"I wish it wasn't..."

Allison's POV

Soft moonlight bathed Allison's bedroom, forcing shadows to retreat into their dark corners. Though, she was certain that even if her world was lit with warm sunlight, she'd still feel just as cold.

She stared at her necklaces that danced with each pass of her little fan on the nightstand while her thoughts wandered. Could her family really have anything to do with something so horrible? This wasn't just hunting a supernatural creature that was wreaking havoc on innocent people.

No, this was horrific mutilation.

Earlier that evening, Allison had left her bed to get an aspirin and a glass of water for her pounding headache. She had a massive test coming up in biology that could make or break her semester grade and with everything Scott had just dumped on her it was all just too much.

Allison remembered sipping her water in the kitchen with a pill on her tongue, hair up in a messy bun adjusting the strap of her cami- wishing she'd worn a cardigan. The house was always so cold.

Her dad had been sitting in the living room, watching television. Heaving sighs at whatever was happening on screen. Everything seemed normal…until she walked by the den toward the stairs.

For some reason, she stopped in the hall. An instinct, she supposed. She turned to look at what her dad was watching on the screen. Well, a screen. She'd been wrong. He wasn't watching some poorly scripted drama on the tv. It was some kind of fight on his laptop.

Allison moved closer with a small frown, clutching the glass of remaining water in her hand, furrowing her brows into a confused scowl. She watched in disgusting curiosity as a woman faced down a man who prowled around her while she stood on the tips of her toes in some kind of strange-looking circle.

Then it happened.

The woman on the screen wrenched a man's heart from his chest.

Allison gasped sharply and took a staggering step back, her heart suddenly racing so fast it hurt to breathe.

Her dad slammed the laptop shut and turned while standing to his feet. Rage filled his features as he glowered down at her.

"Allison-" he began, but she quickly cut him off.

"What the hell was that?" she asked, her voice stronger than she'd anticipated it to be, "Please tell me that was some kind of documentary-style movie that's meant to scare viewers…" she waited for him to say something, anything, but he only met her with a cold stare. She tried again. "Dad…please tell me that wasn't real."

The silence stretched between them and just as Allison was ready to turn to leave, he finally answered.

"I wish it wasn't."

Scott had been right, Allison thought as she rolled over in bed and stared at the blank wall. Her ears were still ringing from the shock of watching that woman remove a man's heart - without even touching him. That woman…could it be the one Scott had told her about? Could it be Hope?

It wasn't too far of a stretch. As far as she understood, Stiles called to tell Scott that the men who took her ran some sort of mafia gang fighting ring, designed for supernaturals. Pitting them against each other in brutal scenarios to bring out the bloodiest endings.

But…that was all she knew. Scott refused to tell her anything else, but she was starting to think it was less about him wanting her to know and more about not letting her dad find out they knew about the business. Scott didn't say it but looking back at their conversation and piecing it together tonight with the way her dad had just reacted to her seeing that fight scene…maybe Scott thought her dad had something to do with this fight mafia ring.

No. Her dad was a lot of things, but he wasn't a heartless monster. He'd never force people to torture and murder each other like that.

Would he?

As Allison questioned her father's honor, she watched a car's headlights reflect off her window and then stay here. Lighting up the front of their house. They didn't waver again, and they didn't shut off. Strange, she thought as she sat up.

She waited…and then waited a little longer, hearing her heartbeat thudding frantically behind her ears. Nothing. No knock or ringing of the doorbell. It was just quiet, but the lights still wouldn't go away. Maybe someone was lost? Allison checked the time - almost midnight.

Sighing softly, she finally slipped out of bed and put on her shoes. She was instinctively careful to keep out of the view of her window as she shrugged into the cardigan, she hadn't put on earlier, then descended the stairs.

Unfamiliar voices made her stop halfway down the steps.

"Get off my property," her dad said in a low, threatening voice.

Fear clenched her stomach, making her hands suddenly feel cold and clammy. No, no more of that. You're a warrior now. You can be afraid, but you can't show it.

"I'd love to mate," a voice said with a thick English accent, "But you may have something I need."

"Then find it elsewhere."

"Can't I'm afraid. I assume your daughter is home. Allison?"

Just as Allison had been about to take a step down, she froze. Her eyes were wide.

"Allison," the voice called again, "Sweetheart, I only want to talk with you for a moment, love. The stairs really aren't the best place to eavesdrop."

Taking a deep breath to steady herself, Allison finished the next few steps carefully. Moving to see around the corner of the stairs, but stayed put there, ready to go back up to her weaponry at a moment's notice.

"That's it," the man grinned, "Just who I'm looking for."

Aside from her dad, two other men stood on the other side of the door. The man who'd called to her wearing a leather jacket, and another dressed as if he were late to a wedding. Tie and all.

The man in the suit offered a smile, but while she assumed he was trying to be warm, there was an edge to his eyes that kept her guarded. "My name is Elijah…and this," he held up something between two fingers, "Is yours?" he asked.

Frowning, she moved a little closer. The porch light caught the reflections of something familiar…her driver's license. Her eyes widened as she quickly looked over at her dad, who stared in deep confusion.

"Yes…" she finally managed through a tight voice, but how did they have it? She flicked her eyes over at her purse near the door on the little table, where she always kept it. "How did you…" she looked back at him.

"Ah," Elijah continued - almost lazily, "You see, this was found in my niece's house. Where her laptop should have been." He narrowed his eyes at her, voice croaking with judgment.

"My daughter," the other man interrupted now, "Was taken a couple of nights ago by a group of men. We came to investigate and what do we find? A bit of evidence we wouldn't have suspected."

"I didn't…"

"Don't lie to me," the man growled, but before he could even attempt to get through the door, her dad pulled a large revolver out from behind the door.

"You're not invited," he said, cocking the gun, "So like I said. Get off my property."

The three men held long gazes and Allison was sure her dad was about open fire if they didn't start to leave. She began preparing herself for the loud bang when another figure stepped up. Putting herself between the two.

She looked much like the woman on the screen and Allison immediately knew. If the man to her right was the woman's father, this would be her mother.

"I'm not asking for a lot. I'm not asking for your help. I'm asking as one parent to another…please give me her laptop. She may have tracking information that can be used to find her…" she paused and looked directly at Allison, then back at her dad. "What if it were your daughter?"

The silence was chilling, but she watched as the hard creases on her father's forehead finally relaxed. "You might not like what you see on it, but I'll give it to you, but this is an even trade. I give you the laptop and you leave and never come near us again."

"You have my word," Elijah said.

"Not just you. All of you."

"And why should we just forgive and forget you for breaking in and hoarding information about our kidnapped daughter?" the man with the attitude problem growled.

"Because a daughter's life is more important than a petty revenge." Mr. Argent said roughly." Neither of us went into your daughter's house. I found the laptop on my kitchen counter this afternoon with directions to a site on the dark web. The people who left it have tried to recruit me in the past. The more information I have, the better I'm able to stop it once and for all."

"You do know about it then," Allison said suddenly, moving forward, "Scott was right."

"Scott doesn't know anything and neither does Stiles. Like that's a first," her dad grumbled and looked over at her, "There are things you're not ready to hear or see yet…"

"But I did see it," she countered, "I saw what they made her do, is that who they're talking about? The woman in the ring?"

The woman leaned forward with wide eyes "What did you see? What happened? Is she okay?"

The panic from her filled the space, agitating everyone within the radius.

Her dad sighed softly "I'll just give you the laptop…" he said before giving his daughter a look that said, be quiet, don't agitate them. "It's in the den." He said and nodded, urging her to go, clearly not wanting to leave her alone with the three.

Allison sighed before finally turning to go, but not before she heard her father tell the woman "From what I saw she was still alive at the end of the fight, but don't put all your hope on what they let people see on screen."

Dread drowned Allison, making her feel lethargic and sick as she picked up the laptop, she'd seen her dad watching earlier. This definitely wasn't his. It had a sticker on the front that said Do It Mardi Gras Style and a cut out of what she assumed was the city of New Orleans.

Forcing herself to shake off the sadness building for the girl in the ring, she walked back to the front door and gave her dad the laptop.

Allison forced a small smile "So I guess she's the one Derek has puppy dog eyes for, hm?" Her attempt at a little light-heartedness was not well received by the grumpy leather jacket man. Because if looks could kill, she'd be dead on the floor.

Hayley tried to reach for the laptop, but her hand stopped before it could enter the threshold. Allison watched in confusion as her father held the laptop to himself first.

"First your word." Mr. Argent said with a slow shake of his head.

Hayley nodded quickly "Yes, of course, we don't blame you for what they did." She elbowed leather jacket when he started to protest and gave him a scathing look "Because our daughter is more important than petty revenge for something that wasn't their fault."

She and leather jacket held a gaze for a long moment before he nodded.

Allison could have sworn she heard him mumble 'Yes, she is' in the saddest voice she'd ever heard in her life.

Her dad handed the laptop over and started to close the door just as they were turning away, but then stopped and met each of their eyes. "If it were my daughter, I'd do exactly what you're doing…good luck." The door shut, blocking them all from each other's view. Darkness fell like quiet snow once more.

Allison continued to stare at the door, wrapping her arms around herself as she frowned. "You said they weren't invited, and she couldn't put her hand through the door…"

"They're vampires," he said plainly before starting to walk away.

Allison gaped after him.

"What?!"