A/N: So this is where things get interesting! Thank you for the positive feedback. Every review makes my day brighter! Please continue to do what you guys do best, and enjoy this chapter! :)
Chapter 4
Execution
"The damage you've inflicted, temporary wounds"
The full moon came around quicker than Scott had expected, though when he had spent the last two days worrying about his ability to control his True Alpha powers, he felt as though he really should have known better.
The whole school day, Scott had felt on edge and – therefore – been more liable to lose his temper. Though feelings of rage weren't uncommon during the full moon, Scott had thought he'd built up more restraint in the year or so experience he had with being a werewolf.
He knew Stiles could sense his bad temper, but his best friend would never mention it. There was no use stressing him out even more than he already was. On top of it all, Isaac had been more recluse than usual, which was really saying something considering his usual personality. Still, Scott knew something besides the usual full moon jitters was bugging him, but with his own issues to deal with he hadn't had the time to bring it up.
Now that the evening of the full moon was upon them, Scott had found himself in his bedroom, staring down at his trembling hands as he forced them to phase into claws and back again over and over, trying his hardest to build a confidence in his own abilities. He could feel the light of the moon prickle against his neck like a constant bad omen. It sent an assortment of negative emotions shock waving through his body, but Scott was determined to ignore them. Instead he focused on his fingernails. Focused on drawing and retracting his claws. Anything other than the dark foreboding that had settled inside his stomach.
"Come on, you can do this," he muttered to himself, trying to block out the negative emotions crashing through him. He held onto his anchor, an anchor that – despite everything – still held Allison at its core. It didn't matter that they weren't going out anymore; she had been his first love and those kinds of feelings would never leave him. She still kept him grounded, something he was eternally grateful for. Despite this, Scott still felt wary about her being there tonight. What if something went wrong? What if the creature turned up and attacked her? What if they weren't fast enough to keep her from getting hurt?
He knew it was stupid. Allison had proved herself time and time again that she was more than prepared for a fight against the supernatural. She was an Argent, her family history said enough about her competence. Scott tried to shake himself of the bad feelings, despite how hard they clung to the back of his mind. Instead he turned his attention back to his claws. He stared down at his fingers and watched as they shrunk back to normal, human-sized fingernails, though he couldn't ignore the strain he had put into an action that should have felt so much simpler, more natural. The way he controlled his claws now reminded him of when he'd had little to no control over his abilities; how he'd struggled to go to school every day, constantly afraid that he might lose it and attack someone under the simplest provocation. Closing his eyes, Scott let out a calming breath through his teeth.
Moments later, he was thrown back into the real world by three sharp knocks at his bedroom door.
Hesitantly, Scott crossed the room and opened the door to see Isaac standing impatiently in the hallway. To anyone else, Isaac would have looked like the pinnacle of calm, as he always did. But as a werewolf, Scott could see the strain other people would miss. The look in Isaac's eyes that proved he was giving a reasonable amount of his concentration into controlling his baser instincts. The ones that wanted to run wild under the full moon.
Neither of the boys voiced any of their insecurities though. Instead, Isaac nodded towards Scott, his eyes unreadable, yet determined.
"It's time."
By the time they reached the woods, darkness had swallowed the City. Scott had been wary about Lydia's stand-alone plan at keeping Lara and Cam occupied, but Allison had assured him that Lydia had it under control. She was giving them the whole 'girl's night' experience, according to the text that Allison had received. Scott only hoped that neither of the girls caught wind to what was really going on.
The first hour or so was spent in relative silence. Scott and Isaac used their werewolf senses, trying to catch the scent of anything that they didn't recognise whilst Allison had regressed to prime Hunter mode. Her bow was at her back, ready to be locked and loaded if anything were to come their way.
After a while, though, the silence became taxing. The smallest sounds of wild animals made everyone feel on edge. The further they ventured into the woods, the more wary they each became.
"Do you think anyone's out here?" Isaac finally broke the silence by asking.
Allison shot him a look, but her shoulders visibly relaxed towards the sound of someone else's voice. "My dad is," she reminded him.
Isaac rolled his eyes. "Besides him."
Allison shrugged as they all ventured further into the woods. Though they were supposed to be scoping out every corner, they had unanimously decided to keep a perimeter around the Nemeton. It had a magnetic effect towards supernatural creatures, something that they believed they could work to their advantage.
"We can't give up now," Scott said suddenly, startling Allison with his abrupt tone. His shoulders were locked with a tension he was unable to release. Scott had hoped coming out into the woods would relax his mind a little, allowing him to think about the mission at hand, but no matter how hard he tried, he couldn't shake the primal urges that were battling inside him. Despite everything, a dark part of his mind wanted to find something in the woods that night. Something he could chase to rid of the anger building inside him. Something he could attack.
"Scott?" Allison's guarded tone shook him out of his thoughts long enough for him to feel the prickle of her hand against his shoulder. "You doing okay?"
"M'fine," Scott muttered, rolling his shoulder away from Allison. Her touch still left a spark of a relationship they once shared. But no more.
"You're a terrible liar," Isaac said from where he was trailing behind.
"It doesn't matter," Scott stated venomously. "We've got bigger things to worry about."
"Yeah, a dangerous creature running around the woods," Isaac said with a hint of sarcasm. Scott felt anger swell inside of him.
"I'm just saying what we're both thinking here, your control doesn't look the best," Isaac said softly, sharing a quick glance with Allison who nodded her agreement.
"Isaac's right, Scott," Allison said. "You've been on edge all day."
"More than all day," Isaac added, his voice rising a little higher. "This has been going on ever since you became a True Alpha, hasn't it?"
Though Isaac didn't phrase his words unkindly, Scott still felt as though he had been physically assaulted. He turned sharply to face his two friends, his eyes sparking a dangerous, predatory red.
Allison took a step back in surprise, whereas Isaac moved closer to his Alpha. He held his hands up in surrender, his expression impassive. "It's alright, Scott. Just calm down," he said slowly.
"I'll go up ahead," Allison said as she read the situation, walking backwards into the trees. Clearly, if something was about to happen, she knew she shouldn't get caught up in the cross fire.
Scott forced his eyes closed, breathing deeply through his nose as he did so. His vision had gone red; the rage was pumping through him, threatening to take control. His lips curled. "You're telling me to calm down, as if I'm the only one who's changed?" Scott's fingers uncurled from his palms, a sharp sting in his hands confirmed that his claws were beginning to descend.
Isaac eyed his Alpha warily. Scott knew he wouldn't want to fight him; it was ingrained into the wolf mind-set.
Instead, Isaac cleared his throat. "What do you mean?"
"What happened yesterday at school, Isaac?" Scott asked immediately. He'd been itching for the chance to find out what had happened. The reason Isaac had receded into himself since yesterday morning. Why he had tried to keep his gaze away from his Alpha the whole school day.
Isaac choked on his words. Scott's vision tunnelled as he took an intimidating step towards his Beta. "What are you hiding, Isaac? Who did you speak to?"
Isaac's fingers curled into fists, his eyes glowed gold in warning. "Scott…" he said warily. "You're not thinking straight."
"Who were you talking to, Isaac?" Scott repeated ferociously, his voice lowering to a base growl. With a burst of rage, he yelled out, "ANSWER ME!"
"Cameron Mills!" Isaac blurted. The moment he had done so, his eyes widened in disbelief. The gold in his eyes faded as the shock of his words took hold.
Scott's eyes, too, returned to their original state. He felt his claws recede as he stared at Isaac uncomprehendingly. Isaac hadn't been willing to tell Scott the truth, that fact had been clear in the expression he held. He wouldn't have told him the truth, but he had. Scott didn't know how he knew, but Isaac had told the truth. Why had he?
"Did you just…?" Isaac began, but he never had time to finish, for at that moment, Allison came crashing through the trees from their side.
"I've been calling you!" Allison said angrily, though her expression softened as she took in the two boys' shocked expressions. "What happened, Scott, are you-"
"It doesn't matter," Scott affirmed, though he still couldn't shake the commanding power that had overtaken him just moments ago. "What did you find?"
Allison's eyes jumped from Scott to Isaac before settling back on the Alpha. "Fire," she said seriously. "Someone's been setting fires."
The smell of burning was so strong; Scott couldn't understand how he hadn't smelt it earlier. Maybe because they had only been set recently, or, more likely, because of the stand-off he'd just had with Isaac.
Scott didn't know how to word an apology for what he'd said or the way he had acted, but it didn't seem like Isaac needed one. He was far too set on the task at hand: trying to figure out where the fire was coming from.
At the same time, Scott still felt a rattling anger in the back of his mind. Whatever Cameron had told Isaac had changed his behaviour around his Alpha. Scott knew something had happened, but he didn't have the time to ask. They were running now, sprinting as fast as they could through the woods. Surprisingly, Allison was doing a good job at keeping pace with the two werewolves as they followed the scent of the burning to its source.
Within minutes, the three friends met face to face with a wild orange light. At first, Scott thought the whole woods had been set ablaze, that was until his vision cleared enough for him to see the large metal barrels that had been placed strategically through the dense woodland. They had been filled with flammable materials and were burning with ferocious intensity. Despite this, the fire was controlled.
Scott followed the barrels with his eyes, though he already knew what he was looking at.
A trail.
Just like the ribbons, the barrels had been placed in a path-like fashion, begging to be followed. The woodland floor was alive with flickering shadows cast by the ferocious flames, but that didn't deter Scott. He looked to Isaac who nodded in silent agreement. Allison was stood to the other side of Scott; she too was prepared for what most likely laid in wait.
They moved in single file, Scott up front with Allison, bow cocked, taking up the rear. Isaac was to protect her should anything go awry, which, at the moment, looked like the most likely outcome.
Once again, whoever had done this – and Scott knew this was the same person – was one step ahead of them. They had known that Scott would make the likely decision to scope out the woods on the full moon, they knew exactly when to set the fires to catch his attention. An eerie shudder passed down his spine at the thought. If this was true, that meant that this person, whoever they were, had been following the three of them the moment they'd entered the woods.
Scott kept his senses wide-open, ready for any kind of movement that might suggest their assailant was nearby. Sadly, the fire overtook most of his senses. His sight was blinded by the flames, his nose was clogged by the thick smoke and his sense of hearing was deafened by the violent crackles of dancing fire. Scott knew Isaac was probably having the same difficulties, and he could only imagine what Allison felt with no help from the supernatural.
The further they got, the denser the fire became. The barrels began to stand facing each other, leading them down a pathway they could not escape. Scott heard Allison coughing on the fumes from behind him and turned to see Isaac helping her along. He felt a flutter in his heart as he turned to face forwards once again. Were these barrels really leading to the next clue, or had their assailant grown bored of games and simply decided to kill them right here and now?
Then, Scott saw it.
The barrels stopped at two distinct trees, leading them into an open clearing free of suffocating fumes. Scott felt a sensation of déjà vu as he looked straight down into the clearing. A single barrel lay in the centre of the trees, burning dully; keeping the place lit just enough to make out the heap that lay in the shadows.
Scott's stomach sank. The smoke was too thick for him to get a proper scent of the heap, and from here, he couldn't see well enough to make a distinct call on what shape the lifeless form took.
Instinctively, Scott held a hand out behind him. He felt Isaac stop at his back, motioning for Allison to do the same. All three of them stared out at the clearing as the single barrel burned calmly, as though it were enticing them to come closer.
Scott made the first move. He kept his gaze wary as he walked slowly across the clearing. He made sure to keep an eye on his footing. He was far too experienced when it came to booby traps in the woods.
Scott was halfway there when he began to make out the shape. His heart jumped as he made out four limbs laid sporadically across the ground, a small, dainty head and antlers.
Antlers.
He let out a breath he didn't realise he'd been holding as he sped up his pace. The lit barrel gave just enough light to make out the mangled remains of yet another deer, though this one was evidently male. A stag.
The body was no less torn. Large claw marks were indented in the underside, just as before. Pink intestines were spilled across the wooded floor; the blood from the animal was still damp in places, making Scott's heightened senses prickle in discomfort. Whoever had done this could still be close by.
Then, he saw it.
Just as before, a mark had been carved into the flesh of the deer's flank. Scott had to squint against the intensity of the flames, but he was able to make out the shape. An octagon with lines drawn horizontally through it and, below that octagon another, but only the top half had been completed. Scott felt Isaac and Allison come up behind him as they took in the image that had been carved into the deer's flesh.
"Looks like your dad was right," Isaac said quietly, actively aware that anyone could be listening. "The message wasn't finished."
Hesitantly, Scott withdrew his phone from his pocket. He took a few pictures, though he winced at the quality. It didn't matter, he resolved to himself. He could remember the image even if he couldn't get a decent picture.
Scott was about to turn to his friends, when the crack of a twig caught his attention.
Allison was the first to react, her bow was already drawn, an arrow locked in place. Her entire body was rigid as she searched out the shadows that surrounded the clearing.
Scott could see Isaac's eyes glowing eerily in the darkness; his claws were drawn as he looked out into the dark.
At first, Scott wasn't sure what had caught their attention. That was, until, another twig snapped and, at the same moment, something moved from one tree to the next.
Scott's eyes were glowing now, he could feel them. His teeth were already sharpening, his claws extended at his sides. At the moment, he had no time to feel insecure about his control. Right now, his mind was fixed on protecting his pack.
The figure in the dark moved again and this time the sounds were obvious, as though the person was purposefully being as loud as they could. Scott drew into a crouch, readying his senses for a sudden attack. The figure moved again and this time, something glowed from within the darkness.
Scott heard Isaac stifle a gasp of surprise as two bright green orbs appeared in the shadows.
Then, the figure was gone again.
"What was that?" Allison asked, her hands trembling slightly against her bow.
"You saw it?" Scott asked incredulously.
Isaac remained silent.
When Allison nodded, Scott demanded, "What did it look like?"
Allison opened her mouth to answer, when the breath was suddenly knocked out of her. In a flash of motion, both Allison and her bow were flung across the clearing. She skidded across the leafy floor, eyes wide in panic, but seemingly unharmed.
The creature that stood in Allison's place was tall, yet slender. Their body was clad in black, not a fleck of skin showing all around, but still, Scott knew it was female. Something about the way they held themselves gave that away. Their assailants' face was masked in a balaclava. All that was on show were the creature's green eyes and a set of vicious fangs.
The creature made a guttural sound. Not wolf-like, but animal all the same. With that sound in place, the girl, the thing, lunged towards Scott. Isaac blocked the attack, his face almost completely transformed. He growled at their attacker before pushing her back with all his might. The creature stumbled, but didn't fall. She crouched down, matching Scott's actions, and made to lunge again.
Scott readied for an impact that never came. Instead, an arrow zoomed through the clearing, connecting directly with the creature's raised arm. Allison was knelt in the leaves, bow cocked, a serious expression indented on her features. The masked girl hissed as she drew away from the misfit pack. Before anyone could make a move to grab her, she'd already crossed the clearing. Scott had to blink to make sure he hadn't been imagining it, but no, she really had moved that fast.
At a safe distance from the pack, the masked girl grabbed at the arrow that was now buried into her arm. With one violent shriek, the arrow tore out of her flesh. The girl discarded it and, as she did so, Scott caught a glimpse of an impressive set of claws growing from her fingertips. Despite this wolf-like feature, there was nothing wolf about her. The girl moved fluidly from place to place, practically blurring into the background. Scott didn't have time to think on the matter though, for the girl was suddenly back in action, running towards the two werewolves.
Allison attempted another shot with her bow, but the girl was too quick. She dodged each arrow with apparent ease until she was leaping towards Scott. Scott only had time to raise his arms in defence before the girl had jumped on top of him. With their combined weight as a factor, the two supernatural beings were sent tumbling into the dirt. The girl's luminescent green orbs bored into Scott's face as she made a primal hissing sound. Her arms raised above her head as she made to strike him across the face.
Kicking upwards, Scott managed to topple the girl where she straddled him. With her balance slacking, Scott took the opportunity to roll the girl over so that their roles were reversed. The girl struggled under his weight, thrashing her arms and legs in a primal fashion. Scott could feel Isaac moving towards him from behind and was about to turn when the girl jerked out especially hard. Her legs bent underneath Scott and, with a violent kick, she sent him airborne. Scott didn't have even a second to comprehend the sudden lack of gravity before he hit a tree with a sickening thud. Scott fell forwards, badly winded as his eyesight blurred before him.
Allison was shrieking his name, getting another arrow primed and ready, but Scott knew it would do no good. The creature – whatever she was – moved too fast.
The masked girl was running towards him now, her body a blur amongst the smoke and fire. Scott closed his eyes, readying for the impact, when suddenly Isaac lunged in front of him. Scott felt rather than heard the large crunch as the two bodies connected with each other. Isaac had his arms out, restraining the wrists of the masked girl as she hissed and spat at him. Despite Isaac's one-up in position, Scott knew it wouldn't last. The girl was incredibly strong and even as he watched, he saw the girl's new plan flash before her eyes.
In a flash of motion, the girl used Isaac's own weight against him. She swung her body away from him, so hard that he stumbled forwards, though he still held onto her tightly. The girl made an impatient noise as she twisted her body around and, with lightning fast reflexes, drew her elbow directly into Isaac's chest. Winded, Isaac let go of one of the girl's hands. Evidently, one was all she needed.
Before Scott or Allison could do anything to stop her, the girl brought her claws down across Isaac's chest, raking vicious lacerations into his skin. With a gasp, Isaac let go of her other hand. He stumbled backwards in surprise as blood began to spurt from the wounds. Allison yelled his name, her legs working robotically as she ran towards him.
Scott let out a yell of his own, though his was directed towards the masked creature. He picked himself up from the ground and ran forwards, slamming his entire weight into the girl. In his shocked state, it took him a few moments to realise the action had done nothing to slow her down. In fact, she was still standing, her arms locked against his chest. Scott tried to make a grab for her, slash her with his own impressive claws, but she was restricting his movement. Her green eyes looked up into his red ones and for a moment, he thought he saw them sparkle with something.
Humour?
The masked girl winked at Scott and, despite the fact he couldn't see her face, he knew she was gloating her victory. Scott snarled at her, trying to move in on an attack, but she continued to hold him steady.
With a violent motion, she let go of Scott, pushing him hard into the leafy floor. Before he could pick himself up, she had already disappeared into the trees.
Scott let out a yell and stood. Allison called out to him, but he didn't hear her. His vision had turned entirely red. His rage was back and he knew only one thing could sate it.
In blind fury, Scott tore across the clearing, leapt through the trees and landed nimbly on all fours. His night vision picked up every movement in the forest and he was immediately able to hone in on the only other bipedal creature in the woods.
The girl hadn't gone far. In fact, she was stood amongst the shadows, leaning against a tree. Her eyes glowed sharply in the darkness, as though she had been waiting for him.
Scott didn't question it. Instead he ran forwards, a vicious sound ripping from his throat as he made for the attack. In the last few feet between them, Scott jumped into the air, ready to meet the creature face to face. Before he could land, however, the girl reached an arm into the air and with a powerful crack she hit him. In fact, she knocked him so hard that he changed trajectory completely. In the briefest moment, Scott was sent sprawling into the underbrush, his hair and clothes tangled with dirt and leaves.
Stunned, Scott made to stand up, to continue his pursuit on the girl. The moment he stood, however, a vicious white-hot pain flared up across his chest. He felt the colour drain from his face as his eyes burned ferociously in the dark. He fell backwards against the tree, sucking in a deep breath as the pain continued, pulsing through his body. Gingerly, he placed a hand against his chest, expecting it to come away bloody. But there was no blood, no injury whatsoever and, as Scott looked up into the dark, he realised through the blinding pain that the girl was gone too.
Scott searched his body fervently as the pain flared again. He looked out into the dark, his breath coming out tight and ragged. Why was he hurting if he wasn't injured? Had the girl done something to him?
Then he remembered.
She hadn't done something to him. But she had done something to Isaac.
The connection was clear, though Scott couldn't understand why. He was feeling Isaac's pain. A wave of nausea swept through him as he forced himself onto two unsteady legs. If this was how Isaac felt…
He didn't have much time. Ignoring the pain as best he could he turned back the way he came. He sprinted through the trees, dodging fallen branches as he went, before he finally crashed back into the clearing.
Allison was knelt in front of Isaac, her face set grimly as she stared down at him with wide eyes. Isaac was sat with his back pressed against a tree. His skin was unsettling pale, his eyes half closed, his face contorted in agony.
Allison heard Scott before he'd even made it half-way towards them.
"He's not healing," she said quickly, her voice strained. Scott knew it was taking all of her efforts not to break on the spot.
Once he was close enough to see the wounds, Scott could understand why.
Isaac's shirt had been torn to shreds, showing the grizzly claw slashes in all their glory. The sliced flesh was a puckered, angry red colour, but that wasn't what Scott was worried about. The wounds were pumping out black blood at an alarming rate, soaking into what remained of Isaac's shirt. Scott knelt on the other side of Isaac. The pain he'd felt from Isaac's wounds was just a dull throb in his subconscious now, though he knew that wouldn't be the case for his Beta. Pressing a hand against Isaac's arm confirmed his theory. Scott instantly felt Isaac's pain surge through his hand, burning through his body. Allison watched as the all-familiar black veins appeared across Scott's arm, her eyes wide and fearful.
Scott gritted his teeth, trying to hold on for as long as he could. Isaac's eyes fluttered open, his breathing steadied, evidently relieved from some of the pain, but Scott knew it wasn't much. The wounds were too deep for him to give the kind of comfort he needed. "Stay awake, Isaac," Scott demanded, growing light headed as he was forced to let go of Isaac's arm.
Isaac moaned in pain, his eyelids fluttering dangerously. "S-Scott?" he slurred.
"Stay awake!" Allison said it this time, forcing their gazes to meet. "It's alright, Isaac. You're going to be alright."
Scott nodded, though his heart was racing. "We've gotta get him out of here," he said grimly, shoving his hands into his pockets as he spoke. Swiftly, he removed his phone and began to dial in a number.
Isaac groaned out again, writhing where he lay. His fingers dug feverishly into the dirt, anything to relieve the agony that was shooting through his body.
Tears sprung at the corners of Allison's eyes as she continued to speak softly towards Isaac, keeping him conscious for all it was worth. But his concentration was slipping. They didn't have time to waste.
"Where are we taking him?" She asked Scott as soon as he returned after making the phone call.
"Deaton," Scott said. "We have to get him to Deaton."
A/N: So, yeah, cliffhanger! Ain't I precious? Anyway, I hope you liked the chapter, please leave a review it'd make my day! :) Until next time, guys!
