It's a Werewolf Thing

Standing on the porch, Kacey watched as night faded and the sun took its place in the sky. After the nightmare, she hadn't bothered trying to get back to sleep and had instead quietly slipped out of the house. She had been staring at the sky for almost twenty minutes, when the feeling of arms being snaked around her waist and a gentle kiss on her neck pulled her from her thoughts.

"How long have you been out here?" Derek whispered in her ear.

"A while... couldn't get back to sleep and needed to clear my head," Kacey replied as she leaned back into the alpha's warmth.

"You should have woken me up."

"The full moon is only two days away, which means that you and the pack need all the rest that you can get."

Pulling her closer to him, Derek rested his chin on her shoulder and Kacey allowed his presence to overshadow the fear that had settled in the pit of her stomach. Making their way inside as the others started to stir, Kacey made everyone breakfast and sat down to eat before heading to school.

"Why would coach arrange a lacrosse match on the first day back?" Scott was saying as Kacey joined them at lunch.

"To punish us obviously," Stiles mumbled.

"What are you complaining about Stilinski, you don't even come off of the bench?" Jackson teased.

"I'm a professional benchwarmer, I'm nearly as good as you are at being a douchebag," Stiles replied, earning a high-five from Boyd and causing everyone else to laugh.

"Kacey, are you going to come to the match tonight?" Isaac asked as Kacey pushed her food around the tray that was in front of her.

"Yeah, I'll be there," Kacey promised, looking up and throwing him a small smile.

Kacey slipped away from the group halfway through lunch, her mind racing as she thought about the nightmare and felt the panic rise in her chest. Reaching her locker, she rested her forehead against the cool metal and took deep breathes as she attempted to hold back her tears.

It wasn't long, before she felt hands on her shoulders and was pulled into a hug by Stiles. Silent tears rolled down her cheeks and her emotional barrier broke like a dam, unable to hold the weight behind it.

"It's okay," Stiles mumbled as he gently swayed back and forth.

"I miss her so much," Kacey whispered into Stiles' chest.

"I know exactly how you feel, I still miss my mum especially on her birthday and the anniversary of her death, but it does get easier over time.

"My head constantly feels like it'll explode because of everything that's going on, then I find a reason to smile and my brain is like how can you be happy when she's gone.

"It's only been a couple of days, give it time and eventually all those voices will fade."

Taking a deep breath as the bell rang to signal the end of lunch, Kacey wiped her eyes and headed to class with Stiles' arm wrapped around her shoulders. The rest of the school day flew by, but Kacey found it hard to concentrate and spent most of the time staring out the window.

Leaving the school building with Isaac and Stiles, Kacey immediately spotted Derek leaning against his Camaro. They had only taken a few steps towards him, when her dad appeared in front of them and placed his hand on her shoulder.

"What are you doing here?" Kacey said as Derek and Isaac tensed.

"We need to have an important father-daughter chat," her dad replied with a smirk.

"Then talk and make it quick, I have actual important things to do."

"This conversation has nothing to do with your mutts, it's between you and me," her dad snapped.

Seeing the faint red glow flash in Derek's eyes, Kacey knew that her dad was trying to get a reaction and was glad when Derek stayed by his car where the rest of the pack now stood.

"Anything that you have to say can be said in front of them."

"Let's try this again, one of my associates currently has a high-powered rifle aimed at the alpha's chest," her dad warned, "We either talk alone and everyone walks away unharmed, or... I give the signal and a silver bullet embeds itself in his heart."

The panic hit her like a freight train, causing her to shift her gaze to Derek and she immediately spotted the red laser point sat exactly where his heart was.

"Fine, I'll talk to you... just don't hurt any of them."

Following her dad until he seemed satisfied with the distance, she stopped and stepped back a little as her he turned to face her.

"The time is coming for you to decide which side you're on, you're destined to be a great hunter, Kacey," he told her, "The Venator title is an honor given to a select few and you must prove that you're loyal to its purpose."

"What if I choose not to become a hunter?"

"Then every hunter around will know that you side with the enemy and you will be treated as such," her dad growled, "The night of the full moon is rapidly approaching, I suggest that you think long and hard before deciding."

Hearing her dad mumbled something in Latin, she watched as he walked away and did the same. Walking back over to where the pack was still waiting, she felt a wave of relief wash over her and noticed the way the pack instantly relaxed. Derek was the first person to move, making his way towards her as his eyes searched for visible marks and pulled her into a hug.

"Let's go back to the house," he ordered, letting her go, "We'll talk there."

Following Stiles, Scott, and Isaac to Stiles' jeep, she jumped in the back and watched as Derek pulled away. They arrived at the Hale house twenty minutes later, spotting Derek's Camaro already parked outside and headed in.

"What time do you have to be back at school?" Kacey inquired as they stepped onto the porch.

"Half six to get changed," Isaac replied, "The match starts at about seven."

"What did your dad want?" Derek asked as Kacey closed the door behind her.

"Hi to you to Sour wolf," Kacey stated, "He informed me that I have to make a choice, I either join the hunters or join the wolves."

"Is that all?" Jackson added.

"As I walked away he muttered lupus ad infectorem under his breath, which means wolf killer in Latin," Kacey replied, "I'll do some research on it later to see if it holds any significance in the Venator legends."

"That sounds like a plan, everyone should go home and get ready for the match," Derek said to those who had a home to go to.

"Kacey, I told my mum that you're staying with Allison for a couple of days... so you're covered."

"Thanks, Scotty," Kacey shouted as he left with Stiles and Jackson.

Chucking his keys to Boyd, Derek sent the others to get dinner and turned his attention to Kacey

"Are you okay?" Derek inquired as he moved to stand in front of her.

"I'm fine, Der... just feeling a little overwhelmed with everything we have going on," Kacey mumbled, taking his hand and pulling him over to the sofa.

"Do you ever wish that Scott never got bitten?" Derek added as Kacey settled against his side.

"Not anymore, I was angry for a few months after it happened and I wished that things could go back to how they were. I just felt as though Scott had had his life ripped from his hands..." Kacey explained, falling silent as noticed the guilt that flashed in Derek's eyes, "You know, it was just different from you biting Boyd, Erica, and Isaac... they needed you and I understood why you did it."

"Well, I'm kind of glad that Scott got bitten," Derek whispered, tightening his hold on her slightly and kissing her head.

Kacey didn't need Derek to elaborate on his statement, because she knew what he meant and didn't need him to voice it. Everyone brought something to the pack, even the human members and that was the reason the Hale pack was so strong.