Authors Note: I just want to thank everyone for being so patient with me. I didn't think it would be so hard to get back to writing after the death of my uncle but it's proving to be a lot harder than anything else. It's just strange to step out of the real world to enjoy the fictional one I suppose. I hope this terribly long update makes up for that. Thank you for sticking with me and reviewing to let me know that you're still enjoying this series. You're all wonderful.
[Maggie's POV]
I ran past Derek's car as I did laps around the building looking for a safe entrance. The more things I passed, the more I started to get a vague since of deja vu. I found the front door cracked open and pulled it open when I heard arguing.
"DO YOU HAVE ANY IDEA WHAT YOU'VE DONE?!" Derek's voice boomed.
"YOU WANT TO BLAME ME?! Well I'm the one turning teenagers into killers!" Allison argued with Derek. His shirt was slashed through as well and blood stained splotches littered the once green material.
"No that's just the rest of your family." Derek spat.
"I made mistakes. Gerard is not my fault." Allison said but I could hear the small hesitation in her voice.
"Of course he's not, no one could ever say that. Now can someone please tell me what the hell is going on here? Did you find them?" I interrupted their arguing and Allison shook her head.
"What about your mother?" Derek ignored me and both Scott and I looked at Derek. That secret has stayed between us since that night and Derek was spilling the beans now?
"Tell her Scott." Derek walked away from all of us towards the vault door and I looked Scott over. He was covered in blood, his own blood and Allison stood disheveled. Waves of grief and confusion coming off of her.
"Are you okay?" I asked looking Scott over.
"I'm fine." He nodded carefully.
"What did he mean Scott? What aren't you telling me?" Allison walked towards us and I stepped back trying to give them space but Allison's eyes met mine.
"Maggie please...what is he talking about? I know you know. Scott is like a brother to you. If he won't tell me, then you should." Allison was more forceful this time and Scott let out a sigh.
"The night of the rave...the night your Derek accidentally bit your mom...he was saving me." Scott kept his eyes down. I felt like I was intruding on this personal conversation and honestly all I wanted to know is if Erica and Boyd were alright.
"Saving you from who?" Allison pressed.
"Your mom. She ran me down and tried to use wolfsbane to poison me. If Derek hadn't shown up, I'd have died. She was trying to protect you from me...from this life." Scott explained and I could tell Allison's world just shattered a little bit more.
"Why didn't you tell me?" She forced back tears and swallowed the lump that had surfaced in the fight against her emotions.
"Allison, I'll tell you anything you want to know but right now-" I cut Scott off.
"Scott...she deserves to know why." He looked at me before finally meeting her saddened gaze.
"I couldn't. I couldn't let that be the last memory that you had of her." Allison's chest shook slightly and I wished I knew someway to comfort her but there were no words. There was no gesture I could offer with such a burden. I've had to live with the same one and it kills a part of you. Knowing that your mother died to protect you is something that destroys you. I was pulled from the uncomfortable silence as Derek walked slowly out of the vault carrying Erica's lifeless body. I felt my legs grow heavy and my heart jump. There was only four heartbeats in the room.
"No…she can't…she can't be." I whispered in disbelief unable to move my legs to reach out for her.
"She's gone Maggie." Derek croaked out, throat raw with devastation and disappointment. We refused to believe Isaac's unconscious rants but a part of me wished I had. I wished I would have put in my head that she might already be dead because this pain that was washing over me felt like it was taking my entire body over.
"I'm so sorry-" I cut Scott off.
"NO! She can't be dead! I would have felt it! Derek, we would have felt it!" I started to pace knowing I needed to get my body to move or else I'd shut down.
"This is all my fault." I felt hot tears trying to force itself out but I covered my face quickly. All I could think about was that night. I shouldn't have left them. I shouldn't have just left Erica and Boyd. I should have known this would happen. They should have just killed me.
"Maggie, this isn't your-" Scott reached out to comfort me and I flung my arms away from my face, smacking his hands back and startling him and Allison.
"Don't touch me. Just stay away from me." I felt my hands shaking and tucked them under my arms.
"Maggie…I know you're hurting but you can't keep pushing me away." Scott said desperately but all I could do was feel rage boiling up inside of my stomach.
"You have no idea how I feel." I bit looking directly into his eyes before focusing my eyes past him to Derek. I had to be strong right now. I had to get Derek to focus on the task at hand. I reached out and touched Derek's arm snapping his eyes to mine, sharing the pain with him.
"I'll take her home but you have to find Boyd before it's too late." Derek started to walk with me in silence.
"He's with Cora." Derek muttered making me turn around as I opened the door to the backseat.
"Cora Hale? Your little sister?" I questioned making him nod.
"I thought she was dead...all these years I thought-" I put my hand on Derek's chest and he lifted his eyes to mine.
"We'll have a chance for you to catch up with her but first we need to get her and Boyd to safety. I'll take Erica home and send Isaac to help you okay?" Derek sat Erica down in the back and pulled the blanket over her like he was trying to keep her warm. I shut the door and kept my hands on the car for a few moments bracing myself. We stood together, numb and unsure of what to do for a few seconds before Derek stepped towards me like he might hug me but I stopped him.
"If you hug me, I'm going to break down and right now, neither of us have time to do that. Go save our family and we'll grieve later." I heard my voice shake as I fight the urge to just lose it but luckily Derek knew I was right.
"Tell Isaac to follow my scent and we'll meet up to start a search." Derek didn't linger much but he did stop long enough to kiss my forehead quickly and take off back into the bank. I didn't bother going back in. I got in the car and headed towards the loft. I noticed how shaky they were resting on the steering wheel and I tried not to think about the dead body of one of my friends in the backseat.
"I'm so sorry. I never should have left without you and Boyd that night. I should have burned the place down. I should have done something." I wished she could respond. I would give anything and everything for her to just huff out a laugh and tell me how much bad she was going to make me work before forgiving me. All I felt now was a cold numbness that was soaking through to my bones as I pulled up to the loft and Isaac came running out.
"Derek just called and said..." He stopped short when I opened the backdoor. He saw Erica lying in the blanket and approached slowly.
"I need you to help me get her upstairs. I'm going to clean her up." I could feel Isaac's eyes leave Erica's body to stare at me in confusion but when I started to pull her out myself he put his hand on my arm.
"I've got her. I've got her." He repeated putting his arms under her and lifting her bridal style towards his chest. I shut the door on the car and followed Isaac back inside towards the elevator. It was a silent ride up and we were met at the door by Peter and Stiles. I walked over to the table and swept all the maps and papers that Stiles had brought over to the floor so Isaac could lay her down.
"Maggie..." Stiles started to walk towards the table and I shut him out of my head.
"Isaac, I need you to grab my bag behind my door before you leave. Derek needs you to help track down Boyd and Cora." I said firmly.
"Cora? My niece Cora?" Peter spoke up and I nodded.
"They were holding her with Boyd apparently. That was the other person Isaac felt." Isaac ran down the steps with my bag as I stroked Erica's hair from her black veined ridden face.
"What are you going to do with her?" Isaac asked me as I continued to brush her hair from her face.
"I'm going to fix her." I said simply. There was a beat of silence that fell in the room and I felt my dad step closer to me.
"Maggie, she's gone. You can't fix-" I snapped my eyes up to his cutting him off cold.
"I'm not going to bury her like this. Do you understand me?" I gritted my teeth together and chuffed at him making him nod his head in understanding. Isaac said a few things before he took off but I didn't catch it. All I wanted to do was try my best at restoring a bit of dignity back to Erica so she could have a proper burial. My hands hovered, shaking over her skin. I didn't want to latch with her and see what they'd put her through. That would destroy me and I knew it. I cleared my head and flipped through the pages of remedies book. I knew the spell I needed. I saw Caroline use it once when I was younger on an animal that she'd hit with her car.
"Maggie, you know you need to be very careful with using those spells. If you even try to bring back-" I closed my eyes slowly trying to block out Peter's voice.
"I'm not bringing her back. Why would I? I don't even want to be here." I muttered before resting my hand on Erica's forehead. Her skin was cold and I felt the back of my eyes prick with tears but I fought them back as I started doing the incantation. The blackness in her veins started to disappear slowly starting from her forehead and trailing down through her entire body. I could feel the pain and agony that she once felt draining out of her and I had to take a few deep breaths to keep from collapsing. I felt a sudden jolt to my stomach and I let out a gasp clenching my midsection. Peter started towards me and I put my hand out stopping him. The feeling rolled up my chest, into my throat and exploded in my head like a siren making me yank at my hair.
"What's happening? Is she having another episode?" Stiles asked confused looking to Peter for answers. I knew what the feeling was. I hadn't experienced it often but I knew it was because of Lydia. Our connection had grown over the summer and I'd been looking into what could possibly cause a physical reaction to her experiencing trauma. It was mild in comparison to the ones I've had before so I knew she was at least okay but there's no telling what was going on with her yet. I just added it to the pile of things I had to worry about.
"Maggie maybe you should just take a minute?" Stiles suggested as I opened my eyes letting a tear roll down my cheek. I continued to ignore him as I filled a small bucket with warm water so I could wash the blood from her hands and arms. I dipped the rag back into the water wringing out the blood that had stained it. I was completely lost in my thoughts of the last conversation we had. It's funny how now that I had her back, the memories of that night came back vividly. The smell of blood and sweat in the air. The mixed emotions flowing from Erica, Boyd and Isaac that went straight through me, overwhelming all of my own fears and pain.
"I'm not afraid to die, you know. After everything that's happened, it's the furthest thing from my mind." I said feeling Peter walk up next to me to look down at Erica as she lay out in front of the both of us now looking like she was merely sleeping. There were no dark veins covering her fair skin, no tension or panic in her face. She looked at peace.
"That's because you care about other people. You've built this wall around yourself to protect your heart but you made a fatal mistake when you let people behind those walls. When you love someone, you protect them with everything you have. But sometimes it's not enough. Sometimes they get hurt or they get killed and there's no stopping it. The wall starts to crumble and you find that dying would be a sweet relief to the pain of losing the people you love more than anything." Peter put his hand on my shoulder and I flinched slightly. It wasn't a touch of comfort but one of strength as he tightened his grip.
"You know why they did this. Don't let it break you. Use what you feel. Use that anger. Rage is the best motivation next to revenge." Peter's hand left my shoulder as the words bounced around in my head. He was right. I couldn't let this break me down. I had to be strong. I had to keep fighting, for Erica. Deucalion wanted me to get angry. Well he has no idea what he's ignited.
[Scott's POV]
It didn't take long for me to pick up Boyd's scent once I'd collected myself in the bank. Seeing Maggie's emotions flip like a switch kind of sent my head spinning. One minute she was asking me if I was alright and the next she just shut down like a robot. I knew finding Erica dead was hard on her but I honestly didn't expect her to completely check out. Derek explained to me how dangerous it was to have Boyd and Cora roaming around so I couldn't worry about Maggie right now. I heard some kids screaming in the distance and took off towards it. The sound of rapid hearts beating helped guide me to them just in time as Boyd lifted a metal shed clean off the ground just to try and tear into these two children. Luckily for me, when he tossed the shed it knocked over a jar full of fireflies that seemed to distract him long enough for me to scoop both kids up and take off in the opposite direction. I got a few miles away before I sat them down to look them over.
"Are you okay?" I looked from the crying little boy to the shaking little girl.
"That monster...he almost got us." She cried.
"You're safe now but you have to get out of the woods." I explained seeing that neither of them had any injuries. All I could smell was the fear on them now.
"Our house isn't far. Will you please walk with us. I don't want the monster to get us." The little boy begged. Every time they called Boyd a monster I felt a bit taken aback. Boyd wasn't a bad guy. They didn't know him. They didn't know what he'd been through the past few months. They were just kids. I pulled out my phone to call Derek and let him know I'd lost Boyd but he wasn't too happy about that.
"That wasn't really the plan Scott." I could actually hear him rolling his eyes.
"I know which is why I think we should stick together. He's too strong, too fast and way too angry for one person to handle. We've got to do this together." I explained.
"Look I'm at the trails at the entrance to the preserve and Isaac is on his way. Can you meet me here?" Derek asked sounding irritable. I glanced down at the two kids clinging to me and nodded my head.
"Yeah I'll meet you but I have to drop something off first." I said feeling the girls grip on my arm loosen.
"Alright hurry up." Derek hung up and I pocketed my phone. The kids led me towards their house quietly until I saw it come into view.
"Are you...are you one of them?" The little boy looked up me and I nodded softly confirming his question.
"Why was he so angry?" The girl asked confused.
"Someone did something very bad to him. He doesn't know what he's doing which is why I have to find him and stop him before he hurts someone or himself." I explained. The kids stopped in front of their house and looked at me as if they were trying to figure me out. I wouldn't even know what to do if I knew werewolves were real at that age.
"I hope you save your friend. Thank you for saving us." The little girl held out her hand and I smiled at it before shaking it. Her hand was so small compared to mine and that was a reminder of just how important it was to get Boyd and Cora off the streets. I wouldn't let them hurt anyone, I couldn't let them hurt anyone. I made sure both kids were inside with the door locked before heading back towards where Derek told me to meet him. He started to run the moment he spotted me and I managed to keep up with him as we searched for a scent or a trail. We ran as fast as we could, brushing past branches and flipping through trees before Derek finally found a set of footprints.
"Is it them?" I questioned as Derek looked around the muddy area.
"We're not the only ones who decided to stick together." He informed finding two sets of tracks overlapping.
"Is that going to make it easier or harder to catch them?" I asked not sure I really wanted the answer.
"I don't know." Derek's uncertainty worried me. He seemed like his head was all over the place and I didn't blame him but after watching Boyd almost kill two kids, I knew we needed to be focused.
"Derek, I saw Boyd tried to rip two little kids apart. I know you've got a million things going on in your head, with Erica and Maggie but if they're going to do that to everyone they find then we have to get some real help. We can't do this on our own." I watched Derek's face fall as he walked past me.
"My head is here. Isaac is on the way now so let's keep going before we have anymore close calls." Derek started running again and I let out a sigh. I followed Derek until we both heard a growl and knew it was Cora. Derek took a different way around and I jumped over a tree branch to kick Cora away from Isaac who had tried to take her on his own. Once the three of us had cornered her, she took off into the trees once more with Derek and Isaac on her tail. I looked at the girl that was standing frozen by her tent, eyes wide and unsure of what she had just witnessed. She had a much different look than the children had. When I approached her, she started to stumble backwards. I put my hands up letting her know I wasn't going to hurt her.
"Are you okay?" I asked seeing her whole body shivering.
"W-what?" She was terrified.
"Are you alright?" I asked again feeling a bit hurt like I did when Maggie first saw me as a wolf. She nodded her head that she was alright and I stepped closer.
"You need to get out of here. Get out of the woods as fast as you can. Go!" I yelled making her scramble. I backed away from her and pulled out my phone sending a text to Stiles to check on Maggie but I knew I couldn't wait for the response. Not with Boyd and Cora on the loose like they were. I pocketed my phone and took off in the direction Isaac and Derek ran to try and catch up praying that at least things were calm on Stiles end.
[Stiles POV]
I looked down at my phone reading Scott's text asking how things were here before lifting my gaze to Maggie as she cleaned Erica's dead body. I couldn't even begin to fathom how to answer his text. Peter hovered closer by her whispering in her ear whenever she started to crumble at the edges but the moment he stopped talking it's like her body would snap back into this cold, distant robotic person and her grooming would become more meticulous. I couldn't pretend to know what she was going through. Sure, I'd lost my mom but I'd never lost a friend like this before. She also wasn't making it easier with putting me at arms distance from whatever the hell was going on with her. I wanted to keep being mad. I really wanted to be pissed at her for doing what she did but watching her silently mourn over a friend that I know she cared deeply for kind of broke my stride a bit. She'd always felt responsible for Derek's pack and to see that one of them was killed would make her instantly take that blame on herself. The Hale guilt complex is something I've become used to by now and it made it hard to be angry at someone who already pretty much hated themselves.
Peter grabbed his coat and started for the door making me spring to my feet. He paused looking at me with confusion.
"Where are you going?" I asked earning a look of annoyance.
"Out. If you know what's good for you, you'll leave her alone. She doesn't need you hovering over her right now." Peter snapped pulling the heavy door open with ease. Maggie looked up at him and Peter gave her a nod like somehow in the off putting silence that he'd been sitting in, Peter had told her of his plans to leave.
"You really think she should be by herself right now?" I gestured with my arm and Peter puffed out his chest.
"Yes I do. You don't know her as well as you wish you did if you think otherwise." Peter pulled the door shut behind himself leaving me to stand awkwardly by myself with my back to Maggie. I turned around slowly and dared a glance at Maggie. She didn't even bat an eyelash as I shoved my hands in my pockets and slowly walked over towards her. The silence that filled the room wasn't just awkward. It was tense. I could see the streaks on her face where tears used to be as she washed the blood out of Erica's fingernails. I jumped slightly when she spoke.
"Why are you still here?" She croaked not even breaking her stride.
"I don't think you should be alone right now." I said honestly.
"I don't think you know what I need at all right now." She shook her head dismissively.
"You're right. I don't but I'm still not going to leave you alone so you can stew in it." I fought against her words.
"Stew in it? You have no idea what's going on in my head so stop pretending you understand." She finally looked up at me with annoyance. I rested my hands on the table on the opposite side of Erica's body.
"I'm not going to pretend I know what you're going through. I knew Erica but I wasn't close with her like you were. I'm allowed to be sympathetic to the situation because I do...care about you." Maggie gripped the sides of the table and hung her head.
"I'm just trying to help Maggie." I followed it up gently but her head snapped up and her eyes locked with mine with an intensity I've never seen from her.
"What?! What do you think you could possibly say to make me feel better Stiles?" She asked in disbelief, her patience finally run out.
"This isn't your fault." I said honestly but she snapped.
"You have no freaking clue how much this is actually my fault which is why you shouldn't be here in the first place." She gripped at her hair roughly and for some reason I could actually feel her pain and anxiety. I wasn't sure if it was because of how intense she was being or because it was mixed with my own feelings for her.
"I'm not going anywhere until you realize that you didn't cause this. The alpha pack killed Erica okay? This blood isn't on your hands-" She stopped me short.
"Yeah except you don't know why they killed Erica." She took a deep breath trying to regain some composure.
"Well they seem pretty evil to me considering they killed a teenage girl, so I'm going to go with that." I explained away simply but she let out a dark chuckle before meeting my gaze once more.
"They were getting revenge because I killed one of their own. She was probably a few years older than us and I slaughtered her without a second thought." I felt my breath catch in my throat at the revelation. Maggie had killed someone? That doesn't sound like her at all. There's no way she could have done something like that. I tried to hold her gaze but I had to shake my head to actually try and remember how to talk again. I was taken by surprise when she walked around the table towards me invading my personal space.
"Now look me in the eyes and try and tell me you know who I am, I dare you." Her eyes were cold and her entire body seemed like it was challenging me to make a move. I wasn't sure what to say or do but I didn't want her to think I was scared of her. I swallowed the lump in my throat and let my eyes flutter a bit but I never looked away from her.
"I don't care who you think you are now or what you've done." I stood my ground but Maggie didn't flinch.
"It's not about what I've done. It's about what I plan to do and that's kill the alpha pack. Every single one of them will pay for hurting my family." The only time I'd seen someone with such rage in their eyes was Peter and just admitting that to myself was terrifying. Maggie blinked away a cringe and I looked her up and down.
"Maggie?" She gripped her head again and fell back into the metal table.
"Whoa! What's going on? Are you okay?" I reached out to her and the moment I made contact with her arm she fell to her knees.
"D-dont! Don't touch me! Don't touch me!" She placed both her hands on the floor and started taking deep breaths.
"Lydia...what's wrong?" She whispered as pain seemed to vibrate through her head. I instantly began to worry about Lydia unsure of how Maggie could even know if something was wrong from all the way across town. Maggie's body stopped shaking like the earthquake in her head had finally stopped.
"Are you okay?" I touched her back and she shrugged my hand off.
"You need to go." She was still trying to collect herself on the floor as I knelt next to her.
"You expect me to leave after-" My phone ringing cut me off and I looked at the screen to see Lydia's name flashing across it. I answered it hearing Lydia's hard breathing.
"Hey are you okay?" I asked confused.
"No I'm not okay! I'm standing next to a pool of blood and a dead body right now!" Lydia cried.
"What?! What happened?" I looked down at Maggie as she rolled over to lean against the pillar in the middle of the room, dragging her knees to her chest.
"I don't know! I just ended up here. Please just-" I cut her off.
"I'm on the way. Just stay out of sight okay? I'll be there as soon as I can. I'm on the way now." I grabbed my jacket and hung up my phone before walking over to Maggie extending my hand.
"Come on, Lydia needs us." I said but she made no move to take my hand.
"Go. I don't need you here." She said without looking at me.
"I'm not leaving you here. Not like this." Her eyes finally traveled up to see me looking down at her and she shook her head.
"Since you can't see what's right in front of your face, I'll break it down for you. I can handle this on my own. I don't need you...for anything and you don't belong here so leave before I make you leave." Maggie threatened. I bounced on my feet not wanting to budge but I knew Lydia needed me. As much as I'd love to challenge Maggie and let her know that she isn't getting rid of me, I had to let her win this battle for now.
"You're right, I might not have a clue what happened to you or what you've done but that doesn't mean I'm going to give up on you. As screwed up as things are between us and as pissed off as I should be at you...I can't just stop caring about you. So push me away, be shitty or whatever you want but I'll always care. Whether you like it or not." I left Maggie sitting on the floor trying to shake the overwhelming feeling of uncertainty with just leaving things up in the air like that. I rushed down to the jeep and took off towards the pool to find Lydia pacing back and forth.
"Lydia! Lydia! Are you okay?" I ran up to her touching her arm to look her over only to see she was visibly shaken.
"I'm okay. but that guy over there, not okay." She breathed nodding her head in the direction of a lifeless body sitting in a lifeguard chair just a few feet from where we stood.
"Yeah I'm gonna call my dad." I reached for my phone to call it in.
"I already called 911." I looked up at Lydia.
"You called the police before you called me?" I asked a bit offended.
"I'm supposed to call you first when I find a dead body?" She questioned right back.
"YES! ALWAYS! GOD! Have you learned nothing!?" I yelled at Lydia and she narrowed her eyes at me. I took a deep breath and started dialing Scott's number.
"I'm sorry that was a bit harsh. Are you okay?" I asked once more earning an eye roll.
"I'd be better if you weren't screaming at a crime scene." Lydia grumbled.
"Stiles? Is she alright?" I knew Scott was referring to his text that I never responded to.
"She's not great but I'm not with Maggie, I'm with Lydia. She found a dead body at the pool. It looks like this guys throat was ripped out so I'm going to assume you haven't found Boyd and Cora yet." My eyes caught sight of the pool of blood surrounding the bottom of the chair and I took a step back.
"Are you sure?" Scott clearly was hoping for better news.
"Yup, throat ripped out, blood everywhere. It's like the freaking Shinning over here. I swear to God if two little twin girls come creeping out of the woods and ask me to play with them, I'll piss myself." I raked my hand through my hair, glancing out into the dark trees over the fence just to be cautious.
"Can you get a little closer to make sure it was them?" Scott asked carefully. I narrowed my eyes confused by the request.
"Make sure it was them? Scott, who else is going around ripping throats out? I mean if there is another threat out there, I'd like to know about it." I honestly don't think I could handle more than an Alpha pack right now.
"Just check please." Scott pleaded, his desperation coming through loud and clear. I grumbled taking a step towards the bloodied body to try and get a good look at the wound without the smell of blood making me nauseous. The wound on the throat looked deep but I wasn't quiet sure if they used a singular claw or not. I remember looking at the pictures of Kate Argent's throat after they found her body and it looked different then this kids throat but that wasn't the strangest thing. The lights of the pool area made the silver purity ring on his hand glisten like it was trying to catch my eye. The blood on his hands dripped onto the ground but there was no blood on the actual ring. Almost like someone put it on his hand as a reminder that he was a virgin. I thought of Maggie and how she said I couldn't see what was right in front of me. Maybe we weren't just dealing with the savage werewolves. Maybe there was a missing piece that I couldn't see just yet.
[Derek's POV]
The moment Scott hung up the phone, I knew bad news was going to follow. His heart was beating faster and his anxiety was sky high. It was coming off of him in waves just standing there looking at Isaac and I.
"They found a body at the public pool." Scott finally said.
"That doesn't make any sense. The public pool is on the other side of the woods. We haven't tracked them anywhere near that." I crossed my arms over my chest unwilling to believe that the body they found was because of Boyd and Cora.
"Derek, they killed someone." Scott pressed but I ignored him.
"How are they moving so fast? They can't be that fast on foot!" I argued.
"Derek! They killed someone. Some totally innocent kid is dead and it's our fault." I feel like Scott needed to say it out loud just to feel the weight of that guilt but I didn't need to hear it. I already knew whose fault it was.
"No it's my fault. I'm the one who couldn't handle them. This one goes on me." I met Scott's gaze knowing that he wouldn't allow me to carry that burden alone.
"We need help." Scott said desperately.
"We have Isaac now-" Scott cut me off.
"I mean real help." Isaac's head snapped towards Scott.
"Well thanks a lot McCall. I feel the warmth of team bonding in the face of terror wholeheartedly." I hit Isaac's arm with the back of my hand letting him know the snark wasn't needed.
"They're too strong, too fast and too rabid for us." Scott pointed out.
"We'll catch them." I countered but Isaac snorted.
"Even if we do, what are we going to do with them? Hold them down until the sun comes up? I'm fit to fight but not for 6 hours." Isaac looked between the two of us and I raked my hands through my hair.
"What do you want me to say? That it'd be easier to just kill them?" I threw out there testing them.
"Maggie would kill you for even verbalizing that." Isaac turned his body towards me like he wanted the comment to be between the two of us but Scott interrupted.
"Killing them isn't the right thing to do." I was relieved Scott felt that way but I don't know why I was surprised.
"If we can't even catch them then what can we do?" Isaac asked out of answers.
"We find someone who knows what they're doing. Someone who knows how to hunt werewolves." Scott gave me this look and I instantly knew who he was talking about.
"That's your idea? Ask Chris Argent? We might as well kill them." Scott started walking away from the two of us and Isaac shrugged before following.
"He knows what he's doing and he won't kill them." We trudged through the woods and I shook my head.
"Plus he kind of owes us a favor doesn't he? His dad almost killed Maggie." Scott and I exchanged glances but didn't bother talking about it.
"Just trust me okay? You didn't trust me with the Maggie stuff but trust me with this. For once just...follow me okay?" Scott stopped as we hit the edge of the woods where both of us had parked.
"Fine. We'll try it your way." I got into my car and Isaac didn't dare open his mouth as we followed Scott to the grocery store parking lot. I parked a few spaces back and watched Scott pump himself up to approach Chris Argent. After what he had told me about him and Allison breaking up, I doubt that Argent would do anything to help us. We had made an agreement to go our separate ways the night that Gerard disappeared and I haven't heard from him since.
"So do you think this is going to work?" Isaac finally cut through the silence in the car as we watched Scott approach Argent.
"Nope." It was only a few seconds before he pulled a gun on Scott and his hands went up in surrender.
"Well that went as well as expected." Isaac watched as Scott tried to talk Chris down enough to put the weapon away.
"So...your sister..." I looked over at Isaac as if he must be completely out of his mind. He seemed to read my reaction quite well.
"Alright how about another topic?" Isaac offered.
"How about silence?" I knew it was a simple request but he kept talking.
"Do you think Maggie's really going to be okay? I mean when I left she was like grooming Erica's dead body." I honestly hadn't thought about Maggie since Scott told me about the boy at the pool. I was happy she was at least honest with me back at the vault. I didn't want her to break down either but I knew we would have to face this pain together.
"She's mourning the loss of someone she considered family. What did you expect?" I defended.
"I don't know. I guess I expected her to come with us to save the remaining family. I mean you said one of them was your sister so she's technically gained another cousin." I looked over at Isaac annoyed with all his questions.
"We all grieve differently. We'll get them back and she'll start healing." I said seeing Isaac shift in the passenger seat.
"I hope you're right. So how old is your sister?" Isaac tried to slip the conversation back to Cora and I rolled my eyes.
"Really? Because your relationship worked out so well with Maggie?" I took a jab but he didn't seem too offended by it.
"Just because it didn't work out doesn't mean we didn't make out." Isaac's smirk quickly disappeared when I let my glare linger on him for a moment.
"Due to recent tragedy, I can't kill you but I could still rip your tongue out of your head. You know that right?" I gave Isaac a final warning and he knew I was done fooling around.
"I'll just…be over here…practicing the art of silence." He shrunk down in his seat.
"Scott, I watched my father brainwash my daughter, almost turn her into a killer. That world, your world dismantled mine. My wife, my sister, my father...my entire family. Why would I ever step foot in it again?" Argent had clearly learned from the mistakes that were made but he still made me leery.
"Because more people are going to die. You saved Maggie's life and I knew you can help us save Boyd and Cora. If not for Derek, if not for me then for Maggie. She's isolated herself this entire summer in order to keep that world from touching all of us and it's swallowing her whole. I can't help her if we lose Boyd. Please..." Scott pleaded with Argent. He seemed to take a second to consider it but shook his head.
"I'm sorry, I can't help you." Oddly enough, I understood where he was coming from. If I could go back in time and stop Maggie from getting involved with the whole Alpha pack business, I would. It has completely wrecked her life and it's my fault. I'm supposed to protect her from things, take on the burdens that surround us but I failed that. She was in this and there was no getting her out easily. I watched Scott get into Argent's car and took that as a sign to follow him. I wasn't sure what Scott planned to do until we made it to the public pool where ambulances and police cars scattered around the crime sign came into view. I caught sight of the grieving parents as Sheriff Stilinski tried to console them. My phone beeped with a message from Scott to follow them back to the preserve, snapping me out of my thoughts.
I parked the car and got out to see Argent still actually carried a bag of tricks in the back of his car, tossing it on the ground.
"Have you been trying to track their steps?" He questioned, Scott kneeling next to him.
"Trying to." Scott said.
"Then you've been wasting your time. There's only one creature on earth that can visually track footprints and that's man. If you aren't trained like me then you won't know that this print is Boyd's and these are-" Isaac interrupted.
"Cora's." He answered simply.
"No those are yours. You trampled Cora's as soon as you walked over here." Isaac stood up straight and looked down at his feet like he was silently apologizing for messing up the prints.
"Look, I know you three are using half your energy resisting your own urges under the full moon but that puts you at a severe disadvantage to Boyd and Cora who have fully given in. They've got the pedal to the floor while you guys are barely hitting the speed limit. I know that Maggie is capable of tracking them with her magic so she might be pretty useful-" Scott interjected.
"She can't...she's with Erica. She didn't make it." Argent eyed Scott for a few moments before looking over at me finally registering my presence.
"I'm sorry for your loss." I gave him a nod and tried to stay focused.
"How do we find them?" I asked trying to keep my head in the current crisis.
"Focus on your sense of smell. Actual wolves are known to track their prey by up to a hundred miles a day by scent. Trained hunter can use scent to trap them. If the wind is with them then a wolf can track a scent up to two miles which means we can draw them to us or into a trap." Argent tossed a net at Scott who started to unravel it.
"The full moon does give us one advantage, they'll have a higher heat signature which makes them easier to spot with inferred." He tossed both Isaac and I binoculars with inferred embedded in them.
"Thanks but I've got my own." I tossed mine to Scott who took a peek inside to see through the woods easier.
"Just remember we're not hunting wild animals. Underneath those impulses, there are two intelligent human beings. Don't think they can't rely on that human side, it's suppressed but it's there. It reminds them how to mask the scent, cover their tracks and how to survive." Argent picked up his bag and we followed him to the cove. The scent of many people were lingering up their as it was a popular spot for teenagers to go and have a beautiful view of Beacon Hills. It all looked so quiet and peaceful but nobody knew what was out there. Nobody knew what could come for them, would come for them if we didn't stop Boyd and Cora.
"When's the last time you saw your sister?" Chris asked me out of the blue.
"Not in years. I thought she died in the fire." I saw him tense a bit at the mention of the fire.
"So you don't have a lock on her scent." He looked away from me towards Scott.
"Scott, how confident are you in your skills?" He asked.
"Honestly, most of the time I try not to think about all the things I can smell." Scott admitted. Argent looked back out at the residential area and sighed.
"Alright the problem is when the breech the woods and hit the residential area. Once they're past the high school they'll be right in the middle of Beacon Hills." I was determined not to let them get that far. I couldn't go back and tell Maggie about anymore lives lost. She was too fragile right now.
"They aren't going to kill everything they see, are they?" Isaac sounded nervous now that we were strapped up and ready to go. I didn't blame him.
"No but there is an important difference to recognize. Wolves hunt for food and at a certain point they get full. Boyd and Cora are hunting for the pleasure of the kill. There's some primal, apex predatory instinct that comes from ripping up warm body's into bloody shreds and there's no telling how that need is met." Argent seemed to be recalling a memory of seeing such a savage attack in his head.
"I'm familiar with that. It's terrifying." Isaac's eyes were on me and I knew what he was referring to. We didn't talk much about Maggie killing one of the alphas but the night she returned, Isaac couldn't sleep because of the nightmares it had given him.
"We can't kill them." Scott must have noticed the look and I met his eyes.
"What if we can't catch them?" I questioned unsure of what our backup plan was.
"Then we contain them. There's no one in the school at night is there?" Argent seemed to be hit with an idea.
"You want to trap them inside?" I asked as he looked down at the school.
"There's a big steal door in the basement. Only one way in and out." Isaac offered.
"Are we sure there's no one in the school?" He turned around to look at the three of us.
"There can't be. Not this late." Scott seemed sure and I hoped he was right.
"Alright then, let's get started." Argent dropped his bag on the ground and pulled out what looked like a solar light that you'd find in someone's front yard.
"These are ultrasonic emitters. It's one of the tools we use to coral werewolves. Pushing them into a direction we want them to run." He pressed the button of the top and a high pitched screeching pierced through my skull like I was suddenly hit with a sledgehammer. I covered my ears and felt my jaw clicking when he looked up. He turned it off and walked us back to his car to retrieve more.
"These are going to drive them to the school?" I asked shaking off the headache I was starting to get due to the sound.
"Yes and then it's up to you to get them in the boiler room." He shut the back of the car after handing us each 4 of the emitters.
"I think we should consider the plan where we make Maggie help us track them down because this doesn't sound fool proof." Isaac commented making Scott huff.
"It'll work." He said confidently before running in the direction Argent mapped out for him. Isaac followed his own marked path and I did the same. I could hear the first few emitters going off as Scott, Isaac and Chris placed them where they needed to be. I tried to drowned out the noise so it didn't distract me but it proved to be difficult. I didn't even hear Peter approach as I placed the last of the emitters.
"And the hunted becomes the hunter. Maggie would be ashamed." I stood up and looked towards him as he came out of the shadows.
"Aren't you supposed to be there providing support? She is your daughter or so you keep telling me." I gritted my teeth at him and he rolled his eyes.
"I am providing support or knowledge where it's clearly lacking. You really think a couple of high tech dog whistles is gonna help?" He tested.
"I don't see you offering a hand or knowledge to be honest." I said without looking at him.
"Personally I'm trying to cut down on futile endeavors besides my vested interest is only in the well being of my daughter, not the people who weigh her down." Peter's arrogance would usually be followed by Maggie correcting him but I didn't have that luxury currently.
"Cora's alive." I said simply seeing no change in his demeanor or interest.
"I heard. Let's throw the reunion party when she's not an unstoppable killing machine." He took steps towards me.
"I can stop them." I started to walk past him but he stopped me.
"Sure you can. By killing them. Which happens to be the point of this little exercise. Let me remind you that Deucalion wants you to kill them, he wants you to get rid of his baggage so it's easier for you to join his pack. The fact that it was supposed to happen in the vault instead of out here in the open doesn't change his plan. It just means Boyd and Cora are going to kill a few innocent people first." I kept my eyes on Peter watching as he slithered his way closer, trying to get inside my head. He'd been doing it all summer now that Maggie let him back into our lives. It was something I'd grown used to.
"The only way they'll excuse what Maggie did is if you agree to become part of that pack. In order for you to do that, you have to cut the weak links on the team, Derek. It's not as hard as you make it seem." Peter shrugged.
"I should be okay with that? Letting them kill innocent people or killing my own pack." Saying it out loud sounded absurd to me but for some reason he never thought a life was worth anything.
"Come on, Derek. What's a few homeless people? We live in shades of gray. We survive doing what we have to. Just because you kill them doesn't mean you aren't an alpha. You can always make more werewolves. Think about our family." He leaned down and turned the emitter on for me.
"I am thinking about family...my family." He rolled his eyes at me as I took off towards the school. I couldn't think about Deucalion or Peter right now. I had to get Boyd and Cora back. I had to bring them home.
[Lydia's POV]
Once the Sheriff had arrived and taken my statement, Stiles insisted on following me home. However he not only followed me home but inside my house and up to my room. He even carried my purse for me.
"You didn't have to follow me home, Stiles." I turned the light on and sat down on the end of my bed.
"I just wanted to make sure you got in okay." Stiles shrugged, tossing my purse next to me.
"I had a police escort." I reminded him but he snorted.
"I know the inner workings of that force, alright? They're not nearly as reliable as people think." Stiles defended himself making me laugh.
"Well you also didn't have to follow me into my room." I looked over at him and watched his jaw drop a bit as he searched for another excuse.
"Well I didn't...yeah I don't have an answer for that. I can leave." Stiles started to back out of the room.
"Stiles...what's on your mind?" I pressed so he would just spit it out already. He bit his bottom lip and laced his fingers together.
"You mentioned before...about staying in contact with Maggie this summer. You're connected somehow, more than just being friends." Stiles eyebrows furrowed.
"She's been trying to help me figure out why I get the sensations I get. For some reason we are connected. I think it might have something to do with the night we were both attacked. Maybe Derek's uncle transmitted something between us, I don't really know but she's been helping me...and I've been trying to help her so yeah I guess you could say we're connected." I watched Stiles expression turn into a frown.
"Is she still keeping her distance?" I cut through his thoughts and he looked at me.
"Erica was killed. She's not handling it well and I don't know how I can help her. It's like she wants me to just give up on her and let her suffer by herself. She told me something pretty heavy tonight and I'm not even sure how to wrap my head around it. I just...my head is all over the place right now." Stiles ran his hands down his face before plopping down in the chair opposite me.
"I can understand her trying to protect me or whatever but it's like she's going out of her way to make me feel like...like I'm useless. Like she doesn't need me or want me around. It's like she wants me to hate her or something and I totally should for how she left things this summer but I can't." Stiles clasped his hands in front of himself and rested his elbows on his knees.
"She does need you." I said softly but he chuckled.
"She actually told me she didn't need me or want me there before basically threatening me so I think you might be a bit off on that." I wasn't surprised to hear that Maggie was being aggressive with Stiles. I knew she was terrified of him getting wrapped up in whatever she was doing this summer and from the little bit that I knew, I was sure that Maggie herself was terrified.
"I feel like an asshole because the one person to get me through the Maggie diabolical is missing and I haven't focused enough on her because I've been so worried about Maggie. I just need to find out who took her and why. I don't want her getting hurt in all this, not because of me." Stiles was struggling with a lot of emotions right now and I could see the anguish on his face.
"And the whole thing with Peter-" I cut him off.
"What whole thing with Peter?" I asked curiously. I knew Maggie had agreed to keep an eye on him but she hadn't given me much information regarding what he'd actually been up to and I needed answers now more than ever.
"She's calling him dad now. Can you believe that? After everything he's done, after what he did to her...she was more welcoming of him than she was of me and that just...that freaking sucks." Stiles looked over at me seeing that I was rubbing my temples.
"I'm sorry I just unloaded on you like that. I'm sure you're exhausted after the whole stumbling across a dead body and all that. I'll just-" He used his thumb to point towards the door.
"I have no clue how I ended up finding that body. I didn't even know where I was until I got out of the car." I explained making Stiles stop.
"The last time something like this happened-" I stopped him.
"I know. Maggie promised me that she would keep an eye on him this summer but I don't know just how close to him she's gotten." Stiles stared at me for a few moments before his cell phone rang. He looked at the screen and sighed.
"It's Scott's mom." He chewed on his lip and I waved him off.
"I'll be alright, just go." I said seeing that he was struggling with the decision to leave in the middle of our conversation.
"Call me if you need anything. I mean it." Stiles pointed at me with his phone still ringing and I gave him a nod. He got all the way out of the door before peeking his head back in.
"Hey Lydia...thanks." I smiled a Stiles feeling pretty good about actually being helpful for a change. I might not know what's going on with myself but it felt good to be able to help someone else out. I laid back in my bed and took a deep breath. It was hard to focus on anything without any real answers to the millions of questions I had running around in my head. It was exhausting and mind numbing to the point it was almost too painful to function. All I wanted was to figure out what the hell was going on with me.
"Are you okay?" I jumped hearing a voice break through the silence and Maggie stood near the window.
"Jesus! No I'm not okay. You need a bell on your neck or something." I sat up and pinched the bridge of my nose.
"You had another episode. I felt it again." Maggie took a few steps towards me but made sure to keep her distance. I knew that her abilities increased when emotions were high.
"Stiles told me about Erica, I'm so sorry." Maggie looked down at her feet.
"I just came by to check on you. Two episodes in such a short time span isn't good. I figured you'd feel pretty shitty." Maggie stepped forward and put her hand on my head seeping the ache behind my eyes out through her palm. She barely flinched as my pain entered her veins and when I blinked away the daze it had left me in, she removed her hand and took a step away from me.
"You didn't have to do that." I said grateful. She just gave me another nod.
"I should have come sooner." Maggie didn't ever take me giving her gratitude well but I figured it was because I didn't ask for it and she insist on taking the pain away. She wasn't looking for thanks.
"I'm fine, really. Stiles seems like he needs you more than me." Maggie's eyes fell from mine and I could see she was still trying to pretend like he didn't matter.
"Something strange is going on. Something he's trying to figure out. He needs you right now." I pressed earning a sigh.
"I'm the last thing he needs." Maggie didn't look at me as she stepped towards the door. She kept putting distance between us as if she were about to flee or something.
"You know what? I listened to your excuse all summer and it was plausible then but now it's just ridiculous. You're hurting him on purpose now." I insisted seeing her start to wrap her arms around herself at my sudden brutal honesty.
"I'm not trying to hurt him. I'm trying to protect him. Erica's dead because of me." Maggie argued but I remembered my conversation with Stiles. The hurt look on his face when he talked about Peter.
"And what about Peter? Rubbing your new ridiculously domestic relationship with him in his face is you trying to protect him." I questioned seeing her expression change to a bit more defensive then it was before.
"Look I know you're upset and you have every right to be but I'm telling you, whatever is happening with you it has nothing to do with Peter. I've kept an eye on him like I said I would." Maggie shook her head.
"Yeah but you seemed to have forgotten how much he's hurt all the people you care about in the process. You want to protect all of us, stop pushing us away and keep us close." I gave Maggie a moment to let reality slap her in the face before standing up and stepping towards her.
"Why do you keep doing that? You know I'm not going to hurt you." Maggie snapped at me.
"Maybe I'm afraid of hurting you!" Her body started to shake. I wasn't sure if it was with anger or terror.
"The people that care about you the most...Scott...Stiles...they aren't afraid of you." I stepped towards Maggie letting her know how I felt.
"I'm not afraid of you." I said firmly but Maggie's posture change. She closed off entirely and her face hardened.
"You should be." She hissed. I pulled back slightly not recognizing the girl that she'd suddenly slipped into in mere seconds.
"Lydia? Honey are you home?" My mom's voice made me turn my head towards the door long enough for Maggie to slip back out the window without so much as a sound but a slight breeze that ruffled the curtains. I looked out of the window to stare at the moon again as it still hung, full in the sky as a taunting reminder that despite it's illuminating beauty, it cursed half the people in Beacon Hills.
[Scott's POV]
By some miracle, our plan was actually working. We managed to lead Boyd and Cora all the way to the school without anyone else getting hurt. Chris, Derek and I managed to corner them in one of the hallways before we led them down to the boiler room. We crept around in the darkness before silently moving towards the door to lock them inside. Derek leaned against the door, feeling the push of Boyd and Cora as they tried to get out but it was no use. That door wasn't going to budge.
"I can't believe that actually worked." I said leaning against the wall. Derek chuckled making me realize I don't think I'd ever actually heard Derek make that sound before.
"Me either but it did." He said in amazement. We both stood there trying to catch our breath.
"What do we do now?" I asked unsure of where we go from here.
"Wait for the sun to come up, then take them home to start healing." Derek pushed away from the door and leaned against the wall behind me, closing his eyes. I stepped up to the door and listened in to see what Cora and Boyd were doing.
"What do you hear?" He asked me.
"Heartbeats." I started to listen harder hearing something a bit off.
"Both of them?" He sighed. That's when I heard it. It wasn't just Boyd and Cora thrashing around with heavy heartbeats but one single, slow beating heart was in the midst of all that chaos.
"Actually, I hear three of them." I turned towards Derek and he got to his feet immediately. We both tuned into what was happening behind the door and when a voice called out, it confirmed our fears. Derek stepped in front of me, gripping the door handle.
"What are you doing?" I asked with fever.
"Close the door behind me and keep it shut." Derek didn't face me as he steady himself on his legs to prepare for what was behind the door.
"Hey if you go in there alone, you're either going to kill them or they're going to kill you. Both those options aren't something I want to explain to Maggie." I put my hand on Derek's shoulder and he glanced back at me.
"I have to try for Maggie. You don't understand what it's been like. Losing Erica is just the beginning. I can't...I have to try." Something about the way Derek struggled to explain why he felt so compelled to risk his life was unnerving. I knew things were bad during the summer but I was starting to think they were much worse than I previously suspected. Before I could argue anymore, Derek opened the door and slammed it behind himself. I locked it like I was told and listened carefully, silently praying that Derek came out of this alive. I heard growls and I knew when the fight started. It took everything in me not to open the door and help him.
"Come on Derek! Come on!" I gritted out. I heard feet stop at the top of the steps and looked up to see Maggie.
"Where is he?" She asked seeing me leaning against the door.
"WHERE IS HE SCOTT?!" She shouted running down the steps towards me. She pushed me away from the door and listened into the room.
"DEREK!" She screamed going for the lock but I wrapped my arms around her tightly.
"NO! NO LET ME GO! DEREK!" She thrashed against me trying to get to the door but I squeezed as hard as I could. I knew I couldn't hurt her and I had to try and let Derek do what he asked me to do and that's try.
"Scott if he dies, I'll never forgive you!" I could feel Maggie's fear and rage mixing together as she kicked off the wall to try and back me into the one opposite us but I twirled her away so she couldn't get any leverage on me. I thought about what Derek had said before he entered the room to face his fate. All he had to do was try, for Maggie.
"I know you think I don't understand, I know you want me to back off but I'm not going to do that. You can hate me and you can try to hurt me but I'm not going to stop trying. Do you hear me? I'm not going to stop trying." My lips were practically on top of her ear as I tried to convince her that there was no point in fighting me because I wasn't going to just let her walk out of my life. We were family whether she liked it or not. She eased slightly when Isaac yelled that the sun was finally coming up.
"Shhh! Stop...just stop." Maggie stopped thrashing as we listened into the room and didn't hear anymore fighting. I tried to count the heartbeats but Maggie took the opportunity to use my distraction and open the door.
"Maggie wait!" I rushed in behind her with Isaac on my heels but almost knocked her down when she stopped dead upon seeing Derek. He was on his knees, covered in blood with Cora and Boyd's bodies lying motionless on either side of him. She ran towards him and fell to her knees.
"Derek! What the hell were you thinking huh? Locking yourself in here with them!? That's the stupidest thing you've done in a long time." Maggie's voice was raw like she was ready to break down but Derek's eyes fluttered weakly when she stroked his face.
"I'm fine, look at me okay? I'm fine." Derek tried to reassure Maggie but clearly he had no idea how he actually looked. I was shocked he was still able to move his lips to form a sentence after doing a face off with two rabid wolves.
"There's a teacher, I'll take care of her but I need you to get them out of here." Derek looked past Maggie towards Isaac and I.
"I'm not leaving you here by yourself Derek. You can barely stand." Maggie argued.
"Do you think I don't know you're already healing me? I can feel it Maggie." Derek started to get to his feet and she helped him lean on her.
"It's not nearly enough. You need rest." Derek pushed off of Maggie and stood on his own now taking a deep breath in before gripping her shoulders.
"I'm going to need you to get Cora and Boyd settled in at the loft. I will be home as soon as I can. I promise you, I'll be fine. You can heal me all you want once I get there." Derek said gently.
"Is this you pulling rank again?" Maggie questioned ready to fight but Derek merely kissed Maggie's forehead.
"No this is me being your big brother and asking you to trust me. Help get them home so we can start our healing, please." He said one last time before Maggie nodded taking a step back.
"Get out of here. Go!" Derek pressed as I picked up Cora and Maggie helped Isaac carry Boyd. She kept looking back at Derek but he gave her a nod to carry on. We got them up the stairs and out to the parking lot to load them up. I stepped away from Derek's car when Stiles name came up on my phone.
"Hey man, we got em." I heard Stiles sniffle on the other end of the line.
"Scott...I need you to meet me at the hospital." I could tell just by listening to his voice that something was wrong.
"Are you okay?" I asked moving frantically to the driver side of Derek's car as he paused to sniffle again.
"I found Heather...meet me in the morgue." Stiles hung up before he got upset again and I jumped into the driver side making Maggie look at me through the window.
"What are you doing?" She asked confused as I started the SUV up.
"I need to get to the hospital. Stiles needs me." Maggie didn't question me. She just jumped into the passenger seat and put her belt on as I sped off towards the hospital. The ride was silent but I didn't really know what to say anyway. When I parked the car, Maggie didn't move.
"Are you coming in?" I asked her but she nodded her head.
"I can't just leave Cora out here. Just...hurry up." She rushed me. I shook my head at her before jumping out and shutting the door. I couldn't drag my feet because of Maggie. Stiles needed me. When I pushed the doors of the morgue open, I could see Stiles leaning on one of the tables where a body was lying. I immediately recognized it was Heather and put my hand on his shoulder.
"I'm so sorry man." I broke the tense silence and Stiles wiped the tears from his face.
"Your mom said she was brought in the other night. She called me in about the guy we thought Cora and Boyd killed because he had the same injuries. Someone slit her throat, took a wire to her neck to strangled her and bashed her in the head too." Stiles explained.
"So Boyd and Cora didn't kill anyone?" I questioned totally thrown.
"You're going to wish they did." He sighed.
"Why?" I was still trying to get him to look over at me but I didn't need to see his eyes to know he was pained.
"I'm not really sure yet but the other girl that was out in the woods, Emily, eventually they're going to find her. She's one of them. Emily, Heather, the guy Lydia found at the pool. All three were virgins." Stiles leaned off of the table and I saw his hands were shaking as he tucked them under his arms.
"They're all gonna have the same three injuries. Strangled, throat slashed and head bashed in. It's called the three fold death." Stiles explained.
"So if these aren't just random killings then what are they?" I asked confused. We had prepared ourselves for the worst, thinking maybe Boyd and Cora killed some innocent kid but now we're talking about some sort of serial killer?
"Sacrifices. Human sacrifices. I don't know if this has to do with the pack that's after Derek or not but someone is out there sacrificing humans, Scott." Stiles finally looked over at me. It was then I think we both realized that we didn't really know anything about this alpha pack and what they were capable of. We didn't know what their end game was but we know they didn't hesitate to kill Erica.
"Scott, I've got to-" Maggie pushed the door open and paused when she saw that we were standing over a body. She walked in slowly keeping her eyes on Heather and Stiles jaw tightened.
"It's Heather." I informed her but something tells me she already knew.
"What happened to her?" Maggie's eyes wandered over the slash over Heather's pale throat.
"Stiles thinks she was a sacrifice." Maggie's eyes finally left Heather's body and landed on Stiles face as he fought more tears.
"She was only 16 for 18 hours. She wasn't supposed to be apart of this. She wasn't supposed to be apart of any of this." Stiles bit his lip before covering Heather's body up with the blanket.
"Stiles…I-" Stiles wiped his tears away before Maggie could say anything.
"Hey don't worry about it. It's not your problem right?" Stiles eyes fell on Maggie for only a moment to glare before he kicked the door to the morgue open roughly and left us standing there. Maggie closed her eyes tightly and let out a heavy breath. I stepped closer to her making her open her eyes quickly as I invaded her space.
"Is this something the alpha pack would do? Are they just trying to get to you guys or is human sacrifice something they could possibly be doing on the side?" I questioned making Maggie shake her head.
"I honestly can't say with certainty. But I'm going to find out who did this." She said firmly. I could tell she had a lot of regrets behind her eyes but I knew she wouldn't go after Stiles.
"Go home Maggie." Her eyes softened a bit. I didn't tell her to go home because she looked wrecked and could probably use a month long nap but because there was nothing she could do for us. She had made her bed with Stiles and now she had to lie in it. She knew I wasn't going to give up on her but right now, I could only mourn with one friend at a time. These days I felt like all I ever did was chase after people. The days of summer reading lists and extra shifts at work doing normal teenage things were clearly over. War had returned to Beacon Hills and there was no way to get out of the fight now.
~Special Thanks~: For all those who have read and reviewed the story- Charl0tt3, BansheeBabe, alicestilinski, , Momsen-xxxx, katiesgotagun & Guest. I will never know how to truly thank you for your dedication and feedback.
&& A thanks to my lovely beta reader/otter half MissECharlotte who always comes through for me.