alpha!stiles } { of bitten wolves and skeptical teens

[beanchaointe]

Stiles: [and Jackson will probably complain about Lydia paying attention to her stupid science pet and not him and Stiles will roll his eyes and since he knows he means Cora he will go make his way over to Lydia] Hey, something wrong with Cora?

Lydia: I wouldn't know. [she may sound slightly bitter about it, but not in the callous way she usually is - it's more worry than anything else] She said she was going to get some air and she never came back. If she was going to bail and go home, she at least could have said so.

Stiles: Well, I could probably use a bit of air from the rest of the guys. [he never developed the size of their egos] I'll see if I can find her trail and take a look.

Lydia: [nods a bit] Thanks, Stiles. I just want to make sure she's okay.

Stiles: Sure, no problem. [flashes her a grin and he will head into the woods, looking for her scent and then go to follow it]

Cora: [and everything's fine for a while, just Cora with maybe the faintest whiff of the wine coolers she had earlier, so it's clear she was feeling a little tipsy, and that's evident in the path scent takes, wandering between the trees in a weaving zig-zag pattern before she stops and a bit of anxiety creeps into her scent. then she's suddenly running, adopting the same zig zag pattern but more deliberately up until she trips and falls into a pile of leaves and tree roots. this is where the anxiety spikes to fear, followed by pain and blood but there's no Cora to be found beyond one of her shoes. She clearly managed to push herself up again, making her way towards town and her house]

Stiles: [yeah, he doesn't like that AT ALL. He has her shoe and will go to toss it in the jeep before heading back to find Lydia] I found her trail because she is way drunk and very obvious. She exited out near the neighborhood so she's probably gone home and passed out from the alcohol. I'm gonna bail but I can swing by and check on her just to make sure she made it all the way.

Lydia: [her brow furrows because that does not sound like Cora to get stupid drunk] I wish she would have said something. I would have driven her home. [she was the DD tonight since it was Jackson's party]

Stiles: Knowing her, she didn't want to be a bother to anyone.

Lydia: [rolls her eyes a bit] Okay. Just let me know.

Stiles: Will do. [and he will toss her a 'dont worry about it' grin and head back towards his jeep] Yo Scottie, we're going. [and Scott will pretty much already be there and tipsy as well]

Lydia: [and she will go back to dealing with her boyfriend]

Stiles: [and after he drives Scott home alone a very specific set of roads, he will then park at home and traipse through the backyards silently until he gets to the Hales. It's an easy tree climb to the garage roof and he will go looking for her bedroom window]

Cora: [and she's in there, passed out cold on her bed next to her dog]

Stiles: [and he will flash his eyes when the dog notices him, not wanting to wake Cora.]

Dusty: [whimper and whine, before curling into Cora more, but she doesn't rouse at all, just shifts a bit and curls onto her side away from the window]

Stiles: [not knowing what else to do, he is going to shimmy her window open and slide her shoe in]

Cora: [well, that's when he'll definitely catch the scent of blood again, and probably see it on her party clothes. she literally walked into her room and passed out]

Stiles: [well crap. Because why didn't Cora get that taken care of? He doesn't know what to do, but he doesn't have a good feeling either about what happened in the wood. But she's safe and home, so he will close the window back up and go into the woods on his own to investigate the ground where the scent of her pain was, trying to figure out what happened in that moment]

Cora: [and he won't find much, because Deucalion knows how to cover his tracks, but there may be what could be claw marks gouges in some of the nearby trees]

Stiles: [well, fuck. fuck fuck fuck this is not good.]

Cora: [other than that there's not much, though. Sorry, Stiles.]

Stiles: [and he is going to just end up going home after that, sitting in the kitchen and trying to figure out what it means while looking through the family archives that he spent the last two years putting into a Stilinski Wikipedia for him to be able to search through.]

Cora: [and Cora will sleep through Saturday entirely, not really rousing until Sunday morning when her dog is smelling super terrible for some reason] Whoa, Dusty. Bath time for you. [which will be followed by the thought that she's starving, so she'll strip out of her clothes, get dressed into something comfortable, and go in search of breakfast]

Thomas: [and since Derek is off at college, he will be there making breakfast for his two favorite ladies] Good morning, Cora. I've got pancakes almost ready.

Cora: They smell delicious. [grins as she makes her way closer before pushing up to give him a kiss on the cheek] Thanks, Dad.

Thomas: You're welcome. [and he will take that kiss] So it must have been some party weekend. Mom and I didn't hear you come in last night.

Cora: [she shrugs] I didn't, I came home Friday. I just wasn't feeling well. Or maybe my body was just trying to tell me that I need to get more sleep.

Thomas: [looking at his daughter] That's a lot of sleep. Cora, honey, it's Sunday.

Cora: [blinks, confused] What?

Thomas: Yeah, it's Sunday. You were upstairs all day yesterday?

Cora: Yeah?

Thomas: Are you feeling better though? I mean, maybe we should take you to the Doctor just to make sure.

Cora: [she shakes her head] No, I'm feeling great now. Better than I have in a while, actually.

Thomas: That's good then. [and a plate of pancakes will appear for her] So how was the party?

Cora: [she shrugs as she takes the plate and goes to sit at the table] Just like the usual lacrosse parties. Nothing special.

Thomas: See any boys there? [teasing]

Cora: [rolls her eyes] Dad.

Thomas: What? I'm just wanting to know if I have to get the old shotgun oiled up. [grins]

Cora: [and she gives him a narrow-eyed look at that before taking a bite of her pancakes] None worth talking to, or weren't Stiles or Scott.

Thomas: Those two boys are harmless. Well, Scott is. Stiles knows I will rat him out to his father in an instant.

Cora: Uh-huh. [another bite of pancakes] You know, I don't remember Derek getting the shotgun talk when he was fifteen.

Thomas: Not by me. But I know Paige's father did.

Cora: Uh-huh. [she shakes her head, before finishing off the rest of her plate] Don't worry, Dad. High school boys are still as gross as middle school boys were.

Thomas: Good. [because lord knows he has enough headaches with Laura's boyfriends]

Cora: [which have become fewer now that she's started her psychiatric residency and has no time for anything ever let alone dating. she just doesn't tell her father she's taken up casual sex. >.>] I'm gonna take Dusty outside for a bath. I think he rolled around in something stinky.

Thomas: Alright. Your mother should be back from the farmer's market soon and we can decide if we want to do anything family wise for the afternoon.

Cora: Sounds good. [and she'll finish up before giving him another kiss on the cheek] Thanks again for the pancakes.

Thomas: You're welcome, sweetheart.

Stiles: [and no, he's not being a stalker at all as he has a sudden interest in morning jogging, and happens to slow jog by the Hale house as he is doing so]

Cora: [and he probably heard the shrieking laughter from the backyard as Dusty decides he's had enough of this being wet and soapy and violently shakes himself off all over his human. though she isn't quite so human anymore, is she?]

Stiles: [and he will hear it and stop, going to poke his head around back] Hey, you alright back here?

Cora: [looks up with a laugh, now soaking wet] Hey, Stiles. Yeah, we're fine. Dusty's just done with bath time, apparently.

Stiles: For all of what, ten minutes before he rolls in the dirt?

Cora: I don't know what it was, but he must have been playing in something stinky.

Stiles: Stronger than normal?

Cora: Maybe? It's better now than it was, so I think he just got into something he shouldn't have.

Stiles: [nods] Anything else seem weird to you though?

Cora: [she shakes her head] No? Should it?

Stiles: Nah, just Lydia was worried about you after you left the party so weren't sure if you were feeling okay.

Cora: Oh. Yeah, I'm fine. Slept all day yesterday, so I must have been coming down with something, but I'm good now.

Stiles: No hangover?

Cora: I wasn't that drunk?

Stiles: You stumbled all the way home

Cora: [she squints] I did?

Stiles: Yeah. I tracked you home and told her you were safely home so she didn't worry. Had to take Scottie home anyway. [looks at Dusty and holds a hand out] You aren't barking at me anymore, are ya?

Dusty: [glances up at him with a bit of a whine, but he's learned who the boss is. more or less]

Stiles: Come here, buddy. You used to like it when I rubbed your belly. [smiles]

Dusty: [glances back to Cora]

Cora: [nods] Go ahead. It's okay.

Dusty: [and he'll inch over to sniff at Stiles' hand]

Stiles: That's a good boy. [and he will let Dusty sniff him before petting around his ears] Good boy.

Dusty: [okay, he's good at the pets, he can stay]

Stiles: Looks like he and I can be friends again. [grins]

Cora: Yeah, looks like.

Stiles: You know, I can't remember the last time I was over here.

Cora: Yeah, it's ... been a while.

Stiles: Whatever happened to that? I mean, you me and Scott used to pretty much sleep in a pile half the time.

Cora: [she shrugs] I guess we just ... grew apart.

Stiles: Well, that just sucks. We should fix that.

Cora: [she nods a bit] Sure, I guess. Though I should say that lacrosse parties aren't really my thing.

Stiles: Want to know a secret?

Cora: Sure.

Stiles: Not really my thing either. I just go because Scott wants to go and Jackson will be a jerk if he shows up without me.

Cora: [rolls her eyes] Jackson is such an asswipe.

Stiles: I know. [laughs]

Cora: If I didn't know that Lydia was just using him before her own ends, I would seriously question her judgment.

Stiles: Same here. Wait, she's using him for what?

Cora: Status. And because she hates it when people just hit on her because they can. Jackson is a good deterrent.

Stiles: Ah. Cause I mean, she's one of the smartest girls I've ever met. She's totally going to win the Nobel prize in math one day.

Cora: Field's medal. There's no Nobel prize for math. [she shrugs]

Stiles: Oh, oh alright. But yeah, that thing.

Cora: Yeah. She just doesn't want to deal with ridiculous boys.

Stiles: Guys like me, I'm sure.

Cora: [sarcasm] Oh yeah. You totally are just friends with Lydia for her boobs.

Stiles: Well they are nice. [smirks, the sarcasm set to on]

Cora: I didn't say they weren't.

Stiles: [and his eyes open a bit] Oh, I didn't know you were into her like that.

Cora: I'm not. But I have eyes.

Stiles: Oh. Well if you were that'd be totally ok. And kinda hot but yeah.

Cora: [she gives a small shrug] I don't know what I'm into. I'm fifteen. Laura says I have time to figure it out.

Stiles: True. And you can change your mind later one too. Sexuality is totally fluid.

Cora: That's what she tells me.

Stiles: I'd listen to her then.

Cora: [she nods, before glancing down] Anyway, I'm soaked, so I should go get changed.

Stiles: Sure. But hey, you know you can still come over anytime you want, alright? We're still friends after all.

Cora: [she nods with a small smile] Yeah, sure. I'll keep that in mind.

Stiles: So yeah. [pushes himself up] You ever want to come over and hang out, or do homework, or whatever just come on over.

Cora: I will do that. [and she'll grab Dusty's collar to pull him back inside] See you later, Stiles.

Stiles: See you later. [and as he walks away around the side of the house, he drops his voice enough that she would only hear him if she had enhanced ears] Or you want to talk about getting attacked in the woods by a nightmare creature...

Cora: [yeah, she definitely heard that and her head snaps to follow him, but ... she's hearing things right? because that didn't happen]

Stiles: [he can feel her eyes and turns to look at her and raises his voice again] Forget something?

Cora: [she shakes her head] No. I just ... never mind.

Stiles: Okay. [shrugs, and disappears around the side of the house before whispering] Door is always open.

Cora: [no, she heard that too. and now she's starting to freak out] C'mon Dusty, let's go inside.

Stiles: [and he is going to head home, but yeah. She's not hurt any longer. He had smelt blood and no human heals that quickly, so it was more than an attack, and that means someone was making betas in his and Satomi's territory. That was not good and he had to go tell her]

Cora: [And she'll just be puzzled and confused and ... do her homework because she doesn't think anything's wrong]

Stiles: [and he will head into the preserve to hunt for Satomi]

Satomi: [is in her usual place, doing her usual thing, and as per usual, hears him coming a mile away] Hello, Stiles.

Stiles: We've got a problem. I think something was hunting in the woods last night.

Satomi: Hunting?

Stiles: Yeah. There was a party in the woods Friday and one of my friends decided to walk home. I followed the trail and about halfway through I got the scent of her blood, and there are claw marks in some of the trees in that area. And I went to see her today and she looks completely fine but I kinda poked my head into her bedroom Friday overnight and she still smelt like blood then.

Satomi: You think she was bitten.

Stiles: Yeah. But it wasn't me, and it doesn't sound like your style either.

Satomi: No, it wasn't me. Did you catch the other alpha's scent?

Stiles: There was no other scent. Only hers.

Satomi: So it's an alpha that knows what it's doing. Lovely. [she turns to face him more] What have you told your friend?

Stiles: No. I don't know how to do any of this. I'm not even sure if she was bit really.

Satomi: Then perhaps you should find out. The full moon is in two weeks, Stiles, you can't let her be blindsided by this.

Stiles: I know, but she doesn't even know any of this exists. She thinks I'm a normal human. I don't know how to do this.

Satomi: And I can't tell you how. You're going to need to find your own way in this as an alpha.

Stiles: But I'm not her alpha. I didn't bite her.

Satomi: Well, whoever bit her clearly wasn't interested in asking her permission and doesn't deserve her. She deserves to learn this from someone she can trust.

Stiles: [licks his lips and looks at the ground] I don't know if I can do this...

Satomi: [she turns to face him] I do. You're ready, Stiles. It'll be more difficult than if it was for your own beta, but all you have to do is be yourself.

Stiles: [nods] So how do I convince her I'm not going insane?

Satomi: Be patient and have your evidence ready.

Stiles: [rubs the back of his neck] Okay. And hey, at least it took. I'd hate to think what would have happened if it hadn't.

Satomi: You and I both. Now, it's simply a matter of teaching her how to deal with it.

Stiles: Alright, here's hoping I don't screw this up. [bright fake smile]

Satomi: I have faith in you. And I'm here if you need help.

Stiles: Thanks. Lord knows I'm going to need both.

Satomi: You can do this, Stiles. Just speak from the heart.

Stiles: [nods] Wish me luck?

Satomi: [nods with a small smile] Good luck.

Stiles: May the Force be with me. [waves and goes to head home. He's going to take a shower from his run before he goes back over to Cora's. He really, really wants to put it off but he knows he shouldn't and he'll need two weeks to convince her that he's not crazy.

What the hell he's going to do on the night of the full moon? HAHAHAHAHAHAHA maybe dad will loan him a jail cell]

Cora: [is in her room, catching up on her homework since she slept through the rest of the weekend and now she needs to get everything done]

Stiles: [he could go through the front door, but this is probably not the time to let her parents know he's visiting. So he's going to take the same route as Friday night and knock on her window, smiling. It's not the first time he's done it to her because this was his preferred door since he was nine]

Cora: [her eyes snaps up and she squints, surprised, before getting up to come over and open the window] Hi.

Stiles: Hey. So um, I forgot to ask you something earlier, and was wondering if you had a moment.

Cora: [glances back over her shoulder, before going to close the door to bedroom so that her parents won't hear] Yeah. Sure.

Stiles: Awesome. [and he is going to swing his legs in so he's sitting in the window now]

Cora: [and once the door is closed she'll turn back to him, crossing her arms in front of her chest] So. What's up?

Stiles: I wanted to check and see how your injury was. Still bleeding?

Cora: [and that makes her frown] What injury?

Stiles: The one you got on your way home Friday night? Same time you lost your shoe. [he leans over and scopes up the still muddy shoe] I dropped it off when I was checking up to see if you made it home.

Cora: [frowns because she doesn't really remember that part of the night] Well, there was no injury. I'm fine.

Stiles: So no big, nightmare type creature appeared and took a bite out of you? [his eyes are serious]

Cora: [there are flashes for a moment, of things that are lurking in her memory that she tried to suppress, but that couldn't have been real. that was just a nightmare] No. That sounds like ... a bad horror movie.

Stiles: Cora, I need you to be honest with yourself and me. Please. What really happened.

Cora: Nothing happened! [and that's clear upset in her tone because nothing did happen. nothing could have happened.] I needed some air, so I stepped away, and I guess I decided to just go home. There was nothing ... [there's a bit of tension in her chest as she has all too real flashes of something big and heavy pinning her down, it's teeth digging into her skin] ... It was just a bad dream. [it had to be, and she looks up at Stiles as though she's begging him to tell her that's all it was]

Stiles: [and he licks his lips, standing up and shaking his head] I'm sorry, Cora. It wasn't.

Cora: It had to be. [she shakes her head] That kind of stuff doesn't just happen.

Stiles: No, it doesn't always happen. It's rare in this area. But it does happen. Come with me and I'll show you how I know.

Cora: No, it didn't, because it sounded like a wolf, and there are no wolves in California.

Stiles: Not the canine version.

Cora: What other version is there?

Stiles: I'll show you, but not here. Come on. [and he's going to swing his legs back around] I promise you'll still have time to finish all that.

Cora: [shakes her head and steps back] No. This is insane.

Stiles: Cora, please. Trust me.

Cora: [she eyes him warily for a moment, because she doesn't know if she can trust him] Are you not going to let this drop unless I go?

Stiles: Nope. [smiles] But I promise, I'm only asking for your benefit.

Cora: [sighs] Fine. But since I'm not insane, I'm going out the front door. [she never did understand why or how Stiles managed to climb to her second floor window]

Stiles: Okay. [and he's going to just jump straight down, landing easily]

Cora: [sighs and makes her way downstairs, letting her mom know she's going to hang out with Stiles, before meeting him on the ground]

Stiles: [and he is going to nod with his head for her to walk with him towards the preserve that in this verse just happens to butt up on the edge of Stiles' house]

Cora: [follows his lead, hands in the pockets of her jacket and not really knowing what to expect]

Stiles: So You remember how before my house burned down how we had a lot of people living there?

Cora: Yeah.

Stiles: Well, if you look back you'd notice that we always had a big family, and that my mom's family had been living in Beacon Hills area since before it was even Beacon Hills. You know we actually own the preserve? Not that I typically tell people, but we do.

Cora: ... Okay? [what are you trying to get at, Stiles?]

Stiles: Stiles: [he's nervous, rambling, and his heart is starting to speed up because of that] Well, I just it's um... we have it because it gives us space to move where no one can see us. [once they are in the woods he will just follow that fading trail of her scent] And I don't mean like in a chainsaw massacre way. More like a training montage way.

Cora: [yeah, she can hear that heartbeat and she glances over her shoulder, looking for where that sound is coming from] Do you hear that?

Stiles: [smiles a bit] What do you hear?

Cora: Sounds like someone running.

Stiles: [he focuses] I don't hear any footsteps. Well, except for us.

Cora: [and now she feels like she's going insane again] It's so loud, though. Thump-thump, thump thump, thump thump ...

Stiles: Like a heartbeat?

Cora: Yeah, but a heart can be that loud.

Stiles: [smiles, stopping] Tell me if it slows down. [and he is going to close his eyes and take a few deep breaths, focusing on calming himself down and controlling that heartbeat of his]

Cora: [... then it does and she's even more confused] How did you do that?

Stiles: Alright, I'm just going to come out and say it, and we'll go from there. Cora... I'm a werewolf. And I'm pretty sure after Friday night, you're now one too. That's why you can hear my heartbeat like that. Why Dusty stank to you.

Cora: [there's a very long stare] You think I'm a werewolf. [she is not convinced] Werewolves aren't real, Stiles.

Stiles: Oh, they're very real. But it's not really like people go around saying 'Hi, I'm a mythical creature, what are you?'. That's just be crazy, right?

Cora: [buries her face in her hands because yeah that's true, but at the same time, this is too much for her skeptical scientist brain to handle] I knew this was a bad idea. I'm going home.

Stiles: You were attacked by what's called an alpha. It's someone who leads a pack, and they are the only ones who can bite someone to make a new werewolf. And they usually do it to teenagers because teenagers are more resilient and less likely to reject the bite.

Cora: And they just picked me, out of all the people in Beacon Hills?

Stiles: Well, you were alone in the woods and your senses were impaired.

Cora: And that was it? It was all it took. [and now she's clearly upset because it doesn't make it make sense, and now she feels ... oddly violated, even if she isn't sure what he's saying is true]

Stiles: Yeah. And I don;t know who did it, because it wasn't one of the alphas in town. Which isn't really a good thing on top of the whole changing you without permission part of the equation.

Cora: [yeah, no, that's not good at all] What if I don't want to be this? [because she never asked for it, even if she didn't know what it was] Can you change me back?

Stiles: No, it doesn't work that way. But I can help you control it. Teach you to use it.

Cora: I don't want to use it! I just want to be the way I was!

Stiles: Cora, you're still you. I promise.

Cora: [shakes her head as she starts to step away] I can't do this.

Stiles: Yes, you can. I can help you.

Cora: I don't want your help! [the words explode out of her in rush of anger, and her vision goes red for a moment as her eyes flash, before she closes her eyes and immediately turns, running away back towards her house and safety]

Stiles: Shit. [and he is going to run and put himself in her way] Cora, stop!

Cora: Leave me alone! [she's not shifting, not completely, but she can hear her heartbeat in her ears and she can't seem to get away from it]

Stiles: Cora, you need to calm down.

Cora: You trying to keep me here is not helping me calm down.

Stiles: And you can't go home like this. You could hurt yourself. [or someone]

Cora: [she shoves away from him, tears evident in her eyes as she curls on herself a bit] I was fine the way I was.

Stiles: And I'm sorry this happened to you, I really am. But I can't change the past.

Cora: [it's also really not Stiles' fault, but that's not really helping her at the moment] Can I go home now? [she's calmer, even if completely dejected]

Stiles: Just one more thing. The next full moon is in two weeks. Take time to process all this, but you need to at least let me train you to be able to keep control during the moon or, well, it'll get messy.

Cora: Fine. Whatever. [and with that she'll brush past him to go back to the quiet of her own room]

Stiles: [and he will go home where he will break the news to his dad because someone needs to know why he'll be stalking Cora for the next two weeks and isn't being a sexual predator]

Cora: [and she will curl up in her room with her dog and try and beg out of going to school the next day because she doesn't want to deal with people]

Thomas: Are you sick? Are you bleeding, or any body parts falling off?

Cora: I feel like crap. [which is true, and she almost never takes a sick day from school so please let her do this, Dad?]

Thomas: That's not really a good excuse. [sighs] Do you have a test today?

Cora: [she shakes her head] No.

Thomas: Alright, but if I say yes, you're going to come help me feed the animals this evening in return for my slippage in parental responsibility.

Cora: [nods in agreement] Deal.

Thomas: Enjoy your day off.

Cora: Thanks, Daddy.

Stiles: [and he is going to not like the fact she's not there, thinking she's avoiding him specifically so he will probably go to check on her, but try to in a way she won't see him so she can have her space]

Cora: [And she'll just be hanging out in her room with her dog, and if he doesn't interrupt her beforehand, she'll eventually get dressed and go to the clinic to meet her dad. Where the dogs will react very strongly to her and she probably bursts into tears]

Thomas: [and that is odd] Cora, what's going on?

Cora: [just sinks down against the wall where one of the dogs continues to growl at her, completely on edge. She just looks up at her dad, completely dejected because she doesn't even know what to tell him. and she used to be able to tell her dad anything] Something happened. And I can't fix it. [one hand comes up to swipe at her cheeks] I don't even know how to talk about it.

Thomas: [and he will guide her towards his office, closing the door so that the dogs can calm down] Try me.

Cora: [she pulls her legs into her chest as she sits, trying to figure out where to start] At the party on Friday, I moved away from the group to get some air and ... Stiles says it was a werewolf. An alpha or something. And it ... it bit me.

Thomas: [and he frowns] Did he say which alpha?

Cora: [she blinks a bit that he believes her without question or isn't telling her not to be ridiculous but she just keeps talking] No. But he said it wasn't one of the local ones.

Thomas: Okay. Well, how are you feeling? Were you actually not feeling well today and just didn't want to tell me how you really felt?

Cora: [she shakes her head] No, I'm really fine. I just .... didn't know how to deal.

Thomas: Well, there's no real good way to deal with this. But if you feel fine, that's a good sign.

Cora: Stiles says that he has to teach me. [she brings one hand up to brush against her cheek] How to control it. I don't even know what "it" is.

Thomas: [sighs, going to sit next to her and pull her close] It's a lot of things. And Stiles is very kind to offer to train you. [though he's very young and Thomas would prefer Satomi, sorry Stiles]

Cora: [curls into him, before looking up curiously] How do you know?

Thomas: Because I spent a lot of time with the local werewolves.

Cora: So you knew they were real?

Thomas: I've known for most of my adult life. But it's not something I talk about to anyone.

Cora: Why not?

Thomas: Because it's safer for everyone in town not to believe in the creatures in town. It's a balance that I help protect.

Cora: Well, now I'm one of them.

Thomas: So it seems. But it's not the end of the world. In fact, in some ways it's a good thing.

Cora: How?

Thomas: You know how you hate your allergies?

Cora: Yeah?

Thomas: They're never going to bother you again. Werewolves have a healing factor, and it keeps you from getting sick. You're also going to be faster, stronger... all your senses will be heightened.

Cora: Yeah. I've been noticing some of that.

Thomas: It's going to really improve your soccer game. Stiles will probably need to show you how to control yourself so you don't feel like you're cheating because you're going to be so much better at it.

Cora: [she wrinkles her nose because she didn't want the attention that's probably going to bring] Maybe I can convince Coach to keep me on the bench.

Thomas: Why?

Cora: I don't want the attention.

Thomas: You won't draw attention once you control it.

Cora: I just don't want to be different.

Thomas: Baby, you already were. Everyone is different. You're unique, and that is not a bad thing.

Cora: No, I know, but ... I don't want to be noticed.

Thomas: Then let Stiles show you how.

Cora: Okay.

Thomas: He told you that he's one of the local alphas, right?

Cora: I think so? I don't know, it was all kind of a lot at once.

Thomas: Well, he is. he doesn't have a pack, though and he's never had a beta before, so be patient with him too.

Cora: I'll try.

Thomas: [kisses her forehead] You're going to be okay, sweetheart. I promise.

Cora: I just ... I didn't ask for this.

Thomas: I know. But sometimes we get things handed to us, and it's up to us to make the best of it, and use it.

Cora: Yeah, I know. This just ... it feels ... wrong.

Thomas: Right now, it will. But it will get better.

Cora: I hope so. [a hesitant pause] Are you going to tell Mom?

Thomas: No. Mom doesn't know what I do with the local packs either. Neither do your siblings. But when you're ready to tell them, I will have your back.

Cora: Okay. [shifts up and gives him a kiss on the cheek] Thanks, Dad. For giving me someone to talk to.

Thomas: [hugs his daughter] You can always talk to me, sweetheart. About anything, including this.

Cora: [she nods, and then after a moment, with a bit of a pout] Are the dogs ever going to like me again?

Thomas: Of course. Dusty hasn't turned on you, right?

Cora: [she shakes her head] But he's with me all the time.

Thomas: And he knows you're a safe person. You just have to find a new way to prove it.

Cora: [takes a deep breath and nods] Okay.

Thomas: Dusty didn't like Stiles for a while, but I saw yesterday Dusty was letting him pet him.

Cora: [she nods] I guess it'll just take time.

Thomas: [nods]

Cora: [sighs] I should probably go finish feeding them.

Thomas: Let me know if it gets to be too much.

Cora: I will. [and she'll go back, determined to win some of them over at least, and she's patient enough that it works some of the time]

Thomas: [that's his girl]