Chapter 16

Peter sat in the café and frowned. He had arrived on the edge of the small town through Stiles' portal and had quickly confirmed that he was, in fact, in Argentina. His Spanish was rusty but still passable enough to figure a few things out. Of course, his phone updating helped significantly with that as well. The small town of El Fuerte sat out in the hills in the north, close to the borders of Bolivia and Paraguay, and you wouldn't expect it to be all that exciting, but Peter had sniffed out traces of both werewolf and magic. If this was the home base of the Alvarez Pack, then he would be very happy as they were, after all, distant family, but he wasn't entirely sure of that, so he was playing it carefully.

Upon arriving, he had scouted around a bit but there had been no real traces near the portal, and he had only caught those fleeting hints of scent heading away from the scents of town. So instead he decided to head to the small town to scout for clues and possibly see what he could figure out. They were only three hours or so from Salta, so this was definitely a possible location for the horses that the Alvarez's had raised, but for the life of him, Peter couldn't remember all of the specific details from that family. He hadn't been very interested in their visit as he was rather preoccupied with Hannah at the time. He sighed. He hated feeling as grateful towards Stiles as he did, but the boy's gift, his family's forgiveness, and getting to say his final goodbyes had snuffed out a rather significant amount of his rage and grief that even killing Kate had failed to accomplish.

Peter had prided himself on his control and ability to turn any situation to his advantage. Talia had recognized this aspect of his personality and had guided it as much as she could, using him to handle things she couldn't, but the truth was she didn't have the ruthlessness that their mother Abigail had. That woman! Peter shook his head smiling at the memory. His mother was strong, vicious, and loving all at once. She could cut your throat or offer you cookies depending on the situation and it wouldn't cause her to pause for even a second to dole out either option. Talia was strong, but she was also an idealist. She relied too much on their history and reputation to protect them and thought that they could manage the world alone. He had argued against that disastrous peace conference with Argent and Deucalion and he had originally thought he had managed to convince her, but the truth was she didn't want to be part of it for reasons other than his suspicions.

No, Talia was too 'honorable' to enter negotiations where she might have to fight her purported allies if things went bad. She stepped back to allow Deucalion his 'moment' because if they were wrong, she thought their pack would be safe since they were not involved. If he was right, then they still benefited from what he would accomplish. She didn't need or want personal glory. Peter supposes that her perspective wasn't wrong, but it wasn't very proactive. And if he is being fair, which he really hates, even he didn't suspect the depths of Argent's depravity and corruption.

But now, he needed to find his niece and bring her home. Assuming that she wasn't fully a member of their pack now. He and Derek had spoken of the possibility that she had joined this pack, especially if she believed herself the last Hale. Derek had accepted the possibility, but like Peter, he wanted to hold on to the hope that they could offer her a place among them. The beta had to admit that the possibility that his young niece had refused to truly submit to another alpha was fairly likely. The girl had been born stubborn like no other…except maybe his mother now that he thinks about it. Cora had reminded him a bit of Abigail. If so…she was probably still a Hale simply out of spite.

He inhaled and a scent came to him over the pungent coffee wafting up from his table. He looked around casually, giving nothing away, when he spotted the pair. Nothing stood out. They were dressed like every other local, save their clothes were dustier and their skin a bit darker tanned. Their truck was nothing special, completely normal. In every way they looked like a pair of workers from a ranch on a run into town.

But Peter Hale was not a fool, nor was he blind. He saw the silky-smooth gait and shift of muscles, the slightly exaggerated flaring of nostrils, the surreptitious glances scanning for danger. These were wolves, born ones, of that he was certain. He watched as they walked into the small store across the plaza from where he sat and he smiled. He was downwind at the moment so he was certain that they couldn't scent him so he just had to wait for a few seconds and then when he sniffed, he was now certain. Definitely wolves.

Now he had to determine his approach. From the looks and interactions from the locals, they were well known and though a male and female, he could easily tell two things about them. First, they were not lovers, nor were they related, at least not very close enough relatives to grow up together if they were. They moved independently, though coordinated. They trained together, but it was a more recent thing, a few years at best. Peter had watched his brother Ian train the other pack members and he had listened well when the man had spoke. He knew growing up that he would never be the fighter Ian was, but he still wanted to learn. Ian had shown them the difference of moving alongside one you knew intimately. Ian's wife had died several years before the fire, but Peter remembered watching them train together. They moved like graceful dancers, each knowing where the other one was without thinking about it. Talia and Robert had been like that. But Talia and Ian also moved with a grace that couldn't be hidden simply from growing up together. Peter was younger than both of them by enough time that he didn't share that easy connection, but the way he fought with them was still impressive enough simply because Ian and Talia had helped train him. No, wolves that trained from that early of an age or who shared the mate bond, you saw it if you knew what to look for.

Those two? No. They didn't naturally cover each other and in fact, the man had gone in the store as the woman was still getting bags from the truck. They were not a fighting pair.

"Le gustaría algo de comer señor?" the waitress asked with a smile as she topped off his coffee. He shook his head. He didn't have time to eat anything now that his prey was here.

She nodded and walked off and he caught the scent of her arousal and he smirked behind his sunglasses. She had been flirting with him since he arrived, and another time he might have responded, but he was focused. And…the wind had shifted so now they would be downwind of him. Good.

It was another ten minutes before the two came out of the store with several bags of groceries from the small store and began to load their truck up. Peter watched carefully and noticed the exact moment they caught his scent. She was quicker and definitely smoother. The man startled and looked around, visibly rattled. She was much more cautious as she slowly looked around before her eyes stopped on him and narrowed at the unfamiliar man in the town's little café. He smirked over his coffee cup and watched them, completely relaxed as the man finally figured out where he was. Thank god he wasn't a hunter. Those two were sloppy!

Peter watched the woman as she spoke to her companion. He couldn't hear her of course, she was too smart to do more than whisper and even he couldn't hear her this far away, but by the look on the man's face, he wasn't happy. Clearly. Peter couldn't help but chuckle as he watched the man get back in his truck, his phone, invisible inside the truck was obviously out and he was definitely calling someone as she walked over towards Peter. At least they were smart. She was checking out the intruder while he called it in. Maybe they weren't as big of fools as he initially thought.

"Señor?" the woman said as she entered the café's border. Her jeans were dirty, but they were good quality. Her boots functional but not without decoration. She was young, between him and Derek in age if he were to guess. He liked that she managed to convey so much with a single word.

"Loba" he replies and sees her slight reaction to that but something more.

"American?" she says in nearly flawless English.

"I'm impressed" Peter admits. "You got all that from a single word?"

She snorts. "Hardly. You reek of American…and horse?" she frowns because she knows that's close but not quite right. "What are you doing in our territory?"

Peter indicates her chair with a formal smile and gesture. "That depends on whose territory it is."

She sits but doesn't look like she particularly enjoys it. "How do you not know when you enter another's territory?"

Peter waives off her question with a casual indifference and that gets a reaction. He's enjoying this. She is nowhere near trained for this. "I came by…unconventional means and I am looking for someone. I believe they might be with a particular pack, but I admit that I am not sure if it is yours or not." He smiles in what others would assume is sincerity. Peter knows she is listening to his heart, but he wouldn't have been the Hand if hadn't mastered that. Besides, he isn't lying.

The woman frowns. He watches as she tries to figure out whether or not she should say anything, but he can tell she can't figure out a reason to refuse. Peter hasn't violated any rules. He isn't even in pack territory, not officially. Towns are typically neutral for most packs, even ones this small. "This is Alvarez territory" she finally admits.

Peter smiles. "That is very good then as I am looking for the Alvarez pack. Specifically, I am looking for Angelica Alvarez."

The girl startles at that. "Why are you looking for her?"

Peter shrugs. "Why should I tell you, someone I don't even know?"

She glares. "I don't know you."

"No. You don't." He takes a deliberately slow sip of his coffee and watches.

The girl growls at his answer but Peter smirks without much concern. This puppy is not in his league. She has given away so much that her Alpha should definitely retrain her, especially if she is going to have any interactions with others in the future. He is forcibly reminded of how naive his own pack was and what it cost them. "I formally request an audience with your Alpha." The words are ritual and have carried over languages and centuries. To refuse would be an insult of the highest degree. They will either bring the Alpha here or take him there, but outside of a war, a request, formally given, is honored.

"Of course," she says barely refraining from biting her teeth. "And who may I say is asking?"

Peter's face shifts from casual indifference to barely constrained fury causing the girl to shrink back involuntarily, and the beta hears her heart spike with the scent of fear. "One who speaks from the darkness" he growls, and his eyes flash their cold blue causing the woman's eyes to widen.

"A Hand" she whispers and swallows audibly. This is no ordinary wolf, but one who speaks for a pack in matters you don't speak of openly. It is rare that outsiders know who is the pack's Hand so to introduce himself that way suggests both danger and risk. And those eyes tell a story that Lucia Fernandez is fairly certain she does not want to hear. She looks over at the truck and sees the shocked look on Matias' face. He heard. She looks back at the now placid face of the Hand, "I will speak to my Alpha."

Peter doesn't have long to wait. The woman, Lucia she finally admitted, had gone back with her companion and had obviously made a call to the pack. It was less than five minutes and she was coming back to café. "Our Alpha grants you passage to speak, Hand."

Nodding, Peter tosses some money on the table, more than generous than a simple coffee would merit and gestures gallantly for her to take the lead. She does, but Peter can read the tenseness in her back at having a potential enemy out of her sight. He smiles as he notes the man waiting at the car. Lucia is walking so she doesn't block his view of Peter, providing a level of support. With a smile, Peter takes the spot in the front passenger seat of the truck. Allowing Lucia to sit behind him while the man, Matias he is introduced as, drives.

"So, we have not had another Hand visit before" Lucia says trying to appear calm and confident.

"No?" Peter asks casually. "How long have you been with the Alvarez pack then?"

The puppies both snarl at that a bit. "What do you mean?" she asks defiantly.

Peter sighs heavily, exaggerating a bit for effect. "While both of you are born wolves, you are not of the Alvarez bloodline. You are not a mated pair obviously and you haven't fought or trained long together. You are new. You also react too much to your environment. The fact I was downwind wouldn't have stopped a member of the blood pack from knowing a foreign wolf was so close. You are either refugees from other packs, though that is also unlikely. More likely you are friends, mates to a blood member, or looking for a new pack."

Both of them are quiet and Peter can sense their discomfort, not to mention their reaction to his comment about looking for a new pack. That was it.

"I heard that Hands often had special gifts to see threats" Matias muttered.

Peter laughed. "Some do. But in truth, you both are blindly easy to read. I would bet neither of you have ever faced a hunter before."

Lucia frowned. "Why would we? We have violated no codes or harmed anyone."

Peter snorts. "You think all hunters are honorable? Only fools believe that." Both of them bristle but they don't challenge him and remain silent for the rest of the drive to the ranch. Pulling up to the large house, Peter can't help but be a bit impressed. In addition to the main house, he spots the horse barn, an indoor training ring, at least one bunkhouse, and several other buildings he is not sure of their use. There are also about a dozen people shuffling around the door to the house but none of them scream Alpha to his casual evaluation.

They stop and get out and Peter walks around the front of the car and spots the largest of the pack, a man close to his own age but nearly twice his size. A brute to be sure, but not the Alpha. The enforcer he would guess though usually that role is a bit more strategic. More like…the woman beside him. She was assessing Peter critically and her stance, her bearing, all of that spoke of power, control, and skill. She was the Enforcer with the wall of muscle to back her up.

He didn't bother looking for the Hand. They would either be introduced or not, depending on the pack, but it would never be obvious. "Hand" the Enforcer says politely. "Lucia didn't mention your pack or your purpose in being here to her."

"Probably because I didn't tell her" he replies in a tone without respect or disdain, perfectly diplomatic and he sees her acknowledge the point.

"You said you wish an audience with our alpha. Why?" she demands a bit more forcefully.

"Blood" he says without elaboration and watches as she processes his answer. There are a lot of possibilities there.

Just then the door opens and Lucia exits follows by an older woman, he guesses she would be Talia's age if his sister had lived and a man at least sixty if he was a day, but who radiated power. That was the Alpha! "That's him" Lucia said pointing towards Peter but she was talking to the woman, not her Alpha.

"You have been granted an audience Hand. Deliver your message" the woman says and Peter sees it. She has aged but she is that distant relative who visited so long ago.

"I'm hurt Angelica. No greetings for me?" he asks with a smirk.

She stares at Peter for several moments, the struggle to match the man's face with her memories but Peter can see when she finally makes the connection as her face pales. "That's impossible" she whispers, sounding truly scared and both Lucia and the Alpha turn to her in shock. "you're dead!" she whispers.

"No and yes, and then no again." Peter is particularly proud of that line as he smiles at the woman.

"There were no survivors!" she hisses. "The fire…"

"There were" he cuts her off with a hint of anger. "Three, well four if my source is correct about who is here."

The Alpha's eyes widen alongside Angelica's, Stiles was right! Peter can sense it. "She's here" he whispers and sees both of the them look uncertain.

"Name yourself!" the alpha roars, his eyes flashing crimson.

Peter can't stop his own blue eyes responding, but he doesn't yield otherwise. He serves a far greater Alpha than this man no matter his power and he delays just long enough to show it and sees the alpha's surprise, but not enough to disrespect him. "I am Peter Hale, Hand of the Hale Pack."

The whispers from the others are fast and furious. They know that name though Lucia and Matias both don't react like the others. They haven't heard the story it seems. "Uncle Peter?" a voice, barely a whisper, comes from off to the side but Peter hears it and turns his back to the Alpha and locks in on it. He sees her and his throat catches. Cora is there! She is standing there, looking more like Laura and Talia than he would have believed possible, but his mother is there in her face too. Damn she is a Hale true and true. "Cora" he whispers but it's enough for her. Seconds later he is wrapped up in that scent, that scent he has missed for so long. Family. He has Derek, but Derek is Alpha. It is different. That night in the woods, the night Stiles called them back, had been intoxicating for both Peter and Derek because their family's scent returned so strong that it still burned in his nose. Now he was wrapped up again in the young girl hugging him tight enough to break a human's bones.

"I thought you were dead!" she finally yells when she steps back.

"I nearly was. I was caught in the fire and burned. It took me six years to come out of the coma and the hospital."

Cora pales and he hears her heart plummet. "I left you?" she whispers but he pulls her back in quickly.

"You were a child and didn't know. You obeyed your Alpha's last orders and ran for safety. We didn't know you survived until recently. Once we knew, we have been trying to locate you and with some help from some friendly witches, we finally did." Peter sighed as he looked around the Alvarez Pack who were all listening intently.

"We?" Cora had latched onto that word.

"Derek and I. Laura survived the fire as well, but she died last year" he admits and sees the joy and loss cross her face in an instant before locking down.

"Derek…is he the Alpha?" she asks softly.

"He is. He has formed a new pack to protect Beacon Hills and he sent me to bring you home…assuming you wish to come" he added gently.

"Will you stay for dinner?" the Alpha said interrupting them, but respectfully. "We would hear more of your story Peter Hale. I had sent searchers when Cora first came to us but it seemed that hunters were thick up there."

Peter nodded. "The Argents. Two of their number broke the code and burned our house with our pack inside it" he said and felt a bit of pleasure at the shock that the other wolves displayed. No, they hadn't had to deal with the likes of Kate and Gerard.

He nodded. "I am Santino Alvarez, Alpha of our pack. You already know Angelica my mate and you met Lucia and Matias, two of our newest. But let me introduce the rest of our pack."

Santino introduced the dozen or so wolves that were there and he was right about the enforcer. Mia Alvarez was the Alpha's sister and his enforcer. As expected, they didn't introduce the Hand. Quickly they went into the house and sat down, Cora next to him, while Angelica and Lucia got refreshments. Peter could also smell meat grilling as they prepared dinner. "Cora, how did you get here?" Peter asked his niece and she looked a bit embarrassed, but she shouldn't have been.

Cora told them about her escape and Peter could tell that more than a few had not heard this story though the Alpha and his mate definitely had. Cora had run until she reached one of the cabins on the property and stayed there for a full day before creeping back and finding the house destroyed and the smell of death everywhere. Believing her family dead, she ran south, heading for her pen pal until she ran into a pack just east of LA. Luckily they were a good pack and with a bit of help, they got Cora on a bus to Argentina and she finally made it, after some harrowing adventures, to the Alvarez pack where she has been ever since.

Santino and Angelica took over and shared their efforts, but they truly believed the Hales were gone and Cora the only living member and then there was whispers that someone was looking for any survivors. Peter guessed that the rumors were about Laura and Derek, not Cora, but the Alvarez wouldn't have any way to know that. Then it was Peter's turn.

He hesitated how much to share, but he knew they needed something.

Peter started with the fire. He didn't give details about what Kate did to Derek, but he shared that she had targeted them without cause and her methods. The watching wolves were stunned though Alpha Alvarez wasn't. He shared that Derek and Laura fled to NY and he remained in the hospital, suffering inside his damaged body.

The next part he didn't dwell on. Laura returned, was killed, Derek returned, Peter had woken and sought revenge, and ultimately Derek, as Alpha, had created new betas. He could tell which wolves had recognized that a lot of details were missing. He finished up part one glossing over the rescue of Jackson, and the subsequent tension between McCall's group and the Hale Pack.

"It was then that things went from bad to worse. Apparently, Deucalion and his Alpha Pack decided that Derek would be an excellent member and came to recruit him."

"I have heard of Deucalion and his abominations. The man killed his own pack?" Santino asks hoping the rumor was wrong.

"Yes. He found it gave him a twisted power. He convinced Ennis and Kali to do the same, kill their entire pack and emissary to become super alphas you might say. Then they went after other packs. To either kill and take their power or add to their numbers. By the time they came to Beacon Hills, there were seven alphas in that twisted pack."

"Seven perverted alphas against an unprepared boy with a handful of bitten wolves. Is that why you are here? You need help?" Angelica asks looking worried.

Peter laughed without humor. "No. We destroyed Deucalion and his corrupt pack along with the Darach they created. It seemed that Kali failed to kill her emissary in her climb to power and though horribly wounded, her lover survived and then wanted revenge." He leaned back to watch with a bit of glee the pandemonium that bit of news caused.

It took a few moments before Santino roared his pack to silence and he turned to Peter. "Deucalion and his pack are dead?" Peter nodded. "How?"

"Our emissary. He is special, beyond special. He has mated with my nephew and they have established a new territory under their domain and have even been accepted as High Alphas by five packs of wolves, a herd of centaurs, and by now who knows how many other fae, spirits, and whatnots that are now coming to Beacon Hills. I expect more in the coming months" Peter said happily.

"You left out quite a bit" a woman off to one side said. Peter looked at the dark haired, pale woman without showing the surprise he felt. He was positive she wasn't there earlier and he did not sense her arrival. He also caught a scent that he didn't recognize but that triggered a sense of fear that he hadn't felt in some time.

"What do you mean?" Angelica asks the woman.

"He passed the veil, not once, but twice. You tricked the dark angel, Hand of the Pack. Escaping death is no easy feat" she says with a voice that would be melodic if it wasn't carrying with it power he had never felt except that night…

"You are a necromancer" he says with certainty. Her eyebrow raise is the only response. "That power is memorable when you encounter it."

"You have encountered another necromancer?" she seems surprised. "And you are still here?"

Peter smiles. "Well, he is pretty untrained. However he did manage to summon seven spirits to return to earth to speak and that kind of magic stays with you."

The woman looks unsettled. "Yvette?" Angelica asks cautiously.

Yvette looks at the alpha's mate for a moment before looking back at Peter. "You say he was untrained? But to summon seven spirits, all together? That is not the work of a novice. That magic requires much more power and skill." She narrows her eyes as if she is searching for something but then gasps. "You have created a Àngixe to thánato! You use a Banshee to reverse death itself!" she yells.

Peter nods proudly. "I did. And she is incredible. A member of our pack and soon to be our new Emissary if I am reading my nephew's intentions right."

Yvette looks both furious and worried. "You said your Emissary was the Alpha's mate? Why would you need a new one?" Santino asks hoping to give his visitor some time to recover. His mate was whispering to her though he didn't truly understand what was going on between her and Hale.

"Well, as High Alpha, he really isn't in a position to be Emissary as well. So, my dear Ms. Martin will probably take on that role. I imagine that the rest of our world is going to be rather a difficult situation when they have to face her, especially when she is angry. I can speak to personal experience; it isn't a pleasant experience."

"You used a Banshee to return. How did you die?" Yvette demands.

Peter sighs and glances at his niece. "Family argument." Seeing her about to protest he gave up. "Derek killed me."

Cora gasped in shock and shook her head. Why would her brother do such a thing?

"Why?" Angelica whispers looking lost.

Peter sighed heavily. He really didn't want to talk about this, but he knew Cora would need to hear this eventually. Luckily by now most of the other wolves had left, they didn't like hearing about the death of the Hale Pack. Now it was just the Alpha and his mate, Cora and her friend, the Necromancer, the Enforcer, and a human male. "When I was in the hospital, taking six years to heal, cell by cell, I was trapped in a broken body, but my mind was there, drifting in darkness, pain, and fury. To put it mildly? I was insane by the time I was healed enough to move. I was driven by one singular objective, vengeance. Vengeance on those who had killed my family and left me to spend six hears listening to the sounds of their screams in my ears, the smell of them burning in our house in my nose and mouth, and the absolute defenselessness of lying in a broken body, abandoned by my alpha. I was used and abused by a nurse who hunters had placed to watch me and make sure I never recovered but stayed alive. I guess that torture was fun for them."

He paused to sip the water in front of him and saw the shock, tears, and utter despair on so many faces, including his niece's. "I was feral but driven by purpose. Another wolf entered my territory, so I attacked and killed it and by doing so gained the power of an alpha. It sped my healing and allowed me to finally be free of my prison. I killed my nurse and focused on killing Kate Argent, the woman behind it all."

"You killed an Alpha while feral?" Santino demanded in shock. That shouldn't be possible. "How did you do that?" he demanded.

He looked at Cora but saw she had already figured it out. She wasn't speaking but he could see her lips move as she said her name over and over again. He sighed and looked at the Alpha. "It was my niece Laura, she had returned at the machinations of the nurse and when she saw me moving was shocked. She didn't defend herself, so I struck and killed her and took her power for my own."

"NO!" Cora screamed and nearly collapsed if not from the young girl who caught her. He clinically thought this must be the pen pal. "Why?" she wailed.

"Grief? Rage? Fury? Insanity? All or none. Laura, my alpha, had abandoned me and I felt nothing for her. I only wanted vengeance and she was a way to get it. It was only later, when the alpha spark had healed me enough to see through the pain and rage that I truly realized what I had done and by then it was too late. She was gone and I was the alpha and I would have my revenge."

"And did you get it?" Santino asks coldly.

Peter smiled but it was one without any real joy. "Oh yes. I still feel Kate's blood on my claws when I ripped out her throat in my family's home, the one she burned. She died where she murdered my family. But my thirst for revenge wasn't satisfied. It wasn't enough. Her brother, his wife and daughter, and her father Gerard were all still alive and if the Hales were gone, I wanted every drop of Argent blood to follow them into death. And luckily Chris and Allison were right there and I could start with ending them. Unfortunately, they were actually guiltless in Kate's crimes, but I didn't care. My nephew, my beta, and their human sidekicks did care and they were all violently opposed to my plans and fought me. I would have won but our future Emissary slash High Alpha arrived and threw Molotov cocktails at me, setting me on fire. Again." his voice trembled at that description. "Once down, Derek tore my throat out and took the alpha power for himself."

"And the banshee?" Yvette demanded.

Peter smiled happily. "A happy accident. I bit our boy's crush and it was obvious she had fae blood when I did. She wouldn't turn, I knew that. It forged a connection and once dead, I was able to manipulate her into bringing me back."

Yvette nods, that made sense.

"When was the fight with the Alpha Pack?" Santino was looking thoroughly confused now. The timeline was not easy to follow.

"Ah, that. Well after I was back, I helped my nephew with our Kanima problem, and once we rescued him and he became a real wolf.."

"You saved a Kanima! The host still lives?!" The older human, a man in his fifties, demanded. He reminded Peter of Deaton. The emissary! Of course.

"We did. He is an arrogant little prig, but he's had the vanity kicked out of him a few times. And his mate, the Banshee, helps. Peter smirks at the look of total confusion from the man when he realizes that the pair is a wolf/former kanima and banshee/emissary/death magnet (he truly loves how Stiles' mind works sometime). He can see the man trying to figure out how to deal with that pair. Good luck.

Peter turns back to the alpha. "After rescuing Jackson, we dealt with Deucalion, the Darach, and our little Emissary becoming a power like no other."

"You still serve your nephew. The one who killed you for killing his sister?" Santino clarifies.

Peter nods, serious for once. "Our Emissary summoned my, our, family's spirits to speak with us one last time. To begin to heal our pack. To say goodbye to his mother, my sister, my mate, brother, and all of them." He looks over at the whimper from Cora as he describes, in very sparse detail as he will share with her more when they are alone, before continuing. "We made our peace and I accept him as my Alpha and as high Alpha. I am his Hand, though to be honest, I am more his mate's Hand as Stiles is significantly more ruthless than Derek."

"Stiles!?" Cora barks. "Stilinski?! That kid? He is Derek's mate? And High Alpha?! He is my age!!"

Peter nods with a smirk. "It is an adjustment having a teenager as High Alpha, but as he personally defeated Ennis, the twins, and the Darach, we find it best not to be too offended. Besides, he has some friends that you really don't want to piss off."

Yvette snorts. "Necromancers rarely have friends" she says with a slight sadness to her voice.

"He isn't a Necromancer" Peter says smugly.

Yvette frowns. Peter watches as she tries to process his words. "Then how did he summon spirits."

Peter smiles. "He is the Arcanist."

It's disappointing. No one evens looks impressed. They all look more confused. Even the necromancer and emissary. He sighs in disappointment. "He can use all six domains of magic" he clarifies and that gets the reaction he wants. Both the emissary and Yvette look gob smacked at that statement. After a moment of silence, there is a burst of yelling as he sits back and watches. He looks at Cora and sees the tears still present in her eyes but there is also sympathy for him there. She is confused and he is certain that it will take her time, but Peter is also certain that she will return with him, at least for a bit.

"Peter?" Cora's voice is quiet but determined. Peter looks up and sees his niece standing in the doorway of the guest room he was given by Alpha Alvarez. The rest of the evening had been rather complicated. The necromancer, Yvette, had badgered Santino into promising that the Hales would stay overnight. Apparently, she was going to do some magic that night and wanted to talk again afterwards.

The Emissary, Joaquin Garcia, had more questions throughout dinner, but Peter was unsure that the man believed him when he spoke of the presence of the Morgaine in Beacon Hills and her approval of Stiles. Peter had not shared anything about the Queens because, one, it was better to keep some things to themselves, and two, he doubted the mostly sheltered Alvarez Pack could take much more.

Santino and Angelica had been tentatively accepting though he could tell that although they believed his story, they were worried about the impact on the girl now standing in front of him.

"You have questions?" he asks her looking open and relaxed.

"Why?" she whispers and he shakes his head.

"Cora, there is no answer that would satisfy you or me. Feral or insane, it is hard sometimes to even remember everything that happened. Dying and returning…it changes you. I lost the emotions, the feelings, all of the drives during that time and was left with cold facts and results. Do I wish to change it? Yes, every day. Laura" he pauses at the name that still hurts a bit to say "didn't deserve that. Logically I know she was barely more than a child in an impossible situation. But instinctually? On the level below reason? She abandoned me and left me at the mercy of our enemies. She deserved nothing, not loyalty, not love, and not mercy." He sighs as he watches his niece's emotions race across her face. "I gave up everything for vengeance and it wasn't worth it, not at all. But" he pauses and starts to pace around the room "I can't say that I would do it differently."

"What!" Cora whisper yells in disbelief.

"I don't mean that I don't wish that I had done it differently. I simply mean, based on the state I was in at the time? I think I would have reacted the same." He looks at her. "Do you remember the scent? The smell of our family on fire?" he asks her and she pales.

Cora looks stricken but she nods. "Yes. It has faded, but it's never gone."

"You were lucky." He sees fury come to her face but he stops her before she can speak. "For six years, that scent, the scent of my mate, my Hannah, dying was in every breath I took. Every day. Every minute. I was forced to relive my whole family dying in agony." He sees the fury drain from Cora's face as she listens to him. "And when I didn't smell it, I was hearing their screams. And all this, while lying alone, abandoned by my pack, my Alpha, my family. Left defenseless with no pack to help me heal. Can you truly say you would have reacted differently?" his voice is vulnerable but not weak.

"I…I" Cora stammers but nothing comes out.

"I acted. I paid for those acts. Now, I am trying to make things better. To make a pack, a family, to honor those I lost. Derek has found his anchor and guide. He was never meant to be an Alpha, not like Laura or Talia, but he is getting better, especially with Stiles at his side. And I think if you were there, he would be even better. But living in Beacon Hills is so very different now" he warns her.

"Tell me" she says looking determined. He nods and they both sit down.

"So, you want to know all about our Mr. Stilinski? Well, it all started with two idiots looking to cause problems by going into the woods" Peter begins. This will take a while, but Cora deserves to hear it, good and bad. Besides, he needs to say it too.

Peter leaves his room the next morning feeling rested and a bit more certain. He and Cora spoke for some time before she finally left, but not before using his phone to call Derek and speak to him. He wasn't even upset when she tested his honesty by asking her brother to confirm some elements of his story. The conversation quickly turned emotional, so Peter had given them some space and privacy. When he returned Cora didn't say much, but he could tell that it had been rough. He was also sure that she would return with him, at least for a bit. He hadn't been able to sense her pack bonds, but he didn't think she was connected to the Alvarez Pack either.

"You slept well?" Angelica asks politely as he enters the living room. Peter sees the alpha's mate is alone, sewing something or embroidering perhaps. He can hear at least a half dozen others moving around the kitchen, but he is a bit messed up on the time change so he is not sure if it is breakfast or lunch time here.

"Passably. It is not home" he admits and takes a seat.

Angelica nods. No wolf ever feels totally at ease in another pack's territory. Even her visit to the Hales so many years ago was not without struggle, and she had Hale blood. Putting aside her work she looks closely at Peter Hale. She and Santino had spoken long into the night and more this morning with their Emissary. Joaquin had been very disturbed by Peter's tale, but he was most concerned about the apparent High Alpha who was both friend and ally with the Morgaine and Merlin.

"You have questions?" Peter guesses.

She nods. "Many, but most can wait. You said you came for blood. For Cora. What is it you wish?"

Peter smiles. "Derek and I thought we were the last of the Hales. Finding out Cora was alive was a major surprise and we want our family together again. We want her to return to Beacon Hills."

"And if she doesn't want to?"

Peter leans back. "You knew my sister?" he asks the woman who, though confused, nods in agreement. "Then you know the utter futility of trying to force a Hale woman to do anything she doesn't want to do" he snorts as he sees her surprised reaction. "Cora is my niece. My Alpha's sister. Would your alpha not want his sister beside him if she had been lost and believed dead only to be found again?"

"Of course, family is above all else to pack" she acknowledges. "But there is also danger there that is not here."

Peter scoffs at that. "Then you and your alpha are both fools."

Angelica bristles at his casual insult. "Bold words for one so far from home."

Peter leans forward and Angelica tenses at the intensity in the man's face. "My sister believed we would never be harmed because we followed the 'rules'. That since we did not harm humans, that no hunters would bother with us, that our reputation would protect us. The blood and bones of my family, my mate, attest to the failure of her beliefs. There are those that will kill any who are different simply because they like killing and it gives them an excuse. If you believe that you will never have to face that kind of evil" he pauses and shakes his head in disbelief "then I pray you never have to watch your pack die because you are too arrogant to protect yourselves."

Angelica swallows her words and leans back as if slapped. "The loss of the Hales shook us all" Santino says softly as he enters the room causing both of the others to look at him. "But we have not failed to heed that warning. We patrol our lands carefully and have taken the precautions that we can even if they are less than obvious. I heard of the stranger in town and sent Matias and Lucia to see if they detected anything, even if they were unaware of why they went. Our Emissary has even placed wards on our land to protect us." He says and he comes and sits beside his mate looking undisturbed by Peter's words.

The beta nods in acknowledgment of both the man and his statements. "But you haven't answered her question. Will Cora be safe there? Your niece has not joined our pack, not formally, but she is our blood as well and a good friend."

Peter's relieved. Cora is not bound there. "She will be safer there than anywhere else I would say. She is part of our pack, our family. She is Derek's sister and I truly believe that our High Alphas would cause untold damage to any that would harm her."

"I can protect myself" Cora says walking in and looking defiant. Yvette and the girl Esmeralda, Cora's pen pal and now best friend, following along behind her.

"No doubt. But you will still have to train and learn what we have learned. Besides, Stiles is a bit of special young man and I have no doubt that you two will get along swimmingly" he snickers.

Cora frowns but doesn't reply but turns to Santino. "Alpha, I need to see my brother. To go home, I don't know if I will stay, but I need answers, more of them" she clarifies as she looks at Peter.

Santino nods. "You are free to go of course" the man assures her despite the reactions of dismay from his wife and daughter. "You are certain?"

"I am."

Peter is about to jump up but Yvette, looking directly at him, smiles. "And I will come as well."

Peter frowns and looks at the others who appear equally surprised. "I don't recall extending an invitation" he tells her.

"Perhaps not. But my master wishes it and while your High Alpha may be impressive, I truly believe you do not want to risk his ire by denying a formal visit by his representative" Yvette responds.

"Who is your master?" he asks seeing equally confused looks on the other wolves faces.

"The Night Lord" Yvette says and smiles slightly at Peter's shock. "He wishes to establish communication with the current Arcanist, so I am to be his envoy."

There are a few more details to work out, not to mention lunch (it is lunch as apparently, he overslept) before everything is set. A phone call and a quick ride to the edge of the pack's territory and Stiles is opening a portal back to Beacon Hills. Cora tenses at the fiery ring for only a moment but then she spots Derek standing near the wreckage of the Hale house and she is across in seconds. Peter and Yvette follow after saying their goodbyes. Stepping back home, Peter releases some of the tension he had been feeling. Back in his own territory, it just felt better.

"Did we miss anything?" Peter asks and notices that Derek, Stiles, and Erica all look rather rough.