Riley sat next to the Sheriff in his car. She narrowed her eyes at the street, trying to make out, Jordan's car. "What is he thinking? Am I just an afterthought to my entire family?" she asked angrily. Begrudgingly, she had to let Marlow, Scott, and Liam go to figure out how to save Mason to keep her uncle from skipping town without her.
"No, you're not," Noah assured her. She gave him a look. He sighed. "Your uncle is scared of what he can do. That's why he's leaving. It has nothing to do with you." The phone rang. Riley looked at the display. Lydia was calling. She sighed. Riley had no idea what Lydia, Chris, and Gerard had done with Jordan, but she didn't like it.
Jordan was the only person outside of Marlow and Mason she truly trusted in Beacon Hills. He was the last of her family to still be alive. She barely knew Lydia and Chris. And she sure as hell didn't trust Gerard. "Lydia!" Noah said.
"I just came from his place. Half of his stuff was gone. You can't let him leave."
"It's okay. I got a call from Dispatch. He's headed for the highway." Noah told her. Riley rubbed her forehead. Mason, one of her oldest friends, being the Beast was already enough of a sobering reality but her uncle abandoning her was a whole other thing.
"Can you stop him?" Lydia asked.
"Stopping him is one thing. Getting him to turn around..."
"Leave that to me," Lydia told him. She hung up the phone.
Riley clenched her fist. "I can feel him. He's not far away," she told Noah. He nodded, speeding up the car.
"Should I be concerned about why you know that?"
"It's..." Riley sighed. "It's a family thing. Before she died, my mom told me that we would always find one another. No matter where in the world we are, we can find one another. I don't know if it's a special family power we have or if she was just saying that so I wouldn't feel alone but it's worked every time."
Expect for all the times she tried to locate her uncle during the last decade. But she'd find out what that was about once they saved Mason. "I put up a roadblock a little further up. He'll stop there one way or another." Noah told her. He stopped the car, turning off the engines and lights. He turned to Riley. "If Lydia can't convince him to stay with all of her supernatural know-how, I want you to try it."
Riley nodded. Her uncle's car sped down the street, coming to a halt as he drove over the spike-strips on the floor. The tires blew out and he turned off his engine. Climbing out of the car, he looked lost as he let out a big sigh. Noah turned on the lights and sirens of the cruiser, alerting Jordan to their presence.
The Sheriff climbed out of the driver's seat and closed the door. "I don't remember giving you any vacation time."
"Those were new tires."
"Well..." Sheriff started. "Well, they're scrap rubber, now." Jordan sighed. "How about I call a tow for you?"
"I'll call one myself," Jordan replied, turning back to the car.
Noah crossed his arms in front of his chest. "Are you gonna call your niece too? Let her know you're skipping town without her?"
Riley saw that as her cue to exit the car. She took a deep breath and stepped out of the vehicle just as Lydia arrived in her car. "Well, well, well, uncle dearest. Looks who didn't show up for dinner this time around."
Lydia climbed out of her car and walked over to the trio. Jordan sighed once again. "You're all out of your minds. You know that?"
"You can't leave." Lydia insisted.
"I can't stay. I'm a Hellhound. I have the word, 'Hell' in my name. Hell."
"You're also one of my best deputies." Noah chimed in.
"You guys don't get it. The bodies I see in my dream are because of me. And there's gonna be more. A lot more."
"I've been predicting death longer than you. The things I've seen and felt..." Lydia started, shaking her head as if in thought. "They don't always happen."
"What if those people die because you didn't stay?" Noah asked.
"Because you weren't there to protect them," Lydia added. "You said you were drawn to Beacon Hills. I think you're here for a reason."
Riley walked up to him. "You're a Hellhound, a creature of death..." she started, looking over at Lydia. "And a great Deputy," she nodded at Noah, then turned back to Jordan. "But above all else, you're my uncle. The only family I have left. I thought you were dead for ten years. Now I know you're alive and I was willing to move in with you and get to know you and then you just decide to up and leave just as things are getting worse."
"You don't understand, Riley. I wanted to leave you here because I'm dangerous. You're much better off with Marlow and the Sheriff. They can keep you safe. I'll put you in more danger."
"I'm old enough to know what's dangerous or not."
"You're sixteen. You really aren't."
Riley closed her eyes and sighed. "I may only be sixteen, but I'm also a werecoyote-witch who has seen more messed up stuff in the last few weeks than she could have ever imagined." she reminded him. She walked closer towards him. "I know living with you is going to be a roller coaster of emotions and that there might be some dangerous twists and turns lurking along the way, but I also know that you're my family. And I need you in my life. So, please, consider staying."
There was a beat of silence as Riley, Noah, and Lydia waited for an answer. "Hey," Noah spoke up, throwing Jordan his badge. The Deputy looked at it, then back at Riley. He pulled her into a hug. Riley smiled, knowing she had managed to put out at least one fire.
Marlow, Riley, Stiles, Malia, Kira, Lydia and Liam were gathered in the McCall house. No one had gotten any sleep the previous night. They had all been out looking for Mason or trying to help with the search in other ways. Marlow let out a small sigh, rubbing her forehead as she tried to think of how this could have happened.
As far as she knew, Mason had never had a skin graft or an organ transplant. He couldn't have been a genetic Chimera. "My dad's got an APB out..." Stiles spoke up. Marlow was ripped out of her thoughts.
"For a 5'8" 16-year-old?" Kira asked.
"I recommended nine-foot-tall rampaging werewolf," Stiles replied sarcastically. Marlow lightly hit him in the arm, shaking her head as he looked at her. She wasn't up for humor. Not when her best friend's life was on the line.
"It still might not be him." Liam chimed in. Marlow gave him a look. She wanted to live in denial too, but it wouldn't help them in their situation. "But, Hayden's at the school looking."
"I can keep checking the woods." Malia offered.
Riley raised her hand. "And I can keep a look-out for Chamelecorey. I can usually sense when he's around..." she got to thinking, narrowing her eyes at the scene around her. "Unless he finally learned how to control his anxiety."
"My mom can check all the hospitals in the county. We can find him." Scott spoke up as he walked into the kitchen. Marlow sighed in relief, happy to see that his wounds had healed.
"What happens then?" Liam asked.
"We figure out a way to save him," Scott replied.
"Okay. Where else could we look?" Lydia asked.
Marlow raised her eyebrows, looking over at Scott. She had checked all the spots they went to as kids already. But she also knew Corey wouldn't be dumb enough to take Mason anywhere they knew. "Let's ask Corey," Scott replied. Marlow narrowed her eyes in confusion.
Scott reached stuck out his hand, grabbing a fistful of Corey's shirt. The boy materialized in front of them. Marlow jumped off the counter. Riley pointed at him. "Aha! So he did finally manage to escape my spidey senses!"
"Wait. Wait. It's not my fault. They took him and I couldn't do anything. They took him..." Corey insisted.
"Who?" Scott asked.
"The Dread Doctors," he replied.
Marlow closed her eyes and sighed. "Scott, move." Scott looked over at her, shaking his head once he understood where this was going. "I said," Marlow emphasized. She walked over to the boys and pulled Scott off of Corey. "Move!"
She grabbed Corey by his shirt collar, looking him directly in the eyes. "I've given you the benefit of the doubt more than enough times, Corey Bryant. Because I believe that you're just a scared kid in need of the right friends. I still believe that. But, Mason is my best friend - my brother. If I find out you're lying to me, putting him in more danger, I will hurt you so bad you won't be able to walk for months. Got it?"
Corey nodded eagerly. "I'm not lying, I swear." he insisted. Marlow narrowed her eyes at him. There was no fear in his eyes. Just determination. She knew then and there that Corey wanted to save Mason just as much as they did.
She nodded and let go of his collar. "I believe him," she said.
"You do?" Liam asked.
She looked over at him. He was just as worried about Mason as her and she needed him to trust her that she was making the right call. "Yes. I trust him completely."
Liam nodded. "Alright, where do we go from here?"
"I have an idea," Scott replied. "But you're not gonna like it." Marlow narrowed her eyes at him. "We need to talk to Theo."
Marlow crossed her arms in front of her chest, fighting the urge to scream. It would be a cold day in hell before she put her best friend's life in the hands of a teen maniac "You're right, I don't like that idea. In fact, absolutely hate it and think you're insane."
"We've exhausted all other options for now. I'm not saying that we tell him everything but he might have some answers, given the fact that he's working with the Dread Doctors. Please, just trust me on this one."
Marlow growled. She knew he was right but she also knew Theo had some ulterior motive. Some other plans for Mason. He didn't care about him. He just wanted what was inside of him. "I'm coming with you." she insisted. Scott opened his mouth to answer. Marlow raised her hand. "Don't you dare deny me. I'll come with you, one way or another."
Scott sighed. "Fine. Just...remember, we're doing this to save Mason. If you go in there and kick his ass we might get nothing."
"I know, Scott! Let's just go before I change my mind," she said, teeth clenched. She turned to Riley. "My car is still being fixed and I'm here on my old bike. Feel free to take that and go to school Corey can go with you."
Marlow was oddly calm and it freaked Riley out. Stiles stayed silent, knowing full well if one person said the wrong thing, his sister would go nuclear. "How is Corey gonna come with me?"
"He can ride on the carrier thingy," she replied, in a low whisper.
Corey shot Marlow a fearful look. He turned to Riley. "I'll fade us out," she assured him in a hushed tone.
Marlow took a deep breath. "Okay, boys, let's go. We have a friend to save and not much time to do it."
Marlow, Scott, and Liam rushed towards the boy's locker room. Marlow was still fuming. She had tried to calm herself down, knowing that her angry outbursts wouldn't get them anywhere. But it was hard to stay calm while everything around her was crumbling to the ground and she had no control over it.
"How stupid are we to be doing this?" Liam asked.
Marlow sighed. She wanted to keep her cynicism to herself but the extenuating circumstances made it hard for her to stay quiet. "Extremely stupid."
"We're not stupid. We're desperate." Scott chimed in.
"How desperate?" Liam asked.
The three stopped in front of the door. Scott sighed, giving Marlow and Liam a look. "Incredibly desperate."
He pushed the door open, revealing Theo and Tracy already waiting for them inside the locker room. Marlow groaned. "This bitch? Really?"
Tracy smirked at her. "I see you survived your encounter with the tree branch."
"I sure did. How about you come over here and let me kick your ass to repay the favor?"
Marlow took a step forward, trying to get to Tracy when Scott stuck out his arm and held her back. He looked her in the eyes. "Marlow, this is not why we came here." he needlessly reminded her. She growled under her breath but decided to stand down nonetheless. If only to ensure Mason's safety.
"I told you we'd end up on the same side," Theo spoke up.
"How about I punch you in the balls to remind you we're not?" Liam asked.
Marlow smirked at him. If there was one person that wanted to beat Theo's ass as much as she did, it was Liam.
Theo chuckled. "I love this kid."
"I don't," Tracy added.
"Shut up, lizard girl," Marlow demanded.
Scott raised a hand. Marlow took a deep breath, trying not to snap. "We know you're not on our side, Theo. You said you wanted to help Lydia, but you left Eichen with something else, didn't you?"
"You mean the mask?" Theo asked. "Are you worried about that?"
"Did you put it on?" Scott asked. "Who did you see?"
"Not Mason."
"What's that mean? It's not him?" Liam asked.
"It probably means he's a lost cause." Tracy chimed in.
Marlow turned to her, eyes glowing blue. "Okay, that's it," she said. She dashed forward, striking Tracy across the face. Scott pulled her back by the wrist. She shook off his hand angrily as Tracy nursed the side of her cheek.
"We all want the same thing. We want Mason back." Theo said.
"Oh, spare us." Marlow sneered.
Scott shot her a glare. Marlow clenched her fists. Scott turned back to Theo. "Okay, but the difference is that we want him back alive."
"Well, I'm open to compromise," Theo told him. "You still got the map with telluric currents on it?" Theo asked. Scott remained silent. "Bring it to the operating theater in two hours."
No one said another word. The lines had been drawn. The plan was set. Scott turned towards the door. Marlow stood still, glaring at Theo. She didn't trust anything he had planned. Liam grabbed her hand and pulled her out of the locker room with him. "He's not worth it."
Scott closed the door. He turned to Marlow and Liam and gave Marlow a look. "I told you to stay calm."
"Oh, I was calm. Trust me."
"How desperate are we?" Liam asked.
Scott sighed, looking at the two. "Incredibly."
"Let's just get the damn map and go to the woods," Marlow said, trying to push past Scott.
He put his hand on her shoulder, shaking his head. "You're not coming to the theatre with us."
"Scott!"
"I'm sorry. But we need this to work out. And I can't have you there if you're gonna try and hurt Theo."
Marlow scoffed, raising her hands. "Fine. But I am not gonna just sit back and do nothing."
"You can stay posted in the woods. In case we need back-up. But, please, try to calm down."
Marlow nodded. She didn't trust Theo but she trusted Scott. He was her Alpha, one way or another. So instead of bitching about it any further, she called Riley and rerouted her from the school to the forest.
Riley slapped another tree branch out of her face. She groaned. "I hate the woods!" she complained. And she hated Scott's plan too. Every last cell in her body rebelled against the idea of helping Theo Raeken with anything. Every last alarm bell in her head went off and she was getting nothing but bad vibes.
Marlow sighed. She halted, trying not to scream. She wanted nothing more than to just get rid of Theo and save Mason. She definitely didn't want to trudge through brushes, following Scott, Liam and Theo around in hopes of getting Mason back before the Dread Doctors start experimenting on him.
She looked at her phone. It was getting late and no one else had gotten back to her. She sighed, shoving her phone into the back pocket of her jeans. "I don't know if we're going to get him back," she admitted.
Riley stopped picking leaves out of her hair and looked up at Marlow. "What do you mean?" She couldn't have Marlow give up. They had made progress. Even if she hated part of said progress.
Marlow threw up her hands. "I just..." she started. Her eyes wandered around the forest. "Look at this! Look at everything we're doing right now. Everything that's happened. This was supposed to be my year. I had a Pack, Mason finally knew about our existence, Liam and I were still together. And now, we're following a teen maniac around the woods in hopes of finding our beastly best frie-"
She stepped on a branch, losing her balance and falling on her face. Finally, she just screamed. Riley cringed at the sudden loud noise. "Okay..." she mumbled. She walked up behind her best friend, holding out her hand to her. "Take it. Come on."
Marlow sighed, grabbing onto her hand. Riley pulled her up off the floor. She started dusting off Marlow's jacket. "Now listen, we have a job to do. We might not like it. But it's what we signed onto when we accepted living with supernatural powers. Now, we need to save Mason and we need to do it now. So, are you in or not?"
Riley raised an eyebrow, tilting her head slightly. Marlow nodded. "Yes, of course. It's getting dark out. And we haven't seen the boys in the while. I think the operating theatre is somewhere down there." It was dark out by that time. But Marlow was able to see through the darkness. She looked down the hill, her eyes glowing blue.
She could make out the shed in the distance. She pointed down the hill. "Down there," she said determinately. She turned back to Riley. "Now let's go save our best friend."
They dashed down the hill. Marlow stuck out her arm, stopping Riley from running any further. "Holy-"
"Shucks!" Riley yelled, watching her uncle jumped towards the Beast in all of his Hellhound glory. Scott and Liam stood at the door to the shed. Everyone was transfixed by the fight going on in front of them.
Shots rang out. Marlow turned her head to see Chris and Gerard shooting at the Beast. It fled onto the bridge. The group watched as it was engulfed in smoke. Marlow's heart skipped a beat, ready to see Mason again.
Only, when the smoke disappeared, it wasn't Mason standing in the Beast's place. It was a man. "La Bete Du Gevaudan! I know your name." Gerard spoke up. The man turned around. He was drenched in blood. "Do you remember mine?"
"Argent." the man replied in a french accent. He took off and Jordan ran after him.
Marlow, Riley, Liam, and Scott finally managed to move. They ran towards the bridge, halting as the Beast and the Hellhound disappeared into the woods. "Who the hell was that?" Scott asked.
"You've seen the Beast of Gevaudan. That was the Man." Gerard replied.
Chris looked at his father. "Sebastien Valet."
Marlow looked after the two fighting creatures as more roars rang through the night. If the Beast had turned into Sebastien Valet, then where the hell was Mason?
