Buried Deep

Days had passed since the night her wolf had been ripped away, Ella had partially seen it as fate's way of bringing her closer to Peter. But, she knew deep down inside that in the end, she would always return to Peter, whether it was for good or bad intentions.

She yawned herself awake, sitting right up, she scanned the room around her, pursing her lips as she found herself alone. Kicking off the blankets, she trudged to the door, swinging it wide open, she froze, her heart beat elevating. Ella took a step, her bare feet coming into contact with a forest floor, "Hello?" Taking a few steps, the hairs on the back of her neck stood up.

"Have you honestly fallen back in love with him? Tisk tisk, Ella."

The voice echoed against the trees, she walked further out of the bedroom and into the illusion. She jumped as a rabbit raced around her, "I've changed my mind, I don't want to do this."

"No." He said firmly, "See we had a deal," she shivered as the voice came from behind her, "you'd lead me to this Peter Hale fellow and I'd collect him." Unum spun her around, a sickening grin sprawled across his face, he leaned forward, caressing her jaw, "See I saw your weakness before you did." He chuckled, his finger dragging down her neck and across her collarbone, loving the way her skin felt underneath his fingertips. "Wolves mate for life, especially if one wolf turned a human out of love, it creates an unbreakable bond, it's quite beautiful if you're into those things." He hissed, his voice creating a sound that was equalivent to glass shattering, "No matter how much pain, betrayal, and wrong they've done. It might take time for it to," he grinned again, "take effect." He leaned close, his mouth kissing her ear, "That's why I took your wolf, so you can't stop me."

Ella ripped away from him, her blood level boiling with anger, her eyes narrowed, "The deal's off, Unum. I change my mind-"

He wagged his finger in her face, "-ah ah ahh. You don't break deals with me. And besides you've gone such elaborate lengths to tell this story, why would you call off the show when I haven't even made an appearance yet?" Every word was filled with a pause, the way he spoke sent chills down her spine. "I will collect Peter Hale, my dear Ella. Warn him if you will, in fact, I already know you will." He pressed his lips against her neck, whispering while he twirled her hair, "It won't change the outcome."

She clamped her eyes shut as his lips touched her skin, tears found their way through, snapping them open, she gasped for air as she found herself in the hallway of Peter's apartment. She clutched her chest, her body leaning against the hall. How was she supposed to dig herself out of the hole she had dug herself into? How could she save Peter when she wasn't a wolf herself. She sunk down to the ground, her hands raking through her hair, tears leaking from her green eyes, this wasn't supposed to happen. She wasn't supposed to fall in love again, she was supposed to hate him.



Deaton looked up from his counter, raising a brow at the young woman standing in his doorway, "Ella? Can I help you?" He looked her over, she seemed to be doing better. All the color had returned to her face, she looked healthy.

"Yeah, um, you said that I couldn't be turned again, right?" She chewed on her lip as Deaton locked onto her eyes, seeing the concern wash over his facial expression.

"Not quite, I'd advise highly against it. Your body has suffered too much stress, it's still trying to recuperate." He motioned for her to sit down, he checked her eyes with his flashlight, "Is everything alright? Your eyes are little red and puffy, if I didn't know any better, I would say that you were crying for a few hours straight."

Ella shrugged, "You could say something like that," she cleared her throat, looking away from the light, "but there is a possibility that I could turn right?"

He sighed, sitting down in his chair, "A very slim one and it would take twice as long for it to pulse through your body. Making you weaker, more susceptible to limited control over a full moon, it would be as if you were turning for the first time. You'd be unstable."

She swallowed hard, fiddling with the hem of her sleeves, "Even though the soul snatcher didn't take all of me?"

Deaton shrugged, "I can't answer that question, Ella. I've never experienced this kind of thing close hand, you'd be the first and to be honest, I'm really shocked that you're alive. Is this what has you upset? That you will never be a wolf again?"

Ella inhaled deeply, letting it out slowly, her eyes watering, "No, but it is a slight factor."

"You shouldn't worry about Peter you know," She froze, waiting for him to continue, "he marked you as his own. Whether you two realized it or not, Peter mated you. Some werewolves don't believe in the whole 'mating' aspect of their culture, but it is indeed true by all means. It doesn't matter if you're not a werewolf, it's your scent, your pheromones that stay the same. That's what links you two. Peter will fall back in love you if he hasn't already. He can't truly stay mad or unloving towards you for long. His inner form will howl and beg to be close to you."
She sighed, her chest heaving with the heavy weight of him possibly loving her when he wants to hate her. Ella ran a hand over her eyes, tears peeking their way through her fingers, "I've done something terrible."

Deaton rose a brow, his hand coming into contact with her shoulder, "What's wrong?"

Ella looked up, her eyes brimmed with tears, her chest hurting, "I made a deal with Unum-"

"-Ella," he said sternly, his mouth twitching, "what. Did. You. Do?"

"I spent the last fourteen years hating him all while still loving him, I hated it. And I hated that I could have easily forgiven him for what he did even more." She bowed her head, her tears falling into her lap, "I know what he did to this town and what he went through with the Hale fire and you know what the only thing that I kept thinking of was? How I wasn't there to help him. Peter's always been complex, he's always had this devious mindset and I've always been his weakness." Ella's shoulders heaved over as her hands reached her eyes, "I wanted it all to end, I didn't want to feel guilty when I shouldn't have. So I found Unum and asked him to help me."

He sucked in air, his eyes scanning over her tear filled face, "There's always a price-"

"-he reassured me that it would be at no price. He wants Peter and that's why my wolf is gone." Her voice cracked, "He knew I would fall back in love...he wants to collect Peter and I don't know what that means."

"Collect?" Deaton asked, "Oh dear." He stood up from his chair, pacing for a few seconds, "Power obsessed creatures like Unum 'collect' other creatures for armies and for power. Peter is indeed an Alpha, whether we're speaking in wolf terms or alpha male terms. He could be quite a threat, Peter's strong, cunning, and beyond smart. "

"What do I do?" She whispered.

"That, Ella, I can not help you with. I'm not sure there is anything you can do."