Grievances (Book Three Of Hale Wolves For Teen Wolf :))

ch. 12: Lunar Eclipse

Cora was alive. Derek was alive. But they both were weak for the time being, trying to get back they're strength as Cora and I knelt on the left side of Derek's unconscious body underneath the windows, and I poured water into Derek's slightly open mouth, Derek gasping softly as he opened his eyes to look at me and Cora side by side. "You're alive."

"I'm doing much better than you are right now," Cora answered. "And all because of you."

We all smiled real, actual smiles for the first time in what was literally six years, and Cora's arm wrapped around my shoulders in a hug as she held Derek's hand.

Peter's bitterness almost killed the good mood. "Hopefully not all for nothing. The moon is rising, Derek. You drained your battery all the way to the red, and there is a fully charged Alpha on her way to rip you limb from limb."

"He'll be fine in a few hours," I told him in annoyance.

"I sincerely hope so, because a few hours is all that he has," Peter replied.

The lunar eclipse full moon would rise in four hours.

But, if Derek survived tonight, I would have Cora and Derek, my sister and brother, the only one missing from that picture being Laura.

And last time, even Kali said that if Derek didn't join the pack, she'd kill all of us.

If we survived tonight, we would be fine.

*

Lydia and Ethan were here, and Ethan was surprisingly trying to help us as he said, "We know about the lunar eclipse, so don't think Kali's gonna sit around waiting for it to level the playing field. She's coming, and my brother's coming with her."

"Good enough for me," Peter said. "Derek?"

"You want me to run?" Derek asked.

"No. I want you to stay and get slaughtered by an Alpha with a psychotic foot fetish. Of course I want you to run. Sprint, gallop, leap your way the hell out of this town."

"If you want to fight and die for something, that's fine with me, but do it for something meaningful," I told him.

Cora stood next to me, nodding.

"How do you know I'm gonna lose?" Derek asked.

"We don't, but I'll bet she has an idea," Peter said, looking at Lydia. "Don't you, Lydia?"

"I don't know anything," Lydia told us.

"But you feel something, don't you?" Peter asked, stepping closer

"What do you feel?" Derek asked.

"I feel like . . . I'm standing in a graveyard," Lydia answered quietly.

*

Derek, Cora and I were leaving. Cora was in the back seat with me next to Derek, all of us looking at Peter through the open window as he said, "Don't call until you're at least 100 miles away." None of us answered, and he got impatient. "Go!"

Finally, Derek drove us away.

*

We were almost out of Beacon Hills when we heard Lydia's screaming, and Derek pulled over.

"What the hell was that?" Cora asked.

"Lydia," I answered.

"We have to go back," Derek said, already turning us around so we could get back to the loft.

*

What the hell was Jennifer doing? She had killed the twins and Kali, scared Lydia half to death. Cora was next to Lydia, kneeling next to her as I watched Jennifer and Derek warily.