Kate looked down at Gerard lying on the ground in front of her. She smiled coldly and said. "Although you tried to kill me after I was bitten, I see you're still alive and kicking after becoming a werewolf yourself. I'm guessing you're not planning on killing yourself anytime soon."
Gerard groaned, pushing himself up slightly. "No, Kate. I'm not dying until I've killed Scott and his pack."
Kate tilted her head, her smile widening. "So, I take it Scott's the one who cut off your arm?"
Gerard stood shakily, brushing off dirt. "Yes. Help me, Kate. Help me kill them, and we can be father and daughter again. Together, we can..."
"Tempting." Kate interrupted, her voice dripping with sarcasm. "But I don't want to be your daughter, Gerard. What I want right now is to kill you."
Gerard's eyes darted to his gun, but Kate was faster. She grabbed his arm, yanked the weapon from his grasp, and smirked. "I knew you'd try that. I'm not getting shot by you again, that hurt like hell. But don't worry, Gerard. Tonight isn't about me. It's about you. I'm going to do to you what you taught me to do to werewolves. I hope you enjoy it."
"Kate, I'm your father! You..."
She ignored him, pulling out a syringe filled with a purple liquid. Before he could react, she plunged it into his neck. Gerard gasped, his legs giving out as the wolfsbane took effect.
"Don't worry." Kate said, crouching beside him. "It's diluted. You won't die, just lose consciousness. I want to take my time killing you."
After Gerard lost consciousness, Kate dragged him to his car. After filling the tank, she drove out of town, heading deep into the woods. Eventually, she pulled up to a campsite where seven people sat around a roaring fire.
A muscular black man with sharp features stood as Kate approached. "What took you so long? We only sent you out for groceries and drinks." He said, his voice deep and commanding. "And who's the werewolf you brought with you? I can smell him."
Kate handed the groceries to one of the others and smirked. "I walked to town, Michael. That's why I'm late. As for him..." She gestured to the unconscious man in the car. "He's my father."
Michael raised an eyebrow. "Your father? Gerard Argent? The infamous hunter?"
"That's right." Kate confirmed.
A brunette Indian woman chuckled. "So, what are you planning to do with him, Kate? Recruit him to our pack?"
Kate shook her head, her smile turning predatory. "No, Anika. I brought him here to kill him. And I want to try that dagger of yours, to see if it really lets me absorb powers from other supernatural beings."
Michael's eyes glowed red as he gave her a cold smile. "Are you calling me a liar, Kate? Doubting the dagger's power?"
Kate's face paled, and she quickly shook her head. "No, no! That's not what I meant!"
Michael's eyes dimmed, his expression easing into one of amusement. "Good. But you don't get to use the dagger until you take me to the wolf you mentioned. As for your father, wake him up and kill him. I want to see it."
Kate hesitated. "You promised I'd get to absorb the powers of the alpha in Scott's pack when I take you to him."
Before Michael could respond, a burly man with a bushy beard snarled. "Know your place, bitch. We can just read your memories and find the wolf ourselves. We don't need you."
Michael growled, his eyes flaring red again. "Darius, I want her in the pack, do you have a problem with that?"
Darius flinched and lowered his head. "No, Michael. I have no problem with that. But she's a hunter. She could betray us."
"She won't." Michael said, his voice icy. "She knows what happens if she betrays me. Now shut up before I remind you why I'm the Alpha."
Darius fell silent, and Michael turned back to Kate. "Don't worry, Kate. I keep my promises. But for now, wake up the legendary hunter and kill him."
Kate sighed. "It'll take a while for him to wake up, I injected him with diluted wolfsbane."
An Asian woman named Fujiko stepped forward. "Bring him out. I'll wake him up, it's not that hard."
Kate hauled Gerard out of the car, dropping him at Fujiko's feet. Fujiko smiled before stomping on Gerard's arm, snapping it with a sickening crack.
Gerard woke up screaming in pain. His werewolf healing kicked in moments later, the searing ache in his broken arm slowly subsiding as it began to mend. he looked around and saw Kate standing nearby, surrounded by seven people he didn't recognize. His gaze locked onto Kate, and his voice trembled as he spoke. "You can't kill me, Kate. I'm your father. I only tried to kill you because I didn't want you to become a mindless beast."
Kate slapped him across the face. "Is that the best excuse you could come up with? Then why didn't you kill yourself, Gerard? Why not go out like a proud hunter?"
Gerard glared at her, his voice shaking with anger. "I've told you, I can't die until I've taken my revenge on Scott and his pack for what they did to me."
Kate smirked. "Don't worry, Gerard. I'll take revenge for you. Too bad though, I really wanted to torture you, but Michael wants you dead, so goodbye, Gerard."
As Kate raised her claws, Gerard's eyes darted to Michael. "You're Michael, I'm assuming? Kate's following your orders, which means you're stronger than her. You must be an Alpha. Spare my life, and I can help you and your pack."
Kate, enraged by Gerard's plea, moved to strike him down. Just as her claws were about to slash his throat, Michael said. "Kate, stop. Let's hear him out first."
Kate hesitated, glaring at Gerard, but she obeyed and backed away. Michael's glowing red eyes locked onto Gerard. "Alright, old man, talk. What can you offer me and my pack?"
Gerard straightened himself as much as he could. "I have money and weapons, and I'm willing to join your pack and put my resources at your disposal."
Michael tilted his head, unimpressed. "We don't need weapons, but money could be useful. What I'm more interested in, though, is Scott and his pack. I heard you ranting about revenge. Tell me about them. How strong is Scott?"
Gerard hesitated. "Are you planning to make him and his pack part of yours?"
A tall, blond man named Alex, who was roasting a deer over the fire, sneered. "Old man, just answer the damn question."
Swallowing his pride, Gerard continued. "Scott is... something else. He's fast, faster than anything I've seen. Once, he moved behind me, and I couldn't even see how he got there. And he's strong, too dangerously strong."
Anika narrowed her eyes. "And his pack? Kate told us she only saw one Alpha with him. How many are in his pack?"
Gerard cleared his throat. "He has two Alphas in his pack, his mother and Allison. There are others, but I don't know if they're Alphas or not. I do know that Victoria is with them, though she's just recently turned by Derek Hale."
Kate's eyes widened. "What?" She turned to Michael, panic in her voice. "Michael, please, don't hurt Allison. She's my niece. I can convince her to join us."
Michael chuckled, his grin both amused and menacing. "If you can convince her, she'll live. Otherwise, she'll die with her Alpha."
Michael turned his attention back to Gerard. "Alright, you can join us. But as a hunter, I want your opinion, how do we take down Scott?"
Gerard's face hardened. "Scott is strong. I'd use someone he cares about against him. The last time I tried, I went after his mother, but it turned out she was an Alpha. I barely escaped with my life and lost an arm in the process."
Anika tilted her head curiously. "Who do you plan to use this time, knowing his mother is an Alpha?"
Gerard thought for a moment. "Probably my son, Chris. If you kidnap Chris, Scott, Allison, and Victoria will definitely come for him, and likely the rest of the pack."
Kate's expression darkened, anger flashing across her face, but she kept her mouth shut.
Michael grinned, his fangs glinting in the firelight. "I like it. I'm confident enough to take on this Scott kid, but it never hurts to be cautious and have a hostage. We'll do as you say, Gerard. We're close to Beacon Hills, so we'll spend the night here. Tomorrow, we'll head there, kidnap your son, and draw Scott and his pack into a fight. Once we've crushed them, we'll absorb their powers, and maybe stay in Beacon Hills for good. After all, it does have a Nemeton tree."
---
The day after the full moon, Scott and his pack gathered at his house. Melissa had invited everyone over for lunch, and the living room was filled with chatter and laughter.
As they talked, Lydia's eyes suddenly glowed. She stiffened, her voice distant and hollow as she said. "Chris, is going to die tonight."
The room fell silent. Allison and Victoria shot to their feet, both exclaiming at the same time. "What?!"
Allison rushed forward. "Lydia, what did you just say?"
Seeing Lydia unresponsive, Allison moved to shake her, but Scott held her back. "Allison, wait. Don't pull her out of the trance."
Allison hesitated, her hands clenched into fists, before sitting back down. "Okay." She said quietly, though her voice was filled with tension.
After a few moments, Lydia blinked and returned to her senses. She looked at Scott with panic in her eyes. "Scott, another troublesome pack is coming, and they're strong. Stronger than Cassandra and her pack. They want to use Chris as a hostage."
Scott's brow furrowed. "Is that why you said he'll die?"
Lydia nodded. "Yes. The vision wasn't entirely clear, but I'm certain Kate and Gerard lured Chris to the Beacon Hills Preserve. They caught him, and during the fight with this pack's Alpha, he saw how strong you were. To gain the upper hand, he killed Chris, to make you lose control, or something like that."
Allison's face paled. "Lydia, are you sure it was Kate? She said she wouldn't come back to Beacon Hills."
"I'm sure." Lydia said apologetically. "I'm sorry, Allison, but it was her. She and Gerard are working with these people."
Allison swallowed hard, then nodded. "There's nothing to apologize for, Lydia. I just... I really hoped she'd changed, like she said. But she's just like Gerard. Don't show her any mercy, guys. If I have to, I'll kill her myself."
Chris stared at his daughter. "Allison..."
Victoria interrupted firmly. "You know what Lydia is, Chris. I don't know why Kate would help them kidnap you, or if she even knew they'd kill you. But what I do know is that if we didn't have a banshee in our pack, you'd be dead tonight. We spared Gerard's life, and he went after Melissa. If she weren't an Alpha, she'd be dead by now. I won't make the same mistake again."
Chris sighed heavily but said nothing more.
Scott turned to Lydia. "Did you see how many are in their pack?"
Lydia nodded. "Including Kate and Gerard, there are nine."
Stiles leaned forward. "And what about what they are? Did you see that?"
"Yes." Lydia said grimly. "Except for Kate and Gerard, all of them had red glowing eyes. And their leader... he had a dagger. It felt... dangerous. Really dangerous."
To be continued...