Chapter 99: The Pack’s New Wolf 

The morning after saving Cora and Josh, Derek woke up and found himself in Scott's house. As he got up, he immediately started looking for his sister. He finally found her in the backyard, doing push-ups. 

Derek walked over and said. "Cora, stop. Your body is still weak, you're not done healing." 

Cora stood up and replied. "Yeah? Well, I'm done lying around. Are you gonna help me go after them?" 

Derek shook his head. "No. you're not going after them. They're too dangerous." 

Cora glared at him. "I came back because I heard rumors about a powerful new Alpha. A Hale. And he's building a pack in Beacon Hills." 

She started throwing punches at Derek as she continued. "Do you know how long I waited to hear something like that?" 

Derek dodged her strikes effortlessly. Cora then attempted to kick him, her voice filled with emotion. "Do you have any idea how it felt to find out you were alive?" 

Derek avoided her kick, and when she tried to punch him again, he easily caught her arms. 

Cora struggled in his grip, glaring at him. "Fight back, you coward!" 

Derek sighed and released her. "Get some rest." 

Cora scoffed. "I can't believe I got my ass thrown in a vault for three months for you." 

Derek's expression softened. "I'm sorry to disappoint you." 

Cora snorted and walked back into the house. 

--- 

Inside, Melissa was making breakfast with Victoria. Soon, the pack, along with Derek and his group, gathered to eat. 

A little later, Scott and Allison returned from the lake house after spending the night there and joined everyone for breakfast. 

As they sat down, Derek looked at Scott. "Scott, I'm leaving Cora with you and your pack until I deal with Deucalion. Is that okay with you?" 

Scott nodded. "She can stay, but I don't think you should go after Deucalion, especially since we killed one of his pack members yesterday." 

Derek shook his head. "I'm not going after them, but you know he's coming for me. I just want to make sure Cora is safe." 

Cora crossed her arms. "I don't want to be safe, I want to fight them." 

Derek turned to her, his voice firm. "You're just going to get yourself killed. And I just got you back, I'm not losing you again." 

Melissa placed a comforting hand on Cora's shoulder. "Derek is right. You're no match for Deucalion and his pack. If you try to fight them, they'll just capture you again and use you against your brother. Stay with us, and don't worry about Derek. He'll be fine." 

Stiles chimed in. "Yeah, they want him in their pack, so they probably won't kill him… probably." 

Scott looked at Derek. "Have you thought about my offer? If you join my pack, we'll help you deal with Deucalion." 

Derek shook his head. "No. This is my problem, I'll deal with it myself." 

Scott sighed. "Then let Cora join my pack." 

Derek turned to Cora. "What do you think? Do you want to join them?" 

Cora hesitated. She didn't know what to say and just looked at her brother. 

Derek gave her a small smile. "Don't worry about me. You can join Scott's pack with peace of mind." 

Cora's expression softened. "Are you sure?" 

Derek nodded. "Yes. Joining them will make you safer and stronger." 

Cora frowned. "But what about you?" 

Derek sighed. "I'm not a good Alpha, I know that. Maybe one day I'll join Scott too, but not right now." 

Cora nodded, then turned to Scott. "Then I'll join you guys. And… thank you. For accepting me into your pack. And for saving me yesterday." 

Scott smiled. "You're welcome." 

Derek stood up and looked at Scott. "Thank you for everything. And please… everyone, look after my little sister." 

Then, he turned to Josh. "Let's go." 

As Derek and Josh left, Scott turned to Braeden. "What about you? What are you going to do now?" 

Braeden shrugged. "I've finished my job in Beacon Hills, so I'm leaving." 

Stiles clapped his hands together. "Alright then, let me take you to my dad so you can get your stuff back before I head to school." 

With that, Stiles, Malia, and Braeden drove to the sheriff's station, while Victoria and Chris left as well. 

Once they were gone, Scott looked at Cora. "You know what joining a pack means, right?" 

Cora nodded. "Yes." 

Scott's expression turned serious. "And you know it's a lifelong commitment. Once you join my pack, there's no leaving." 

Cora met his gaze, unwavering. "I'm not planning to leave." 

Scott stood up and walked toward her. "Then give me your arm, I'm going to give you the Bite" 

Cora asked. "The Bite?" 

Scott nodded. "Yes, it's necessary, you'll understand later." 

Cora took a deep breath and extended her arm, and Scott give her the Bite. 

Not long after he pulled away, black liquid started oozing from her body as she collapsed, writhing in pain. 

Scott turned to Melissa. "Mom, please take care of her and explain everything about our abilities. We have to get to school." 

Melissa nodded. "Alright. I'll take care of her." She helped Cora up and guided her to the bathroom. 

With that, Scott and the rest of his pack headed to school. 

---

At lunch, the pack gathered in the cafeteria to eat together when Cora walked up to them. 

Scott looked at her. "What are you doing here?" 

Cora shrugged. "Since I'm staying in Beacon Hills, I figured I should register at the school and attend with you guys." 

Scott nodded. "Makes sense. By the way, how are you feeling?" 

Cora grinned, excitement shining in her eyes. "I feel amazing! Melissa explained our pack's abilities to me, and honestly, I still can't believe it, even after shifting into a giant wolf." 

Allison smiled warmly. "Welcome to the pack. And... I'm sorry again for what Kate and Gerard did to your family." 

Cora waved her off. "You already apologized yesterday, and I don't blame you or your parents. You guys had nothing to do with it, so don't worry about it." 

She then glanced around the table, curiosity in her expression. "Speaking of the pack, can you all tell me what you are? I asked Melissa, but she told me to ask you guys myself." 

Stiles was the first to speak. "I'm a werewolf, and I'm also the brain of the pack. If you ever find anything weird or mysterious, you have to tell me first." 

Cora raised an eyebrow. "Is that so?" 

Lydia smirked. "Don't mind him, he's just a weirdo. I'm a banshee." 

Erica grinned. "You saw me fight yesterday, so you know I'm a werewolf, and so is Isaac and Boyd." 

Allison added. "I'm a werewolf too. Malia is a werecoyote, my mom is a weretiger, and Stiles' dad is a werebear." 

As they chatted, the Alpha twins, Ethan and Aiden, walked into the cafeteria, their eyes instantly locking onto Scott's pack. They took their seats across the room, glaring at them. 

Cora narrowed her eyes. "Can I fight them? I feel like I can take them now." 

Stiles shook his head. "Yeah, let's not start a supernatural fight in the middle of the cafeteria and expose ourselves to the entire school." 

Scott said. "Don't worry, Cora. You'll get your revenge, but not here." 

After lunch, they all returned to class, and by the end of the school day, Scott, Boyd, Stiles, and Isaac played a lacrosse match before heading out. 

As they walked toward the parking lot, Boyd said. "See you guys later. Cora wants to check on Derek, so I'm driving her there." 

Stiles smirked, opening his mouth to say something, but Boyd shot him a warning glare. "Don't you dare, Stiles." 

Stiles raised his hands in surrender. "Okay, okay, I'll shut up." 

Scott turned to Allison. "I'm heading to the animal clinic to ask Deaton if he knows anything about that evil teacher." 

Allison nodded. "The girls and I planned a girls' night to welcome Cora, but since she wants to check on Derek, we'll do it another time." 

Cora frowned. "Sorry." 

Lydia waved her off. "No big deal. Since we already planned it, we'll still do it. And when you're free, we'll do it again." 

Malia groaned. "Do I have to come?" 

Lydia smirked and grabbed Malia's arm. "Come on, Malia. It'll be fun! We can go shopping, have fun, and you can tell us more embarrassing things about Stiles." 

Stiles' eyes widened. "Wait, what? You girls make fun of me behind my back? Malia, please don't tell them anything!" 

Malia smirked. "Don't worry, Stiles. I won't." 

Boyd and Cora left for Derek's loft while the girls drove off for their night out, leaving only Scott, Stiles, and Isaac. 

Isaac stretched. "Well, I'm heading to the animal clinic too since Erica went with them." 

Stiles sighed. "Guess I'm coming too. I need to find out what that teacher is." 

With that, the three of them headed to the clinic. 

---

When Boyd and Cora arrived at Derek's loft, the sharp scent of blood hit their noses. Alarmed, they rushed inside, only to find Derek standing over Josh's lifeless body, staring at it in silence. 

Cora's eyes widened. "Derek… what happened?" 

Derek exhaled heavily. "Deucalion and his pack happened. I'm just glad you weren't here." 

Cora asked. "Did they kill Josh?" 

Derek shook his head. "No… they made me do it. The twins. Kali. They forced my hand." 

Boyd asked. "What about Jackson and Peter? Where are they?" 

Derek sighed. "Jackson's parents sent him to London. As for Peter… he's probably hiding somewhere, waiting for the right moment to crawl out of the shadows." 

Cora's gaze softened for a moment before turning determined. "I'm sorry about Josh, but now that you don't have a pack, you should join ours, Derek. I promise you, it'll be the best decision you ever make." 

Derek's jaw tightened. "Cora, this isn't the time for this. I just killed Josh." 

Cora scoffed. "Stop feeling sorry for him. I spent two months locked in that vault with him and Jackson, I know exactly what kind of person he was. Did you know that when he got caught, he was trying to flee Beacon Hills? And I swear, if you guys hadn't shown up yesterday, I probably would have killed him myself. Not because I lost control… but because I hated him." 

Derek looked down, his voice barely above a whisper. "He ran because I couldn't protect him." 

Cora's eyes hardened. "No, he ran because he was a coward." 

She stepped closer, and gently turning his face so he had no choice but to look at her. "Join our pack, Derek. And you will become stronger than Deucalion. I can't tell you everything right now… but I can show you." 

With that, she walked into the next room. Moments later, she returned, this time in her full wolf form. Her fur was a striking mix of black and white, her body massive, nearly the size of a tiger. 

Derek's eyes widened in shock. "Cora… is that really you?" 

Cora's wolf lips curled into a smirk. "It's me." Even in this form, her voice carried a deep, resonant tone. "And even though I'm still a Beta, I think I can take on Deucalion now. I don't know if I could beat him yet… but I'm certain I could kill the rest of his pack." 

Derek let out a tired sigh. "I'll talk to Scott later. For now, I need to deal with Josh's body and give him a proper burial." 

Cora nodded. "Okay, you do that. I'll clean up the blood here." 

Boyd stepped forward. "I'll help." 

Derek looked at him. "Good. Then come with me and help bury Josh." 

Boyd shook his head. "I meant I'm going to help Cora clean up, not you." 

Derek frowned. "I see. Then… thanks. But Cora doesn't need your help. You can leave now." 

Cora rolled her eyes. "Don't mind him, Boyd. Come and help, please." 

Boyd smirked at Derek before walking over to Cora. 

Derek's eyes flashed red, and he let out a low growl. 

Cora groaned. "What are you doing, Derek? Don't you have a body to bury? Stop standing there growling like a fool." 

Derek snorted, glaring at Boyd. "You better not try anything funny, kid." 

"Derek!" Cora snapped. 

Derek gave Boyd one last look before grabbing Josh's body and leaving.

To be continued… 😊