Through the years

27.

Beacon Hills - 2023

"A little over four minutes left." Peter said after checking the time for Derek. "This places us around....two months after the first year?"

"Hm." Derek nodded in agreement. They couldn't really tell how much time was passing between each and every minute but they could at least guess. "I think so."

"Two months..?" Cora asked with a frown as she wandered through her memories. "...isn't that...?"

"Yeah.." Derek confirmed quietly and saw the questioning looks of the pack and he sighed before clearing his throat to explain. "Around that time, we encountered a few problems.."

"What kind of problems?" Kira asked with a raised brow and it was Cora who spoke this time.

"Hunters."

"Hunters?" Allison said with a worried look, glancing at her father.

"No, not Argents." Derek informed the huntress who seemed to relax at that. "They weren't that good at their job."

"But they were good enough to get at least one of us." Peter commented, no hint of his usual smirk, no amused nor mischievous glint in his eyes. "They were four hunters. One of them was a recruit. He was young, around Stiles' age."

"We didn't think he'd be good." Derek added. "Stiles had spent some time with them. He called it 'Mission infiltration of the scumbag association'." he said and Cora and Peter snorted at the memory.

"He got scolded by mom for saying that in front of me." Cora laughed at the memory and Derek smiled. "But I could see she wanted to laugh too."

"Stiles always made mom laugh." Derek said as he smiled at his laughing sister. It was such a rare sight nowadays. He wanted to enjoy it while it lasted. 

"Stiles pretended to be a hunter." Peter spoke again. "He infiltrated the group and would report everything they did and planned back to us."

"Everything was going well." Derek said. "It was perfect even. We had everything under control.."

"But I really wanted to be part of Stiles' mission.." Cora said quietly as she reached up to the three already unbuttoned buttons of her blouse and opened one more button before pushing the fabric aside just enough for them to see. 

The skin between her breasts was scarred. 

"I was shot in the chest by the recruit hunter we all underestimated." she spoke again as they all listened with saddened expressions. Cora pointed to the rounder scar in the middle. "This is the entry wound of the bullet." she said before pointing to the long cut slashing through the bullet wound. "This is the mark of the knife Stiles' used to take the bullet out of me."

"What?"

"Stiles saved my life." she said. "The bullet was laced with wolfsbane. I was too young, my metabolism wasn't as fast as an adult wolf. It means that it took longer for me to heal." she explained. "The bullet was right next to my heart. There was no time to go see Deaton and I was minutes away from dying. So Stiles took the bullet out but it left a scar."

"It was a tough year, wasn't it.." Peter sighed and the three hales nodded while the pack watched them with saddened expressions. 

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Beacon Hills - Hale House