Morning had settled over the Argent house.
From a narrow gap in the living room curtains, Kate watched Trevor return from his morning run. Her eyes tracked every step, every shift of muscle beneath his shirt—the straight posture, the controlled breathing, the steady rhythm. It was the trained gaze of someone in her line of work, assessing, measuring, calculating.
Then, suddenly, Trevor turned his head toward the window.
For a split second, their eyes almost met.
Kate let the curtain fall at once and stepped away with practiced ease, heading into the kitchen where Allison was having breakfast.
"Does Trevor run every day?"
"I think so. He said something about needing to get back in shape."
"Hm."
"What?"
"Nothing. Just curious."
"If you're that curious, you could just ask him."
"I'm curious why a Belmont would move to Beacon Hills. No offense to the town, of course… but there's nothing particularly interesting here."
"I don't know… but why do you always put so much emphasis on his family?"
"I have no idea what you're talking about, sweetheart."
"Oh, come on. You, Dad, and Mom always stress his family whenever you talk about Trevor."
Kate rested her hands on the counter, thoughtful for a moment before answering.
"His family is very old. Much older than ours. They've always had stronger ties to Europe. Seeing a member of the Belmont family living here is… unusual."
"Wait. Our family is old?"
Kate's lips curved in a faint smile.
"Maybe you should take more interest in our family than in other people's, sweetheart."
Allison made a small face.
"Right… well, it's time to go. See you later, Kate."
"Drive safe, honey."
Allison left with Trevor, the car pulling away toward school. Kate remained in the doorway, watching until the vehicle disappeared around the bend in the street.
The moment it was out of sight, her smile shifted.
Cold. Calculating.
She made a few quick calls, gathered her things, and left to meet an old acquaintance.
Not long after, Kate stood with two armed men in front of what remained of the Hale house.
The air still carried the scent of old ashes.
They entered and searched every burned-out room, every dark corner, every lingering shadow.
Nothing.
No recent scent. No sign of life.
Fortunately for Derek, Trevor had warned him the house was no longer safe—that hunters, especially Kate, could show up at any time. As a precaution, Derek had relocated temporarily. By luck—or perhaps fate—he had found shelter in an abandoned subway station.
"Damn it…"
Kate kicked a charred piece of furniture, scattering ash across the floor.
"He ran."
Drawing a steady breath to compose herself, she pulled out her phone and called her brother.
"Hi, Chris. Derek's gone. When I got here, the place was empty."
"What do you mean? What are you even doing there?"
"I came to investigate Derek."
"Don't give me that. You know we follow the code. You can't just break in without proof. What if he were the Alpha? Without backup, you wouldn't stand a chance."
"If you were actually doing something instead of standing around— And speaking of backup, I have a pretty good idea who we should call next time."
"No. Don't involve him. I promised his grandfather I'd protect him."
"You know he'd be a valuable addition against the Alpha."
"Kate."
"Fine. We'll talk later."
"Later."
She ended the call.
But her expression made it clear that conversation was far from over.
As Kate drove home, something very different was unfolding at the hospital.
A red-haired nurse slipped quietly into a room and locked the door behind her.
"I came as fast as I could, Peter."
A man sat in a chair, half his face marred by deep burn scars, staring at the wall in absolute silence.
At the sound of her voice, he slowly turned his head.
"I mean… sir."
She corrected herself quickly.
"Better."
Peter rose and walked toward her. With every step, the nurse seemed to shrink, as though the air around them had grown heavier.
He lifted her chin with two fingers.
"Looks like you've adjusted to the transformation."
"Yes, sir."
"Good. The full moon is approaching. Once you can control yourself during it, you'll achieve your hybrid form."
She simply nodded.
"Did you do what I asked?"
"Yes. I found out Scott's mother works here at the hospital."
A slow smile spread across Peter's scarred face.
"Perfect."
He released her chin and returned to his chair.
"Oh… what am I going to do with you, Scott?"
He murmured it almost to himself.
"Why do you want him, sir?" the nurse asked.
"I've told you before. We're stronger as a pack. Three betas and one Alpha… everyone becomes more powerful. And I'll need that strength to deal with the hunters in this town."
He tilted his head slightly.
"By the way, did you look into the Belmont?"
"Yes, sir. Trevor Belmont II arrived recently and lives near the Argents. Do you want me to follow him?"
"No. Don't go after him alone. First, we form the pack. On the next full moon, we'll draw Scott out. A newly turned werewolf won't be able to control himself. We'll make him destroy his old ties. Once he cuts himself off from them… he'll join my pack."
"And Derek, sir?"
"I'll deal with him later. It's easier to manipulate a young wolf than an experienced one. Besides… he was never particularly open to following me."
"I understand."
"Good. Now go. We don't want unwanted attention."
She left in silence.
Peter remained seated, eyes fixed on nothing.
Planning.
That night, after the Argent family dinner, Kate lay on her bed, exhausted from arguing with Chris about the code and the limits she clearly had no intention of respecting.
A soft knock sounded at the door.
"Come in."
"Hi, Kate."
Allison stepped inside. Kate sat up when she saw her.
"Hi, sweetheart. Do you need something?"
"I… I was curious about what you said about our family. And coincidentally, my history teacher assigned a project about researching our own family."
Kate smiled.
'Looks like my luck isn't as bad as I thought.'
"Of course, sweetheart. Actually… I have something for you."
She removed a silver necklace from around her neck, a wolf and a star intertwined.
"This is a family heirloom."
Kate fastened the necklace around Allison's neck.
"Look at that symbol and research 'La Bête du Gévaudan.' You'll realize our family's history is much older than you imagine."
"Thank you, Kate… but what about the necklace? You never take it off."
"Consider it an early birthday present."
"Thank you, thank you! I'll take good care of it."
"I'm glad you like it."
Allison walked to the door, but before leaving, she turned back.
"Thank you so much for the help."
"Anytime."
When the door closed, Kate's smile changed.
Wider.
More dangerous.
'You won't be able to hide this much longer, Chris… but don't worry. I'll teach Allison properly.'