It had been a couple of weeks since the pack dealt with the Kumiho. During that time, Scott and his pack handled a Wendigo that appeared in town, drawn by the Nemeton—luckily they encountered it before it could kill anyone. Other than that, life was peaceful, almost ordinary.
Now it was nighttime, and the pack was having a farewell party for Agisa. They ate, laughed, and talked until the middle of the night before finally saying their goodbyes.
Agisa and Noah headed back to his house to spend her last night in Beacon Hills together.
—---
The next morning, everyone was crammed into the pack house kitchen having breakfast when Noah walked in alone.
Melissa looked up and asked gently. "Did she leave?"
Noah sat down at the table and nodded. "Yeah. She left early this morning."
Stiles eyed his dad and asked. "Are you okay?"
"Not really." Noah admitted. "But I will be… in a few days."
Trying to lighten the mood, Stiles said, "How about I sign you up for a dating app? I'm sure a lot of women would..."
Noah glared sharply.
"Too soon?" Stiles muttered.
Noah said. "What do you think?"
Stiles said. "Oh, okay. We'll talk about dating apps later." Seeing Noah still glaring at him, he added. "Or never."
Braeden slid a file across the table toward Noah. "I've got something to keep you busy."
He opened the file and frowned. "What's this?"
Braeden leaned back. "Someone reported a dead body in an alley behind a bar yesterday. When Parrish and I went to check it out, we found out the victim was clawed to death."
Noah sighed. "Another murder-happy shapeshifter?"
"Not sure about murder-happy." Braeden replied. "But whoever did it, they're definitely a shapeshifter. Female. And from the scent she left behind—she was terrified."
Lydia blinked. "Terrified?"
Braeden nodded. "That's what Parrish and I picked up. The dead guy was a werejackal. Parrish knew him—apparently he was a total scumbag. He's been arrested a few times for fights and petty crimes."
Stiles leaned back. "So the girl probably just defended herself."
"Self-defense or not." Noah said, closing the file. "We still need to bring her in. Then I'll decide what to do."
—---
After breakfast, Noah and Braeden went to the sheriff station and spent all day tracking the girl down. By evening, Noah, Parrish, and Braeden drove to a small motel on the edge of town. They went straight to the suspect's room and kicked the door open without warning.
The girl startled awake and leaped from the bed. Her eyes glowed red as she growled defensively.
Braeden lifted an eyebrow. "She's just a teenager…"
The girl snarled. "Who are you? And what do you want?"
"I'm the sheriff." Noah said calmly. "You're under arrest for killing a man last night. Now don't resist and come with us to the station."
The girl looked at them warily. "I'm not going with you anywhere. It's obvious you're not normal humans… Did John send you after me?"
Parrish frowned. "Who's John?"
The girl hesitated, then shook her head. "Doesn't matter. I'm leaving, and please don't try to stop me. I don't want to hurt you."
Noah's eyes glowed red as he spoke calmly but firmly. "Kid, even if you try—you can't hurt us. You seem like a good kid and I don't want this to turn ugly. Come with us to the station, tell me why you killed that man, and who this John is."
The girl's posture remained tense. Seeing she wasn't going to cooperate, Braeden and Parrish let their eyes glow red too. Braeden said coldly. "You have no chance of escaping, so just give up."
The girl's eyes widened. "Y-you're all alphas?"
She looked around nervously and decided to escape through the window. She lunged for it—but Braeden flashed forward, blocking her path. Before she could react, Parrish appeared behind her, grabbing her arm.
"Don't make this harder than it has to be." Parrish warned, twisting her arm gently behind her back.
She stopped struggling and whispered. "Fine… I'll stop. But I really can't go with you. John has my brother and sister—he said if I don't come to him tonight, he'll kill them."
Noah immediately motioned for Parrish to let her go. And Parrish released her.
Noah said more softly. "First, tell me why you killed that man yesterday."
The girl said. "He tried to rape me. I met him at a bar—he wanted to buy me a drink. I said no, but he wouldn't leave me alone. I didn't want to cause trouble so I left the bar, but he followed me and caught me by the arm, dragging me into an alley. Then he shifted into something—not a werewolf, but similar."
She took a shaky breath and continued. "Then, he tore my clothes. I panicked and I lost control. I only awakened my werewolf powers a month ago and became an alpha recently, so I can't control myself yet. I swear I didn't mean to kill him, but when I came back to my senses he was already dead." She wrapped her arms around herself. "So I ran. I found this motel and hid."
Noah slowly nodded. "Alright. Now tell me about John."
"My name is Elena." She said quietly. "My parents were werewolves. We lived in San Francisco—me, my parents, and my two younger siblings. A week ago, my father's cousin, John, and his pack showed up demanding inheritance money. One thing led to another and John and his pack attacked my parents. Both my parents were alphas, so in order to let us escape, my dad stayed behind and fought alone with John and his pack. My mom got shot with a wolfsbane bullet so she couldn't heal. She passed on her Alpha spark to me and gave me a key for a safety deposit box, and told me to run with my siblings."
Tears streaked her cheeks as she continued. "I ran with my siblings, but John and his pack were following us through the city. To keep my siblings safe, I told my fourteen-year-old brother to take my sister and hide with some friends of our family, then I met up with John in public so he couldn't attack me. I showed him that I have what he's looking for, then I escaped to this town. I thought he would follow me and leave my siblings alone, but apparently I was wrong."
Braeden asked. "What happened to your parents?"
Elena's voice broke. "Dead. He sent me pictures of their heads…"
Braeden cursed. "Damn bastard."
Parrish said. "Tell me about John and his pack. What are they and what's their number?"
"They're all werewolves." Elena said. "Eight of them—John included. And both John and his wife are Alphas."
Noah said gently. "Can you let us read your memory? I know you're not lying—I heard your heartbeat—but I need to confirm everything you said was the truth."
Elena hesitated only a moment. "If you read my memories… will you help me save my siblings? I swear I won't run. I'll surrender and confess to killing that man."
"If everything you said is true." Noah promised. "Not only will we help, but I'll make sure no charges fall on you. I'll report that man's death as an animal attack."
Elena's eyes filled with gratitude. "Thank you. Go ahead."
Noah turned. "Braeden, read her memory."
Braeden stepped forward and gently slid her claws into the back of Elena's neck. A few moments later, she pulled them free.
"She's telling the truth. All of it." Braeden confirmed.
Noah nodded decisively. "Alright. Braeden, take her to the ranch. Then get back to the station. Let the kids help her deal with John and his pack."
Elena blinked. "Wait, what do you mean by kids? You promised you would help me yourselves."
Noah chuckled softly. "Don't worry. They might be around your age… but they are stronger than the three of us, and one of them is the alpha of our pack."
Elena stared in confusion, but nodded.
Noah turned to leave. "Parrish, let's get back to work, and make sure the motel owner is compensated for that door."
Braeden led Elena outside and helped her into her cruiser.
"Trust me." Braeden told her as they drove toward the ranch. "You'll be safe with them. And John... will get what he deserves."
To be continued... 😊