Wasteland

Emerging from the trees, after coming back from a adventurous night of taking out the Kanima and Gerard Argent, the slowly breaking Beacon Hills pack stopped half way from the burnt Hale house as their eyes settled on the symbol marked on the front door.

“What is this?” Isaac Lahey, loyal Beta, asked turning to look at his Alpha. “What does this mean?”

“It’s their symbol,” his Alpha, Derek Hale, answered slightly moving on edge. “and it means they’re coming.”

Isaac glanced at the symbol once more, “Who?”

“Alphas.”

The young wolf looked baffled. “More than one?”

Derek’s face hardened, “A pack of them.”

“An Alpha pack,” Derek’s uncle, Peter, corrected. “and they’re not coming, they’re already here.”



Before the golden haired teen could touch her, Joanna had already spun around and grasped the girl’s neck with her hand, claws extending into the flesh. “I just saved your ass, and you’re already trying to kill me!” Jo’s eyes flashed green in warning as she shoved the teen backwards and watched as she toppled to the ground. “You could have at least waited a day or two; where are your fucking manners?”

The African American boy, who was obviously a pack-mate with the girl, offered his help, but she shrugged him off and stood up on her own. “How are we supposed to know that you’re not going to kill us?” she sneered. “How are we supposed to know that wasn’t some trick to pull?”

Joanna laughed, humorously. “Do you really think that I planned to get abandoned from my pack? The pack I’ve been apart of since I was eighteen?” Joanna bared her teeth. “But thanks though, since you’re the reason I have no pack anymore.”

“Wolves are stronger in packs-”

Joanna’s eyes focused on the boy, cutting him off, “You got that right.”

“Let me finish.” His eyes rimmed with a yellow-golden hue. This is exactly what I need, she thought, pups who can’t control themselves. “But you’re different.”

Jo’s stance became more defensively, and the expression on her face darkened. “What?”

“You’re an Omega at heart.”

Omega. She hasn’t been one in so long, that she forgot what it felt like to be on her own and not have to worry about anything but your self. She had no Alpha to obey, no pack-mate to piss her off, and barely having to worry about hunters. She was old enough; she knew how to control her wolf side. Was this her new beginning? Had protecting these kids get her out of something that could possibly end up killing her?

Joanna’s face softened, this boy, was loyal down to the core; smart, probably stronger than most, and intuitive. “If you hadn’t noticed, I’m Joanna.” She stuck her hand out, and the boy grasped it, smiling slightly.

“Boyd.”

She nodded, turning towards the female, who ignored her hand and flipped her hair over her shoulder, “Erica.” Jo raised an eyebrow at how catty this girl was acting; she nearly got eaten alive by a pack of Alphas and this is how she’s thanking the one who saved her ass?

“Great, now that we’re all introduced,” she shot an annoyed look at Erica, “let me get you back to your Alpha.”

“We can take it from here.” Erica glanced at Boyd.

Joanna smirked, “What? Don’t want me to witness your Alpha ripping off your heads because you left?”

Erica snarled, “Fine, but if he attacks you, I’m not coming to your rescue.”

“Duly noted.” After a moment of them all standing around, Jo sighed. “Show the way, pups, I don’t know where to go.” Erica smirked at Boyd before taking off, leaving her lingering laughter, and Boyd to grin at Joanna before nodding his head to follow and taking off.

Joanna found herself giggling at the pups, and calling out, “Hello! I’m an Alpha; therefore I can run faster than you!” taking off in the direction the pups went, she found herself catching up to them easily as they dodged through trees and jumping over fallen branches. A few more minutes passed until Jo found herself next to Boyd as they continued running. “You’re a pure or what?”

“Or what.” Boyd glanced at her for a mere second as he answered.

Her arm shot out, gripping his forearm and dragging them to a stop. “You were bitten?” Venom laced her words as she ranked over the teen. Growing up, she learned that most packs were purebreds, a long line of wolves, and mostly purebreds mating with purebreds; her pack, before joining with the Alphas, drilled into their head that you couldn’t bite someone unless the deemed worthy... which barely happened, and the fact that only Alphas could give the bite.

Boyd snatched out of her grip, “It was my choice.”

“Even though it was your choice, you probably were only changed to help someone form a pack.” Jo caught the quick swift of emotion, before whispering, “You were, weren’t you?”

“It’s compl-”

“How many more are there of you?” Jo asked cut him off, curiously. “How many have been bitten?”

“Four.”

“How? Why?”

Boyd looked at her, “Long story.” Jo opened her mouth, but barely could get a word in as he continued speaking. “Erica’s getting irritated, I can sense her all the way from here.” Jo nodded her head, putting in the back of her mind to figure out the history among this pack. “Plus, we’re close too.”

“Okay,” she mumbled. “let’s go.”

Jo and Boyd ran the short distance to where Erica was waiting at the edge of the forest line that about a fifty feet from a burnt down house. Erica turned to them, “They know someone’s here, but don’t know who.” Jo’s eyes jumped from the three bodies standing in front of the house, looking straight at them, or where they thought they would be.

“I know you’re there!” Jo focused on the one who spoke; he looked to be about six feet, muscular, and handsome –typically werewolf appearance; his eyes were narrowed, jaw clenched, as if a fight was about to break out and he was ready for it. He snarled when he got no answer.

Jo placed her hands on Boyd’s back, pushing him into Erica to get them to move. The pups got the idea and quickly rushed out of the trees towards the rest of their pack. The younger wolf, stepped passed the other older males (who both gave the Alpha vibe), was in shock. “Erica? Boyd?”

“Hi Isaac.”

She watched the expressions on each of their faces; the teen with the mop of curly brown hair, Isaac she assumed was his name, was happy to have his friends back, the leaner older male, raised an eyebrow at the two, and the one who her eyes couldn’t move off of, had a look of relief and a tad of irritation.

Before anything was said, Erica spoke up, head down slightly. “You were right, Derek. There was no other pack,” she growled, instantly remembering how easy it was for the Alpha pack to overpower them. “It was like you said about the hunters.”

Hunters? Jo thought quickly, she hadn’t run into any of them lately, but knowing that Beacon Hills had them, made her a tad uneasy.

“We didn’t say anything,” Boyd added before it was asked. “The electricity hurt like hell, but we kept our mouths shut.”

“You’re completely idiotic, do you understand that?” Derek asked, harshly. “I told you, we can protect each other if we’re a pack. A pack.”

“Now, now, don’t be too harsh on the kids.” Peter was amused.

“Who the hell is this guy?” Erica snapped.

“He’s my uncle Peter.” Derek explained, his tone still set on edge. “He’s going to help us with the new threat.”

“Threat?” Boyd tilted his side to the side, racking his brain for possible threats. “What threat?”

“A pack of Alphas decided to make their presence known.” Derek gestured to the symbol on his front door. “We don’t know why they’re here, but we have to assume it’s for destruction.” Derek caught the noticeable look Erica shot to Boyd. “What do you know?” Derek stepped forward, pressing for an answer. “What do you know?”

“We don’t know much.” Boyd looked at Erica, who was glancing between Derek and the trees.

Jo decided it was time to make her presence known. “What they say is the truth; they don’t know anything.”

It such fast movement, Jo’s back was slammed against the ground and a hand was squeezing her neck. Derek was in full transformation –eyes a bright blue, hair all over his face, canines protruding behind his mouth; and his nails, long and digging into her skin.

“Derek!” Peter sighed. “Is this how we really treat our guests?”

Baring his teeth and letting his warm breath hit her face, he growled low and dangerously. “You’re one of them.”

Jo kept her eyes locked with his as she slowly began her transform, starting with her hands; extending her claws, she was quick to grab his leg, letting her nails sink into his skin as he growled out in pain. Derek’s hand on her neck loosened up enough for her to defend herself. Pulling her left leg up to her chest, she kicked him with enough power to pull herself away and get a good distance from him. She noticed, but took made no move to look, that Isaac was trying to help his Alpha out, but was told to back down from Peter.

Crouched low to the ground, Jo never took her eyes off Derek, who was most likely healed by now. “I’m not one of them.”

“Lying bitch.” Derek spat, ranking over her body to figure out her weak points. “You’re an Alpha, are you not?”

Jo narrowed her eyes, “Yes.”

“She’s an Omega, Derek!” Boyd spoke up, moving to stand by Jo.

“There is no such thing as an Alpha Omega.”

“That may be true, nephew.” Peter stated. “But myths are turning out to be true every day; for an example, we are a contradiction, aren’t we?”

Jo looked at the pack standing in front of her, before looking at Derek. “I was one of them, until they decided I was unworthy,” she growled, which almost sounded like a whimper at the thought of being abandoned. “because I chose to defend your pack over my own.”

“You shouldn’t have done that.” Derek retorted, not seeing the hurt flash across Boyd’s and Erica’s faces.

Jo rolled her eyes as she laughed. “Funny; leave the pups to fend for themselves… no wonder why they left you.”

“That’s enough.”

“You’re not my Alpha, you can’t tell me what to do.” Jo snapped, flashing her own canine teeth at him. “But you are welcome for me bringing back your pups alive.”

Taking it as an opportunity to say something, the curly haired wolf asked, “What are we going to do about the Alphas?”

Derek, actually taking his gaze off Jo, turned to Isaac. “I’ll make them regret ever coming here.”