Prologue
"Scott, you have to transform."
"No," the response came out rasped and choked, as he coughed out thick blood into his hand.
Kira Yukimura knelt beside him, her bloody hand reaching for his cheek. She turned his face toward her. Without warning, she leaned in, brushing her lips against his. He immediately responded, pulling her closer, deepening the kiss. He tasted of blood and her tears.
She pulled away, angrily wiping the tears falling down her cheeks. "You have to do it, Scott. Or else you'll die."
His soft brown eyes turned hard. "I'd rather die than become a monster," he spat through lengthening teeth.
"Don't fight it. Your body is telling you to transform. Just, do this okay? I don't care if you look like a monster or not. I want you to live."
Scott glared at her, blood seeping from the corners of his mouth. The brown eyes that she had fallen so in love with turned a deep burning blood red. His lips pulled back to reveal lengthened canines. An inhuman growl rumbled deep in his chest.
She stood, stepping a few steps back. Her hand went to her katana, feeling the answering surge of power when she touched it. Thundering steps filled the distillery, as Stiles, Malia, Lydia and Liam arrived, all in varying stages of bloodied clothing.
Stiles looked at the slumped bodies, lying in slick pools of blood. In the corner, lay Peter, his light eyes empty of the cold cunning flame that used to light them. Then to his best friend, propped up against the wall, blood staining his skin dark. His eyes glowed red as he looked sadly at them.
"Go. You don't want to be here when.." he stopped, not able to finish the sentence.
"We're not leaving," Stiles said, jaw tight.
"Nope," Lydia said.
"No way," Liam agreed.
Scott groaned. He couldn't hold it back any longer. The predator inside him snarled to be let out of its human prison. It took all of him just to be partially transformed.
"I'm sorry," he told them, before he let it go.
His friends watched in silence as he fell to the floor, back arching. The loud snapping of his bones filled the air, a pained groan escaping from him.
They slowly backed out of the distillery, but not leaving.
When it was done, a big black wolf plodded past them. It stopped, looking over its shoulder. The black eyes of the animal glowed red for an instant. Then the wolf took off, disappearing into the woods.
The moon glowed like a cold sun, shedding silvery white-blue light onto everything. Stars blinked dully down at them.
A lone howl rose from the towering shadow of the forest.
But no one answered.