In the middle of the night, a single road stretched toward Beacon Hills as a car cut through the darkness, and inside, a blonde woman — beautiful, around twenty-seven — drove while softly singing along to a pop song playing on the radio, not noticing the movement in the trees where shadows followed the car from a distance, something running between the trunks that made her frown slightly and check the rearview mirror, only to find nothing there.
Then something slammed hard into the side of the car.
"What the hell—?" she breathed, looking in the mirror again and catching a blur, two red eyes glowing in the dark, and before she could react, something landed on the hood, the metal denting under its weight, so without hesitation she let go of the steering wheel with one hand, grabbed a shotgun from the passenger seat, and fired multiple rounds straight through the roof of the car. The shots echoed down the empty road, and in the mirror she saw something fall, so she slammed the brakes, the car screeching to a stop as she stepped out, shotgun already in hand. "Come on out, puppy. Show yourself," she called, firing two more shots into the air, but silence answered, so she walked to the trunk and opened it, revealing a carefully organized arsenal: a sniper rifle, pistols, blades — and a wooden box. She opened it. Wolfsbane rounds. As she reloaded the rifle, she typed quick messages on her phone, never taking her eyes off the darkness around her.
A howl tore through the night, loud, then another, weaker, and she slowly raised the rifle, catching movement on the roof of a nearby building — shadows — and she didn't hesitate, firing and watching a body fall from above as the remaining shapes disappeared into the night. Minutes later, another car approached, and Chris Argent stepped out, alert, one hand near his holster. "You okay?" he asked, and she answered, "I'm fine. Two or three. One of them was an alpha." Chris's expression hardened. "An alpha?" She checked her weapon and explained, "They tried to kill me. When I wounded one with the shotgun, it ran and called for backup. But I hit one with wolfsbane." Chris asked, "How long does he have?" and she replied, "Forty-eight hours. Maybe less," before they got back into the car, neither of them noticing they were being watched from afar.
The next morning, Trevor finished getting ready and checked the time, realizing he still had a few minutes before Allison picked him up, so he remembered the breakfast invitation and headed over, and when he rang the doorbell, the footsteps approaching the door sounded different — lighter, unfamiliar — until the door opened and an attractive blonde woman stood in front of him. He smiled automatically, then recognized her.
"Hi. I'm Trevor. I'm here for Allison."
She studied him for a moment, amused, then called out, "Allison, there's a cutie here asking for you," before her gaze returned to him and she introduced herself: "Kate Argent. Nice to meet you."
Trevor answered smoothly, "I didn't know Allison had a sister," and her smile widened slightly, but before she could reply, Allison appeared and said, "Trevor. This is my aunt Kate. She's visiting. Come in — have breakfast with us." At the table were already Victoria and Chris, and Chris lowered his newspaper, remarking, "Didn't expect to see you this early," to which Trevor replied, "I came to see if Allison was ready. Ended up getting breakfast instead."
Kate sat across from him and asked, "So, Trevor… what do you think of Beacon Hills?" and he answered, "I like it. It's quiet. I've made a few friends." Kate's expression flickered with something knowing as she said, "Quiet almost to a fault. I had to leave when I got older. But lately… things have been getting interesting." Chris shot her a subtle look and changed the subject, saying, "We need to stop by the market later, Kate. Victoria wants to cook dinner tonight. Trevor, you're invited," and Trevor replied, "Thank you, Mr. Argent. I'll be there."
After breakfast, Trevor and Allison headed to the car, and silence lingered for a few seconds before Trevor commented, "Your aunt is… interesting." Allison immediately shot him a look and warned, "Don't even think about hitting on my aunt," making Trevor raise both hands in mock surrender as he said, "I wouldn't do that." She tried to stay serious, but ended up laughing. "Good."
After a moment, Trevor asked, "So… you and Scott?" and she blushed slightly before answering, "I don't know. We've only gone out once. But he's different." Trevor asked, "Different how?" and she replied, "He's not like the other guys I've met." Trevor pressed, "So you like him?" and she hesitated before admitting, "I think so. He's coming over this afternoon to study." Trevor smirked and said, "Study," and she shot back, "Just study," making him chuckle quietly as the rest of the drive passed in silence until they reached school.