actually hear the man's teeth grinding together. "You are the senior agent, I presume. I'm Noah Stilinski, the Sheriff" he adds knowing it wasn't necessary.

"Larissa Jones" she says extending her hand for a quick shake. "I am in charge of our team as we try to find these targets." Larissa decides not to address the obvious prior relationship between McCall and the Sheriff but she suddenly realizes that the man's insistence on coming and being here was not about the case but something else. However she doesn't plan on getting in the middle of a pissing contest.

"Have you been able to find anything since yesterday?" Noah asks moving towards the table as Agent Jones indicates that everyone should sit down.

"We have established that Jennifer Blake is an alias, her credentials and entire identity was faked, very well done, but it didn't hold up to an intensive review" she says shuffling some papers. "The man we have identified by several aliases but the most common is Deucalion Leidolf. He is from Boston as far as we can tell though he travels rather extensively. We have evidence of him all over the US." The agent looks unhappy before she continues "and in just about every place we have evidence of him…there were also multiple unsolved homicides."

"How many?" Noah asks after a pause where everyone looked extremely uncomfortable. He could tell that she was unhappy about this.

"Nineteen that we have information on" she says and Noah leans back at the implications of that. The feds are going to be furious that they missed this.

"This is all preliminary of course. We have no evidence that any of this is related to this situation, it's all supposition and circumstantial evidence right now" McCall says glaring at the senior agent as if he is furious that she is implying it was their fault.

"We had no evidence that either were potential suspects until they overreached" Noah says thoughtfully. "Have you been able to find any known associates?" he asks the agent.

"We are still running down info. We have several possible leads, but I am not sure how many of those will turn out" she admits glaring back at McCall. What was the man's problem?

"Parrish. Pull traffic cams and any video we can get and see if we can spot the man on them. He should be easy to spot with his cane. If we find him talking to anyone we don't know, we might be able to show their pictures to people in Agent Jones' other cases. Maybe we will get lucky and get a hit" Noah says looking back at the Agent.

"Actually I can do you one better. Perkins!" she shouts and one of the Agents at a computer looks up. "Work with Deputy Parrish on his videos" she turns back to Jordan and the Sheriff. "We can use our facial recognition software to look through hours of footage in a fraction of the time. Once we have him, we can identify anyone he talks to."

Jordan looks happy at the idea of not having to sit through all that footage. Noah nods and Jones pulls out another file. "We wanted to identify any pattern in their victims to see if that will help us. This is what we have so far" she begins and Noah settles in for a long meeting. He really wishes he could tell them that both of their subjects are currently buried in the Preserve but since that isn't possible, he is going to have to put up with the agents until the false leads start coming in via the Argents.

Derek looks resigned as Peter opens the door to the loft and struts in looking entirely too pleased with himself. "Why are you so happy?" Derek growls at his uncle.

"Why my dear nephew" Peter drawls looking at Derek with a smile that did not bode well for anyone on the receiving end. "To get a call inviting me to speak with the Alpha of Alphas? I must admit I am overwhelmed with the honor of your attention."

Derek growls at his uncle, his eyes flashing red and Peter's responding automatically, his eyes that ice blue that Derek once saw in his own reflection. "This is serious Peter" he snaps and the other man drops the façade and rolls his eyes.

"Then perhaps you should try actually asking me to come over instead of snarling orders at me. I thought we were beyond all that" Peter says sitting down in the arm chair that Derek usually used.

Derek frowned but since he didn't really want to sit down, he was content to let Peter stay there while he paced. "Lizzie told me some things about Stiles and how it would affect the other packs in his territory."

Peter sat up looking interested based on the gleam in his eye. "Do you know how big his territory actually is?" Peter asks with a calculating look. Derek just shakes his head and Peter sighs. "There are a number of packs in this part of California, ones that used to have understandings with us before. Both Talia and our mother often entertained nearby Alphas to discuss issues or concerns."

Derek looked surprised at that tidbit. "Grandma Abigail?" he asks while his mind tries to catch up. By the time Derek was born, his mother had been Alpha for several years and his grandmother was a strong and imposing woman, but it was Talia Hale who was the undisputed Alpha of the Hale Pack.

"You know that your mother wasn't born an Alpha right?" Peter asks sarcastically and Derek glares without answering. "Our mother was Alpha for nearly 50 years before she passed it on to Talia. She inherited the mantle during WWII. There was some incident that she never fully explained that killed our grandfather, her father, so Abigail had to take over at a fairly young age. If I remember correctly, she was only sixteen at the time. Created her first ally with a werewolf named Satomi, whose pack was a friend until the…" Peter trailed off and both Hale men avoided filling in that detail.

"So they were respected?" Derek asks in a quiet voice.

"Very much so. At least among the non-hunters. Hales have always been connected to the land and the people here. Our family has been here even before the Spanish arrived in California. According to family legend, the earliest wolves were from the Miwok tribe. There was no explanation as to how they became wolves, but they were here when the Spanish arrived. A small pack, who came to California with a Franciscan monk named Junipero Serra, moved into the area and as these things normally go, the daughter from the Galvez pack fell in love with a young wolf from the local pack and the two packs merged. The Galvez pack got the connection to the land and the local tribe became Spanish citizens who managed the land" Peter intoned thoroughly enjoying himself.

Derek would like to pop his ego but the truth was that he was enthralled and moved to sit on the couch. "So how did the land become Hale territory?" he asked.

"Ah, again we look to our family's history of powerful women. Mereen Hale was the Alpha of a Pack in the rougher parts of Scotland, though family rumor says the family originally came from Norway, and they had just fought a long and bloody battle. Mereen was left with only four surviving pack members and her Emissary so she decided to leave Scotland for the new world. After landing in the colonies, the Hales headed west and didn't stop until they hit the Pacific and this was before Lewis and Clark so it was a rather impressive feat. Mereen had reported that she had a vision of a jet black wolf that led her west until they found the Galvez Pack. The Alpha from that pack was older and had lost his heir and son in a fight and was willing to offer the Hales asylum. A few years later, Mereen's daughter married Galvez's grandson and the packs were merged. Isabelle inherited her mother's Alpha spark and Diego inherited his grandfather's and the pack was led by an Alpha Pair for the first time." Peter was surprised he remembered as much as he did from his time in the family library, he would have to be sure to write all this down now that it was fresh in his memory.

"But why are we Hales instead of Galvez?" Derek asks his uncle trying to restrain the eagerness in his voice.

"Ah. Well as I said, the family was fairly matriarchal at the time so when they wed, the new pack chose to become Hale. Apparently there was some mystical indications that appeared to Mereen about the need for a less Spanish name. Isabelle and Diego however were much more worldly than either of their parents or grandparents and invested heavily in a number of ventures that helped secure the family's long term finances. In fact, it was a Hale who helped California obtain statehood, though he went by his father's name who was human" Peter tossed the fact in absently. That reminded him he should probably reestablish contact with the various financial managers the family used.

Derek looked thoughtful as he considered Peter's story. "What about magic? Magic beyond our innate magic I mean. I didn't know about Deaton being our emissary but before things were messed up…did we have a different connection with them?"

Peter smiled, he was really enjoying this Derek. The one who asked Peter for help and information because he recognized the older man's worth. "Well, before the incident with the witch Morgan, the Hale's were fairly connected to magic. In fact I remember reading a number of stories where human born pack members developed significant magical abilities. Those that were druidic or witch in nature usually stayed with the pack since we had them as part of the family as far back as anyone remembered. There were a few enchanters and sorcerers as well, but they rarely stayed with the family but instead went to find others like them." Peter wondered what happened to those lost Hales.

"You said druids were in the family before the Hales came? I thought Deaton said that the druids came over from Europe after helping the sons of Lycaon learn to control their shifts" Derek asks after thinking about what the vet had told them.

Peter smirked at that. "Well that is a matter of some debate. What we call druidic magic is most closely associated with the historical druids from the British Isles, but the truth is that druidic magic existed long before the Celts. They were simply the best known for using it, admittingly they were probably the most gifted in the world with it, but their view of history is a bit…slanted" Peter raised an eyebrow at his nephew's snort. They had both had unsatisfactory dealings with the former emissary. "The tale of King Lycaon is only one tale about how werewolves happened. There is also the story that a magic user, not sure which kind, was the one who made it so that a man who drank water from the footprint of a wolf on a full moon would gain the power to shift."

Derek looked less than impressed by that suggested origin. "What did mom believe?"

Peter looked thoughtful. "I am truly not sure. I know that she enjoyed the story that werewolves were actually created by the Goddess Artemis, the goddess of the hunt, to deliver her divine justice. The story goes on that she also created human hunters to balance the wolves, to prevent them from taking over. She apparently liked the idea of balance. There is also a story that the earth mother Gaia created all shifters to be guardians of nature" Peter rolled his eyes telling Derek what the man felt about that option.

"And you?" Derek asks with a penetrating stare. "I don't believe that you haven't thought about this and tried to figure it out."

Peter chuckles. "True. I feel all of those options are possible, but I like to think that we are the descendants of Hati and Skoll." Looking at Derek he sees the confusion on the Alpha's face. "In Norse mythology, Hati and Skoll were the wolves that Odin bespelled to chase after the sun and the moon to keep them on time and moving in the sky. They were the sons of Fenris, the great wolf who was bound to a mountain in order to prevent him from eating the world. Fenris was the son of Loki, the god of mischief" Peter elaborated. "I always liked the idea of the mixed nature of duty, burden, and strength that story shows."

"Not to mention power" Derek adds and shakes his head at the look of surprise on his uncle's face. "You always felt we were more and the idea that we are descended from Norse gods would definitely appeal. And I remember Laura telling me about Fenris, the wolf who was destined to kill Odin and that he was restrained because of his lack of control. She always said that was why mom was so strict as we learned control" Derek sighed and stood up to pace. He paused for a moment before he looked at his uncle. "Do you think that Lizzy knows the truth?" he asks Peter.

The older man looks completely caught off guard. He had never considered asking, mainly because he never thought he would have the chance to meet the Morgain, let alone be in the position to question her. "I honestly don't know" he finally admits.

"Okay" Derek says sitting back down. "Can you remember anything else about our family?"

Peter shrugs. He is sure there is but without something prompting his memory he isn't sure. He has an idea "Actually…there may be some of the older, more valuable volumes in the Hale vaults."

"Vaults? Plural?" Derek asks looking confused.

Peter nods. "The main family vault is here in Beacon Hills, but several members of the family created other vaults in other places over the years. I imagine Talia knew them all, but I know of at least four. There is one in Mexico that I am fairly sure hasn't been touched in over a century. There is also one in Colorado and another in upstate New York" Peter looks amused but also thoughtful. "I was certain that there was one in Scotland, but I hadn't narrowed its location down before the fire" he freezes for a moment before pushing on "but I might be able to recreate my work" he adds looking at Derek.

"If we can find out more of our history, I think that would be very valuable. If Lizzie is correct about how people are going to react to Stiles, then we need to be prepared for the attention as well. It wouldn't surprise me if we have to deal with more wolves like Deucalion who feel that they would be better masters of this territory" Derek told his uncle.

Peter paused and looked at Derek in surprise. He hadn't even thought of that! With the boy being so powerful, there would be Alphas who think that they could use him for their own purposes, especially as probably none of them truly understand the true fact of the boy's strength. Peter has no doubt if he has made friends of both the Sorcerer Supreme as well as the Morgaine and the Merlin, the other masters of the domains will probably be coming by to size up the teen. That doesn't even count the impact of the Fae Queens. Peter can't remember any mortal affair that drew all four of them to the same place in this world in the last thousand years! There were stupid and arrogant wolves that would think Stiles was a powerful druid or something and attempt to dominate him and while Peter doubted that any of them would be too much for the teen, the constant fighting would get old fast.

"You see the problem?" Derek asks his uncle casually and the older man nods gravely. They need to deal with this before it becomes an issue.

"So how do we stop the fools?" Peter demands as he stands up and he sees the slight uptick in Derek's lips, not quite a smile.

"I want to send you to Satomi. She is the closest Alpha and probably is already feeling the effects of Stiles' power. I want you to invite her, politely, back here to talk" Derek instructs.

Peter nods. It's a good idea. "Satomi is a good choice. Her pack is small so she is not a threat, but she has been an Alpha for a long time and is respected, at least by the respectable packs."

"We are not going to be able to reason with wolves like Deucalion and Kali" Derek replies firmly. "Instead we are going to surround our territory with allies. If Lizzie is right, I bet packs will want to enter Stiles' territory to benefit from the magical side effects. If we have enough of them around us…" his voice trails off as he watches Peter smile wickedly.

"They will keep out the idiots in order to preserve their own benefits" Peter finishes and nods his approval. It seems that his nephew is learning quickly. This is a plan that both his sister and mother would have thoroughly approved of. "I will set up a meeting with Satomi as soon as I can. The Delgado and Anderson packs are probably also in his territory based on what we know so far. They were Hale allies once, I will reach out to them after sending Satomi to you."

Derek nods and they discuss other packs they might reach out to before Peter leaves to start making contact with the other packs. Since returning to Beacon Hills Derek has felt that he has been lurching from crisis to crisis with no chance to breathe. He is changing that. Beacon Hills is going to be his home and he is going to secure it from anyone: human, hunter, magical, or shifter. Smiling he reaches for his phone, it's time to get the pack involved.