Ecclesiastes

I walk out of the locker rooms, the hallway, and back outside to the parking lot. I make a B–line for Derek’s black car. I hop in before he can say anything and click the seatbelt into place. I look up at him and he’s giving me a curious stare. “Where are the others?”

“In Stiles’ jeep.” I look around his car, “As they surely cannot fit in here.”

He rolls his eyes and speeds off, “I just need to know they’re coming.”

“Where are we going?”

“My place.”

“For what?”

He rolls his eyes and breathes out heavily and loudly, “To talk.”

I tilt my chin down into my chest and tilt my head a bit to the left. I can feel the corners of my lips slowly stretch and turn into a small smirk as I ask, “To talk about what?”

His knuckles whiten as he grips his steering wheel, “You?”

“Ohh,” I sarcastically pout, “I’m so flattered.”

He looks at me and his eyes flash red, so I scoot closer to my door. “Alright, sorry.”

He shakes his head and focuses back on the road. The engine revs as he builds up speed in a thirty-five. “I’m not angry.”

I look forward and gulp. I should have ridden in the jeep with Stiles and Isaac and not with this deranged dude. I look at him every once in a while and see his eyes flash back and forth from their natural state to alpha red. I cross my legs tightly and grip my top knee in my left hand, the door handle with my right handle.

Derek’s grip on the steering wheel loosens and his body relaxes into the seat of his car. I stare at him until he parks near his place and gets out of the car. I pop out right after him and ask, “What was that?”

He shakes his head, “I’ll explain everything once we’re all together.”

I sigh and roll my eyes while following him up to his warehouse–like apartment. Peter is flipping through a magazine on a couch near a window when we walk in. He snaps his head up and his eyes flash an icy blue. Derek steps in front of me and says, “We’re going to have to talk about this when the others arrive.”

Peter nods, his eyes never leaving what he can see of me. I sit on a different couch, away from them, and wait for Isaac, Stiles and Scott to roll up, which doesn’t take too long. Isaac and Scott sniff the air before staring at me. Scott shakes his head and Isaac sits next to me, squishing me between the arm of the couch and his side. He wraps his arm around my waist and squeezes me to him. He isn’t sweaty, he’s in a sweater I bought him, and he smells good, so clearly they rinsed off before showing up. I relax into Isaac’s side and chest; I smile up at him and sigh, finally feeling comfortable again.

“So,” Stiles sighs, “Why are we all here?”

Scott sits down next to Peter while Derek leans against a wall. “We need to talk about the heat that’s coming up?”

I roll my eyes. “This town is cold and only going to get colder with the fall.”

“Not the weather,” Peter half retorts, half growls. Isaac squeezes me tighter as Peter’s eyes flash an icy blue.

Scott looks at Peter while Derek continues, “Time has twisted the tale of sirens from their real origins and purposes to evil, literal man eaters. But, there is some truth to that.”

I tilt my head onto my left shoulder and look at Derek from beneath my lashes. “Which would be?”

He breathes out heavily and loudly, “Yours.”

I groan from frustration, “My what?”

“Your heat.”

I roll my eyes, “Stop speaking in riddles and talk like a regular person.”

Derek laughs and shakes his head up at the ceiling before locking eyes with me. “Like all supernatural women, you will go through a heat – like a dog does.”

I scrunch my face up and glue myself to Isaac.

“And like all supernatural men, we will sense it – smell it, feel it –”

Peter interrupts and growls, “Need it.”

Isaac and I scowl at him; Isaac squeezes me so tightly that I’m sure he’s leaving a bruise.

“The point is,” Derek sighs and crosses his arms over his chest, “everyone is different. Yours could last a couple days to a couple weeks. But you need to be really careful. You can already lure people to you with your voice – you need to not use that or you might drive someone to actual insanity, especially if they’re just human.” Everyone looks at Stiles, who rolls his eyes. Derek then looks back at me, “You’re going to be especially fertile. So don’t think that any contraception you may be taking is enough – use all measures.”

Isaac laughs, “Alright, thanks Dad.”

Derek glares at Isaac and retorts, “You’ll be thanking me when you’re not a dad.”

Isaac and I laugh uncomfortably. I stand up and say, “Well, this has been great. See you boys later—”

Peter laughs and his laugh rings deeply in my ears. I stop walking and look over my shoulder at him. In mere seconds he’s a mere foot behind me. “You should use condoms – we have plenty –”

Derek barks at him, “Have you lost all control since losing your alpha status?”

Peter ignores him.

I turn around to face him. I start to walk backwards toward the door, but Peter grabs my right wrist and tugs me toward him, “I’m sure your boy toy is wonderful, but you’ll soon be wanting an alpha.”

I gulp and tug my wrist out of his grasp, “Well, when you see one, you let me know.”

He laughs and grabs both of my wrists. Scott and Isaac spring up from their seats while Stiles slowly makes his way to standing behind Derek.

Peter and I lock eyes – his glow an icy blue while mine darken with rage. I whisper, in a surprisingly gruff voice, “Let go of me or I’ll snap your hands off of your wrists.”

He grins and tugs me toward him, “I’d like to see you try –”

Isaac grips Peter by the shoulders and pull him away from me. Peter stumbles, but then turns and punches Isaac in the face. Peter and Isaac start to shift as their adrenaline skyrockets. I quickly pull my hand jewelry off, stuff them into my jacket pockets, zip’em up, and then disrobe from my jacket. Peter grips Isaac’s neck in his right hand, but he looks over to me when he hears my jacket cling to the ground. I start walking toward them while pulling my red tank top over my head, exposing my heaving chest and my black, diamond back bra. Peter grins, but both him and Isaac’s eyes widen when I shudder, scream and toss my head back. I toss my arms out to the sides, stretching them as far as they go and releasing talon-like claws, while wings slide out of my back. They unfold like snapping magnetic strips, and feathers grow out of them in seconds. Derek and Stiles gasp from awe and shock and Peter is glued to the site, but Isaac is used to it. He grins at me as I speed walk over to them, one foot in front of the other, which swings my hips and taps my heels. Peter starts to stand, but I grip his throat in my right hand and tug him up and away from Isaac. I hold him a foot off of the ground and press my fingertips deep into his flesh.

Peter grips my wrist and arm in his hands and hoarsely shouts in a disturbingly shrill voice, “So you think you’re strong?”

I smirk and smash him down onto the cold ground. I’m in a lunge position over him, my hand still gripping his throat and my nails cutting into the first layer of his skin. I start to beat my wings, which, at first, is a cool breeze, but the beating becomes stronger and faster and it begins to push down on him. I can tell he’s having trouble breathing, so I let go of his throat, but I continue the beating of my wings, which instantly sends him across the floor and to Isaac’s feet. Isaac smirks down at him before turning, stepping over him, squatting and punching him in the face. Derek runs over to Isaac as he punches him a second time, but yanks him away before he punches him a third time. Isaac lands on his ass and skids a few times while Derek helps Peter up. I shake my head and then step back from everyone.

I squat lightly and press my hands into the flesh just above my knee. I roll my back and then arch it so that I may stare up at the ceiling. I groan loudly, clearly out of pain, as I shake my wings and all the feathers release and scatter. I shriek and close my eyes tightly as the flesh of my wings absorbs back into the bones, which stack together and slide back into my spine. My flesh burns from being open to let out the wings; the flesh stings as it quickly begins bonding back together and healing. This processes doesn’t take more than 15 seconds, but it feels like an eternity. When I finally look at everyone, all I see are gaping mouths. “What?” I chuckles and push my hair up, off of my forehead and the back of my neck. I retract my talon-like claws until I have regular nails again, and then I walk over to my clothing.

Scott breaks the silence as I put my shirt on. “That, that was amazing!”

I grin and put my jacket back on, “I may be in debt to this pack, but I am not controlled by it.” I look at Peter, who’s still gripping the hand Derek offered him to get up, “You are the inheritors of, the descendants of evil men turned into beasts, men who scarified a brother to try and poke at the gods. You have been cursed by the gods while I am born of them. You will never be stronger than me.”

He smirks and tilts his head, “We’ll see.”

Isaac doesn’t shift back. He walks to me and holds my hand. We walk out of Derek’s place while I look over at Stiles and say, “We’ll be at the jeep.”