A/N: Sorry its been so long since updates. This chapter is mainly just filler with some back story and stuff. Anyway hope you enjoy :) Don't forget to leave a review if you liked! Bye.
Scott
Scott slowly opened his eyes and let out a low groan as pain shot through his midsection. He put his hand on the spot causing him discomfort and felt the stitches that now held the large gaping hole together. He breathed in and his throat felt dry and raw.
"Water," he croaked, still too weak to move properly. He lay there hoping someone had heard him and thankfully Deaton woke with a start. "Scott," he began in an apprehensive voice. Scott cut him off. "Water," he croaked again.
He heard Deaton get up and shuffle around and he heard a tap being turned on. Scott squinted his eyes, his pupils not yet adjusted to the light. Deaton arrived beside him seconds later and helped him into an upright position and pressed a cup of water into his hands. He drank the liquid like his life depended on it, the cool water felt like heaven on his dry mouth and throat.
He handed Deaton the cup and he moved off once more to fill the cup again. Scott looked around now, his sight finally adjusting properly. Every part of him throbbed painfully. His stomach and ribs caused him severe pain every time he took a breath but he persevered. He was done sleeping.
Deaton gave him the cup once more and this time Scott drank slowly. "How are you feeling?" Deaton asked in a calm voice. Scott wondered if the man was ever anything but calm. "Terrible," Scott replied honestly.
"My chest feels like it's on fire and I feel like I was just flattened by a truck. Every part of me hurts. My head, my arms, all of me." Deaton nodded and looked at Scott seriously.
"Maybe you should go back to sleep," Deaton suggested. Scott shook his head. "No, I'm finished resting. I'm sore but I don't feel tired. I feel weak but at the same time I feel restless. I've never felt anything like this before," Scott said, trying to explain the mixture of feelings in him.
"It's the adrenaline," Deaton replied with a knowing smile. "After you came through I gave you a shot of adrenaline before I treated the wolfsbane wound to make sure your heart didn't give out again. It was risky but worth it. It will wear off soon."
"Thank you," Scott said genuinely. Deaton nodded his head. "I'm still astonished that you are able to thank me after what you've been through, Scott. I don't wasn't to be blunt but in my experience your wounds should have killed you, regardless of whether you are an alpha or not," Deaton said with a puzzled look on his face. He stared intently at Scott who felt uncomfortable under his gaze.
"Got lucky, I guess," Scott replied. "I've been ingesting wolfsbane for a while now. Small doses but it probably saved me today," Scott added, trying to get Deaton off his train of thought. Deaton nodded but Scott could tell he wasn't buying it.
Suddenly Deaton grabbed Scott by the shoulder and his demeanour went from calm to urgent within seconds. "Regardless of the wolfsbane, a wound that close to the heart should have killed you, without the extra array of wounds you are supporting. I was expecting you to be out for days yet here you are, conscious, after only a mere….," Deaton looked at the clock. "Six hours."
There was a gleam in Deaton's eyes and Scott knew he was quickly putting the pieces together in his head. "When you killed their alpha, were you a beta," Deaton asked suddenly. Scott gulped and looked away, avoiding Deaton's intense eyes. "Scott, this is very important." He was now whispering quickly. "You need to tell me."
Scott met his gaze and shook his head. "And did you ever kill an alpha before that," Deaton asked as he removed his hand from Scott's shoulder and began to pace back and forth in front of Scott. Scott shook his head once more. "Fascinating," Deaton said. Scott detected a new look in his eye. Was it pride?
"Do you know what you are," he asked Scott with a smile. Scott looked him in the eye before responding. "A true alpha." Deaton's smile widened and he nodded. "Precisely. I wasn't sure at first Scott. When you were bitten I knew the wolf you would become, the man you would become."
"I knew what kind of person you were but it wasn't until the Kanima until I started to truly believe." "Believe what?" Scott asked in a hushed voice.
Deaton looked at him with a serious expression. "Believe in you," he stated simply. Scott's head was reeling. "You knew all along. You believed…in me?" he asked astonished.
"Don't look so surprised, Scott. You were an omega then yet it was you who took control, not Derek. He was the alpha, the one with the pack yet everything was done on your terms. Like I said I wasn't sure at first. I hoped. But seeing you stand up for what you believed in, sticking to your morals, trying to save everyone, that's when I truly believed."
Scott sat there in stunned silence. He knew he was a true alpha, Aaron had told him so the first time his eyes went red. But seeing Deaton piece it together so quickly unnerved him. He didn't want people to know about what he was. It would attract unnecessary attention. Omegas and betas would flock to him if word got out about what he was. He didn't want that. He wasn't ready for that kind of responsibility.
"When did your eyes first change?" Deaton asked softly. Scott took a moment to think, the image surfacing to the fore of his mind. "A couple of months after I joined the pack. We were fighting, it was all we seemed to do then. Fight for our lives, our territory. It was going badly, we were losing. I saw Alec get taken down by the other alpha and before he could kill him I charged and took him on."
"When I tackled him I felt this power surge within me, a power like nothing I had ever felt before. It came from my core and I felt like if I didn't let it free then it would tear me apart from the inside. So I embraced it. I didn't know what was happening but I didn't think. I just let my instinct take over. I literally felt my eyes change, the colour seep into them. That was when I saw the fear in the other alpha's eyes."
"I almost killed him. I could have but I stopped myself. I hurt him bad though, bad enough for the other pack to retreat, taking their alpha with them. Alec confronted me that night and told me what was happening to me, or at least what he thought was happening."
"He said form the moment he saw me he knew, he could sense it. I asked him how and he just said 'His wolf knew.' I never knew what he meant but he was older and stronger then I was then. I trusted him."
"You see, back when he first found me I was a mess. I was drowning in my old guilt. I wasn't able to look out for Cora like I promised her. I failed her. I let my wolf take over on the full moon. If I had more self-control then maybe I could have stayed with her, saved her. But I didn't. But it was that night when Alec told me what I was, or what I could become, that I finally understood why he took me in, treated me like family."
"If I was just some regular omega he wouldn't have looked twice at me. But he didn't take me in out of greed or need for someone powerful in his pack. He believed, like you. But at first I didn't understand. I took me a while to finally realise he was testing me every step of the way, challenging me. We fought over almost everything but later I realised he was essentially grooming me to reach my potential. I owe him what I am. Without him I'd probably be dead."
"But it wasn't until the night before I killed the other alpha that I truly became one. My eyes were changing more frequently at that stage. I was afraid to shift in front of my pack in case they'd see what was happening to me."
"But then Alec wanted to end the fight we were having against the other pack and soon. Within the next few days he planned an attack. I confronted him, told him it was suicide. This fight was different from the others. He planned the other arguments, controlled them, making me become a better leader and decision maker."
"But this was a full blown argument. He roared at me to submit but I felt something click into place inside of me. My head was saying back down but my heart told me I was a true alpha and I didn't submit to anyone. So I roared back and I felt the power surge through me."
"It was nothing like before. The times my eyes flashed red momentarily I only sampled the power I could have for the briefest of moments before it dwindled. But this time it was a raging tempest inside of me. It was immense, overwhelming. I felt my eyes burn red and I knew I had finally become what Alec had mentioned to me."
"The next day I went to the other pack thinking I could reason with them. It ended badly, obviously. I killed the alpha and I left my pack. I tell all these that I left to keep my pack safe but the truth is there was no way I could stay there any longer. I was too powerful and it was completely against my nature to be told what to do. I knew that and so did Alec."
"We parted ways and used the excuse of the pack being after me. They were, of course, but you know pack mentality. If I was truly part of the pack anymore they never would have left me. We were family, you don't abandon family but it was unhealthy for me to be there any longer."
Scott finished his story and took another drink. His throat was dry and he didn't realise how long he had been talking for. Deaton stared at him with a shocked expression. "Does your pack know what you are?" he asked after a few moments of silence.
"Emily does and Aaron did, Sarah doesn't. So did Eric, well, when he was alive." Deaton nodded and then he smiled once more. "I'm so proud of you," he half-whispered, clapping Scott on the shoulder. Scott looked at him with a confused expression. "Why?" he asked.
"For the man you have become, despite all the things you've been through and the things you've had to do. You still almost died for all of them today." Scott smiled but his expression darkened when he thought of the fight, and Lucas.
"Yeah, but he beat me. I was lucky to survive. He was stronger than me, I was no match for him, and even with me having the power of the alpha I killed. Being a true alpha doesn't make me this super alpha, though. I heal quicker and I am stronger but not by much. The main difference is charisma, leadership qualities. The ability to quieten a room when you speak, to make werewolves follow and obey you even when they're not in your pack."
"I was only able to beat Derek so easily because of the power I absorbed, along with the fact that he fights like a reckless idiot," Scott mumbled with a smile. Deaton laughed. "That may be so but I suspect that this Lucas will be longer recovering than you and I'd say that is a small victory in itself." Deaton smiled warmly and Scott felt his mood lighten a bit.
"The most important thing is that you found a way to succeed, to come out on top, even when the odds were against you and you were outmatched. That is something remarkable in itself and you should be proud."
Scott felt better with each word. Deep down he knew these things himself but there was nothing like hearing someone say it to you and reassure you. Everyone needed reassurance once in a while. "Enough talking," Deaton said abruptly, moving away from the metal table. "As exciting and intriguing as your story was and as much as I would like to hear the rest, you need to sleep and recover."
Scott shook his head and swung his legs off the table, a simple movement which caused his head to swim and his vision to blur. A tremor racked through his body and he gritted his teeth. Scott blinked away the stars and focused his energy on standing, which he managed, but barely. He swayed to the side and Deaton caught him just in time.
"Are you sure you are up for walking so soon?" Deaton asked in a serious voice. Scott nodded. "They're all scared out there. I may have won in the end but they all saw me get beat up pretty bad. Boyd and Erica were so scared they ran away. Right now they need to see that I can walk away from this. It just might give them a bit of confidence if nothing else."
When he heard no protestation from the vet, one of the beast things about Deaton was that he rarely judged and he always let Scott be in control and make his own decisions, he continued on and took a tiny step. Baby steps, he told himself.
After a minute of gradually less wobbly legs Scott made it to the door and placed his hand on the metal handle, Deaton by his side, ready to catch him just in case. "Don't tell them anything, I'm not ready for anyone to know yet," he said in a firm voice. Deaton nodded his head quickly and Scott opened the door.
The scene he was met with caused him to laugh a little which then caused him to double over, wheezing and coughing and clutching his stomach. Deaton was at his side instantly and placed a hand on his back. Scott straightened up as a few people began to wake, Emily first, looking around groggily for the location of the noise.
Scott saw Boyd with his head on Derek's shoulder, snoring softly. Sarah was practically sleeping on top of Stiles and the others were in similar states, heads lolled back and either snoring drooling. Emily locked eyes with Scott and her tiredness was forgotten as she gasped and leapt out of her chair, the scraping noise of the wood on the floor waking the others up.
Emily crashed into Scott and wrapped him in a tight embrace. Scott was sure he would have collapsed if she had not been holding him so tightly. "Emily," he finally managed to gasp. "Still a little tender here." She quickly dropped her arms and looked at him wide eyes, an apologetic expression written on her face. She opened her mouth to apologise but Scott shushed her with a smile.
She smiled back and hugged him again, this time more gently. By now the others were awake and suddenly Stiles and Sarah were around him, encasing him in an awkward but soft three-way hug. Scott felt some of the tension in his release upon seeing his two best friends. "Almost lost you, dude," Stiles whispered in his ear. Scott grinned. "Never do that again or I will personally beat your ass," he said in a playful yet somehow deadly serious voice as well.
"Promise," he whispered back and he felt Stiles shake with a chuckle. Scott looked around the room awkwardly and met similar expressions of relief upon seeing his presence. He smiled a little and turned to Derek who was scowling at him.
"Don't ever do that again," he ordered in a low voice before surprising everyone by giving Scott a quick and unbearably awkward hug. Derek pulled away almost instantaneously but Scott was thankful for the gesture. Derek wasn't one for handing out hugs often.
Scott looked up at everyone again. "Umm….thanks for staying, guys. Means a lot to me, given how I've been acting towards you all. So…I guess everyone should just go home and get some proper rest," Scott finished, looking down at his shoes after his mini-speech.
The others nodded and mumbled goodbyes. Scott noted quickly that Peter was absent. The Argents were first out the door, Allison glancing back and giving him a warm smile before leaving. Scott left with Emily and Sarah, Stiles driving them to their apartment and dropping them off.
Scott made it into the living room with the help of the two women either side of him. The exertion of merely walking a few yards leaving him exhausted, mentally and physically. "Deaton knows," he said between gasps, looking at Emily.
"Knows what?" Emily and Sarah asked simultaneously. Emily had a look on her face that Scott knew well. The look that says, "I know what you mean but I still want to hear you say it."
"He knows about me," Scott said and Emily sighed. "Knows what?" Sarah asked, confusion and frustration clear on her face. Scott didn't want to keep her in the loop any longer and looked at Sarah who nodded.
Scott sat straighter on the couch and fought off the weariness that was threatening to envelope him. He told Sarah the same story he told Deaton and she stayed silent for the whole time.
"So you're like some sort of super alpha?" she finally asked, staring at Scott and making him squirm under her scrutiny. "No, not really. I'm not much stronger than a regular alpha. I mean, you did see me get my ass handed to me today," he said pointedly and Sarah smirked.
"But I do have other perks like more charisma, better leadership qualities. All these are in my nature, part of what I am. That's what makes me different," Scott said quickly.
"So then why don't you want the others to know?" she asked. Scott let his eyelids droop for a moment, his exhaustion almost getting the better of him.
"Because I hate the way the others look at me. They think I'm some sort of killer and it does bother me. They don't understand taking a life is the worst feeling in the world, no matter what the circumstances. I don't want this making them even more afraid of me or more intimidated. I just want to be treated like a normal alpha," Scott finished in a tired voice.
Sarah looked at him sympathetically. "I know you do. Now get some rest," she said, rising from the couch and throwing a blanket on Scott and turning the lights off before leaving. Scott closed his eyes and fell asleep, his pure exhaustion giving him a rare dreamless sleep.
Scott woke to sunlight flooding in through the windows, making him squint and cover his eyes with a groan. "He's alive," a voice said sarcastically from somewhere within the house. Scott blinked several times before slowly inching the blanket down, letting the sunlight creep in bit by bit.
"How long was I asleep for," he croaked, his throat dry. He rose from the couch and walked over to the fridge and pulled out a bottle of water and drank thirstily. His body still throbbed with pain and every movement seemed to cause him some discomfort, though nowhere near as much as before.
Sarah studied her watch. "Hmm…..about twenty eight hours," she replied. Scott spat his water all over the kitchen table, and unfortunately, all over Sarah. She jumped from her seat and shouted, "What the hell!"
"Twenty eight ours," Scott repeated in a shocked voice as Sarah grabbed a towel and dried herself first and then the table, not before shooting Scott a dirty glare.
"What's with all the shouting?" Emily asked, striding into the room and looking between the two. "How long was I asleep for?" Scott asked her. Sarah glared at him again. Emily looked at her watch and shrugged. "Around twenty eight hours," she said.
Scott couldn't believe it was even possible to sleep that long. Since he became an alpha he always had huge reserves of energy and hardly ever slept more than six or seven hours. That adrenaline shot must have really kept me going for those few hours, Scott thought, remembering how Deaton said his feeling of restlessness would wear off.
"Now that we have that out of the way," Sarah said in a sarcastic voice. She sat at the table once more. "Ugh, you spat water in my tea. I'll have to make more now," she said angrily before flipping the switch on the kettle.
"Did I miss anything while I was out," Scott asked, wincing as he bent over to put the water back in the fridge. "Not really," Emily replied. "Derek's still pissed about Boyd and Erica but glad at the same time that they're back now. Whether it's out of fear or loyalty…..who knows," Emily said with a shrug. "Still some extra hands, right?"
Scott nodded and then frowned. "Wait, did you go and see Derek?" he asked, catching the familiar scent of the other alpha off her. Emily got a bit defensive immediately. "Yeah, you got a problem with that," she asked, raising an eyebrow,
Scott shook his head hastily. In fact, he was hoping that maybe she could get along with Derek, have a relationship possibly. She had lost so much in such a short space of time and Scott knew that it was only a matter of time before the emotional barriers she had put up crumbled and she would need people around her who cared.
Besides, he may be a grump but he's still a pretty good guy, Scott added lastly before flopping back down on the couch with a sigh, his muscles relaxing. "No sign of the other pack," Emily went on, getting over her brief moment of defensiveness. "Whether that's good or bad, I don't know. We've all been kinda waiting for you, actually," she said lastly, sitting down beside Scott.
"What do you mean 'all'," Scott asked cautiously. Emily gestured around the room with her hands, even though there was no one in the apartment besides them. "You know, the others. Derek, Isaac, that lot," she said with a frown. "I guess you're kinda the alpha now," she said in a slow voice.
Scott's eyebrows rose. "The alpha? You're kidding, right?" Scott asked with a laugh. Emily looked at him with a serious expression. Scott began to get frantic. "I can't even protect myself against the other pack, let alone a whole pack. Who would want to be my alpha anyway? Since I've been back I've been nothing but indifferent. I may have red eyes but my behaviour doesn't exactly scream alpha material," Scott continued, desperate to convince Emily he would be no good as a leader.
"Sarah would be in your pack," Emily said softly. Scott looked at Sarah and she nodded earnestly. "I would be in your pack," Emily then said, even quieter. Scott looked at her and he felt himself swell inside when he realised she was being sincere. Scott hugged her and she hugged him back, ignoring his throbbing ribs.
"Thanks," he said, his voice thick with emotion. "I won't let anything happen to you, either of you. You two and Stiles are the only family I have left."