Chapter 17 - Temptation

"I like you, Stiles."

Stiles let out a sigh of frustration and fear. The night really hadn't gone according to plan at all. As if it wasn't bad enough that he hadn't gotten to kiss Sadie, he'd had to abandon her and Lydia on the lacrosse field to keep them safe. Lydia was bloody and unconscious, Sadie had slashes from Peter's claws marring her shoulder, and to top it all off, Stiles's Jeep keys had just been mangled in front of his eyes. He was going to have to run all the way to the hospital to find out if they were okay.

Of course, that was only if he got out of this dark parking garage alive. Peter had forced him down here to hack Scott's laptop so they could find Derek, who was presumably being held captive by the Argents. But now that they knew that Derek was locked away in his own cellar at the Hale house, Stiles had essentially become disposable, and despite Peter's whole speech about not being the bad guy, Stiles wasn't going to take his word that he wasn't about to have his throat slashed open.

"Since you've helped me," Peter said, as if Stiles hadn't made any sound of disbelief, "I'm going to give you something in return. Do you want the bite?"

Stiles's whole brain stalled at the simple question. That was the exact opposite of what he had been expecting, which was honestly more along the lines of, "I'll kill you painlessly instead of drawing it out and letting you bleed to death as I eat you alive." And Peter had said it so nonchalantly, as if he offered dorky teenagers the chance to become werewolves with super strength and super hearing and super healing and super everything everyday.

"What?" he managed to choke out.

"Do you want the bite?" he repeated, over enunciating each word like Stiles really hadn't been able to hear him. But his mouth just hung open, unable to form a proper response. At his silence, Peter pushed on. "If it doesn't kill you—and it could—you'll become like us."

Stiles had to force the words out of his throat, his mind still struggling to come to terms with the idea that the conversation he was currently having was even plausible. "Like you?"

"Yes, a werewolf. Would you like me to draw you a picture?" Peter snapped.

Stiles didn't respond. He couldn't even bring himself to give an exasperated sigh at Peter's jab. He just felt like his entire body was frozen. The bite had to come from an Alpha, and Peter was the only Alpha they knew. It wasn't likely he was going to feel this generous ever again, especially if they succeeded in stopping or killing him that night. It was a one-time chance, an opportunity to get something from Peter before he was gone. Peter seemed to sense where his mind was heading, as he stepped forward.

"That night in the woods, I took Scott because I needed a new pack. It could've easily been you. You'd be every bit as powerful as him. No more standing by his side, watching him get stronger, and quicker and more popular, watching him get the girl. You'd be equals."

It was tempting, and they both knew it. Peter was preying on his insecurities. It was certainly a possibility Stiles had thought of before. He wanted to be better. He wanted to be powerful. Sure, Scott had gotten better at lacrosse, gotten more popular. Those were things that Stiles wanted too, but it was more than that. It was doing endless amounts of research to keep Scott informed while he made out with Allison. It was watching Scott blunder through trial after trial when he didn't even know what he was doing. It was standing by while his dad got hurt, while his friends got attacked, while people were getting killed, and having to rely on Scott to do something. Stiles was just a fragile little human. But he could be so much more. He was infinitely more prepared for being a werewolf than Scott and been. He could handle it. He could. He could be a better werewolf than Scott.

At least, he had thought that at some point. But it wasn't something he'd considered for a while. He'd stayed by Scott's side throughout the whole ordeal, and he'd watched as being a werewolf had torn his life apart. He didn't want to get shot at by hunters. He didn't want to strain the relationship he had with his father by adding another secret to the list of things he was keeping from him. He didn't want to have to worry about seeming normal and hiding his new talents in case suspicion rose among his classmates. He didn't want to live in perpetual fear of slipping up and hurting someone he loved. So maybe he was a little useless. He didn't want to be Scott anymore.

"We are equals," Stiles finally answered, his voice a little hoarse. "Wouldn't have made it this far if we weren't."

"I think we both know that's not true, Stiles," Peter said. "You're not exactly equals. But if you want to go on in denial, that's fine too. It's not really Scott you have to worry about anyway…"

Stiles tensed at Peter's tone. It was light, casual, and therefore all the more threatening. "And who am I supposed to be worrying about?" he asked, against his better judgment.

Peter smirked, but attempted to compose his face into a semblance of an innocent expression. "Oh, I don't know. Maybe a pretty girl with lovely brown hair, big doe eyes and a Hollywood smile?" Stiles felt his blood run cold as Sadie's face flashed into his mind—first the blinding grin she'd sent him on her first day at school, and then her teary, distraught face as he abandoned her on the lacrosse field.

"Stop," he growled, making Peter smile.

"I actually think you two make a lovely couple," he said, clasping his hands behind his back and shrugging slightly. "The brainiacs, children of single parents, friends-turned-lovers. I just think it'd be a shame if…that ever changed…"

"Stay away from her!" Stiles barked before he could stop himself.

Peter rolled his eyes. "Please, Stiles, I don't have any plans on hurting Sadie. You heard her yourself. She doesn't want anything to do with me. But you can't honestly believe that I'm the only thing that could come between you two." Stiles gulped, uncomfortable with where the conversation was headed, but trying to keep his gaze steady. But no matter what he looked like on the outside, Peter could tell what was happening in his head. He smirked. "I mean, you two lovebirds hang out with werewolves for fun, constantly bombarded with all these men with super speed and super strength, things you couldn't dream of doing in a million years. And don't think this is the end of it. Where there's an Alpha," he paused to point himself with raised eyebrows, "there are always desperate stragglers dying to join a pack. Scott and Derek aren't the only werewolves you're going to run into. And when all these new wolfs come to town, how long do you think Sadie's going to be content with just the human sidekick to protect her?"

"Shut up," Stiles muttered, but the Alpha was already worming his way into his head. Stiles may not have wanted the life that Scott had, but one thing he did want, maybe more than anything else, was Sadie. He wanted to be the kind of guy Sadie deserved, who would make her happy. For now, he was lucky. He'd gotten her attention, almost had her in his reach. But how long would that last? Sadie could probably have her pick of the guys at school. How long was it going to be before she got tired of his awkwardness, or his geekiness, or all his weaknesses? What if she did find someone she liked better? Some hot guy who was actually in her league, a werewolf who didn't need to rely on his best friend to keep her safe? There was no way he could compete with that.

"Of course, you don't need to let it get to that point," Peter continued, carelessly waving a hand through the air before returning it to his back. "You take the bite. You get the powers. You get to keep the girl. You and Scott may be equals, but what about when someone even better than Scott comes along?" He ventured a little farther forward, leaning into Stiles so he could continue in a voice just above a whisper. "You could be her own personal superhero."

It was that word that sent Stiles's brain into overdrive. It was what he'd always wanted. His chance to be Batman instead of Robin. His chance to be Sadie's Batman. He could protect her from whatever harm was coming on his own, without worrying about having to count on Scott. He didn't have to worry about hurting himself in the process either. And after they defeated Peter, he'd get to keep all the perks. He wanted to actually play on the lacrosse field, tune out everything except Sadie's voice when she finally brought her sign to a game to cheer him on as he weaved in and out of the other players, scoring again and again. He wanted to be strong instead of gangly, be able to carry Sadie around on his back for hours without getting tired, or whatever she wanted. He wanted to kiss her senseless while listening to her heart pounding in her chest, beating faster or skipping beats altogether. And once he got his powers under control, learned to find his anchor in Sadie or his dad, then maybe they could put his agility and super strength to some more creative uses. Not that he wanted to be thinking about that at the moment, with Peter standing in front of him and probably more than aware of all the thoughts flying through his brain.

Peter reached out, taking hold of Stiles's wrist more gently than he would have thought possible. And for some reason he couldn't understand, Stiles didn't stop him. He just stood there in awed silence, watching in fascination as Peter's hand tightened around his forearm, raising his arm up to his face.

"Yes or no?"

Stiles wanted to answer, but his mouth wasn't working. Goddamnit, he was just not in the right state of mind to be making such a huge fucking decision. But it didn't matter. It was now or never. Yes. He'd do it. He just wanted to be special. His friends, his dad, Sadie deserved to have someone special. He deserved to be special. He'd deal with the consequences, but he had to protect everyone. He'd do it for Sadie.

Sadie. Her words rung again in his mind as Peter opened his mouth to bite him. "He wants to turn me. He's not going to kill me." So Peter had offered her the bite. They could be wolves together, if she agreed to it before they killed him. But she had said no. Peter had just said she didn't want anything to do with him. Why had she turned it down? He knew she wanted to protect people too, that she could be insecure and wanted to be better. So what had made her say no? Did it matter? If Sadie had thought of a reason not to go through with it, shouldn't that have been enough for him? But she'd understand why he'd done it, right?

Then again, Stiles wasn't the only person Sadie was friends with who'd considered the bite. He thought back to her reaction the morning she'd found out that Jackson wanted to become a werewolf. She'd been furious, run out after him at lunch to have a screaming match. She couldn't believe that he'd want to do something so stupid just so he'd be better at lacrosse. That wasn't Stiles's reason, but was he any better? Was his desperation to ensure that Sadie would stay interested in him any less petty than Jackson's desire to stay the star of the lacrosse team?

Peter's teeth were elongating into fangs. He was going to bite him. He couldn't go through with it, though. He was so close to having Sadie. She'd be furious if he let himself get turned. She had chosen to continue protecting her friends as a human. Despite all the drawbacks of being so fragile and weak in the supernatural world, she'd refused the bite. And if Sadie had done it, he would too. It was a terrifying and dangerous choice, but he wouldn't force Sadie to go through what he had by making her one of the only humans in their group. They'd get through it together.

At the last possible second, Stiles ripped his arm back to his side. Peter's jaws snapped in empty air, one hand still raised where he'd been holding Stiles's wrist. There was a long moment of silence as the decision set in. Stiles was practically shaking from the effort it took to refuse. But he knew it was the right thing to do.

Peter moved slowly, lowering his hand and moving his eyes up to look at Stiles.

"I don't wanna be like you," Stiles said, shifting back away from the Alpha.

Peter didn't advance on him. Instead, he cocked his head slightly to the side, a sinister smile growing over his face. "You know what I heard just then?" he asked. "Your heart beating slightly faster over the words 'I don't want.'" Stiles pursed his lips. "You may believe that you're telling the truth, but you are lying to yourself."

"I'm not," Stiles answered. He knew that he didn't need to explain himself to the man in front of him. In fact, it was probably smarter not to. Every word he said to Peter was likely to get twisted, used against him later when it came back to bite him in the ass. But for some reason, he didn't seem to be able to keep his stupid mouth shut. "I get that being a werewolf has perks, and I get that there's consequences—lying and hunters and all that shit. That's not what I'm talking about." Peter raised a curious eyebrow. "I probably wouldn't mind all that much. But me turning into something I'm not puts more people in danger. And I'm not taking the chance that I'm gonna lose everything and wind up a lonely, psychopathic bastard like you."

It was a stupid, stupid, stupid thing to say. Hadn't he just been saying to himself a minute ago that Peter's word about not killing him wasn't that reliable? And that definitely warranted at least a good slash across his chest. But Stiles couldn't bring himself to regret it.

Peter's smirk dropped instantaneously off his face. His jaw clenched, and his eyes flashed a bright, bloody red. Stiles braced himself, ready for Peter to spring and try to tear him limb from limb. All he had as a weapon was a handful of useless, bent keys. It wasn't much, but he was going to have to make do. However, Peter never pounced. He just took several heaving breaths before twisting his head back and forth, stretching his neck and easing the tension. Finally he smiled once more, though it looked like he was in actual, physical pain.

"Goodbye, Stiles," he said shortly. And he turned on his heel, walking to his car and ducking in the driver's side door.

Stiles had a moment of panic, ready to call him back to bite him anyway. But Sadie's face flashed again in his mind, flushed under the pink and blue lights, inches away from his own. Her eyes fluttered shut, and he could feel her breath on his face, mingling with his own.

He didn't need to be a werewolf. What he needed was to get back to her.

He jumped back as Peter pulled out of the parking space, tires screeching against the pavement as he peeled out of the garage. He glanced towards his Jeep, sitting forlornly in the shadows, and then down at the hunk of crushed metal in his hands. He bent down to the asphalt, attempting in vain to try and flatten the keys out again against the ground. But it was no use. The keys were inoperable. He'd have to abandon the Jeep for now.

Stiles felt a wave of desperation building up in his chest, growing and growing until it broke. He let out a strangled scream, swinging his leg to kick whatever stranger's car he was standing next to. He kicked at it repeatedly, until suddenly the car alarm went off. He stumbled back, just managing to keep himself upright. It had startled him, but it felt good to have a release. His rage had done something. It might not have been constructive, but he'd gotten a reaction from the car, even if he hadn't gotten one from Peter.

He forced himself to take a deep breath. He closed his eyes, watching the colors of the car lights flash from the inside of his eyelids, concentrating on his breathing and the steady wail of the alarm. He had to get back to Sadie. Lydia could be dying, and Sadie was hurt. Fuck the Jeep. He'd run all the way there if he had to. There were important things going on. Maybe it would have been smarter to head straight for the Hale house, since Scott apparently seemed to know Derek was there now too. But he didn't care what was smart.

Stiles sighed, tucking his keys into the pockets of his dress pants. He ran his hands down his face and started running. He had to get to Sadie. They were going to be fine.


A/N: Two updates back to back, wow I know. I had plans on being productive today, but of course, that didn't happen. Anyway, thank you for reading the second to last chapter of The Other Side. If you're interested, I'm also posting a playlist on my tumblr, to give you guys a feel for what's going to happen in the sequel. Check it out!

Thank you as always, and I can't wait to hear from you!

-Brittney