Chapter Text
Growing up my family always spent the summer together, complete with my Aunt Tori, Uncle Chris, and cousin Allison, but for some reason, they didn’t come this year. Even though they didn’t come to visit, Allison and I talked almost every day through the same hunting website that our parents used when they were Allison’s age (Aunt Tori said it was like Facebook and a dating app combined, whatever those two things are).
I really wish Allison had come to visit since I really wanted to show her the new pictures I had taken over the year; especially the ones I had taken during the full moons, those are my favorite. Since it’s the full moon again tonight, I figured I could go and take some more pictures to show Allison the next time I see her.
Climbing out of bed, I sweep my eyes over the others that share the room, my older brother Jonas and twin brother Emrys, sleeping peacefully in their respective beds. I’ve always been close with both my brothers, but Emrys and I are definitely the closer of the three of us. Maybe it’s because we're twins, maybe not.
Anyway, once out of bed I slipped on my shoes, and grabbed my camera and knife (for protection), before sneaking out of the house. Once outside I closed my eyes and took a deep breath, allowing the warm summer air to enter my lungs filling me with so much energy that I want to just run around the forest and howl like a wolf. Which is such a weird thing for me to want to do seeing as mom and dad always said that werewolves are the only kind of wolf in the world and that they are evil being that need to be killed on sight.
Exhaling I open my eyes again and jog into the forest behind my house, ignoring the gut feeling I had about it being unsafe. I don’t really care, it always left me happy and pretty safe there. Yet for some reason tonight it feels different, dangerous even, but I don’t care.
Quickly making my way further in, I turn on my camera and began taking pictures of the nighttime animals as they went about their lives. Some, like the owls, just watched me from their place up in the trees, while the raccoons ran around my legs as I walked. I couldn’t help but giggle at them. They’ve been doing this ever since I started sneaking out when I was three.\
As I continued walking and taking pictures, I would stop every so often to play with my little raccoon friends. I only stopped fully after I started getting tired. Slowly I went to sit down onto a rock and took some more deep breathes. As I sat there, I listened to the moments around me, but I couldn’t help but wonder if my mom and dad are right about what they say about the supernatural. Allison said that she knows some good wolves that only want to protect their land.
I guess I was so deep in my thoughts that I didn’t notice anything was wrong until it was too late. All of a sudden, I heard the rushing of feet against the forest floor coming closer and closer. When I turned, I saw a wolf with blood-red eyes rushing at me. Before I could do more than scream the wolf clamped its teeth against my arm, hard.
I then blacked out.
When I woke up, I found myself laying on the guest bed in my grandparents’ house; my legs and arms tied to the bed. Not tight enough to hurt but enough to keep me in place as long as I don’t fight it. Now that I’m fully awake I could hear mom and dad fighting with grandma and grandpa. The weird thing is that it didn’t sound like they were outside the door, it sounded like they were in the kitchen downstairs, but I could hear them so clearly.
“We are NOT killing my only daughter!” My dad snaps followed by a big bang. “She’s just a little girl.”
“Who went outside when she knew not to, especially during a full moon. She knew the risks, yet she did it anyway.” Grandpa growled back sounding just as angry as my dad.
It sounded like my grandma sighed, “She’s our granddaughter to Chase, you think this is easy for us? Your father and I would give anything for Alessandra not to be one of those disgusting creatures, but since she has been turned, we have to kill her before she wakes up.”
Mom hasn’t said anything this whole time.
“Joy?”
“She has to die.”
Silence filled the house.
I couldn’t even process what was just said when the door to the room opened, and in slipped my brothers
“Guys…” I whisper. “Get me out of here.”
They just stood at the side of the bed with a knife in their hands. Emrys’ heart was beating so fast, it sounded like he’s scared…scared of me…
Whimpering I pull at my registrants, “Emrys, please, they’re going to kill me if I don’t get out of here.”
“Grams and Gramps said that you are one of them. That you’re a monster that need be killed for your crimes.” Jonas whispers as he tightens his grip on his knife, “Mom agrees with them.”
“What crimes?” I question shaking with fear, “I’m five Jon. Up until the full moon I was human just like you.”
Emrys, having stayed quiet up till now, stepped closer to me and raised the knife looking at me like he was going to kill me. Closing my eyes I turn my head away from him and pray that it’ll be a quick death. But instead of the sound of a knife being slammed into flesh, I heard it cutting through the ropes by my head.
When I turned to look, I saw Emrys cutting through my ropes quickly. It didn’t take him long to cut through all the ropes and when he was done, Jonas pulling me up and held out a burner phone, backpack.
“The phone has Ally’s number on it. The backpack as an envelope has about three hundred dollars in it, it should give you enough money to eat and get down to Beacon Hills.” Jonas says softly as Emrys helps me get my shoes on before open one of the windows.
Looking inside I saw a folder “And the folder?”
“Your birth certificate along with a letter from mom and dad giving up their parental rights to you, Allison is going to need it to get custody of you once your own there.”
Standing quickly I hug them both, thanking them before climbing onto the roof. Before I jumped down Jonas calls out to me, “We’ll distract them as long as we can, but just to be safe, run. Run for as long and as far as you can go before getting tired. Once you’re tired though call Allison and tell her what happened and where you are.”
I nodded and jumped down, quickly running off away from the only home that I have never know.
I’ve been running for three days at this point. As soon as I had left my grandparents, I ran all the way to my great grandmother’s old house that had been condemned when she became a hoarder, and no one had wanted to fix it. Since I had pretty much ran off in a tee-shirt, shorts, and sneakers, I figured it would be best to stop there and collect some clothes that I knew for a fact we're still there. I had simply slipped inside and found three days’ worth of clothes, taking a nap on some of the clothes piles as well before I took off again.
My next stop was to San Benito where I stopped for a few hours to eat and call Allison. To say she was surprised to hear from me, more so that I was calling from a burner phone, but when I told her what had happened, she was pissed.
“Where are you?” She asks sounding like she was moving walking somewhere.
“San Benito County Free Library,” I replied between bites of hamburger finishing it quickly, and even though I’m still hungry I don’t want to spend any more money than I have to.
Allison sighed, “Okay, I can work with that. You find somewhere to hide and stay there do you hear me? I’ll come to find you, keep your phone on and charged, okay?”
“You promise?” I whisper feeling like the five-year-old I really am. “You promise to find me?”
“Always, baby girl, always.”
We then hung up and I moved into the library spending the next few hours hiding in hiding in a different place. Though I did read when I hid in the children’s sections. About four hours after Allison and I hung up, she called again saying she’s here, and asks where I am. After telling her she hangs up and seconds later I see her running into the library.
Not even thinking I drop the book that I was reading and ran at her, jumping into her arms and hugging her tightly. With my stronger nose, I could smell her scent sweet and floral with a hint of tartness. It’s so familiar and smelt like home, yet she didn’t smell like my brothers or parents at all. There was also another smell that I’m drawn to, something that smells like safety and home-like I need to be in this person’s arms.
I wanted to just keep nuzzling Allison forever, putting my own scent all over her.
“Ally…” I whimper feeling my shift happen as tears ran down my face.
Allison simply shushes me as she starts walking back outside, I just continued to cry in her arms.
I’m not sure how long I cried or when we got into her car, but when I finally calmed down enough to take in a deep breath, I smelt that scent that I smelled on Allison, the safety smell.
Pulling back slightly I saw that we were in a blue jeep next to a dark brown-haired, and-eyed, man covered in freckles from the little bit of skin that I could see. He smelt like old books yet also smoky like a forest on fire. Without even meaning to I moved closer to the man and sniffed his neck, humming as his scent wrapped around me.
Allison still had her arms wrapped around me, so she pulled me away from him, making me frown. When she looked down at me, I could tell she was confused but didn’t know what to say so I simply shrugged:
“He smells like home and safety.”
The man blinked at me before bursting out into laugher, all while Allison shook her head mumbling something about weres and their scenting. Once the man had calmed down Allison introduced the man as Stiles Stilinski, resident human of the Hale McCall pack.
Turning to face Allison, seeing as I’m still on her lap, I ask two simple questions. What is a Stiles and isn’t she dating a McCall?
She and Stiles laugh at my questions but answered them honestly. They have no idea what is Stiles is, and yes, she’s dating Scott McCall who is Stiles's best friend.
Once that was done Stiles started the jeep and we head on our way. To where? I don’t know but as long as I had my cousin by my side, I was okay with that.
About four hours after Allison and Stiles picked me up, we stopped at this two-story house, in the driveway was a police car. It looked really nice on the outside but that doesn’t mean it’s nice on the inside. As soon as Stiles saw the car his scent got really strong and for so reason, I could tell he was happy.
“Grand-Père’s off work already?” Allison asks as we got out of the car too. “Didn’t he have the night shift?”
Stiles shrugs and jogs up to the front door with Allison and me right behind him. When we entered the house there were so many people, most of them rushed the three of us. In response I jumped out of Allison’s arms (shifting at the same time) and growled at them, snapping my teeth as I wrapped my tail around my cousin’s leg.
No one said a thing as they all just stared at me. The scents around me were overwhelming, not letting me know who’s was who’s. Allison though dropped to the floor beside me and ran her hand in between my ears and down my back, whispering to me that everything was going to be okay and that I needed to shift back. With her now closer to my nose I could smell her scent which calmed me down enough to turn and press my nose into her neck nuzzling her.
“Allison, Stiles,” an older voice calls from behind me sounding both parts concern and like he’s used to this. “Who’s this?”
Stiles explains to the man as best as he could sense I wasn’t letting anyone closer to Allison or me, and she needed to calm me down still. It was weird hearing him tell others who I was, but I still didn’t know how to change back.
The closet boy to us took a step forward making me snap at him. He just held up his hands to show that he wasn’t a threat before slowly reaching one hand out so that I could sniff it. With a glance at Allison and Stiles, and getting their encouraging nods, I moved forward a little and sniffed it. I could smell Allison and Stiles on him, meaning this man with a weird-looking jaw and deep brown eyes are Scott Allison’s boyfriend.
Moving closer to him I nip at his fingers but just enough so that he knew to look into my eyes, when he did I have him a smile as best as I could in whatever form this was.
Allison moved closer to Scott and me, give us both a kiss on the head before she turned to the others in the room, “Derek, could you help her shift back?”
A tan-skinned man with dark hair (what is it with Allison’s friends all having dark hair?!) made his way through the others in the room and kneeled by the three of us. When he looked down at me his eyes glowed red and while he showed that he was the leader his scent smelt like Stiles’ did, safety and home like I was meant to be with him, yet also he smelt like pine and the forest. Without not thinking I moved forward and pressed my nose into his open palm.
“What’s her name?” Derek asks
“Alessandra, but we call her Ally or Alice.” Allison says back as she rubs my back again, “Please Derek, help her.”
Derek nodded and then turned to me, “Okay Alice, I want you to close your eyes and imagine your human body, what it looked like, what it felt like.”
Nodding I did as he said. At first, it felt like nothing was happening but then I felt my body slowly shift and pop back into place. It really hurt too! When I opened my eyes again, I looked down at my hands and saw that I was human again, but I was naked too. Slowly I looked over at my cousin and she had tears in her eyes. Thinking I did something wrong I whimpered and wrapped my arms around her neck.
“I’m sorry Ally…I didn’t mean to hurt you…” I whispered as I hugged her
Allison wrapped her arms around me and shook her head, “You didn’t do anything baby girl, it’s alright I’m just so happy to see you human again.”
I frowned, not really understanding what she meant but decided that I didn’t want to know, not while being in her arms. Her hugs have always been the best, all warm and cozy. We stayed wrapped in each other’s arms until someone cleared their throat behind us. I didn’t look at them but the way Allison nuzzles the top of my head I knew it was going to be okay, and that the people that are around us can be trusted.
“Allison, I think it would be best if you got Alessandra something to eat and maybe a bath too.” The older voiced man says calmly.
I felt Ally nod before she picked me up, and gently shuffling me into a more comfortable position before she followed, I think Stiles if the smell was something to go by. Seconds later Allison tried to let me go but I wasn’t having any of it.
“Nooooo,” I whined keeping my wrapped around her. “I don’t wanna!”
Allison sighed against my neck, “Alessandra, you stink you need a bath. Can you imagine what the weres here are smelling if I can already tell you stink?”
“But…” I paused as I pulled back to look at her, “You’ll leave me…”
Stiles and Allison looked at each other before looking back at me, “Ally, I’m not leaving you. I was just going to call dad and let him know that you’re here so we can take you home.”
I jumped out of her arms and backed tried to leave the room, but Stiles caught me, not letting me go even as I clawed and growled at him. I don’t know how he was holding me since Allison said he was human, but he did it, he kept me in place even when I began to cry and beg to be let go.
Stiles picked me up from the ground and all but kicked Allison out of the bathroom all at the same time. “Alice, calm down its okay. You don’t have to go to your aunt and uncle's house if you don’t want to.”
I sniffled and stopped pushing against him so much.
“I-I don’t?” I leaned back to look at him.
Stiles shook his head smiling gently down, “Of course not. You obviously don’t want to go, so why should we make you? But can you tell me why you don’t want to go?”
“I don’t want to go home…” I whisper leaning against his chest. “If I go back home, my family will kill me because I’m a monster…”
He tightened his grip around me.
“They said that?”
“Grandma, Grandpa, and mom were trying to convince daddy that it needed to be done before I woke up, but I was already awake and tied to the bed.”
“How did you get away?”
“My brothers, they cut me out and gave the money and the phone so I could get away. They are the reason I’m alive.”
Stiles kept his arms around me, and his body was very tight, “You are not a monster Alice if anything your parents and grandparents are monsters, killing a little girl. Have you told Ally about this?”
I shook my head; she wouldn’t understand since she’s super close with Aunt Tori and Uncle Chris.
Stiles sighed before shaking his head too, quickly saying that Allison was right and that I did need a bath. He then called Allison back in so that she could help me take a bath while he got me clothes and made dinner for the pack.
Once I was clean and in fresh clothes Allison brought me down to the living room where she left me with her pack, most of them had no idea what to do with me if the looks on their faces were anything to go by. Sighing turned to Scott, whose lap I had been placed in.
I stare are him for a few moments trying to figure out if he could really be trusted or if I needed to kill him. Scott looked down at me with wide eyes and he began to fidget from how hard I was staring at him.
“Alessandra Bianca Wagner,” Allison calls from the door frame glaring down at me. “If you do not stop making Scott uncomfortable, I will put you in the corner, am I understood?”
I frowned at her, “But Ally, I need to make sure that he’s safe to be around! Does he even know what our family does?”
“The whole pack does Alice,” Derek replies making me snap my head to the man.
“But since you are so young, and you’re Allison’s family, you’ll be added to the pack in no time.” Stiles cuts in before Derek could say anything else, seeming to be glaring at the Alpha, “If you feel the need to make sure this pack is the best place for you then ask them questions, don’t stare at them.”
Blinking I turn to my cousin and raise an eyebrow at her. “His mom, isn’t he?” I ask in French knowing she would understand.
And I was right as she started laughing right then and there, but she wasn’t the only one. A girl with red hair laughed too. She then walked over to Scott and me and picked me up from his lap before walking away.
“We are going to be good friends,” she says smiling at me. “I’m now your Aunt Lydia.”
I tilted my head to the side, “Aunty…Lydia?”
She nods slowly, looking a little confused as to why I said her name slowly. Without saying anything I jumped out of her arms and ran over to Allison with a big smile on my face. Tugging at her pant legs until she kneeled in front of me.
“I have a new Aunty!” I bounced smiling. “Lydia says she’s my new Aunty.”
“She did?” Allison replies with her own smile as she picks me up, nuzzling my cheek making me squeal and giggle, “I’m glad you’re starting to make friends already.”
Pulling back my cheeks were starting to hurt from how hard I was smiling, “No friends, family.”
Allison’s smile brightened and nuzzled me again before handing me back to Lydia.
Allison and I ended up staying with Stiles and his dad Noah for about a week before Allison had to go back home, I stayed with the Stilinski’s since when Allison tried to get me to come back with her, I freaked out again and only Stiles’ dad could calm me down while Stiles talked to Allison.
During the first week alone with the Stilinski men, I spent the day with Derek while the others went to school since they had the rest of Allison’s pack went to school and Stiles’ dad went to work. Derek helped me control my new shift and senses, even though I’m a fox and not a wolf-like the rest of the pack apparently the way we controlled our other halves was the same.
I’ve now been with them for a month and it was the night of the full moon. I was really nervous about it since it will be the first full moon since I’ve turned. Thankfully it was on a Saturday so the whole pack was here with me.
I was in my full fox shift playing around with Erica and Isaac who were also in their wolf shifts. We were running around in the backyard while the others were either helping Stiles make dinner (Allison, Aunty Lydia, and Noah) or were playing in their own wolf shifts (the rest of the weres).
I was having so much fun playing with Erica and Isaac but then I smelt and heard someone’s heartbeat that I never thought I would hear again; Emrys is close. Without thinking I rushed off into the forest leaving the rest of the pack confused. Before I got all that far I was picked up by Derek making me yelp as he picked me up by the scruff.
“What the hell do you think you're doing?” Derek growled through the pack bound and he began to walk us back to the packhouse.
I wiggled in his mouth, “I smelt my brother! Please, Papa, I need to see him!”
Derek stopped and put me back onto the ground staring down at me.
“Your brother?” I nodded slowly suddenly nervous. “Can you see if your parents are here too?”
I took a deep breath and focused on Emrys’ heartbeat before shifting it to the others with him, they were all there. Jonas, grandma, grandpa, dad, mom… they were all here.
Nodding again Derek nodded back and howled calling the pack to us. Moments later they were all around us, humans included. Once they were all with us Derek explained what was going on and why I ran off. Allison was shocked to know that they were here but as soon as our eyes met, she picked me up and held me tightly.
“They aren’t going to take you away from me, from us,” she says smiling, the humans smiling and nodding too.
With that done we all made our way toward where my parents are. The closer we got the stronger the smells became; it was so strong that I whimpered and whined until I was given to Stiles where I still whined but calm down a little. When we finally got there, just through the tree line, I saw my brothers sitting together, Emrys looked scared while Jonas just held him closer to his chest.
Whimpering I tried to jump out of Stiles’ arms, but he held me tightly against his chest. “Calm down Alice, it’s alright, Derek will take care of it.”
Derek looked back at us and nodded before shifting into his human form and quickly changes into the change of clothes that Stiles apparently always carries with him at all times. Once clothed he stepped into the clearing far enough that we can still see him but where my old family can just barely see him.
“You’re not welcome here hunters.” He growls.
From where Stiles and I stood I could see my grandpa step forward aiming his gun at Derek, “You have something of mine.”
Derek’s growl deepened at that.
“I have nothing of yours,” He growls crossing his arm across his chest.
Grandpa growled but before he could shoot dad stepped forward placing his hand on his chest.
“What my father means Alpha Hale,” he starts calmly, “is that we are looking for my daughter Alessandra Bianca Wagner. She ran away from us a month ago, we thought she would have come to Beacon Hills because her cousin Allison Argent lives here with my sister Victoria and her husband Chris.”
They didn’t know Derek as the pack did, if they did, they would have seen him relax a little bit. Derek did nod in understanding, though.
“Emissary Hale, can you bring our youngest pack member forward?”
The pack looks back at us slowly, walking forward with Stiles and me (though they stayed hidden from sight), Allison and Aunty Lydia came forward into the clearing shocking my parents. Stiles brought me and Allison right beside Derek, quickly putting me on the ground at their feet. I then look up at Derek and seeing the nod from him, I shift into my human form.
Once in my human form, Emrys runs forward throwing himself at me making us fall back against my Alphas legs and getting a growl from him.
I simply held onto my twin tighter and smile up at Derek, “It’s okay Alpha, Emrys is my twin brother.” Through the pack bound, I said, “He’s also one of the ones that helped my getaway. The boy now standing beside my dad is the other one, my older brother Jonas.”
The pack nodded and relaxed just a little knowing that I won’t be hurt by the boy in my arms. Humming I nuzzled Emrys’ neck scenting him for what I feel like would be the last time.
From behind me, I could hear mom and both my grandparents getting upset. Lifting my eyes to look at them I knew they were pissed. Sighing I pulled away from him, smiling sadly as I pushed him just enough that he knew to head back. His scent soured but nodded.
With him now back in Jonas’ arms I stood and took the shirt Stiles handed me before turning to the family in front of me. “I’m not going back,” I said simply as I leaned against Derek, him placing his hands on my shoulders.
“You are my daughter Alessandra,” mom hissed looking like she was going to stop over here any second now. “You WILL be coming home, and you WILL not fight us.”
I raised an eye at her and shook my head as I felt the whole pack's fear.
“You wanted to kill me.”
Seeing that only Stiles knew about what happened the rest of the pack gasped anger seeping into their scent. Behind me Derek tightened his grip and pulled me closer, his growl deepening.
“You were going to kill your own child?” Derek snaps shaking with anger.
No one said anything as Derek continued to yell at my old family for the next ten minutes while the whole pack seethed in the background. Seeing that this was going to be a while I turned to Stiles and pulled on his pant leg.
“Can I go play with Emrys and Jonas, Mama?”
I thought I was being quiet enough but apparently not because the pack's laugher rang through the clearing making me blush and everyone else go quiet. Stiles, not at all fazed by any of this nodded before pulling out some more clothes and told me I needed to change before I go play.
Do as he said, I changed and ran over to my brother and the three of us began to play like we used to: we played tag.
I don’t know how much time we played before Stiles called me back over to the pack, but it wasn’t all that long. I ran over to them quickly and Aunty Lydia picked me up nuzzling my neck making me giggle.
“Alessandra,” dad calls softly. “Do you want to stay here with the Hale Pack and Allison?”
I nod slowly.
“Will you be happy here?”
I nod again.
“If we let you stay here, you will have to stay with your aunt and uncle is that alright with you?”
I shook my head. “I wanna stay with Mama Stiles and Papa Derek.”
“Mama…Stiles?” Dad says slowly looking between Stiles, Derek, and me.
Stiles sighed and shook his head, “Derek is the Alpha, and the pack calls me to pack mom, that’s probably where she got it from.”
Dad nodded again while mom and my grandparents were still frozen.
“Okay, Alpha Hale. We’ll sign over our parental right to you, but only if you can promise you to have somewhere safe for her to stay.”
Derek nodded, “We’re in the process of rebuilding the packhouse. For now, I’ve been staying at Stiles’ home or one of the other pack members' houses. I’m sure that Sheriff Stilinski wouldn’t mind her staying there.”
“Dad loves her honestly,” Stiles says smiling and walking over to me and Aunty Lydia giving me a kiss on the cheek. “She’s been staying with dad and me ever since Allison and I picked her up from a public library in San Benito County.”
I smiled at Stiles, “Grand-Père is so much fun, and he always has the best stories of when you were my age, Mama. He says you were a hyper child.
Stiles laughed loudly as did the others while Derek looked at us fondly if his scent is anything to go by. Wiggling I jumped at Derek, and he caught me nuzzling my neck calming me down enough that I got tired.
“Papa…run?”
Derek hums, “Scott, take the others for a run. Stiles, Allison, and I will stay here and finish flushing things out.”
Scott then howls in response and Derek placed me back onto the ground, taking the clothes when I shifted. Barking goodbye to my brother I ran to join the others, to join my pack, in our full moon run.