Hear Me Roar [] Liam Dunbar []

FORTY-NINE|The Were-Cats

"4x12: Smoke and Mirrors"

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Victoria was helping Casey with packing up her weaponry and Victoria glanced over her shoulder to see Derek, who walked over and he moved his arms around Casey.

Casey swiftly turned around now to look at him just before she moved her arms around him, as she rested her head on his shoulder and Victoria smiled. "I still don't get why you two don't just elope already." She said and they both looked at her.

"Sure. And when exactly were you going to tell us about you and Liam?" Derek said and Victoria's cheeks went red. "Exactly, we know." He said and she glared at them both.

"Am I that obvious?" Victoria asked and Derek looked over at Casey, who shrugged a little. "Can one of you please just answer my question?" Victoria asked as Derek sighed at the words.

"You're plenty subtle, Tori, but Liam really isn't." Derek explained and Victoria sighed.

"Great." Victoria muttered as she finally finished up with Casey's bag and Victoria was walking up the stairs to her room and she opened her door, jumping a little at the sight of Beatrice sitting on her desk. "You're coming with us?" Victoria asked as she was walking into the room and Beatrice glanced up at her, nodding slightly.

"You guys need everyone with abilities that you can get, to go to La Iglesia with you. I'm a Hale and a wolf, I'm not staying behind here if there's a fight going on." Beatrice said and a smile crept onto Victoria's face.

"About as much as I want to tell you to stay here in Beacon Hills where it'll be safer, I'm glad to say that I know better than to try and convince you to stay." Victoria admitted and Beatrice nodded a little bit as the two of them hugged.

"So... When did you and Liam become a thing?" Victoria groaned at the words and she pushed Beatrice back a bit, using more strength than she had meant to as Beatrice was sent tumbling off of the desk. "You are a whole lot stronger, than you look. Ow." The werewolf remarked and Victoria sighed.

"Sorry." Victoria murmured as she held out a hand to Beatrice who accepted the help up and Beatrice looked at her. "Still don't really know my own strength, I guess." Victoria looked almost ashamed and Beatrice sighed as she was shaking her head.

"You're always going to be stronger than me Victoria, always. You're a Löwenmensch, the lion, and everyone knows that lions are much stronger than wolves. Even a pack of wolves can't take down a lion." Beatrice said and her younger cousin looked at her. "Stop apologizing for who you are and focus on how strong you can be. Even with an anger boost, Liam will never be as strong as you."

"Because I'm born and he's bitten?" Victoria asked as Beatrice sat on the bed next to her and Beatrice, she shook her head at the words. "Then why will I always be stronger? It doesn't make sense, Beats." Victoria murmured and Beatrice laughed a little bit.

"Because you're a lion and he's a wolf." Beatrice replied and she rested a hand on Victoria's shoulder as the younger Hale was staring at the ground. "Look, you're just a kid who was forced into this by being a part of our family. Nobody here would hold a grudge or hate you, if you didn't want to come with us. You are fourteen years old, Tori, nobody is expecting you to carry the weight of the world on your shoulders." She said and then a moment later, Victoria looked up at her with glowing eyes.

"Dad does." Victoria murmured and Beatrice sighed quietly, as she moved her arms around her younger cousin and being careful of the younger one's tail. "He expects me to be like Mom, but I am just a kid. He is the alpha, he should carry the weight. Instead, he keeps to himself and only shows up when he has to." Victoria mumbled and Beatrice was shaking her head.

"We are not our parents, Victoria, no matter how much we may or may not look like them. If I was like my dad, I wouldn't be here. I would be out in the world, travelling and scheming all the time like Dad. Or, well, whatever the hell he is always doing. You have some really good role models, Victoria, even like the ones that aren't your dad. You have got Derek and Casey, even Braeden to help you keep your head on straight. But you don't have to throw yourself into every fight, just because the rest of us are going." Beatrice reminded her.

"But that's exactly why I always have to go with you guys. I can't be a kid anymore, frankly, I never really had that option. As soon as my mom died, I was pushed into adulthood by what happened to Dad. He was completely destroyed, he completely disappeared into a shell that I didn't even know that he had." Victoria shook her head as she saw that her hands trembled with emotions. "I had to be the adult, because there was no one else to be one in the family. Not after Mom died and definitely not after Derek left to come back here." Victoria mumbled and she was shuddering.

"I'm not going to make you think like a kid, Victoria, that time is long gone. For both you and for me." Beatrice admitted as Victoria looked over at her with pain in her eyes. "But you need to stop putting everything onto your own shoulders. There is a reason that lions have prides, that wolves have packs. We are pack animals, we share the weight always. It doesn't matter how much it hurts, it doesn't matter how much you don't want us involved because it's "none of our business" because if it hurts you, it hurts the pack." Beatrice reminded her and Victoria hugged her tightly. "Jesus, kid, just how long have you been carrying this around?" She asked.

"Too long." Victoria growled at the sight of her dad in the doorway and Beatrice turned around to look at Kit, who stood in the doorway. "You got a minute?" Kit asked and Victoria growled at him, before Beatrice was walking out of the room. She shoved purposely into Kit, who staggered at the force behind it. Clearly augmented by anger, or else she never would have been able to move the older werelion and in fact, she probably would have hurt herself trying to hit him.