Chapter 19 - Formal

SHOPPING MALL

Returning from the restroom, his hands shoved deep into his pockets as he lazily looked around the store for his friends. He noticed Stiles and Lydia, the former with his hands full of dresses as they headed for the changing rooms. Chuckling at his poor friend, Mickey shook his head as he scanned the store for Allison. A frown fell on his brows as he noticed her stood by a few dresses, a man in a dark coat holding her wrist as he compared the color of a dress with her skin. The air around the man was strange, weirdly strained and hostile in a way that made Mickey hesitate. It was a feeling he hadn't felt in a long time and quite frankly it amused him, his halted steps quickly picked back up as he headed towards the duo.

''That's a beautiful dress,'' he complimented as he reached the two, his arm instantly going around his girlfriend's waist as he hugged her to his side while his eyes remained on the man.

The man remained quiet for a moment, his eyes seemingly studying the younger male as Mickey took the dress and held it up in front of Allison before nodding his approval. The girl hesitated before relaxing, shooting worried glances at the man but seemed a lot more relaxed with Mickey by her side.

''Thanks for the help,'' she suddenly said as she faced the man in the coat and Mickey turned back around to face him, his green eyes set hard but his lips remained a friendly smile as he stretched out his hand towards the other male.

''Yea thanks for the help, this could have turned into hours of shopping if it wasn't for you,'' he kept his tone friendly and light, his smile never wavering as he stared at the man in the dark coat.

The man grasped his hand, a weird feeling causing the hairs to stand on Mickeys' skin as their skin touched. He frowned but quickly forced it away as to keep his friendly front, gently ending their handshake quicker than normal as he returned his gaze to Allison.

''We should get going, save Stiles from being stuck in the store until after closing time,'' just as he'd said it, the speakers in the store called out the number plate of a car asking for its owner to go out and turn off the car alarm.

''That's my car,'' Allison said as she turned to Mickey, grasping his hand as she ushered him to follow her outside, he spared a glance at the strange man before he followed her outside.

JAGGERS' HOUSE

He was seated on the couch, hand filled with dust he'd wiped away from the leather surface. A deep frown as he thought about the man in the mall, the second their hands touched he'd forced back a shiver as the hair raised on his body. He guessed the reaction was from fear but strangely that was not how he'd felt while stood in front of the man, the feeling from within had been closer to rage.

''The color red is a strange one, it represents both good and evil,'' his mothers' gentle voice filled the space, the sound of her heels clicking against the wooden floor a soothing sound in the dark as none of them had bothered to turn the lights on.

He raised his gaze to look at the woman, their outfits for once matching as he wore the suit for the formal, ''War and power or passion and love, which meaning do you see fit it the most?''

She hummed as she thought about the question, gently letting herself sink into one of the armchairs before crossing one leg over the other in a smooth motion, ''I'd much prefer the color black, for its elegant, and prestigious meaning.''

''But if red is the only color, which meaning do you prefer?'' he refused to let her change the subject, letting his gaze rest on his mother's eyes as she absently tapped the glass she held in her grasp.

''Red is a beautiful color on the right individual, but I lost interest in most colors the day I met your father. It just didn't seem to have much meaning anymore,'' she admitted, he gently nodded in understanding and in a way whiched his father was still around.

Realizing what he'd been thinking, Mickey pushed himself off the couch and brushed off the dust from his clothes before turning to his mother, ''I have to pick up Allison for the formal.''

''When will you be back?'' she asked absently, she thought already lost to her memories as she stirred the whiskey in her hand.

He grabbed his phone and made sure he hadn't forgotten anything before heading for the door, he opened before he finally turned back around to face his mother who's eyes remained on the glass in her hand, ''I'll be back in a few days, just got a few things I need to handle.''

BEACON HILLS' HIGHSCHOOL FORMAL

They'd taken a break from dancing as Allison opted to take a break to visit the ladies room, Mickey took that time to get some fresh air. He kissed on the cheek before he left to go outside, shoving his hands deep into his pockets as he breathed in the fresh outdoor air. The evening air was slightly chilled as the sun had long since disappeared behind the trees, leaving a dark sky filled with stars.

The sound of someone shouting in the distance made him frown, not taking long to recognize the voice the screams belonged to. Neither did the male sounds distressed, or might have been in his way but not enough for Mickey to feel the need to start sprinting to save his ass as he shouted for the alpha do come for him.

Two red dots in the forest, moving around like a predator watching from the shadows. Mickey frowned as he came to realize what the other male was chasing, the sudden silence revealing the fact that he'd been caught.

Glancing in the direction of the school, Mickey cursed himself for what he was about to do.

...

''You promise? You promise you won't hurt him?'' Jacksons' low tone sounded scared as he was led across the parking lot by Allisons' father, the older mans' hand on his shoulder as to keep him from doing anything stupid.

Watching from the shadows of one of the cars, Mickey watched as Argent smiled down at the teen, ''Of course not. He's just a kid.''

''What are you gonna do?'' Jackson asked as he doubted the other mans' words, his eyes searching the man for any signs of a lie.

They came to a stop as Argent faced the teen, ''I'm gonna take care of it. Go back to the dance, Jackson. Be with your friends, be a normal teenager.''

This time Jackson didn't hesitate and turned away from the two hunters, Mickey watched him go before he finally pushed himself out of the shadows. His hand gently sliding over the surface of the car as he leaned back against it, purposely not looking at the two hunters who'd quickly taken note of his sudden appearance.

"Nous chassons ceux qui nous chassent" he quoted in an awkward accent before raising his gaze to lock eyes with the hunter, one eyebrow raised as if to dare him to argue.

His feeble attempt makes the hunter chuckle, not being used to hearing the words spoken by someone like the teen, ''You've become daring these past few weeks.''

''Aww come on Mr. Argent, you know ya can't lie to me so just tell me you think I've become stupid,'' the teen teased as he pushed away from the car so he could return his hands into the pockets of his pants, a restless feeling enabling him to remain still.

Sighing, the older man made a deal out of showing the gun he'd hidden in his waistband, ''This has nothing to do with you, Mickey. Go back to the dance.''

Ready to argue, Mickey was about to speak but was unable to as his gace instead turned to the side of the building. He frowned, his feet picking up the pace before he realized it and he left the parking lot in a jog.

When he rounded the corner he laid eyes on the lacrosse field, Stiles stood with the man from the mall. Lydia laid motionless on the damp grass, blood smeared all over his beautiful silver dress. Slowing his pace, the frown remaining on his brows as he made his way onto the field.

''Stiles, what's goin' on?'' he questioned as he took note of the startled expression on his usual spasmodic friend's face, the teen in question quickly snapping his gaze towards Mickey as he hadn't seen him coming.

''D-don't, Lydia needs help,'' he stuttered and Mickey noticed how Stiles tried to put himself between Mickey and the man in the dark coat, so his feelings towards the man were right.

Staring at the man, Mickey slowly made it over to the trio before crouching down to brush away a few stray hairs from Lydias' face. Her heartbeat was weak but she was alive, his skin cold to his touch and the deep bite wound on her arm still bleeding.

''So I figure you're the alpha?'' he asked as his green eyes shifted to the man in the coat, remaining crouched by Lydia to make sure she was doing alright.

The man seemed surprised by his question but quickly smoothed his expression into a pleasant smile, ''Peter Hale, I guess we're a bit late with the pleasantries?''

''Mickey,'' Stiles suddenly interrupted looking between the two nervously, ''I need you to take care of Lydia.''

It made Mickey raise his brow, ''Where are you going?''

''I- I need to help Peter find Derek,'' Stiles explained making Mickey once again frown before he looked at Peter who's face remained unbothered but Stiles seemed determined so Mickey gave a hesitant nod, Peter instantly turned and started walking away.

As Stiles was about to follow, Mickey grabbed his wrist, ''If anything happens, call me.''

''That should be my line,'' Stiles half-heartedly joked before his gaze landed back on Lydia, Mickey patted his shoulder before he gently lifted her off of the damp floor so he could call for help.

BEACON HILLS' HOSPITAL

Playing games on his phone, rapidly tapping on the screen he tried to score his next top score. The sound of howls in the distance made him hesitate, the screen telling him that he'd lost as his character fell to the floor. Cursing, Mickey let his hand fall to his knee as his gaze went to the window that separated Lydia from the rest of the hospital. She'd been bitten by an alpha werewolf and like Scott would most likely turn within the hours, at least that was the information he'd gotten from Scott and Stiles throughout Scotts' changing.

The elevator blinged to announce its arrival and he watched from the corner of his eyes as Allison stepped out into the room. She looked frightened as she hugged herself, her steps slow as if she was unsure if she wanted to see her injured friend. He didn't speak as he watched her go up to the window, her hand laid flat on the surface as she studied her friend in silence.

The text came to his mind, something had happened after he'd met up with Stiles and Lydia. Chris Argent was gonna send his daughter away, the hunter had figured out who was the beta. There could only be one reason why he'd decided to send Allison away in such a hurry, she'd found out about the werewolves.

''They said it was an animal attack,'' he suddenly voiced, seeing her startle made him raise a brow.

She slowly turned towards him, her hand still on the window as if to keep her steady. Her mouth opened and closed, unsure if she wanted to speak the words that were on her mind. Her eyes found him but both remained still, ''Do you believe them?''

Years of practice had taught him to always play innocent until evidence could prove the difference to his statement but unlike before, his lies would only serve to protect himself now, ''She must have been unlucky, we all know there are cougars around the area.''

Pushing himself off of the chair, his eyes shifted to take a last glance at the unconscious girl before he wrapped his arms around his girlfriend. Allison leaned into his chest, burying herself in his warmth as he rested his chin on top of her head.