don't call it love magic, scott. it sounds creepy.

[ 3.11 — 3.12 ]

Deucalion's first priority, despite his words, wasn't to hunt down Jennifer. First, he sought out his own emissary, determined to get rid of her on the off chance that Morrell was on the Darach's side.

Of course, he wasn't the one to do the tracking. He left that to Kali and the twins. Morrell was resourceful and knew they were coming for her, meaning it took quite some time to find her. And while they were searching, Willow had nothing to do but wait and follow Deucalion around with Scott.

The blind alpha had tucked away his white cane and requested for Willow to lead him everywhere. They were deep in the preserve, knowing that Morrell had fled into the woods to hide.

"You could've let me go to school," Willow muttered under her breath.

She wasn't pleased with missing a day of class, but Deucalion wanted to keep her and Scott separated from the others. No doubt, her phone that was tucked away in Deucalion's pocket was blowing up with messages and calls from Stiles and Derek.

She was praying that one of those messages was telling her that Cora was healing.

"Is she always like this?" Deucalion asked Scott. Willow had complained about missing class at least five times since the sun came up and Deucalion informed them they wouldn't be going to school.

"She values education more than she values all her material possessions," Scott told him, sighing. "And she certainly values it more than taking the day off to be dragged around the woods for no reason. It's not like she can help track Morrell."

"Now, now, Scott. I'm not wasting her time. While we wait for the others to find her, I fully plan to uphold my end of our deal," Deucalion said, turning toward Willow.

"You said you'd teach me to control this," Willow said, frowning. "Whatever this is — whatever I am."

"You know Latin, don't you, Willow?" Deucalion asked, earning a nod. "Give me the English translation for Incantator."

Willow tilted her head, the word coming to mind. "Charmer."

Deucalion smirked at her. "You, Miss Worthington, are quite the Charmer."

The night of Willow's birthday — the night he warned her of his plan to bite her — Deucalion had said the exact same thing to her. It was a heavily veiled hint. An idiom that Willow now understood.

"An Incantator?" Scott questioned, the new word sounding awkward as he tried to pronounce it. "Jackson was the kanima because that reflected the person he was. So what exactly makes someone an Inc — I'm just gonna say Charmer."

Willow tensed up as Deucalion trailed a finger along her cheek, feeling her features. "Innocent. Kind. Pure. Delicate. But most of all, cherished by all those that they meet, even when human."

"So because I'm a nice person, I can heal people with kisses and tell them what to do?" Willow asked, shaking her head to get Deucalion's hand off her.

"You're not just nice, Willow," he said, scoffing. "It's to my understanding that you forgave a friend for leaving you for dead in a police station. You are friends with Peter Hale, the psychotic alpha who killed countless people. Even now, you don't want Jennifer, the woman who murdered your father, dead. You just want to stop her. And you're still leading me through these woods, careful to make sure I didn't stumble even though I forced a bite on you."

"That's just called being a decent human—"

"It's not," he interrupted. "I told you that we watched you for months before making our arrival known. There are only a handful of people like you. So blindly loyal and kind and forgiving and caring. And that is why Incantators have the powers that they have — because they're the only ones that would never abuse it."

Willow let his words sink in. Even Peter the first time he met her that night in her backyard thought that there was something different about her. It was why he didn't bite her, not wanting to have an unknown supernatural creature get in the way of his plans.

"So that's why she can heal people," Scott murmured.

"Only other supernatural creatures, as they already have power to strengthen. Willow, you care so much about others, that you reach out to them with your very soul to heal them with a kiss," Deucalion said. "Kali may be annoyed about Boyd's survival, but I see it as a testament to how quickly your abilities are manifesting."

"Just what exactly does being an Incantator entail?" Willow asked. "I don't exactly want to run around with the ability to mind control people. I'd never want to take away someone's free will."

Deucalion chuckled. "That reluctance to even use the power is a reason you have it. Charmspeak is an incredibly powerful and dangerous ability."

"That's what you meant that night," Willow realized. "You said that no one would ever stand against you if I was in your pack because they wouldn't be able to resist."

"What exactly is Charmspeak?" Scott asked, not familiar with the word.

"It's the mind control thing," Willow said, turning to him. "The ability to persuade others to do what you want just by speaking. It's why Aiden stopped attacking Cora even though he didn't want to."

"He did it because you wanted him to. The power behind the command and effectiveness is tied to your emotions," Deucalion explained. "You were on edge and scared in the locker room, which led to a surge in your power. You reached out to Aiden's mind without even meaning to. So imagine what you could do when you learn to control it. And once you learn to control the last ability, no one would stand a chance against you."

"There's more?" Willow asked, the blood draining from her face. Healing was one thing, but being able to control someone horrified her.

"It's not necessarily an ability — more of an aura that surrounds you. Even as a human, it was only natural for others to like you, want to be near you, love you. That's been amplified now. Supernatural creatures, in particular, will be drawn to you. Most, though not all, will feel a need to protect you on an instinctive level. And that aura is something that you can expand, manipulating the aspects of love and desire in others — increase it or even take it away."

"That's a horrible thing," Willow said. "To take someone's free will and to alter their emotions to get what you want is cruel. It's immoral."

"And yet it will prove quite useful in our future," Deucalion said, a wicked grin on his lips. "But to do that, you need to know how to control it."

☽︎

"Let's agree to not tell Derek about the fifteen seconds where I thought I was in love with you," Scott muttered as they moved through the trees. "Because I don't think that he'd consider Deucalion forcing you to use your love magic on me as a valid excuse, and then he'd break my hand."

"Don't call it love magic, Scott. It sounds creepy," Willow said, sighing.

Most of the afternoon was spent with Deucalion showing Willow how to access her abilities. Unfortunately for Scott, that meant he was the test subject.

Willow hadn't made much progress other than the one time she managed to reach him with the so-called "aura" that surrounded her. Scott proceeded to make a fool of himself by declaring his undying love for her that came out of nowhere. She was able to make him do a few simple things with the Charmspeak — and by simple, she meant raising a hand or picking up stones.

So when the other alphas caught up to Morrell, putting an end to the training session, Willow was relieved. She was exhausted and a little sweaty and tired of taking away Scott's bodily autonomy just to appease Deucalion.

Scott, Willow, and Deucalion all stepped into the small clearing that Morrell had been trapped in. She surrounded herself with a circle of mountain ash to keep Kali and the twins away from her.

"How did you know, Marin, that we'd come for you?" Deucalion asked, walking up to the line of mountain ash.

"Because Jennifer and I are the same. And I know you've always been suspicious of us, of what we can do," she replied, glaring hatefully at him.

"With good reason. We know you sent that girl — the one who helped Isaac," Kali said. Willow looked at Morrell in surprise. Most of them had forgotten the girl that saved Isaac, assuming she was dead.

"What was her name?" Deucalion asked.

"Braeden. And I sent her to do what I've always done — maintain balance."

"What do you know about Jennifer?" he asked.

"Nothing more than you know," Morrell said. Then she looked at Scott and Willow. "This isn't you, Scott. And it's really not you, Willow. Go back to your friends."

"I've upheld my side of the bargain with Willow, and now she'll help me bring down the woman that killed her father," Deucalion said. "As for Scott, he can decide what's right for himself."

"Not without all the information. Have you told him everything you've done? How you've piled up bodies in a narcissistically psychotic effort to form your perfect pack?" Morrell asked. Though she wasn't revealing anything that Scott and Willow hadn't already guessed. "Bodies that include Ennis, by the way. My brother saved him. He was alive when Deucalion went in to see him. He wants you to go after Derek, Kali, to force his decision."

Kali and the twins didn't seem to know whether to believe her or not.

"If Derek joins the pack, it paves the way for Scott. And where Derek or Willow goes, the other follows," Morrell continued.

Deucalion scoffed. "The lies people will tell when they're begging for their life."

"Ask him," Morrell said, knowing that his heartbeat couldn't lie.

Before anyone could ask anything, Deucalion removed the tip from his cane, revealing a sharp blade. He threw it swiftly, the weapon stabbing Morrell in the shoulder. She fell back, her feet dragging across the ground and breaking the mountain ash barrier.

Kali growled and stepped toward Morrell, but Scott got there first, holding Morrell up. "Hey, back off," he ordered, making sure Kali and the twins stayed away. Then he carefully pulled the cane out of her shoulder. "I'm not going to let them kill you. But if you know something, if you know where they are—"

"The Nemeton," Morrell told him weakly. "You find that, you'll find Jennifer. Find the Nemeton."

☽︎

In a gesture of good faith that they'd return, Deucalion let Willow and Scott go. They met Stiles and Deaton at the entrance to the preserve. And it seemed that though they had been split up, they were just as aware of the need to find the Nemeton as Scott and Willow.

"How'd you guys find out?" Scott asked once Deaton explained how they'd need him to find the Nemeton.

"Lydia," Stiles answered. "You?"

"Morrell," Scott said, looking at Deaton as he mentioned his sister. "None of the other alphas know where it is either."

"So if this works, are you gonna tell them?" Stiles asked.

"I can't stop Jennifer without them," Scott said, sighing. "And Deucalion thinks she'll have figured out a way to block Willow's love magic to stop—"

"Don't call it love magic," Willow groaned.

"What—"

"Literally, too long of a story," she interrupted Stiles, shaking her head.

"How about we concentrate on finding your parents first?" Deaton asked. Though when Scott said 'love magic,' he had a pretty good guess as to what Willow was now.

"What's the plan?" Scott asked.

"Essentially, you, Allison, and Stiles need to be surrogate sacrifices for your parents," Deaton explained.

"They die for them?" Willow asked, her voice going up an octave. How was them dying any better?

"But he can bring us back," Stiles assured her and Scott. Then he glanced nervously at Deaton. "You can - you can bring us back, right?"

"You remember the part where I said it was dangerous?" he asked. "If it goes right, the three of you will be dead for a few seconds, but there's something else you need to think about. This is a dangerous thing for more reasons than one. You'll be giving power back to the Nemeton, a place that hasn't had power for a long time. This kind of power is like a magnet. It attracts the supernatural, the kind of things that a family like the Argents can fill the pages of a bestiary with. It will draw them here, like a beacon."

"Doesn't sound any worse than anything we've already seen," Stiles muttered.

"You'd be surprised at what you have yet to see," Deaton said, a dark look in his eyes.

"Is that it?" Scott asked.

"No. It'll also have an effect on the three of you. You won't be able to see it, but you'll feel it every day for the rest of your lives. It'll be a kind of darkness around your heart, and permanent, like a scar."

Scott rubbed his arm, thinking of the night this all started. The night with the deer. "Like a tattoo."

☽︎

Three tin metal tubs were filled with water and ice and different herbs that only Deaton could identify. Scott, Stiles, and Allison eyed them warily while Willow, Lydia, Isaac, and Deaton stood to the side.

"All right. What did you bring?" Deaton asked the three of them.

"Um, I got my dad's badge. Jennifer kind of crushed it in her hand, so I tried hammering it out a bit. Still doesn't look great," Stiles mumbled, looking at the dented badge.

"Well, it doesn't need to look good if it has meaning," Deaton told him.

"Is that an actual silver bullet?" Isaac asked, eying the object in Allison's hand.

She nodded, looking down at it as well. "My dad made it. It's kind of a ceremonial thing. When one of us finishes learning all the skills to be a hunter, we forge a silver bullet as a testament to the code."

"Scott?" Deaton asked.

In his hand, he had a watch that Melissa wore almost every day. "My dad got my mom this watch when she first got hired at the hospital. She used to say it was the only thing in their marriage that ever worked."

"Okay, the three of you will get in. Each of them will hold you down until you're essentially, well, dead," Deaton said, nodding to the three other teens. "But it's not just someone to hold you under. It needs to be someone who can pull you back, someone that has a strong connection to you, a kind of emotional tether."

Scott and Stiles both looked at Willow in sync, knowing she was who they were closest with. Lydia automatically moved to Allison's side.

"I hate Isaac," Stiles muttered, making Isaac scoff and Willow giggle.

"Willow goes with Stiles," Deaton told them.

It was the logical decision. Scott kept Isaac from leaving town during the kanima trouble. He took him in when he had nowhere to go. And Isaac thought of Scott as his alpha more than Derek — perhaps that should've been their first clue to the True Alpha possibility.

Willow grabbed Stiles' hand and squeezed it comfortingly. "You're mine, Benchwarmer."

With their partners sorted, the three of them got ready to go into the ice baths. Stiles looked back at Willow nervously, who offered a smile.

"It's gonna be fine," she whispered, turning him back toward the tub. Willow placed a kiss to the back of his shoulder. "Let's find your dad."

Taking a deep breath, they all stepped into their respective tubs. By the time they were all the way in, covered up to their necks in freezing cold water, they were shivering.

"By the way," Stiles said, looking at Scott. "If I don't make it back and you do, you should probably know something. Your dad's in town."

Then Deaton was nodding to those not in the water. Willow placed her hands on Stiles' shoulder, and he relaxed a bit feeling her warm touch. He did his best not to fight once she pushed him under.

And then all three of them died.

☽︎

Willow was half asleep but jolted awake when the three bodies came up gasping for air at the same time. Isaac, Lydia, and Deaton also got to their feet, alert once more.

"I saw it. I know where it is!" Scott explained, pulling himself out of the tub.

"We passed it," Stiles continued. "There's - there's a stump, this huge tree. Well, it's not huge anymore. It was cut down. But it's still big, though, very big."

"It was the night we were looking for the body," Scott explained.

"Yeah, the same night you were bit by Peter."

"I was there too, in the car with my mother. We almost hit someone," Allison told them, still trying to catch her breath.

"It was me. You almost hit me," Scott told her. "We can find it."

It was then that the three sopping wet individuals noticed the concerned looks on the other's faces.

"What?" Allison asked.

"You guys were out a long time," Isaac said.

"How long is a long time?" Stiles questioned nervously.

"Sixteen hours," Deaton replied hesitantly.

"We've been in the water for sixteen hours?" Scott asked in alarm. It was only supposed to be a few minutes at most.

"And the full moon rises in less than four," Deaton informed them.

As the three of them processed how much time had passed, Willow and Lydia got towels and dry clothes for them all. And as Willow helped dry Stiles off, she and Scott revealed their plan to return to Deucalion.

"No, dude, you both are not going back with them!" Stiles declared angrily.

"I made a deal with Deucalion," Scott stated. He then grabbed Willow's hand. "We both did. We can't risk the consequences of breaking that deal."

"Does anyone else think that sounds a lot like a deal with the devil?" Stiles asked, trying to get the others to help.

"Why does it matter, anyway?" Isaac asked.

"Because I still don't think that we can beat Jennifer without their help," he admitted.

Allison looked to Deaton helplessly. "He trusts you more than anyone. Tell him he's wrong."

"I'm not so sure he is," Deaton said uneasily. "Circumstances like this sometimes require that you align yourself with people you'd normally consider enemies."

"So we're gonna trust him, the guy that calls himself death, destroyer of worlds?" Isaac asked, raising an eyebrow. "We're gonna trust that guy?"

"I wouldn't trust him, no," Deaton said, shaking his head. "But you could use him to your advantage. Deucalion may be the enemy, but he could also be the bait."

Before Scott could discuss making any kind of plan, they heard the front door open. Considering that the sign said closed, they all looked toward the entrance in alarm.

It was Ethan who had wandered in, clearly bothered by something. "I'm looking for Lydia and Willow."

The two girls stepped into sight, not understanding what this was about. "What do you want?" Lydia asked.

"I need your help," was all he said.

"With what?" Stiles asked, angling his body to keep Willow and Lydia behind him.

"Stopping my brother and Kali... from killing Derek."

☽︎

Willow and Scott split up, both agreeing to meet at the preserve just before the moon rose. While he went with Allison and Isaac to get something with Chris' scent on it, Stiles went to retrieve something of his father's, and Willow went with Lydia and Ethan to Derek's loft.

Cora was alive due to Derek sacrificing his alpha status, giving her some of his power so that she could live. And that left him weak and vulnerable.

As soon as Willow stepped foot inside, Derek was on her, wrapping her up in his arms.

"Do you know how worried I was?" Derek asked, looking down at her with wide eyes as he cradled her face gently. "You were gone when I woke up in that elevator."

"I know. I'm sorry but I had to," she said, placing her hands over his on her cheeks. "I had to help find a way to save their parents, and now we're gonna save you."

"Me?" he asked, his eyebrows furrowing.

"We know about the lunar eclipse," Ethan told him. "So don't think Kali's gonna sit around waiting for it to level the playing field. She's coming, and my brother's coming with her."

"Good enough for me," Peter muttered, looking at his nephew. "Derek?"

"You want me to run?" Derek asked, unimpressed. As he moved, he kept his arms around Willow's waist, not wanting her to be apart from him.

"No. I want you to stay and get slaughtered by an alpha with a psychotic foot fetish," Peter replied sarcastically. "Of course I want you to run. Sprint, gallop, leap your way the hell out of this town."

"If you want to fight and die for something, that's fine with me, but do it for something meaningful," Cora chimed in. Boyd was behind her, letting her lean back against his chest.

"How do you know I'm gonna lose?" Derek asked. It was a ridiculous question. He wasn't even an alpha anymore — even if Kali didn't know that yet.

"We don't, but I'll bet she has an idea. Don't you, Lydia?" Peter asked, stepping toward the banshee.

"I don't know anything," she replied defensively.

"But you feel something, don't you?" he asked, recognizing the haunted look on her face.

"What do you feel?" Derek asked hesitantly.

Lydia looked around the loft with wide eyes. "I feel like I'm standing in a graveyard."

"You're going," Willow said instantly, turning in Derek's arms.

Derek sighed heavily. "I can't just leave with everything—"

"Boyd, please go pack a bag for Derek," Willow said, looking at him over Derek's shoulder. The beta listened, not even sparing Derek a glance as he left the room.

"Willow," Derek said determinedly. "I'm not running, and you're not going back to Deucalion without me. It's not up for negotiation."

"I'm really sorry about this," Willow said softly.

"About what?" he asked, his head tilting in confusion.

Willow took a deep breath and swallowed her guilt before placing her hands on Derek's shoulder. She thought back to all of Deucalion's instructions. She cleared her mind and felt deep in her soul for the power that was there, waiting to be reached.

The others watched in awe as Willow and Derek's eyes both began to glow, the recently re-beta'd wolf relaxing under her touch.

"You're gonna run, Derek," Willow said, her voice level and smooth. "You're gonna get in the car, take Cora, and get to safety. And you're not gonna call any of us until you're at least a hundred miles away."

And then the pink glow faded as Willow released her hold on Derek. He was dazed for a moment, having no memory of the command. Then Derek's eyes refocused on Willow.

"That's a handy little trick," Peter muttered, earning a sharp look from Willow. His comment went right over Derek's head.

"I'll go," Derek told Willow, kissing her forehead. "And when it's all over and safe, I'm coming back for you."

☽︎

With Derek and Cora on the road, Peter opted to drive Willow to the preserve. He didn't want to stick around the loft and wait for Kali and Aiden to drop by.

"I still think you going back to Deucalion is an insanely stupid plan," Peter muttered, a tight grip on the wheel.

"I have to, Peter."

He shook his head, clenching his jaw. "You don't. And if I had it my way, you'd be in that car with Derek and Cora. Instead, you're running off into a fight with two of the most dangerous people to ever step foot in this town."

"Careful, Peter," Willow said, a small smile on her lips. "Wouldn't want anyone to overhear and find out you have compassion."

"Stop joking, Willow," he said, sighing. "I did not come back from the dead just to watch the only member of this goddamn group of teenagers that I care about die. So stop putting yourself in dangerous situations."

"Hopefully after tonight, I won't ever be in another dangerous situation ever again," she told him softly. "We'll stop Jennifer and Deucalion."

"Stop," he repeated the word, chuckling. "But not kill?"

"We're not killers, Peter. Even if they are, I don't want to see them dead."

As they neared the entrance to the preserve, Peter was lost in thought for a moment. "Do you remember the day I died? At the mall when you were shopping for that little dance?"

"Yeah," she said, recalling it. "You picked out my dress."

"I also said something to you. I said that I hope no one ever wrongs you so horribly that you understand why people like me choose violence," Peter reminded her. "That man kidnapped you, bit you, and will threaten everything in your life in order to get you in his pack. And that woman killed your father in a ritual sacrifice and then dared to show up at the funeral. Warren died in a horribly painful way. You should be begging for Derek and me to tear them apart."

"Tearing Jennifer's throat out won't bring my father back," Willow whispered, her voice cracking.

"No, but it'd be quite cathartic," Peter said with a smirk.

"Well, I'll take your word for it."

☽︎

Derek and Cora weren't even an hour out of town before things went south. A chilling scream sounded, piercing the ears of all supernatural creatures from miles away.

The car came to a screeching halt as Derek stopped on the side of the road.

"What the hell was that?" Cora asked in alarm. She hadn't heard a scream like that before.

"Lydia," Derek replied. He blinked slowly a few times, the fog that had been over his mind lifting. "Where — I wasn't going to leave. But I didn't - the scream reminded me."

Cora avoided looking at him. Somehow, Lydia's scream broke through Willow's compulsion. If things worked out with Deucalion and Jennifer, Cora sensed that the entire pack would be having a meeting about Willow's new abilities and boundaries.

"We have to go back," Derek said, pushing the confusion to the back of his mind. He turned the wheel sharply, whipping the car around to return to Beacon Hills.

☽︎

As Scott, Allison, and Isaac stood on the cliff that overlooked all of Beacon Hills, Deucalion and Willow came out from behind the trees. The trio took longer than anticipated to arrive at the preserve, leaving Willow alone with Deucalion until they got there.

"Cutting it a little close, aren't we, Scott?" Deucalion asked rhetorically.

"We got a little delayed," he muttered. "Where are the others?"

"Occupying themselves with other pursuits," Deucalion replied.

"Where's Stiles?" Willow asked, noticing his absence.

"We don't know," Scott told her. They were both worried, but he focused back on Deucalion. "So it's just us against her?"

"I think you'll be surprised what a good team we make," he said with a smirk.

Scott nodded before looking at Allison and Isaac. "Okay, get Stiles. And then get to the root cellar, okay? We'll keep Jennifer away long enough for you to get them out of there."

"How are you gonna do that?" Isaac asked skeptically.

"I have a plan."

☽︎

Scott's plan was to lure Jennifer to the very abandoned distillery that Gerard had blinded Deucalion at. To do so, he sent her a video showing off the giant spiral shredded into one of the walls — a parting gift from Ennis after losing a pack member years ago. The same loss that led to Paige being bitten.

As the three of them waited for Jennifer, a storm raged outside. It only got worse and worse, and Willow feared for the parents and those in the woods looking for them in such horrible weather.

When Scott and Deucalion grew tense, Willow knew their senses picked up on Jennifer's arrival. They watched as a figure appeared in the fog outside. But as they got closer, it morphed into two silhouettes.

And Willow recognized one of them very well.

"Derek?" she called in disbelief, her voice barely above a whisper. "You're supposed to be safe."

"What are you doing?" Scott asked.

"This might be hard to believe, but I'm actually trying to help you," Derek said, still standing alongside Jennifer.

"Ooh, like brother against brother. How very American this is," Deucalion taunted. Then he folded up his cane and removed his coat, ready for a fight. "Are you ready, Jennifer? Hmm? Did you gather your herbs, pray to your ancient gods and your oak trees, slit a baby's throat, perhaps? Should we show them why you needed to sacrifice nine innocent people just to face me? Or is it twelve now?"

As he spoke, Deucalion shifted. Only, he looked nothing like any werewolf Willow had ever seen. He looked inhuman as he grew in size and his skin morphed, turning as dark as coal.

Derek was the first to move, charging at Deucalion with a roar. But he was no longer an alpha and still weak from healing Cora so he didn't stand a chance. Deucalion landed a few hits before grabbing his throat tightly.

Jennifer rushed at him and thrust her hand toward Deucalion's chest, intending to force him back with her magic. But the move did nothing, not even causing the demon wolf to stumble. Deucalion let out a deep chuckle before grabbing Jennifer's neck as well, lifting both of them in the air as he choked them.

"Don't hurt Derek!" Willow shouted. "Let him go!"

"As you wish," Deucalion said before roughly tossing Derek into a stack of wooden crates.

After tossing Jennifer to the side, Derek got back up to try and keep the fight going. But Deucalion easily took him down, breaking several bones as he slammed Derek into the ground.

Jennifer tried once more to stop Deucalion with her power, but it was useless. He delivered a forceful smack to her head, knocking her to the ground. Then he grabbed her by her hair, forcing her to her feet as he looked at Scott.

"Kill her," Deucalion ordered.

"We - we only agreed to stop her. Not kill her," Willow said, a tremble in her voice.

"Oh, dear Willow," Deucalion said, scoffing. "So naive. We'll fix that once you join me. Now, Scott. Do it."

Scott took a step back, not willing to take a life. But then Deucalion let out a deafening roar that forced Scott to his knees, shifting on sight.

"Now kill her," Deucalion ordered, bringing Jennifer closer. "Your parents are dying. That storm you hear, she's burying them alive. It's her connection to the telluric currents. Kill her, and it ends."

"It won't end," Jennifer said, trying to save her own life. "Not with me. He'll have you kill everyone you love. It's what he does."

"They're dying, Scott. Your mother and the parents of your best friends," he reminded him. "Kill her now, and it's over. Become the alpha you're meant to be. Become a killer."

"They're not dead yet," Scott muttered.

"And who's going to save them, your friends?" Deucalion asked in a taunting tone.

Slowly, Scott rose to his feet, yellow eyes shining brightly. "My pack."

Deucalion let out an angry snarl and rushed to Scott's side with impossible speed. With one hand on the back of Scott's neck and the other holding out his clawed hand, he forced Scott over to Jennifer.

"Maybe you just need a little guidance," Deucalion told him.

"Stop!" Willow ordered, running after them. Her eyes were glowing, forcing her energy at Deucalion. "Let him go!"

But unlike all the other times, Deucalion's eyes never shifted from red to pink. He let out a sinister chuckle when he saw the confused look on Willow's face, wondering why it didn't work.

"Consuming a bit of valerian root can do wonders to fight against the charms of an Incantator," he informed her. "Now, if you'll excuse us, Scott has a Darach to murder."

"I forgot to tell you something," Scott said, grunting as Deucalion forced him closer to Jennifer. "Something that Gerard told me — Deucalion isn't always blind."

Scott acted quickly, throwing down a flash arrowhead that he grabbed from Allison. The bright explosion burned Deucalion's eyes, who shouted in pain and released Scott. Willow ran over to Derek, who was rubbing his eyes.

As the effects of the flashbulb wore off, everyone quickly realized that all three werewolves were shifted back to their human forms.

"The eclipse," Deucalion said. "It started."

"Where is she?" Willow asked, looking around the distillery. Jennifer was nowhere in sight, using the distraction to escape.

"Oh, no," Scott muttered.

When Jennifer returned, she was showing her true face and looked ready to kill. Derek grabbed Willow and pulled her to hide behind a crate, not wanting her to get caught in the crossfire.

It only took one powerful blow to get through Scott, blasting him across the building. Then she grabbed Deucalion, who was helpless without his heightened senses. Jennifer threw him to the ground and began bashing his head into the concrete repeatedly, not deterred by his agonizing screams.

"How could you help her do this?" Willow whispered to Derek, horrified by the violent act in front of them.

"Jennifer!" Derek suddenly shouted, coming out from the hiding spot. "He doesn't know."

"Know what?" Jennifer asked angrily, halting her assault.

"What you really look like," he said. "He knows the cost of bringing Kali into his pack, but he's never seen the price you paid."

It was then that Willow realized Derek wasn't helping her. That was never the plan. He was distracting her until the eclipse came to an end. And it worked like a charm.

"No. No, he hasn't," Jennifer said, releasing Deucalion's head. She knelt over him and placed a hand over his eyes. When Willow heard Deucalion's agonizing scream, she flinched. And then it came to an end and he opened his healed eyes, looking at the ground covered in his own blood. "Turn to me. Turn to me!"

Deucalion seemed to be freaking out, and it only got worse as he finally gazed upon Jennifer's mutilated face. His breathing morphed into hyperventilating, and it didn't slow down even when Jennifer replaced her face with the fake one she'd been running around in.

Jennifer raised her hand to deal the fatal blow but then she stumbled backward. Before she could collapse, Derek grabbed her forearm, keeping her standing.

"What is this?" she asked, not understanding why she felt so horrible all of the sudden.

"Healing him made you weak, just like healing Cora did to me," Derek explained. "You won't have your strength for at least a few minutes."

"Then you do it. Kill him," Jennifer said, hopeful that it would all end.

But Derek quickly crushed that hope. "No."

"What?" she asked, her smile fading. Jennifer realized that he was going against whatever plan they had agreed on.

"Like my mother used to say, I'm a predator. I don't have to be a killer," Derek said. Then he wrapped a hand around her neck, glaring at her. "Let them go."

Jennifer grew angry and shoved Derek off of her. Though she was weak, she still had more power than him now that he was essentially human. Jennifer punched him repeatedly until Derek didn't have the strength to fight back. Soon, she had Derek trapped against the wall, lifting him off the ground as she slammed him into it over and over.

"Stop it!" Willow shouted, running out from her hiding place. She wouldn't let Jennifer get away with hurting Derek.

Willow, assuming that Jennifer knew enough to use the same trick as Deucalion, decided to take a page out of Stiles' book.

With a metal pole in hand, Willow ran up behind Jennifer and swung it hard, smashing it against the back of her head. The Darach cried out before dropping Derek and turning on Willow. Jennifer hit her hard, knocking her to the ground.

As Jennifer stood over Willow, Derek let out an inhuman growl. Both girls looked to see his green eyes glowing blue once more, signaling the end of the eclipse.

"Your fifteen minutes are up," he said, getting to his feet as his strength returned.

But Jennifer acted quicker. She surrounded herself with a circle of mountain ash, keeping Willow trapped inside with her. Then the older woman looked at Willow, a smirk on her lips.

Willow let out a yelp as Jennifer forcefully grabbed her hair. "I've been wanting to do this since you turned in your first assignment with those goddamn glitter pens!"

Jennifer punched Willow in the face again and again before following it up with a painful kick. As she let go of her, Willow crawled backward until the mountain ash stopped her. Derek called her name, rushing toward Willow. The barrier kept him from helping her.

"Like I told you, Derek, either you or the parents," Jennifer said, glaring at Derek, who didn't take his worried eyes off Willow. "Well, I guess I'll just have to take them now. In a few minutes, they'll be dead, and I won't need a lunar eclipse, even to kill a demon wolf."

Scott looked from Jennifer to Willow, who spit a little blood on the concrete. Her lip was split and her nose was bleeding. Several scrapes littered her face and arms from the short beating from Jennifer. With a determined look on his face, Scott took a step toward Jennifer, placing his hands against the invisible barrier.

"You've tried this before, Scott," Jennifer said, smirking. "I don't remember you having much success."

But Scott didn't look at Jennifer. He kept his eyes on Willow. He had to do this for her. For his family. For his pack. For Warren. For anyone that Jennifer might ever try to harm again.

Scott groaned as he continued to push against the mountain ash. A blue glow surrounded him as he kept trying to get through. Then before all of them, Scott's eyes morphed from a golden yellow to a bright red.

The eyes of an alpha.

Scott let out a pained yell as one foot made it past the barrier. The other soon followed, breaking the seal completely. The force knocked Jennifer back. Derek pulled Willow away from her, keeping her in his arms as they remained on the floor.

"How did you do that?" Jennifer asked, looking up at Scott in disbelief. And with a little fear.

"I'm an alpha now. Whatever you're doing to cause this storm, make it stop, or I'll kill you myself," he threatened. "I don't care what it does to the color of my eyes."

Willow knew that Scott was telling the truth. He had never looked so serious as he glared down at Jennifer. However, he didn't have the chance to carry out the threat as Deucalion got to his feet, fully healed from his previous head trauma.

"It won't change the color of mine, so allow me," he declared, shoving past Scott.

Before anyone could protest, Deucalion was tearing Jennifer's throat out with his claws. Before her body even hit the ground, she morphed back to her true body. And as soon as she was down, the storm outside ceased.

The sudden silence was eery, but more than anything, it was comforting. It was comforting because it meant everything was over.

Willow let out a relieved sigh and collapsed back against Derek's chest. Derek brushed her hair to the side and placed a chaste kiss to her neck.

"It's over," he whispered, holding her tighter.

"It's over," she repeated. Then she glanced at him over her shoulder. "You're supposed to be way out of Beacon Hills."

"Evidently, the scream of a banshee can break through whatever you did to me," he said, raising an eyebrow accusingly.

"You've done a lot of questionable things to try and protect me," Willow said. Trying to kill Jackson repeatedly was at the front of her mind. "So I'm not going to apologize for doing the same."

"We're both safe. That's good enough for now," he muttered, kissing her forehead.

Scott had moved closer to them and pulled out his phone, making a call to Stiles to see if everything worked.

"Hey, are you okay?" Scott asked him. Though Willow didn't have the ears to know how he replied, the relieved look on Scott's face told her that everyone was alright and alive. Stiles must have then asked if they were okay, because Scott glanced back at them, noting how Derek was gently wiping the blood off Willow's face with the bottom of his shirt. "Sort of."

"Yeah, of course," Scott said when Stiles asked if he could come get them.

After hanging up, Scott joined Willow and Derek. After speaking quietly for a few moments, they got up and approached Deucalion. He was looking around, finally able to see for the first time in so many years.

"My mother told me you were a man of vision once," Derek told him, crossing his arms. "We're letting you go because we hope you can be that man again."

"But if you're not, then having your eyesight back won't matter, because you'll never see us coming," Scott warned in a low tone.

With Willow in between them and holding both their hands, the three of them walked off, leaving Deucalion behind and without a single one of them in his pack.

"Please don't go befriending yet another evil murderous werewolf that tried to kill us again," Scott said, only partly joking as he smiled at Willow. "You seem to make a habit of it."

"Um, I've only befriended one evil alpha, and he doesn't murder people anymore," she stated.

"That we know of," Derek muttered under his breath.

Willow knew she could defend Peter more. She could point out how he cared so much for Cora and was desperate to keep her alive. He even had the idea for Derek to give up his power to save her, as it was the only way without Jennifer. And he cared about Willow — though it was a well-kept secret that he was the one to save her that night at the police station. Peter may have had a horrible reputation with the others, but Willow knew better than to believe it.

"Let's just go find everyone," Willow said, dragging the two boys toward the Nemeton. But then she realized she didn't know where it was, so Scott took the lead.

☽︎

"So, Incantador?"

"Incantator," Willow corrected. "Or just say Charmer. Scott thinks it's easier to say."

"It is easier to say," Derek said, chuckling.

The couple was laying on Willow's bed, going over everything that had happened while they were separated the last few days. Derek showed off his once again blue eyes, and Willow told him everything she'd learned from Deucalion.

When the morning came, Derek and Peter would be taking Cora and Boyd out of town, dropping them off somewhere in South America. It was where Cora had been staying before learning that Derek was alive. And Boyd decided to tag along. After both almost died, no one could deny their wishes to leave.

It at least comforted Derek knowing that they'd be able to look out for each other, even if Boyd never would be quite as strong.

"And love magic?" he questioned.

"Don't call it that," Willow said, giggling. "But yeah. I guess I can manipulate feelings of love. Increase it or take it away."

"Use it on me," he told her. "Come on. I've seen the healing and the Charmspeak in action. I know you don't like being able to control people, but I'm giving you permission."

Willow chewed on her lip for a few moments, thinking it over. Then she gave in and sat up on the bed, Derek copying the position. Taking a deep breath, she shut her eyes and felt around for the aura that Deucalion showed her how to access.

When she felt it, she pushed the energy out toward Derek. It almost felt like stretching a brand new rubber band — hopefully, it'd get easier with practice. Once Willow knew it was surrounding Derek, she opened her pink eyes to see his reaction. His head was tilted as he studied her with a soft smile on his face.

"How do you feel?" Willow asked.

"I don't feel any different," he admitted. "Are you sure it's working?"

Willow eyed the pink aura surrounding him that only she could see. "It's defiantly there."

"Well, then I guess it's not possible for me to love you more."

Willow's heart melted as she dropped the aura around him. She crawled forward and wrapped her arms around his neck, brushing her nose against his. Derek's hands trailed up and down her sides.

"I love you," she whispered before kissing him softly. Then as she pulled away, there was a mischievous smile on her lips. "There is something else I could try, though I never tested it on Scott. Deucalion only mentioned it once."

"Try what?" he asked curiously.

"Do you trust me?"

Derek scoffed playfully. "What a ridiculous question."

Willow placed her hands on Derek's shoulders to steady herself before reaching out to him with the aura once again. Except this energy was a little different, and Derek knew as soon as it hit him.

His heartbeat sped up, his breathing grew deeper, his eyes darkened before flashing blue for a moment. A low growl rumbled through his chest without him meaning to as he tightened his grip on Willow's hips. And just before he surged forward to kiss her, Willow pulled the aura back, making those conjured feelings of desire disappear.

Though they were quickly replaced with his own natural feelings.

"What was that?" Derek asked, his voice much deeper.

Looked up at him innocently, toying with the back collar of his shirt. "Made you, you know, want me."

Derek's fingers pressed into her thighs so hard that Willow thought it might bruise — she wasn't complaining. He leaned down kiss just under her jaw, earning a content sigh from Willow.

"I always fucking want you," he said lowly before scraping his teeth against her skin. Then he pushed her back onto the bed, hovering over her. "Do I need to worry about Scrib interrupting?"

Willow giggled at the fact that he was so used to the cat coming around at the most intimate times. But the door to her room was shut, and he was nowhere in sight.

"He's sleeping in Stiles' room tonight," she said, grinning.

"Good."

Derek kissed her passionately, his hands keeping busy as they slipped under the hem of her dress. And it wasn't long before Willow was a mess underneath him, whispering pleadingly and letting out the prettiest sounds Derek knew he'd ever hear. Ones that no one else but him would ever earn from her lips.

It was quite safe to say that all rules Stiles gave them about behaving in a PG manner under his roof were broken as the two got lost in a tangle of limbs and sheets and love.