Chapter XII

After the twins left, Stiles, Lydia, Cora, and Tenko entered Derek's loft. The place was flooded with water. Derek was alone, on his knees, and weeping at his claws. Across from Derek, Boyd's corpse laid in the water.

Cora jetted into the room. She first looked at Derek then collapsed at Boyd's side. She pulled his body into her arms and held him while she began to shed tears of her own.

Stiles went into the loft next. It was the way his mind worked. Stiles had to see the entire scene to understand it.

Tenko and Lydia stayed by the door. Lydia had begun to comfort Ms. Blake, an English teacher from the High School. Ms.Blake was crying her eyes out in Issac's arms while Issac stared at Boyd's corpse, mortified by the incident.

All the while, Tenko smelt the air and took in his surroundings.

'Ms. Blake and Derek are in a relationship. That's why the Alphas brought her. Isaac left his Alpha to protect that woman, leaving Boyd and Derek to be shocked. Issac could have intervened if he was untouched. But how did the Alphas know to cut the power?'

Tenko thought to himself as he finally walked into the loft. He sniffed rigid and slow. He savored every molecule as the water made the scents in Derek's loft very thin.

'Peter was here. But where is he now?' Tenko thought as he caught the faint scent. The light scent could mean that Peter was there, or he was recently there, and the water was interfering with Tenko's senses.

Suddenly, Derek pushed himself out of the water and left in a hurry. He didn't say a word. He just left.

Tenko watched Derek leave. Tenko wanted to be mad, but he couldn't. Alpha or not, sometimes men need time alone to work things out, especially when it comes to guilty emotions.

Tenko looked around and noticed that everyone neglected to ask the most crucial question. How did the Alphas know? Derek's fling could be explained as an observation. But a secret plan meant a leak in the ship.

Tenko walked over to Cora and pulled her up. He then picked up Boyd's body and began to leave. "Cora, you're staying with me until Derek comes back." Tenko left no room for discussion as he kept move for the door.

"Wait, where are you going?" Stiles asked.

"Home," he replied.

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On the way back to the Manor, Tenko called Jack Arlo.

"Jack, you need to pack your things and come to the Manor."

"But you said..."

"I know what I said. Now I'm telling you to come to the Manor. It's not safe, okay. Get your shit and come on." Tenko urged the Omega.

His next call was to Mareth. He had told her what happened, and she promised to take steps to protect herself. But she was with a patient that she couldn't leave.

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"Tell me again why I have to stay with you?" Cora asked as she plopped on the couch. "And how is it that a sixteen-year-old boy can afford a place like this?"

Tenko followed her eyes around the room.

"First, I turn seventeen this Halloween. And my business is my business." I replied. "Oh, and unless you want to end up like your sister, you'll be staying with me..."

Cora scowled at Tenko.

"Derek's a good guy. I can't have his little sister getting killed by her uncle-dad on her first day as an Alpha." I added.

"He wouldn't--" Cora stopped as Tenko's expression became more grave.

"Derek would do it for my mother. So, Mi casa es su casa."

Cora nodded her head in silent thanks. She took a shallow breath then asked, "Why did you let me kill her?"

Tenko knew she had to be referring to Kali. "Because that would have been a waste of a good Alpha spark."

"So, in other words, you want me to pass it on to your Mate?" Cora asked as she remembered the conversation Tenko had with Stiles in the coach's office.

"Something like that. Though the red eyes do look good on you. I had plans for that Alpha spark."

"I'm sure you have plans for every Alpha spark in Beacon Hills. Tell me, why does my brother listen to that kid and not you?" Cora had heard a few stories and Tenko seemed a bit more well mannered than most of the people she had met in Beacon Hills. And for the most part, Whenever she looked at him, he always seemed to be calculating.

"You're talking about Scott?" Tenko asked.

"Mmm"

"I don't know. Derek has always had this soft spot for Scott. And your brother does listen to me. But I have my own pack to run. I always figured he'd figure this shit out. But when the glue that was holding his pack together died, it fell apart."

"Who was the glue?" Cora asked with piqued interest.

"Jennifer, A nurse that your dad--uncle turned. She joined Derek's pack, and she held him down for a while. Then she didn't."

"I had someone like that once," Cora smirked.

"Really? Tell me about it." Tenko was still waiting on Jack Alro and had time to kill.

"No. I couldn't. It's a real... depressing story."

"This is a supernatural fortress. No one is here but us. So be depressing if you want."

"Well, after the fire that killed my family. I fled to South America. It was wild there and had a lot of unsettled regions." Cora explained.

"You still couldn't control it," Tenko commented, referring to her control over her wolf side.

"No, I couldn't," She admitted, "But I met a group of wolves protecting some cartel plantation. or should I say a boy...

We had a great time together. He was so into computers, so I got into computers. We joked all the time. Being with him made me forget about things. But it only lasted a few months. His father was killed for stealing. He had to pay back the money. And a cute, 11-year-old, white American girl could get you the best money if sold to the right person."

"Damn...What happened?" Tenko was leaning forward in his seat. His eyes were wide as he hung on her every word. Interesting, yet very sad.

"At least you didn't say, 'I'm sorry'... I was sold to a Beta in the Kuroi taiyō Mafia. He was there on business and had a specific taste..."

"I don't need the details." Tenko interrupted.

"Squeamish?" Cora goaded him.

"What happened next?"

"He raped me. I laughed in the end. You see, my mother also said that wolves are hardwired to go for the throat. But she also said that we aren't just wolves. Instead of ripping the throat, only one claw with enough force could sever the cervical spine. So as he hugged me and humped away, I destroyed the nape of his neck. His massive body went limp, then I ripped out his throat."

Cora smiled to herself as she briefly remembered the time.

"I'm not like normal girls. But I am smaller and weaker than a lot of wolves. So this Alpha spark is mine. I'll hold on to any advantage I can get my hands on." said Cora.

"Oh, you think that you can fight alpha because you are one now." Tenko leaned back and saw images of the girl being ripped to shreds if she acted impulsively.

"I'm not Derek. I know the Alpha's need to die, and no one will talk me out of that. He's my brother, and I don't want to lose him again, but Scott has his head twisted. There is no negotiating with Deucalion. We have to fight to kill, or people will have their way with us. Never again."

Tenko realized that Cora attributed her first kill to everything she did in life. She was a fighter. And she fought her all the way to her brother and no intentions of stopping anytime soon.

"You can't join my pack. As long as my mate is still a Beta."

"Why would I join your pack?"

"You can make one or find one. But you know I'm in the game to win." Tenko laid it out.

"Temporary. You are the only Alpha willing to kill them all. And I need a pack to be as strong as the twins. We can help each other, Tenko. Just until the Alpha pack is handled..." Cora paused as she received an accepting nod from Tenko. "Then I guess we need to make your Mate and Alpha..."

"Now, we need to see how strong you really are," Tenko spoke as he pushed himself up from his seat.

Just before Tenko made it to the stairs leading to the lower floor, the bell rang.

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"Keep telling me about yourself!" Tenko shouted.

"I... I can't breathe!"

"Talking helps the airflow, Cora. So talk!"

Cora was bench pressing an Olympic Titanium barbell with 650 pounds. She had already maxed out on squats, deadlifts, and clean and jerks. Tenko wanted her tired. They were just hitting the 2-hour mark when Cora started declining.

"Recently, I killed my first innocent. I guess...fighting... bad guys... has kept me from questioning my enemies."

"If they were trying to kill you, how were they innocent," Tenko asked.

"Fine....line," Cora replied, "Kill an innocent corrupts humans and shifters. The people who tried to kill me never murdered anyone before. They were innocent, regardless of the situation."

"Cora Hale, you're not so bad. You've got good reasoning."

"I also thought you were an arrogant asshole that liked chaos... I heard... that most kitsune liked chaos."

"No, we like to play. Dark kitsune like to trick, While everyone else varies. That's enough. Let's spar."

Tenko squared up with a tired Cora. Without warning, he attacked. He then showed his fox's nature as he threw faints and taunting strikes. His agility made him unpredictable until Cora fell into his trap, and he got bored.

"Why did you stop!?"

"Because you thought that you understood my style, but in reality, you conformed to the reactions that I wanted you to. Have you ever heard of eskrima?"

Cora shook her head.

"Filipino martial arts. The short version. Two stick fighters fall into a rhythm. The stick fighter that can rapidly change the tempo, get the upper hand, wins. Kitsune use a similar method with their tricks. We toy until you fall into the rhythm of our choosing. Make you feel that you're finally keeping up until we rapidly change the tempo and flip the game board upside down."

" You did well, though. I can set you up with Jack Arlo. He's a lot less aggressive than I am. It might actually allow you to improve." Tenko spoke as he began to clean up the training room.

"What if I like your level of aggression?"

Tenko stopped. He briefly looked over his shoulder at Cora and then moved to pick up a weight plate from the floor as he replied, "Then we'll start after sunrise... Your bedroom is the third one on the right, second floor."

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After a few hours of sleep, Cora, Tenko, and Jack Arlo were wakened to the sound of the doorbell. When Tenko looked at the camera. He saw Allison, Isaac, Stiles, Scott, Lydia, Mareth, and Melissa.

Tenko let them in, Then went downstairs to join them. They each had Something to say. Scott didn't like that he killed Kali, though Tenko corrected him and said Cora did the killing.

Issac chided him for not being there to save Boyd. In the most intelligent way possible, Lydia called him a string of names that would label him the most interesting psychological case study of the century.

Scott jumped in again as he was mad that Tenko 'forced' his mom to kill Ennis to become an alpha. Stiles was hurt as he felt that Tenko was using them as bait.

"Allison?" he asked.

"You had everything under control, right? Boyd died because you just weren't fast enough."

"Yes. That is why Kali died. I was actually planning to have Boyd join my pack and take the twins' Alpha Spark." Tenko admitted.

"Holy shit. You wanted to create your own Alpha pack. And drug Derek's sister into it." Scott had a brief enlightenment.

"Scott, women are people too. They know exactly what they are capable of, their limits, and do everything they want while knowing the consequences of their actions." Tenko lightly and unbothered. "Kali laid on that floor long enough for Cora to think about the kill. Kali was down. I said, 'Rip her heart out.' But if it was you, would you have done it?"

"You shouldn't be upset with Tenko. You should be thanking him. But there are still three more Alphas that want my brother. Not to mention a Darach sacrificing humans. So unless you plan on singing kumbayah with all of them. Be quiet, and stop ruining my morning."

Cora spoke as she walked into the kitchen and straight to the refrigerator.

"She's right. We now have four Alphas on our side. We can end this, then focus our efforts on the Darach." Said Melissa.

"But we have to do it quietly. The national news is all over this serial killer. They even have some new agent coming to set up shop in Beacon Hills for a while." said Jack Arlo.

"What? Why?" asked Stiles.

"Ahh, if you haven't noticed. A lot of people die in Beacon Hills. And every murder after Kate Argent has been a cold case. This place is an FBI agent's wet dream." Said Jack Arlo.

"Jack Arlo is right. We need to wrap this shit up before that head honcho moves in. So how about you leave the rest to me and focus on your schoolwork." Tenko then walked to the hallway and held his hand towards the door, "Now, if you aren't apart of my pack, get out."

When the Manor was clear. Mareth spoke what Tenko was thinking.

"We need to hunt them down."

"Yes, we do. Three Alphas, a badass druid, and an extra body." Said Tenko.

"But we can always use a kick-ass Beta," said Melissa

"Yes, we can." Mareth seconded.

"Then we get Malia and start the hunt. If we find them, I face Deucalion, and you all kill the Twins as fast as possible." Tenko instructed as the pack left the Manor.

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On the road an hour outside of Beacon Hills, Ethan was driving with Deucalion in the passenger seat and Aiden in the back.

"Where are we going, Duke?" Aiden asked.

"That fox thinks he has the upper hand. But he has no idea how much the past can haunt a person." Deucalion replied with mild frustration.

" I really need to where we are going. An on-ramp is coming up, and the next one isn't for another two miles." Ethan explained

"Get on CA 80. We're going to Minnesota."