TAINTED HEART | D.HALE

CHAPTER TWENTY EIGHT

chapter twenty eight
( orphaned )

"Their Alpha is a woman called Satomi. She's one of the oldest werewolves alive. And she's learned a lot," Derek explained as Sofia and Malia exited the car after him. The three had driven up to Beacon Hills Preserve with hopes of locating Brett's pack.

Malia looked back at Sofia, who was slightly behind the two, "What does that mean?"

Sofia shrugged and observed the area. Derek slightly shook his head, "She's a bitten werewolf. Learning control wasn't easy for her. She did something a long time ago that changed her."

"Okay, but how do you know Brett's a part of Satomi's pack?" Sofia questioned as she stepped over a bunch of large branches.

"Brett kept mumbling something at the animal clinic," Derek vaguely started.

Sofia tried to think back to the night before, "The sun and moon thing?"

Derek nodded, "The quote is a mantra. It helps them with control."

Malia suddenly stopped. She looked around with a focused expression on her face.

Sofia stepped next to the younger girl, "Malia?"

"What is it?" Derek attempted to check out the surroundings but it was useless.

"Gunpowder," Malia looked at the ground and took a step forward. She pointed right beneath her.

Derek bent down and picked up a gun shell, "If Brett's pack is out here, I don't think they're meeting. They're hiding."

Sofia instinctively reached for the handgun tucked into her pants as she tried to look around, "Oh joy."

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After a long day of nothing, Sofia, Malia, and Derek finally returned to the car. They had searched for a while but Malia was unable to catch a scent.

"I'm sorry," Malia spoke from the back seat.

"There's nothing to be sorry about. If they don't want to be found, then we're not going to find them. Some werewolves have an ability, a kind of mastery over their bodies, where they can actually inhibit their scent," Derek explained.

Malia gave the man an incredulous look, "They can hide from other werewolves?"

"From anyone who's trying to find them."

Sofia leaned her head against the seat sideways as she squinted her eyes at Derek, "You're just now telling us this?"

"I didn't want it to influence Malia's search," Derek leaned his head back in frustration.

"So that's why nobody knew about Brett," Malia put together.

"Same with Demarco."

"Maybe we need to try something different," Malia suggested. "Maybe we need to think like Stiles."

Derek and Sofia turned back to the girl in sync. Derek's face was void of any understanding, "Like a hyperactive spaz?"

"Not sure that's gonna help," Sofia agreed.

Malia stared back at the two, "Like a detective. If they're really Buddhists, then maybe, instead of asking where werewolves hide, we should be asking --"

"Where would Buddhists hide," Derek cut the girl off. Malia nodded at the man.

Derek turned back around. He spaced off, staring at the compass on his car, "When Buddha sat under the Bodhi tree, he looked to the east for enlightenment."

"How do you know that?" Sofia questioned, very confused by Derek's knowledge.

Derek didn't answer. He quickly put his key in the ignition and started the car.

"Is there some kind of eastern point in Beacon Hills?" Malia asked as Derek pulled forward.

"Yeah. At Lookout Point."

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Derek, Malia, and Sofia walked up to Lookout Point after parking the car. Immediately Malia had looked off to the distance.

Sofia placed a comforting hand on the younger wolf's shoulder, "What is it?"

Malia gave a panicked look to Sofia before glancing at Derek, "You don't smell that?"

"Wait for me. Right here," Derek ordered the werecoyote. He started to walk off to the left before pausing in front of Sofia, "Both of you."

A minute of silence had passed, tension thick in the air. Suddenly the two women heard Derek call out. They rushed over in his direction. Sofia came to an abrupt stop upon noticing the pile of dead bodies.

Sofia was at a loss for words. Her mouth quivered as her hand flew up to cover it. Derek's eyes were filled with sorrow as he observed the bodies.

"What happened?" Malia finally broke the silence.

"I think they might have been poisoned," Derek said after a moment. Sofia was the first to take a step forward.

Malia was close behind, "That's great. If assassins with guns don't get you, then the ones with wolfsbane poison will. Or maybe one with no mouth."

"Loving the optimism," Sofia tried to joke but her tone conveyed worry.

"Maybe we should all be running from Beacon Hills. Running for our lives, as fast as we can," Malia suggested. Sofia slowly nodded in agreement.

Silence had filled the group once more before Derek spoke up, "We should get out of here."

The trio slowly backed up and started their way back. Derek and Malia suddenly stopped, turning to face the pile.

Sofia, not having wolf senses, looked between the two very confused, "What?"

She slowly turned back to the dead bodies. A hand suddenly raised from the ground. Malia, Sofia, and Derek were quick to rush over to the survivor.

Derek rolled one of the dead bodies over to reveal the owner of the hand. As the person's face became clear, Sofia felt her heart sink.

"Braeden?"

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haleshoe is typing...

i'm rly excited for the next chap but it's not
fully ready yet sorryyyy

also braeden and sofia>>

if ur reading my other teenwolf book, wildest dreams, i was planning to update it today but wattpad is glitching and won't let me click on the book😭😭

thanks for reading! hope you enjoyed<3