“So, Allison’s dad, and my brother are hunters… Of werewolves.”, I said out loud, with a hint of disbelief.


    My mind still reeling with the events of that night. The stranger, whose name is Derek, told me that my brother would eventually try to kill Scott, so I had to stay away from him.


    “How could Kai hide this from me? We tell each other everything!”.


    I didn’t see my brother that morning either, instead a note greeted me at the kitchen counter, ‘Had an early shift, will be back with dinner. Love you!’.


    “Maybe you should ask him about it.”, Stiles suggested as we approached the lacrosse field.


    “If he lied about his job for the past three years, what’s another day?”, I shot back.


    Stiles held up his hands in defense, “Sorry, just trying to help. By the way, are we gonna talk about what happened when you yelled it me to stop in the middle of the road?”.


    “I-I haven’t figured that out yet.”, I sighed.


    A part of me wishes that I was back home, oblivious to this new reality.


    “Hey! Unless you’re playing, get off my field!”, Coach Finstock shouted, making me jump.


    “I’ll catch you later…”, I said before heading to the bleachers.


    From my seat, I watched Scott, noticing his game was off. Unfortunately, Jackson, the Ken doll lookalike used it to his advantage.


    “McCall''s gonna do it again! McCall''s gonna do it again!”, Coach Finstock bellowed.


    Scott panted heavily, then sprinted toward Jackson, colliding with his shoulder. Jackson hit the ground hard, and the players swarmed around him to check if he was okay.


    Meanwhile, Scott dropped to his knees a few feet away, his breathing ragged, and his body on the verge of transforming. Stiles ran to him first, and I wasn’t too far behind.


    “We have to get Scott out of here!”, Stiles whispered urgently.


    I nodded, and we each threw one of Scott’s arms over our shoulders, dragging him off the field as fast as we could. Once inside the locker room, Scott collapsed against a sink, gripping it so hard I thought it might break.


    “Scott, you okay?”, Stiles asked, crouching beside him.


    “GET AWAY FROM ME!!!”, Scott roared, turning to face us, his eyes glowing yellow.


    Stiles stumbled back, fear etched across his face. I helped him up and shoved him behind me, instinctively placing myself between him and Scott. Scott, now fully transformed, studied us like a predator eyeing its prey.


    “When I say run, you run. Do you understand?”, I muttered to Stiles, who nodded quickly.


    Capitalizing on my adrenalin rush, my eyes darted around the room and landed on a lacrosse stick nearby. It wasn’t much, but it was better than nothing.


    “Now!”.


    Scott pounced, leaping from locker to locker with inhuman speed, his glowing eyes locked on us. Just as Stiles made it out, Scott lunged toward me, claws outstretched.


    I ducked under his attack, sliding through the gap between his legs, and swung the lacrosse stick at his back. The hit caught him off guard but did little to slow him down. Before I could react, Scott pinned me against a locker, his claws tightening around my throat.


    “Hey! Over here buddy!”, Stiles shouted with a fire extinguisher in his hand.


    Scott let go of me, and I gasped for air, stumbling to the ground. Without hesitation, Stiles pulled the lever, and a cloud of white foam blasted out, hitting Scott in the face.


    Scott staggered back, clawing at his face, completely disoriented. Finally, he collapsed to the ground, groaning as his body began to revert to normal.


    Still shaken, I carefully approached Scott, who had clambered onto a nearby bench, looking utterly devastated. I hesitated for a moment before sitting beside him and draping an arm around his shoulders. He flinched but eventually leaned into me, his breathing unsteady.


    “Stiles?”, Scott called out.


    Peeking around the doorway, Stiles dropped the fire extinguisher when he saw that Scott was back to normal.


    “What happened?”.


    Scott had an idea of what transpired but I think he hoped that we’d give him a different answer.


    “You tried to kill us…”, I said softly.


    Stiles, still jittery, began theorizing what might have triggered Scott’s transformation - his heart rate spiking due to anger or adrenaline.


    Scott didn’t say much, but it was clear he wasn’t thrilled when we both agreed that sitting out the first lacrosse game was probably the best idea.


    ∞∞∞∞


    “You’ve been frowning for the past ten minutes… What’s up?”, Allison observed as she sat down.


    I was sitting at one of the empty lunch tables, struggling to focus on my Chemistry notes. Now that we’d figured out Scott’s situation, I still had my own to deal with. How was this my brand-new reality? And despite taking my meds, the voice of the dead girl hadn’t stopped haunting me.


    “Something on your mind?”.


    “It’s this balancing oxidation-reduction equations.”, I answered quickly.


    I wondered if she had any idea that her father hunted werewolves, if she did, she was excellent at hiding it.


    “Aren’t we only learning about those after spring break?”, she asked, raising an eyebrow.


    “I like to get a head start… And Mr. Harris loves his surprise pop quizzes.”.


    She laughed, biting into a granola bar.


    “Hey, I didn’t see you at the party…”.


    “I was there for a few minutes. I think I’m allergic to socializing with people my own age.”.


    She snorted at my response.


    “Oh, wanna hang out with Lydia and I later? We’re going shopping and getting some frozen yogurt afterwards.”, she offered.


    “Hmm, sounds tempting, but I’d rather listen to nails dragged against a chalkboard while being attacked by starving rabid cats.”.


    “That was… descriptive.”, she laughed.


    “Wait, how did you end up getting home?”, I asked, taking a sip of water.


    “Um, a friend of Scott’s. Hey, you might know him - Derek Hale?”.


    I choked, breaking into a coughing fit.


    “Wrong pipe…”.


    She gave me a funny look but didn’t press further. I spent the rest of the day trying not to dwell on what had happened in the locker room while trying to keep my sanity.


    Scott and Stiles had their own plans that afternoon, and since I’d finished all my homework, I decided to snoop around the house. Since moving here, I hadn’t had the chance to really explore. I was hoping Kai had left his room unlocked, but no such luck.


    Eventually, I made my way to the basement, cautiously pushing the creaky door open as a cloud of dust greeted me. It looked like no one had been down here in years.


    Feeling around for a light switch, I was underwhelmed by what I saw: boxes filled with old clothes, encyclopaedias, and empty jars. But a small wooden box tucked away in the corner caught my eye.


    I approached it carefully, noting its intricate carvings of strange symbols. One symbol in the center - a circle surrounded by a series of knots - stood out. Just as I was about to open it, a loud thud came from the kitchen.


    My heart raced as I crept up the stairs, placing the box on the ground. Could someone be breaking in? We didn’t own anything of real value, so they were in for a disappointing haul.


    I spotted a barstool near the counter and grabbed it for self-defense. Not ideal, but better than nothing. Bracing myself, I dashed into the kitchen, yelling at the top of my lungs to scare off the intruder. I immediately felt ridiculous as a black bird flapped around the room, cawing and frantically searching for an exit.


    “Really?”, I muttered, opening the back door.


    The bird swooped toward me, nearly hitting my face before flying outside with one last screech. I slammed the door shut, my heart pounding as I checked the window to make sure it was closed.


    “What the heck just happened?”, I mumbled, trying to steady my breathing.


    Adding the bird attack to my growing list of “weird and crazy,” I retrieved the box from where I left it and headed to my room. Collapsing onto my bed, I finally opened it.


    Inside was a beautiful silver necklace with a round obsidian pendant, and an unopened envelope stamped with Returned to Sender in bold red letters.


    Laoise Carlyle.


    I frowned, recognizing my grandmother’s name. It was Irish, pronounced ‘Leesha’. My dad used to complain about how tricky Irish names were. That’s when it hit me. This house had once belonged to my grandmother, and my dad was originally from Beacon Hills.


    I set the necklace aside, hesitating before picking up the envelope. Curiosity got the better of me, and I opened it. A black-and-white photograph fell out—three kids standing beside a tree.


    I immediately recognized two of them—my dad, probably around ten years old, and Aunt Amelia, around five years old. The other girl, maybe fifteen, bore a strong resemblance to them. The letter itself made my head spin. Written in bold letters, it read:


    SHE KNOWS.


    ∞∞∞∞


    “Lorelai are you even listening to me?!?”, Stiles asked, snapping his fingers in front of my face.


    “Huh?”.


    I’d barely slept last night. Between the letter, the necklace, and the endless questions rattling in my head, my brain felt like a fried circuit board.


    Support the author by searching for the original publication of this novel.


    “Jackson’s got a separated shoulder and Derek broke into Scott’s room last night, threatening him not to play. Our wolf friend needs your help to convince Coach Finstock to let him sit out on this one out.”, Stiles said, shifting into his signature fast-talking problem-solving mode.


    “Why me?”, I asked, confused.


    “He doesn’t hate you!”, he argued.


    “Dude, he doesn’t even know me!”.


    “Exactly!”, Stiles beamed.


    Before I could say another word, Stiles steered me toward Coach Finstock’s office, practically shoving me inside mid-protest.


    “What do you mean you can’t play the game tomorrow night?”, Coach Finstock’s voice boomed as I stumbled in, catching the middle of his heated conversation with Scott.


    “I mean... I can''t play the game tomorrow night...”, Scott repeated, his voice strained.


    “You can''t wait to play the game tomorrow night!”.


    Coach was clearly not processing the words coming out of Scott’s mouth. Between Jackson’s injury and now Scott’s refusal to play, the man looked ready to explode.


    “No, Coach- I can''t play the game tomorrow night.”.


    “I''m not following…”, he paused, noticing my presence.


    “When did you get here? Uh… Uh… What’s your name again?”, he squinted.


    “Lorelai, Coach.”, I muttered.


    “Huh, weird name.”.


    I opened my mouth to spin some excuse, but Scott beat me to it


    “I''m having some... personal issues.”.


    “Is it a girl? Is it her? Did you knock her up?”, Coach asked, his eyes widening as he pointed at me.


    “What?!? No!!!”, I gasped, my cheeks turning red.


    “Okay. Is it a guy?”.


    Scott groaned in frustration, and I couldn’t help but snort at his misery. When he turned to me for backup, I just shrugged, trying not to laugh.


    “You know, our goalie, Danny, is gay...”, Coach mused, his voice dropping into what he must’ve thought was a progressive tone.


    What followed was an absurd five-minute tangent about Danny’s good looks before Scott managed to steer the conversation back.


    “Coach, I like girls, okay? But I still can’t play tomorrow night!”


    “Coach Finstock, sir,” I cut in, trying to sound reasonable, “Scott’s not feeling well. He just needs some time to—uh—you know… get his health in check?”.


    “Can it, Loralee! What, is it drugs? Are you doing meth? Because I had a brother that was addicted to meth. You should have seen what it did to his teeth! They were all cracked and rotted. It was- it was disgusting.”.


    While Scott, genuinely concerned, asked if his brother was okay, I decided this was my cue to leave. I slipped out of the office, shaking my head.


    “Did it work?”, Stiles asked, pacing impatiently outside.


    “I don’t think so. He brought up Danny’s sexuality and his meth addict brother…”.


    Stiles groaned as we headed to Biology class.


    “He’s gonna play the game, isn’t he?”, Stiles sighed.


    “Yup.”.


    “And we’re probably screwed, aren’t we?”.


    “Looks like it…”, I answered, sighing as I slumped into my desk.


    While Mrs. Fraser droned on about photosynthesis, Stiles nudged my shoulder.


    “Did you manage to talk to your brother yet?”, he asked softly.


    “Not really. I saw him last night, but only for like two seconds. He dropped off dinner and disappeared.”.


    “Do you think they’re planning something? The hunters I mean.”.


    “I don’t know, Stiles.”.


    Mrs. Fraser shushed us, and I hoped Stiles would finally drop it, but he started tapping my shoulder relentlessly.


    “What?!?”, I hissed.


    “Hear me out.”, he whispered, his tone dead serious, “What if you were bitten by a radioactive spider, like Peter Parker?”


    I stared at him, “Are you high?”.


    “That stunt you pulled the night Scott turned? There’s no way you would’ve found him if you were just… normal.”.


    His face turned apologetic when he realized his choice of words.


    “What I meant to say was maybe you have Spidey-senses!”.


    Before I could respond, Mrs. Fraser slammed her hand on our desk, making us jump.


    “That’s it you two! Out!”, she pointed at the door.


    We shuffled out of the classroom, the other students snickering as we went.


    “You got us kicked out of class because of a Spiderman theory?”.


    “Okay, maybe it’s a bit far-fetched.”.


    “Stiles, Scott was bitten in the woods, so it was obvious he’d go back.”.


    As we walked down the hall, his expression turned more serious.


    “I still feel like you’re not telling me something. You can trust me, Lorelai. I promise.”.


    For a moment, I almost caved. But the bell rang, and I used it as an excuse to dodge the conversation.


    “Thanks, Stiles,” I said quickly, before disappearing into the crowd.


    ∞∞∞∞


    “Hey, you wanna come down for dinner?”, Kai’s voice was softer than usual, but it still startled me out of my thoughts.


    “Am I gonna be eating alone?”, I asked, not turning away from the black pendant I’d been absently staring at.


    Kai ran a hand through his hair, letting out a tired sigh. I finally looked at him and noticed the dark bags under his eyes. This was the first time I’d really seen him since the hospital.


    “I asked for the evening off,” he said, holding up the bag, “It’s Chinese…”.


    It was only after the scent of food hit me when I realized how hungry I was. I groaned, shoving the necklace under the pillow, before following him downstairs and taking a seat at the table.


    “So how’s school?”, he asked before tucking into an eggroll.


    “It’s fine. How’s work?”, I replied, mimicking his tone.


    “It’s fine.”, he said, keeping his gaze firmly on his plate.


    “You know, you still haven’t told me what exactly you do.”.


    Kai froze for a moment, then placed his fork down carefully.


    “Oh, uh, well… I’m a hunter.”.


    My heart skipped a beat, “A—a what?”.


    “A hunter… Well, more like animal control. I work with Allison’s dad to keep the wild animals at bay. He handles the weapons, I provide the muscle. Basic stuff.”, his tone tensing.


    “Oh.”, I murmured.


    It was evident that this conversation wasn’t going to go any further.


    “So, listen, about the other day at the hospital…”, Kai started, his voice tentative.


    “Kai, it’s fine. We’re good,” I cut him off quickly.


    “I, uh, I’ve got a lot of homework to do. I’ll see you in the morning, yeah?”.


    He nodded, shooting me a forced smile. I stood, giving him a quick hug before heading upstairs. I never expected to get caught up in the middle of a werewolf/hunter fight, hell, it felt like I was in a dream.


    After finishing my chemistry homework, I took my pills and settled in for the night. I hadn’t heard from Scott or Stiles, so I assumed Scott was finally accepting his diagnosis. I was just starting to drift off when the nightmare began.


    The acrid smell of smoke burned my nose as I ran, surrounded by swirling orange clouds. I wasn’t sure what was chasing me, but it was getting closer. The sound of screaming echoed all around me.


    “You have to help them!”, the dead girl’s voice shouted desperately.


    Suddenly a howl cut through the chaos making the hair on my arms and neck stand on end. I couldn’t tell if it was a warning or a cry for help.


    “You have to help them! He’s here! RUN!!!”.


    I spun around and froze. Glowing red eyes locked onto me, the same eyes I’d seen the night Scott and I were attacked. My back hit a tree, and I realized there was no escape.


    The animal prowled closer, its fiery gaze burning into mine. I couldn’t breathe; the smoke was suffocating. The creature let out another chilling howl, its jaws inches from my face.


    Suddenly, I gasped, choking on air as I bolted upright. But something was wrong.


    “What…?”, I muttered, my voice trembling.


    I wasn’t in my room anymore. For the second time, I had somehow ended up outside, this time standing in front of a charred, crumbling house. My heart raced as I tried to make sense of it. Before I could process anything, I heard voices from the other side of the house.


    “What the hell is that?!?”.


    Scott and Stiles - they were staring at something in the ground, Scott with a spade in his hand. I jogged up to them, tapping Stiles on his shoulder.


    “Jesus, Lorelai! What are you doing here?!? Again, in your pajamas, what are those - puppies?”.


    “I could ask you the same thing…”, I folded my arms.


    Then I saw it. A wolf’s head lay partially buried in the soil. My stomach turned.


    “Is that a, um…”, I swallowed hard, unable to finish my sentence.


    They nodded.


    “We think Derek killed that girl and buried her here.”, Stiles stated grimly.


    “The guy that turned you into a werewolf?”.


    “Yeah. This is his house.”.


    “But that’s a wolf’s head…”.


    “That’s what we’re trying to figure out!”, Stiles exclaimed.


    While they argued, I dropped to my knees, staring at the gruesome sight. The dead girl’s face flashed in my mind, and I stumbled back, Scott catching me before I hit the ground.


    “You okay?”, he asked, concern etched across his face.


    I nodded, my gaze shifting to a small purple flower growing a few feet away. Stiles noticed it too and immediately launched into a lecture about a movie called The Wolf Man before picking the flower, calling it Wolfsbane.


    It was attached to something—a long piece of rope. As Stiles unraveled it, we all watched in horror as the wolf head began to shift and transform, revealing the pale, lifeless face of the dead girl.


    ∞∞∞∞


    “What are you doing with those M&M’s?”, Kai asked, sliding into the seat next to me.


    “Trying to sweeten up a math problem…”, I replied sombrely, sorting the candies by color.


    Yellow for Scott, red for the killer wolf—who Stiles was convinced was Derek—and blue for the dead girl. Stiles’ dad had arrested Derek earlier for the murder after they found the body. My gut told me he was innocent, but the boys didn’t want to hear it.


    “The game is in a few hours, you going?”, he snatched a few M&M’s and popped them in his mouth.


    I shrugged, “I don’t know… It’s kinda of drag if I’m being honest.”.


    Kai snorted as he stood up.


    “Boss got me working through the night. I’ll see you later, okay?”, he squeezed my shoulder before heading out.


    I waved goodbye, my eyes drifting back to the candies. Why would Derek kill someone and bury them in his own yard? From a killer’s perspective, that was a dumb move—unless there was some kind of connection between him and the girl. I picked up my phone to call one of the guys, but Stiles beat me to it.


    “What can I do for you, Stiles?”.


    “I’ve done something really stupid which caused Scott to wolf out and leap out of a moving vehicle and now I lost him!”, he rambled in a panic.


    “You kept the wolfsbane, didn’t you?”.


    “For scientific purposes! I called the station asking about any doglike individuals roaming the streets, but they hung up on me!”, he retorted.


    Sometimes I really wonder how he made it all the way to sophomore year.


    “He’s probably fine? Maybe he’s with Allison… Or getting ready for the game…”.


    “Okay, okay, okay. I’ll check at school, you check with Allison! I’ll text you her address!”.


    “Stiles, wait-”.


    But he already hung up. I changed into something more public worthy- black jeans, a black wooly jersey, and converse sneakers. Allison’s place was just an eight-minute walk from my house. I used it as an opportunity to get some fresh air.


    Hoping it would distract me, my brain decided to fire a hundred thoughts per minute starting with why my meds weren’t working. Did it have something to do with the move to Beacon Hills? Was there something in the air?


    Or maybe my psychosis was getting worse, and I needed stronger pills. I was so wrapped up inside my head I didn’t realize I had already reached Allison’s house. She was standing outside next to the car.


    “Oh my gosh, Lorelai! What are you doing here?”, she exclaimed, pulling me into a hug.


    Before I could respond, her dad stepped out, his expression unreadable.


    “I was looking for Scott… Hi, Mr. Argent…”, I said, my voice tinged with unease.


    “You must be Lorelai, Kai’s sister.”, he said, sizing me up with his piercing green eyes.


    I nodded, resisting the urge to squirm.


    “Oh, about Scott,” Allison said, cutting in, “He was just here. My dad accidentally hit him with his car… but he’s fine! We’re on our way to the lacrosse game. Wanna join us?”.


    “I… uh…”, I stammered, searching for an excuse.


    “Come on, Lorelai! I know Scott and Stiles would really appreciate the support.”, she encouraged, flashing a bright smile.


    With no way out, I reluctantly climbed into the backseat. The drive to school was awkward. Allison chattered on about how good Scott was at lacrosse, while I mumbled half-hearted agreements. Mr. Argent kept glancing at me in the rearview mirror, his gaze sharp and calculating.


    “So, how are you and Kai liking Beacon Hills, Lorelai?”, he asked, eyebrows raised.


    “It’s um, different… Quiet compared to San Fransisco.”, I answered softly.


    “Nothing beats that city buzz I believe. Did your brother tell you what we’re tracking?”, his stare unrelenting.


    I didn’t know whether he was testing Kai’s loyalty or trying to figure out how much I knew, but I dug my fingernails into the palms of my hands to hide my trembling, shaking my head.


    “Dad! I’m sure Lorelai doesn’t want to talk about your work!”, Allison diverted the conversation.


    She started talking about lacrosse again to which I zoned out, staring out the window. If Mr. Argent thought I knew something, would he come after me? Then I thought about Scott, would he kill him for being a werewolf? Would Kai?


    “You guys go ahead, I um… have to go to the bathroom.”, I needed to get as far away as possible.


    “We’ll save you a seat.”, Allison smiled and gently pushed her dad in the direction of the lacrosse field.


    The moment they were out of sight, I called Stiles, but it went straight to voicemail. Scott’s phone did the same. Frustrated, I sprinted toward the game.


    When I reached the stands, I spotted Lydia glaring at Scott, her expression a mix of fury and expectation. I weaved my way toward the benches, ending up near Coach Finstock, who was in the middle of a pep talk with Jackson.


    “Listen, just go out there. Just give it your best. If you feel any pain, just…”.


    “Just... keep playing?”, the team captain asked, confused.


    Coach Finstock nodded with a grin, “That’s my boy!”.


    I waited for Jackson to leave before making my presence known to Coach Finstock.


    “Loralee! You’ve shown up on my field more times than half my players! What are you doing here?!?”.


    “Nothing! I was just looking for someone…”, I muttered, scanning the crowd for Scott or Stiles, too agitated to correct him.


    The referee’s whistle signalled the start of the game. I spotted Stiles on another bench and ran over, avoiding the chaos of the players.


    “Stiles…”.


    He ignored me, his focus locked on Scott and Jackson’s interaction. My phone buzzed in my pocket. The message made my pulse quicken:


    We need to talk. Alone.


    I glanced around and spotted a familiar silhouette near the edge of the field. Slipping away unnoticed, I approached Derek, who was just out of sight but clearly observing everything.


    “Why did you call me here?”, I asked, trying to sound braver than I felt.


    Derek stepped closer, stopping so close I had to tilt my head to look at him. His anger only made him more striking, but I shoved that thought aside.


    “Tell your idiot friends to stay away from things they don’t understand.”. he growled, gripping my arm tightly, “They’re drawing attention to themselves—and to you.”.


    “What-what are you talking about?”, my voice trembled, shaking his hand off.


    “Don’t you find it strange how you ended up finding Scott that night after he turned?”.


    “I don’t know what you mean.”.


    “No, Lorelai, I think you do. You’re just afraid to look deeper into who you are… And what you are.”.


    Before I could respond, he glanced over my shoulder. Following his gaze, I saw Scott running toward the locker room. Derek disappeared before I could stop him.


    Frustrated, I sprinted after Scott, dodging players as I reached the locker room entrance. I nearly collided with Allison, who had a dreamy smile on her face.


    “We kissed.”, she said, walking away.


    Inside, Scott was sitting on a bench, looking just as dazed. Stiles stood next to him.


    “The girl… She’s Derek’s sister…”, Stiles blurted out.


    Scott’s smile disappeared.


    “Medical examiner determines killer of girl to be animal, not human. Derek''s human, not animal. Derek? Not killer. Derek? Let out of jail… My dad ID’d the dead girl. Both halves. Her name was Laura Hale.”.