TAINTED HEART | D.HALE

CHAPTER SIXTEEN

chapter sixteen
( the dark moon )

The blistering heat of the Mexico sun rained down on the two teens as they walked through the small town. Stiles and Lydia made their way into the targeted nightclub. They were met with the sight of dancing teens and adults all over.

Severo eventually found the two teens and brought them to Araya's office. The matriarch greeted them with a cold look as they sat down.

"Severo hates this music," Araya said as she continued knitting. Lydia and Stiles carefully observed the older woman, knowing the horror stories of Sofia's past. "Me? I've always loved the music of youth. This kind, especially. It has a savage energy."

"We're here for Derek Hale," Lydia interrupted the woman's rant.

"Is that so?"

Lydia refused to back down, "We know you have him." Araya looked up at the teens with a smug look. "We've heard you can be bought."

Stiles proceeded to pull stacks of cash out and place them on Araya's desk. "It's 50,000 for Derek."

Araya inspected the cash, "Now, where does a teenage boy get money like this? Japanese mafia?"

The surrounding members of the Calavera clan cocked their guns in warning, startling Lydia. Araya leaned forward with a menacing look, "Not smart to come alone."

"What makes you think we came alone?"

Within the depths of the dancing people, Malia, Kira, and Scott all stood in alert. Malia danced through the crowd, Kira tried her best to blend in, and Scott surveilled the area.

"You brought a wolf into my home?" Araya's frustration was apparent in her tone.

"That's not all we brought."

Across the compound stood Sofia Calavera. She shot two guards down with her energy waves and moved into the hidden room. Over the past month, Sofia had been working nonstop with Deaton. She gained a much better sense of control and finally learned how to use her new abilities properly.

Derek had been kidnapped by her family about a week or so after they first slept together. Although nothing really changed between their bickering relationship, they had hooked up a couple more times. Sofia wasn't quite sure why it took Scott a month to finally get to Mexico to look for Derek. She had volunteered to go on her own since she knew the area but Scott refused.

Sofia had gotten closer to the pack in Derek's short time away. The teens were often at the animal clinic, where Sofia trained, and the girls options were to either hang around the loft with Peter or help the pack with whatever they were doing. The choice was obvious.

Sofia had become closest with Malia, specifically. Malia had been experiencing small forms of ptsd after she returned home. The werecoyote would wake up from nightmares, afraid she might hurt her dad. Sofia, being an expert in the area of post-trauma, offered the girl to stay in the loft when she needed to.