CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX:
GOT A SENSE I'VE BEEN BETRAYED
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Theo and Elena stand across from Malia and Braeden as they gather around the table in the Animal Clinic. Pictures of where Deaton is being held lying all over it. The mercenary staring daggers at the Raeken boy while she counts how many barrels she has for her gun, "What's the problem?" The werecoyote asks, noticing Braeden fell silent after they had explained the plan of rescuing Deaton.

"Besides the fact that I've never seen this place beyond a few aerial photos and we're basically going in blind," She explains, closing her gun and pointing it at the two other teenagers across the table, "Them."

"Would you mind not pointing that thing at us?" Theo asks but before Braeden can say or do anything, Elena lowers the gun with a simple motion from her hand. The Raeken boy laughs slightly, turning to face the huntress beside him, "Thanks." He whispers, earning an eye roll from the Mercenary as the Tate girl continues.

"They're coming with us," Malia announces, causing Braeden to look at her with a dumbfounded look as she rolls her eyes.

The mercenary motions with her head towards the two teenagers across from them, "He tried to kill Scott. And she isn't in the right headspace."

"Technically, I did kill Scott. And she's never felt better," Theo responds, glancing at the huntress who nods in agreement to his response.

Braeden slightly cocks her head to the side before adding, "I should kill you."

"Won't happen with a shotgun," The Raeken boy tells her, a slight smirk hinting on his face.

Malia looks between Braeden and Theo before shaking her head, "Stop. Both of you." She shouts, interrupting their bickering which causes the mercenary to finally put down the gun, her finger still hovering over the trigger.

A sigh escapes the Raeken boy's mouth before stepping forward towards the two girl's across from him, "I did what I had to do to survive. The Dread Doctors wanted everybody dead. I convinced them that it could just be Scott."

Braeden rolls her eyes, not believing a word Theo said as she turns to look at the Tate girl, "You could still tell Scott."

"When we have Deaton back," Malia firmly instructs while nodding her head.

A sigh escapes Braeden's mouth, frustration clear in her voice when she speaks, "He's not going to blame you for the Desert Wolf taking him."

"But he might stop me from killing her," The werecoyote tells her before glancing over towards Theo and Elena, "They won't."

The Raeken boy begins to step forward as he motions towards himself and the brunette behind him, "Actually, we're planning to help."

"Don't be so confident. She's known to carry pretty heavy firepower," Braeden explains, making Elena step forward and standing next to the Raeken boy.

"What would a werecoyote need with guns?" The Calavera girl asks, crossing her arms over her chest as she looks towards the mercenary.

Braeden slowly shakes her head, "There's a story. I don't know all the details, but something happened a long time ago. Somehow, she lost part of her power. She's not as fast or as strong as she used to be. But she can still pull a trigger and she's a perfect shot."

After those last words left Braeden's mouth, the room fell silent, everyone just glancing towards one another before Malia finally speaks up, "The sun's going down. We need to go. Are you coming or not?" The mercenary chuckles slightly before grabbing the shells to her gun and following the three teenagers outside.

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Braeden uses a pair of night vision binoculars, scanning the building in front of them as Malia, Elena, and Theo stand next to her waiting for the plan, "No guards, no lights. This place looks completely abandoned."

"That should be easier for us, right?" The Tate girl asks, earning a slow head shake from the mercenary as she brings the binoculars down from her eyes before turning to look at the werecoyote.

"Not necessarily. Especially if she knows we're coming," She tells her, glancing back towards the building as she continues, "You're sure this is the place you saw?"

Malia shrugs her shoulders while Braeden turns back to look at her, "Unless there's another Fort Jewett."

Theo steps forward, causing all eyes to fall on him before he spoke, "Maybe she left. Maybe Deaton's already gone."

"I'm not walking away on a maybe," The Tate girl announces, earning a sigh from the mercenary's mouth as she slowly shakes her head.

"And I'm not walking in on so much uncertainty," Braeden tells her, causing Malia to furrow her eyebrows before speaking.

"You said you've been after her for years?" She questions, catching Elena's attention since she wants to know Braeden's answer, especially because she wants to find out if somehow her mother's connected.

"And why do you think it's been years?" Braeden asks, her tone full of frustration and annoyance as she tries to get through to the Tate girl one last time, "Because she knows what she's doing. She took Scott's boss for a reason. We don't know what it is. We don't know if she's back in Beacon Hills because she's missed you all this time and can't wait for a mother-daughter reunion or if she's planning to put a bullet in your head. We don't know anything."

"We know one thing. We know where she is," Malia states, glancing between her friends before motioning towards the supposedly abandoned building, "I'm going in. I have to." She finishes, earning a sigh from the mercenary as she watches the werecoyote begin to walk forward. Elena, Braeden, and Theo share a look with one another before quickly following after her.

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The group carefully enters the building, Elena's eyes begin to scan her surroundings, looking for either the Desert Wolf or Deaton. However, her search comes up empty when she only spots a bunch of military vehicles and weapons. The Calavera girl stops in her tracks, noticing Malia had caught a scent of something.

A frown forms on the Tate girl's lips as she tries to make sense of what she smelt, "There's something wrong." The werecoyote mumbles, causing Theo to swallow an anxious lump in the back of his throat.

Braeden furrows her eyebrows, glancing around the room when she spoke, "Is it a scent?" She asks, earning a slow head shake from Malia as she begins to get a better understanding of what it is.

"I don't know," She mumbles which causes an uneasy feeling to creep down Elena's spine as the group continues moving forward. The Calavera girl's eyes widen when they turn the corner and see Deaton strapped down in a chair. A bright fluorescent light shines down onto the Alan man while his mouth had been covered with duct tape.

Deaton lifts his head, showing clear signs of panic and fear when he makes eye contact with the group in front of him. The look he gives her causes Braeden to instantly realize that this is a trap, and she immediately spins on her heel with her gun aiming at Theo. However, the Raeken boy is quick to grab the barrel with one hand while he blocks her kick with the other.

Theo then uses the same free hand to put Braeden in a choke-hold before slamming her onto the ground. Once she was down, he takes her gun and uses the butt of it to knock her out by hitting it against her temple. He then turns back towards Malia and Elena, the werecoyote growls at him with anger radiating throughout her entire body, clearly upset at his betrayal.

The huntress, however, stands there in shock, not knowing what to do in this moment. Snapping the Calavera girl out of her thoughts is the sound of the gun firing before landing in the Tate girl's abdomen. Malia clutches her stomach, a groan escaping her lips as she backs away from the Raeken boy.

"It was me, wasn't it?" Theo asks, lowering the gun and walking towards the werecoyote with a guilty expression written on his face, "You picked up a chemosignal. Probably regret... Because I didn't really want to do this. But I didn't have a choice." He tells her before throwing the gun aside, sliding it across the floor where a foot instantly stops it.

Elena's eyes widen when she sees the Desert Wolf standing there with a jar in her hands. The older woman tosses the jar to Theo who catches it with ease and holds it up in the air, revealing the same blue talons from the creature that attacked Scott at Senior Scribe.

The Raeken boy's eyes glow gold as he smirks at the jar in his hands before finally turning back towards Malia, "You should have listened to Braeden." He tells her, gently grabbing the Calavera girl's hand as he begins to exit the room.

However, the Desert Wolf steps in front of the two, looking the Calavera girl up and down as if she was inspecting her. A smirk begins to form on the older woman's lips, "Say hi to Rosanna for me, Elena. I have a feeling you'll be seeing her sooner than you think." She tells her, causing the huntress to furrow her eyebrows.

But before she can ask about the Desert Wolf's words, Theo quickly pulls her out of the room. Once the two were outside, Elena instantly snatches her wrist back which causes Theo to instantly look back at her.

"Are you stupid? They were supposed to help me find my mom after we found Deaton and The Desert Wolf. But now, now they're not gonna wanna help me since you left them for dead!" She exclaims, her voice lacing with anger and frustration at the Raeken boy's actions.

Theo inhales sharply, looking at the girl with pleading eyes, "I have a plan, okay? While we were doing this, I sent Corey, Tracy, and Josh on another mission. A mission to find someone who will know where your mom is. You just need to just trust me, Elena."

A scoff falls from the huntress's lips, "Trust you? You didn't even tell me your top secret plan of getting those things." She says, motioning towards the jar before throwing her hands in the air, "But sure let me just put all my trust in a guy who only trusts himself."

Theo runs a frustrated hand through his hair, clearly stressed by the situation he was currently in with the Calavera girl, "God, why can't you see that I'm doing this for you? For us!" He shouts, using his hands to emphasize his words.

Elena stares at him with confusion, her eyebrows furrowing when she spoke, "What the hell are you talking about?" She asks, causing the Raeken boy to inhale sharply as he tries to think of a response. A dry chuckle escapes the Calavera girl's mouth when she doesn't get an answer, "You know what, it doesn't even matter. Because when it comes down to it, everyone knows Theo Raeken will choose power over anything."

Before Theo can say anything, his phone rings from his back pocket. A sigh escapes his lips as he reaches for it, scanning over the name before pressing the green button, "What?" He harshly asks, earning an eye roll from Elena as Theo puts the phone on speaker.

Corey Bryant speaks up from the other side of the phone, "We found him. We found Deucalion." The Bryant boy pauses, earning a nod from Theo before Corey continues, "And he knows how to find Rosanna." Once those words left Corey's mouth, Theo instantly looks towards Elena who stood there with widen eyes because not only was she going to meet the alpha that bit her sister, but she also found a way to find her mom.

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Elena follows Theo into the Dread Doctors lab, her arms crossing over her chest since she was still upset that he didn't inform her of his top secret mission. The Raeken boy slowly creaks the door open, causing the Calavera girl's eyes to widen when she sees Corey, Tracy, and Josh all covered in their own blood, "All this to take down one blind werewolf."

Theo says, stopping in front of Tracy to look her in the eyes. The Stewart girl quickly diverts her gaze towards her feet, disappointed in herself after her alpha's words. A voice spoke up in the room, making Elena instantly whip her head to who had spoke, "Recently re-blinded. Unfortunately, the healing of my eyes by a Dark Druid proved only temporary. A parting gift from my time with Scott McCall. Friend of yours?"

A dry chuckle escapes Theo's mouth before he responds, "We're working through some issues." He tells him, making Tracy step forward as she glances between the huntress and the Raeken boy.

"He knows why he's here," The Stewart girl pauses, turning back to look at Deucalion before bringing her attention back to her alpha, "He knows about the Beast. And he knows about The Witch."

Deucalion slowly nods his head, "The Beast of Gevaudan and The Scarlet Witch. History's most viscous, most famous werewolf and witch." He states, causing goosebumps to form on Elena's arms as she waits for him to continue, "And you think I'm going to show you how to steal the Beasts power. And also help you find one of my good friends, Rosanna Calavera."

Theo crouches down to be eye-level with the alpha, a small smirk resting on his lips before responding, "I think you're open to negotiation. All you have to do is tell me what you want."

"I want his eyes. On the tips of my claws," Deucalion says, showing his claws to the group as he continues his request, "I want the eyes of Scott McCall."

Meanwhile, Scott McCall and most of his pack gathers in his kitchen. The alpha glances at everyone, a small smile resting on his lips when he makes eye contact with each and every one of his pack members. He places a black book down onto the table, the words 'Eichen Security Log' written on the cover.

Everyone slowly nods, looking over the blueprints that were also placed onto the table. Scott connects eyes with Stiles before finally speaking up, "Now we get Lydia." He pauses, switching his gaze towards Marcos, Adriana, and Brett as he adds, "And Elena."

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AUTHORS NOTE

Hey guys and welcome to chapter twenty six of Howl !! I hope you all enjoyed this chapter and I can't wait until the next chapter where things begin to come together.

So sorry for the wait on this chapter, I just had insane writer's block for anything other than my new Cobra Kai story which is now finish, so I'm hoping to get back into my Teen Wolf fics !!

Now, I did look over this chapter before publishing, but if there are any mistakes I should know about please let me know. And thank you guys so much for all of the love and support, it means the absolute world to me !! 

Please don't forget to vote and comment, it helps me out a lot, and it gives me even more motivation to continue writing <33

— Brooke

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