McCall House, Beacon Hills Preserve
Scott's POV
"Thank you," I thanked Malia with a breathy whisper while I caught my breath, still lying in my sweat-soaked bedsheets, grateful that she helped me get out of the nightmare I was in.
"You can't live like this, Scott," Malia responded, linking our hands while our eyes locked. "It's been a little over ten years now and the war officially ended nine years ago. I can't let you avoid facing this anymore.
I think you should see Rebecca and return to therapy with this as your main focus this time."
A topic Kira, Malia and I touched every time this happened and I avoided each time although I knew avoiding it wasn't the answer.
"I know," I said, my usual response.
"Don't give me that lame 'I know' reply, Scott!" Malia snapped, her hand letting go of mine, obviously fed up and I didn't blame her. "You pushed for all of us to see therapists during and after the war and we did. Even dad and Chris. And Kincaid.
Every one of us is glad that you insisted that we look after our mental health to help us cope with everything and the aftermath. I'm more than glad because I doubt I would have been able to have Kylie and be the mother I am to her, Kaminari, and Lunar without the therapy.
I understand why it's hard for you to let go of the guilt but you don't have a reason to torture yourself like this, Scott. (She leaned over and gently wiped away the fresh tears that were leaving my tear ducts and then cupped my face.) You don't.
You became a father figure to Liam and the others over the years and he saw Kaminari and Lunar as his little siblings in all but blood and he told you to kill him by your own free will and not let the curse decide for you.
Liam didn't have a problem with you being the one to end his life, especially because it was to save the twins and he swore that he would protect them with his life. But I think he would have a problem with you letting yourself suffer for so long and allowing Monroe to get what she wanted.
Liam knew the options and he died with a smile on his face because he knew the flames Monroe wanted to diminish burned brighter with his death and a part of him would always be with you, the power you gave him the day you saved his life, and that you would use it to end Monroe and her army and he was right.
A decade is a very long time, Scott McCall. You're a great leader, an excellent husband as can be in a marriage like ours, and an even better father to the kids but a part of you is stuck in the past and it prevents you from fully living and enjoining the world you helped build.
I know what it is like to kill one of your own, Scott. The guilt and the shame and the constant doubts of whether or not you have the right to live when you killed your loved ones. I know. I've been through what you're going through and I know the best way to deal with it is by going through it.
Let yourself remember the real Liam and let his memory rest as you remember it and him, not as a haunting and vengeful ghost he was not. OK? You're not a monster. You're a werewolf. Like Kaminari."
Some things you never know just how much you need to hear and how many times you need to hear them until you truly hear them and they finally get through your reluctance to hear them.
Malia's words were one of those things and I finally let them sink in after a decade since I killed Liam and nine years after eight long years of an ugly war that saw the Pack lose the likes of Deaton, Derek, Isaac, Noah, Noshiko, Theo, and Valerie.
Maybe it was time I let go of my guilt and remember Liam as Malia said and not as the vengeful ghost I saw in my nightmares.
With my breathing under control, I took a deep breath and let out a big sigh.
"You're right," I said.
"Of course, I'm right," Malia responded as a matter of fact and I smiled, grateful for the family I had, and she reciprocated the smile and my bedroom brightened and so did my heart.
"I'll see if I can make an appointment when I return from Mystic Falls."
"You have assistants to make appointments for you, Scott. People and your assistant AI. Speaking of your trip, though, get up and take a shower. You have high school juniors to take to school before your trip." Malia reminded me before giving me a morning kiss and then departed.
The moment she closed the door, I received a call from Corey and enabled a voice concealing software before I answered it on my way to my bathroom.
"What's up?" I asked in greeting.
"I'm afraid things are as reported. And worse." Corey replied. "Salvatore Boarding School for the Young Gifted is a mess. The school is experiencing an unusual number of frequent attacks from supernatural beings and has been using some of its staff and students as defence, offence, and everything in between.
As a result, parents are transferring their children out of the school and most of the staff is handing in resignation letters and the headmaster is not even aware that he has a great exodus on his hands.
I've overheard some students saying that their parents were seriously considering suing the school and the headmaster for several things including negligence and abuse of power."
"They aren't considering. Some parents have joined forces to sue and destroy Salvatore Boarding School and its founders and current headmaster." I informed Corey. "Years ago, a couple of teenage students disappeared and were said to have run away according to the school.
Their parents didn't believe this, especially after a student told them that he overhead Headmaster Saltzman and Guidance Counselor Tig speaking about sending a student away like they sent others away."
"Are you talking about Diego, Jade, and Wendy?" Corey inquired and I wasn't surprised he already knew their names.
Trained in ninjutsu during the War and his special skill kept sharp after the War, Corey was my go-to guy for covert missions and such. He was the best of the best, hence I sent him to Mystic Falls for reconnaissance.
"Yes," I confirmed and put the call on the loudspeaker next to the soap holder so I could carry on with my morning routine. "Diego is the nephew of Alpha Tien and Alpha Tien has called in a favour I owe him and he mentioned, as an incentive, that Triad Industries is no longer in control of Malivore."
"That's true, but it's under someone else's control. A witch with an advanced affinity for necromancy calling himself 'the Necromancer' and he just became a lot more powerful."
"I'm listening," I responded, glad to have something to take my mind off my nightmare and the thought of facing my past, and Corey didn't disappoint, he delivered like usual.