“Yeah I did. Because you’re not my alpha. Neither of you are. Scott is my alpha so why exactly did you do this without his say so? He is the only alpha in town and outranks both of you when it comes to decisions and when he find out what you’ve been doing to this girl, he’s going to get seriously pissed off. We need to let her go. She hasn’t done anything wrong. Notice how I used the word she and not it. God you’re such an asshole, Peter.”
“Don’t,” Summer whispered. “I’m not worth this, don’t.”
Peter just lifted an eyebrow. “Scott’s as bad as you are when it comes to trust.”
Derek walked over to the cage, looking down at Summer cowering at the back. He said, with an odd stillness, “Sometimes you have to do things to protect the pack.” He looked at Erica. “One fox on the loose was bad enough. We need to make sure there isn’t another one.”
“Are you serious right now, Derek? I expect this kind of behaviour from him but you? You’re supposed to have morals. Can’t you see how wrong it is to keep her here? She is an innocent girl. Why did you think she might be a nogitsune anyway? What overwhelming evidence did you have to justify locking up a teenage girl?” With every question she grew increasingly irritated and her expression darkened. This was wrong and Derek had to know that.
Derek merely put on that expression that meant he didn’t like what he had to do, but he was going to do it anyway because he was so convinced he /had/ to do it. “It feeds off pain and chaos,” Peter interposed. “Feeds. I saw her feeding, Erica.”
“That point is irrelevant. If she was a nogitsune, she would’ve been able to get out by now or at least be trying out some form of psychological torture on us, and I mean something worse that Peter’s constant presence.” She looked over to Derek as she said that, sure that he’d see her logic and be the better person. “Derek, come on. You know something about this isn’t right. She’s not who you think she is, she’s just a girl who is terrified because two werewolves locked her in a cage.”
Peter sighed and folded his arms. “You’re too trusting, Erica. There’s a reason we weren’t letting you down here with it. But you seem to have disregarded that instruction.”
Summer swallowed hard. The dark one — Derek? — didn’t seem inclined to argue, and the use of ‘it’ was a sharp reminder of how the men thought of her. She tried to catch Erica’s attention, shaking her head. She didn’t want the blonde girl getting hurt on her account.
“Yeah I did. Because you’re not my alpha. Neither of you are. Scott is my alpha so why exactly did you do this without his say so? He is the only alpha in town and outranks both of you when it comes to decisions and when he find out what you’ve been doing to this girl, he’s going to get seriously pissed off. We need to let her go. She hasn’t done anything wrong. Notice how I used the word she and not it. God you’re such an asshole, Peter.”
“Don’t,” Summer whispered. “I’m not worth this, don’t.”
Peter just lifted an eyebrow. “Scott’s as bad as you are when it comes to trust.”
Derek walked over to the cage, looking down at Summer cowering at the back. He said, with an odd stillness, “Sometimes you have to do things to protect the pack.” He looked at Erica. “One fox on the loose was bad enough. We need to make sure there isn’t another one.”
As Peter and Derek walked down into the basement Erica swallowed deeply as she saw the frown on both the ex-alphas’ faces. Neither of them were her boss and she couldn’t let them hurt this girl anymore. “What the hell do you two think you’re doing with her? She’s an empath, not a nogitsune! And if you’d actually asked her you would be able to hear her heartbeat and know she was telling the truth. So what are you doing?” Both the wolves looked at her blankly, surprised by her outburst.
Not even conscious of the action anymore, Summer pressed herself backward in the cage, as far away from the men as possible. Her eyes went huge at Erica’s outburst — she hadn’t believed the female werewolf would challenge the elders of her pack like that, or that quickly.
The light one — Peter? — said, in a tone of exaggerated patience, “Stiles was able to lie to us when he was possessed.”
“That point is irrelevant. If she was a nogitsune, she would’ve been able to get out by now or at least be trying out some form of psychological torture on us, and I mean something worse that Peter’s constant presence.” She looked over to Derek as she said that, sure that he’d see her logic and be the better person. “Derek, come on. You know something about this isn’t right. She’s not who you think she is, she’s just a girl who is terrified because two werewolves locked her in a cage.”
Peter sighed and folded his arms. “You’re too trusting, Erica. There’s a reason we weren’t letting you down here with it. But you seem to have disregarded that instruction.”
Summer swallowed hard. The dark one — Derek? — didn’t seem inclined to argue, and the use of ‘it’ was a sharp reminder of how the men thought of her. She tried to catch Erica’s attention, shaking her head. She didn’t want the blonde girl getting hurt on her account.
“They thought you might be one too.” Erica heard the noises of the other wolves home and moved away from the cage. She called up to Derek and Peter when she heard them ask where she was. “I’m down here.” She turned back to Summer. “Don’t worry, I’m not going to let them hurt you.”
She wished she believed Erica’s promise. But the blonde girl had already said she was subordinate to the two men, so how was she ever going to be able to keep her word? Especially if they were all werewolves — wouldn’t there be some kind of pack structure?
And she still didn’t understand /why/ any of them thought she might be a nogitsune!
As Peter and Derek walked down into the basement Erica swallowed deeply as she saw the frown on both the ex-alphas’ faces. Neither of them were her boss and she couldn’t let them hurt this girl anymore. “What the hell do you two think you’re doing with her? She’s an empath, not a nogitsune! And if you’d actually asked her you would be able to hear her heartbeat and know she was telling the truth. So what are you doing?” Both the wolves looked at her blankly, surprised by her outburst.
Not even conscious of the action anymore, Summer pressed herself backward in the cage, as far away from the men as possible. Her eyes went huge at Erica’s outburst — she hadn’t believed the female werewolf would challenge the elders of her pack like that, or that quickly.
The light one — Peter? — said, in a tone of exaggerated patience, “Stiles was able to lie to us when he was possessed.”
“I promise, when they get back I’ll talk to them. I’ll tell them that you’re not a threat and won’t hurt us. I know this is really difficult to understand but there is a good reason they are so touchy. We’ve all been through a lot with the nogitsune and are on edge. But I’m sorry you got stuck in the middle.”
Summer wailed, “But what does a nogitsune have to do with /me/?!” It still didn’t make sense. A prisoner of werewolves — she knew too much about how torture worked to be sanguine about what else they might do to her in pursuit of the information they wanted. Too much reading, she thought to herself, as much as she could still think around the simple fear of death.
“Someone’s coming.”
“They thought you might be one too.” Erica heard the noises of the other wolves home and moved away from the cage. She called up to Derek and Peter when she heard them ask where she was. “I’m down here.” She turned back to Summer. “Don’t worry, I’m not going to let them hurt you.”
She wished she believed Erica’s promise. But the blonde girl had already said she was subordinate to the two men, so how was she ever going to be able to keep her word? Especially if they were all werewolves — wouldn’t there be some kind of pack structure?
And she still didn’t understand /why/ any of them thought she might be a nogitsune!
“Wow. Out of all the supernatural things that I’ve discovered recently, that actually seems like the coolest thing that I’ve heard.” She smiled over at her, sensing how anxious she was and tried to ease that somewhat. “Sorry about all this. I can sorta feel emotions too, I’m not very good at it but it’s getting easier.”
“But you’re a werewolf!” she protested. “How can you — ” She has to stop and just try to regain some control. There’s too much confusion. “Please, can you find out why I’m here?”
“I promise, when they get back I’ll talk to them. I’ll tell them that you’re not a threat and won’t hurt us. I know this is really difficult to understand but there is a good reason they are so touchy. We’ve all been through a lot with the nogitsune and are on edge. But I’m sorry you got stuck in the middle.”
Summer wailed, “But what does a nogitsune have to do with /me/?!” It still didn’t make sense. A prisoner of werewolves — she knew too much about how torture worked to be sanguine about what else they might do to her in pursuit of the information they wanted. Too much reading, she thought to herself, as much as she could still think around the simple fear of death.
“Honestly, I have no idea what is going through their heads. I don’t control them and they both like to remind me that even though they aren’t alphas now that they both were once and could kick my ass.” She let out a sigh of frustration. She hated when they would hold that over her head. “What’s an empath?”
Summer swallowed hard. “I — I can sense emotion. And sometimes I can make other people feel what I want them to, or take it away. It’s — it’s like telepathy, only with feelings instead of thoughts.”
“Wow. Out of all the supernatural things that I’ve discovered recently, that actually seems like the coolest thing that I’ve heard.” She smiled over at her, sensing how anxious she was and tried to ease that somewhat. “Sorry about all this. I can sorta feel emotions too, I’m not very good at it but it’s getting easier.”
“But you’re a werewolf!” she protested. “How can you — ” She has to stop and just try to regain some control. There’s too much confusion. “Please, can you find out why I’m here?”
When Erica shifted, Summer swallowed a scream. That was the reason for the edge of wildness she’d felt in all of them. “B-but why would you think I have anything to do with a dark fox spirit? I’m just an empath.” God, those golden eyes were terrifying. “J-just an empath,” she repeated in a whisper.
“Honestly, I have no idea what is going through their heads. I don’t control them and they both like to remind me that even though they aren’t alphas now that they both were once and could kick my ass.” She let out a sigh of frustration. She hated when they would hold that over her head. “What’s an empath?”
Summer swallowed hard. “I — I can sense emotion. And sometimes I can make other people feel what I want them to, or take it away. It’s — it’s like telepathy, only with feelings instead of thoughts.”
“Your heartbeat. When you lie I can hear it increase but right now it’s steady.” She had no idea if the girl knew about them or not but considering she was locked up, nothing bad could happen if she freaked out. “Wait..is that the only way that you know? What do you know about…the supernatural? And I don’t mean stuff you read, I mean for real.”
“You can hear my heartb—why can you hear my heartbeat? Oh, god,” Summer’s voice ran rough with tears and fear. “Please don’t hurt me. I don’t talk about it. I don’t. The only others I know are in LA. I swear.” Her hands closed white-knuckle tight. “I only know me, my sister, and my sister-friend, really. I promise.”
“Hey, you don’t need to be scared of me. I’m not going to hurt you, I swear. But for you to understand I need to show you something.” She let her eyes flash amber as her fangs elongated and she looked over at her. “I’m a werewolf. So are Derek and Peter. We’ve been having some trouble with a nogitsune who is trying to kill us all and has taken the body of one of our best friends. Everyone’s really on edge so I’m really sorry about this. Derek and Peter think you have something to do with it…what actually are you though?”
When Erica shifted, Summer swallowed a scream. That was the reason for the edge of wildness she’d felt in all of them. “B-but why would you think I have anything to do with a dark fox spirit? I’m just an empath.” God, those golden eyes were terrifying. “J-just an empath,” she repeated in a whisper.
“M-my heart?” Summer leaned her forehead against the bars. “What does my heart have to do with anything?” She tried to puzzle it out, gave up. “Of course I know what a nogitsune is, I read! I’m not stupid. I study Japanese in school, for gods’ sake. What is going on?!”
“Your heartbeat. When you lie I can hear it increase but right now it’s steady.” She had no idea if the girl knew about them or not but considering she was locked up, nothing bad could happen if she freaked out. “Wait..is that the only way that you know? What do you know about…the supernatural? And I don’t mean stuff you read, I mean for real.”
“You can hear my heartb—why can you hear my heartbeat? Oh, god,” Summer’s voice ran rough with tears and fear. “Please don’t hurt me. I don’t talk about it. I don’t. The only others I know are in LA. I swear.” Her hands closed white-knuckle tight. “I only know me, my sister, and my sister-friend, really. I promise.”