Lunar Eclipse {teen wolf}

Chapter Thirty-Eight: Protection

The ride to the animal clinic was in almost complete silence. Stiles had called Scott with an emergency and Ayla offered the alpha a ride. She kept her eyes directly on the road as Scott bounced his leg impatiently in the passenger seat, glancing at the girl every few seconds.

"Just asked me," Ayla practically snapped at the boy. Unable to take the starring any longer as it was beginning to freak her out.

"Ask you what?" Scott questioned innocently.

"What you have been contemplating asking me this entire ride. I can feel your worry and it's distracting."

Letting out a sigh, Scott finally caved. "My mother said that when she found you, you had been in a daze. Like you were deep in a memory. Was it about the Dread Doctors?"

Ayla's grip on the steering wheel tightened unconsciously. "No." The answer was simple and fast. She didn't want to go into detail about it. If Ayla did, she would have to think more about what her mother had meant and her family's history with Guardian Angels.

"What was it-"

"I don't want to talk about it."

Scott nodded. "Alright...that's fine. But if you do want to talk about it, I'll listen. I know you might feel weird because of the whole Stiles thing but I promise I'm still here for you. Your breakup didn't change our friendship."

Pulling into the parking lot of the clinic, Ayla thanked him. AS Scott was about to exit the car, Ayla stopped him. "Wait Scott. Look, I'm sorry. I appreciate it, I do." She ran her hand through her hair. "I never really had friends before. It was always just me and Kyler. The few friends that I did have, pretty much dropped me after he died."

"Really?" Scott was as loyal as they came, so it shocked him that friends could just leave you in a time of need.

"Yeah, but they weren't really friends anyway." Ayla let out a sigh, pulling the key out of the ignition and going to unbuckle her seat belt.

"Hey," Scott put his hand on top of hers to calm her, pulling Ayla's attention back to him. "What's going on inside your head?" He was gentle with how he spoke. His tone was soft, almost like he was speaking to a child and not a 17-year-old girl. Though their mental states could be comparable at this point. "Why have you been so distant?"

Shocked by the question, she thought for a moment. Trying to decide the best way to phrase what she was going to say. "I guess..." she bit her lip, "You all were such great friends before I got here and I just kind of figured that this whole thing with Stiles is going to make the rest of you choose sides. So... I figured if I pull away first that it wouldn't hurt as bad to lose you all."

Scott instantly shook his head. "What, no. Ayla, that would never happen. We don't pick sides. We all love you. I told you once, you're a part of this pack, our family, and there's nothing you or anyone else can do to change that."

Again, Ayla was shocked. She knew Scott and the others were loyal, after a year of being their friend, that was clear to see, but she was also used to the petty teen drama where everyone chose sides and acted as immaturely as possible. This was new and rather refreshing.

"Thank you, Scott. I uh-I'm glad that I'm a part of your pack." Since coming to Beacon Hills, Scott always seemed to be Ayla's voice of reason. A person she knew would always be there for her if she needed it. Their relationship was strictly platonic and she loved him as much as she loved Jordan.

He flashed her a reassuring smile before the two got out and made their way into the animal clinic. Ayla froze at the sight of the dead body of a boy no older than her on the table. His chest was covered in blood due to the fact his throat had been ripped out.