Risen

21

"I'm saying we need a new plan" Derek said as he, Nova and Scott walked into one of the train cars "because next time, one of us is gonna be too hurt to heal"

"Ugh, I get it" Scott replied, coming to terms with everything "we can't save Jackson"

"We can't seem to kill him either" Nova muttered as she sat down in one of the seats

"I've seen a lot of things, Scott" Derek said "I've never seen anything like this. Every new moon's just gonna make him stronger"

"But how do we stop him?" He asked, looking at the alpha

"I don't know" shrugging slightly "I don't even know if we can"

"Maybe we should just let the Argents handle it" he suggested

"They wouldn't even know where to begin" Nova replied "the bestiary doesn't matter, it tells you about supernatural beings, but not really how to stop them"

"I'm the one who turned him" Derek added "it's my fault"

"Yeah, but you didn't turn him into this" Scott replied "I mean, this happened because of something in his past, right?"

"That's a legend in a book, Scott" Nova said "it's not that simple"

"What do you mean?" He asked "what are you not telling me?"

"Why do you think we're always keeping something from you?" Derek asked

"Because you always are keeping something from me" bluntness in his voice

"Well, maybe I do it to protect you" looking at him

"Doesn't being part of your pack mean no more secrets?" He asked

"Go home, Scott" a small sigh emitting from his nose "sleep. Heal. Make sure your friends are safe. 'Cause the full moon's coming"

"With the way things are going, I've got a feeling it's gonna be a rough one" Nova muttered

∆

The full moon had approached quicker than anyone else had expected, and it was also the time of Lydia's grand party that everyone – even Nova – had been invited to. It wasn't like she was going to go or anything. Truthfully, she wouldn't even know what to do at a party since she had never been invited to one, having no friends in your hometown can to the trick. Derek opened a wood chest, looking through the chains and harnesses that he would have to use on his betas,

"What is that?" Isaac asked, running his finger on the symbol etched on the lid of the chest

"It's a triskele" Boyd answered "spirals mean different things – Past, present, future. Mother, father, child"

"You know what it means to me?" Derek asked, looking at him

"Alpha, beta, omega?" looking at him

"That's right" nodding slightly "it's a spiral. Reminds us that we can all rise to one or fall to another"

"Betas can become alphas, but alphas can also fall to betas or even omegas" Nova added

"Like Scott?" Isaac asked

"Scott's with us" Derek replied

"Really?" scoffing slightly "then where is he now?"

"Looking for Jackson" Nova replied

"Don't worry, he's not gonna have it easy tonight either" Derek added "none of us will. There's a price you pay for this kind of power. You get the ability to heal, but tonight you're gonna want to kill anything you can find" handing Isaac one of the harnesses and chains

"Good thing I had my period last week, then" Erica commented

"Well, this one's for you" looking at her as he held up something that would go on her head with thick screws

"That looks cozy" Nova muttered

"How do you know so much about werewolves?" Boyd asked curiously, looking at the redhead

". . I was adopted into a family of werewolves when I was a baby" honesty in her voice "to them, the triskele meant mother, father and child. But lately I've been favoring the sun, the moon, the truth. The three things that can't long be hidden"

". . . Was?" Isaac asked

"Yeah" a small sigh emitting from her nose ". . was"

It was a sensitive subject, they could tell by the pain in her eyes that something bad had happened to them, and Derek was the only one that knew the truth. It was still hard for her to talk about them, but she had recently learned to hide her pain behind a smile, one that didn't quite reach her eyes.

X

"Are you sure you don't need me to stay?" Nova asked as Derek walked her out of the station

"I'm sure" Derek replied "I don't need you getting hurt because one of them loses control. Go home, stay safe, and I'll call you when it passes"

She looked at him for a moment, seeing that he was genuinely concerned for her safety, a small smile forming on her lips as she gave him a small nod in response. He pulled a small box out of his back pocket, holding it out for her, Nova looking down at it before grasping it, looking at Derek in confusion.

"Open it when you get home" he instructed

Nova nodded slightly once more, putting the box in the pocket of her hoodie, and pulling out something as well, holding it out to him. He looked at it in confusion,

"It's black lava stone" she informed "a grounding stone that's believed to strengthen the wearer’s connection with Mother Earth and give strength and courage in times of change and stress. It’s also supposed to provide people with guidance and courage in situations when they need them. Folklore suggests lava stones were given to soldiers to help them remain calm and draw on strength to help them power through battle. Maybe it will help you tonight with your betas"

It was a beautiful bracelet, obviously made for a man with small black lava stones and small wood pieces.

A small smile formed on Derek's lips, reaching out and grasping the bracelet, his hand wrapping around hers, causing Nova to look up at him. They stood there for a moment longer, Nova looking into his emerald green eyes as he looked into her stone gray, and he could look at her eyes all day if he could. The sound of her phone ringing caused them to pull away, Nova pulling her phone from her pocket, seeing that she was getting a call from Irina,

"Call me if you need me, Mr. Alpha" Nova said, looking back at him "I mean it"

"You got it" a light chuckle emitting from him

She dropped her skateboard to the floor, turning around and putting one foot on it, ready to push off,

"Before you go" causing her to turn her head "where did you get it?" holding the bracelet up with his finger

"I didn't get it anywhere" pushing off and riding away from him "I made it myself!"