Neriah Hale lost her family at the age of ten, leaving her in the town of Beacon Hills with no one but two boys and a secret that she'd spent her whole life hiding. But when one of the two boys gets bitten, she has to reveal her true self to help sa...
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LATER in the evening, Scott got out of the passenger seat and held the door open for me while I climbed over his seat with my school bag.
"Are you sure you don't want one of us to stay with you or one of my dad's officers here?" Stiles asked me, looking from the Beacon Hills care facility to me. "I can call up right now."
"No, no." Waving him off with a smile, I hopped out of the Jeep. "I'll be fine visiting my dad alone," I assured him, closing the door for Scott once he got back in. "Just message me or give me a call when you guys are done looking at the bus."
"If Derek shows up, call us straight away," Scott said, looking around behind me.
"You two stress too much," I laughed, stepping away from the Jeep. "I've got claws. I can handle Derek."
"That's what I'm worried about," Scott mumbled. "I meant call us for Derek's sake."
Still laughing, I waved them off while walking away. "Stay safe, boys!"
Stiles honked his horn at me once before driving off, and I walked into the building, sending a small smile to the front desk lady.
It wasn't unusual for me to come here at this time of night, so she was used to seeing me.
"Oh, hi, Neriah," Nurse Jennifer greeted me with a warm smile when I walked into my dad's room. "I was wondering when you would come visit your father again."
Returning the smile, I lifted up my school bag. "I've got a few achievements I want to show him, even if he can't talk to me."
"That's lovely," she hummed, patting my arm as she walked past. "I'll leave you two alone for a bit."
"Thank you," I quietly said, watching her leave, and then faced back to my dad, who was in his wheelchair, staring out the window like usual. "Hey, Dad," I softly said, placing my bag down beside his bed before walking over to him.
Every time I came here, the burns covering half his face and neck always made me feel sick, but I hid that from him. The last thing I ever wanted was for him to feel worse about himself.
When I was ten, our family home went up in flames with only two survivors. My dad and I were in the house, but he saved me by covering my body with his own, which was why his burns were much worse than mine.
And that's why I would always be grateful for him—for saving my life.
"I know I haven't seen you in a while," I started, turning his wheelchair around to face me as I sat down in the chair across from him, "and I'm sorry for that. I've been so busy with school and life in general."
Like always, he stayed silent, his eyes watching my every move.
God, I just wish he would be able to say something or give me any sign of life beyond those eyes.
"You'll never believe it, but Derek is back in town," I told him with a half-hearted laugh. "Maybe he came and saw you, I'm not sure. But I hope you haven't been too lonely in here."
Outside, rain started tickling, and I took in a deep breath, feeling my chest cave for my father.
Visits were always tough on me, and I couldn't even imagine how it felt for him.
"I'm not sure if you remember, but I told you I was starting to study law the last time I came here," I reminded him, fidgeting with my hands in my lap. "Looks like I might have to use my studies on my chemistry teacher one day, just to get back at him for always having a problem with me," I laughed, but quickly quieted down at his silence. "I brought some of my pop quizzes to show you." Reaching down beside me, I grabbed my bag. "Now, they aren't the best grades, but they're the highest in most of my classes. I have a feeling I get my smarts from you." Pulling out two of my quizzes, I showed them to him with a proud smile. "I thought maybe I could leave them here with you, just in case you come out of your coma when I'm not here, and you'll see how smart your daughter has gotten."
Placing them on his lap, I looked around, noticing the few drawings I had made years ago still on his walls, but there were no flowers, making me cringe.
"I may have forgotten to get you flowers," I admitted, looking back at him. "I promise I'll bring you some next ti—"
Hearing footsteps coming up behind me, I froze in place. Slowly, I turned around, looking over my shoulder to see the one and only Derek standing in the doorway.
Well, shit.
"So, are you going to hit me or should I hit you first?" I asked him, raising a brow.
Like always, he had an unimpressed expression on his sour face, his eyes jumping from me to my dad. "I think we should go for a drive, Riah. I have some explaining to do."
No shit.
Looking back at my father, I gave him a small smile.
If I went with Derek, it could end badly. But if I didn't go with him, then I had a feeling something worse might happen, like him showing up at school looking for me.
It wasn't like he didn't already stalk Scott.
"I'll be back in a few days," I quietly promised my dad, standing up with my bag. "Nurse Jennifer will be back soon." Reaching out, I placed my hand on his limp one. "I love you, Dad," I whispered with a sad smile before turning around and walking straight past Derek. "Hurry up, wolf hulk."
"You punched me, and I don't even get a sorry?" Derek asked, falling into step beside me.
Rolling my eyes, I pulled my phone out of my back pocket. "You deserved that punch, and you know it," I shot back, sending a quick text to Stiles that I was getting a lift home from a friend. "What do you wanna explain?" I asked, slipping my phone back into my pocket as we walked outside.
"I meant what I said," he firmly started, unlocking his car as we reached it. "You can trust me, Riah. I'm trying to help us, even your friend."
"You killed Laura," I snapped, getting into the passenger seat as he slipped into the driver's seat and started up the car. "I shouldn't even be getting in your car, Derek."
"And yet you are," he pointed out, driving away from the care facility. "Look, I'm telling you the truth when I say this: My sister was missing, and I came here looking for her."
Raising a brow at him, I threw my bag at my feet. "Then you found her, and you killed her."
Keeping his eyes on the road, he tightened his grip on the steering wheel. "I found her in pieces, being used as bait to catch me."
"As bait?" I questioned, looking over at him. "By the hunters?"
"I'm not completely sure about that, but you need to convince Scott to trust me."
"That's asking for a damn lot, Derek," I mumbled, looking away. "He still thinks you killed Laura, and I'm still questioning it, too."
"Riah, there is still an Alpha here, and you, Scott, and I are betas. This thing is more powerful, more animal than any of us," he sharply stated. "Laura came here looking for him. Now I'm trying to find him. But I don't think I can do it without Scott."
"Why Scott?" Seriously, out of everyone.
"Because the Alpha is the one who bit him," he quietly said, and I paled. "Scott's part of his pack. He's the one the Alpha wants."
Could it get any worse?
"Just crash the car for me," I groaned, hitting my head back against the seat.
