Stiles sighed in annoyance as he sat in his jeep with West, and Scott. The tension was high and thick enough to be cut with a knife.
Stiles glaring at the windshield as he watched the preserve. Derek had put them in groups. He, West, and Scott were supposed to do a stake out at this part of the preserve.
Honestly, he had a feeling Derek put him and Scott together since the two of them had been ignoring and avoiding each other.
Stiles know it cause a rift in the packs dynamics, but he didn't care. Scott was being an asshole so Stiles would be one back.
"So when did you two get so close?" Scott asked the two in the front seat.
Stiles ignored him and West smiled answering, "I asked for his number."
Stiles snorted, "One of the most awkward and unusual things ever to be done to me, might I add."
West blushed.
Scott looked at the two of them with suspicious eyes, "So are you two then...?"
West's eyes widened and his face became red while Stiles choked on his spit.
"No, he actually started out wanting to get close to Malia."
West defended himself, "In my defense, I wouldn't have minded getting your number for you anyway."
Stiles blushed slightly. He hasn't really thought much about relationships. Sure he used to have a crush on Scott but he is his best friend... Or was anyway. Then there was Derek- but Stiles isn't even going to go there. And Lydia. And a girl or two.
He could also count Peter. He actually was probably the highest one on the list at the moment. He was becoming one of Stiles most trusted people, him, West, and Malia.
Stiles just couldn't really see anyone looking at him that way. At least not anymore. Not since all this started.
"But I do have a theory about Pet-" West started to add but then Stiles noticed something move in the trees in front of them.
"Shh," he said raising the hand and turning on his head lights. He saw a dark shape move in the trees and started unblocking his seat belt, "There's someone out there, come on guys."
He got out of the Jeep, Scott and West following. He started walking towards the area he last saw the figure. Scott was scenting the air while Wests eyes glowed gold and he scanned the surrounding area.
Stiles heard some talking from ahead and he followed it.
"Do you guys hear that?" Scott asked.
West nodded, "I know that voice..."
The three of them neared a clearing that had a large pit meant for bon fires and benches made out if old wood around it in a circle.
On one of the benches sat two teens. Both looking familiar to Stiles. They were laughing about something and Stiles saw a bottle in one of the teens hands.
He sighed and rolled his eyes, "Let's go back to the car," he whispered.
West and Scott both stood still on alert. Scott's eyes now shined a deep Alpha red while West was completely wolfed out. Okay so maybe that wasn't all it was.
"What do you hear?" He whispered.
He heard a loud crack of wood being broken and saw one of the benches flying at them.
West grabbed Stiles and jumped out of the way.
The bench broke into thousands of little wooden pieces, showing its old age.
Stiles winced.
The commotion cause the two teens to stand and turn to them with wide fearful eyes.
Stiles turned to Scott who stood next to West who had quickly gotten up and the two faced three wolfed out were-wolves. Stiles gave the three stranger wolf's quick glances.
The one in the center looked to be the leader. Her face was scrunched up more animalistic than any of the other wolfed out faces Stiles had seen before and he'd seen a lot. Especially wolfed wolf ones, like Derek's. His were the wofiest so far. But this lady gave even Mr. Broody a run for his money.
The two behind him snarled like wild pack animals. Stiles chuckled to himself at that. They were wild pack animals.
"The True Alpha," The she-wolf in the front sneered, "I thought you'd be... Bigger."
Scott growled and his eyes bled a deeper red, "Sorry I don't live up to your expectations."
One of the groupies behind the wolf who spoke to Scott sniffed the air and turned to the two teens who were now cowering behind a tree. Stiles tensed up and glanced at them as well.
That stranger wolf wouldn't go after defenseless humans would she?
Stiles glanced at West who looked back at him. Stiles made a motion towards the trees humans and West nodded.
So, while Scott and the leader wolf spoke Stiles made his way in conspicuously towards the teens.
"Who are you and what do you want? Why are you in Beacon hills?" Scott demanded and the leader wolf scoffed at him.
"I am Sylvia, second of the Stryker pack. We came here to eliminate the True Alpha," The Lady wolf said with pride, "And his pack."
Scott snarled at her and she snarled back, "You will leave this town before you and your pack are forced."
Sylvia laughed. Full blown, head thrown back, mouth opening showing off her not so pearly whites. The noise made the hair on Stiles neck stand on end as he got closer to the tree.
He made eye contact with one of the teens and recognized him as one of the newbie freshmen that had tried out for the Lacrosse team. The one who he secretly, okay not so secretly because damn, the kid had one hell of a jawline, admired. The one with the friend from the bleachers next to him.
He couldn't remember what the other boy had called him.
Liall? Larry? It started with and L he was sure of it.
"Hey, hey, it's okay don't worry," whispered to the younger teens with a soft smile that he hoped was reassuring. He tried not to glance at the bickering werewolves behind him, "Let's get out of here okay?"
The blond one glared at him, "What the hell is going on? Why do they -"
"Hey let's leave questions till we get somewhere safe yeah?" Stiles said through clenched teeth.
The blond just glared at him harder and Stiles hesitated. Why was the kid so angry? Stiles was pretty sure he hadn't been too annoying yet.
"Liam, bro lets listen to him. Let's get out of here," LIAM! That's what his name was! Ha!
Liam looked at his darker skinned friend, "Mason, I'm not just going to leave when there something going on!"
Mason gave Liam a bitch face, "Yeah, some crazy gang fight, so let's leave before one of us gets ganked!"
Stiles nodded, "You should totally listen to your fashionably intelligent friend here."
Liam gave him an annoyed look while Mason smiled at him appreciatively.
A howl made all of them look back at the wolves behind them.
The wolf that had made the first move toward Liam and Mason was now running on all fours towards them and Stiles panicked. He pushed the two freshmen, "Move, move, move!"
Liam and Mason stumbled over each other and Mason ended up tripping over Liam's foot and fell to the forest floor.
Stiles winced when he heard a thick thunk of the dark skinned teens head hitting a rock and falling instantly unconscious.
"Mason!" Liam shouted and the wolf lunged at them.
Stiles intercepted her and the two of them fell rolling on the ground. He tried wrestling her but knew he wasn't going to be able to do much.
He looked at Liam who looked horrified, "Take him and run! Run!"
Liam froze in horror as the wolf punched Stiles in the gut causing him to fall into a fetal position.
He had a quick flashback.
He stood over dozens of bodies, all covered in blood.
Except it wasn't him.
It was but it wasn't. He was the one in control. He was watching it all happen, feeling the gush and squelch of all the internal organs and blood that littered the floor.
He saw the splatter of blood all over the walls, the nurse lumped over a now dead patient.
"See?" His lips moved but he wasn't speaking, "This could have been avoided if you had listened. This is your fault."
No! It want his fault! It was Voids, the Nogitsune, not him!
Void laughed, a sick noise he never knew his voice could make. Stiles banged against the game board that made for a window through his bodies eyes.
The Nogitsune just sat back, across from him on the other side of the board, "So naive. You think that I chose you out of random? I NEVER do things at random, you should know this by now Stiles. There was a reason I chose you."
Stiles looked away from the board and to Void with fire in his eyes, "I would never do this."
Void tilted it's head as it contemplating what Stiles had said, "Oh, but you could. All you needed was the push. Don't you feel strong? Powerful? No longer the pathetic human who couldn't do anything except research? You have strength in here Stiles, Spark. I just found it for you. That's the thing with you. Your spark. It's so bright, but you have a darkness deep inside that you can not hide from. It balances out your light, but no one can deal with that. You must choose, dark or light. I'm helping you make that decision."
Stiles glared at the Nogitsune in disbelief, "Isn't that my choice? I'd never choose darkness."
"That's a predicament then isn't it, my Spark? You say you would not choose the darkness, but are you sure your would choose the light?"
Stiles looked at Void in confusion. What was the dark spirit talking about? What did he mean?
He was trying to get in his head. That's what these trickster spirits did isn't? Get inside your head make you go crazy? He couldn't let the Nogitsune win.
Stiles looked in defiance, "I'd choose light. Always."
The Nogitsune looked at him, unmoving.
Stiles came back to the real world when Scott's roar of pure alpha wolf rage rang through the Preserve.
He opened his eyes and quickly sat up seeing Scott hunched over Liam. His eyes widened when he saw blood all over the young teens shirt and neck.
What the hell happened?
Scott was feral. His breathing was uncontrollable and West was standing near looking conflicted.
Stiles looked at the blond were-wolf in confusion and West gave him a fearful look.
But he wasn't afraid of Stiles, or even for him. He was afraid of something else.
Stiles brow furred as he looked back afraid to Scott who was looking determined.
Stiles realized what West was so afraid of when he noticed the shallow breaths coming from Liam's chest.
Shit.
Stiles looked at Scott and started to shake his head, "No Scott, come on man, he doesn't know, he can't consent."
Scott glared at Stiles and the freckled boy flinched at the hard gaze, "Stiles he's dying."
Stiles gulped, "Let's get him to a hospital-"
"There's not enough time," Scott said looking back at Liam's unconscious face.
Fuck.
"Scott-" West tried but was shut down with a loud growl and piercing gaze from the uncontrollable Alpha.
"Scott, think about what your going to do. Think about what he'll think, Derek? The pack? What would happen?"
Scott shook his head, "We can risk it, if it doesn't take he'll die anyway, at least this way he has a chance."
Stiles shook his head, tears in his eyes, "Scott that's not a-"
"I don't care!" Scott howled.
Stiles flinched, so did West. He heard a groan come from Mason from a few feet away.
Scott bent over and Stiles reached out a hand to stop him by it was too late.
Liam's screams filled the air.
Shit-fuck.