Can't Go Back (Beacon Hills Chronicles Book 4)

3: New Arrival

Playlist:

Impossible ~ James Arthur

The Grey ~ Icon for Hire

About a week later, Anna and I were in the kitchen getting ready for our days. Anna had school and I was getting ready for a double shift. With Void's attack on the hospital about three weeks earlier, we were way understaffed until the nurses, orderlies, and doctors killed or injured badly could be replaced. Only a couple of the survivors had returned to work, the rest refused to come back. Anna poked at her cereal and I could tell something was bothering her.

"It's gonna get soggy," I said. That simple sentence seemed to help her make a decision.

"Trish, you know a lot about werewolves, right?"

"It's part of being a Druid, yes." I was washing my breakfast dishes as we talked.

"I have a question about how they turn someone."

"Oh?"

"I heard that you can be turned by a scratch. Is that true?"

I turned and looked at her. "Why? Did Scott scratch someone?"

"Not that I know of. But Ethan scratched me once when he was still an Alpha on accident."

I knew about that. Anna had told me that he'd scratched her when she, Stiles, Lydia, and Allison tried to keep him from killing himself when Jennifer got into his head by putting powdered wolfsbane into Coach's whistle. The thought of Allison sent a pang of hurt through my chest. That wound still hadn't healed. But Ethan's scratch also allowed Anna to discover her self-healing ability.

"Well, you're obviously not a werewolf. If the scratch is deep enough, maybe. It's pretty rare."

"What about kill someone rare? Like an Alpha rips out someone's throat?"

"That's beyond rare. There are more True Alphas than werewolves turned..." I trailed off, the sudden flashback filling my mind.

I staggered to my feet as Allison disappeared into the Hale house. I followed her and found her standing in the hall looking into what used to be the living room. Peter had his claws against Kate's throat.

"Say you're sorry for decimating my family." I could hear the pain in Peter's voice. "For leaving me burned and broken for six years." I saw the tears in his eyes. "Say it. And I'll let her live."

I could tell that Kate was terrified. I moved to the other side of Allison.

"I'm sorry," Kate whispered. Her breathing suddenly quickened the moment before Peter ripped out her throat. We both gasped and my hands went to my mouth. Kate had a look of shock on her face as she fell. By the time she hit the floor, she was dead.

The bowl I had just finished washing fell from my fingers and into the sink, the realization of what Anna was saying hitting me.

"Son of a bitch," I whispered. I slowly turned to Anna. "Are you telling me that Kate is alive? That Peter turned her when he ripped out her throat?"

Anna bit her lip.

"That psychotic bitch is a freaking werewolf?! She's La Loba?!"