1 Week Later
I managed to sneak away from Scott and the Pack's iron grip on me. I just wanted to forget everything that happened and get on with my life. It's been a week since the Kanima Attack. They shut down Walmart for a couple of days and carried out a vigil and fundraiser for my co-workers' families. I wanted to go, but Scott said he thought it would trigger me.
I have an hour or so before they find out that the mound of pillows on my bed isn't me, that is, if Tobias and his pack don't rat on me first. On high alert, his pack members spotted me before I even parked... admittedly, my Jeep is very loud. It was by chance that I could sneak away between Isaac and Liam's shifts of watching over me. My door was opened as soon as I adjusted my scarf and put my Jeep in the park.
"Are you insane?" Cora asked me, "Tobias is barely keeping it together... if he sees you, he will be sure to wolf out..." She scolded me.
"Nice to see you, Cora," I rolled my eyes as I grabbed my bag. I threw my cigarette on the pavement and stamped it before heading to the front door.
"Seriously, you don't think you are going to work tonight... you want to cause more fatalities?" she asked, gripping my elbow, and I snapped... it was easy for us to snap at each other. We didn't get along before we started dating, then she broke up with me when she found out I was bi... I think it was just an excuse she came up with for Tobias' rule against dating outside of their pack.
"The master would be an idiot to attack the same spot twice," I gritted my teeth and snatched my elbow away, "I can't sit and wallow forever, I need to make money, or I will lose the house." When I looked into her eyes, I saw that she was masking worry. This emotionally constipated attempt to piss me away was her version of trying to protect me. The Hale's are too alike for my good... Derek is even worse. Sometimes I can't even decide if he is trying to protect me.
"Shouldn't you be guarding the outside..." Cora stayed behind me to the breakroom, then after I clocked in, she followed me to my aisles, where I had to restock. I muttered when she kept getting too close to me while trying to focus on my job.
"Vivian and Maaco have it covered..." she muttered, crossing her arms.
"Stiles!" Tobias interrupted us from continuing our bickering as he ran down the aisle. He rushed to hug me but then decided to treat me like I was a glass figurine at the last minute. I patted him on the back for him to calm down. I didn't want to think about what had happened... I am doing an excellent job of ignoring it at the moment. "What are you doing here? You shouldn't be here... you should be resting," He told me. He spotted my scarf. "Is um... is the bite not healed? Billy can take a look at it... He-"
"I am fine. Deaton gave me an ointment, and it's speeding up the healing," I told him as he unraveled the scarf to look, "Tobias, honestly, I am fine..." I muttered, too slow to stop him. He and Cora were physically taken aback, "Its looks worse than it is..." I mumbled, "Please, I don't want to think about it. I want to get to work," I muttered. Black and Purple were spread across my neck and shoulder; it looks worse than it is... two days ago, half of my torso was bruised from the bite.
"Fine... but Cora is going to guard you, and I am going to have to text Scott that you got here safely,"
"Um... can you not do that last thing?" I asked as if there were skidding sounds of sneakers on the linoleum on cue.
"Stiles... never do that again," Liam growled at me, "You might as well chop my head off and hand it over to Scott if he ever finds out about this..." Liam crossed his arms and glared at me. He softened his glare a little when he saw my neck; I have been hiding it from most of the pack. I snatched the scarf from Tobias and wrapped it around my neck.
"Can I please get to work now?" I muttered... I don't know why the world decides to pick on me. On cue, there were footsteps of fancy dress shoes on the linoleum. Two men in suits and sunglasses turned down the aisle.
"Mr. Stilinski?" the taller one asked.
"Who's asking?" I asked, and Liam glared at me to behave.
"I am Agent Harrison, and this is my partner Agent Garcia. We want to talk to you about the attack last week,"
"I wasn't here..."
"Who is this then?" Agent Garcia pulled out a picture and showed me. It was of the Kanima carrying me out of the store... I didn't know what to say. "Relax, we are a special task force," He pulled down his sunglasses, and his eyes glowed red.
"What about him?"
"You don't want to look into my eyes," he chuckled, and I raised an eyebrow.
"He is the son of Medusa... If you look in his eyes, you will turn into stone," he explained. "We are here to help... I am guessing that the Kanima bit you?" Garcia asked, and I nodded, refraining from rolling my eyes. I might as well shred this scarf. I unraveled it and let them inspect me. Tobias and Liam growled at them when they touched me too hard and made me cringe.
The agents pulled me aside to interview me about everything that happened, even though everyone had super hearing.
"Thank you for your cooperation," Garcia told me once he was done gathering all of the information he needed.
"Do you... Do you know how to cancel out the effects of the Kanima's Bite?" I forced myself to ask. I hated how weak I sounded. I felt like I was dying like I had the worst flu. The Lowest temperature I had taken of myself was 100.2.
"There is one known remedy, and it is just a myth..." Harrison told me. "You and your pack would need to undergo a ritual,"
"What kind of ritual?"
"Have you heard of the Under the Moonlight Ritual?" He asked me, and I gulped. I nodded.
The 'Under the Moonlight' ritual must be performed under a full moon. It has to start with a chant and prayer at midnight... then it involves breeding, marking, and knotting a werewolf and their human mate... it is a fertility ritual.
"It is much like that ritual, but it will have to last from one full moon to the next. Has your mate marked you yet?" Garcia continued, and I shook my head. "The substitute for that is all of the males in your pack to claim you as their mate,"
"That... is impossible, that is never going to happen,"
"It is the only way for all of the Kanima's venom to leave your system. With all of the Werewolf DNA that will enter your body during the ritual, it will fight the Kanima's DNA,"
"There has to be another way..."
"I am afraid that I don't know of any other way," Garcia told me, and he looked like he was struggling to tell me this information. Harrison just looked like a stone statue. "The Kanima's Bite will take full effect, and you will be vulnerable to the Kanima's Master in Five Weeks... if you don't go under this ritual and if it doesn't work, for your safety, we will have you into protective custody," he told me, and I scoffed.
"You can't be serious..."
"I am afraid so,"
Before I could curse them out, Liam interrupted us, "Thank you for your help, Agent Harrison and Garcia... is Stiles free to leave?" He asked, and the Agents nodded at him. "Stiles... Behave," He saw the look of outrage on my face and my balled-up fists ready to deck someone in the face.
