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Title<\/b>: Red Sisterhood<\/span><\/p>\n Author: <\/b>Sibyl Moon<\/span><\/p>\n Fandom<\/b>: Teen Wolf<\/span><\/p>\n Genre:<\/b> Folk Tale Red Riding Hood & Teen Wolf<\/span><\/p>\n Relationship<\/b>: Stiles\/Derek<\/span><\/p>\n Warnings\/Rating<\/b>: Canon-Typical-Violence<\/span><\/p>\n Word Count: <\/b>4929<\/p>\n Summary: <\/b>The Sisters of the Red Hood have been a part of the supernatural world since the first of them drifted off the path that humanity walked, and none of them have regretted it. Claudia Stilinski was a sister; she passed her legacy on to her son when she died. This is his story because Mieczys\u0142aw Stilinski would never walk the same path everyone else did.<\/span><\/p>\n Author Note:\u00a0<\/strong>Originally meant for Big Moxie Q2 Fusion\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n Stiles sighed, glancing out the window briefly before turning back to the grimoire laid out on the table. It had only been a couple of weeks since he\u2019d settled into the cabin in the preserve outside Beacon Hills. Finally, after all these years of waiting – of training – he had a place to call his own, a place that could become his home if he let it.<\/span><\/p>\n His cell phone rang, startling in the quiet of the cabin. Stiles scooped up the phone as he stood, the need to move pushing him away from the table even as he lifted the phone to his ear.<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cHello,\u201d He bit out as he paced away from the table, his gaze sweeping the file boxes still waiting next to the front door. They\u2019d just been delivered that afternoon, and he was not looking forward to organizing the mess.<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cStill no manners, Young Stilinski.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cI could say that I\u2019m a product of my education,\u201d He replied as a smile curved his mouth, and the tension that had been building in his chest lessened immediately. Stiles stopped in front of the large window that looked out over the front of the cabin. Lifting his arm, he leaned against the window frame as he watched nightfall outside the cabin, his reflection in the window becoming more visible the longer he stood there. \u201cMy teacher is worse than I am.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cMentor, you little brat,\u201d Peony Wellington snapped before sucking in a whistling breath through her teeth. \u201cI didn\u2019t teach you a goddamned thing. Getting you to listen and apply any of those so-called lessons was torture\u2014for me. I\u2019m almost sure I\u2019m being punished for something; I just haven\u2019t figured out which one of those jackasses set me up yet. When I do\u2014\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cI always feel warm and fuzzy all over when I think of our unbreakable bond. Like family\u2014\u201d Stiles said, the grin on his face stretching wide.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cMore like asylum cellmates or those old television shows you used to watch. There can be only one, right? When are you coming for my head, kid, I want to know when to move into the graveyard.\u201d She said dryly, bringing up the time he\u2019d been sure that the Red Sisterhood was just a front for some Highlander-esque group or a setup for some Mortal Combat event that he was never going to be ready for.<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cAre you sure they were punishing you or did they expect you to just bury me in the backyard somewhere? I wasn\u2019t exactly an expected Society inductee if you remember. All of my concerns were completely legitimate,\u201d Stiles argued, even as he felt his face grow hot. \u201cEven if my imagination was too commercial.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cYou were a Legacy student and you had the magic,\u201d Peony said dismissively, as she always did when the subject came up. \u201cDoesn\u2019t matter if that all came attached to a body with a dick. Plus, you had the chops, kid and you stuck it out through every second of your training.\u201d She huffed over the phone. \u201cThat\u2019s more than I can say for some of those other prize pupils. As for you imagination, at least you had one\u2014although it would have been better if you hadn\u2019t attacked the Dean of the Summerland Sanctuary while shouting that she wasn\u2019t on holy ground. Not that I blame you for attacking her, but subtlety would have been a better strategy.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cWow, teach,\u201d Stiles said, fluttering his eyelashes at his reflection. \u201cI\u2019m touched. That was definitely a compliment.\u201d He didn\u2019t mention that the reason he\u2019d attacked the Dean was that she\u2019d said that Peony was a second-class Sister and who else would take on a student like Stiles. The Dean then said both of them would fail out of the program eventually, so they should be censured, condemned, and excommunicated from the Red Sisterhood before they destroyed it.<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cFuck you, kid,\u201d Peony replied without heat. \u201cI\u2019m calling to check in on you. Two weeks in your new place, any news to report?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cNot really. The file boxes arrived this afternoon\u2014finally. They\u2019re a mess, but I\u2019m making progress with what was already here and I\u2019ve started going through a couple of them,\u201d Stiles said, his smile sliding off his face. \u201cMostly, I\u2019ve just been settling in, there isn\u2019t much going on around here. The local pack seems to have everything under control.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cYes, the Hales.\u201d She sniffed in disdain.<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cOh please tell me how you feel about them again.\u201d Stiles smirked at his reflection before leaning his head against his arm. He ignored the huff of annoyance from his teacher. \u201cWhat I remember about them from before the Sisters isn\u2019t much and I\u2019ve barely seen them around town since I\u2019ve arrived, but they don\u2019t seem that terrible to me. Do you have some information that you\u2019re holding back?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cNo, but I disliked and disagreed with Talia Hale\u2019s decisions multiple times over the years. She was a disaster.\u201d Peony sighed. \u201cShe barely managed to keep the hunters from wiping out packs visiting in her territory on a number of occasions; one of those almost ended in her own death. She refused to work with the Sisters multiple times. Not just refused to call for our help\u2014which is anyone\u2019s prerogative\u2014idiotic though it might be, but she would actively refuse to help investigations that ended up leading through her territory. She didn\u2019t quite obstruct us, but she did everything right up to the line.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cShe\u2019s not the alpha here anymore though, right?\u201d Stiles frowned; he was positive that his files on the Hale pack indicated that Peter Hale had been raised to alpha eight years ago due to some internal pack politics. He didn\u2019t know the details; the Sisters didn\u2019t get involved unless those politics bled over onto the rest of the world or they were asked to investigate the events.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cNo, but the Hales have been nothing but a headache since I first heard of them,\u201d She said; she blew out a breath. \u201cBut that\u2019s neither here nor there so long as they don\u2019t give you any trouble.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cThey haven\u2019t,\u201d Stiles said, rolling his shoulders in an unseen shrug. \u201cI\u2019m not even sure that they\u2019re aware of my presence here. You know as well as I do that even though I live here, it doesn\u2019t mean that most of my work will be here. I\u2019ll go where the Council sends me. I do need to introduce myself to Alpha Hale now that I\u2019m relatively settled in here though. There is protocol for that. I\u2019m surprised no one has shown up at my door yet. It\u2019s part of the reason I\u2019ve been thinking they don\u2019t know about me yet.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cIf Peter Hale is half the wolf I\u2019ve heard he is, then I\u2019m sure he knows that you\u2019re in the area. Whether he knows you\u2019re a member of The Sisters or not is something that is yet to be determined.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cYou think he\u2019s one of those that thinks we\u2019re all women?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cMale or female, we\u2019re all sisters,\u201d Peony replied. \u201cYou haven\u2019t forgotten that Sister Stiles, have you? I thought I managed to thump that much into to you.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cIf anyone could,\u201d Stiles agreed, feeling the faint smile curve the corner of his mouth.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n There had been a brief moment when he\u2019d been younger where he\u2019d argued against being a <\/span>Sister<\/span><\/i> until Peony had knocked it into his head that being a sister was a title for the Red Hoods in the same class as Mage or Druid was for others in their world. He still wasn\u2019t sure how much he really believed that when the overwhelming number of Red Hoods were women in one way or another. Stiles had decided to embrace the title over time, though. He\u2019d refused to treat it with anything less than respect because it honored the Sisters\u2014including his mother\u2014who had walked the paths before him.<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cYou\u2019re a good lad,\u201d Peony said, blowing out a long breath again. \u201cSome of the time.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cAre you smoking again?\u201d Stiles listened carefully and heard the telltale sounds of Peony standing out on her balcony and, sure enough, drawing from a cigarette.<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cThey\u2019re these herbal things from the quartermaster,\u201d Peony replied grumpily. \u201cI\u2019m not going down to the corner grocer or anything.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cYou know that doesn\u2019t make me feel any better. I thought you stopped for good, what happened?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cFucking Florence and her vamps are making this investigation difficult is what is happening,\u201d Peony said. \u201cFucking vampires. They\u2019re almost as bad as witches sometimes.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cShe\u2019s not directly involved though?\u201d Stiles frowned as he tried to remember the case details. \u201cThis is the vandalism-robbery case with that group of lost boys and the kiss, right?\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cYes, but Old Flo has to poke her nose into everything in her city just to make my life difficult,\u201d Peony sighed and took another drag of her cigarette. \u201cIt\u2019ll be fine and I\u2019ll manage to get around her. It\u2019s why the Sisters always send me to deal with investigations in this area more than anyone else. I just hate dealing with her. Anyway, I\u2019m pretty sure that this will be taken care of if I can just find out who is leading this troupe of boys.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cYou hate dealing with most people,\u201d Stiles replied with a chuckle. \u201cLet me know if you need a hand though. I haven\u2019t been assigned anything yet and I\u2019m going a little stir crazy here.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cWhat, you think I can\u2019t handle Flo and her nosy mates on my own?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cOh, I have no doubt that you can,\u201d Stiles said, finally moving away from the window. \u201cBut no reason why you should if you don\u2019t have to.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cWell, there is that,\u201d She agreed. \u201cFine, if things go on much longer I might give you a ring. Hopefully I\u2019ll have some answers in the next day or so though.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019ll keep my phone on me,\u201d Stiles promised. \u201cAnd not just because I\u2019m hoping for a break in the monotony here.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cThey\u2019ll assign you a case soon enough,\u201d Peony said. \u201cIf not, I\u2019m sure they gave you enough unsolved cases to trawl through. It\u2019s what they do with every new Sister they send out.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019ve got a couple of files,\u201d Stiles said with a sigh, glancing at the box on his kitchen table and then back at the dozen or so still by the door. \u201cI\u2019m pretty sure one of them is from the 1800s though.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cYou\u2019ve done well with the unsolved in the past, even the older cases. I wouldn\u2019t be surprised if they started to send their hopeless ones your way.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cIt helps that, unlike mundane cases, even our oldest cases tend to have living witnesses and perps,\u201d Stiles said, picking up his coffee from where he\u2019d left it on the table. He made a face when he realized it had gone cold but drank it anyway. \u201cDepending on the case, there can even be living victims to interview again.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cPerps? I swear you picked up more cop talk from your dad than the Sisters ever knew what to do with.\u201d Peony laughed.<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cHe was a cop when he died. It was after that when I ended up completely in the Society\u2019s care.\u201d Stiles shrugged even though there was no one to see. \u201cYou know that, as soon as he couldn\u2019t demand visitation with me was when I was finally assigned a teacher.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cAnd you know why,\u201d Peony rebuked softly. \u201cIt was nothing against you or your dad. For all that you wanted and needed to be trained. Your father didn\u2019t want you to become a full Sister. We honored his wishes by teaching you the basics to keep your spark under control and giving you what amounted to basic magical emissary training. When he died, leaving you without a guardian we took custody of you and honored the legacy of your mother and your desire to become one of us. Don\u2019t denigrate your father\u2019s wish for your safety and protection just because it wasn\u2019t what you wanted. You don\u2019t know how life might have changed had he lived\u2014he very well could have changed his mind about your training as you got older.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cI know,\u201d Stiles said, and he did. It was still a point of contention inside of him. The desire to please his dead father fighting his need to follow his mother into the Sisters. \u201cI\u2019ve mostly dealt with it, but it still comes up now and then.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cYou\u2019d have been given the choice to join us when you hit your majority like any other Legacy,\u201d Peony reminded him. \u201cYou know I don\u2019t think your father was being malicious about it. He was just trying to protect you in the only way that he knew. He didn\u2019t want to lose you.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cI know. It doesn\u2019t help that the supernatural world was still so foreign to him,\u201d Stiles said; he flipped open the box’s lid on the table and pulled out the first file. \u201cHe\u2019d only learned of it a couple of months before Mom\u2019s death and then that clusterfuck.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cExactly.\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m going to let you go before we delve into my entire childhood and this turns into a therapy session.\u201d Stiles flipped through the first few pages of the file.<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cI don\u2019t do therapy. That\u2019s what Arthur is for,\u201d Peony huffed. \u201cYou keep up with him and that is an order. I still outrank you, even if you aren\u2019t under my direct guardianship any more.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cI know,\u201d Stiles replied, huffing back at her. \u201cI make all my mandatory checks, plus I don\u2019t have a problem checking in with Arthur, unlike some people.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cIf I wanted to sit in a room and discuss my failings, I would spend more time at headquarters.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s feelings, not failings.\u201d Stiles heaved a sigh that echoed over the phone line. \u201cPeony\u2014\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m alright padawan. I make my checks as well, it would be a poor mentor that failed to follow what they taught.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cExactly.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019ll call again in a couple days,\u201d She said, laughter in her voice. \u201cIf I wrap this up and nothing urgent gets dropped on my plate, I\u2019ll get over to see you in the next month or so. I haven\u2019t been to Beacon Hills since we finalized your mentorship. I\u2019m interested to see how it\u2019s changed.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019d be glad to host you, be welcome on my land and in my home,\u201d Stiles said, quick to say the ritual words inviting her into what amounted to his territory when she wasn\u2019t chasing a case. \u201cYou can see my cabin, it\u2019s great.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019ll get a hotel, you know I\u2019m not one for the woods if I can help it.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cYou can be such a city dweller,\u201d Stiles laughed. \u201cYou seem to forget what I\u2019ve seen you slog through\u2014what you\u2019ve made me slog through with you.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cWell, needs must at times,\u201d Peony replied, laughing. \u201cDoesn\u2019t mean I choose to spend time with the trees and dirt when I have other options.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cYou\u2019re missing out, it\u2019s gorgeous out here,\u201d Stiles said, shaking his head. \u201cI\u2019ll talk to you later and we can make plans if things pan out for you.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cTalk to you soon. Keep an eye out for woodcutters and hunters, huh?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cAlways watch out for the ax,\u201d Stiles responded, automatically pressing a closed fist to his mouth, heart, and stomach. He hung up the phone and set it on the table with a sigh.<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cDerek, I need you to take some things to Aunt Maddy, she says she\u2019s not feeling well.\u201d Peter sighed heavily. \u201cI\u2019m certain she\u2019s fine, and is just too involved with something to leave her cabin right now, but you know how she gets.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cUh, sure,\u201d Derek said, looking up from his book and blinking blearily at his uncle. \u201cI could use a break from this anyway. Where\u2019s Cora? Usually, she\u2019s the first to volunteer for errands to Aunt Maddy\u2019s.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cShe\u2019s interviewing over in Sweet Home,\u201d Peter said, leaning against the door frame and crossing his arms. \u201cThe forensic department there is small, but there is an opening for someone with her experience.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cShe\u2019s trying again then?\u201d Derek pushed back from his desk. He stretched his arms over his head as he stood. He\u2019d been sitting with his research materials for too long today. \u201cI thought she was giving up on practicals and going to be a hermit in the woods, living off of published works.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cReally, Cora as the hermit in our pack?\u201d Peter raised a brow at Derek. \u201cShe\u2019s not the one who barely goes into town. Does anyone in town even remember what you look like?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cMe? As if I\u2019m the one they worry about,\u201d He said, laughing. \u201cLike the town doesn\u2019t think we\u2019re some weird cult out here?\u201d Derek quirked his brow at Peter in what he knew to be an exact replica of the look he was getting. \u201cThey know who we are, but none really <\/span>want<\/span><\/i> to know us, not since the fire and the fallout of mom\u2019s devolution.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cNot that any of them understood exactly what happened,\u201d Peter said, his mouth curved down.<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cShe was hauled halfway across the country and placed into an asylum,\u201d Derek said with a sigh. Ten years later, the events still cut at him, even if the pain of it had dulled with time. \u201cThey know enough to give us a wide berth and whisper about us when they think we can\u2019t hear them. I\u2019m just glad we don\u2019t have any kids in town anymore.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cTalia when to a psychiatric ward, and she\u2019s getting the help she needs after that fuckwit screwed with her head,\u201d Peter said, backing out of the doorway. \u201cThat\u2019s beside the point. The point is that I replaced my sister as alpha to raise the pack back up to where we should be in both the supernatural and mundane world. I\u2019ve done well in the supernatural circles. We\u2019re respected and well thought of again\u2014it’s only taken me a decade.\u201d Peter rolled his eyes.<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cOnly,\u201d Derek said, bumping his shoulder against Peter\u2019s. \u201cYou\u2019ve done a great job, Peter. You know it and so does the rest of the pack.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cApparently I\u2019ve neglected our standing in our hometown in my plans,\u201d Peter said, rubbing a hand over his mouth. \u201cI\u2019ve been so busy concentrating on the supernatural world and the larger mundane sphere that I haven\u2019t been paying attention to our immediate territory and that\u2019s not just poor planning\u2014it\u2019s dangerous.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s why Cora is looking for work outside Beacon Hills, isn\u2019t it?\u201d Derek followed Peter into the kitchen and leaned against the counter as he watched the other man put the last few items into the basket going out to his Aunt\u2019s cabin.<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cAnd more than likely why Madelyn never comes to town anymore.\u201d Peter nodded. \u201cI\u2019m surprised she never said anything to me, she hasn\u2019t held her opinion back about anything else. She told me my muffins were dry last week.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cThey were,\u201d Derek said. He grinned at the glare Peter shot him. \u201cYou were distracted by that phone call you refused to talk about and overbaked them. They weren\u2019t inedible if I put enough butter and jam on them, but not your best effort.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cAh, yes,\u201d Peter closed the basket’s lid with a snap and latched it. \u201c<\/span>That <\/span><\/i>call.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cThe one that had you distracted and grumpy for the next week, yeah.\u201d Derek tilted his head and watched Peter frown at the counter next to the basket and tap his fingers. \u201cAn ex-lover we should be worried about?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cNo, nothing like that.\u201d Peter tapped his fingers on the counter several times before meeting Derek\u2019s gaze. \u201cI supposed I should tell you and the others about it. It\u2019s not like I meant to keep it from the pack. I was just\u2014\u201d Peter grimaced and whirled his hand in the air.<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cAnnoyed?\u201d Derek said as the tension that had been gathering in his shoulders began to loosen.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cSomething like that,\u201d Peter agreed. \u201cI\u2019d planned to talk to everyone at the next meeting when I had a few more details. It\u2019s nothing dangerous, just something unexpected.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cAnd we all know how much you and the rest of the pack love surprises.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cYou say this like you\u2019re any different nephew.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cOh, I firmly embrace my hatred of them. Are you going to keep dancing around the issue or are you going to tell me about it?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cThere\u2019s a Sister taking up residence here,\u201d Peter said with a sigh. \u201cShe moved into one of the cabins at the north end of the preserve.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cA sister?\u201d Derek searched his mind for the term. He had a feeling that Peter hadn\u2019t just discovered a long-lost sibling.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cOne of the Red Sisterhood Society,\u201d Peter replied. He rolled his eyes and sighed heavily when Derek just shook his head. \u201cI shouldn\u2019t be surprised that you don\u2019t know about them. Your mother managed to ostracize them fairly well in her years as an alpha and as much as I\u2019ve mended fences I haven\u2019t personally reached out to them yet.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cIt doesn\u2019t seem like they need you to if they\u2019re moving into Beacon Hills,\u201d Derek said. \u201cYou said they aren\u2019t dangerous to us, but you seem concerned.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cThe Sisters aren\u2019t inherently bad,\u201d Peter said, pressing his lips together as his gaze went to the large window behind Derek for a brief moment before he looked back at Derek. \u201cThe Reds, another of their many monikers, are the best at supernatural investigations\u2014though they\u2019ve been known to take on mundane cases for our kind before. They are known to be even handed and capable both in the solving of their investigations and the meting out of justice\u2014when its called for. They work for whoever pays them, but they will find out the truth, even if it’s against their employer.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m not seeing the downside yet,\u201d Derek said, but he was beginning to see why he hadn\u2019t heard of them. His mom had kept him and his siblings sheltered to their detriment, especially about the supernatural world. Peter had done a lot to expand their horizons in the last few years, but all three of them were still learning just how little they knew of their world every day.<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cThere shouldn\u2019t be,\u201d Peter acknowledged. \u201cBut like I said, Talia burnt quite a few bridges and one of those was with the Sisters. The fact that one of them is willing to set up a base here is either a show of faith in me as a different alpha than she was and someone that they are willing to make overtures with or its to keep an eye on me because of a variety of other reasons.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cWhich do you think it is?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cI think it’s probably half a dozen of one and six of another,\u201d Peter said, shrugging. \u201cThey did call and let me know since it\u2019s my territory they settled into. They didn\u2019t have to do that, even if it\u2019s standard protocol. The Sisters have some magical ability usually, but they aren\u2019t held to the same rules as the supernatural hierarchy. Apparently, they mete out their own justice and punishment when one of their own falls off what they call the <\/span>path.<\/span><\/i>\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cThe path?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cThe legend of Red Riding Hood came from somewhere,\u201d Peter said with a smirk. \u201cApparently the Sisters are pretty adamant about staying on the path in their tenets. Leaving the trail has some pretty dangerous conotations for them. I\u2019ve never had the ability to dig into what those are.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cAren\u2019t the wolves evil in that story?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cNot in the source material,\u201d Peter said, then shrugged. \u201cFew people outside the supernatural scholars read that or even know about it. The evil villain is the woodcutter slash hunter who shows up to <\/span>rescue <\/span><\/i>the girl and kill the wolf. The wolf who has been protecting the girl all through the forest from all sorts of traps set by the woodcutter, who it’s said was out to get the girl to begin with. The original story doesn\u2019t have a happy ending, even though the girl escapes shortly after and becomes the first of the Sisters. The first of the Red Hoods.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cI think I want to read that,\u201d Derek said, his mind spinning. That could be the spin he was looking for in the next book in his series. \u201cDo we have any books on it in the library, or do I need to start searching for them?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cI have a few in my private collection,\u201d Peter laughed. \u201cAre you sure you want to take this out to Aunt Maddy? Your face is doing its writer thing again.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s fine, I need to get out and a walk through the preserve will definitely put me in the mood for it,\u201d Derek said, even as he pulled his phone out of his pocket and jotted down a few notes. He looked back up at Peter when he finished, frowning. \u201cYou\u2019re sure we don\u2019t have anything to worry about with this Sister, she isn\u2019t going to be a threat to us?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cEven if there is a case that she is working on, she won\u2019t move against us without some proof of our guilt and we haven\u2019t done anything. The Sisters don\u2019t tend to carry out the punishments most of the time anyway, they just turn the information and evidence over to our own councils or the appropriate authorities. Whether that\u2019s the alpha, the high priestess, or the queen of a kiss.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cSo if they have just moved here to live, then we don\u2019t have to worry about them any more than mundanes would have to worry about having a cop in the neighborhood?\u201d Derek frowned harder, not sure if he liked the thought of that.<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cI would compare the Sisters more to private investigators if you\u2019re going to associate them with any form of the mundane world. But that\u2019s probably pretty accurate, they aren\u2019t on the clock so to speak unless they have an actual case though. At least that\u2019s what I could get out of my contacts and those that have had Sisters in their territories regularly over the last few decades,\u201d Peter said, reaching over the counter and squeezing Derek\u2019s shoulder. \u201cAs <\/span>concerned <\/span><\/i>as I might feel, there really isn\u2019t any danger here. I just didn\u2019t expect to have a Sister want to settle in my territory or to choose to settle here in Beacon Hills. There hasn\u2019t been one here in a very long time, I suppose I just feel\u2026\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n \u201c<\/span>Chapter One<\/span><\/h1>\n
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<\/p>\nChapter Two<\/span><\/h1>\n