So... I'm baaaaack! For real this time! I've decided to continue :) I got 7 responses in only like, two days. That's close enough for me!

Thanks to you guys, I'm motivated to write again! I'll continue this story, and I won't quit writing it until it's finished. Thank you guys so, so much! I'm so glad to hear that people still enjoy this story! I'll try my best to keep it going.

Update info is at the A/N at the bottom. Anyway, enjoy this long-awaited chapter! I hope you guys like it :)

SLAM!

Stiles winced.

"Oops. Sorry," I said sheepishly, after having climbed into Stiles' jeep and accidentally slamming the door off.

Stiles let out a cry in protest.

"Don't hurt my baby like that, Ari! Be more careful next time." He said, sending me a glare from the driver's seat. I smiled sheepishly.

He started up the car, before pulling out of Allison's driveway. I had stayed the night again, but luckily she didn't make me watch anymore chick flicks.

"Okay, where are we heading?" Scott asked from the backseat as we drove out onto the rode, heading into town.

I craned my neck to look back at Derek, who was seated beside Scott.

"West. Keep driving West. We're headed out of town." Derek ordered.

"For what?" Stiles and I asked in unison. Derek was silent.

"For-" Scott began to repeat, but Derek cut him off, finally speaking.

"A battle."

"A what? Between who?" I demanded, staring at him through the rearview mirror.

"David Lee Dente." Derek said simply, looking back at me through the mirror. I held his gaze for a moment.

That name sounded familiar. Wait a second...

"Mr. Dente! Are you insane, Derek? We cannot fight him. I don't even know where he is!" I exclaimed.

"But I do." He replied, smirking at me.

Stiles glanced at him, then at me, before focusing on the road again.

"Your boyfriend is insane." He stated.

"Very much so," Scott added.

Derek sent the two a glare as I sighed.

"I'm beginning to agree with them, Derek. Seriously, did you not see my awful fighting skills last week? I lost to Scott. Scott!" I exclaimed in disbelief.

"Hey!" Scott yelled, offended. He swatted me on the arm as I rolled my eyes good-naturedly.

"You've been getting better everyday this week. Besides, it won't be just you. He challenged me, but you and Scott are allowed as backup. You'll just have to go against his backup." Derek explained.

"Hold on. When, exactly, did you talk to him? How did he find us? I did as told the last time I saw him. I stayed away from his family and even left the town, for good." I stated, crossing my arms and staring back at Derek expectantly.

He better start explaining himself more clearly. Or else I was gonna-

"I'm not allowed to say how he found or challenged me, it's against council rules. He wants you dead, though. You're lucky I convinced him to fight me, instead. But he may go against the rules and go after you." Derek said.

My eyes widened, and my heart started pounding a little bit faster.

"What?"

I couln't fight him. I couldn't! I wouldn't last a minute against another double Alpha. But why does he even want me dead?

I voiced my thoughts.

"Why does he want me dead? I'm the one who saved his life. The one who helped his family get through the horrible time when he supposedly 'died'. He put them through hell by faking his own death! I helped them be happy again!" I stated. "Killing me would be a lousy thank you." I mumbled.

"He doesn't look at it like that. Sure, you were on good terms before. But once he got bit, that all changed." Derek started.

I swallowed the lump forming in my throat.

"I've seen this happen before, even between used-to-be mostly human families. Once you get bit, you see any other wolf that isn't in your pack as a threat." Derek said, making me shudder. He continued.

"He thinks there should be only one double Alpha. But there's two here that we know of, that are still alive. Him, and you. And he wants to be at the top of the chain. And if you were to die, he would get his wish." Derek said, making me all the more worried.

Derek reached forward and took my hand in his. He leaned towards my seat, his lips close to my ear.

"I promise you I won't let that happen. We'll kill him before he even touches you." Derek said quietly, so close that I could feel his minty breath on my neck. I shivered, making him smirk. He leaned back, still holding my hand.

I felt a lot better about this, now.

I took a deep breath, slowly letting it out. We drove in silence for another hour or two.

"Turn left." Derek said suddenly. I looked to my left and right as Stiles obeyed, turning left before parking the car.

We were on grass. Dead, flat, yellow grass. To the left of us, about a hundred yards away, was a huge circle. It almost looked like a crop circle.

The grass had stopped growing at the edges, making it just one big empty dirt circle.

Like a battle arena of some type.

Wonderful. Just wonderful, I thought to myself.

I was so looking forward to this.

...

Yeah, right.

We all got out of the car, Derek coming to my side and taking my hand again. I took another deep, shuddering breath as I stared at the battle ground, or whatever the heck it was supposed to be. I glanced out at the road.

There were no cars. We hadn't seen any anywhere near us for the last hour and a half. It was incredibly remote out here, and there was just one road that seemed to go on forever.

Which meant no hospitals. No witnesses.

Again, just wonderful.

Please, note the sarcasm.

Derek, as if sensing my distress, squeezed my hand reassuringly, giving me a small, yet comforting smile. I tried to smile back, but it came out as more of a grimace.

"Stiles, I think you should stay in the car." Scott suggested.

"What? No way, dude. I want to watch you guys kick some werewolf butt!" Stiles said anxiously yet eagerly.

"Where are they, anyway? There's nobody out here." I said, doing a quick 360 scan of our surroundings.

"They'll be here." Derek said quietly.

As if on cue, three figures started walking out of the woods nearby. A tall, bulky looking male, and two slightly smaller male and female figures on each side of him.

They made there way to the circle arena thingy-ma-bobber, before stopping in the center of it.

"Um... okay. Maybe waiting in the car isn't such a bad idea." Stiles said, opening up the Jeep's door and climbing in. "Good luck, guys. Don't die, okay? You can do this. All of you." He said, before slamming the door shut and looking out the window with worried eyes.

"Gee, Stiles, what a supportive friend you are." I mumbled sarcastically, but he couldn't hear from inside the car.

Though, honestly, I didn't blame him. I'd rather hide in the car than go and try to fight to the death against people much stronger than me.

Scott, Derek, and I exchanged determined looks, but I knew I looked slightly worried.

I couldn't help it, okay? I was heading for my possible death. Wouldn't you be worried, as well, if it were you?

Yeah. Thought so.

"Ready?" Derek questioned, his eyes fierce.

I nodded, but secretly knew I would regret it.

"Let's kick some butt." Scott said, and the three of us began walking to the circle.

As we got closer, I couldn't help but notice that my ex-best friend, Jake (A.K.A. Mr. Dentne's son), had been the shorter, less bulkier male figure that stood on the other side of Mr. Dente himself.

What? Was he a werewolf now, too? I couldn't believe this.

I didn't recognize the girl, though. I also couldn't help but notice how neither of them looked all that ready. It was like they didn't really want to do this, either. Well, they certainly weren't the only ones.

Mr. Dente looked the exact opposite, of course.

"Ari. Derek. Scott." Mr. Dente greeted dully. We were all still in our human forms, staring at each other.

Scott was across from the girl, glaring, and Derek was across from Mr. Dente, glaring even harder(and looking murderously scary as crap). I was across from Jake, but I wasn't glaring. I was just staring at him, trying to read his eyes and send him messages with my brain.

He looked back at me with a similar expression, his midnight eyes soft, as if he was apologizing with his eyes.

Then something dawned on me.

I was going to have to fight him to the death. But I didn't want to kill him, and it didn't look like he wanted to kill me, either.

We really had no choice, though.

I understood why he was apologizing.

"Let's get this over with. Tasha, I want Scott dead. I'll handle Derek. And Jake?" Mr. Dente questioned his son.

Jake looked over at his dad, looking like he was just as mad and reluctant about this as I was.

"Don't kill Ari. Hurt her enough, but leave her hanging on for dear life. I want to do the honors." Mr. Dente said in a deadly voice.

"I don't think so." Derek let out a growl, and in the blink of an eye he had shifted, tackling Mr. Dente.

Tasha did the same to Scott, and in an instant they were all fighting around us. I looked up at Jake.

"I don't want to do this. I don't want to kill you." I whispered. He stared at me.

"I don't want to kill you, either. But I don't have a choice. Dad's orders," Jake said in monotone, before letting out a low growl as he shifted into his hideous wolf-form. I sucked in a breath, doing the same.

"Don't go easy on me." I growled, before jumping into the air and tackling him to the ground, swinging a punch at him, which he easily dodged.

"Wouldn't dream of it," He ground out, rolling over so that he was now on top of me. He tried to ram his head into mine, but I moved out of the way, just barely missing the blow. I easily threw him off of me, red fury coating my eyes now.

I had decided on one thing. It was life or death.

Swinging myself up onto my feet, I stood up straight. Jake glared at me from a few feet away, baring his teeth at me before charging towards me.

I grabbed his arm just in time, throwing him back onto the ground before body slamming myself onto him. I swung my fist back again, this time more ready and determined.

There was a choice I had to make. Either I die, or Jake dies.

I punched him as hard as I could, grinning in satisfaction at seeing blood squirt from his nose.

I chose Jake.

Updates will be different from last time. I now have two different Fanfic stories going, so I'll try to alter between updates. I'll aim for a chapter or two every week for Beneath The Woods (and my other, of course, but it's not for Teen Wolf so you guys don't have to read it or anything).

I'm going to try to pre-write a boat load of chapters between updates so it'll be easier on me. If that works out, then I'll give you extra updates whenever I can, but don't expect extra chapters ALL the time, okay?

Again, thank you guys SO much! I've never been more motivated to write! :)