I found it oddly calming that school seemed to be the most normal place I could exist in. Aside from creepy grandpa Argent, the rest of the student population granted me a sense of peace. Whether it was the couple's definitely being overly affectionate towards one another, the freshman trading Pokemon cards in the lunchroom, or girls gossiping over their latest fling-it reminded me that not everyone in the world was plagued with the same horrors of my life. To be fair, I had pretty much asked to be involved with those horrors and ended up devoting my life to making sure my friends weren't slaughtered every day. For a moment when I walked through those front doors into school, I took a moment to appreciate the chaotic, obnoxious nature of other teenagers. Sometimes, I caught myself wishing I was one of them.
Yet, even with all of the envy, I had concluded that I would never give up my friends for a new life. I had never been so closely bonded with people before in my entire life. I had deemed it nearly impossible for me to make friends with girls. In fact, I remember myself not wanting to associate with Lydia when I first moved here. I couldn't help but laugh at how the tide had changed and realize that I would do anything if it meant keeping her safe. After she had talked to me this morning, we had driven to school together and she begged that I please give her something normal to talk about. I informed her of the conversation I had with Stiles on the ice skating rink and she threatened to burn my entire closet-beginning with my shoes-if I did not apologize to him or tell him how I really felt. Our banter continued as per usual and for a second I let myself float away from reality, hyper focusing on Lydia.
Once Lydia had drifted off towards her locker, I watched until I couldn't see her bright red locks anymore and then took one step forward to begin my trek towards my locker. Except, my path was suddenly blocked by someone I had not expected to see. Someone who I actually tried to avoid at all costs to eliminate the possibility of me going to jail for first degree assault.
"What could you possibly want from me?" I growled through my teeth, my fists clenching at my sides as I narrowed my eyes dangerously at the boy.
"For the first time-" Jackson began, raising his eyebrows and then smiling flatly. "-nothing. We need to talk."
"No," I rejected immediately and went to take a step around him, but he blocked my path. "Dude…"
"You're going to talk to me or I will spill everything I know to Lydia. And she will believe me." Jackson threatened, leaning it slightly closer to my face whilst his eyes bored into mine with the intensity of a thousand suns. "Don't test me."
I clenched my jaw, feeling the familiar warm feeling of red hot anger flooding through my body. I practically jammed my fists into my thighs to keep them from pummeling Jackson and weighed my options. However, I found myself leaning more towards just talking to him and getting this over with. Last time he had done this, he had requested I get the bite or he was going to expose Scott to Allison. Now that had passed, I couldn't help but wonder what the hell he needed now. I hadn't spoken to him since the winter formal and he had hardly showed up to the hospital when Lydia was there. My last conversation about him had to do with the fact that he let Isaac Lahey get abused by his father for years because it didn't influence his life in any way shape or form. My restraint was actually impressive and I gave myself a metaphorical pat on the back.
"What do you want, Jackson?" I finally relented, my voice low and ragged. I hated feeling powerless against him, but Jackson was threatening to deal a hand I had no defense against. Lydia would believe him if he told her that werewolves exist and, considering what she was going through right now, it would seem even more plausible.
Jackson didn't respond verbally, but he grabbed me by the bicep and pulled me off to the side of the hallway where it was less vacant. I glanced around before my vision disappeared from the student body in hopes of seeing any of my friends, but, like last time, I had come up empty.
"Lydia was bitten by a werewolf, right?" Jackson asked, keeping his voice down as he rose up his eyebrows and gave me a knowing look.
"You were literally there." I responded back as if it were the most obvious thing in the world, shaking my head. "Yes, Lydia was bitten by a werewolf-an alpha werewolf."
"Exactly." Jackson bit out, his tone harsh and making me visibly flinch. "What? Is-Is she immune or something?"
"What the hell are you talking about?" I demanded, crossing my arms over my chest with a confused expression.
Jackson seemed to fly from one to one hundred in a matter of seconds, his own facial features twisting up in enraged frustration. His jaw clenched together tightly and he inhaled deeply through his nose, his whole body seeming to shake for a moment.
"I mean," Jackson growled, as if restraining his anger. "Why didn't anything happen to her after she got bit? Scott got bit, he turned into a werewolf. Lydia gets bit, and she's walking around like nothing ever happened. I get bit and nothing."
My eyes suddenly widened and any words had been ripped from my mouth. The air in my lungs shortened and left me breathless as I stared back at Jackson. My lips parted, hanging agape in pure horror mixed somewhat with shock. Every single limb on my body felt numb and I was worried my knees might buckle or I would pass out right here in the moment. It was like somehow I switched on the AC to the max and was blowing it directly onto me. The goosebumps tickled my skin underneath the sleeves if my sweater and I tried to unscramble my brain to respond.
"What?" I finally managed to gasp out, my eyes glancing at him up and down. "You-you were bitten? By-by who?"
"That is not the point." Jackson answered, shooting me a sharp glare that immediately made me back down. "Tell me why nothing happened!"
"I-I don't know!" I stammered, blinking rapidly as I shook my head. "I don't know why nothing happened to Lydia and I don't know why nothing happened to you. Trust me, if I knew what was going on, I'd love to make you a Powerpoint, Jackson, but I don't."
Jackson scowled at me and a furious growl tore from his throat. "Dammit!" He shouted and his fist suddenly came down to slam on the wall on the other side of my head. I jumped violently and held my breath, watching as he backed up and then stormed off down the other direction of the hallway.
When I was able to collect myself, I pushed off the wall and then began to nearly sprint down to my locker. My hands were shaking as I spun the dial and I managed to mess up the code three times. By the fourth time, I managed to talk myself down somewhat but the fear that something more sinister was happening outside of our bubble was sickening. Part of me had an idea of just who exactly bit Jackson, but I didn't want to believe it. That would've meant that Derek had bitten Isaac Lahey, Erica Reyes, and now Jackson Whitmore. Except, if Derek had bitten Jackson, he should've turned into a werewolf. Just like Lydia should've turned, except she hadn't. Her bite had healed and she had been seemingly normal aside from her hallucinations she had been experiencing.
Throughout the rest of the day, I tried not to let my conversation with Jackson cloud my concentration in my class. I had begun to slack and I couldn't afford to be stuck in detention or after school study groups. Stiles giving me the cold shoulder didn't exactly help either and this was something I hadn't experienced before. I always played the middle ground whenever Scott and Stiles got into their disagreements, managing to always stay on both sides. I had never been the one receiving the treatment and the thought of Stiles being genuinely upset with me hurt. It hurt even worse because I knew it was justified. I had been pulling away from him and treating him like shit because I was afraid of myself. I was acting selfish. Stiles had every right to never even want to speak to me again.
When lunch rolled around, I saw Allison getting up from a table just behind Scott. She dumped her entire tray and then left the room, going down the hallway. I shook my head to relieve myself of that confusion and then saw that Scott was still sitting by himself. I swallowed hard, gripping the sides of my tray before I went to take the seat across from him.
Scott jumped slightly at my sudden entrance and his head snapped up from his lunch tray. "Tessa," He greeted, sounding surprised. "Uh...hi."
"Hi," I returned, nodding my head curtly and trying to act as if this were normal. Truth be told, it normally would've been if I hadn't been avoiding Scott like the plague. I carefully folded my hands on the lunch table, swallowing hard. "I-I hope I'm not interrupting...whatever this is."
I gestured at him sitting all alone with my hands, a perplexed tone slipping through my voice. The werewolf quickly shook his head and cleared his throat, shifting in his seat.
"N-no. I was just...talking to Allison." Scott admitted bashfully, a pink color intertwining with the soft tan of his skin.
I smiled knowingly. "Right," I responded. "Look, I know I haven't exactly been the most present lately, but there's just been everything going on and I didn't really know what to say to you."
"What do you mean?" Scott asked, straightening in his seat and immediately looking concerned.
I shrugged and then picked at some leaves from the small salad on my tray. "You have been able to tell that there's been something wrong with me and I was afraid of any confrontation." I answered, my voice small. "I wasn't sure how to explain it all so I was avoiding it. I'm sorry."
Scott stared at me with the same concussed look he always seemed to sport. He blinked a few times while his mouth hung slack and his fork hung in the air above his own salad. Finally, he seemed to gather his thoughts and then cleared his throat again. "You don't have to apologize." He told me honestly. "I don't blame you. Crazy stuff has been going on and I don't even really know how to talk about it myself. I just...wanna make sure you're okay, Tessa. You're just as much part of this as me, Scott, and even Allison."
I couldn't help the sheepish smile that appeared on my features. "Thank you, Scott." I murmured genuinely. "I, uh, I really appreciate that."
Scott nodded curtly and then he almost looked amused after a few moments of comfortable silence. "Not that I appreciate the company, but why are you really sitting here? Lydia is over on the other side of the lunchroom." He inquired, raising his eyebrows.
If I had to imagine what I looked like, it probably closely resembled a deer caught in headlights. "Well, I, uh, noticed you were sitting alone and was like "No, can't leave Scotty alone" and so then I sat here...with you." I pressed the top of one of my fingers into the table and grimaced, hating the entire explanation with my whole being.
"What happened, Tessa?" Scott asked, his tone bored as if he wanted to get my feeble excuses over with.
I let out a heavy sigh and then dropped my head into my hands. "Jackson confronted me in the hallway. He said someone bit him, but nothing happened. He was freaking out and-and now I feel like this is just another problem that we have to deal with."
"Someone bit him? You mean like-"
"I don't know." I replied, already knowing who he was going to speculate. "I mean, nothing happened to Lydia after she was bitten and apparently nothing happened to Jackson. Maybe the bite only works...sometimes?"
Scott shook his head. "The alternative is that you die if the bite doesn't turn you." He reminded me and he frowned. "So, neither of them not turning doesn't make any sense."
"I'm glad I'm not the only one who feels clueless." I grunted with a bob of my eyebrows. I folded my arms on top of the table and happened to glance over my shoulder when I saw a blur of red heading in our direction. "Incoming…"
"What?"
"Scott!" Stiles came up right behind his best friend, clamping a hand down on his shoulder and then pointing to the other side of the lunch room. "You see that?"
My brow furrowed in confusion and I turned in my chair. I suspected Stiles was pointing to the empty lunch table closest to the vending machine in the back of the room.
"What? It's an empty table." Scott responded, sounding less than pleased to be even having this conversation.
"Yeah, but who's empty table?" Stiles persisted.
It was like my brain was suddenly a filing cabinet and I went through my memories. Then, the one just yesterday appeared in my mind in which I saw Stiles being handed a pair of keys…
"Boyd." I breathed out, my body sagging. Snapping back around in my seat, I looked back at the boys. "Why-why do I not get the greatest feeling about this?"
"Because that kid has never missed a day of school. I know that because he is always in front of me in the lunch line. He orders Doritos, like, every day." Stiles answered, wiggling his hands around spastically.
"That is a lot of information to remember about one person…" I mumbled to myself to which Stiles shot me a glare. I held up my hands in mock surrender. "Right, not the point, sorry."
"What if he's the third one?" Scott asked Stiles who looked stressed just at the prospect.
"T-third one?" I repeated, giving them both a wide eyed stare. "Third one of what?"
"Derek wouldn't be satisfied with two socially awkward teenagers, would he?" Stiles countered, the open ended question leaving me to my own devices.
"Oh God," I groaned and dropped my head onto my folded arms for a moment before sitting back up. "What are we gonna do?"
As if on cue, Scott stood from his seat. He grabbed his tray and then began to make his way over to the trash can. I nearly tripped after him to catch up, also dumping my tray as both boys made their way out of the lunch room.
"I'm gonna go to the ice rink and see if he's there." Scott told us as we made our way down the hallways towards the front of the school. "And if he's not at home, you call me, got it?"
"Wha-Stiles is involved in this operation? How can I help then?" I demanded, turning to stand in front of the two of them.
"Go with Stiles."
"What?"
"Huh?"
Scott paused for a moment and looked between the two of us, his expression more than playful as he did so. "I said, Tessa, you go with Stiles. I can't be there to protect you if something happens, so going together means there is strength in numbers."
"Maybe we should let him." Stiles interjected, turning towards Scott. "Boyd, ya know...you said Derek is giving them a choice, right?"
Scott suddenly reached out and grabbed Stiles gently by the bicep, beginning to pull him down the hallway. I fell back into step with them and swallowed hard, glancing around as if I was going to find someone listening to us talk about this. And by someone, I meant Gerard. He lurked around school and slithered into classrooms that the three of us were in as if there were some sort of game he was playing. He toyed with us every day.
"We can't." Scott hissed through his teeth.
"You gotta admit, Erica looks pretty good." Stiles told Scott and I couldn't help but roll my eyes. "You know, the word sensational comes to mind."
"Of course it does." I hummed unenthusiastically and both of the boys seemed to ignore me much to my pleasure.
"H-How do you think she's going to look with a wolfsbane bullet in her head?" Scott squeaked, gesturing to his own forehead.
"Alright, all I'm saying is maybe this isn't totally your responsibility." Stiles then said, his voice soft as he looked over at his best friend. For once in this conversation, I couldn't help but agree with Stiles. Anything to alleviate Scott of any more stress was a win in my book and if that meant letting Derek do what he wanted while also staying out of it, then I would be all for it.
"They all are." Scott argued and a somewhat defeated sigh left me, my chin tipping down towards my chest. Damn Scott and his heroic tendencies. "You know this thing is going to get out of control and that makes me responsible."
"Scott, you weren't the one who bit all of these random teenagers. Derek is. This is his mess and it's not yours to clean up." I spoke up, both of the boys turning to look at me. I could tell that Scott still wasn't convinced. I smacked my lips and shook my head. "Fine, I'm with you."
"I second that." Stiles piped up from his other side and raised a hand in the air before slapping it to his side. "And I also have to say that this newfound heroism is making me very attracted to you."
The bubble of laughter that left me seemed to catch the attention of Stiles who glanced over at me for a moment, his eyes devoid of any ice that he held in them lately. I relished in it, but, as quickly as it had come it left.
"Shut up." Scott told his friend with an amused smile.
"No, seriously." Stiles continued on. "Do you wanna start making out for a second? Just to see how it feels?"
Scott shoved Stiles in the shoulder down the hallway and another ring of enjoyed laughter left my lips, my hand moving to cover my mouth as I watched the two boys banter with each other. A part of me had truly forgotten what it felt like to spend time with the two of them, and I found myself missing them deeply. I had spent so much time with the in the last two months and the last week or so had been absolute torture.
We made it to the front doors of the school and Scott parted ways by taking a path through the forest just beside the lacrosse field. There were nearly no words spoken as Stiles and I walked the parking lot to his Jeep. Once we got inside, I stared outside the window and tried to ignore the obvious tension between us.
"So, uh, what's the game plan here?" I finally asked, turning my head to look over at him. "We just show up to his house, knock on the door, and then what? If he answers, we do what?"
Stiles rapped his fingers on the steering wheel and then pressed his lips together. "I hadn't exactly gotten that far yet." He admitted. "Any ideas?"
"Not really." I breathed out and sunk in my seat somewhat. "I kinda got thrown into all of this."
"You asked, and I quote "How can I help?". So, this plan involves your input as well." Stiles pointed out, his eyes darting to look at me before they were back on the road. "You know what, we'll just tell him we wanted to know if he wanted us to bring him his homework, alright? Easy as that."
"Right, because you and Boyd are best buddies." I hummed, giving him a tight lipped smile to which he returned with a glare.
What was odd was that he dropped it, choosing to lapse back into silence instead of responding with a sarcastic comment. The way he angled his body while he drove was more secluded and almost seemed to block me off. He drove with his right hand, nearly covering his face. I pressed my tongue to my cheek and dissolved back to my staring out the window. Stiles didn't want to talk and this wasn't exactly fun for him either. Scott pairing us together might've seemed to him a perfect way to get some alone time, but clearly Stiles hadn't shared his true feelings with his best friend. The ride to Boyd's house was realistically only a seven minute drive, but with the circumstances, it felt like twelve hours. When the Jeep skidded to a stop in front of a house, I was physically relieved.
"Come on," Stiles ushered and then took off sprinting out of the Jeep.
"Jesus Christ," I squeaked and then fumbled with my belt in order to catch up to the boy. We both sprinted across the lawn and up the front steps while Stiles banged on the metal bar door that covered the actual front door.
"Hey, Boyd!" He called loudly.
I moved off to the side, bending down to see if I could see through the curtains. "This is such an invasion of this kids' privacy." I whimpered to myself as I shoved through a dead bush in effort to find a crack in the blinds.
"Hey, Boyd! It's Stiles!" The boy called out again, still banging on the front door.
"And Tessa!" I followed up, giving Stiles an irritated look to which he responded with a weak shrug. Stiles continued to bang on the door and I sighed. "I'm gonna try to find a way to the backyard."
As soon as I turned around, a string of curse words left my lips when I was suddenly faced with someone who we had surely not invited on our rescue mission.
"Wow, that's not very lady-like." Erica pouted, tipping her head to the side as she feigned sadness. "And also not a polite way to greet someone."
"Neither is sneaking up on them." I argued and, as if on instinct, I felt Stiles move closer to me now that I was face to face with a potential threat.
"What are you two doing here?" Erica asked, a grin appearing on her features as she shook her head.
"Uh, nothing. I was just looking for, um…" Stiles stammered relentlessly and I shut my eyes, letting out a groan while a hand came up to pinch the bridge of my nose.
"...Boyd?" Erica finished for Stiles with a knowing look, amused by his nervousness.
"Yeah. Yes." Stiles answered, nodding his head. "Boyd."
"You know what you're doing right now that's kind of funny?" Erica inquired, her eyes dancing across Stiles' face and I stiffened beside him. Stiles only shook his head in response. "You're only looking in my eyes."
"And they say chivalry is dead." I hummed and Erica's eyes snapped in my direction, narrowed for a moment. It was if her gaze was telling me to shut up and I had no choice but to do so.
"That's funny?" Stiles asked in regards to Erica's statement.
"Well, yeah." Erica replied as if it were the most obvious thing in the world. "Because it's that kind of look where you're trying not to look anywhere else, but my eyes. But you want to, don't you? You want a nice, long, hard look."
Erica had gotten significantly closer to Stiles, the tips of their noses almost touching. My eyes never left the girl, waiting for the moment that she pounced. My instincts were telling me that Erica being here was not in any way, shape, or form a good thing and the fact that she was so close to Stiles made my nerves boil over.
Stiles continued to shake his head, shying away from Erica with his back nearly pressed against the door. "Not really. No." He continued to deny it.
"Oh? So, it's just my eyes?" Erica persisted and she finally took a step back, still looking at him as though he were some kind of child.
"Yes." Stiles answered, his voice a bit more stable. "You have beautiful eyes."
"I have beautiful everything." Erica bit out as if to correct him and I bit down on the inside of my cheek vigorously to avoid saying a word. She could tear me to shreds without even thinking twice if she truly wanted to. There would be no one there to stop her.
"Newfound self-confidence." Stiles noted. "Congratulations, Erica. We should get going."
Stiles reached down and grabbed my hand, trying to step around the she wolf. Her hand came down on Stiles' chest, her demeanor switching. "You're not going anywhere." She growled, giving us a dangerous look. Her eyes then slid over to me. "Especially you."
"Why not?" Stiles asked, his voice strained as Erica's hand splayed across the center of his chest. I could feel his grip tighten significantly on my hand and I squeezed him just as securely.
Erica let out a soft laugh and her hand came up to reveal something we hadn't seen before. It was obviously a car part, something I didn't recognize.
"Why do I have the strangest feeling that is from the Jeep?" I whimpered to Stiles, staring at it with bulbous eyes.
"Because it is." Stiles whimpered back and before I could even react, Erica had swung out and smacked it across his head. He went rearing back into Boyd's front door, his entire body limp as he went unconscious.
"Stiles!" I cried in horror and knelt down by his side, seeing a small cut where the car part had hit him. I gently touched his skin and then felt for a pulse before snapping my head up to look at Erica. "What the hell is wrong with you?"
"Relax," Erica scoffed and then dropped the car part on the front lawn, wiping off her hands. "He'll live."
"Why are you doing this? Why are you even here?" I demanded, getting to my feet and squaring off with the blonde.
"I came to collect." Erica chirped, tipping her head to the side and sporting the same maniac smile she had since she showed up at Boyd's house. "And Stiles isn't what I'm looking for."
I paused for a moment and then swallowed hard. "Why me?" I asked, my voice a lot quieter than it had been before.
Erica let out a sharp bark of laughter that made me flinch and then she crossed her arms over her chest. "Derek said that you were pretty smart." She hummed and then shook her head. "Yet, you act like a bag of rocks has more intelligence than you."
I pursed my lips and then flicked my eyes up towards the sky before looking back down at Erica. "Derek sent you here for me." I concluded and then held up a finger. "And let me guess, we're meeting him at the ice rink."
"Ah, there she is." Erica gasped, her eyes widening for a moment as her grin stretched further across her features. "Let's take a walk, Tessa."
The walk to the ice rink was only a half a smile and that made sense as to why Boyd probably worked there. I refused to speak to the girl on the way there, infuriated by her new attitude. I had never been rude to Erica, but maybe that didn't matter. Other people had been so nasty to her that she was certain the whole world had been against her. I was just a blip on her radar at this point but I still couldn't understand why she was so aggressive. I pondered the thought of Derek teaching them to act this way and I couldn't even imagine what Isaac must be like.
When we arrived at the ice rink, I saw the black Camaro parked in the lot and there were two figures inside of it. As soon as Erica and I were within rage, both doors opened to reveal who was inside. Derek turned around to look at me first and I half expected a cocky grin. Instead, he looked almost physically pained and he sniffed hard.
"Thank you, Erica." Derek told her with a curt nod. The blonde then moved to stand on the other side of them. "Hello, Tessa."
"Fuck you." I spat, unable to stop myself from being so explicit. Since the last time I had seen Derek, I had a lot more to be mad at him about and my conversations with the non existent Peter did not help to soothe any of those emotions. "Stiles is lying unconscious on a front door step because of you."
Derek cocked up a curious eyebrow and then silently turned to look at Erica. The girl shrugged her shoulder and twirled a lock of light hair around her finger. "You told me to keep him occupied." She defended innocently.
"Seems a little backwards that you're the one who is upset here."
I almost jumped at the sound of his voice and my head snapped in the direction of the other werewolf present. Isaac was glowering down at me as if I were the worst thing to ever roam the planet. The softness and warmth I used to see in his eyes when he looked at me was long gone and had been replaced by loathing. I practically shrunk underneath his gaze.
Isaac looked a lot different than the last time I saw him. He was completely devoid of any bruises or discoloration and his skin was a nice, fair shade. His build was much more solid now-athletic almost-and the lanky boy he used to be was nothing but a memory. The demeanor he held was similar to Erica's, confident and vengeful. It was though they were convinced that this was their moment to reign hell on the world that never did them any favors or ever cut them a break.
"Isaac, please, you have to-"
"No, I don't think I do." Isaac cut me off abruptly, shaking his head and looking as though he were in deep thought. "You really had me fooled, Tessa. Although, I will admit, I was trying to rack my brain as to why you had asked me to the dance. I thought maybe you genuinely liked me in the same way I had always liked you. Silly me."
My shoulders sagged and I let out a breath, my eyes suddenly stinging violently. "I never meant to hurt you." I whispered, shaking my head. "I'm so sorry, Isaac."
Isaac smiled, but it wasn't kind. There was malice painted on his lips. "I don't care."
Then, as if they were all programmed, the group of three turned and began to walk into the ice rink. I had no choice but to follow them, trailing behind the pack.
"That really hurts, Scott." Derek announced as he shoved through the doors, charging his way straight towards the arena. On it stood Scott, Boyd sitting atop a large machine, and at the sound of Derek's voice, they both turned to look in our direction. "I mean, if you're going to review me, at least take a consensus." He gestured back towards his two fresh beta's who looked nothing but proud to be there.
"Careful there, you might have a vote against you, Derek." I grunted and Erica turned to look over her shoulder at me with a growl, warning me to keep my mouth shut. I only glared at her in response and crossed my arms, suddenly feeling the cold of the arena.
"Erica? How's life been for you since we met?" Derek then asked, not even looking back at his beta but keeping his gaze poised on Scott.
The blonde had once again twirled some blonde hair around her finger and was looking at her alpha as if he were a crown jewel. "Hm, in a word? Transformative." She responded. For effect, she let out another growl but this one was more excited, fangs protruding from her gums. My eyes widened at the sight, not used to the image of seeing people I knew formally as humans transformed into werewolves.
"Isaac?" Derek proceeded on.
"Well, I'm a little bummed about being a fugitive but, other than that I'm great." Isaac responded, my heart twisting at the sound of his voice.
"Okay, hold on. This isn't exactly a fair fight." Scott finally spoke up.
"Then, go home, Scott." Derek suggested, a relaxed smile on his features as he shrugged. "Take Tessa, and go home."
Scott stood his ground and as soon as I went to take a step forward, Derek barred me with his arm. It prevented me from getting around at all and I watched as Isaac marched alongside Erica towards my friend.
"What are you doing?" I demanded of Derek, jerking my head to look at the side of his head.
"I gave him a warning. What more do you want from me?" The alpha inquired coolly, raising his eyebrows and shaking his head. "Stay out of this."
"Then, why bring me here? Just to let me sit by and watch my friend get hurt?" I questioned diligently, shoving his arm away from me but taking a step back to show I wouldn't go anywhere.
"Don't you get it?" Derek asked. "I'm trying to show you that what I'm doing is good. I am helping teenagers who want it."
"You're putting targets on all of their backs and tricking them into believing this is some kind of gift." I argued, my tone biting and angry. I shook my head. "You are no hero, Derek."
I heard loud snarling and dull thuds and turned my head to see the three werewolves dueling. Helpless, I did as Derek had instructed and stayed out of the fight. Seeing all of them transformed startled me, and I found myself having to look away as they were each assaulted in one way or the other.
"I hope one day you can find it in yourself to forgive me." Derek then told me, crossing his arms behind his back and staring at the fight. "I don't want to be your enemy."
"You made that choice when you killed Peter." I pointed out. "When you betrayed our trust and proved your loyalty to no one."
"I was looking out for us!" Derek snapped, his voice slamming into my ears and making me jump away from him. His cold eyes were now poised on me, teeth jammed together. "Making sure that Peter was dead was the first step to keeping you safe. I wasn't sure if Scott could do it."
"Like you gave a shit about me. You wanted to take the cure and leave a teenage boy to suffer. You had no idea you were going to become an alpha, Derek. Don't pretend like this was some sort of rescue mission. You turned your back on people who needed you and now you're pitting yourself against us. You are the enemy." I ranted, my chest heaving after I had done so. Derek and I stared at each for a few long moments before he cleared his throat, looking away.
"Don't you get it?" Scott suddenly yelled, his voice slightly muffled through his teeth. I saw that both Erica and Isaac were lying on the ground, my friend looming over them. "He's not doing this for you! He's just adding to his own power, okay? It's all about him! He makes you feel like he's giving you some kind of gift when all he's done is turn you into a bunch of guard dogs!"
Scott grabbed Isaac by the front of his shirt and slid him across the ice. His form landed at Derek's feet and Erica's body followed in pursuit. I stared down at the two worn down forms and then back up at Scott.
"It's true." Derek said to Scott as he began to walk towards him. "It is about power."
His hand jerked and I could see claws protruding from his fingertips. My heart rate sped up and a slight shake came to my limbs. Derek then moved his head in a few directions before a snarl tore through his mouth, hair protruding from his face and I knew he had wolfed out. In a matter of seconds, Derek had just about hit Scott in every place on his body with intensity. Scott tried with everything he could to defend himself, but Derek continuously had the upper hand. Finally, Derek had slammed Scott in the ice, pressing his foot so tightly on his chest that Scott began to wheeze, blood trickling from the corner of his mouth.
"Derek!" I screamed across the arena desperately and the alpha's head slowly turned in my direction. "Please."
Derek watched me for a few moments, his bright red eyes piercing into my own desperate gaze. Then, he grunted and removed his boot off of Scott's chest. The beta panted and grunted in pain as Derek walked away from him. I stumbled across the ice but made it to my friend, kneeling down at his side.
Boyd climbed down off the machine, looking at Scott with wide eyes. Scott sat up on his elbows. "Don't." He urged. "You don't want to be like them."
"You're right." Boyd responded and then, he pulled up the side of his jacket to reveal a fresh, ripe bite mark on the side of his dark skin. "I wanna be like you."
A/N: Alright, so, I lied and said this chapter would be the start of episode four but I got a little carried away with the last part of this episode. I wanted to go into a bit more detail and slip in some interactions I think were desperately needed. As always, if you enjoyed, please leave a review!
Laura