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Peter knew the pack was attempting to save someone's life, but someone else's life had been in jeopardy who he cared about a lot more than some random teacher. He'd been hanging out in the corner of Cora's room, watching her and Derek, waiting for her to wake up. When he noted Derek's eyes drooping, he said he was going to get them coffee and would be right back.

Moving through the halls, he avoided the nurses's station, not wanting a run in with Melissa McCall. He did the same on the way back and was almost back to the room when he heard a scream that ricocheted through him, plucking hard at his eardrums, though not close enough to drop him to the ground.

He did drop the coffee, though, because he knew that scream. He'd heard it in his dreams, elicited it from her more than once last year.

Lydia.

Ignoring the splash of the hot coffee on the floor and not bothering to return to Derek and Cora, Peter took off at a run. He heard his name distantly shouted, but he didn't stop for it. He didn't stop for anything.

When he hit the school, he closed his eyes and felt for her, feeling the edges of her mind, seeing what she saw. He'd gone to school here; he knew it well, and the images he got from her helped him pinpoint her location. Students, parents and teachers were spilling out of the auditorium doors, though, screaming in a way that made him grateful he even could feel her--that she was still alive.

The crowd made going in problematic, so he went around, twisting toward the hall of classrooms where she was. Scanning rooms as he went by, he caught sight of something that about made his heart stop: Lydia, tied to a chair, a garrotte around her neck, and some woman moving toward the fallen sheriff. He couldn't see Lydia moving, didn't know if she was all right, but there was blood in the air--hers, Scott's, Sheriff Stilinski's.

Peter's eyes glowed blue and his claws and fangs extended as he growled. With a running leap he threw himself through the windows, knocking into the woman and sending her farther away from Lydia. He snarled, almost fully wolfed out, noting the others at the door. He wanted the woman, wanted her blood, but how much and how hard depending on how hurt Lydia was, so he spun to her, moving to kneel in front of her chair, senses trained on the woman for any sudden moves.

By the time he reached Lydia, his features were normal again, though his eyes were still glowing bright blue and the claws of his right hand were still extended. He slashed through the bindings holding her, careful not to nick her skin, then reached to pluck the garrotte away, eyeing the marks on her throat with a fury that had him growling again.

Another crash from behind him startled him enough to look and see the girl and the sheriff disappear. Whatever. He had her scent. He could hunt her down. His attention focused back on Lydia.

"Are you badly hurt?" She obviously wasn't all right, but he needed the physical damage report first.

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"Unbelievable. You have no idea what you are, do you? The Wailing Woman. A banshee, right before my eyes. You're just like me, Lydia. Look like the innocent flower but be the serpent under it. It's too bad though and it's too late..."

Too late. Too late.

Banshee.

The Wailing Woman....

The words echoed through Lydia's head as she drifted, dazed from the previous blow and the loss of oxygen from Ms. Blake trying to strangle her. Twice.

She was vaguely away of crashing window and growling, not even registering for a moment that it wasn't Scott this time. Nor was it Scott who was kneeling in front of her, yanking at the duct tape around her wrists.

Peter.

The sound of his voice was enough to bring her back as she looked up at him then, confused at first as to why his eyes were blue but then she could see the wolf close to the surface. Not that it matter though because a second later she was in his arms, her breath coming hard and fast as she trembled against him.

"It's her. She's the Darach...she's the Darach."

Stiles was staring out the window, trying to catch any sign of movement but Ms. Blake was gone and so was his Dad. Looking back at Scott, he swallowed thickly before glancing over at where Peter was holding Lydia. Then he was scrambling towards them, not caring this one time that she was with Peter Hale.

"Lydia! Can you find her? Can you find where she's taking my dad?!"

Scott has followed though he looked somewhat confused at the sight of Peter holding her. Crouching down, he tried to get a good look at her which proved difficult considering she was burrowed in against Peter's chest. "Lydia? Are you okay?"

Edited 2013-07-30 05:32 (UTC)

Peter wrapped his arms around her instinctively when she hit his chest, holding her tight against him, feeling her trembling and still scenting her blood over even the others'.

"I know," he murmured to her about the news about the teacher. "I caught that. But it's all right. You're safe now. I've got you..."

He looked up at Stiles, and his eyes flared, teeth almost baring. "No. She can't." He almost immediately regretted it, seeing the panic and loss in Stiles's eyes. His expression gentled somewhat. "She's hurt and traumatized and needs to go to the hospital. The pack can, however. Now that they have the scent." He glanced at Scott and past him to Isaac who was, at least, pack.

Isaac wanted to run to Scott, to hold him as tight as Peter was holding Lydia (which was weird, but not as weird as their English teacher being a dark druid), but they weren't...and there were more...important things. But Scott was bleeding and Isaac hadn't made it to the room in time, stuck with the Argents and the Twins who had, at least, all made it there, now and who were all looking a bit shocked.

No need to add to it, especially with Allison there.

But he nodded at Peter in response. "Yeah. Now that we know who we're looking for, we'll find them. They left from here..."

Granted, that hadn't helped a lot with the others, with magic, but now they had at least both Ms. Blake and the sheriff to track.

It didn't even register to Stiles that Peter was snarling at him as he remained fixed on Lydia who was staring up at him with wide haunted eyes. He felt almost guilty then, knowing it wasn't the right time to ask since she had almost died but it was his Dad and the only family he had left.

"Lydia, please. You're somehow connected to her. You keep finding all the..."

Scott knew what his friend had been about to say and he stopped him, moving to his side. "It won't get to that. We will find him before that."

Allison watched the whole thing, confused and concerned by the way Lydia and Peter were holding into each other. It made her realize again how wrapped up in things she had gotten again lately because clearly, once again, she had missed something.

"Dad, you've been tracking her for weeks. There's got to be somewhere she's hiding." She looked over at him.

Scott glanced at Isaac in the mean time, seeing the concern on his face. He gave him a reassuring smile then, trying to comfort him. Then he was glancing at Ethan. "Can you help?"

"No." Aiden stepped forward.

"You have to." The whisper came from Lydia as she looked up from where she was huddled, her voice hoarse. "She's doing this because of you. Because of your pack."

"She is not connected to that woman," Peter snapped, almost over the top of Scott, because, really, he understood Stiles's fear. He'd lost his family, too. He knew what it felt like. But Cora was hurt and that he wasn't flying across the room at Aiden for doing that was solely and utterly because of the way Lydia was holding on to him and there was no way he was letting go of her, nor making any demands.

There was pure hatred and murder in his eyes when he looked at Aiden, though, which promised his restraint was only temporary. Nevermind pursuing Peter's...mate. He'd helped kill Boyd. He'd almost killed Cora. And now Lydia had almost died because of some bitch trying to stop him in the worst possible way.

Isaac glanced at Allison's dad who kept looking back at Peter and Lydia with a frown, though he nodded at his daughter. "I have a few ideas. And I have a pretty good idea where she'll take him eventually..." To sacrifice him. But they could get there before that, maybe. With the pack's help.

Ethan gave his brother a disgusted look and stepped past him, nodding at Scott. "We'll help." Looking at his brother he shrugged. "Enemy of my enemy or whatever, right? If she's after us, and she's got one of theirs...it doesn't hurt to team up on this."

"Then we need to get there." Allison reached out to push at her Dad's arm, noting the frown on his face. It was better to have him focus on something other than whatever was going on between Lydia and Peter. Which she was definitely going to grill Peter about.

But then she stopped as concern made her pause and she was turning to look at them, clearly torn.

Stiles was torn too as he didn't want to leave Lydia when she was hurt but there was his concern for Stiles and the Sheriff too. Finally, he glanced at Ethan. "Okay." He knew it wasn't going to settle well with Isaac and Peter to be working with the twins but sometimes they had to do things they didn't like....

"Allison, go with Lydia...and Peter...to the hospital. I'll go with your Dad." He glanced at Chris for confirmation. "We'll try to find Stiles's Dad."

"Fine." Allison figured Isaac and the twins would go with Scott which made her somewhat nervous too but she had to trust him. Moving towards Peter and Lydia, she motioned for him to do something. "Let's take her in my car."

"Take me where?" Lydia opened her eyes, frowning at them.

Isaac was watching the twins with a pretty unhappy expression, yes, suspicious and almost as furious as Peter. They'd both had to watch as the twins killed Boyd, and Isaac was nearly vibrating with the need to launch himself at one or both of them--add in hurting Cora?

Scott was probably going to have to rein him in at some point before they were done.

Chris shot Allison a look that said they were not done with their earlier discussion, yet, but he was also a professional who was aware of the ticking clock and that a good man's life was at stake. Whatever Peter Hale was doing with that girl could wait, especially as he currently seemed intent on not hurting her for the moment. So, he gave Scott a curt nod and tilted his head toward the door. "Let's go."

Peter wasn't sure he wanted in any car with an Argent, but he'd run here sans his own, so after one look, he nodded as well, shifting to slide one arm under Lydia's legs and standing fluidly, careful not to jostle her. "To the hospital. We need to get your head looked at, and your throat." He didn't like the slightly dazed air, at all.

Lydia knew there was a good chance she had suffered some kind of concussion as she certainly recognized some of the signs but it was more than that. The world was spinning as Peter hoisted her up into his arms, managing not to jostle her all that much but the sudden shift in height still had an effect.

"Peter." She curled her hand against his chest, clutching some material in her fingers as she looked up at him. "Did you know?" She whispered, keeping her voice soft as he carried her out of the room as the group split up to rush off after Ms. Blake.

She was concerned about Stiles and his Dad but, at the moment, she was reeling from the revelation about herself. "Is she right? Am I...a banshee?"

Peter followed Allison, though his gaze kept flicking back to Lydia, and he winced a little bit at her question. It wasn't something he'd really ever wanted her to know, especially when he should have connected it and told her when she was freaking out about if she had killed anyone, but, honestly...he hadn't thought the truth would be that much of a relief.

From the note in her voice, he was pretty sure he'd been right.

Brushing a kiss over her forehead, he nodded a little. "Yes."

To all of it. The teacher was right. He had known.

Her breath shook at the confirmation and she shifted to lay her head against his shoulder again, clenching her eyes shut as she tried to will it not to be but it made sense in a way. A Banshee, the Wailing Woman, was an omen of death. At lest that was the legend but who knew what the actual truth was.

At least she knew why she kept finding dead bodies now. Why she couldn't leave till she did.

Allison heard them whispering to each other but she couldn't make it out as she led them out to where her car was parked. opening one of the back doors for Peter, she waited for him to put Lydia in before moving around to the driver side. There was no doubt in her mind he would sit in the back.

Waiting till they were situated, she started the engine and then pulled out of the parking lot to drive to the hospital.

Peter just held her tighter as she curled back into him, wishing it wasn't so for her now, too, though it had been pretty damn important to him when he'd bitten her. Still was, if only because it was why he was alive.

He had to let her go to slide her into the car, just to be sure he didn't hit her head again. Allison was completely correct in that he slipped into the back next to her, arms wrapping around her again snugly.

"Hurry," he told Allison. His fingers ghosted over Lydia's hair, eyeing the forming bruises on her throat and felt his wolf very near the surface at how she looked.

Lydia wasn't thinking about the angry red marks around her throat that were bruising already as she was more concerned about the gash on her forehead though it wasn't bleeding anymore at least. Still, her head was throbbing enough that it made it hard for her to concentrate.

After awhile, she gave up, letting herself drift as she continued to lean against Peter.

It didn't take all that long to get from the school to the hospital and Allison was quick to pull up in front, glancing back at Peter with a still wary gaze. "Take her inside, I'll go park."

His gaze back at her was just as wary, but he wasn't worried about what anyone thought of him and Lydia right now. His concern was totally for his girl's well-being.

He got her out of the car carefully, cradling her back against his chest, and moved swiftly into the hospital, looking around the emergency room and not seeing anything at all that should take priority over Lydia.

He all but stalked to the registration desk. "We need a doctor. Now. She's been hurt..."

"Peter?"

When he turned around, he would find himself facing exactly the person he had been working to avoid over the last few hours. Not that Melissa McCall stayed focused on him for long though as her eyes went to Lydia in his arms. "Oh god, Lydia."

Then she was yelling for a bed, urging Peter to turn and carry Lydia into a nearby room. "What happened to her??"

Peter was aware that Melissa knew about the pack, and he had to assume she knew something about what was going on, but he didn't know how much Scott had told her.

Still, he fought back an urge to back away, knowing things really...hadn't been left well between them, though he had no idea what Scott had ultimately told her about him.

Following her into the room, he carefully laid Lydia on the bed, gaze fixing on her with fear in it as he took in how pale she seemed.

"We found the person who's been doing all the ritual killings," he said. "She tried to kill Lydia. From what I can tell, she was hit over the head, hard, and she'd been partially garotted when I got there. She was conscious and hasn't lost consciousness since then, but she's clearly dazed and disoriented."

Of course Scott had told her everything in the end. It had kind of hurt to know she had been asked out as a tactic to threaten her son but she had been given some time to get over it. At least it really hadn't gone anywhere, right?

Still, she looked confused to see him there and especially confused to see him with Lydia, especially with the fact tht he was being so tender with her.

Moving forward to take her pulse, she pressed the stethoscope to Lydia's chest while eyeing the marks around her throat. Then she looked up in alarm, her eyes widening before she glanced over her shoulder to make sure there was no one nearby. "Who was it?" She asked with a hiss, looking back again. "Wait, did you say...she?"

"Miss Blake." Lydia swallowed thickly, finally drifting back in, her voice still raspy as she looked up at Scott's mother. "And i'm fine, really. I just need to..." She started to sit up but she was stopped by the feel of Melissa's hand against her chest.

"No way, you need to have your head checked...."

"Peter." Derek filled the doorway, having heard Peter's voice. "What is going on?" He stepped into the room, glancing at Lydia. "Was it her? Screaming?"

"You heard me?" Lydia looked at him, surprised.

Why he'd asked her out didn't mean he wouldn't have asked her out for the pleasure of her company, as well, or that he hadn't. She was smart and gorgeous and deserved someone so much better than him. So did Lydia, for that matter, but that ship had apparently sailed. No going back, now.

"She needs a CT scan," Peter said with a nod, reaching to smooth his hand over her hair as Melissa urged her back down. "Just rest. Everything's being taken care of..."

He looked over at Derek who likely could tell just how tightly leashed he was, and how on the verge of doing damage, no matter how calm his exterior. Exterior calm was his trademark....but his eyes were shaken. "Yes. The darach tried to kill her. The new English teacher." He frowned a little, the other information surfacing Derek might need. "She took the sheriff. The boys went after her, with Chris Argent and the twins." He practically spat out the last word, not at all pleased Scott had enlisted their aid, no matter how strong they were.

Lydia frowned, clearly not enjoying being told what to do, but she didn't argue as she laid back.

"Wait, she has..." Melissa's eyes widened at the news of the Darach having the Sheriff, a flash of fear showing across her features even as she tried to understand. She had only seen him an hour or so before. Reaching out, she grabbed Peter's arm then. "Wait, Scott went after her?"

Derek scowled at the mention of the twins but Lydia stopped him by talking. "He only asked because he knows they'll want to stop her as much as we do." Even with a head injury, she still tried to make sense to clarify the situation. "They'll be okay. Ethan, the one who likes Danny, doesn't want to be involved in...." She trailed off, her eyes closing as she made a face. "God, my head hurts."

Recalling her job, Melissa looked back. "Come on, let's get you a scan and then I'll get you something for the pain."

Peter looked at Melissa when she grabbed him. "She has Stiles's father. He went. So did Isaac and Stiles." All right, he figured that wasn't all that encouraging. "With Argent and two Alphas with them...they'll be fine. They're strong."

He couldn't afford to be worried about them, not with Cora hurt and Lydia hurt and Boyd dead. He had to believe the boys would be fine, so long as they stayed together.

His attention shifted back to Lydia with Melissa's, his fingers lightly brushing her hand. "We're going to fix it..."

Melissa wanted to help but there was very little she could actually do beyond what she was doing right now. She would just have to trust her son to get the Sheriff back. "Okay."

"I'll be right back." She turned, slipping out of the room to make arrangements for the scan.

"What happened exactly?" Derek asked, walking towards the bed. "How did I hear her scream?"

Peter didn't even really hear Melissa leave, but he sat on the edge of Lydia's bed, wrapping both of his hands around hers, all but clinging to her hand, though he'd never admit to that later.

He heard Derek's question, though. He didn't know what had happened before he got in the room, except that clearly the bitch had tried to kill Lydia, so he just answered the second question.

"She's a banshee."

Lydia flinched a bit at being called a banshee, her eyes still closed as her mind reeled from the information still. She couldn't believe it. She wasn't a werewolf and she wasn't a psychic but she was clearly something. Something big from the way Jennifer had looked at her once she realized the truth.

A serpent underneath....

"Seriously?" Derek looked at her again. "That's...huh."

Peter shrugged a little bit, brushing it off. Then again, he'd known for a long time now and they were just learning, but he wanted to reassure Lydia that she'd be okay, that it didn't matter what she was. She was worried, distressed, he could feel it, and it added to his own anxiety.

"Yes." What else was there really to say? "How's Cora?"

A shadow was evident on Derek's features as he thought of his little sister and hat was hapening to her. "She's not getting better." He looked a bit lost. "She's not healing."

"It's the Darach." The soft murmur came from Lydia again, sounding far away even though she was right there. "It has to be."

Peter looked a little disturbed by the news about Cora, as well. "We'll figure it out. She'll be fine."

It could well be a lie, and they both knew it, but Peter wasn't willing to think anything else, right now.

"You're probably right, sweetheart," he murmured, fingertips running up and down her arm. "So, when the boys find her, we'll make her undo it."

He looked toward the door, impatience flaring again.

Lydia looked unsure but she didn't voice her worry or her doubt. She had seen how Jennifer had handled Scott and the Sheriff, just how strong and fast she had been. And the fact that she had healed from being shot in the leg at close range.

Melissa came back in then with a wheelchair. "Okay, we can take her in."