Survival
Chapter 51
The Visitor
...
Both Sean and Liam's cell phones rang simultaneously.
"Could you get that? I'm driving and this car doesn't have a... Speaker-thingy."
Liam looked at the brief text, "Meeting tonight at 7. Scott says we have a guest."
"A guest?" Sean asked, "Maybe a new member?"
"Well, if it is, I hope they're younger than me. Being the Pack Puppy sucks."
"Would you really wish lycanthropy on someone younger than you?"
Liam groaned, "That's a cheap trick, bringing my conscience into this."
Sean just laughed.
...
As Sean parked, he noticed a vaguely familiar scent. A Werewolf, male, one he'd scented several times before, just fleeting ghosts of scents left in various places, mainly Derek's loft. "I wonder who that is?"
"Let's find out." Liam smiled, "I hope he's short."
He wasn't.
They both looked up at the tall, extremely pale, insanely handsome, (practically beautiful), blue-eyed, curly-haired blond standing next to Scott.
"Guys, this is Isaac."
"Another 50' male model." Liam said sadly, "Is everyone on earth taller than me?"
...
As they exchanged pleasantries Isaac looked over the two new arrivals. Scott had already described them and explained a bit about their history. Not that he hadn't seen Sean's face before on the news a few months back. They were both small but well-built, obvious athletes, and both were very handsome. Sean moved like a cat, smoothly, silently and fluidly. Despite his easy smile there was a pain in his eyes, a tribute to the terrible losses he had endured. Scott had told him that, as a Wendigo, the boy had the potential to rival an Alpha in power. Fortunately he seemed good-natured, and Scott trusted him, which meant a lot in his book. Liam was graceful, but not as much as Sean. Of course, Sean was a gymnast and a dancer, Liam was a rough-and-tumble lacrosse player. And Liam was so young, he looked even younger than his fifteen years. He knew immediately that Liam had taken his place as 'Pack Puppy' when he'd left for France.
He hid a smirk behind his scarf.
Sucks to be him.
...
"I have to admit, I'd never heard of a Wendigo before..." Isaac shrugged, "We had everything from Darachs and homicidal Alphas to Demon Foxes after us, not to mention that old pervert Gerard Argent. I didn't have much time to read through The Bestiary."
"We try to keep a low profile." Sean took a sip of cola. So far, only he, Scott and Liam had arrived. Of course, he lived with the McCall family, so he would have been there regardless. He couldn't help but note that Isaac seemed tense, not toward him or Liam, just tense in general. He'd heard the horror stories about Isaac's life. How his older brother had died violently, (He could relate to that, intimately so), and being brutally abused by his sadistic father, (Sean realized how blessed he had been to have a loving family). Sean saw a bit of himself in Isaac Lahey, they both seemed to be treading on the edge, tormented by the past and hoping for something better.
"That's why you're playing a fair-sized role in a major musical production?" Isaac asked casually.
"Everybody on earth with a television or computer has seen my face. I can't change that. I'll be under quite a bit of makeup... I mean, cosmetics..." Sean sighed dramatically, "As long as I keep myself under control and eat properly, I should be alright. It's not easy, but I've worked too hard to give up now."
"Could you... uh... Change?" Isaac asked awkwardly, "Like I said, I've never seen a Wendigo..."
"You probably won't like what you see, but I'll show you." Sean's eyes changed to silver slits and several rows of large, pointed teeth sprouted in his mouth. Isaac nearly fell off the chair, his blue eyes as wide as saucers.
"T-t-those are some big teeth..."
Sean avoided the obvious 'The better to eat you with' remark. "Sorry. Don't worry," His voice seemed a bit deeper, "You'll get used to it." He retracted to his human form.
"That's almost as terrifying as being forced to go shopping with Lydia..."
They all turned slightly at the sound of Stiles' jeep pulling up.
Isaac smirked, "Is Stiles still skinny, clumsy and helpless?"
"He's still skinny and clumsy, but he's by no means helpless."
"Hey, Scotty!" The door opened, "What's the big secret? Who's the fresh meat?"
Stiles stopped in the doorway to the living room, gawking at Isaac.
"Hey, Stiles." Isaac waved casually.
"I see you've met your replacements. Liam's as whiny as you are-"
"HEY!" Liam objected.
"And they both have terrible tempers-"
"You're pushing it, Stiles." Isaac warned.
"And if one stands on the other's shoulders, they're almost as tall as you are."
Liam and Sean both stuck their tongues out at Stiles.
Stiles grinned and gave the slender blond a 'manly' hug, "It's good to see you again, dude! How was France?"
"Okay, I guess. It was good not having to look at the places that trigger bad memories, but it's Hell without the Pack. I can see why a lot of Omegas go insane, being a lone Werewolf. I even missed you! For a few seconds, anyway, then I remembered what an ass you are."
Stiles grabbed his chest in mock pain, "You wound me! I'm not an ass, I'm a socially awkward master of the art of sarcasm!"
...
More of the Pack arrived, each greeting Isaac warmly.
Sean noticed a slight tension between Derek Hale and Isaac. From what he understood, Isaac, aside from the never-present Peter Hale, was the last surviving member of Derek's first pack. After the others had been killed, Derek had forced him away, probably believing him better off with the McCall pack. He'd been told it hadn't been pretty, and from what he'd observed of pack bonds he imagined they had both suffered terribly. Plus, the idea of having the only real father figure in Isaac's life throw him out into the rain right after seeing his two pack-mates murdered in cold blood probably didn't help to inspire kindly feelings towards the gruff Werewolf.
Of course, Derek had just lost his pack for a second time, watched helplessly as they died, and Boyd died by Derek's own claws due to Kali's sick manipulations. He probably would not have survived losing Isaac as well. Derek had lost his entire family and his pack, and he was willing to let Isaac hate him if it kept him safe.
Derek sat and nodded silently in Isaac's direction.
Isaac didn't acknowledge him.
"How's Chris? Why isn't he here?"
"He had business with another hunter family. There are a LOT of Werewolves in France, and some of them make Deucalion look like a saint. He's been working a lot lately, mainly in the rural provinces. I actually haven't seen him in months. I was willing to go help him, but between school and the fact that the other hunters might not want a Werewolf on their team it didn't work out."
"Chris Argent?" Sean asked. As children, he and David had heard horror stories about the Argents, especially Gerard and Kate. They were the earthly Devils of his childhood. He'd learned a lot more about them since joining the Pack, and hated them even more for it. Kate was especially demonic, what she'd done to Derek when he was a boy was unforgivable. But Chris and his late daughter Allison had broken the cycle of evil and restored honor to the family name. Allison had died fighting beside the Pack against the Nogitsune, and Scott was still mourning her death, even though he had a new girlfriend now.
Scott had told him Allison died in Isaac's arms.
"The same." Isaac answered. "He's good though."
At that moment another tall, ridiculously attractive blond boy walked into the room, taking Isaac in with his usual sleepy looking gaze, "A present? For me? Nice."
Isaac looked at the youth like he was a lunatic.
"Isaac, this is Brett Talbot, he's from a nearby pack. He's 'on loan' to us for a while." Scott motioned toward Brett, "Brett, this is Isaac Lahey."
"Brett chases just about any tail that he sees." Stiles noted, "He's been hitting on Sean, but Sean's straight and like celibate or something. Brett's switch is stuck on 'horny'. He makes Danny seem subtle."
"Kind of like you, Stiles?"
"Oh ha-ha..."
"Uh, nice to meet you." Isaac stood and shook Brett's hand.
"My pleasure." He spoke the word 'pleasure' as if they were in bed.
"Sorry man, straight."
"No way! No guy can look that pretty and be straight!" Brett couldn't believe it.
Lydia interrupted his chain of thought, "Besides, what about Mason? You know, your boyfriend?"
"We share." Brett replied simply.
Liam stuck a finger down his throat and made a gagging sound, "Dude, I don't want to know what you and my best friend do together."
By this time Isaac was already back on the couch.
"Are you finished objectifying Isaac yet, Brett?" Sean asked.
Brett looked him over hungrily one more time, "Yeah, for now."
...
To be continued...
Notes:
Sean knows so much about the history of the Pack because Stiles talks about everything and Scott is kind of stupid.
Historically, there were far more reports of 'Werewolf killings' in France than in Transylvania. Many, many people in Europe were tortured and put to death under suspicion of being Werewolves. Yet, people invariably associate Werewolves with Romania, Transylvania in particular. While people in Romania certainly believed in Werewolves, and some still do, it wasn't the center of all things supernatural as Hollywood likes to make it out to be.
Kate Argent is the most evil, despicable, disgusting character in Teen Wolf. Nogitsune was bad, he lived for pain and chaos, but Kate was worse. A sick, sadistic, perverted, manipulative bitch who used a young boy just to murder his family. Statutory rape doesn't just apply to girls either, so technically she's a rapist and a pedophile. She has absolutely no redeeming qualities.
